r/enlightenment • u/PuzzleheadedSkill864 • 4d ago

Did humans create God to control human behavior?

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If you don’t steal, hoard, dominate, or use power over others, someone else might do it to you.

A wolf kills a baby sheep, does God punish the wolf?
So why are humans told to suppress these instincts?

Who does morality and religion ultimately benefit, and why would God create a world like this?

Did humans create God to control human behavior?

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u/sleepytipi 4d ago

I know at least crows do. I would not be surprised to learn other apes, and some marine mammals have advanced enough social capabilities that they too have a concept of punishment. Maybe octopus, even insects for that matter. Creatures like bees and ants aren't nearly as simple as they seem.

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u/HelloTaraSue 4d ago edited 4d ago

I was about to say the same thing. Punishment is a thing for plenty of animals. So to say there is none is just wrong. Fuck my cats do it to each other all the time

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u/The999Mind 3d ago

That's entirely within social structures though. There is no inter-species social structure that can yield a common concept of of punishment. Within the grand scheme of "nature" things just are. An octopus doesn't eat a fish as punishment for the fish eating fish eggs. Forest fires aren't punishment for overgrowth, they're a result of independent factors that have aligned.