This is something that will hopefully provoke thought among the religious in layman's terms (only terms I know), and maybe the heathens will add to it too.
You create your own god, and him/she/it lives in your mind. When you think about him in your head over and over, you are making that imagined character even more real. You see him how you want to see him, you mold him to every good thought, feeling, and experience you have had in your life. After time, he becomes so powerful in your mind, that you 'know' he's there and you can 'feel' him. Every good thing that happens to you, you attribute to him, and you find refuge in him when you're in a state of sorrow. However, that him is not a him, it's a small imagination land you're running to in your brain. It's basically a memory that you keep going to, and you add something to it each time. It's all in your brain, and you trick yourself into believing it's reality.
There are so many versions of god. Everyone that believes, has a different one. Even if you are of the same religion, there will always be something different that you perceive about this shared god. In America, a statue of jesus, most of the time will be white. In Africa, it would likely be black. Some people fear the christian god, some feel his love, and know they will be saved no matter what. The possibilities are endless. You can imagine your god however you want him to be, and give him any moral compass you want (of course to match your own, so you're always justified in whatever you do), a thing religious people excel at.
I haven't aimed this discussion to head towards, "There must be a prime mover out there", there are other threads arguing that. I'm arguing this same exact feeling that muslims, christians, hindus, jews, etc., say they feel. To me, it's delusional thinking. You make yourself feel good through meditation, so you attribute it to your god. Can you agree that there is a very strong possibility that you are completely deluding yourself by attributing your feelings to an imaginary friend?
You create your own god, and him/she/it lives in your mind. When you think about him in your head over and over, you are making that imagined character even more real. You see him how you want to see him, you mold him to every good thought, feeling, and experience you have had in your life. After time, he becomes so powerful in your mind, that you 'know' he's there and you can 'feel' him. Every good thing that happens to you, you attribute to him, and you find refuge in him when you're in a state of sorrow. However, that him is not a him, it's a small imagination land you're running to in your brain. It's basically a memory that you keep going to, and you add something to it each time. It's all in your brain, and you trick yourself into believing it's reality.
There are so many versions of god. Everyone that believes, has a different one. Even if you are of the same religion, there will always be something different that you perceive about this shared god. In America, a statue of jesus, most of the time will be white. In Africa, it would likely be black. Some people fear the christian god, some feel his love, and know they will be saved no matter what. The possibilities are endless. You can imagine your god however you want him to be, and give him any moral compass you want (of course to match your own, so you're always justified in whatever you do), a thing religious people excel at.
I haven't aimed this discussion to head towards, "There must be a prime mover out there", there are other threads arguing that. I'm arguing this same exact feeling that muslims, christians, hindus, jews, etc., say they feel. To me, it's delusional thinking. You make yourself feel good through meditation, so you attribute it to your god. Can you agree that there is a very strong possibility that you are completely deluding yourself by attributing your feelings to an imaginary friend?
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' -Isaac Asimov-
