Alternatively the chief seeking power might invoke a higher authority - invent a god. No one can see him? That’s because he talks only to ME – I am his prophet. He told me the Rules, which I am passing on to you.

One only has to read the Old Testament to see the evolution of religions in action – ancient stories which get told, varied, split, merged and retold by successive writers. The rituals to pray, facing west, X times a day, while counting beads or holding a holy book, were all imposed by men, and vary with place and time. All these characteristics would be expected from what science has told us of mankind’s origins. They also match what we see in the world’s religions – it is clear they are a product of human societies.

Additional confirmation is provided because the origins of current religions are clearly visible in the historical record. One can list a god, a prophet, a sacred text and a date for 100 religious creeds – as I have done (5). This includes one in the making as we speak – Mel Gibson’s new Catholic cult.

The currently-worshipped gods have been around for between 1 and 3000 years. Before that, history tells us of hundreds of Egyptian, Greek, Mayan, Roman and Norse gods – once believed to be omnipotent, but now devoid of followers, and hence dead. Before that, there were, no doubt, thousands of other deities invented by tribal chiefs as soon as language allowed, in order to cement their grip on power. Thus, the current gods are but brief fireworks in the 100,000-year (at least) spectrum of human culture – in another 3000 years, the current gods will likely be as dead as Dione.

Additionally, science shows that in matters of fact there is an underlying truth – for example, how many moons does Mars have? Two. So if we ask, what supernatural beings (deities or gods) exist in the universe, there must be a single unique answer (one god or a list). No two religions agree on who they are, so at most one can be right – say god X. Then we must face the fact that god X was unable to make her presence known above the 99 other sects, or to make her Word stand out from the babble of human culture, or to perform a single miracle since science has been watching. If there is a god, she has been a total market failure.

Finally, the study of physics shows that we live in a material world. There is no evidence for a supernatural realm. Even if there was such, there is apparently no way it could influence the material world, because the four known forces account for all phenomena. Even if a god is listening, he is powerless to stop bullets, cure illness, make rain etc.

Thus, as citizens of the world in 2007, we should recognize that our religion, culture and customs are man-made and fleeting, rather than imposed from above. Hence we should not use them as barriers to separate us from fellow humans who happen to be born into other belief systems.

The Origin of Ethics

The above rules, decrees, and religions are all systems set up to gain power over others and to govern social behavior – hence are all systems of ethics or morals. It is clear that morals are the product of the genes-memes-behavior-selection cycle of human evolution, reinforced by rules and religions. Historically, each system of morals was developed to benefit a particular group or view, and is often very harmful to others, especially minorities.

Ethics from religion?

Let us suppose for a moment the Christians are right, and their core belief (the atonement) is true. God believed that mankind sinned, originating from Adam’s eating the apple of knowledge in the garden of Eden. God wanted to punish mankind, but changed his mind. Therefore, he drew up a plan – he bred a half-son, Jesus, who was also half human. Jesus led an impeccable life, loyal to God’s cause. When Jesus turned about 30, God arranged for him to be captured, the flesh flayed from his back, and hung up by his hands until dead. All Christians including Anglicans and Catholics hold this as their core belief. They quote it as a message of love.

Let us put aside the question of punishing children for a crime committed by distant ancestors, and also whether seeking knowledge is a crime at all, and accept for a moment that mankind is guilty of something.

Now imagine a farmer sitting beside his fire one evening. The dog farts, so he kicks the cat. What would you think?

Or suppose a judge says in court: John Smith, I find you guilty of robbing the bank, therefore I sentence you Fred Jones, although you were just passing the door of my court room, to hard labour for life. Most people see this – punishing the innocent in order to pardon the guilty as too absurd to contemplate.

I have asked several Christians to explain this further. The closest they come to an answer, is that God was expecting to shed some blood, and when he couldn’t get it from the guilty he got it from an innocent – ie God is a bloodthirsty, cruel monster.

This they put forward as the prime example of God’s love – the worst torture and murder imaginable. The same Christians say their personal, public and political life is governed by their religious principles, which they are driven to impose on others.

A hundred similar examples are easy to find, and are present to some extent in most traditional religions. How can anyone think they come from an all-loving supernatural source?

Constructing New ethics

Given that all systems of ethics were developed by mankind (and more primitive animals), can we construct our own, using scientific principles? 

Continued ...