So many questions... (hypothetical, what ifs...)

Ever since I was a little kid I've always been pretty skeptical of established religion. I feel like I need to preface this post by telling you that, but no worries, I have no intentions of pushing any of my personal beliefs on to you. I've just always had a natural curiosity towards religion, and I feel that the questions running through my head tonight are the same ones I've had forever. I would definitely benefit from more education into religion and history, but I'd rank my knowledge up there with the average person, so don't judge this too harshly.

This turned out to be one of those unusual nights where your mind begins stirring with thoughts of a mystical or profound nature. Everyone has those moments of deep speculation, where you get a bit lost, and usually finish by wondering how the train of thought even began. They don't happen terribly often (unless you're a theologian or philosopher...), but every once in a while you just get stuck on certain questions.

I just finished watching the movie "The Invention of Lying," and *SPOILER ALERT* there is a scene in which Ricky Gervais' character comforts his dying mother by assuring her that there is everlasting joy in the afterlife. In a world where he is the only person capable of lying, he is soon after swarmed by people wanting to know more. He decides to run with it. Basically, he creates the concept of a "man in the sky," a joyful place and a horrible place in the afterlife (heaven and hell), the consequences of sin, and essentially lays the foundations of Christianity. And as he was whipping these "commandments" out to people, it struck me as remarkable how easily religion could have been created.

Hopefully leaving any of my personal beliefs out of this, here are a few of the questions that I've been pondering for the last hour:

First- where was the proof? I think it would be impossible for any new major world religion to spring up today. The world is entirely too advanced in science and technology to "buy into" a new religion with our frantic need for solid evidence or proof. However, hundreds or thousands of years ago... how could you legitimately question it? How did the Greek and Romans KNOW that there were multiple gods? How does anyone KNOW that there is a God, Buddha, Allah? There just isn't any tangible proof. I'm not saying that miracles haven't happened, or that prophets didn't really experience something divine, but I'm just not sure I'm entirely comfortable taking someone else's word for it... I would be interested to read a bit more of Flavius Josephus, who wrote in 68 AD about Jesus from a historian's point of view. Now there is a piece of literature that could shed some more light on Christianity.

WHAT IF... some unusually creative person, perhaps even a delusional person, or perhaps even a chemically imbalanced person, just made it all up? Look at the profound creativity that human beings are capable of from art to music to story-telling. Some of the most influential and brilliant people in history were totally off their rocker. If you look at the tenets of major religions, for example the Bible or the Koran, how can you say that someone didn't just invent them? What if some Schizophrenic Greek imagined the gods on Mount Olympus and everyone bought it? I am by no means a history buff, so I don't know the actual stories behind their development, but I'd bet no one was there recording these processes as proof of their legitimacy for the next couple millennia. I just have to wonder why so many people believe what they're told. I've always had issues buying 100% into what I was told as a child.

What if the thousands of years of persecution, wars, and crusades had turned out differently? Would the major religions of the world be something else if armies of MEN had fought differently? Think about it, if one or two battles had gone differently in the Civil War, the United States might be two separate nations right now. If the Allied powers had been less successful, would Europe have eventually been dominated by a Nazi regime? These major events in the course of history were the results of human beings taking violent action for their beliefs. Obviously, in hindsight it is easy to see those specific examples as good conquering some "evil", but how can anyone say that a war fought solely on the basis of one person thinking their religion is truer than another turned out "right" or "wrong"?

I do think religion is an immensely important thing for a person. Now that could be a belief in one God, multiple gods, fate, supernaturalism, or just a sense of spirituality in the universe, either way if it brings people joy and inspires them to be good, happy people, then how can anyone say that is wrong? Adversely, if someone chooses not to decide between any of that, or refuses to believe in something, period, then that is probably the right thing for them. I am not going to tell someone one way or the other, because the bottom line is- no one can prove that what they believe is true. What you believe should be a gut feeling. You should be comfortable with it, and if you can find someone that appreciates or even shares your beliefs, that's great! But I draw the line at people in the 21st century who still find it necessary to impose their personal beliefs on others. We can't prove any of it, so the choice is up to the individual. Ask your own questions, and try to be satisfied with your own answers.

That's what I try to do.