Followers or thinkers?

The word teleology comes from two Greek words: telos an end, a goal, a purpose, and logos, a reason or explanation, an example of teleology in nature being when Aristotle claimed that an acorn’s telos was to become a fully grown oak tree.

When people take a teleological stance, they may ascribe meaning and significance to their surroundings, a trait which may lead people to believe in a creator-deity. This may have developed as a side effect of human social intelligence, the ability to discern what other people are thinking, whose stories about encounters with supernatural beings are especially likely to be re-told, passed on, and embellished. 

As belief in deities spread, humans led to leaving offerings to the gods and praying to them for assistance, ideas which are seen in all cultures around the world.

The idea of divine help is embedded strongly, yet flies in the face of reality.

Lonely and fearful societies tend to invent wrathful, violent, submission-seeking gods, while happier and secure societies tend to invent loving, non-violent, compassionate deities.

Devotees of a supreme being abandon their own personal responsibility and transfer it to that being. Something other than themselves decides on ethics or morality, whilst they also adopt the deluded belief in the ability of that being to forgive transgressions.

Many times, a strong belief in principles of a religion demands the ability to think deeply on its propositions. Perhaps most adherents choose not to analyse, but to follow dictates of persons professing a depth of knowledge about it.

There exist amongst many people, high personal attributes of kindness, peace, and loving care, not due to any action of a divine being, but nonetheless encompassed by the doctrinal guidance of a religion. There are many famed historical examples of such admired folk but they are also overshadowed by the enormous number of unknown doers of good works in, and for, society

This is not to suggest that those outstanding individuals who show selfless concern for the well being of others are impervious to religious belief, but I believe that goodwill and strong ethical efforts are not purely the outcomes of religion.

Helping concern springs from the innate positive disposition which exists in all humans until the time comes when they are affected adversely by the actions of those who are at a different level or standard of anxiety about the suffering and misfortunes of others.

 Over millennia, religion has blended closely with politics to capture control and power over citizens who may threaten the intentions of potential despots by asking too many questions or raising strong objections.

Both political and religious leaders have had access to the power and ability to target spiritual or temporal goals which if they could not be achieved by convincing the populace to abide by the rules of some alleged deity, could be gained by force.