Such a small word

Doc has a long post today about being religious which includes the following quote from Chris Hedges:

The name of God is laden, thanks to our religious institutions and the numerous tyrants, charlatans and demagogues these institutions produced, with so much baggage and imagery that it is hard for us to see the intent behind the concept.

Hedges also says in the referenced article:

Sam Harris has conflated faith with tribalism.

No he bloody hasn't he is writing about the fact that millions of his fellow humans have and have knocked lumps off each other as a result.

Hedges also says:

God is a human concept. God is the name we give to our belief that life has meaning, one that transcends the world's chaos, randomness and cruelty. To argue about whether God exists or does not exist is futile. The question is not whether God exists. The question is whether we concern ourselves with, or are utterly indifferent to, the sanctity and ultimate transcendence of human existence.

So you have two cavemen staring into the night sky both of them wondering about their place in the universe and the meaning of life. Then one starts prattling on about God. Guess which one started it!

The idea that atheists don't concern themselves with the meaning of life drives me nuts. Lose the name. Call it Life instead of God. Get over the idea that you need dogma and institutions to be a good guy and do the right thing and we'd all get along much better.