Religion

Gods and religion are a crutch for the emotionally weak, and a control mechanism for the powerful.
As human beings we diminish ourselves when we participate in these things. Quit believing in fairy tales and wishful thinking, and start believing in yourselves. Don't place your faith mythical creatures, place your faith in yourself and your fellow humans.

When you 'give it to god', you abdicate responsibility, When bad things happen and you say 'act of god' or 'god's will', you are not looking at the truth of what happened.

The problem, as I see it, is that many people can't cope with the simple truth of life and have to reach for mythical beings and invisible friends just to make it through the day. Look, the truth is this; we really are of no significance - the universe doesn't care about us, we are not special and the universe will kill us at will with no remorse. When that death happens, we are done, gone, game over.

Faced with that; most people seem to want to hide; they can't cope with the fear that there is nothing more and their life has no significance, but it really doesn't. Think about the universe - it is so vast that we do not really have the language to explain how huge it is. Our planet is a tiny, insignificant spec in this universe, and we are one of 6 billion others. What we do and when we die, is meaningless in the grand scheme. No, we are not special and (the) god(s) do not love us.

So next time a town is destroyed by bad weather, and people die, it is not an act of (a clearly deranged) god. It is the result of bad weather, poor planning and a cost/benefit analysis.

So what is the alternative? Does there have to be one? At this risk of sounding like a clip from Monty Python's life of Brian; you have to believe in yourself and each other, We become stronger when we understand our own limitations and our own capabilities. We become better people when we understand who we are and have faith in ourselves.

We don't need the threat of an angry god to act right. Most of us know how to treat each other and ourselves.  Live your life understanding that is no hereafter, we will not be reunited in heaven, or burn in hell. Instead, enjoy the life you have, make the best of it, enjoy the people around you now, Eternity isn't coming, but this life is here, and once you are done, you are done.

Enjoy it while it lasts.