Training Wheels

What does believing in a God grant us?

Grace?

Why are we not already gracious for the lives we have, regardless of whether they were given to us by some divine power or random universal forces of nature?

Hope?

Why do we not find hope in the daily actions of those around us, who push for positive change and succeed in the face of adversity?

Humility?

Why can we not acknowledge our existence as small in an endlessly massive universe, without needing to create an all-powerful being above us as well?

Strength?

Why can we not recognize the power we have in ourselves to face each day head on and make it better?

Reason?

Why can we not admit that bad things happen to good people because bad people don't care who they prey upon, and nature strikes without any prejudice to personality?

Fear?

Why must we fear the repercussions of a greater being, when we should truly fear the repercussions of the hell we make with our own hands on earth?

Reverence?

Why can we not show respect for our fellow humans based on a foundation of mutual trust and community?

While I can imagine the above thoughts might have been difficult to cultivate before modern times/science, I can only imagine gods as a set of training wheels for a species trying to start on its own. I wonder...we should have the tools and understanding to build the heaven we imagined after death in the living world around us, right? At this point, are the training wheels still supporting us or are they holding us back from standing on our own strength and skill?

If we constantly choose to believe in a force outside of ourselves, and the promise of a better afterlife, then what drives us to believe in our own power and our responsibility to make this life better for us all?

And we can quote scriptures from books written aons ago, but why do we ascribe them to divine influence? For I can assure you, no god has ever written a book; only men who claim to speak for them have. Which means whatever words you follow are less wisdom imparted from a divine power and more truths learned by our collective experiences over time, as a species that has - and continues to - make the same mistakes over and over again until we (hopefully) improve.