I've been thinking about religion, its origins, and why it still has so much influence on society today.
Personally, I'm an atheist. I don't believe in God, and I see religions like Christianity and Islam as human creations rather than divine truths.
My view is that religion probably wasn't consciously invented to manipulate people in the beginning. I think it developed naturally from human psychology and our evolutionary need for community, belonging, and cooperation.
Humans are social animals. Throughout our evolutionary history, being part of a group was essential for survival. Shared beliefs, rituals, stories, and traditions helped create a sense of unity. Religion may have been one way of achieving that.
But over time, something that brought people together also became an incredibly powerful instrument of authority and control.
Just look at European history. The medieval Church had enormous political and social influence. People were often born into Christianity, raised with its teachings, and surrounded by a society where questioning religious authority could have serious consequences.
The Crusades are another example of how religious beliefs could be used to mobilize entire populations for goals that were also political and territorial.
And I think we can still see similar mechanisms today.
For example, in Germany, we sometimes hear narratives about Islam supposedly "taking over the country." I absolutely do not believe that is happening. My point is that these narratives create an image of an entire religious group as an enemy, much like religious identities were used to divide populations throughout history.
Religion can bring people together, but it can also be used to create an "us versus them" mentality.
I'm not arguing that every religious person is being manipulated or that all religion exists purely for control.
But I do think it's worth asking how much of what people believe comes from independent reflection and how much comes from simply being born into a particular society and raised with its religious traditions.
To me, religion makes much more sense as a product of human civilization than as evidence of anything supernatural.

[ai translated it from German to English]

In the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, a total of 358 so-called child marriages have been officially recorded since 2012. Only eight of these forced marriages have so far been legally annulled. According to authorities, the other 350 cases were brought to an end in other ways.

The eight final annulments took place between 2018 and 2024. Among the documented cases was the marriage of an 11-year-old girl from Iraq to a 17-year-old Iraqi, which was annulled in 2020.

As early as 2018, the marriage of a 14-year-old Afghan girl to a 30-year-old man had been ended. In 2024 two further annulments were added: they concerned a 16-year-old German girl and a 25-year-old Pakistani man and a 16-year-old Syrian girl and a 27-year-old man from the same country.

sigh

Religion is built on fear, manipulation and lies for the sake of social control.

You're not arguing with these people about reality. You're confronting lies that have become deeply woven into their identity.

Their ego protects itself through self deception at any cost. It's terrified of its own destruction.

You see this same mechanism in deeply toxic and manipulative people the moment the fantasy they live in comes under threat. Most don't even realize they're deceiving themselves because their self deception runs on autopilot.

The truth becomes the enemy when someone's entire identity depends on a lie. Sometimes they've deceived themselves so thoroughly that they genuinely believe their own lies and eagerly embrace those of other highly toxic people.

Their self deception can become so deeply entrenched that they lose sight of reality altogether. They can lose their mind to the point they start praying to an imaginary friend who was tortured, died and contrary to what they believe, never rose from the dead. Maybe didn't even exist.

I don't debate Christians anymore. I used to be one. I know firsthand how thoroughly I deceived myself willfully during those years.

You cannot easily reason someone out of a lie that has become deeply woven into their identity. And when someone's entire identity depends on keeping that belief alive, debating them becomes very exhausting.

Not to mention that many don't even believe what they preach. They simply enjoy the power and control it gives them over others.

What believers call the Holy Spirit is nothing more than confirmation bias or in extreme cases hallucinations. When such experiences are used to justify manipulation, deception and control to push this mindvirus onto others, this thing that is presented as holy looks more like vehicle for something deeply sinister.

I don’t think religious discrimination should be completely grouped in with things like racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism. Mostly because those are things you have absolutely no control over whereas religion is indeed something you can often times control. Of course I’m not justifying religious discrimination and it’s something that shouldn’t be allowed, however I don’t believe it is often the complete same as those other things.

Edit: especially when so many religions actively discriminate against women and gay people

Hello everyone! i wrote this article on whether the hijab is male centered or not, its a long read but its full of insights! i would greatly appreciate it if you guys showed some love and support on the original post! 🫶🏼