Maybe some of you have already heard of this, but i am thinking a possible reason why theism exists, is because we are genetically hard wired to suck up to the alpha male / super human. The gods are seen as human figures with great power that can sense your prayers and all of that. And for survival purposes the humans try to suck up to the god or gods, because the gods symbolize an alpha male or sometimes alpha female. By alpha i mean smart and strong.

Hard wired like an Antony Gormley figure? How does it suck?

Hard wired as in a tendency of mental emotional behavior.

Not buying it. Why not? Because gods do dick.

No, from my perspective, religion is only about control. Controlling others.

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2014/10/02 ... -pray-for/
According to this, most people pray about getting help with life's difficulties, even though youd say the gods dont do dick. That doesn't bind human nature absolutely.

That doesn't even parse.

Who gives a rat's ass about what the deluded do in their billions? It doesn't change the fact that gods, measurably and testably, do absolutely nothing.

This guy does an extremely thorough job if dispensing with any delusions you might retain about the efficacy of prayer: https://whywontgodhealamputees.com/

Enjoy.

Replacing hard wired with your follow-up words gives:

dannerz wrote:Maybe some of you have already heard of this, but i am thinking a possible reason why theism exists, is because we are genetically hard wired a tendency of mental emotional behavior to suck up to the alpha male / super human. ...

"Who gives a rat's ass about what the deluded do in their billions?"
They are following human nature.
I didn't say that the gods help with anything.
I'm just positing the idea that gods are the way they are in human cultures because human instincts take over. The instinct is to be submissive and do butt kissing. Those are the best words i can come up with for what im trying to describe.

If that behavior was "following human nature", it wouldn't be changeable.

Yet, it is.

Whether the deluded take the time to enlighten themselves and change their behavior is of no account. You earlier used the term "hard wired". A leopard can't change its spots.

If that behavior can be changed, and it can, it isn't hard wired.

Unless you're going to claim that the people of Iceland have changed their hard wiring. Right now 0.0% of Icelanders under the age of 25 years believe in some theistic creation myth. Zero. (http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/00-i ... ll-reveals)

That hard wired claim of yours is looking pretty shaky.

Perhaps the OP meant to say predispositioned rather than hard-wired?

I don't think we need any genetic determinism to understand why people suck up to politically powerful individuals.

scott1328 wrote:Perhaps the OP meant to say predispositioned rather than hard-wired?

i didn't mean it was mandatory, but it seems natural.

I don't think we need any genetic determinism to understand why people suck up to politically powerful individuals.

How many people here think genetic determinism is at least partially true?

dannerz wrote:

scott1328 wrote:Perhaps the OP meant to say predispositioned rather than hard-wired?

i didn't mean it was mandatory, but it seems natural.

I don't think we need any genetic determinism to understand why people suck up to politically powerful individuals.

How many people here think genetic determinism is at least partially true?

Like I said, if you're going to claim that, you better be able to explain what's going on in Iceland, in comparison to, say Ala-fucking-bama.

Better genes?

your link was asking if these people believe in creationism.
I'm not talking about creationism.
I'm talking about what I said i was talking about:
Genetic predispositions to submit to authority figures and leaders.

dannerz wrote:How many people here think genetic determinism is at least partially true?

I partly think it.

dannerz wrote:your link was asking if these people believe in creationism.
I'm not talking about creationism.
I'm talking about what I said i was talking about:
Genetic predispositions to submit to authority figures and leaders.

Did you miss the parts where they discuss belief in gods at all?

What you said was this:

dannerz wrote:Maybe some of you have already heard of this, but i am thinking a possible reason why theism exists, is because we are genetically hard wired to suck up to the alpha male / super human. The gods are seen as human figures with great power that can sense your prayers and all of that. And for survival purposes the humans try to suck up to the god or gods, because the gods symbolize an alpha male or sometimes alpha female. By alpha i mean smart and strong.

What makes Icelanders different than people in the Bible belt? Genetically different? And, this genetic difference will have had to be recent. Within historical times.

Hard wired, you said. That means genetic.

You claimed it. Now support it.

Animals like bears and tigers can be trained or conditioned to not attack humans, even though its nature is to attack a human. Sentient life can go both ways. Some things are natural, some things are conditioning. You're saying theism is conditioning, not genetic, right?

Apparently a lot of Icelanders believe in elves.

dannerz wrote:Animals like bears and tigers can be trained or conditioned to not attack humans, even though its nature is to attack a human. Sentient life can go both ways. Some things are natural, some things are conditioning. You're saying theism is conditioning, not genetic, right?

No, you're saying theism is genetic, and I'm challenging you to support that claim.

Dude. Hitchens' Razor:

That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.

You have our attention. What are you going to do with it?

dannerz wrote:i didn't mean it was mandatory, but it seems natural.

There may be a genetic component to the whole religion thing. A genetic component for a disposition to male gods? Dunno. One for a disposition towards submission to authority, like a sort of pack leader thing? Maybe. I don't know, but it wouldn't totally suprise me.