God would be an atheist...   A rational look at religion, morality, politics and daily life

HOME About GBWAA Columns 2005 - 2007 Definitions   Atheism   Faith   God   Religion   etc Analysis   The meaning of life   Morality   etc REVIEWS CONTACT   Link to this site Your support for advertisers helps to provide an income for this website. All Rights Reserved World Copyright © Martin Foreman

April - July 2008: This site is being renovated - apologies if some links do not work. To return to the home page, click here Column 1: The Evolution of Religion Where did faith come from? By © Martin Foreman Word Count: 790 Publication date: February 6, 2005 Believers have a different point of view, but to the rest of the world it’s pretty clear that religion is crazy, pointless and sometimes downright harmful. But that wasn’t always the case. There was a time when religion was definitely A Good Thing. Belief in the supernatural fulfilled three important functions in early human existence – it explained our origins, established a moral code and fostered a sense of community. It’s likely that religion helped early humans evolve from primates dominated by short-term instinct into human beings capable of forming sophisticated societies.   Language and abstract thought make us human. The ability to imagine and tell other people about things and events in the past or future or which may never occur was critical in human evolution. It allowed people to predict events, to make plans and to co-operate with each other. Language and thought also gave people some control over their environment. Tools came into use, seeds were planted, shelters were built, clothes kept bodies warm. Nevertheless, early humans would have been continually frustrated by an inexplicable world. What caused the rain to fall? What if the sun did not rise? Would there be enough animals to hunt or and would the newly-planted seeds grow? And where did we come from? With growing powers of deduction but limited information, it would seem logical to primitive humans that the environment was controlled by beings like themselves but with much greater powers. It was also reasonable to assume that these gods and goddesses created us. As the children of the gods, we owed them the same respect as we expected from our children. That led to worship of these beings who appeared to have the power to grant or withhold the necessities of life. Because its explanation of the world fitted the available facts, religion was no different from science - it was science. But as thousands of years passed, philosophers, who were the precursors of scientists, began to understand that the world obeyed fixed rules of nature rather than the whims of gods who specialized in such phenomena as wind, rain and harvests.  In many parts of the world these deities eventually disappeared. They were replaced by a single, all-powerful God, for whom thunderstorms and burning bushes were merely party tricks, but who was still seen as our creator. The second function of religion was creating a moral code. As our capacity for thought developed, so did a greater sense of ego. Each of us saw ourselves as distinct from the other humans around us. The idea of property began to develop: this is my food, my shelter, my clothing, my sexual partner. With ego and property came conflict. I will kill you to defend what is mine or to take what I want from you. The problem with uncontrolled egos is that they make everyone vulnerable. I want your property, but you want mine, and you are equally willing to kill me to get it. Individuals survive best when they live in a community that protects them, and the community only survives if individuals constrain their behaviour. Over time, therefore, a moral code – rules about life and property and sexual activity – emerged that safeguarded both individuals and the whole community. Details would vary but the basics would not change – do not kill, steal from or commit sexual misconduct with other members of the community. This moral code would evolve and become so influential that it would seem to have been imposed by the gods. This belief would be fostered by the priests and shamans whose authority made them the community’s arbiters of morality.  Religion’s third crucial task was to help unify communities. Faith in a common god or set of gods was an essential element in encouraging people to live and work together and to defend themselves from outside threats, whether they had natural causes or were from other humans. In explaining our origins, providing a moral code and binding communities together religion was essential in early human development. Without it, the human race might never have evolved to the world it has created today. But we have long outgrown the need for faith. Belief in a god no longer explains our origins; religious moral codes privilege some members of society over others, and we have only to look at the Middle East to see how easily the association of religion and community creates hatred and violence. Unfortunately, while we have long outgrown it, religion refuses to fade away. Nourished by ignorance, arrogance and greed, religion lies to us about our origins, makes outcasts of innocents and licenses bigotry, violence and hate. It is time to abandon religion and, if we must pray, let us pray for a world without God. next column April - July 2008: This site is being renovated - apologies if some links do not work. To return to the home page, click here

If God existed, he would... admire the beauty of a universe that he did not create recognize that eternity is meaningless deny both heaven and hell disown all men and women who speak in his name denounce the harm caused by religious "morality" help the human race to thrive without him If God existed, he would be an atheist. Looking for... sex? drugs? Jesus? Search this site powered by FreeFind FOOD FOR THOUGHT "Today belief in God is crazy, pointless and sometimes downright harmful, but that wasn't always the case. Religion helped us evolve from primates dominated by short-term instinct into human beings capable of forming sophisticated societies." The evolution of religion "The United States prides itself on championing freedom and in enshrining the pursuit of happiness in its constitution. It is ironic that so many Americans espouse a moral code whose impact is to restrict both freedom and happiness. America needs moral values, but values that respect and honor every citizen." What moral values?