The Problem of the Religious Life

I am not against religion, or even against organized religion. I am not against the idea of belief or faith either. Most importantly, I am not against God. I am not settling any bitter scores, I have no interest in attacking theology.

What concerns me most is not that people do or don't believe in "God" but instead how people live their lives as a result of that belief. It would be ridiculous to say that a belief in a supernatural supreme being necessitates moral depravity. But it would also be just as ridiculous to argue that the opposite is true, that atheists are inclined towards immorality. And this is in fact the argument at the core of all the statis...

The Problem of the Religious Life

I am not against religion, or even against organized religion. I am not against the idea of belief or faith either. Most importantly, I am not against God. I am not settling any bitter scores, I have no interest in attacking theology.

What concerns me most is not that people do or don't believe in "God" but instead how people live their lives as a result of that belief. It would be ridiculous to say that a belief in a supernatural supreme being necessitates moral depravity. But it would also be just as ridiculous to argue that the opposite is true, that atheists are inclined towards immorality. And this is in fact the argument at the core of all the statistics manufactured suggesting that going to church or prayer makes someone a better person.

This is the core idea I wish to refute. I don't care about God, what I am most dismayed by is how religions make people think, and how many live their lives as an expression of that faith.

To this ends, I would like to address three personal issues of faith, rather than theological ones. In doing so I am not criticizing any one religion, not because I am afraid to offend, but because they are irrelevant.

In an existentialist world, there are no grand designs that define our lives. Instead, the meaning of our life is our own to create, and our existence is a reflection of our achievements. For someone who does not believe in a God, I judge a man not by where he places his faith, but by his actions.

Thus I believe the only sound way to engage in the debate of religion versus atheism is by examining not beliefs, but practices. Debating not gods, but people.

I.
Hubris against Nature.

My first complaint against the practice of religion is that, through religion, man places himself above nature, as the "pinnacle of creation." The belief in gods and miracles is almost uniformly based on a subjective definition of where nature ends and the supernatural begins.

Deists argue that God exists in the form of the nature around us, and that the manifestation of the natural world was sufficient, that miracles of supernatural extraction were unnecessary. After all, why need we consider Gods supernatural? Why need we consider the things we do not comprehend miracles?

May I dare to suggest it is because of our own insecurity? We frantically struggle to conc...

I.
Hubris against Nature.

My first complaint against the practice of religion is that, through religion, man places himself above nature, as the "pinnacle of creation." The belief in gods and miracles is almost uniformly based on a subjective definition of where nature ends and the supernatural begins.

Deists argue that God exists in the form of the nature around us, and that the manifestation of the natural world was sufficient, that miracles of supernatural extraction were unnecessary. After all, why need we consider Gods supernatural? Why need we consider the things we do not comprehend miracles?

May I dare to suggest it is because of our own insecurity? We frantically struggle to conceive of ourselves as the masters of our world. Forces beyond our control have always been attributed to something beyond nature.

Winds were personified as deities, sacrifices were made to ensure good harvest, and in the book of Genesis the natural world is explicitly created as servants to man, who is the creation nearest to God. (Strikingly, at the same time, we are also His least perfect creation, which I have always felt is some of the greatest poetry inherent in the Bible.)

What is the risk in this? What damage is done by crowning ourselves king of the jungle? Perhaps we have conquered the wilderness, the mountains and the tundra, but there is a greater tragedy at work as this continues unchecked. Since Xerxes flogged the Hellespont, and probably before, man has vengefully exploited nature, with resentment and relentlessness. This has time and time again brought civilizations to the brink of collapse, and sometimes, as Jared Diamond argues, pushed them over the edge.

A belief that we are masters of nature, rather than simply a small part of a big picture, is a dangerous weakness of our civilization. It has led to waste and decadence without warrant. It has polluted our environment, and poisoned our own homes. We destroy ourselves with our faith.

II.
Hubris against our fellow man.

The fundamental inequality inherent in religion extends beyond mere condescension to nature. It also spreads virulently through our society. Where belief has gone, condemnation has followed soon after, but what is it in religion that leads us to persecute our fellow men?

