Why People Seek God: Is It Innate, Learned, or a Transaction?
The sorcerer's argument: an isolated tribe would know little, but they would have religion. Is the desire for God innate or transactional?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Desire for God: Innate for Some, Transactional for Others
No known civilization of Homo sapiens has been atheist. This is the assertion made by one participant, attributing it to Benedict XVI, to explain why humanity seeks something superior even when believing it does not need it. From this arises the most striking argument, raised by another user: if a lost tribe with no contact with civilization appeared, they would be unaware of many things, but they would have their sorcerer. The uncomfortable conclusion drawn is that the idea of 'something more' is not learned; it comes with the factory settings.
Why Religiosity is Maintained as Innate
Those who defend this thesis add another point: atheism is a phenomenon of the 20th century, not a constant of history. The same participant aligns this with a specific religious warning: the one attributed to the Virgin Mary, which supposedly forewarned of the coming Great Apostasy in Fatima in 1917. The reasoning has a classic problem: the universality of a belief demonstrates that it is common, not that it is true.
The Desire for God as Refuge and Transaction
The opposing reading does not deny the desire; it denies its destination. As one participant maintains, beliefs arise from the need to give meaning to a purposeless existence, and consolations are built upon that void. Furthermore, another participant raises the suspicion that no one has had direct communication with God, yet many profit from others' need to believe. The existence of the desire does not imply the existence of the desired object.
From Traditional Religion to Digital Quasi-Religions
When the classic framework weakens, the void is not left empty. As one Catholic participant describes, it is filled with sects, New Age orbit groups, and communities claiming to receive messages from supposed extraterrestrials via Telegram, Discord, or YouTube. The phenomenon changes form, not function: community, meaning, and a leader providing answers.
With the desire intact, the question that remains unanswered is what exactly occupies that space, and whether the substitute performs the same job.
No known civilization of Homo sapiens has been atheist. This is the assertion made by one participant, attributing it to Benedict XVI, to explain why humanity seeks something superior even when believing it does not need it. From this arises the most striking argument, raised by another user: if a lost tribe with no contact with civilization appeared, they would be unaware of many things, but they would have their sorcerer. The uncomfortable conclusion drawn is that the idea of 'something more' is not learned; it comes with the factory settings.
Why Religiosity is Maintained as Innate
Those who defend this thesis add another point: atheism is a phenomenon of the 20th century, not a constant of history. The same participant aligns this with a specific religious warning: the one attributed to the Virgin Mary, which supposedly forewarned of the coming Great Apostasy in Fatima in 1917. The reasoning has a classic problem: the universality of a belief demonstrates that it is common, not that it is true.
The Desire for God as Refuge and Transaction
The opposing reading does not deny the desire; it denies its destination. As one participant maintains, beliefs arise from the need to give meaning to a purposeless existence, and consolations are built upon that void. Furthermore, another participant raises the suspicion that no one has had direct communication with God, yet many profit from others' need to believe. The existence of the desire does not imply the existence of the desired object.
From Traditional Religion to Digital Quasi-Religions
When the classic framework weakens, the void is not left empty. As one Catholic participant describes, it is filled with sects, New Age orbit groups, and communities claiming to receive messages from supposed extraterrestrials via Telegram, Discord, or YouTube. The phenomenon changes form, not function: community, meaning, and a leader providing answers.
With the desire intact, the question that remains unanswered is what exactly occupies that space, and whether the substitute performs the same job.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (24 replies).
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