I believe people need a god for a few main reasons.
Basically, fear, control, power, and denial of responsibility and acceptance of chaos.
Belief in god and heaven is what keeps poor people from rebelling against the rich bastards who live in luxury while they and their children go hungry.
That is the 'purpose' of god.
And all centroism
They don't "need" a god/s, they just think they do because they were told to.
So true, children learn what they live.
I have no need of any god. I cannot speak for anybody else.
Me neither. The list above is what is spewed at me on the daily. I hate it.
I seem to get along fine without a god.
#1. I don't need to blame shit on God. That's what Republicans are for.
#2. There is some chaos, obviously. Just look at Ukraine. But God isn't sending in those missiles. There is a practical solution. Kill Putin.
#3. There is no one person or God in charge. It's complicated. Get over it.
#4. I'm not uneducated. I can think for myself. I don't need central planning from on high.
#5. I don't fear death. I think I might actually find it a relief.
#6. The dead are gone for good. We only get one shot at life. Walt Whitman said we're like leaves of grass. Get over it.
#7. Rather than fighting back against a powerful force, try going, at least partly, with the flow. That's how you get out of a rip current.
#8. My family didn't and I wasn't.
#9. I don't seek power over others. Too much responsibility.
Not even Pascal's wager (#10 on the list) interests me in the slightest.
Like alot of this, except, I don't need left or right to make up my mind on life choices and don't support killing anyone.
@Castlepaloma It would be preferable for Vlad the Invader to stop firing missiles and pull his troops out of Ukraine today. Failing that, the next best thing would be for him to slip on a banana peel and fall into a deep coma. Failing that, the best way to save lives, both Russian and Ukrainian, is to kill that son of a bitch. I am not squeamish about that. Not apologetic either. Hell, I would do it myself and sleep soundly afterwards.
There is a little bit of Hitler in everyone, or how could the German people allow the greatest Genocide since the greatest North American Genocide happen to native people in the greatest one in human history. There is a third world war happening, right now with G7 NATO with (same people of world War 2) and BRICS. Mainly fought over economic and thats why China, India and Russia join bussness eliance. Ukraine is just a pawn and NATO is breaking the rules, just like with the Native American Genocide. Personally, I find troops in a uniform, 9 times out of ten, murder in a uniform. I'll be the world champion of running, plus hide and seek.
@Castlepaloma Russia invaded Ukraine, NOT the other way around. European countries absolutely have the right to support a neighbor against such naked aggression.
Personally the game of chess of hierarchy is the worst game related to the humanity of life. My favorite game of life is Tit for Tat where it enables me to share with anyone on all levels. Can't imagine running out of ideas to kill anyone. We forget how US in their ceremonal of 75 years of peace. Has killed 10s of millions of people, mostly women and children to save them. Along with 400 years of the greatest oversea slave trade in human history and the greatest Genocide in human history. If I was Ukrainian, I've grab my family and high tale it out of there. Let the tyrants totally exhaust themselves. Then let the collective consciousness of the people power return to their state of well being. As they have everytime, throughout human history
@Castlepaloma What you would do is irrelevant, as it is not your country that has been invaded.
America's checkered history is not an should not be an impediment to helping the cause of freedom and justice today.
Russia is the agressor and commiting war crimes daily. Like any bully, they need their nose bloodied or they will keep on taking land and lives.
I don’t know.
My suspicion is that it comes from the early development of the scientific process. (Without experimentation and without testing evidence to support hypotheses) Observation and Hypothesis. People desire answers to the their questions. Making up stories to explain things is an attempt to answer those questions.
A consequence of living in any society is that bad, clever people take advantage of naïve, simple people. As a consequence Theism is used to manipulate and control people.
A big question is number 5. What happens to us when we die. For most, there is an inability to answer truthfully, “I don’t know.” People made up stories and it’s difficult to overcome what is taught at a young age.
I don’t know why anyone needs a god.
Symbolic interactionism explains the need. Storm. No explanation, invent a symbol of a god and that makes the god real. Now, invent a god narrative so any bad shit that happens to us is that God's fault. It's easy. Tale as old as time, it's not me, it's out of my hands, it's god's will. Lol
I do feel the need for a god. Not any specific one, mind you, but it just wouldn't feel the same saying 'Non-exsistent entity, dammit to the bonfire at the bottom of a cave no one has found!' when one smashes one's finger with a hammer.
It just doesn't have the same effect...
“Someone to blame shit on. (Responsibility shifting),” This is a popular one indeed. Who wants to take responsibility for their actions when there are professions that cater for lack of autonomy, after all, personal autonomy is at the bottom of the list for many people. "Mysticism joins and unites; reason divides and separates. Hence the prominent role of mysticism, and the limited role of reason in human affairs." Thomas Szasz
“Someone to pray to feel more control in chaos or when things are out of our control as humans. (Need for control or at least the illusion of it.),”There no evidence that mumbling some words changes an undesirable or poorly understood state of affairs.
