Quote Originally Posted by thir View Post
I doubt that most of us have been fed these ideas from the start. Many religions as discussed before do not have heaven or hell, and quite a number of countries are non-religious whatever the papers might say.

It is not a given, by any means.
I suppose I've let my Western biases lead me astray. Again.

But isn't it true that, whether they have heaven/hell or not, most religions have some form of punishment/reward system for the after-life? And regardless of whether or not countries may be non-religious, the people in them tend to maintain some sort of religious ideals. Poland, for example, spent some 45 years under Soviet state-sponsored atheism (or more precisely, anti-religionism) and emerged as a rabidly Catholic country.
Why not?
If the first gods were invented as explanation for natural disasters, the first appeasement would be to try not to offend so as to cause a disaster. A thing of here-and-now, and quite understandable if you food -life - is depending on the weather.
I understand the original rationale behind religions, believe me. But when you are finally shown that the weather is subject to natural laws and not the capriciousness of the gods, it's kind of silly to keep sacrificing the fruits of your labors for no gain. And it's wasteful besides. Time spent worshiping could be spent doing something more constructive, or even just more enjoyable and relaxing. Money spent on tithing could be better spent on better foods and medicines for your children.
But there are also findings that point to gratitude, to worshipping the powers that give all life.
But then you must assume that there are such powers, and not just natural happenstance. And I'm not sure what findings you're talking about.