If God Doesn’t Exist of What Use is Belief?
Guest Article by Happy Hiram (Yahoo Answers)
Happy Hiram is a Yahoo Answers user I frequently ran into when I was using that forum. He sent me this piece and asked if I would like to publish it. It presented the logic of belief effectively enough that I thought it would add to the discussion. It is still my own personal epistemic position that "belief" as "faith" is the abdication of Reason. But Happy makes a good point here:
Would the world be a better place if children were never taught to believe in Santa Claus? I don’t think so. Would the world be a better place if adults believed in Santa Claus? I don’t think so. This puts me fairly in agreement with general opinion about an important question: Can believing in a fable provide a positive experience for an adult? What about belief in the fabled existence of God?
People of religious faith will now jump on me saying, “How dare you call God a fable?” Non-believers will criticize me for using the upper case G and reinforcing the myth. Well whether there is a God or not, he or she is not walking down Main St. Nor can I credibly attribute any action to God that would be believable to everyone. At best, objectively, his actions are mere allegations, (as in an Act of God, in law.) Based on the good and bad things that have been attributed to him, I suspect that all the witnesses are either biased or hostile, and all the evidence thus is tainted. For the sake of this article, lets assume God is a myth. Now I would like to examine the idea of God as a tool in human endeavors. What I am interested in is not does God exist, but what use is he?
The Pyramids of Egypt, the Parthenon, the Mayan Temples, were purportedly built to please the gods. I suspect they were more about impressing people than of indulging in spirituality. Architecturally, God and religion seem very much intertwined with keeping folks in line, and under someone’s thumbs.
Great laws and moral codes come from virtually every religious tradition, and at their core they are often similar. But religion hasn’t done such a good job of living up to those values. The great organs of faith love to grant exceptions, bend precepts for earthly goals, and exaggerate and inflame differences. They defy their own rules for reasons hardly consistent with their own basic values. Most non-believers are probably howling with derision while examining the outrages of the religions through history. But what about believing in a personal God? Shall we throw the individual out with the community?
There are other types of personal beliefs besides religion. I get very excited when I see the flag of the United States flying. I revere such things as the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, free markets and rock ‘n roll. Sometimes these things are used to deceive, belittle, or alienate people. But I still choose to respect the flag. Am I a superstitious cretin?
Perhaps I am, because I also still respect the idea of God. There are those who say religion gives man dominion over nature meaning permission to exploit it to its limits. But I prefer the mythology of the creation that we are an equal part of. I think we need reminding that we are one with the animal kingdom. Most people fall into one of another of these models whether they believe in religion or not. So it can be an important question to ask yourself, and you may find yourself listing to the side of dominion, if you have no mythological creator to label you as a part of it all.
Some claim God is in every human, and whether this is true or not, it is often used to elevate humanity to a sacrosanct level. If everyone has god within and every man is god, then why not worship mankind and get rid of all the god nonsense?
I believe one of the main reasons for environmental degradation, jingoistic flag waving, religious conflict and government oppression is lack of humility. Pride, greed, anger and fear, when given license lead to the majority of negative behavior, whether you want to blame it on religion, politics or lack of faith. It is this human lack of self-restraint that is behind these global problems. Have philosophy, self-help courses, or psychological theories come up with an answer to this problem? Mostly no, but some men of faith have addressed the issue.
I look at it like this: imagine yourself on a great plain, the sun slowly setting in the west. Behind you, a shadow casts itself; huge and magnificent. But somewhere up ahead is something with a greater shadow. Is it God, the creator of all things, or some small insignificant thing, like a tin can? Whatever it is, it casts a much greater shadow than I do. I can use it to remind myself that I am just a man, a speck in the universe, but like that mysterious tin can, I cast a long shadow. Despite the illusion of my eyes telling me that I am the observer, the focus of my whole world, there is that tin can over there, outshining me. It helps keep my excesses in check.
For many, who find belief in God ridiculous, the universe may serve as this tin can. Or the knowledge of how unlikely and unbelievable is our luck to be on the right-sized planet with water that isn’t all frozen and such an unlikely abundance of flora and fauna. Or some may be humbled by the vast mystery of the human brain and of humanity’s creativity and diversity. But so many whether of faith or of no faith take no part in the task of being a humble worker and a part of the world. They strive to possess more to create just to have their name on things, to control people and nations and bend them to their whims. If a simple myth can help me to remain true to my real state in the world, then I will gladly use it. The other more abstract versions do not tend to stick for me; perhaps I am too ignorant to hold the universe front and center in my mind.
God has been used for many things, described in many conflicting ways. But I find the concept of God useful to remind me what I am.
The Free Assemblage of Metaphysical Naturalists is the sm of the
Academy of Metaphysical Naturalism tm, the educational arm of the Assemblage.
© 2008 by Curtis Edward Clark and Naturalist Academy Publishing ®
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