Why do we create rituals? is it something that will help us succeed, or to ward off evil? Why do we insist that the various versions of a supreme being is the answer to everything? Is it because we just want to feel in control over everything in our lives? I have been contemplating for a long time the dilemma of believing in something that just isn’t real. I have been ruminating about these beliefs that people (and large organizations) want to enforce on all others, something that just makes most of our lives worse, not better.

I feel especially concerned when I am confronted by people that embrace a crazy rigid belief system that their ancestors and families passed down and enforced on them as children and insist on changing another person’s life choices to fit into what they think is right for you.

In his book All the Wild that Remains, David Gessner stated that his friend, University of Colorado professor, Dr. Reg Saner (1928-2021), considered himself a realist, not a romantic. Dr. Saner once wrote in an essay, “God is the single worst idea human beings ever had.” And he told Gessner in an interview: “Christians have often behaved worse than Murder Incorporated.”

And, Woody Allen once said about God: “If there is one, he’s a terrific underachiever.”

Religion in many derivations has been around a long time, and as civilization evolved, so did its grip on humans. Even when unknown and outrageous statements made people afraid, the people still believed. Powerful religious wars broke out and people of all shapes, colors, and beliefs, were tortured, because they didn’t believe in whatever the people in power believed and refused to bow down to the ones in control. The kings and oligarchs, with the help of powerful churches, wanted power and political advantage over the masses. So what better way to create mythic heroes who did battle for a god, slaying those who would disagree and fight back for their values and rights. Oppression has never worked.

According to Wikipedia, the word superstition is used to refer to a religion not practiced by the majority of a given society regardless of whether the prevailing religion contains alleged superstitions or to all religions. Definitions of the term vary, but they commonly describe superstitions as irrational beliefs at odds with scientific knowledge of the world.

In a 2025 PsychMechanics article, the author stated that: “Once a superstition gets planted into a person’s mind, he collects ‘proofs’ to bolster his belief. Unless he questions his superstitions or is forced to question them, he may carry them in his psyche all his life.”  https://www.psychmechanics.com/why-people-have-superstitious-beliefs/

In a 2024 study published by Scientific American, it was suggested “…that very few people show a complete lack of superstitious beliefs or practices. So why do we remain superstitious, even though it is clearly irrational and could lead us astray? It turns out superstitions may provide certain psychological benefits.” We used these beliefs as defense mechanisms and they are a self-serving bias. We believe it gives us control over the unknown.

So my thoughts are this: Tradition and traditional values aren’t necessarily a good thing. We should learn from our past mistakes and evolve as a people and create a more civil society, where everyone’s opinions and point of view matters. We should stop the hate. We should hold our judgement of others because their values differ from ours. We should strive to create a society where there is not just one big guy in the sky (or office) and embrace that everyone is different. When our defense mechanisms take over, we tend to lash out to those that are different from us. We take the gospel of a religious bible too literally, and it has been used to justify many evil doings. It is simply a collection of myths and tales, just like any other book, written over centuries where life evolved and changed.

And we still haven’t learned that everyone is different from us. We are unique individuals and should be treated fairly no matter what another person believes. Sometimes, we just have to understand that oppression is prevalent in our society today. It would be great if we had folks like the ones on the TV show Leverage who can right the wrongs and the benefactor always wins. Alas, most things in the real world do not wrap up neat and tidy like an hour-long TV show.

So, having said all that, I want to get to the meat of the matter. I just wanted to state that for all of these reasons given, that’s why prayer doesn’t work. It is superstition with a set of rules. I know it makes you feel better if you tell me “I’ll pray for you,” but that is not the answer to the worlds’ ills. Your selfless actions and the sciences are the answers to help anyone in need, not prayer. A make-believe external all-knowing being does not save or cause things to happen. You as a human being, cause things to happen, whether through your actions or in-actions. If you can embrace and understand this, you are a better person for it, and you will do the right thing to help others who need help without the attachment or a fake being.

I know I will make a lot of you folks unhappy with this post, but all I am asking in this blog post is for you to stop praying for me, stop the prayer hand emojis, and stop quoting things from your bible to me. It makes you happy because you want everyone to comply with your beliefs. But it becomes an extremely uncomfortable conversation if I defend my position to you because you don’t want to listen to another person’s point of view. You want me to believe what you believe and I simply don’t and never will. It is my right and privilege to be the person I am trying to be.

Each time I encounter these conversations, I take great steps to let you be who you are, but you don’t have the courtesy to do the same. So, just stop before you start. Thank you.

I love you, faults, and all, but let’s just let everyone be themselves every day that we live!