Once again, it is the lack of perspective afforded by the belief in the supernatural. To believe in a God is also to believe that God believes in us. Gods have always been favored by their chosen peoples. Too few have the courage to believe in a God that confronts them.

By believing in a power beyond nature that is guiding our lives, our opinions are clad in impenetrable armor, that shi...

II.
Hubris against our fellow man.

The fundamental inequality inherent in religion extends beyond mere condescension to nature. It also spreads virulently through our society. Where belief has gone, condemnation has followed soon after, but what is it in religion that leads us to persecute our fellow men?

Once again, it is the lack of perspective afforded by the belief in the supernatural. To believe in a God is also to believe that God believes in us. Gods have always been favored by their chosen peoples. Too few have the courage to believe in a God that confronts them.

By believing in a power beyond nature that is guiding our lives, our opinions are clad in impenetrable armor, that shields them from introspection and examination.

To believe in a God is, all to often, to believe that you are right, regardless of the circumstances or facts. It is this aspect that has driven violence, Crusades and conversions, wars of culture as well as muscle against the very foundations of civilization.

It is God who condemns our enemies to an eternity of suffering, providing sadistic vindication of our own short-sighted grudges. As a vengeful force, God is the role model for our wars of annihilation.

It is from God that we seek forgiveness for our sins, rather than taking responsibilities for our own transgressions. And so it is God that warrants the abuse of our fellow man through our belief in his forgiveness.

We have used the concept of a divinity not to ennoble ourselves, but to excuse ourselves and justify our vicious and petty excesses. We have used belief to look down on others. In its essence, a belief in God has become a tool for dehumanizing those who are not like us.

This need not be the case, since Prophets have almost always preached tolerance, but the belief in the supernatural offers us a way to look down upon others, to promote ourselves by condemning our neighbors, and most importantly, it has given us the power to disown responsibility for our crimes.

III
Hubris against goodness.

Finally, in our lives, religion has often cultivated good virtues, and constructive practices, however, it has often done so in such a way as to defeat the essential lesson.

For every virtue, there is a reason. For every benefit there is a cause. I stop at red lights, because doing so allows intersections to be orderly, and traffic to flow smoothly. I do not kill my fellow man because to do so would violate the inherent equality between us as two members of the same species, identical in all but the smallest of ways.

These rules are made and obeyed for specific reasons, and their transgression brings specific consequences. These are created by the natural dyn...

III
Hubris against goodness.

Finally, in our lives, religion has often cultivated good virtues, and constructive practices, however, it has often done so in such a way as to defeat the essential lesson.

For every virtue, there is a reason. For every benefit there is a cause. I stop at red lights, because doing so allows intersections to be orderly, and traffic to flow smoothly. I do not kill my fellow man because to do so would violate the inherent equality between us as two members of the same species, identical in all but the smallest of ways.

These rules are made and obeyed for specific reasons, and their transgression brings specific consequences. These are created by the natural dynamics of society, and function impermeably, just like the laws of nature.

However, when these commandments and practices are dedicated to religion, they become the arbitrary whim of a superior being. In fact, it is often a dearly held belief that the reasons for any of God's laws are incomprehensible and inscrutable. Thus, the reason to not kill is not because killing is universally bad, but because God has arbitrarily prohibited it. A prohibition which, I might add, seems often to be equally arbitrarily reversed.

This leads to a striking degree of moral relativism. It is not okay to kill her because she is my fellow Christian, but it is okay to kill him because he is a savage, or a terrorist, or a Muslim. The protections of gods only apply to their faithful, and the laws of God are seldom universal principles, but instructions carried out in the moment, and subject to change as their earthly arbiters see fit. The effect of this is, rather than making people more moral, it shatters their moral core and their own ability to tell right from wrong.

By placing God above nature, we place ourselves above others, and by placing ourselves above others, distinctions of right and wrong become meaningless.

In Conclusion

I hope this is not interpreted as a polemic against religion. I have met many people of many faiths who give me hope. There are wonderful, beautiful, humane ideas embodied in almost every religion around the world.

