I started a conversation with some Twitter participants
yesterday with the comment that: Theists work diligently to define away a god’s
omnipotence. I may address this in a
later blog with more detail. This in
turn led to a dialog regarding a statement that I raised regarding gods and
religions being unnecessary, continuing on; also indicating that religious
actions and resources collected by religious sects are also wasteful and
misdirected.
I was then asked the question, what is necessary? My
response was to indicate that the basic human needs are met (using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) – there is really no need for humanity to neither accept
nor embrace any religion. Prayer has no effect on outcomes and is unnecessary.
I think there was some misunderstanding of the shape. The shape of the hierarchy is a pyramid defined
from the bottom up. The bottom being the
basis, or the foundation of human need being; Food, Water, Shelter, Sex - once
those needs are met that can be built upon and establish the development of
Safety and Security and the process goes on.
Maslow indicated that if primary needs are not met you will have
difficulty, if not impossible, to get the higher order needs met. This makes the persons who are lesser
educated and in poverty highly vulnerable to cults, religions, and other con
artists who work to obtain power and influence.
Religions were first formed for the need of making sense
of the things that we as humans did not or could not understand. Earth was a scary and unsafe place. Religious/cultural leaders encouraged investment
in an imaginary deity and huddling together sharing food, shelter, and meeting
each other’s needs. This was reinforcing
the behavior of all parties and survival was enhanced. As
humanity becomes more informed and understands the dynamics of the space where
we live, the need for religion to provide; Food, Warmth and Safety and Security
are no longer necessary. Many religions
continue to use these as leveraging tools to keep their flocks attending or
maintaining their commitment by controlling getting their parishioners needs
met.
Given an entity (religion, church, or cult) is so
influential as to use primary needs to control the actions of others; use of
food, safety and security to elicit compliance to the dogma or tradition seems
manipulative, unnecessary and bordering on criminal. It is
unneeded. An argument that morals are
delivered via religion is fallacious argument, morality is established by
empathy and social reciprocity.
Religious morality is artificial and static imposed by sly hucksters.
Humanity will continue to exist without religion. It becomes extremely wasteful of religions to
construct building so that people can sit and listen to well-paid con men/women
to convince them that the only way to survive death is to continue to come back
and give them money, time and prayer. If
all that time, money and thought was invested in the development of a cure for
some diseases or disabilities there would be far less suffering in the world.
Religion meets the needs of some persons. Atheists (this atheist) do not need religion
to feel safe and to have a productive life.
Defined: Atheism – A lack of belief, or faith in gods or deities. It is not a religion. There is no belief
structure, commitment to any authority, and any exchange of funds or resources
is typically done as an act of kindness and not a tithing to any deity or representative. To define it as a religion is a projection of cognitive dissonance.
I am not my atheism. I worship no man, deity, and do not waste my time praying or sitting in a church listening to someone lecture me on outdated, stagnant, and festering morality.
