We have no valid evidence for God or special revelation. The evidence is viewed through a lens of faith. What gives the evidence its validity are the religious emotions behind it. Behind religious apologetics, there are are personal reasons for believing. There is evidence that some people have a natural need to believe. We are predisposed to believe in the supernatural. Religious belief is partly hereditary and genetic.

Convincing evidence shows that psychological traits, including spirituality, are stable in time and influenced by genetic factors to a significant degree. Indeed, several family, twin, and adoption studies have shown that genetic factors underlie at least some individual differences in personality traits. This heritability is estimated to be around 40 to 60 percent. Most of these reports also suggested that genetic variation could contribute to as much as 40 to 50 percent of the individual variation in terms of a person’s religiosity. Nader Perroud, Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry, 2009.

Faith is the conviction of the truth of a religious claim. This type of conviction is most often based on upbringing and identity. Many are raised from an early age into the religion of their environment and learn that their religion is the eternal truth. Many have very little knowledge of other religions and their (similar) evidence, values, practices, and experiences, and therefore consider their own religion to be the only true one. As Steve Bruce puts it, religion is most persuasive when it is taken for granted.

Researchers have also found a significant correlation between secularism and levels of education, which suggests that belief in God is associated with less educated people. Religious and supernatural belief are correlated with low intuitive physics knowledge, low school grades in mathematics and physics, low general knowledge of physical and biological phenomena, intuitive and analytical thinking styles, and, in particular, with assigning mentality to non-mental phenomena.

In addition to genetic and cultural reasons, there are strong emotional reasons associated with religious practice. Religion promotes well-being. Studies have shown that belief in meaning and purpose is related to three measures of psychological well-being, namely life satisfaction, optimism, and self-esteem. There is a negative correlation between depression symptoms and belief in divine forgiveness of sins. Belief in divine forgiveness has been found to ease symptoms of agoraphobia, depression, general anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Reciting the Book of Psalms had the effect of lowering the anxiety level of Israeli women living in a war zone. It helped them cope with uncertainty.

Religion is an important resource for coping with life's many challenges. Religions provide psychological support during stressful events and trials such as illlness, catastrophes, and death. Religious teachings can provide support with the idea that these events are necessary in the great design of God and ultimately lead to a greater good. Religion helps in coping with stressful events because they are are believed to reflect the activity of a benevolent God. Thus, the religious can see themselves as God's co-workers in solving problems. The idea that there is life after death helps people, especially those who are very religious, deal with their fear of death.

Religion conveys positive values. In many religions, there is a philosophy of loving one's neighbor. Religions motivate people to help others, either by giving alms or by volunteering. Generosity has many benefits. Researchers talk about the ”giver’s glow”; philanthropy produces  happiness chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin. Giving activates the centers of meaning in our brains, which send us signals of joy. This may even set in motion a spiral in which giving creates a sense of happiness, which in turn inspires more giving.

Religion provides community. Positive religious coping consists of strategies that reflect a trusting relationship with God and a sense of spiritual connectedness with others. Religious beliefs have to do with belonging to a particular group of people. The word "religion" comes from the Latin word “ligare”: to join, or to link. It is often understood to mean the connection between the human and the divine. However, just as importantly, it connects people to others. Religious organizations promote and even prescribe socialization among members and encourage people to care for one another. As a result, religious people have larger social support networks. Religious communities provide support, connection, and identity. In a crisis, people can draw on the resources of others. Belonging to a religious community is associated with healthier life choices: religious people smoke less and drink less alcohol.

Religious faith is not blind, but the reasons for it are invisible in most rational religious-philosophical debates. Faith is a source of well-being for those with personal religious experiences and emotions. Religion gives people an identity, values, a community, psychological support and a promise of eternal life. It operates effectively on the emotional level.