But at the same time, I want us all to look carefully at ourselves and ask ourselves: has our faith been corrupted? Is the way we act truly virtuous or worthy of emulation? Are we really that different from the terrorists in Al Qaeda?

Ironically, the ones who will seriously ask themselves this question are not the ones I am talking to, because it is in asking and understanding that lies the key to discovery, communion, spirituality, and true belief in something po...

In Conclusion

I hope this is not interpreted as a polemic against religion. I have met many people of many faiths who give me hope. There are wonderful, beautiful, humane ideas embodied in almost every religion around the world.

But at the same time, I want us all to look carefully at ourselves and ask ourselves: has our faith been corrupted? Is the way we act truly virtuous or worthy of emulation? Are we really that different from the terrorists in Al Qaeda?

Ironically, the ones who will seriously ask themselves this question are not the ones I am talking to, because it is in asking and understanding that lies the key to discovery, communion, spirituality, and true belief in something positive.

Those who scoff, or rage, or dismiss this without thinking. Those who bluster: they are nothing like me! They are evil! These are the ones who have corrupted our faiths, and rend our society with their bellicose arrogance and myopic ignorance.

In the end, the question is not whether God exists, but what you make of him.

Whew OW,
A lot of food for thought. Let me first say that I've seen some atheists put Christ's principals into action more than some Christians.
To me, one must approach the Bible with a different lens. One that includes knowledge of the history, the culture, and the more than literal meaning. Taken in this context, IMO the Bible has a radical message, such as speaking out against empire, challenging conventional thinking, ministering to the poor, challenging authority, despising hypocrites, and most importantly, favoring the least, last, and lost. These are the moral values I aspire to, not the crotch-based ones--the true differences between what is right and what is wrong, like praisi...

Whew OW,
A lot of food for thought. Let me first say that I've seen some atheists put Christ's principals into action more than some Christians.
To me, one must approach the Bible with a different lens. One that includes knowledge of the history, the culture, and the more than literal meaning. Taken in this context, IMO the Bible has a radical message, such as speaking out against empire, challenging conventional thinking, ministering to the poor, challenging authority, despising hypocrites, and most importantly, favoring the least, last, and lost. These are the moral values I aspire to, not the crotch-based ones--the true differences between what is right and what is wrong, like praising the peacemakers, sending away the rich empty handed (by that I mean, IMO it's immoral to fatten the pockets of our wealthiest citizens while forcing our children to pay our debts), healing the sick, (again it's immoral to ignore the plight of American's who have no health insurance), and many other moral challenges ignored by some Christians.
Do I believe in God? YES. Am I concerned about substitutionary atonement and my being "saved" in that context? NO. Do I believe it's a sin to be homosexual? NO. (and I can argue that theologically for hours based on the interpretation of scripture) Do I believe in the beatitudes as Christ's founding principals? YES.
Has our faith been corrupted. YES. We must always teach the true message of love and compassion found in the Gospels and repudiate the narrow, greedy, intolerant version spoke by those whose only truth is to power.

Thus I believe the only sound way to engage in the debate of religion versus atheism is by examining not beliefs, but practices. Debating not gods, but people.

Surely it is the practices that cause harm, not the beliefs. But how do you prevent the harmful practices if not to expose the erroneous beliefs upon which the actions are based?

Surely my neighbor can believe in a thousand gods or no god and his belief does not harm me. But why did he bomb the abortion clinic killing the doctor inside?

Or, why did the suicide bomber praise Allah before killing that bus load of children?

debbyski talks about caring for the poor before the rich, and the moral implications of health c...

Thus I believe the only sound way to engage in the debate of religion versus atheism is by examining not beliefs, but practices. Debating not gods, but people.

Surely it is the practices that cause harm, not the beliefs. But how do you prevent the harmful practices if not to expose the erroneous beliefs upon which the actions are based?

Surely my neighbor can believe in a thousand gods or no god and his belief does not harm me. But why did he bomb the abortion clinic killing the doctor inside?

Or, why did the suicide bomber praise Allah before killing that bus load of children?

debbyski talks about caring for the poor before the rich, and the moral implications of health care as founding principals of Jesus.

