Does God Exist? Or Do We Just Need to Believe?

Does God Exist?

From time immemorial, humanity has looked upward and inward, searching for something greater than itself. Every civilisation has had a God, or many gods, carved into stone and whispered in prayer. The Egyptians raised pyramids to honour divine rulers; the Greeks filled their skies with Olympian deities; the Hindus spoke of Brahman, the eternal reality; and the Norse imagined Odin watching from Valhalla.

Whether through temples, myths, or sacred texts, belief in the divine has been humanity’s constant companion, shaping laws, art, morality, and meaning.

The Luminaries on God’s existence

The question of God’s existence has haunted the human mind for centuries. Yet despite endless debate, there remains no conclusive proof – neither of His existence nor of His non‑existence. What have history’s great thinkers said about this mystery?

Critics of Gods said:

• “If the Christian dogmas of a revengeful God…by danger of eternal damnation, it would be a sign of weak-mindedness and lack of character…” and “… the Overman continually transcends personal limitations and the “herd” instincts that keep people conforming to received morals.” –  Friedrich Nietzsche
• “There is no God. No one directs the universe.” – Stephen Hawking

The Alternative voices said:

• “Maybe man invented God because God gives him the answers that man’s afraid of giving himself.” – Ragnar Lothbrok.
• “I do not believe in a personal God…I believe in Spinoza’s God (impersonal and universal laws of nature).” – Einstein
• “The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by God one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God”. – Carl Sagan
• God is unknown to those who ‘know’ him and known to those who do not know him at all – Hindu Upanishad.
• “… the most powerful arguments for return to orthodoxy are those which show the social and moral advantages of belief in God. But this does not prove that God is a reality. It proves, at most, that believing in God is useful” and “Once there is suspicion that a religion is a myth, it’s power has gone.”– Alan Watts

The Birth of a New age religion – Personal Development

While Nietzsche saw belief as weakness, Ragnar (through myth and story) framed God as a human invention to soothe fear. Alan Watts questioned the utility of belief, while Stephen Hawking dismissed it outright. Einstein and Sagan, however, reframed God not as a being but as the laws of nature themselves.

Whether or not God exists, these voices converge on one truth: humans seek meaning. Today, that search often takes the form of personal development. Virtues like gratitude, temperance, altruism, and humility form the fundamental basis of personal development and a growth mindset.

In a sense, personal development is the new age religion that is more in tune with the times than the religion of the ancient ages of civilization’s cradle stage. his new age religion replaces mythic heroes and demons with lived wisdom and universal laws. No deities demand worship or appeasement; instead, the guidance is practical and universal.

Renowned personal development coach Brendan Burchard says in interview with another impressive coach Lewis Howes that humans can be complacent and live in survival mode. For them to strive for remarkable things and have a breakthrough they must believe in something or someone outside of themselves. Someone they love or revere deeply. This where devotion is cultivated. I believe this, explains how we are able move mountains by just tapping into our staunch belief in that a high entity is watching and guiding us. Watch this clip to get a deeper understanding:

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Tenets of Religion Still Stand Strong

This is not to say that religion, spirituality, and prayer are not important. They are – in fact even beneficial. Many contemporary therapy and personal‑development approaches draw on virtues grounded in religious and spiritual traditions because those practices map onto psychological processes that support resilience, relationships, meaning, and moral growth.

Renowned neuroscientist Andrew Huberman explains in one of his talks that despite being a scientist he believes in the power of prayer. Watch this talk here:

Different Paths Same Destination – A Personal Reflection

Religion, Spirituality, personal development are different paths to the same destination – self-realisation by reaching your highest potential as a human being. You don’t have to renounce one to believe in the other.

Going through challenging times in my life, I discovered that prayer and faith gave me a strength far greater than meditation, self‑reflection, or introspection — practices that had always been my go‑to tools. Meditation offered calm and clarity, but it couldn’t hold a candle to the resilience and grounding I found in prayer. Speaking from personal experience, the power of faith carried me through challenges in a way that inner reflection alone never could.

Why the need to believe in God?

Psychologists too have weighed in. Freud saw belief as an illusion rooted in childhood needs, while Jung saw it as a healthy expression of the psyche. Both agreed: belief in God is deeply tied to how humans cope with uncertainty! Nature is a mighty force that man has never been able to tame. Belief in God helps reduce existential anxiety by offering explanations for suffering, death, and a perceived order to life; believing that “there is a plan” restores a sense of control or acceptance when events feel random and frightening.

It’s also striking how human nature plays out in everyday life: when things go right, we’re quick to claim the credit, but when they don’t go to plan, the blame often shifts to God. This paradox shows how belief functions as both a shield against uncertainty and a convenient outlet for frustration.

So, the real question is not whether God exists, but why we feel compelled to believe.

Think about it

Where do you turn when life tests you most? Is it faith, therapy, or personal growth that gives you strength?