Here is a premise to give some background to my theory on Religious belief in the modern day: Absolutely nothing in this world is original. Every piece of art, literature, engineering, is an abstract copy of something that has been learnt or experienced by its creator(s) previous to them embarking or completing their creation. With language, this is simple to prove. We learn our native tongue as a child from those around us, and from then on all the language we use is composed of the words we have been taught within a given context previously, placed in a different order - e.g. we are taught that `table' is a noun given to a free-standing structure we place objects upon. We are taught that `God' is the name of an omnipotent being many believe is our Father. If I create a piece of art, a letter, or even this article, I am drawing on previous experience and inspiration. If this is not an abstract form of plagiarism then I'm a melting watch. I am proposing that Religion - and yes, it does deserve a capital `R' - is no different, and that is why we not only have groups of individuals who appear deluded into believing somebody else's ideas, but we in addition have the opposite group who are incapable of constructing an argument any further than `your Religion sucks'.

I started thinking about this some years ago, when I first attempted to read Sophie's World. A book written in a style that would suggest it is suitable for a child, concerning philosophy - in other words, Religion (or at any rate, Theology) in another name. The book is enjoyable, and is recommended to any of you who feel you need a very gentle introduction into the art of philosophy. At the time it didn't strike me profound, but there is a discussion in the book about how people came to believe in Thor. The general idea was, people were sitting around one day trying to work out what thunder and lightning was all about. With a lack of knowledge concerning how lightning works the best explanation they could come up with was an angry God with a mighty tool (his hammer) was striking the sky. Belief and worship in Thor did not require human sacrifice, as was the case with his `father' Odin, so we are given some insight as to why he became popular. The point I am attempting to make is that what we see here is the foundation of religion - the attempt to explain something that is not currently explainable in terms that can be understood by the people of the time. Thor's hammer was an acceptable belief in what caused thunder and lightening.

Today is a different World however. We don't behave like that. We don't hear a clap of thunder, and assume it is an angry God. However, we also don't try and form our own beliefs and opinions ourselves anymore. The Vikings created Gods to explain phenomena that they could not explain through any other means. In today's World where Science is the pop-Religion of reason, when we need to seek spiritual guidance, we mimic others. The worst thing is, those individuals who claim to abhor Religions are just as guilty of this ignorance and laziness as those who hold them true to their hearts. The evidence for this is obvious, simple, and I'm really hoping that somebody is going to point out the thoughts I'm having are not original in the slightest.

I was brought up as a Catholic. I was never baptised - my father suggested successfully to the rest of my family as a lapsed-protestant, that I should make my own mind up when I was old enough - however I went to Catholic schools until the age of 16. It will come as no surprise to you then, that as a child I held mostly Catholic beliefs about God, Jesus, how to live one's life and so on. That is because I was living in a `Catholic context'. I would be as equally unsurprised to discover that a child born and raised into a Jewish family and culture would on the whole, believe in the Jewish faith rather than the Catholic faith. This is part of the problem. As children we are spoon fed Religion and it is taken as truth. When we ask our fathers what makes the car go, and he describes an engine and it's workings and interactions with the magical petrol within, it is with no more or less truthfulness in his face and manner than when he may describe as to why we should pray on a regular basis. Equally, our family, our peers (who are likely to come from similar families and cultures) and even our teachers are people who we believe in and trust. As children, we accept this, and we grow into adult life with many of these beliefs intact.

At this point, one of two things can happen - these beliefs stay with us into adult life, and we continue to preach our beliefs. Or, some may decide that everything they have been taught is no more meaningful to life and existence than stories about the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. They may reject Religion in its entirety. They may create Websites describing everything that is wrong with Religion. They will deem that all Religion is wrong, that it has created more misery and suffering on this planet than any other force. Some will call for it to become illegal. Others will even claim that with organised Religion you will never find Jesus and make God happy. However, these individuals are often guilty of exactly the same crime that evangelists and believers are criticised for - pomposity and laziness.

Without challenging your own thoughts, beliefs, culture and even the way you were brought up, you are going to fall into one of two camps - those who believe in something because they were brought up to believe it, or those who don't believe in something because they were brought up to believe it. This latter category can be extended into those people who practise `alternative' religions - they reject, say, Christianity, and take up, say, Paganism. They have swapped out one set of somebody else's beliefs for another set of somebody else's beliefs. This, I truly believe, is what is wrong with the world. In fact, I think wars are fought not because beliefs are different, but because opposing sides can't accept that anybody who thought about Religion should come up with any other belief than the one they hold themselves. In other words, the Anti-Religion lobby is just as bad at creating disharmony as those groups they make so much effort in criticising. Let's do a little thought experiment. We're going to define `God'. In a way that is not in current use in the World today by any organised Religion I know of. Should be fun. This is normally known as 'amateur religion' or 'DIY religion'.

OK, the one school of thought that has challenged the organised Religions of this World for centuries is Science. Many who leave the Christian churches do so under the name of science, and many who wish to remain within the fold will challenge Science (evolution theory, and so on). How about this then - God is Science. Science is God. Think. No, don't just sit there shouting. God created the Universe (big bang theory). He causes miracles (probability theory), he is omnipotent (laws of physics apply everywhere in the Universe), he did create life (biology) and evolution is his chosen method of developing life, it could even be argued that he requires our worship (inherent in humans is our curiosity at the Universe around us, how it is made, and seeing as God made us, and we are seeking him, etc.) - anyway you get the idea. Why is this any more valid a Religion or less valid a Religion than any other? It isn't. I've done exactly the same as every other primitive human on this planet (don't argue we're not primitive - just because we have McDonalds doesn't mean we've reached the pinnacle of evolution) and decided that as I can't define how all this marvellous science exists, and how the Universal laws can just `be' that I shall call them collectively `God'.

It even has a suggestion as to what happens if we die (we rot into the earth through a process most people don't really understand), yet leaves room for future amendment towards an after-life (we are always learning about science, we don't really know a gret deal yet, etc.) If I hold it as my belief, am I achieving any more enlightenment than any other human being? Probably not, but at least I know one thing - I put some effort into my belief. That process alone means that I am attempting to understand the Universe around me, in my own terms rather than somebody else's. I'm also putting effort into understanding other's beliefs. If we all did this, how would the World change?

I am not suggesting that the above description of `God' is a suitable grounding for a belief or Religion. What I am trying to show is that anybody can challenge the beliefs around them, produce something abstract, and test these thoughts out in their own heads without consequence - in fact, some Churches are so scared of you doing this, they will tell you that you will go to Hell (or equivalent) if you entertain such thoughts. To not go through this process at some point in your life, means you have just become another one of `them' - chances are, you vote the same way your parents did. You hold the same set of values and morals as those that you grew up with, or your current peers. You're just not thinking, are you?

If you go away and think about this, and you work really, really hard, you read as much as you can, you play games in your mind about your beliefs and the beliefs of those around you and you challenge everything in the World around you and try to redefine it all in terms of what you think you should believe, and at the end of it you decide that Jesus was our Saviour, nobody can point the finger and say you're an idiot. Nor can they if you decide that all Religion is stupid. Or if you decide that God is really just another name for the combined laws of Science. Because you can turn around and say `at least I made the effort'.