Yet many evangelical Christians voted for a liar, a killer of the innocent, and a money changer that favors the rich even at the expense of the poor. All claiming to be lovers of the same Jesus she sets as the example.

Truly, if the name of Jesus is invoked, you can't tell the devil from the god! The two cannot be separated by action. One does good, the other evil. They both claim divinity in their actions.

But I'm thinking... if we can expose the fallacy of divinity from religion itself...

And make religion NO LONGER the excuse (the authority) for harmful actions...

Then actions will have to be weighed purely on secular merit, to which an actual (secular) authority can be appealed for wrong doing.

[Note, the problem with divine authority is that there is no one to appeal to for injustice, especially when the injustice supposedly comes from the divine.]

In this way, we will be addressing "not beliefs, but practices. Debating not gods, but people."

But we can't do that (well) by ignoring the "Why" evil actions are done, when we know that religious sanctuary is the call and cause.

Check out todays news that the Pope is gonna train some Super-satan-fighting teams, lol.....WACKO CITY-and yet i bet this act shall reignite the insanity and lust for power laying dormant in many wanna be satan-seeking-exterminators....just you wait n see!!! Nothing like having "Jesus's representitive on earth" sanction your next excorcism. Gee, the ole sly devil could be typing THROUGH you or me right now---better hope there are no cyber excorcists amid our fellow clippers or we could find ourselves in a bit of bother.....

Belief in supernatural deities as real entities (evil or good) has really run its course for anyone who wants to leave a legacy of intelligence, maturity and love of h...

Check out todays news that the Pope is gonna train some Super-satan-fighting teams, lol.....WACKO CITY-and yet i bet this act shall reignite the insanity and lust for power laying dormant in many wanna be satan-seeking-exterminators....just you wait n see!!! Nothing like having "Jesus's representitive on earth" sanction your next excorcism. Gee, the ole sly devil could be typing THROUGH you or me right now---better hope there are no cyber excorcists amid our fellow clippers or we could find ourselves in a bit of bother.....

Belief in supernatural deities as real entities (evil or good) has really run its course for anyone who wants to leave a legacy of intelligence, maturity and love of humanity after them. Given the incredible amount of evidence all around us that points to man-made religions as just that----man made mythologies/fables---i find it hard to accept that so many remain willfully ignorant of history and the like when we see what this delusion is costing us --STILL. I believe that "God" IS the issue.....as Aces said-- all of these religions rest (give er take a detail er two) on that belief. We are robbed of the artful beauty and possible influence for good that religion potentially could have--by those who insist on claiming it's central figure ----fill in the god of your choice here--- as real.

Furthermore, I would cite Sam Harris as one writer who takes very seriously the topics you charge Chris Hitchens with belittling/ ignoring. Sam has lots to say to everyone involved in this discourse, and I shall continue to watch where his work and interest will lead next.
Neuroscience is where I hope we find the answers to a lot of what puzzles us about consciousness and why we cling so persistantly to god-beliefs.

All this blather is just my 2 cents, thanks for your post,-lots of work and thought went into it and although I disgree with your conclusion, the piece is much appreciated

I do have faith in the cross as a trust worthy disclosure of the evil of domination systems and as the exposure of the defeat of those powers who politically oppress and economically exploit while receiving religious legitimization from those who are deluded into thinking that their privileged status comes from God.
I think taking the Bible seriously means taking the causes of human suffering seriously. I don't think that should be done by taking the interests of the wealthy in mind rather than interests of the large numbers of people. It can be done by supporting social reform for those who are suffering and by supporting social transformation; changing society so the the structures do no...

I do have faith in the cross as a trust worthy disclosure of the evil of domination systems and as the exposure of the defeat of those powers who politically oppress and economically exploit while receiving religious legitimization from those who are deluded into thinking that their privileged status comes from God.
I think taking the Bible seriously means taking the causes of human suffering seriously. I don't think that should be done by taking the interests of the wealthy in mind rather than interests of the large numbers of people. It can be done by supporting social reform for those who are suffering and by supporting social transformation; changing society so the the structures do not privilege some and cause suffering for others. Some Christians believe that charity is enough. I say charity means helping the victims which will always be necessary, but justice means asking "Why are there so many victims?"

