Throughout history, humans have imagined thousands of gods and goddesses. Among them were Zeus of the Greeks, Venus of the Romans, and Thor of the Vikings. And there were countless others. Originally, God was one of the gods from Canaan, so Israel and Palestine, one of the sons of the deities El and Asherah, named Yahweh, thus a minor figure barely above the level of an angry spirit. Apart from Yahweh, the Canaanites worshipped several other local deities. Yet, due to some remarkable course of events, billions of people now believe that this former local nuisance is the all-powerful owner of the universe. And by some other remarkable incident, the Levant, thus Canaan and the surrounding area, is the cradle of civilisation, the birthplace of the Agricultural Revolution. Jericho is thousands of years older than the pyramids and the Sumerian civilisation. So, forget about Mesopotamia, Egypt and China. Our story begins there.

Humans are religious creatures. We are social animals who cooperate in groups. Sharing beliefs helps us do that. If we all believe in the magical powers of the forest spirit, we can establish rituals, such as special dances, to bond the group members. And when we expect the protection of the forest spirit when we go to war, we fight more confidently and have a better chance of winning. If you believe the forest spirit doesn’t protect you, you can easily panic and flee. However, if your belief is strong enough, you may be able to overcome adversity and persevere. Whether there is a forest spirit or not doesn’t matter. If the belief in it helps the faithful survive, it is beneficial in the struggle for survival. It is survival of the fittest rather than survival of the most accurate. The religions we have now have been the fittest in the past.

There is, however, a piece of historical evidence that atheists prefer to ignore, perhaps because they consider it irrelevant even though it is not. Somehow, the worship of the Jewish deity in all its forms survived and grew, so by now, nearly half the people believe that Yahweh, also known as The Father or Allah, is the only true God who rules our world. No one worships Thor anymore, except a few eccentrics who think that choosing a religion is like going to a supermarket and picking a faith you like. You almost hear them think, ‘Look how special I am. I worship Thor.’ A coward like Blaise Pascal, the world-famous guy who invented Pascal’s Wager, would never take up that bet. It is unlikely that Thor exists. And if he does, he must be weaker than the Christian God.

Otherwise, Thor could have prevented the Christian God from taking over his turf. Or better yet, Thor could have expanded his franchise into new regions by sending priests to convert the infidels. Pascal’s Wager is that the risk of not believing in God is eternal damnation instead of eternal bliss, while the risk of believing in God is merely wasting time in church and having no spectacular sex life, without getting a reward for that discomfort. It is thus rational to believe in God and act accordingly because the sacrifice is small compared to the possible gain. That makes Satan worshippers appear stupid. You almost hear them think, ‘Look how naughty I am. I risk eternal damnation by worshipping Satan.’

But then again, I gradually came to think there is no evidence for the existence of God and that the morality of religious people is not better or worse than that of non-believers. Even worse, people betting on God by believing something that makes no sense, only to get a reward, are morally corrupt. And if insincerity would get you in heaven, I preferred to burn in hell with the sincere. That was indeed a careless thought. I didn’t believe God existed, but if He did, He would not appreciate those grovelling worms who merely hoped to cash in their reward. At the time, I still thought of God as a He. Things took an unexpected turn later on, so the latter part of my thought might be correct. In hindsight, I had severely underestimated the risks associated with inverting Pascal’s Wager. Like Blaise Pascal, I am not a hero. If I had thought that believing something nonsensical could protect me from harm, I would have had faith.

To appreciate the long-term historical trend, you can go back 2,500 years, when the insignificant nation of Israel began to develop visions of grandeur and imagined that all the nations would receive blessings through Israel and its special relationship with that local nuisance called Yahweh. Nothing of that kind appeared to be in the making for over 500 years. But then came Paul, who turned the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who might otherwise have remained an obscure prophet claiming to be the Son of God, into a religion with universal appeal. Everyone could join and receive salvation, and who doesn’t want that? A suspicious mind might wonder why this unusual religion sprouted from Judaism and has gained over two billion followers 2,000 years later. But then again, God has advised us not to ask too many questions, while Christians think they already know the answer. And thanks to Muhammad, the worship of Israel’s God spread even further.

That wrathful cloud that allegedly led the Israelites out of Egypt, which then went into hiding for over 500 years to supposedly father Jesus, then 600 years later sent an angel to whisper messages in Muhammad’s ear, then waited for another 900 years to give us Martin Luther and even more confusion, and then left us in suspense for another 500 years so we could develop computers and invent the simulation argument to find out that we live inside a virtual reality and merely exist as amusement, has been the veil behind which the owner of this universe is hiding. Perhaps you are unconvinced, but even if you believe in the theory of evolution and the survival of the fittest, you must admit that of all those imagined deities, this one has won the competition by a wide margin. Who knows what the future brings, but if we look at the past, there can be only One, or perhaps none. There are a few atheists who think they are so smart, so when someone says ‘God’, they ask, ‘Which one?’ That is a silly question.

Looking at the trail of confusion, you could also have realised your beliefs were incorrect. Christianity has 45,000 branches, all claiming to be the one true faith. Only they will go to heaven. You might call it Pascal’s Nightmare. You are fuel for Satan’s furnaces forever unless one of those 45,000 is correct, and you happen to have that belief. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Rien ne va plus! Islam is a bit more inclusive and promises that faithful Jews and Christians can join the party in heaven. And the Jews believe they are the chosen people. Israel’s history was one of setbacks, but Israel survived while nearly all the other nations disappeared. Israel had little military power, so the Israelites clung to hope. One day, a Messiah will come, liberate Israel, destroy its enemies, and restore its glory, which it is said it once had when David and Solomon were kings. Jesus was not good enough. He didn’t rout the Romans. And so, they kept on waiting.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share an apocalyptic worldview featuring a final battle between good and evil in the Holy Land. Many Christians, adherents of the Religion of Love, support Zionism to make that happen, including the murder and displacement of Palestinians. That infuriates Muslims, followers of the Religion of Peace. They hardly care how many Muslims are slain by other Muslims. To them, the suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Jews is worse than any atrocity in the history of humankind, including the Crusades.

The Book of Revelation raves about 144,000 Jews protected from divine judgment who would convert the other Jews to Christianity and save them. It all has to happen in the Holy Land in the End Times, the Christian Zionists think, so the Jews must move back to Israel and kick out the Palestinians. Some religious Jews would like to blow up the mosque on the Temple Mount and replace it with a proper house of prayer. Perhaps that will kick off the End Times.

So what about that final battle between good and evil? John’s utterings reveal a precise location and suggest it will materialise at a place named Armageddon near the border between Israel and the West Bank, where the armies of the world will gather. Depending on which side you are on and the mushrooms you have consumed, you may see those forces gathering. There have been wars since time immemorial in the area, but since the inception of the state of Israel, the number and intensity of wars in the Holy Land have significantly increased. But why would it be now? If you are neutral, sober or not religious, you may see a bunch of religious crazies fighting for a small patch of land that is not particularly worthwhile. Is this the End Time? Only God knows.

Latest revision: 6 September 2025

Featured image: Donar by Gustaaf van de Wall Perné (1911). Public Domain.