They don’t really believe.
I forget who told me that and where, but I believe it was in a discussion that started with Anarchism, the New Atheism. I have talked about being comforted by a belief and how people do not give up such comforting beliefs easily. The point was made to me, that deep down, they don’t really believe. They want to remain in a sort of pleasant delirium and that state of mind requires a kind of focus of thought without too much distraction by reality.