Kinda OT but I’m coming to the conclusion that God is a way of demoting one’s own conscience. One’s conscience, assuming it is functioning normally, can’t be fooled with rituals, can’t be bargained with, and actually is omniscient with regard to your thoughts and motives and sees straight through all your bullshit.

Belief in God also creates the illusion that everything will be ok in the end, somehow, no matter what we do. No real or permanent harm can come to the universe as a result of our actions. The big caretaker in the sky will see to it that everything balances out in the end. He’s got everything covered.

To the atheist how we behave here and now is everything and everything depends on it.