Nearly all nations and societies—even those isolated from the rest of the world—have developed their own spiritual deities that they worship. The widespread and persistent emergence of belief systems across cultures is too significant to dismiss as mere coincidence. This naturally raises the question: Why is belief in God so prevalent?
An inherent characteristic within our religious beliefs is the notion of morality. It is often rooted in principles of empathy, compassion, fairness, and the recognition of the inherent value and dignity of others. According to Christians, God is the source of morality. For example, the Ten Commandments include the command to love God and to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
A human with high moral standards apparently possesses an understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Certain actions may carry a sense of slight wrongdoing (such as a small white lie), while others can be considered significantly more severe (like committing a cardinal sin). Regardless of the degree, unless in a state of psychosis or lacking mental capacity (non compos mentis), we possess a conscious awareness of our actions and can discern between right and wrong.
Why is it considered bad to steal food from a friend? If you are hungry, wouldn’t it be easier to satisfy your hunger by taking food from those who cannot protect themselves? However, a mysterious internal voice, known as conscience, immediately informs us that such an action would be morally reprehensible. Instead, we inherently understand that the right course of action would be to share whatever little food one has to aid the most vulnerable individuals, even if it means risking our own well-being.
| Wrong (bad, sin) | Right (good) |
| Lie | Tell truth |
| Hate | Love |
| Steal | Share |
| Arrogance | Humble, noble |
| Empathy | |
| Kill a friend | Die for a friend |
| Love one’s neighbor as oneself | |
| Do unto others as you would have them do unto you | |
If recent advances in DNA research are to be believed, then we humans are not that different from other animals. This raises the question of whether the concept of morality is unique to humans only. Are we the only species that knows the difference between right and wrong?
I spent my youth on a farm, so I should have some first-hand knowledge about the subject. We had a dog named Raju, which was quite human-like. Raju understood quite many words and was much like any one of us children.
Every weekend we used to go hunting for hares. I know that some people disapprove of killing animals, but I personally think that it is acceptable as long as you eat them, which justifies the killing (one more item to be added to the list of rights and wrongs). Morally speaking, it feels more right to kill what you eat yourself rather than asking others to do it for you.
Anyway, there is a lot you can learn about a dog after fourteen years of going on hunting trips together. Raju definitely had dreams. It chased hares whenever it was asleep. (Anyone watching a sleeping dog and seeing it dream might wonder whether Freud’s theory of psychosexual development is a genius theory or just complete nonsense.)
If you see a big bear eating your friend alive, you will definitely have bad dreams about it. Dreams in which you are the one getting eaten. You try to run, but your legs just do not work. After experiencing these terrifyingly realistic dreams night after night, you will most likely try to discover a way to survive in case a bear ever attacks you in real life. Your chances of survival are better with dreams than without. So we dream for the same reason that military forces train themselves in war games and simulators. Nature invented the concept of simulation long before military forces did. Dreaming is a built-in virtual simulation system that helps us train for worst-case scenarios safely in our own beds.
I remember the day we brought this small, shaky puppy home for the first time. We already had one dog, but it was getting old, and we had made the decision to give it a final act of kindness soon to prevent it from suffering. When the old dog saw the new puppy entering the house, it went straight to its sleeping corner and lowered its head. It did not respond to any of our calls or eat anything we offered to cheer it up. It seemed jealous, depressed, almost as if it had lost its sense of purpose in life.
It is of course not possible to draw solid conclusions based on just one case, but based on my personal observations I would say that dogs have feelings too. Dogs experience dreams. Dogs seem to feel pain. Dogs are always happy to see you when you get home. They can even exhibit jealous and depressed behaviors. Perhaps feelings are something that evolution developed long before the first humans came into existence.
Logical reasoning and the ability to understand complex and abstract concepts are what separate us from the rest of the animals. So if one’s heart sometimes contradicts one’s head, perhaps it is best to listen to the head. It is our minds that define us as humans, not just our hearts.
After this small sidesweep to dogs, let us return to the list of rights and wrongs. The things that we call right match precisely a typical behavioral pattern of animals living in groups. Animals that like to live in groups, such as humans. Correspondingly, what we call sin correlates to individualistic behavior.
The theory of morality can therefore be paraphrased as follows:
Principle 9.1.1: Theory of Moral
Moral is the native behavior of animals living in groups.
If a bear attacks you, and it might actually happen here in Finland, your dog will not run. It will turn against the beast, fighting to the end to defend you. And what did Jesus say about love? “There is no greater love than to give your life for your friends!” Even the concept of the greatest possible love, as presented by Jesus, seems to perfectly align with the typical behavior of dogs.
If one classifies the attributes usually associated with God (at least with the one of Christianity) the they seem to match perfectly the attributes of animals living in groups.
Obviously, humans have a tendency to gather and live in large, densely populated groups. This social behavior has apparently provided us with improved chances of survival. Given our relatively short teeth and twisted pair of legs, we are not well equipped to compete with many other predators.
From a survival standpoint, the importance lies in the survival of the species as a whole rather than individual group members. Evolution has therefore shaped humans with a tendency to prioritize the needs of the group over personal needs. After all, if we were not friendly to each other, there would be no group. This is evident in extreme cases where individuals are willing to sacrifice their own lives to ensure the survival of others. This attribute of human behavior has been utilized in many movies to create emotionally impactful narratives that resonate with audiences, and to maximize casch flow.
Living in groups only makes sense if it contributes to our survival. Obviously not all grouping models automatically increase the chances of survival.
It is easy to imagine a group that does not provide any advantage for survival. An example of a poorly functioning group is one where every member acts as a leader, trying to tell others what to do.
So groups must be well organized to be effective. One of the most evident methods of organizing a group is through the concept of leadership. A group with a capable and influential leader guiding others in an organized manner offers its members the best chances of survival. We have survived only as coordinated groups.
Therefore our long-term survival in the course of evolution has relied on our capacity to identify and follow good leaders who aid us in survival. Those who followed leaders with such qualities were more likely to survive and reproduce. Those who did not appreciate leaders who maximized the survival of the group were more likely to die out. Over time this led to the evolution of a species with a hard-wired instinct to seek the best possible leaders.
Therefore, we believe in god because he is the best leader we can think of!
Principle 9.2.1: Theory of God
God is the ideal leader.
God serves as the archetypal Alpha—the ultimate manifestation of leadership traits such as justice, protection, and foresight. He is the greatest leader imaginable, with qualities we could hope to find in mortal leaders. God even has the power to overcome the ultimate threat we all face—death itself.
What explains the existence of many different religions then?
While the ideal leader serves as a universal blueprint, the specific attributes of this leader are apparently shaped by the unique environmental and social pressures a group faces.
In harsh, resource-scarce climates, one might expect gods to emerged as stern disciplinarians and lawgivers to ensure strict cooperation. In contrast, cultures in fertile regions might emphasize a deity’s role as a provider or nurturer.
Just as a small tribe requires a different style of leadership than a sprawling empire, different human groups have tailored the features of their gods to reflect and counteract their most pressing existential threats—whether those threats were famine, war, or social fragmentation.
We believe in God because living in organized groups governed by a leadership pattern is the primary reason for our species’ survival.
God is the best leader that we can imagine.
We desire to believe in such a magnificent leader, even if spiritual in nature and somwhat challenging to observe.