God Replacement Theory

To be able for us to let go of the apron strings of religion and stand on our own two feet we need to look at the heart of the argument for religion and that is the belief in the existence of God.

If we can get to the point in our lives where the concept for the existence of a God is extinguished then there is, by definition, no reason for religion.

We will need to find another more inclusive path. One which inspires awe, has moral standards and is totally inclusive. The point is, does God actually exist, or is his only existing state in the hearts and minds of us mere mortals?

This is key to the eventual replacement of religion, and is in fact where I believe the dilemma lies. For people who have been brought up with religion, the ritual and basic beliefs have simply become part of who they are, it's an ingrained part of their lives. It would take a conscious collective decision to move from religion to a wholesale acceptance of some form of secular humanism to be effective.

The Consequence Of Apostasy

There are people within religious communities who don't believe in a supernatural God in any real sense, or are sceptical of any Gods existence and yet carry on regardless, participating in their community, going to church the same as they have always done. It's easier that way, and in small communities there is no reason to rock the boat.

It's also a fact that any declaration of non belief in these small communities can lead to being ostracised, badmouthed, disowned by family and friends, and in some extreme cases people have been physically hurt or even killed.

Rejection of one's faith is called Apostasy. This could mean leaving one faith for another or the complete rejection in all faith. Apostasy in some fundamental branches of religion can be punishable by death. It's not carried out as a norm, but it is wholly justified by the mainstream religion, if not in this world, then the next.

It's a fact that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in which Sunni Islam is officially the state religion and is firmly based on 'Sharia Law,' apostasy is punishable by death, as is blasphemy. However, the common practice is a long spell in prison.

So, as you can see, no matter the gravity of apostasy within your own society, there are always consequences that will affect your life and the lives of those around you.

Is Finding God, Proof Of God?

There are others who have found God through hard or difficult times in their lives. I often hear testimony from individuals who have found Jesus in their darkest hour of need. This love they derive from an external spiritual source has dragged them from a desperate, self destructive life and set them on a more positive life course, and there's nothing wrong with this in and of itself.

It's sad that people in these sorts of situations have to turn to, or at least attribute their life change to an invisible (non-proven) being, which at the time seemed to be the only thing that was perceived to care about their lives, the only source of love and the only entity that could save them.

It's sad because the truth is, they did it themselves, they didn't need religion per se, they needed something to drive them to psychological redemption. They were the ones that found a way to change their world, turn away from drugs, put down the bottle or get the strength to escape abuse. They should be taking the plaudits for that change, and yet they attribute it to something else, something higher, perpetuating the myth of the divine.

To me it shows that we as a society as a whole, as well as the individuals in their lives, have let them down badly. Who in society cares for those who are desperate, lonely or those who have no hope?

As a civilisation we cannot continue to place the last point of human hope on mythology. Our existence, growth and need to explore the physical and metaphysical worlds cannot be restricted by God based religions.

The Suspension Of Critical Thinking

The most disturbing aspect of religious belief is what a wholehearted dogmatic acceptance of a specific religion does to the person, and that's the suspension of critical thinking. It's impossible to have a measured conversation with people who come across as somewhat brainwashed, or those who have chosen the apologetic route and come from a point of presupposition. 

I say that not out of spite, anger or frustration. I say it because it is worrying, even frightening that some people put aside reason to such an extent that they are incapable of independent thought, unable to question the roots of their belief, or at least to fact check what they are basing their world view and their life decisions on.

It also cuts them off from the things of this world that are truly awe inspiring and life affirming like the beginnings of our cosmos, the vastness and our place in that universe, abiogenesis, the wonder of life, the concepts of evolution and the true history of our planet.

Sometimes this brainwashing can be attributed to a manipulative church or cult. However, many of the people who exhibit these traits seemed to have self inflicted their dogmatic beliefs through need.

Maybe they were helped, but it seems that they have decided to live in a world of the fantastic in order to feel whole or special, unswervingly convince they have found the truth. They've placed a shield of faith around themselves as a protection from opening their minds to the inconvenient truths and of course from the world of sinners.

We need to be able to employ critical analysis and specifically critical thinking to assess whether our belief in the existence of God is justified.

Taking Time To Stop And Think!

As an atheist, I have already made that choice through looking at, and deeply considering the arguments and through employing as much reasoning and logic as I can. I simply do not believe the claims from theists that a God exists.

I understand the way our species can wonder at the beauties of our planet or look at the cosmos in awe. I can see that we can have feelings that we believe are nothing less that spiritual.

We can feel at one with the universe, have a deep profound connection with the world around us and even some spiritual connection to the far reaches of the cosmos. It's a natural human feeling. At some point in our distant past we attributed an focal point to that feeling, a focal point that became a singular entity, a being which, if we were to recognise it would need a name.

Maybe that name is Jehovah, Allah, Krishna, Akal Purakh or Ahura Mazda. Now we have the ability to focus that reverence and answered every difficult question that needed answering such as where do we come from, why are we here, and what happens when we die?

It can't be random or uncontrolled, that would never do. So does a god exist or are we just equating the notion of an entity with our natural spiritual tendency? This is where wonder ends, and religion begins.

I also do not believe that overall, religion is a force for good. So we need to look at the world we live in and decide whether what we believe in is reasonable, to look at the basic arguments for God, and make a decision that it is advantageous to our species, to the growth and wellbeing of us all, the human race.

We need a philosophy that helps our civilisation to survive and blossom. This means we need to use the tools of critical thinking.

Critical thinking is simply the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement. To be a critical thinker you need to be sceptical of claims, especially ones that invoke the supernatural or statements that sound untrue or unbelievable.

Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

The point is simple, if you tell me you've booked a holiday in Florida, based on your employment status and you historical propensity for sunny holidays, I'm more than happy to believe you with no further proof, other than your word. However, if you told me you have just purchased a genuine unicorn which was once owned by Aristotle, I would consider that an extraordinary claim and would expect a high degree of evidence and undeniable proof.

Believing a supernatural being that listens to our prayers and who created the reality we inhabit is an incredible and extraordinary claim and because of that I am going to need some extraordinary evidence and some undeniable proof.

So what is it people believe? You need to read and listen to people you disagree with, if not, you may fall into the dreaded confirmation bias trap. Only reading things that confirm what you already think you know or believe.