Educated people don’t believe in unicorns. Or mermaids. Or Atlantis, Bigfoot, or the Fountain of Youth. These are dismissed as charming myths—cultural artifacts with no empirical backing. And rightly so. We’ve combed the forests, dredged the lakes, and carbon-dated the ruins. No horned horses. No fish-women. No golden cities.
But God? That’s different.
Despite the same lack of physical evidence, belief in God is not only accepted—it’s revered. Taught in schools, sworn on in courtrooms, and invoked in campaign speeches. The same minds that scoff at fairy tales will defend divine presence with philosophical rigor and moral urgency.
This isn’t a jab at faith—it’s a spotlight on the intellectual gymnastics required to hold both positions. The educated skeptic who demands peer-reviewed proof for mythical beasts will often grant God a pass. “It’s about faith,” they say. “Transcendence. Meaning.”
But why does God get the exemption? Why not the unicorn, who at least has the decency to sparkle?
Maybe it’s not about evidence at all. Maybe it’s about utility. God offers moral scaffolding, community, and cosmic comfort. Unicorns offer glitter and horn-based combat. One gets a cathedral; the other gets a Lisa Frank folder.
So, we believe what serves us. Not what’s proven. And maybe that’s the real myth: that educated people believe only what’s true.
This isn’t a call to abandon belief. It’s a call to examine it. To ask why some unproven ideas are cherished while others are ridiculed. To recognize that even the most rational minds are shaped by culture, emotion, and need.
And if we’re going to believe in things unseen, maybe we should give the unicorn a second chance. At least she never started a war.
Peace & Love, and all of the above,
Earl
earlthepearl137 
Can’t go wrong with a Unicorn! Just sayin’! 😉
Fantastic post, Earl.She’s still at it and still has a hard on for you and every other person who has ever interacted with her. New blog host for her. She’s following me everywhere I go. Amazing.
I don’t think she’s subscribed to my page anymore. At least, I hope not.
Unfortunately, she followed me to Blogspot and has been up to her old tricks there.
Bleah.
Good luck getting rid of her.
Unicorns and horn based combat?
Do not horns bugle as the soldiers are rallied with, For God and Country!’ ?
I think you’re thinking of ram horns. Unicorn horns only spread rainbows and joy. LOL
‘Unicorns offer glitter and horn-based combat’.
-Quoted from this blog post.
My comment was challenging that statement.
You got me! You’re right. I’ve been hoisted on my own petard.
team unicorn w/ glitter for me.
It seems that team unicorn is a big favorite. I’m waiting for my friend Linda to chime in. She’s the head coach of the unicorn team.
I used to think that religion offered a framework on which to teach morals and appropriate behaviour. Then I met my Atheist friend who brilliantly demonstrates how you can teach those (and many more things) without any form of religious framework.
When I dated someone who was a recovering alcoholic, we had many a conversation about the “Higher Power step” and it was a surprise to me to realise how many people were comforted by feeling able to delegate their recovery to something that was outside of themselves.
Interesting post Earl.
Thanks. I was hoping it would make people stop and think for a second.