By SM Shaon Parvez, 05 November 2025
More I examined the claims of religion, the clearer it became that they are elaborate fabrications designed to control, comfort, and exploit human fear and ignorance. Religion is not a noble pursuit of truth or morality; it is one of the most successful, enduring, and destructive hoaxes ever perpetrated on humanity. From childhood indoctrination to institutional power structures, from ancient myths to modern fundamentalism, religion operates as a sophisticated scam that preys on our deepest vulnerabilities while promising salvation it can never deliver. In this blog, I will explain in detail why I view religion as a hoax—drawing on historical origins, scientific contradictions, psychological manipulation, societal harm, and my own experiences growing up in a secular household in Bangladesh. Religion has caused immeasurable suffering, stifled progress, and divided humanity for millennia. It is time to call it what it is: a hoax that we must outgrow if we are to build a rational, compassionate world.
The Origins of the Hoax: Ancient Myths, Fear, and Human Invention
Religion did not descend from heaven; it was invented by humans in response to the terrifying unknowns of existence. Early Homo sapiens, confronted with lightning, disease, death, and natural disasters, invented supernatural explanations to make sense of chaos. Anthropologists like Pascal Boyer in “Religion Explained” (2001) and Scott Atran in “In Gods We Trust” (2002) demonstrate that religious beliefs arise from cognitive byproducts—our brain’s hyperactive agency detection (seeing faces in clouds or intent in thunder) and the fear of death. Ancestral humans told stories of invisible forces to comfort themselves, and those stories evolved into organized religion.
Consider the oldest known religions: Mesopotamian gods like Anu and Enlil, Egyptian deities like Ra and Osiris, or Greek Olympians. These were personifications of natural forces, invented to explain floods, harvests, and mortality. The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2100 BCE) already grapples with mortality and the futility of immortality quests—yet religion promised what science could not yet refute. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam borrowed heavily from these earlier myths: the flood story parallels the Epic of Gilgamesh and Sumerian tales; virgin births and resurrected gods appear in Egyptian (Horus/Isis) and Greek (Dionysus) mythology long before Jesus. Scholars like Bart Ehrman in “How Jesus Became God” (2014) and Reza Aslan in “Zealot” (2013) show that the Jesus narrative evolved over decades, blending Jewish messianic expectations with pagan savior myths.
In Bangladesh and the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism’s vast pantheon, Buddhism’s later deification of the Buddha, and Islam’s arrival in the 13th century all followed similar patterns of syncretism and power consolidation. Sufi saints were deified, local deities absorbed—religion as a flexible tool for control, not divine truth. The hoax began when priests, kings, and later organized clergy realized these stories could be monetized through tithes, sacrifices, and obedience. Religion was never about truth; it was always about power.
The Complete Absence of Evidence: Faith as a Euphemism for Gullibility
The core claim of every religion—that a supernatural being or beings exists and intervenes in human affairs—has zero empirical evidence. No verifiable miracle has ever withstood scientific scrutiny. The “evidence” offered is anecdotal testimony, ancient texts of dubious authorship, and personal “feelings” or answered prayers—none of which meet the standards of evidence we demand for any other claim.
Take the Bible: written by anonymous authors decades or centuries after events, full of contradictions (e.g., two creation stories in Genesis, differing genealogies of Jesus). The Quran, while claiming inerrancy, contains scientific errors (sperm from the backbone, sun setting in a muddy spring) and historical inaccuracies. Hindu scriptures describe flying chariots and multi-headed gods without archaeological support. When pressed, believers retreat to “faith”—a word that means believing without evidence. As Christopher Hitchens famously said, “What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.”
Miracles? The Shroud of Turin has been carbon-dated to the Middle Ages. Lourdes “healings” fail double-blind studies. Prayer experiments (e.g., the STEP project by Harvard Medical School, 2006) show no effect beyond placebo. Near-death experiences are explained by brain chemistry (DMT release, oxygen deprivation). The “fine-tuning” argument for a creator ignores multiverse theory and anthropic principle—life exists because conditions allow it, not because a designer rigged it.
In my own life, raised atheist in Bangladesh, I saw no evidence for gods despite living among devout Muslims. Earthquakes, floods, and diseases struck believers and non-believers alike. Prayer never cured my relatives’ illnesses—medicine did. The hoax persists because it exploits confirmation bias: people remember “answered” prayers and forget the millions ignored.
Contradictions, Absurdities, and Moral Atrocities in Holy Texts
Holy books are riddled with contradictions and moral horrors that no compassionate deity would endorse. The Bible commands genocide (Deuteronomy 20:16-17), slavery (Exodus 21), and stoning for minor offenses. The Quran permits wife-beating (4:34), polygamy, and harsh punishments. These aren’t “metaphors”—believers have used them to justify crusades, inquisitions, jihads, and modern atrocities.
The problem of evil is insurmountable: an omnipotent, omnibenevolent god allowing cancer in children or Holocausts is either impotent, malevolent, or nonexistent. Theologians’ contortions (free will, soul-building) fail—why create a system requiring suffering? Hell, eternal torture for finite sins, is infinitely disproportionate and sadistic.
Religions evolve: slavery was once biblically justified; now it’s condemned. This proves morality comes from secular ethics and empathy, not ancient texts. Religion adapts to survive, exposing its human origin.
Psychological Manipulation and the Comfort of Delusion
Religion exploits evolutionary psychology: fear of death drives afterlife promises; agency detection creates gods; tribalism fosters in-group loyalty. Childhood indoctrination ensures transmission—telling children they’ll burn in hell is child abuse. Pascal’s Wager is a false dichotomy; it ignores thousands of gods and the cost of false belief.
Comfort is no justification for falsehood. Placebos may feel good, but truth matters. Therapy and community provide comfort without dogma.
Religion as a Tool of Social Control and Power
Religion has always served rulers: divine right of kings, tithing, crusades for land. In medieval Europe, the Church amassed wealth through indulgences. In modern times, televangelists scam followers, and regimes use religion to suppress dissent (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Taliban). In Bangladesh, Islamist groups like Hefazat demand blasphemy laws to silence critics.
Religion divides: sectarian violence (Sunni-Shia, Catholic-Protestant) kills millions. It oppresses women (purdah, genital mutilation), LGBTQ+ people (Section 377 legacy), and minorities.
The Immense Harm Caused by Religion
Religion has caused wars (Crusades, Thirty Years’ War, Partition of India killing millions), terrorism (9/11, ISIS, Hamas), and oppression. Science denial delays climate action and vaccines. Child abuse in religious institutions is widespread. In Bangladesh, religious extremism post-2024 has led to minority attacks and calls for atheist killings. Religion stifles progress.
Conclusion: Outgrow the Hoax
Religion is a hoax—beautiful stories turned chains. Embrace reason, humanism, secularism. The evidence points to a natural universe; let’s build morality without gods.
