Here's my "gamified" take on humanity and religion:

- [default state] we are all born as atheists
- [basic skill] we all want to live. As a consequence, we're all afraid of death. Without this basic instinct, no complex life would be able to survive (not unique to humans)
- [basic skill] we have a need to explain our surroundings. We actively look for correlations, which we interpret as causations. This is called learning (not unique to humans)
- [class specific skill] due to human brain complexity, we're capable of abstract thinking (most likely unique human trade)

Religion simply uses our skills to change the default state. This process is called indoctrination. If done during brain development phase (childhood or adolescence), similarly to addictions or acquired certain mental or physical skills in that period, the change is permanent. This is why there isn't many people who become religious in adulthood if raised in atheistic family, and why majority of people who were raised in religious families and later in life became atheists, are actually agnostics.

I am more religious than my parents are. My dad rarely goes to church, but my mother goes weekly. Either way, I am more religious than both of them combined. 

If religious people become atheists later in life, its because they want to live hedonistic lifestyles. There is evidence to show that viewing online p*rn can weaken peoples belief in God. Ever wonder why atheism rates have gone up as soon as p*rn became more widespread? Trust me, its no coincidence. Logical and critical thinking have nothing to do with it. Just plain ol' hedonism.

OK, thanks for your thought-provoking answer!

I can see your point. I don't think I ever want something to do with religion which is keeping me dumb and is disencouraging critical thinking.

However...I'm just wondering which religion you are opposing to. I don't know many religions who argue against progress. Which disencourage critical thinking. In fact: did you know the 'scientific process" you are referring to, is derived from deep-rooted christian thinking? Did you know the first universities emerged from cloisters?Did you know those 'Universal Human Rights' are not so universal but stem from christian theology, especially from the belief that every human is created in the image of God? To cut things short: I have the feeling you are separating things which cannot be so easily separated.

Let me be clear: feel free to believe whatever you want. But I very much doubt that we are living in a world with two kinds of people: religious or rational. That doesn't make sense for religious scientists like me. It's not in line with the history of science. And, last but not least: why should faith be strictly non-rational? Many religious people have rational arguments for their faith.

OK, so far for now

That's still the point. You were raised (like most of us) in religious beliefs, were an existence of a diety is treated as certain. This will stay at the back of your head forever, regardless of your future decisions or beliefs.

Because of our childhoods, there are actual reinforced neural pathways in your (and my) brain that cause very emotional connection to specific religions. That's why I don't believe in ridiculing anybody's faith (regardless of how absurd it might sound to me) as for you it's as real as the air you breathe. I know how it feels.

However, my point is that our religion as our choice, it's an illusion. In reality it was chosen for us, and escaping it is somewhere between hard and impossible.

The truly awful use drones, rigged pagers, assassinations, mines, missiles, bombs, starvation, torture camps and distorted law / lies / propaganda to kill thousands and millions. And then they call themselves heroes, convinced they do the right thing.

In 2021 there were about 74 suicide attacks worldwide (compared to about 127 the previous year, a decrease of about 42 percent), carried out by about 91 terrorists (compared to 177 in 2020, a decrease of 48.5 percent). These attacks caused the deaths of about 805 individuals (compared to 765 in 2020), and injured another 1,482 (compared to 1,926 in 2020).
https://www.inss.org.il/publication/suicide-attacks-2021/

In 2021, the UN recorded at least 11,075 civilian deaths in 12 of the world's deadliest armed conflicts.
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/report

Suicide attacks are awful, but already down to 7% of civilian deaths in armed conflict, before Ukraine and Gaza wars started.

For some perspective: USA gun violence GVA: Recorded 647 mass shootings in 2022. They also recorded 686 mass shooting incidents in 2021.
In the United States, there were 48,204 firearm-related deaths in 2022.

And even the worst suicide attacks on 9/11 claimed 'only' 2,977 people.

