Beliefs, who needs them?

I can understand why religions arose and why they were necessary. Human experience back then was limited to what was happening physically at the level of the surface of the Earth and because any human action was confined and shaped by the close presence of others. The results were sets of beliefs and rules of behaviour that ensured social cohesion and prevention of conflict. Also, when and where religions first developed, early humans had daily experience of the rising and setting of the sun, and a night time view of a sky filled with stars, planets and the moon going through its phases. These otherwise inexplicable phenomena became associated with various stories that in time became beliefs. Thanks to Science, and Astronomy in particular, those attitudes and explanations are no longer valid. But they linger on.

The main advance in human knowledge provided by modern science has been the realisation of our physical insignificance. We are life forms which exist due to chance on a minor planet which circles a small star, which, in turn is one of millions within our galaxy, a rotating collection of stars and other objects, and which, in turn is just one of the uncountable millions of galaxies within the Universe. Then add the fact that, individually, and as a species, we thrive for a miniscule length of time within the, possibly, infinite existence of the Universe.

Religious beliefs are no longer valid or valuable. We need to reassess. If our religions and other beliefs were devised to help us human animals know how to relate to each other, and even how to manage our little planet, they have no value elsewhere. Perhaps, by chance, we are the only conscious living organisms in the entire Universe. This is unlikely, given the vast number of planets, many of which could support life, but given the vast distances between us and them, we will never know. The best we can do is learn to tolerate each other, protect our world and all its life forms and agree on rules of behaviour that suit our earthly surroundings. We need to learn to live in context, not dependent on belief.