Religion asks us to believe in an omnipotent, all-knowing creator of the universe—and then describes a being with the emotional needs of an insecure child. He must be praised, thanked, worshipped, remembered, obeyed, celebrated, and reassured through endless rituals, prayers, holidays, ceremonies, and traditions. The question is obvious: why would a perfect being need any of it? If God gains nothing from the ritual, then the ritual is for humans, not God. If God rewards praise and punishes indifference, then he is not morally perfect; he is vain. An infinite intelligence should not require applause from primates. The religious God often resembles a cosmic narcissist: Tell me I’m great. Tell me you love me. Never forget me. Repeat it tomorrow. In that sense, the God most people pray to often sounds less like the supreme intelligence behind the universe and more like an immature social-media addict—constantly posting, demanding attention, counting likes and positive comments, and chasing an endless dopamine rush of affirmation and validation. Those are recognizably human insecurities—our hunger for status, loyalty, obedience, and validation—projected onto the heavens. Religion did not make God in some transcendent image. Human beings made God in theirs.
