“Of all choices, atheism requires the greatest faith, as it demands that one’s limited store of human knowledge is sufficient to exclude the possibility of God” (Francis Collins of the Human Genome Project)
- Many critiques of religious belief draw the conclusion that, independently of God’s existence, religion creates social and hierarchical structures which have a powerful effect on the lives of individuals and communities.
- Typically a critique of religious belief will reach the conclusion that ‘God’ is the name given to something else - for example, society, or political leaders - and that in turn religious beliefs and practices are functionally or protectively explained.
- A functional explanation of religion identifies the function it serves within the society, such function may actually have nothing to do with a deity or the existence and worship of God.
- A projective explanation identifies the way in which humans project their fears, anxieties and subconscious feelings onto the object of worship. (When in fear, God is dear)
- The existence of religion serves to maintain a social structure of benefit to some, but not others and prevents the individual from realising the full potential of their humanity. In some cases, it is argued that religious beliefs serve to deceive the individual or the group as to what is truly real.
Some reasons for Godly aversion
- Too much suffering
- Scientific arguments - lack of evidence
- Marxist response - God is given as a response to justify suffering
- Epistemic distance is often rejected