I’m increasingly convinced that we need to find ways to diminish radically the influence of mythology-centric organizations because of the harmful stories they promulgate. Thousands of years ago a small tribe of neurotic genocidal goat-herders modified the cult of El and proclaimed they were the “chosen people” of Yahweh, an invisible magical creature who embodied all of their fears and fantasies. The problem, of course, was (a) they knew nothing about anything at all, so their stories contained no useful knowledge, and (b) their psychology was badly warped, so the stories they clung to were deeply harmful. Fast-forward 3,000+ years and the offshoots of the Yahweh cult are no better at passing on helpful stories than those goat-herders were.

Lacking any room for sexuality, empathy, and humor all three Yahweh cult derivatives (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) are emotionally stunting. Their stories were sad and warped way back then; today they are no less so. Yet most people aren’t going to work this out for themselves — they lack the broad perspective and the knowledge of history and of different cultures that would be required.

So we need to give people better stories and actively seek to diminish the harm those old stories keep[ inflicting, especially in countries like the USA where education and social norms are more akin to those found in the third world than elsewhere in the OECD. Unfortunately there’s no sign that we even understand the problem, never mind being able to adumbrate potential solutions.