Sue the bastards!

I've recently been doing some thinking with regard to why we need God. It seems that throughout history, independently and spontaneously "god" or at least belief in a higher being/power has sprung up time and time again.

The older I get the more I believe that God is the result of the sum of our fears. People of weak constitution need God, they need to believe that something controls their lives, they are afraid that death is an end, they cannot beleive that our existence is a factor of cosmic probability. Most importantly they need an imaginery friend to guide them and tell them that everything is okay. With a God, people have something to obay, something to live for, something to define themselves by, no matter how insignficant their lives are. God's existence allows people to live mediocre lives. they can feel okay about it, because they haven't "sinned". Imagine if everyone lived their lives as if they had only one. there was no eternal reward, only the 50-70 years you get here, then that's it, game over, worm food. You'd feel awefully stupid wasting time doing nothing.

Well put, Ben.

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HI Ben, I agree. Faith preys on our fears, instead of freeing us from it. That's why believers keep praying as religions are always preying on our doubts and fears i.e. devil is all around us and you need to pray to Jesus or whoever to stay safe.

It's like protection money. Protection is assured as long as you keep pray... paying : >

//Kes - It's like protection money//

Gotta love it. Thanks Kes.

Jo, you shouldn't be so encouraging to an ignorant savage/cynic/non-believer like lil' ol me : >

I've recently been doing some thinking with regard to why we need Science. It seems that throughout history, independently and spontaneously "science" or at least belief in an explanation for everything has sprung up time and time again.

The older I get the more I believe that science is the result of the sum of our fears. People of weak constitution need science, they need to believe that something controls their lives, they are afraid that death is an end, they cannot beleive that our existence is a factor of cosmic probability. Most importantly they need an imaginery friend to guide them and tell them that everything is okay. With science, people have something to ebay, something to live for, something to define themselves by, no matter how insignficant their lives are. science's existence allows people to live mediocre lives. they can feel okay about it, because they haven't "died". Imagine if everyone lived their lives as if they had only one. there was no eternal reward, only the 50-70 years you get here, then that's it, game over, worm food. You'd feel awfully stupid wasting time doing anything.

Stipe, you don't think enough. The need for such explanations came about because of the failure of religions to provide real answers to the world.

It also came about because religious people tried to keep a monopoly on the truth and to protect their views on the world, regardless of the fact whether or not it was the true or had facts to back it up.

Thus the Church was willing to defend its myths such as the sun revolving around the world.

And it was willing to oppress and punish those who spent time and effort to do research to reveal truths about the world that the Church has never provided.

Simply put, Sicence is the great endeavor when non one can stop ideas.

Despite the best efforts of the Church and its supporters.

what about ideas that a flood covered the whole world. can science stop those?

Hi Stipe, there is no real proof of the Biblical Flood 6000 years ago. Any serious flooding takes place way before 10,00 years ago with the melting of the Ice Age.

I'll repeat my point again. Religious fundamentalists like you can never stop ideas such as those in Science.

Your religion is dead wrong in so many things and yet you are trying to dissuade people not to investigate and research stuff that does contrary to your outdated and unsubstantiated beliefs.

You have the freedom to live in a bubble. The rest of us choose to exercise our right of free will to find out more about the world because we are humble enough to admit what we don't know. AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

We don't know enough about God or Science to say that they are "contrary" to one another.

I'm very sad that you people think that way. Think about it - deeply. How can you explain the incredible FORCE AND POWER behind our expanding and majestically beautiful universe?!! The sun, moon and all the planets and stars - not to mention our beautiful planet. Even if humans were just matter and energy - i KNOW there is a God. Infact it takes so much more "faith" to be an atheist than a believer!!

Steve, thanks for your heartfelt post.

As someone who was brought up in a religious home and schooled in both Buddhist and Christian mission schools, I do know where you are coming from.

However, it takes far more faith than anything else to believe in Christianity with its 2000 years of releentless bloodshed and violence, unequalled among any religion.

It takes far more faith to beliebve that Christ died to save us all when Christ, from the time he was alive to the time he died, made it clear that he was sent for the Jews, not the non-Jews or Gentiles.

And it takes a lot more faith to reject the rich diversity of life, thoughts, art, philosophies and religions to believe the monothistic answer of a religion which claims that it is the one true path and to reject other gods.