Kate Didd

The internet is once again debating whether God is real, and while that conversation may drive clicks, it avoids the issue that actually impacts society. The existence of God has never been the determining factor in whether communities thrive or suffer. What does matter is how theology is applied in real life, socially, politically, economically, and morally. Belief systems already operate on every plane of existence, influencing laws, social norms, power structures, and resource distribution. The only meaningful way to evaluate them is by their outcomes, not their claims.

From a historical and sociological standpoint, morality has existed independently of religion for thousands of years. Anthropological research shows that cooperation, empathy, and mutual aid predate organized religion and were necessary for early human survival. Modern psychology and ethics similarly demonstrate that prosocial behavior, helping others, fairness, accountability, is driven by empathy, social bonds, and shared responsibility, not fear of divine punishment. In other words, you do not need God as a framework to be a good person. When morality depends on surveillance, reward, or threat, it ceases to be moral behavior and becomes compliance.

Institutional religion, particularly organized churches, has a well-documented record that must be acknowledged honestly. Historically, religious institutions have been tied to systems of oppression, including colonialism, slavery, misogyny, homophobia, and the suppression of scientific inquiry. In the modern era, churches have been repeatedly implicated in abuse scandals, financial corruption, political lobbying, and the protection of leadership over vulnerable populations. In the United States alone, churches enjoy tax-exempt status while controlling billions of dollars in assets, with minimal transparency and limited accountability. These are not isolated incidents; they are systemic patterns supported by public records, court cases, and investigative journalism.

At the same time, harm reduction and direct aid often come from people society stigmatizes rather than sanctifies. Mutual aid networks, community caregiving, and informal support systems, frequently led by sex workers, addicts in recovery, and marginalized communities, provide food, shelter, money, childcare, and emotional labor without preaching or moral gatekeeping. These actions align more closely with humanitarian ethics than many institutions centered on belief. The contrast raises an unavoidable question: if faith is meant to produce compassion, why are those without religious authority so often doing the work?

If God is real to someone, the burden of proof is not philosophical, it is practical. Belief should be visible through measurable action: reduced harm, increased care, ethical use of power, and accountability when harm occurs. Faith that cannot be demonstrated through behavior is not spirituality; it is identity branding. Preaching morality while avoiding responsibility, hoarding wealth, or enabling abuse does not reflect righteousness, it reflects hypocrisy. Scripture, including texts like the Bible, loses moral authority when its application consistently produces fear, exclusion, and control rather than relief and repair.

The argument that humans require God to be good is not only unsupported by evidence, it is psychologically disempowering. It teaches people they are inherently broken, incapable of ethical reasoning without external authority, and able to outsource accountability through confession rather than repair. Sustainable growth does not come from absolution; it comes from responsibility. Systems that collapse the moment belief is questioned are not sacred, they are fragile.

So whether God exists is ultimately irrelevant to what makes societies healthier and people better. History, data, and lived experience all point to the same conclusion: goodness is measured by action, not belief. Until theology is evaluated by its real-world impact, how much suffering it reduces, how much accountability it enforces, and how well it serves the vulnerable, the debate over God’s existence will remain a distraction from the only work that actually matters: showing up, doing better, and taking care of the person next to you, without conditions.