Gordy327
DP Veteran
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- Feb 5, 2022
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" It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously....Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." ---Albert Einstein
God/s is a concept which has permeated human cultures and societies throughout history. The belief and worship of god/s can be traced back thousands of years and it's not unreasonable to assume that even primitive humans in individual tribes may have had a concept of gods before the establishment of permanent settlements and civilization. While the belief in god/s helped bring communities closer together or used to explain natural phenomenon which ancient humans did not understand, it's unlikely that any god/s actually existed. Here's why:
First is the obvious lack of any objective, empirical evidence or proof. Religion and belief in various god/s has exited in human societies for thousands of years. Yet, in all that time, not one religion has ever substantiated any claim for the existence of god/s. One would think that over thousands of years of belief and worship of god/s, one would at least be able to come up with a shred of empirical evidence to substantiate the basis of belief and/or claims made based on it. But that clearly not the case. Without any evidence, there is no logical reason to assume any god exists, or has ever existed.
Second, which god is "real" or "true?" Many religions around the world believe in different god/s or claim their god (and by extension their religion) is "true," which also implies all others are false. But not all gods and religions can be "true." Neither have any religion ever been able to establish their particular god/s to be the "true" one. It's quite arrogant to think, not to mention claim, that one's god/s is true and everyone else is false or wrong. Some will go so far as to even vilify differing beliefs, religions, or god/s. By the same token, many societies believed in and worshipped various god/s at some point in history. The Greek and Roman Pantheons is a well known example. But today, those gods and belief in them are relegated to mythology. The same holds true for other religions and gods in history. At some point, many religions and gods are abandoned, possibly supplanted with newer or different god/s. They believed in their pantheon of gods. So if they "got it wrong," as it were, then who's to say the same isn't true for all god/s?
Third, religious texts or sources (ex. the bible) are often cited as "proof" of a god/s. What some people fail to understand is that citing such works as "proof" is not actully proof of anything. It's a logical fallacy. Logical fallacies like that do not make a compelling case for the existence of god/s. It's essentially ancient people writing down their beliefs, nothing more. Also, many cite "miracles," unusual or extreme events, or their own "experiences" as proof of god/s. Of course, such things are subjective and anecdotal, based on something along the lines of "because I (or they) said so." Such experiences are often personal and based on emotion and/or ignorance.
Speaking of ignorance, the lack of understanding of the natural world and phenomenon is a good reason why many thought there's were gods. It's a convenient explanation. Primitive people saw the sun rise and "move" across the sky while providing light and heat. They had no concept of a star's fusion process or the Earth's rotation. So naturally, there must be a god pulling the sun across the sky (i.e. Apollo of Greek myth). Thunder and lightning? Yep, a god is angry. Crops and plants growing? Definitely the work of a fertility god/dess. Seasonal or weather changes? You better believe it's due to a god. Get the idea? Many religions had similar kind of gods to explain all sorts of natural phenomenon. But as science developed and our knowledge and understanding grew, people learned how or why such things happened. Science can even refute certain religious claims. God/s are no longer needed as an explanation. As science continues to learn more, the less and less god/s are needed as an explanation for anything, making them less and less plausible. But then, god/s were never really a valid explanation for anything. But rather a failure to explain anything. It boggles the mind that in today's technological and information era, there are still those who cling to silly superstitions like god/s as real or true or as an explanation for things.
God/s is a concept which has permeated human cultures and societies throughout history. The belief and worship of god/s can be traced back thousands of years and it's not unreasonable to assume that even primitive humans in individual tribes may have had a concept of gods before the establishment of permanent settlements and civilization. While the belief in god/s helped bring communities closer together or used to explain natural phenomenon which ancient humans did not understand, it's unlikely that any god/s actually existed. Here's why:
First is the obvious lack of any objective, empirical evidence or proof. Religion and belief in various god/s has exited in human societies for thousands of years. Yet, in all that time, not one religion has ever substantiated any claim for the existence of god/s. One would think that over thousands of years of belief and worship of god/s, one would at least be able to come up with a shred of empirical evidence to substantiate the basis of belief and/or claims made based on it. But that clearly not the case. Without any evidence, there is no logical reason to assume any god exists, or has ever existed.
Second, which god is "real" or "true?" Many religions around the world believe in different god/s or claim their god (and by extension their religion) is "true," which also implies all others are false. But not all gods and religions can be "true." Neither have any religion ever been able to establish their particular god/s to be the "true" one. It's quite arrogant to think, not to mention claim, that one's god/s is true and everyone else is false or wrong. Some will go so far as to even vilify differing beliefs, religions, or god/s. By the same token, many societies believed in and worshipped various god/s at some point in history. The Greek and Roman Pantheons is a well known example. But today, those gods and belief in them are relegated to mythology. The same holds true for other religions and gods in history. At some point, many religions and gods are abandoned, possibly supplanted with newer or different god/s. They believed in their pantheon of gods. So if they "got it wrong," as it were, then who's to say the same isn't true for all god/s?
Third, religious texts or sources (ex. the bible) are often cited as "proof" of a god/s. What some people fail to understand is that citing such works as "proof" is not actully proof of anything. It's a logical fallacy. Logical fallacies like that do not make a compelling case for the existence of god/s. It's essentially ancient people writing down their beliefs, nothing more. Also, many cite "miracles," unusual or extreme events, or their own "experiences" as proof of god/s. Of course, such things are subjective and anecdotal, based on something along the lines of "because I (or they) said so." Such experiences are often personal and based on emotion and/or ignorance.
Speaking of ignorance, the lack of understanding of the natural world and phenomenon is a good reason why many thought there's were gods. It's a convenient explanation. Primitive people saw the sun rise and "move" across the sky while providing light and heat. They had no concept of a star's fusion process or the Earth's rotation. So naturally, there must be a god pulling the sun across the sky (i.e. Apollo of Greek myth). Thunder and lightning? Yep, a god is angry. Crops and plants growing? Definitely the work of a fertility god/dess. Seasonal or weather changes? You better believe it's due to a god. Get the idea? Many religions had similar kind of gods to explain all sorts of natural phenomenon. But as science developed and our knowledge and understanding grew, people learned how or why such things happened. Science can even refute certain religious claims. God/s are no longer needed as an explanation. As science continues to learn more, the less and less god/s are needed as an explanation for anything, making them less and less plausible. But then, god/s were never really a valid explanation for anything. But rather a failure to explain anything. It boggles the mind that in today's technological and information era, there are still those who cling to silly superstitions like god/s as real or true or as an explanation for things.
