11. The god claim gives your prejudices the backing of authority, and sets your party/race/social group above all others.

Belief in god and heaven is what keeps poor people from rebelling against the rich bastards who live in luxury while they and their children go hungry.

That is the 'purpose' of god.

They don't "need" a god/s, they just think they do because they were told to.

I have no need of any god. I cannot speak for anybody else.

I don’t know.

My suspicion is that it comes from the early development of the scientific process. (Without experimentation and without testing evidence to support hypotheses) Observation and Hypothesis. People desire answers to the their questions. Making up stories to explain things is an attempt to answer those questions.

A consequence of living in any society is that bad, clever people take advantage of naïve, simple people. As a consequence Theism is used to manipulate and control people.

A big question is number 5. What happens to us when we die. For most, there is an inability to answer truthfully, “I don’t know.” People made up stories and it’s difficult to overcome what is taught at a young age.

I don’t know why anyone needs a god.

I do feel the need for a god. Not any specific one, mind you, but it just wouldn't feel the same saying 'Non-exsistent entity, dammit to the bonfire at the bottom of a cave no one has found!' when one smashes one's finger with a hammer.

It just doesn't have the same effect...

I have no need of gods and know that I was lied to as a teen. Totally without any god belief in the last 20 years and feel no guilt or shame for leaving god or the belief system.

1. “Someone to blame shit on. (Responsibility shifting),” This is a popular one indeed. Who wants to take responsibility for their actions when there are professions that cater for lack of autonomy, after all, personal autonomy is at the bottom of the list for many people. "Mysticism joins and unites; reason divides and separates. Hence the prominent role of mysticism, and the limited role of reason in human affairs." Thomas Szasz

2. “Someone to pray to feel more control in chaos or when things are out of our control as humans. (Need for control or at least the illusion of it.),”There no evidence that mumbling some words changes an undesirable or poorly understood state of affairs.

3. “Belief someone is running this crazy shit show. (It's scary to think nobody is and we are the mercy of so much.)“ Well, you are still breathing, aren’t you? Of course, you are free to fill the gaps with imaginary excursions. You do not beat your heart, you do not breathe, you do not operate the rods and cones in your eyes and you do not digest your food. It is all regulated by the autonomic nervous system. All done for you, imagine if you had to do it, you’d be dead.

4. The poorer people are, the more they look to a power larger than rich powerful people who make decisions that ruin their lives. (Lack of money and education about things leads to giving up control to others.) We give control to others when we elect a government. There is little or no accountability for the actions of elected officials.

5. “Fear of death and not being anymore. (This is it?)” Fear of death may be related to imaginary notion of self, deep down you know your shit isn’t true but to fit in with everyone you continue to parrot it.

6. Wanting to be reunited with loved ones. (Loss) The reunification with loved ones begins with the words, in the name of the father and the son and into the hole he goes.

7. “Needing there to be a god so people can relieve themselves of the burden of having to make difficult, even impossible changes to fight back against a more powerful force. (It's God's will males people feel better.)” God’s will is nothing more than an invitation to sit on your ass and feel good about it.

8. “Because your family believes and you were raised that way”. I must conform to the expectations of my family or I will be an outcast and in the case of the larger society I might ostracized for being different. I am weak and must go along with others, I am a coward.

9. “Because your god gives you power over others as is the case in most religions, especially men over women”. My god is right because he forms the core of my identity, it just happened, I had no say in the matter, and thinking is dangerous.

10. “Why not? It’s a gamble to not hedge your bets”. I can’t make my mind up so I will have a two way bet just to be on the imaginary safe side.

This is not why I think I need a god, this is the list people spew at me btw. I am atheist.

Beats me. I never believed in an invisible deity that resides somewhere beyond the clouds.

Belief in a heavenly place after death is an excuse for behaving badly because all will be forgiven in heaven.

I would like a goddess.

They don’t need a god they were brainwashed into thinking they need one .

Because without a god, etc. there would be no enjoyment in blasphemous jokes, expressions like "hell yes" and "god knows" .... ....

God is for adults. Is one reason.

For some, it's an attempt at finding meaning to their existence. The god concept is flexible enough to lie just outside one's capacity to reason. Surely, noone finds every piece of information that enters her consciousness to be reasonable. It's up to you what you want to do with this irrational world.

Why does anyone need a universe?

All God wants is your Soul and to worship him.

Sorry God, only got one soul, and I am King Kong.

Any more loads of crap to justify your idiotic post? I do need a dog, though.

I think all of those listed are a part of the picture at the level of human experience. There is also an impetus not necessarily consciously experienced by most individuals but which influences human behavior nonetheless, operating across large spans of time at the biological level.

Humans don’t necessarily need gods, but humans do have a biological need to survive and reproduce. And believing in gods is one of the psychotechnologies that facilitate that goal in the context of civilization. There are others of course, but humans are biologically predisposed to use the god method.

I think god came about to explain why bad things happen, like crop failures, lightening killing their animals, famine, being dirt poor and no way out of it. God is the 'answer' for these believers but then the whole idea got terribly elaborate with the bibles.
People decided to "make a list" as one would do to plan for the future but the books served as explanations with some added 'how tos' to get thru most of it without losing your mind. Some people (usually taught since birth) cannot separate the fairy tale from reality because it's such a lovely ending to all the misery on earth and living without that false hope is too much to bear on them.
It's much simpler if you can believe after you die all good things will happen and end the suffering faced while alive.
When I die I hope I finally get that freaking pony I begged my parents to get me for every birthday.

How about, it gives you the right to sadistically bully people with the threat of hellfire if they don't agree with you. (This is an extension of #9, perhaps.)

I find it funny that many use the last one to conclude an argument. ‘If I believe and I’m wrong I lose nothing, if you don’t believe and there is a god you are in trouble’. Let’s hope they chose the right religion to put their bet on!

Just the usual sayings when upset or pissed off, other wise who gives a fuck!!!