Belief in God is part of the culture of virtually every human society, and religion based on belief in God is the organizing institution of...
One possible answer to this question is the ability of religion, constructed through belief in God, to govern society and organize the community. Religion helps to regulate and control complex human behavior and even the more complex human society. Religion can operate without the actual existence of a supposed god. In this case, the role of the imagined god is to regulate and control society by humans through the function and operation of religion as a social meme, i.e., through its mediation.
But what is the role of the supposed God, and of the belief in God, if God exists not only in human imagination but also in reality? This possibility should not be rejected not only because the development of objective science has not eliminated the belief in God from human thought, and not only because science is not able to disprove the existence of God (the methods of scientific understanding are not adequate to answer the question of the existence of God), but also because the existence of a hypothetical God cannot be excluded by rational reasoning. The reality of the existence of God cannot be disproved either in principle by logical speculation or in practice by the methods of scientific investigation. What is the role of an existing God in the history of mankind?
If for mankind there really is God, then the various religions that exist are not purely human inventions. In this case, religion's role as an organizer of society is not merely for human purposes, but is also intended by God. Nor does the often-contradicting variety of countless different religions disprove the possible existence of a real God, since there are many different kinds of people and many different kinds of societies that have been formed, many different human ways and many different social operations that can exist to achieve the same goal. It is quite logical that there are many different, even contradictory, religions.
What can be the common purpose to which the existing God is leading human society? What do religions have in common?
Religion gives rules, it transmits norms of behavior, often in a way that contradicts the rules and norms formed by evolution. It regulates and shapes human behavior and the functioning of society in a way that biological and social evolution is not and cannot do.
These elements are also clearly visible in the Bible. For example, the evolution of personal and social behavior is well illustrated in the Bible. Life for life - a splinter in one's own eye, a beam in another's - let him who has not sinned cast the first stone - if you hit from the left, hold it from the right - suggested rules go as far as saying do not resist evil. These are moral rules, presenting moral development that the survival function of natural evolution could not construct. Similar elements can be recognized in other religions.
Evolution is an adaptation to a specific environment and is therefore necessary. What purpose is served by guidance and regulation that contradicts natural evolution, but is mediated by a supposedly existing superior one?
The human race is different from every other living thing on Earth in a special way. It has a high level of intelligence. This ability not only liberates mankind from the mechanism of biological evolution, but also makes it capable of virtual and physical escape from the earthly environment. But leaving the earthly environment is a new arena for humankind. Not only does it mean a new environment, but, if we are not the only intelligent species who are capable of it, it also means a new social arena for mankind. And in this line of thought we assume that God exists, so that we are not alone in the universe as representatives of intelligence. And if we are not alone, there may be many other cosmic societies already existing.
What, then, can be the purpose of the guidance of God, another cosmic intelligence ahead of us, for humanity? Perhaps it is to enable, morally prepare and guide mankind into the civilized life of the intelligent species, for which natural evolution would be incapable. Divine guidance might prepare us and give us the opportunity for admission into the society of the universe. Scientific progress is only a potential way to do this, practical guidance is perhaps mediated by the norms of divine beliefs.
Our God shows us the way (with the truth and the life), because if he exists, that's his role. To give us a chance for emancipation in cosmic space. Using social law, the tools of personal emotions, and perhaps using rationality based on logical thinking. Because God, if he exists, should be approached rationally.
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