Regardless of where you live, you have no doubt seen for yourself how religion affects the lives of millions of people, maybe yours too.
On the other hand, there are millions of people who profess no religion nor any belief in a god. They are atheists. Others, agnostics, believe that God is unknown and probably unknowable.
However, erroneous religious belief made a difference to a hospital patient. This patient had been in a deep coma for days. He was given the best of care. Then a staphylococcus infection developed on his chest and abdomen. Nobody could understand where the germs came from. Everything was thoroughly sanitary, and no other patient had such an infection. One day a skin specialist noticed the mother of the stricken man sprinkling something on his stomach. It was discovered that the mother had been regularly sprinkling “holy water” on her son, believing that this would help him get well. A doctor took a sample of this water and found it loaded with germs! When the sprinkling of “holy water” ended, so did the infection. While the mother was no doubt sincere, still the practice had no force for good. It was not God’s way. It amounted to nothing more than superstition, and in this case it resulted in harm where good was intended.
So do not be misled. What you believe regarding God and his purposes will make a great difference in your life. If you desire God’s blessings you will want to study his Word, the Bible, to ascertain his requirements for you. Then you will want to live your life in harmony with God’s expressed will, (1 John 2:17)