That is what I teach my grandchildren. We come from stardust and ultimately go back to it.

Because thankfully the human mind wants to push its boundaries and look beyond its horizon. Without that it is “just a collection of bio-chemical components”. And because of that the shelf life has increased to 80 years from 40 years in such recent times as the Victorian era.

I hear ya, buddy.

One does not have to believe in a god or gods to hope that there is more to us than just a physical body. I hope that we are aspects of entities and that growth continues after death. But I fully accepted Socrates' response when I was 15 and I'm happy with that.

Because magic is real.

Because we are biologically wired to believe that our genes are more important than others, so we ascribe a value to our existence above that of others, and other animals.

It might not always be the fact.We have thought so we are.If that thought can be put into another vessel it would change everything.I asked a religious friend why she believed in a god.Her reply it gives her comfort.She is from the state of beaches, churches,golf courses and guns,Florida.The concept chemicals coming together to make humans would drive someone to believe in a god.
They say if you get enough monkeys with type writters

Because they haven't studied bio-chemistry!

Because so many people find it too depressing to accept. Fantasies are more reassuring.

It is called fear, fear of death and non-existence.

Most likely because consciousness seems spooky and people feel the urge to explain what they don’t understand with magic, so that there isn’t a huge gap in their understanding. It’s like the blind spot in our eye where the optic nerve leaves the retina: it’s filled in with illusion.