Why do we believe in gods?

I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure every civilisation has had at least one god.
The Romans had 230 at one point. Norse, Greek, German versions usually had about a dozen. Sometimes extended families of gods, sometimes one to explain every unexplained phenomenon.
Over recorded history there have possibly been about 10,000.

Just saying 'gods explained the unknown' is a simplification. There's more to it than that.

Close your eyes and try to imagine having never existed.

There's a small logical problem of course with that. If you never existed, you wouldn't be here to think about not being.

You aren't your neighbour, your son or anyone else on the planet. You are the thought processes going on inside your head. If you are not here, the world goes on but you would have no consciousness of it.

Trying to contemplate non-existence presents the same problem as contemplating a time after your obliteration. Your brain doesn't want to go there because it's logically impossible. Possibly the same emotion known as 'cognitive dissonance' - when the mind is presented with two known facts that can't coexist. The mind refuses to play.

So acceptance of non-existence is not a natural position to take. Philosophers throughout history have devoted a great deal of time contemplating identity and existence and with many resulting opinions, it's clear most, if not all, have failed in this endeavour. Taking the best ideas of each does help though.

So what chance does the average person have of understanding identity and life?

Survival is the key to life. It defines life as 'that which survives' and when a life fails to survive, it is no longer life. Every organism on this planet has developed survival mechanisms - from razor teeth to venom, spikes, camouflage, slimy secretions, waterproof skin and storing fat. Most organisms have developed multiple mechanisms with some having too many to count.

More advanced organisms like animals have developed behavioural survival mechanisms. Humans are probably the best example.

Masslow spoke of the 'Hierarchy of Needs' starting with the physical such as air, water and food, followed by the survival needs such as shelter, continuing on to cooperation and ending with a type of altruism - 'self realisation'. We have made survival an art.

But we are clever enough to think about death. We have a myriad of mechanisms to keep us alive, fighting microbes and even cancers daily, plus we can choose a healthy diet and exercise. We can learn from others and even explore our own biochemistry and biology to give ourselves the best chance of survival. being kind to others is like future favours in the bank and is our foundation for morality (and survival).

And all to no avail. We will die and shortly before have to tackle the whole obliteration thing. All that effort and for what?

Searching for the meaning of life has intrigued mankind probably since before recorded history. Trying to answer the unanswerable question is what an existentialist would call 'the absurdity'. And arguing that there must be a reason is a logical fallacy.

So there is that lingering problem of the 'meaning of life' no matter how illogical the question is. Hence we will make meanings just to answer the question.

Knowing things is important to survival. Which mushrooms to eat, how to heal a wound or cure a disease. Knowledge is power and a key to life in a harsh world full of challenges.

But what about surviving death? We already worked out there must be a meaning to life (except for the Nihilists) so where do my thoughts go when I die? Where do I go. Non-existence makes for non-sense.

Of course, we can fool ourselves into thinking our children are really us and so we will live forever. They certainly might provide support when we are old and incapable so there's that survival thing again.

What is required is something a little more convincing and have I got a deal for you!

The sale of eternal life began probably about 10,000 years ago and challenges the traditional 'world's oldest profession' for the title.

What probably began as a tribal elder trying to justify his continued existence by telling children that the stars were really people that had passed to another land (it's always 'up there' be it paradise, heaven, happy hunting ground or cloud nine) evolved into a business. From a simple offering of food to the sage - which still happens now - to the multi-billion dollar a year multinationals that operate today. Some are well organised and some less so. Our completely rational desire to survive has led us to entirely irrational methods to do so.

Mendeleev said 'All religions are false paths to an unknowable god'. I agree with him to a point.

Religions charge money for eternal life. Usually called 'charity', the fees can be structured or unstructured - from a few coins a week up to a 'tithe' or even more. Some are more like a straightforward business transaction than others.

The moral aspect is also pushed hard but unfortunately the texts are usually old - written in a time where slavery, sacrifice, honour killings, genocide of unbelievers and persecution of anyone of a different anything was rampant. Secular morality still leads today even if the idea of 'the golden rule' and personal survival seems a little mechanical and disappointing.

For belief in deities to survive, they too must evolve survival mechanisms. The techniques include all those appropriate to industries and institutions like marketing, education, military, law, policing, crime gangs, politics and any other field where consent or cooperation is required.

Techniques include secrets and intrigue, repetition, sounds and colours, grandeur, levels, sense of belonging, uniform, repetition, early indoctrination and inculcation, funny hats, icons or symbols, a charismatic leader, baubles and trinkets, inability to question and the often unapproachable nature of the leader.

Visualise the vice chancellor, the high court judge, the bishop, the army general and the president. Note also that not all techniques are appropriate for all institutions. If Bill Gates wore a tall hat and carried a crook, you might laugh. Note also that some methods of dress imply grandeur. When the army general gets around in camouflage, you can still think about the last uniform with the most medals. Same for the pope. Humble is good too.

Inculcation is a powerful tool and works best when the subject is young and vulnerable.
Early exposure to the church with the parents vowing to raise the child in the church (and with a backup 'godfather') combined with icons in the house, daily or even five times daily prayers and worship, greetings including references to a god and dress style signifying a particular faith all help. skimping on any of these risks a child failing his or her indoctrination and leaving the faith. Exposure to non-believers is also very risky. One very powerful tool is 'grace'. Explained as giving thanks to the creator, the deeper message to the vulnerable child is 'worship my god or you don't eat'.

It's 'carrot and stick'. Worship my god, my way and you will be granted eternal life. Do anything else and you will be damned in a fiery hell for an eternity.

Children don't have the logical skills to question yet. this also goes to the way we learn. In the case of having no previous experience or knowledge, we accept the first thing we are told usually without question. When presented with an alternate idea, the first thing we say is 'that's not what I was taught - where is your proof?'.

And of course, proving the non-existence of god is not possible.

So, we don't want to die.
Non-existence is logically impossible to imagine.
Where there are questions, someone will offer an answer.
Where there is a need, someone will sell the product.
Every religion is the only path to 'heaven' and there is a cost.

Back to the beginning. Just about every civilisation has had a god belief. Usually involving the sun. If managed well, religions can last centuries.

Why do we believe in gods? It's arguably the biggest richest business on the planet today and it has evolved to survive, providing, so far, the only way to avoid death. Why wouldn't you subscribe?