Well, for one, “beliefs in beliefs” are embodied in patterns of neurons in human brains–they’re a real phenomenon, not a “metaphysical” one, and they can influence peoples’ thoughts, words, and actions. Someone who every week donates money to their their church, because they go to a church, because they “believe in God”, may not really belief in God in the sense of not letting it determine any important decision. But the belief is still there, floating around interacting with the rest of their value system, combining with social pressure, pulling their personal opinions over towards the beliefs endorsed by that church, and of course costing them $x money every week, which, based on how churches usually spend money, is probably mostly spent on installing the belief in belief in God into other peoples’ heads. On an individual level, it’s hard to evaluate whether that person is more or less happy or will live longer, but on a societal level, there are definite effects.
Well, for one, “beliefs in beliefs” are embodied in patterns of neurons in human brains–they’re a real phenomenon, not a “metaphysical” one, and they can influence peoples’ thoughts, words, and actions. Someone who every week donates money to their their church, because they go to a church, because they “believe in God”, may not really belief in God in the sense of not letting it determine any important decision. But the belief is still there, floating around interacting with the rest of their value system, combining with social pressure, pulling their personal opinions over towards the beliefs endorsed by that church, and of course costing them $x money every week, which, based on how churches usually spend money, is probably mostly spent on installing the belief in belief in God into other peoples’ heads. On an individual level, it’s hard to evaluate whether that person is more or less happy or will live longer, but on a societal level, there are definite effects.