Then the illegal wars for (failed) regime changes carried out after that:

The post-9/11 wars have resulted in an estimated 4.5 to 4.7 million deaths, including both direct and indirect fatalities. Direct deaths, stemming from the violence of the conflicts, are estimated to be between 905,000 and 940,000. Indirect deaths, resulting from the war's impact on infrastructure, health, and the environment, are estimated to be between 3.6 and 3.8 million.




Anyway the truly awful terrible people are those that tell you we should bomb other countries / people in self-defense. The gullible people are those buying the propaganda and voting these truly awful terrible people into power to carry out their mass atrocities and genocides. 

Oh no you're absolutely right, it's not A or B, there is tons of overlap and monasteries have been the keepers of knowledge throughout history.

That's for all religions.



But you can't deny the inquisition and still today suppression of women and 'others' in many religions, including Christianity. It's not the church that fought for women's right to vote or be more than a house wife. 

The Scientific Revolution was a period of major scientific advancements and paradigm shifts that occurred primarily during the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe.It marked a transition from a largely Aristotelian and religious view of the world to a more empirical and mathematically based understanding of nature.This revolution involved significant developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry, transforming how people viewed the natural world.

Was that driven by Christianity? Or a reaction to centuries of oppression by the Church.

While the Church played a vital role in preserving classical civilization, promoting education, and spreading Christianity, it also engaged in persecution, violence, and the suppression of dissent, particularly against minority groups and those who challenged its authority.

https://human.libretexts.org/Courses/American_River_College/HUM_300%3A_Classical_Humanities_Textbook_(Collom)/13%3A_Middle_Ages/13.08%3A_The_Medieval_Church

Religious practice in medieval Europe (c. 476-1500 CE) was dominated and informed by the Catholic Church. The majority of the population was Christian, and “Christian” at this time meant “Catholic” as there was initially no other form of that religion. The rampant corruption of the medieval Church, however, gave rise to reformers such as John Wycliffe (l. 1330-1384 CE) and Jan Hus (l. c. 1369-1415 CE) and religious sects, condemned as heresies by the Church, such as the Bogomils and Cathars, among many others. Even so, the Church maintained its power and exercised enormous influence over people's daily lives from the king on his throne to the peasant in the field.

The Church regulated and defined an individual's life, literally, from birth to death and was thought to continue its hold over the person's soul in the afterlife. The Church was the manifestation of God's will and presence on earth, and its dictates were not to be questioned, even when it was apparent that many of the clergy were working far more steadily toward their own interests than those of their god.

A dramatic blow to the power of the Church came in the form of the Black Death pandemic of 1347-1352 CE during which people began to doubt the power of the clergy who could do nothing to stop people from dying or the plague from spreading. Even so, the Church repeatedly crushed dissent, silenced reformers, and massacred heretical sects until the Protestant Reformation (1517-1648 CE) which broke the Church's power and allowed for greater freedom of thought and religious expression.


And still today Christianity is pushing the creation myth while trying to ban evolution theory from schools.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/03/darwin-theory-evolution-schools-earth
https://theconversation.com/politicians-step-up-attacks-on-the-teaching-of-scientific-theories-in-us-schools-235083

This is called circular logic.

People believe in God => Do things in the name of God => It's in the news => So I believe in God

If you lived in the right era, you would have also seen Zeus and Thor constantly in the headlines.

Hindus and Buddhists are also constantly making headlines, are their gods true too? "Surely they are, as a real God has influence in this world".  

Yes, things like guns and military intervention are generally bad things, and that’s why there are vast amounts of people opposed to both. That’s why people protest against such things and take action against them. That’s why most countries in the world have gun control or outright bans. That’s why the majority of the countries in the world don’t go around invading other countries.

The discourse around religion is very different though. Almost no one outright opposes religion and even the more extreme religions operate with complete freedom and with no real oversight.

Zeus had his 15 minutes of fame. But now he is nobody important. Poor guy.

As for the Abrahamic God, things keep looking brighter and brighter. 52 percent of the worlds population currently worship Him, and this is expected to reach 70 percent by 2100. 

Islam is on the verge of conquering Europe, Australia, and USA withing upcoming decades. Much of the world will have Shariah law by then. Good luck comparing that to anything Zeus has done.