This is all very interesting. Aces Lucky, I too have often been tempted to argue the absurdity of belief in Gods, or the granting of authority to religious hierarchies. But that never works, and it doesn't solve the problem.

Consider Marx. Marx was perhaps one of the most rabidly anti-religious "thinkers" (if you can call him that) ever. But, his solution to religion, communism, was equally dogmatic, authoritarian, and imbued with all the same hubris that I find dangerous in the religious life.

Thus, I have come to the conclusion that my goal isn't really to make people share my own beliefs, as tempting as it may be. Instead my goal is to get people to stop doing the stuff that is tearing ...

This is all very interesting. Aces Lucky, I too have often been tempted to argue the absurdity of belief in Gods, or the granting of authority to religious hierarchies. But that never works, and it doesn't solve the problem.

Consider Marx. Marx was perhaps one of the most rabidly anti-religious "thinkers" (if you can call him that) ever. But, his solution to religion, communism, was equally dogmatic, authoritarian, and imbued with all the same hubris that I find dangerous in the religious life.

Thus, I have come to the conclusion that my goal isn't really to make people share my own beliefs, as tempting as it may be. Instead my goal is to get people to stop doing the stuff that is tearing our society apart. Think of it as "baby steps."

The real question is not "does God exist." But "why are some people total wackos?" Why is Debby here a better person thanks to her religion, while terrorist bombers (both Christian and Muslim) are made worse people because of their religion?

And although I won't say anyone's religion is wrong, I will say that extremism and intolerance are wrong, and it's time to take the kiddie gloves off. We need a Reasonable Belief movement. We need to realize that our society cannot survive this radicalization. We need to stand up and say: it is wrong to let your beliefs get out of control to the point where you are starting wars and murdering innocent people.

Reasonable Muslims need to stand up to the extremist Muslims, but reasonable Christians need to stand up to the extremist Christians. All around the world we need to say: no, it's not okay to think this way. And if we are going to succeed, we need to say "it isn't about God, it's about right and wrong." Otherwise nobody will listen to us and it will only push people farther to their extremes.

And the most important point: whether you are "Fighting Satan" for the Pope, converting tribes in the rain forest, or planning to bomb a public building, there is one important thing that all these people have in common:

An Ego that is totally out of control!

Antara, you hit the nail on the head when you talked about the "lust for power" lying dormant in the future Satan Fighters. Why do this rather than the thankless job of just feeding your local homeless person? Egomania. A desire to grab the spotlight. An unchecked belief that you are above and better than everyone else.

Consider the rise of the popular American belief in "divine inspiration." As an example, there was a church in a st...

And the most important point: whether you are "Fighting Satan" for the Pope, converting tribes in the rain forest, or planning to bomb a public building, there is one important thing that all these people have in common:

An Ego that is totally out of control!

Antara, you hit the nail on the head when you talked about the "lust for power" lying dormant in the future Satan Fighters. Why do this rather than the thankless job of just feeding your local homeless person? Egomania. A desire to grab the spotlight. An unchecked belief that you are above and better than everyone else.

Consider the rise of the popular American belief in "divine inspiration." As an example, there was a church in a strip mall by the highway in some souther state, I think it was Arkansas. They put up on their billboard something offensive like "God Hates Fags" or something along the same lines. Of course, there was local outcry (impressive for the south, but hey, times are changing) and the local government actually demanded that the minister take the sign down.

The minister defended the sign by saying it wasn't his idea. That God told him to put the sign up. This automatically takes one bad judgment call, and imbues it with divine authority. Rather than say, "I made a mistake," or "jeeze, I'm an asshole," he immediately brought God down to his own petty level, which struck me as a ridiculous sacrilege.

That's what I mean by egomania. It's about the lust for power over other people, the desire to place yourself above everyone else. And my guess is that these people would act the same way if they gave up God and became atheists.

"God Is Not Great" was a book written by an Atheist for Atheists. It did nothing but encourage religious people by reinforcing the "seige mentality" that they use to justify their extremism.

Arguing about God is preaching to the Choir, and always will be. If we want to change anything we need to start talking about what people do, because that's the real problem.

