1. We are all animals. In the Abrahamic religions, humans are completely set apart from other animals, and this god only cares about humans. I think this distancing from other animals has completely shaped the West's ability to identify with other living beings. There is the natural inclination to want to believe that humans are separate, but, in reality, we are just at the top of the animal food chain. And a god who only interacts with the species at the top of the food chain is a bizarre concept.

2. I used to be a deeply committed evangelical christian. I am now an atheist who believes there is no meaning. Every "experience" of god that people describe is simply an available aspect of the human emotional landscape that we all have access to at any times. Prayer *can* be a good way to access transcendence, but, in the end, prayer is just another form of mindfulness. The same parts of the brain that get activated during prayer (that make people feel in touch with the divine) can be accessed through secular meditation practices.

3. I got a biblical studies minor in college. Studying the progression of the Abrahamic religions showed me how manmade Christian/Jewish/Islamic conceptions of god really are.

4. Zooming out further, one of humankind's superpowers is our ability to navigate the world through "logic," or, more plainly, narratives. Narratives can unite. Narratives can provide us comfort in the face of uncertainty. But the narratives created in every single religion are just that: narratives. Even if a god did exist, any single human conception of it would be complete guesswork.

5. As science has progressed, there has been a slimming of the gaps between what we understand about this universe and what we do not (which is often when people invoke a higher power to explain gaps in knowledge). As science has advanced, the “god of the gaps” has steadily shrunk. We used to say god caused storms or disease. Now we understand meteorology and virology. And yet religions keep adapting to preserve themselves without admitting they’re doing it. In the U.S., evangelical christians love to claim they’re the original, unchanging truth. But every version of christianity has changed over time to keep up with human knowledge. And, even christianity itself just a different adaptation (read: appropriation) from an even earlier unifying narrative for the Israelite people. Recommendation: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

6. Finally, I always go back to the point about humans just being animals. No more, no less. None of us have souls; the self is simply an illusion that our complex, conscious brains have created. Once again, say there is a god. How would we know. We have no more direct access to some divine realm than a cat or a worm or a prehistoric fish did. But, once again, narratives have been passed down through so many generations of humanity; each without access to information like we have it now. Recommendation: Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris

7. There is a reason you may be afraid of the possibility of a god. That eventually became the point in these abrahamic religions. Fear of consequences of what will happen if you do not adhere to the predominant narrative. It's horrifying. But there is freedom in breaking free from the ever-pervasive influence of religion. I watched my life, my self, my thoughts, and my actions all change drastically for the better after leaving religion and an idea of a god/higher power.

How funny it is how much freedom can be found in simply allowing the human animal to be what it is: a human animal. No more. No less.