Is the Origin of "God" simply "Good Luck?"

 

Copyright © 2008, James Michael Howard, Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.A.

 

The sun is important to survival and early humans discovered the important connection with agriculture. The sun was "god" for a long time, a long time ago. What happened to that hypothesis? I think that when the sun and stars became predictable, they ceased to be "gods" and became "tools." Predictability made them available to everyone.

Some think religion may have evolved via natural selection in our brains. That is, it has been suggested that our temporal lobes have produced a selection advantage for our evolution. I think this may be correct and I suggest the "selection" mechanism is the ability of the temporal lobes to produce the feeling we call "awe." People who exhibit this characteristic will be more easily moved by events and individuals which stimulate awe. These people often have groups of followers. Groups of humans fare better than random individuals.

"Luck" will never be predictable and never be a tool. I suggest religion developed out of attempts to predict luck. God may represent "good luck." If "luck" becomes predictable, it becomes science. Therefore, religion will always be a part of human life and will always be separate from science, a product of the frontal lobes.

The ultimate influence science or religion will have on a population will depend upon the ratio of individuals who are moved more by their frontal lobes or their temporal lobes.  I suggest the “secular trend” affects this ratio.  As I have suggested in other articles, I think the secular trend is reducing the percentage of individuals whose frontal lobes are fully developed.  Therefore, the percentage of people more affected by their temporal lobes is increasing more rapidly than those more affected by their frontal lobes.  This may explain the “resurgence” of religion in America and, possibly, the world.

March 30, 2012, when people experience “good luck” and attribute this to “God,” they are actually experiencing the “grace” of God.  So… I think simply denying “they” experienced God is a bit judgmental.  One should acknowledge that these individuals have been moved in a significant way, which they attribute to God.  To them, the grace of God exists and is really, really real.  When atheists experience significantly good luck, it is really, really real to them.  The experience is the same but the explanation is simply different.