And although I won't say anyone's religion is wrong, I will say that extremism and intolerance are wrong, and it's time to take the kiddie gloves off. We need a Reasonable Belief movement. We need to realize that our society cannot survive this radicalization. We need to stand up and say: it is wrong to let your beliefs get out of control to the point where you are starting wars and murdering innocent people.

Absolutely. But I think you overlook a common and simple realization.

The radicalization, the extremism of which you speak, is typically the root message of these books (which they believe are from god)!

The intolerance IS the message. Commandment number 1 is no...

And although I won't say anyone's religion is wrong, I will say that extremism and intolerance are wrong, and it's time to take the kiddie gloves off. We need a Reasonable Belief movement. We need to realize that our society cannot survive this radicalization. We need to stand up and say: it is wrong to let your beliefs get out of control to the point where you are starting wars and murdering innocent people.

Absolutely. But I think you overlook a common and simple realization.

The radicalization, the extremism of which you speak, is typically the root message of these books (which they believe are from god)!

The intolerance IS the message. Commandment number 1 is no different than the core message of the Koran. And the punishment is the same, too.

In these books, GOD says to kill the infidel. In these books, GOD says the homosexual is an abomination, and unwed ladies who are not virgins should be stoned to the death! (It is SECULAR laws that prevent this, not the human decency of religious compassion.)

You, (and I appreciate your intentions), are essentially saying that GOD IS WRONG, unjust, immoral, and should not be followed to the extreme.

I most certainly agree! But is a god really saying these things? Unfortunately, the answer is YES, if you believe these books are from a god.

And if you believe the salvation of your soul is dependent on believing these books...

Well, then, the problem are the books. They need to be exposed for what they are.

The sooner that happens, the more we can focus on the difference between right from wrong, and not the authority that makes it so, but the compassion that makes it so.

And think of it this way, Aces:

As an atheist, you believe that man created religion, right? Well, if that's the case, then why do you think man created this kind of religion - intolerant and discriminatory? Why do you think other people wanted to believe in it?

Because of egotism and arrogance. If you destroy one religion they'll just replace it with another one, normally worse than the first. What we need to do is say "Hey, religion is okay" stop fighting it, and put our foot down on what really matters "arrogance, discrimination, extremism - those are not okay."

After all, religions normally start out with good intentions, but they get twisted. The examples you give from the Bible are ...

And think of it this way, Aces:

As an atheist, you believe that man created religion, right? Well, if that's the case, then why do you think man created this kind of religion - intolerant and discriminatory? Why do you think other people wanted to believe in it?

Because of egotism and arrogance. If you destroy one religion they'll just replace it with another one, normally worse than the first. What we need to do is say "Hey, religion is okay" stop fighting it, and put our foot down on what really matters "arrogance, discrimination, extremism - those are not okay."

After all, religions normally start out with good intentions, but they get twisted. The examples you give from the Bible are excelent illustrations of this. Christians don't have to believe in everything the Bible says. In fact, the belief that any given English translation of the Bible is literal truth would have been considered heresy by the majority of Christian Theology.

Unlike the Quran in Islam, the Bible is written by people, not God. It is the record and perspectives of various leaders in the religious community, and at no point purports to be a work of divine provenance.

So why do people take it literally today? Because that is how they avoid understanding Christianity. Because that gives them easy answers that they don't have to think about. Because they want the power of shouting: this is what GOD says!

But it betrays their own shallowness. It isn't what God said. It is human in origin, and as a result, imperfect like everything else. What should the Bible be? A repository of wisdom and thought, of anecdote and parable. It should be a guide to the virtues of Christianity, but by no means an answer key, or a way to read God's mind.

The people you talk about are looking for shortcuts. They want to take the easy way to realizing their own egotistical dreams. I'm not saying God is right or wrong, there or not, I'm saying that people who talk about God are wrong, and we have to keep in mind

Aces Lucky: have you ever convinced a single believer to give up their faith?

Other than myself? I don't know. I'm never trying to convince someone to become an atheist. I myself am agnostic; perhaps even closer to Pantheist.

