Who would do such a thing?

"The mildest criticism of religion is also the most radical and the most devastating one. Religion is man-made." Christopher Hitchens


It may be hard to imagine, but I enjoy discussing philosophy with people. Especially people whom I carry a differing opinion with. Many times the topic hinges upon religion. This suits me fine, as I view the question over whether god/s exist to be the first question one must resolve to answer in philosophical pursuits. All questions turn upon how one answers this singular question. 


So, the topic comes up occasionally with a friendly fellow at work. We have over the years covered the map of possible arguments for and against the existence of, in his case, Gods (specifically Yahweh, Holy Spirit and Jesus, he has tried to explain how they can be one personage. I don't buy what he's selling though). However, much to your relief I am sure, I do not intend to cover all of these topics in their entirety here. Only one of his arguments on behalf of his brand of theism is of concern to me in this blog today. The quote from Mr. Hitchens which I shared above, came up in conversation. My friendly opponent's reply was to say that religion couldn't be man made, because no one would want to make something like religion up. Picking my jaw up off the floor, it dawned on me that he hadn't really thought this through. Well, the first thing we can discover by this interesting admission is that he does not carry a very favorable view of his religion. It was as if he was admitting God is an unlovely character, mean and wrathful, who would want to invent such a thing? I agree wholeheartedly and frankly think that's a promising thing for him to admit. Though he seems very committed to his religion, I would not venture to call him well adjusted, maladjusted would fit better. So his little response explains much in the way of his apparent existential angst. 


I have a legitimate point to make here and it is not how much better I am than a well intentioned, though misguided fellow. So please excuse my momentary digression. Now back to topic at hand. I wish to confront directly the claim he made, namely that no one would want to make up religions, complete with Hell fire and eternal punishment and a God who knows your every thought and deed. I think he made an interesting point, and it surely got me thinking. So head on is the best approach, and head on it will be. 


What are the possible reasons which people would desire to manufacture god/s and the religions which go with them? 
1.  To provide answers to questions which are yet to be answered. To a primitive and unscientific culture the world around them and the universe which contains it would be an utterly terrifying place, with everything around them seemingly arrayed for their destruction. Why does the Sun come up? Where does it go? Why does it rain? Why did the rain stop? Where do these people go when they stop being animated? The list of unanswered questions would likely have been limitless for early man trying to make sense of the world and it's events. Looking to the forces of nature he easily could have assigned sentience to them and allowed those mysterious questions be answered with mysterious answers. 
2.  To provide comfort for morning and loss. All sentient beings on this earth will lose everything they care about, all of their desires will come to an end. This is a fact that is nearly too much to handle. As a way of coping with this reality an afterlife becomes very appealing if one is to imagine that all if those desires will be prolonged indefinitely all of those losses will be made new again. 
3.  To provide protection from danger. To our modern sensibilities life seems pretty sterile and safe, but even in our day and age life is precarious. But imagine what dangers and peril confronted our ancestors  in pre-historic times when god/s were invented. There was surely much comfort to be had in the reassurance that a powerful deity would protect and guide you and your tribe. 
4.  To vanquish enemies. We humans are extremely prone to in group loyalty and out group hostility, need some evidence? Tune into a sporting event and see the rabid fans fighting over which team is better. Even in modern times with our moral sensibilities turned way up, we can be given to an irrational allegiance to our "tribe". During the distant past tribes and chiefdoms would coalesce under the banner of a particular god or a pantheon of gods. This would provide much ion the way of strength of spirit and purpose, not to mention the confidence the imagined protection of gods would stimulate. And who doesn't like to imagine revenge falling upon their enemies, especially an eternity of torment?
5.  To restrict undesirable behaviors within the community. People can and often do commit acts which are undesirable to others. The well believed prospect of an ever present all seeing and vengeful god is pretty good insurance against someone stealing your livestock or borrowing your ass. Frankly men want to control other men's behaviors. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to control their desires. Religious myths perform this duty substantially well.  


This list is by no means comprehensive and is highly speculative for sure. Much has been written on the beginnings of mans attempts to explain life, death and everything in between. We know very little about the earliest religions, progressively more as the age of the religion in question becomes less. For instance we have enough documentation (No Man Knows My History by Brodie is all the reference you need) regarding the invention of Mormonism to declare with near certainty that it was invented from whole cloth by Mr. Smith. Why would he have gone to all the trouble? Well, he wanted recognition among his fellows for starters. He later found that he wanted to have numerous wives. It just so happens his Heavenly Father provided a revelation that he should do just that. I obviously do not know what all of his motivations were, and this is not my point anyway. I only hope to highlight how easy it is to see how this man and his followers invented a religion. Why would it be harder to imagine the other religions being invented in the same way for similar reasons.

This post is a feeble attempt to explain why human beings would have been compelled to create god/s. A point that is raised by compiling such an inventory, is that belief in god/s and religions once provided a benefit to both individuals and society. I would not disagree. But I would raise a few additional questions. Is this service still provided today? Does the benefit they provide outweigh the negative consequences they carry as baggage? Could the benefit provided by sectarian religions be provided in a secular framework just as well or better without the negative baggage our religions bring along? And finally and most crucially; Are they true?

If the premise of the heading quote which I began this with is true. That religions are man made, fabrications. Then the answers to all four of my rhetorical questions are answered for us. What can be destroyed by the truth, should be.