As our ancestors evolved in growing societies, living in larger and more diverse groups, our choices in ethics evolved. We created bonds with our families, friends, and communities. Tribal existence came about through shared similarities. These bonds still required more than family or ethnic ties. Our ancestors knew that like minded groups were necessary for protection from predators, both human and animal.
What we call ‘religion’ was originally rooted in an acknowledgement of the tragic fact that everyone dies. It has been used to create rituals so that people would gather to hear from their “wise men” and “mystics”.
Many believe that the roots of our personal faith provide an answer to the questions of creation. As Arthur Schopenhauer stated, “Everyone takes the limits of their own vision for the limits of the world.”
We associate spiritual practices with limitlessness, from that we assume that only a great and powerful supernatural being created all that we can observe and that a ‘soul’ resides inside our flesh until it’s released at death. This is where faith, religion, messiahs, prophets, apostles, Imams, priests, rabbis, popes, cardinals, reverends, monks, and other chosen titles, take over their respective groups. They receive an elevated status within the community. They interpret ancient writings and give explanation to what will happen to us after death.
Ra or Re was the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. By the Fifth Dynasty, in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, he had become one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the noon-day sun. Ra was believed to rule in all parts of the created world: the sky, the Earth, and the underworld.
Ancient records of civilizations before the Jewish record or that of the followers of Muhammad, had already created a pantheon of their ideas on deities.
I suspect those who believe in an all powerful – supernatural, all knowing, omnipresent, being, find the following explanations confusing, but to anyone outside of this grand self-deception, it seems logical.
The classic defensive argument for “Why I believe in God,” are; “order doesn’t come from chaos, and without an intelligent designer, all things will decay.” This is followed by an unscientific explanation of thermodynamics and entropy. It’s interesting to note, for those who often explain science 🧪 is faulty, they often choose to use science to prove their point.
Science isn’t a religion, or a source of complete knowledge. It’s simply a method to observe, take note of results, rinse – repeat. When it gets those previously accepted facts wrong, this method when practiced correctly, requires the adherent to reexamine the data, find more of it, use better ways of testing, and often finds better answers.
This doesn’t seem to be the case with those who consider themselves believers. They find it necessary to repeat most of their basic steps to continue to believe in something or someone they can’t see, hear, touch, smell, or really know. All people who say, they literally talk to God and it, he, she, talks back, are not trying to educate, they’re practicing repeat indoctrination. Many of those who lead often do so to control, create a powerful cohesive political or fighting force, or relieve you of your possessions through claims that you will receive a reward, either soon or in the kingdom of god.
Some are insistent that you believe just as they do, or try through peer pressure to convince you. When Christians used to have more control, these believers might imprison you, confiscate property, or make you swear an allegiance, even to the point of death. Believers used to roam the globe, taking things away or putting people to death for not believing as they do. To ignore these facts, are to ignore history.
Believers now usually resort to their vocal or electronic persuasions. There are some organizations of believers that don’t tolerate any disagreement with the organization, or of those in charge.
What are our methods to call upon God for our needs. Well, that is understood to be prayer. As far as I know, no one has a direct line of communication to god. When the believer prays, maybe their significant other is in the hospital with an injury or a disease. There maybe children at home who need both parents. if this person passes, what do we hear? “It’s God’s will.” If they recovered, it likely would be called a miracle or also God’s will. Either outcome, places a ✔️ in the believer’s box.
Children are destroyed by other men, right before the believer’s hands and eyes. It’s happening right now somewhere in the world. Millions of god’s chosen people were killed during WWII, some by Christian believers. Many people have been enslaved by other so called believers, some of those were Christians, too.
What’s my point? As an imperfect human father that I am, and if it were in my power to control, I wouldn’t allow rape, molestation, abduction, enslavement, killing, starving, beating, or horrible disease that occurs daily around this earth.
For a perfect, omnipresent, omnipotent, living creator to let this all happen, even after the cries of the believer are heard, demonstrates someone that’s indifferent, implacable, incompetent, or incapable.
Children need more from their parents than belief. They need responsible, caring parents that do what they’re able to benefit their progeny. Belief in a god fails on all matters of human decency. We’re left to the whims of an unpredictable god, just as they were in ancient Rome.
As far as believe or suffer for eternity, that’s just what you might think another imperfect human being would say to get you to conform. A loving parent would make it clear, they’re not going to turn away from you in your hour of need. They certainly wouldn’t punish a child forever if they didn’t conform into believing or die, and then be in torment forever.
Maybe, just maybe we could distinguish these believing leaders from the avarice and selfish nature of secular leaders. What if they quit trying to fleece their flocks? They could start out by selling their private art collections, palatial estates, yachts and jets, and giving it back where needed to their flocks??
Most of all, if the United States is / was a Christian nation, there’s a lack of supporting evidence. Before any of the believer’s respond, look at the 200+ conflicts / wars, the U.S. has started since WWII. Look at our concern over health care. Sure we provide it to those with ample money, but the rest can just suffer or hope that some charity may take pity. Homelessness doesn’t look very compassionate to me, how about you?
I’m left with one of many things I remember from Bible study. “Belief, you say you have belief?” “The demons believe in me, and they’re still condemned.” That’s paraphrased from James 2:19.
I don’t believe in science or evolution. Science is a tool which aids an educated person to know the difference between fact and mythology.
Evolution comes from the preponderance of discovered physical evidence. You can examine the evidence and conclude what you like. No one says you must believe in evolution or be condemned, especially for an eternity. There’s a distinct lack of evidence when it comes to a supernatural being. Just because you don’t understand pre-calculus doesn’t mean that calculus II or linear algebra doesn’t exist. Evolution has been proven. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no god. The two can potentially both exist, however there’s a lot of reliable evidence in evolution, not so when it comes to deciding there’s a supernatural being of immense compassion that may or may not answer your prayers.
Even if we’re to assume there’s a being of indescribable knowledge and longevity, how could we understand anything from that being? It’s somewhat the equivalent of an ant working on their ant hill and we come across that ant. It neither would understand our communication, intelligence, or abilities, yet it may sense our presence. The distinction between the two living organisms is obvious, but there wouldn’t be a way for the human or ant to communicate. I don’t think we would understand a god anymore than the ant and human.
If you were an ancient Greek, you might be inclined to say, the Gods have spoken. That too would be a myth. “Some unexplained events are called miraculous, but these miracles don’t prove the existence of God.”
Rest assured my thoughts aren't the final word. I can be completely wrong, however so can those of the believer. (╭ರ_•́)
I would like to suggest an idea, but before you react and run away, think about this current situation without the C☆r○na V!ru$.
“Our time is rich in inventive minds, the inventions of which could facilitate our lives considerably. We are crossing the seas by power and utilize power also in order to relieve humanity from all tiring muscular work. We have learned to fly and we are able to send messages and news without any difficulty over the entire world through electric waves. However, the production and distribution of commodities is entirely unorganized so that everybody must live in fear of being eliminated from the economic cycle, in this way suffering for the want of everything. Further more, people living in different countries kill each other at irregular time intervals, so that also for this reason any one who thinks about the future must live in fear and terror. This is due to the fact that the intelligence and character of the masses are incomparably lower than the intelligence and character of the few who produce some thing valuable for the community. I trust that posterity will read these statements with a feeling of proud and justified superiority.”
There’s a significant push by some to suggest college is an expensive and un-rewarding choice, or that many would benefit by forgoing that education and taking up a trade. As in every “big idea”, there’s a grain of truth. Undoubtedly many people find themselves with burdensome student loans after they finish college. There are several things to consider when paying for higher education, no matter what choice is made, the 
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