Although you or I may agree with Hitchens in the big picture, his book is a litmus test.

I've never read Hitchens but I've seen him on youTube. I do like his drunken mannerisms, though.

If you destroy one religion they'll just replace it with another one, normally worse than the first. What we need to do is say "Hey, religion is okay" stop fighting it, and put our foot down on what really matters "arrogance, discrimination, ext...

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Aces Lucky: have you ever convinced a single believer to give up their faith?

Other than myself? I don't know. I'm never trying to convince someone to become an atheist. I myself am agnostic; perhaps even closer to Pantheist.

Although you or I may agree with Hitchens in the big picture, his book is a litmus test.

I've never read Hitchens but I've seen him on youTube. I do like his drunken mannerisms, though.

If you destroy one religion they'll just replace it with another one, normally worse than the first. What we need to do is say "Hey, religion is okay" stop fighting it, and put our foot down on what really matters "arrogance, discrimination, extremism - those are not okay."

I agree. They are "not okay" based on secular understandings.

So, how do you get these people to put Man's law above god's?

Antara, you hit the nail on the head when you talked about the "lust
for power" lying dormant in the future Satan Fighters. Why do this
rather than the thankless job of just feeding your local homeless
person? Egomania. A desire to grab the spotlight. An unchecked belief
that you are above and better than everyone else.

No, I don't think that egomania is the answer to that at all.

Believing in God....and believing that YOU are the one HE has chosen to bestow the grace, power and insight required for the battle for souls here on earth is a very powerful tonic and motivator. Imagine knowing deep in your heart that god's will and the possible salvation of the his people on eart...

Antara, you hit the nail on the head when you talked about the "lust
for power" lying dormant in the future Satan Fighters. Why do this
rather than the thankless job of just feeding your local homeless
person? Egomania. A desire to grab the spotlight. An unchecked belief
that you are above and better than everyone else.

No, I don't think that egomania is the answer to that at all.

Believing in God....and believing that YOU are the one HE has chosen to bestow the grace, power and insight required for the battle for souls here on earth is a very powerful tonic and motivator. Imagine knowing deep in your heart that god's will and the possible salvation of the his people on earth depends on YOU.....is that egomania? To me it is true service, possibly even the most incredible selflessness!! In fact, the very opposite of egomania. Remember, this is about eternal life....not the mere blip of human existence you call your lifetime on earth. Who cares about some homeless guy when the spiritual warfare of the endtimes is being played out right as we speak!!
( BTW-No one speaks to this very issue ( and it's repulsive idealogical consequences ) more eloquently than Christopher Hitchens.)
These are people who REALLY BELIEVE what their "holy" texts say- and only those who have been sprinkled with the magical grace with which to see the "truth" are to be taken seriously. You don't seem to appreciate that believers ARE better than you and I, lol.....thats the whole point. If you were in possesion of the grace with leads to Faith, you too would understand....but you just cannot "see". Too bad for you.....but there is still time to repent!
Again, I mention Sam Harris as someone who addresses this reality. He reminds us that those men who flew planes into buildings on 911 were not poor illiterate rebels crying out against injustice....they were western educated engineers who REALLY took seriously what their religion told them about what this life is all about....an

Believing in God....and believing that YOU are the one HE has chosen to
bestow the grace, power and insight required for the battle for souls
here on earth is a very powerful tonic and motivator. I

This reminds me of the parable of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Antara.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, ...

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Believing in God....and believing that YOU are the one HE has chosen to
bestow the grace, power and insight required for the battle for souls
here on earth is a very powerful tonic and motivator. I

This reminds me of the parable of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Antara.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (3:1--5)

So far in this parable, God and the serpent have left out the fact Adam and Eve would die eventually, but not on the day of the eating. But on that day they will know something animals don't know; that is that someday we will all die. Does Eve choose knowledge over ignorance? Yes, and she persuades Adam to choose the knowledge of good and evil; namely moral knowledge, and both become self-conscious of themselves and learn that they will eventually will die.

Animals usually do not kill their own. If they did, they would be extinct. I think humans have morality that stands between us and extinction; the only battle that is important is the moral battle; it's the only true service in this life.