What is God?
We do not know, save that anything claiming to be god should not be trusted.
Are there any rational arguments for the existence of a god or gods?
The only place where Gods definitely exist is in stories, and thus also in the human mind.
Do religious experiences prove the existence of a god or gods?
Religious experiences prove that people experienced something, nothing more.
Do miracles exist? Do they prove there is a god or gods?
The definition of a miracle is so slippery as to be useless. We have seen no evidence for anything that violates the laws of nature.
How can there be a god or gods if there is so much evil in the world?
Even if there is a god, or gods, nothing says that such beings must be good.
Do souls exist?
We have seen no evidence of a soul that can be measured. But the delicate network of memories and experiences that make up your mind serves as a serviceable stand in.
Is there an afterlife?
Yes. We have no idea whether our consciousness lives on after death, and no reason to think that it does. But your story lives on. Death is time when your story lives on in the minds of others. This is the only guaranteed afterlife.
Does religious belief need to be rational?
Religious belief is not rational, it is emotional. Religious belief is built from hundreds of generations of humans telling stories, until the most mental contagious parts became fixed. Religious belief is not rational, but it can be useful.
Does faith require reasons to believe?
We do not condone faith. We advocate for utility of belief. We do not care whether the fairy tale is real. We care if the fairy tale is useful.
Are religious beliefs based on truth?
Yes, but not on fact.
Can there be morality without religion?
Absolutely. Religion is a useful way of encoding morality, especially complicated or anti-intuitive moral ideas. Religion is also very good at justifying immorality and atrocity through the same techniques. So be wary of anyone completely convinced of the their righteousness due to their religious convictions.
What is the essence of religion?
Religion is an informational technology. A pre-method of encoding information about the world and passing it on to future generations.
What makes religion important to people?
The world came with no instruction manuals. And humans were provided with no strategy guides for life. And so humans have had to build their own. That is religion. And since Mystery expands exponentially with every new discovery, there will always remain great swathes more questions than answers. Religion is how humans deal with Mystery.
Is the Song of Seven a real religion?
There is no such thing as a real religion. And there is no such thing as a fake religion.
Are your gods real?
Not in the way that you mean, no. That probably isn’t the answer that you were hoping to receive. They are stories, and stories are real as long as they are told. The stories they embody and the information those stories encode are important. And again, we do not care if the fairy tale is real. We care if the fairy tale is useful. Also, we don’t trust our gods, and prefer to deal with any of the Others save for the ones you claim the title of God.
Professor Harbinger's School for Villains 