by Harry Cassio

Created on: October 18, 2008   Last Updated: October 21, 2008

The Unshakable Truth

The history of religious development has been a source of fascination for me for many years. I see the evolution of theism as an integral indictment of human nature. Viewed objectively, the creation of a deity has been a long and drawn out process, spanning the entire of human history and with its roots probably reaching as far back as the first day our ancestors picked up a rock and used it as a tool.

To see this process objectively is one of the most challenging of all our intellectual exercises because whether we like it or not we all carry baggage, some of which is acquired and some deep seated and endemic to our very nature. It has taken me forty years to develop the clarity of thought required to truly visualize a world without God. My human nature has required me to evolve through a series of processes which ultimately allow me to see religious beliefs from a purely historic viewpoint. A religious person has no possibility of understanding this viewpoint. This lack of understanding is responsible for the glorious intolerance endured by atheists at the hands of all believers. I call it glorious because it is masked in a veil of sanctity and righteousness endemic to all believers who are incapable of perceiving a world without an almighty. A religious person cannot know the suffering an atheist endures in times of sorrow and cannot imagine the loneliness involved with not having the crotch that God provides him. For the atheist, there is no solace in knowing that a loved one has been welcomed into the bosom of a divine being upon his death or that pain and misfortune, although incomprehensible, cannot be attributed to a greater plan drawn up by a grand designer.

Most religions have a history spanning little more than two millennia and most devotees place any god worship prior to that firmly in the realm of mythology, however for these modern believers who are prepared to sacrifice and die for their causes, god is no joke. Do the wrong thing and you will be held accountable, you will suffer for your sins and you will be exalted for your good deeds. And there, is the giant carrot....become a good person or else! Based on fear of retribution, these latter day religions are designed to keep us in check. I believe that we are born with an understanding of right and wrong and the choices we make should not be dependant on whether we are likely to suffer for them later.

I believe that we are heading toward a world where we do not need to be held in check, a world where we choose to do right without the need for reward. As more people adopt this strategy, the decline of religions will become inevitable. I believe that we, as a species will gradually accept our position of responsibility at the top of our food chain and become more comfortable with the notion of having no one watching over us. This process of growth on the part of humans is what science calls evolution.

In my forty years of wrestling with these concepts, I have arrived at only two absolutes. My life has left me with only two things that, in my mind are unshakable truths. Firstly, I am absolutely certain that I don't know if God exists, and secondly, I am absolutely certain that nor does anyone else!

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