Why God?

[technolud]

Tank thanks for posting. Well, thought and clear. Stevil, up the dosage, man. Really.

He he he. Bwaa harr har
Bahaha.

Stevil, you laughed at me. You laughed at me, man. I'm not sure whether this indicates genuine humor or is a side-effect of whatever it is afflicts you at the moment. 

Just first read this thread.  Tank, your original post is a thing of beauty and light.

To therealgimp, I think Stevil is just going along with your joke.

[Stevil]

Just first read this thread.  Tank, your original post is a thing of beauty and light.

To therealgimp, I think Stevil is just going along with your joke.

Was hoping he could understand Over The Top Satire without having to explain it to him, otherwise I have quite a reputation I have to live up to.

[Silly Quotient]

I enjoyed reading your post, Tank.

I think religion was inevitable. There are so many origin and god stories from different cultures throughout our development, though certainly there has also always been the skeptic.
If I were a hunter-gatherer 15,000 years ago I would have no understanding whatsoever as to why I was there, how to live and how/what to think. I could see how any idea pulled out of an authoritative ass could be turned into a god. I would think that earthquakes, storms, and floods would be quite horrifying to the ignorant human of the past (even the recent past).

Ego, the drive for power, the consolidation and might of tribes, defining the uniqueness of nations, all an evolution of ideas of how to meld society--so vitriolic and volatile--with an understanding of the craziness and scariness of life. But if you go backward through that list: nations that are successful are secular; tribes and communities that thrive are open-minded and tolerant; the drive for power has checks-and-balances; and all that is left is narcissism, self-righteousness, and twisted personalities. In other words, the ascent of religion is over, and is now in a regressive evolution.

The reasonable question 15,000 years ago might very well have been "why NOT god(s)?", for there was no better explanation. However, your question "why god?" is far more indicative of the progress and development we have made as a species.

[Tank]

Why God?

Our knowledge of god(s) is at best based only on hearsay and anecdotal evidence. If God doesn't exist, why do people continue to believe? Chris Jarvis goes hunting and gathering...

You may recognise the article

[Davin]

It's a very reasonable possibility that draws from what we know about human psychology. I think that is the most reasonable explanation for the "existence" of a god or gods.

Oh yeah, and a nicely written article.

[Velma]

That is a very good article.  I need to print that out and study it until I get the basic points firmly planted in my brain.

Oh, nice picture too.

[OldGit]

It's nicely written and contains some interesting ideas.  I'd never thought of the rôle of dreams before.  Anyway, who is this bloke Jarvis?  I've never heard of him. 

[Sandra Craft]

Anyway, who is this bloke Jarvis?  I've never heard of him.  

The "Chris" part sounds familiar tho.  What's with the pipe?

My favorite line: 

When faced with knowledge but not understanding the mind can get distracted and confused.

I may write that on my bathroom mirror as a mantra.

[Kody]

Not a bad article, considering the author.

[Crow]

TLDR (will do later). But that reminds me I need to visit the Capuchin Crypt.

[Amicale]

Very good article, Chris! I enjoyed reading it!

I think what you said about children not being skeptical and believing their parents is true. For the most part, believing parents and other authority figures have probably helped keep children alive over the millennia - and as you point out (or what I got from it), extending this trust to the gods/a god continued the process.

It's only been fairly recently that (some) people have encouraged their kids to doubt, ask questions and to be skeptical. Maybe on the whole, this'll serve kids better in this generation than it did in the past.

Anyway, I appreciated the article!

[Icarus]

I approve of the article too. Thanks Chris.

[Niya]

I thought it was a good article for a general overview.
But really, I assumed most people here know the content already. One look at tribalism and its pretty easy to see why a monkey or a jaguar or a sun and many other god/gods are worshipped.

The article in my view only shows how a religion may have evolved (and certainly it has). But it fails to mention that not all religions are that old and not all have roots in tribalism. Consequently, I don't see that it proves there is no God based on its opening statement, only that religion may have/may be could evolve like this. Over generalization in my opinion.

[Tank]

I thought it was a good article for a general overview.
But really, I assumed most people here know the content already. One look at tribalism and its pretty easy to see why a monkey or a jaguar or a sun and many other god/gods are worshipped.

The article in my view only shows how a religion may have evolved (and certainly it has). But it fails to mention that not all religions are that old and not all have roots in tribalism. Consequently, I don't see that it proves there is no God based on its opening statement, only that religion may have/may be could evolve like this. Over generalization in my opinion.

Recent God(s) are simple adaptations of the original God meme. Mormonism/Scientology being prime examples of meme evolution. I would disagree about the tribalism as well. Social behaviour, a given in all but the most autistic humans, is the basis of tribalism. Atheism is becoming noticeably tribal and if you want other examples how about 'Mums Net' or in the UK 'Fathers for justice' or the fan following of any celebrity, sports person or team. Tribalism is a core psychological pillar of being human.

And yes it is a generalised opinion, that's what it was meant to be. It's not an academic article.

[Tank]

Not a bad article, considering the author.