Why did we stop inventing gods?

Well the best time to invent your god is before large civilisations develop. That way you can almost have one per family. Maybe village. What you need is isolation and ignorance if you want lots.If you can create an empire you can declare as many or as few of the adopted gods as you like. You can even make yourself into one if you wield enough power.Education, democracy, science and communication have done away with the need and possibility of too many new gods arriving and developing, although of course new cults spring up and subside all the time.

It doesn't generate from nowhere Phat, they're both examples of the same addictive behaviour.

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The difference is that unbelievers try their hardest to be good under their own merits and will, whereas believers are transformed by the renewing of their minds...something an unbeliever won't experience.

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Steady boy, unbelievers do not 'try their hardest to be good' they exhibit a wide range of behaviours and I doubt they struggle with any of them - they're just dispositions. I certainly don't have to try 'to be good' - it's simply a matter of not doing harm which I find very difficult to do, so I don't do it.As for not experiencing a 'renewal of my mind' - absolutely no thanks, I don't want anyone dicking with my head except me.

You're head is stuffed full of misconceptions Phat. If you believe it, you apply it. There's no choice. Are you suggesting that when I believed it, I didn't? If so why? You can't argue that can you? All you can do is assert it and hope. You have absolutely nothing else.And of course, you've accidentally asserted that those that think that the whole thing is a pile of horseshit also have special knowledge. Well yes, obviously. 'Cos if he was living and active it's likely we'd all notice, not just those that, well, best left unsaid. But if the evidence was evident you wouldn't have to convince me would you? You know, it's not like I'm Faith and impervious to evidence. I live and breathe evidence, I will change my mind. I don't have a book that makes sure that I can't.

No Phat, no. I fully believed just like you - then I didn't. Please don't overthink this. You have no idea what I felt, nor I you, so you'd be advised not to make assumptions.Secondly, i've worked with seriously mentally ill people and am very aware of what people are capable of experiencing in their minds. I'm not saying that you or anyone else is mentally ill, I'm making the point that our minds are capable of fooling us all the time. If you've ever studied anything about what our mind can do, you'll know that it can't be trusted. The vast majority of its work is to prevent 'us' - our conscious selves - from getting in its way. Of course you can - just provide the evidence. Real eveidence. Evidence of what is going on in your or anyone else's head is not useful, I have met three Jesus's, one Hitler and one Prince of Wales. We can very easily fool ourselves in far less dramatic matters.Edited by Tangle, : No reason given.

Well, it tells us that people invent gods doesn't it? So knowing that there are thousands and thousands of gods, most of which are long forgotten, it asks the question of YOUR god. What's so special about yours? If I did 1000 purchases on eBay all of which turned out to be a rip-off, how reasonable is it believe the next one would be legit? Particularly as you have absolutely no more evidence than the guy who believed in the thunder god. Er yes, it would be absurd. And irrelevant. Which is, of course, also irrelevant.

You can't be asking what is the good in doing good for it's own sake surely?

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When the truth is revealed fully to humanity, the scientific rational mind will be thoroughly blown away.
  —Phat

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Yeh, the zealots have being saying such things for thousands of years. The fact that it never ever happens is one of the reasons people are no longer believing this stuff.

Ok. Ok In as much as I understand this, Ok. Well this makes no sense at all does it?
Belief in the face of strong negative evidence is not rational - never can be, never will be. You're just hoping that what you believe is true, you need it to be true. You spend very large quantities of your life counting angels on pin heads and praying for it to be true. It's such a waste of your energy and life. You'd be far better off just behaving like a decent person and getting on with it. No, not crazy, just deluded and conned.

You've found an emotional reason to believe - if it was rational, you wouldn't need to believe it, it would simply be a fact that you could demonstrate to others. Of course, there's vast quantities of it, it's been discussed here ad nausium but you just shrug it off and get on with micro-analysing biblical passages.You even have the evidence of your own personal circumstances - why is your loving father treating you so badly?

Why the hell wouldn't you??? Why not indeed? (You can do both you know.) What exactly does this father tell you?

No, nothing that intangible. You said why should you worry how god was treating you, I said why on earth wouldn't you?If you think that god is treating you badly, that should be a source of high anxiety. It's also a proof that your loving god isn't a loving god. No. If he's god he can do wtf he wants - including totally ignoring us. Edited by Tangle, : No reason given.