Why did we stop inventing gods?

[Minimalist]

Many of us outgrew them.

Some people cling to them like old security blankets from their childhood, though.

[Mystical]

Here's the link GawdzillaSama responded with:

http://www.skepticforum.com/viewtopic.ph...h=82fa0380

[Drich]

We haven't stopped inventing gods.. We simply change the name/header of worship.

The activity of worship and devotion is the same, but the labeling of said worship has been spun/changed to give the illusion of sophistication and distance from "archaic" deity worship.

[Minimalist]

Poor dripshit...no one needs his fucking jesus anymore!

[Mystical]

Why did we stop inventing gods? We havent. It's slowed down is all--confined to the ignorant, the most powerless, and the indoctrinated. But what drives it's decline is Empowerment. We have become empowered to affect change in our lives and document our actions, thus our need for an all mighty power to do it for us is not needed.




The afflictions this earth has to offer to the human body are many.


Imagine how different the world has become now that we can have external confirmation and documentation of reality?


"Rain dance not needed"

Now we have tools to protect ourselves, and ensure our survival and well being. Also the more educated we become the less "afraid of the unknown" we are. Imagine if the people of Pompeii had had seismographs and emergency evacuation capabilities? They didnt, so they lived each day superstitiously and utterly powerless. Praying to a being greater than you in a world far greater than you --feels, for all intensive purposes, empowering. It leads to social kinship and support, which is something I could imagine anyone who didn't know the next days weather much less why the earth "grumbled", would need in order to sleep at night. 


Societies are still working on their infrastructure and education. They're doing the best they can but it is by far not a fair, or balanced system. Instead of crime and abuse there's capital punishment enforced by law enforcers. Oh and laws. But where the world is unable to ensure "justice", there's always a group that will claim it exists (albeit imaginary) for comfort. 
 Imagine living in a lawless country? Also people will always be held at the mercy of other people so I doubt "gods" will be going away anytime soon. Vengeance and retribution seem to be a hallmark of human nature for now, and who better to enforce it than the unknown almighty deity rather than this guy? 




I don't think people will ever stop inventing gods. The endeavor itself is too lucrative/self serving to just drop altogether. As long as there are people there will always be other people to prey upon them. 




Nowadays I think that the draws to religion are more about "quality of life improvement and social networking" for it's followers--and power and money for the leaders.

[firecat318]

Gods were a way for ancient people to explain the unexplainable - the stars in the sky, the changing of the seasons, the very nature of life itself. With the introduction of the scientific method in the 17th century came a system in which ideas and theories could be tested and evidence could be examined to find answers instead of chalking everything up to an imaginary deity in the sky.

[Anomalocaris]

Why did we stop inventing gods?
 
The ancients were quite good at inventing new gods. The bible shows that the Jews invented many gods before deciding that god could not be defined and settled for “I am“, as the greatest expression of god. “I am” as spoken as a man.
 

 
Jews, in their oral tradition, gave man the last word in what god and his policies were to be. They accepted that the man they chose as head Rabbi of their Divine council had the power to overrule their written tradition. Man’s words, not an imaginary god, had the final say on policy. Man was supreme and not one of the imaginary gods.
 
Christianity then changed much of the morals and policies of their newly invented god, Yahweh, and also transferred the power of god to a man. Jesus. Jesus was now placed at the power seat at the right hand of his newly invented god and placed Yahweh in the right hemisphere of the brain, as shown in the art of the day as depicted by Michelangelo in his creation painting in the Vatican.
 
Islam then invented Allah, and so far, rightfully named him the last god to be invented. Foolish but true to date.
 
I see that search for a god as a search for the best laws and rules to live life by. After all, we cannot follow an imaginary god and can only follow the laws and rules that those imaginary gods has spoken, recognizing of course, that only a person can speak those laws and rules and that it was really a wise person who was uttering those words.
 
Gnostic Christians always saw those invented gods, specifically Yahweh, Jesus and Allah, as immoral and not worthy of us and that is why they named those gods as immoral and vile demiurges. This is not to say that those demiurges did not have some good policies but only says that a better god could and should be invented. Gnostic Christianity lost the god wars and was decimated the moment Christianity gained political power which they used to end freedom of religion.
 
Are immoral demiurges like Yahweh, Jesus and Allah, the best that mankind can come up with?
 
Why do you think we stopped inventing gods and settled for demonstrably immoral ones?
 
Regards
DL
 
P.S. Gods are the opium of the people.

Who said we stopped inventing gods? New gurus and new prophets still pop up all the time.

Considering those ancient gods were invented over the course of a few thousand years, which probably translates to just a small handful of new gods per century, I think if anything, the productivity of our God invention activity had gone up, not down compared to the Iron Age.

[vorlon13]

I'd say the current day United States christians have 'evolved' (snicker) away from needing to invent new and improved gods because they can just edit the old one (or ones, if you get as confused about the trinity as I am after reading LDS attempts at explaining their take on it).

Piece of cake really, just start ignoring inconvenient Bible verses, and you are actually creating a new God.  Your 'old' God forbids divorce and remarriage?  Not a problem, just edit away any bible verse that forbids it or says anything worrisome (like god HATES it), and viola!!  A new god (and religion) with no encumbrances or any restrictions you find untoward or a bother to observe.

Repeat as necessary.  Love of money, honoring the sabbath, not wanting to risk snake bite, wear mixed fabric clothing, no more tithing, nothing is an impediment anymore to you having EXACTLY the church you want and need.


It's kinda like being your own God !!!

[Arkilogue]

If nothing else, God is a journey and the journey grows as Man does.

[vorlon13]

huh?

wut ??

Kind a new agey and foreign to the nature of the OT deity, no ??