“Belief someone is running this crazy shit show. (It's scary to think nobody is and we are the mercy of so much.)“ Well, you are still breathing, aren’t you? Of course, you are free to fill the gaps with imaginary excursions. You do not beat your heart, you do not breathe, you do not operate the rods and cones in your eyes and you do not digest your food. It is all regulated by the autonomic nervous system. All done for you, imagine if you had to do it, you’d be dead.
The poorer people are, the more they look to a power larger than rich powerful people who make decisions that ruin their lives. (Lack of money and education about things leads to giving up control to others.) We give control to others when we elect a government. There is little or no accountability for the actions of elected officials.
“Fear of death and not being anymore. (This is it?)” Fear of death may be related to imaginary notion of self, deep down you know your shit isn’t true but to fit in with everyone you continue to parrot it.
Wanting to be reunited with loved ones. (Loss) The reunification with loved ones begins with the words, in the name of the father and the son and into the hole he goes.
“Needing there to be a god so people can relieve themselves of the burden of having to make difficult, even impossible changes to fight back against a more powerful force. (It's God's will males people feel better.)” God’s will is nothing more than an invitation to sit on your ass and feel good about it.
“Because your family believes and you were raised that way”. I must conform to the expectations of my family or I will be an outcast and in the case of the larger society I might ostracized for being different. I am weak and must go along with others, I am a coward.
“Because your god gives you power over others as is the case in most religions, especially men over women”. My god is right because he forms the core of my identity, it just happened, I had no say in the matter, and thinking is dangerous.
“Why not? It’s a gamble to not hedge your bets”. I can’t make my mind up so I will have a two way bet just to be on the imaginary safe side.
Thinking for yourself is dangerous because it threatens sheeple in the herd. The herd likes uniformity.
“Someone to blame shit on"
Yessss god stole all my posts, level, comments, Dog behavior group etc. There you have it!! Proof god exists but he's mean. How common is it? Has it happened to anyone else?
Beats me. I never believed in an invisible deity that resides somewhere beyond the clouds.
Belief in a heavenly place after death is an excuse for behaving badly because all will be forgiven in heaven.
Sucks only having two choice , up or down. A funny farm of extreme happiness or burn and torture for externally. Just jump over both evils, rather fly on the seat of my own pants.
@Castlepaloma funny!
God is for adults. Is one reason.
Magical thinking. That is all it is. Santa for adults. Great statement!
For some, it's an attempt at finding meaning to their existence. The god concept is flexible enough to lie just outside one's capacity to reason. Surely, noone finds every piece of information that enters her consciousness to be reasonable. It's up to you what you want to do with this irrational world.
Why does anyone need a universe?
What does this question have to do with why anyone needs a god? This is literally nothing to do with the question posed. A universe exists. God's do not.
@ClareCK
There's a long history of Pantheistic thought, from Baruch Spinoza to Albert Einstein, which regards the word, "God," to be just an antique word for universe. And from an anthropological perspective, what people were really responding to when they envisioned gods was just the sum total effect of natural forces upon their lives.
All God wants is your Soul and to worship him.
Sorry God, only got one soul, and I am King Kong.
I think all of those listed are a part of the picture at the level of human experience. There is also an impetus not necessarily consciously experienced by most individuals but which influences human behavior nonetheless, operating across large spans of time at the biological level.
Humans don’t necessarily need gods, but humans do have a biological need to survive and reproduce. And believing in gods is one of the psychotechnologies that facilitate that goal in the context of civilization. There are others of course, but humans are biologically predisposed to use the god method.
Never heard the word psychotechnologies before..interesting.
I think god came about to explain why bad things happen, like crop failures, lightening killing their animals, famine, being dirt poor and no way out of it. God is the 'answer' for these believers but then the whole idea got terribly elaborate with the bibles.
People decided to "make a list" as one would do to plan for the future but the books served as explanations with some added 'how tos' to get thru most of it without losing your mind. Some people (usually taught since birth) cannot separate the fairy tale from reality because it's such a lovely ending to all the misery on earth and living without that false hope is too much to bear on them.
It's much simpler if you can believe after you die all good things will happen and end the suffering faced while alive.
When I die I hope I finally get that freaking pony I begged my parents to get me for every birthday.
How about, it gives you the right to sadistically bully people with the threat of hellfire if they don't agree with you. (This is an extension of #9, perhaps.)
I find it funny that many use the last one to conclude an argument. ‘If I believe and I’m wrong I lose nothing, if you don’t believe and there is a god you are in trouble’. Let’s hope they chose the right religion to put their bet on!
This. So this. As a woman, I am told it is "unfeminine" to be an atheist. I laugh as most religions subjugate women to men. How convenient of a narrative. What religion do women get to have that centers them like men are centered? In every version of a "heaven" women is the lesser to men. HARD PASS.
If they really wanted to make me hedge my bets as a woman, give me a woman-centered heaven as a carrot. Not one where I am a 2nd class citizen.
Besides, women know any "afterlife" involving men means we are probably doing chores for them. Another hard pass. Haha
Just the usual sayings when upset or pissed off, other wise who gives a fuck!!!