I believe God only exists out of mankind's necessity for an entity such as God.
People want to live forever, so Christianity gives them eternal life in Heaven.
People want revenge, so Christianity gives them "divine retribution." No one wants to feel victimized while totally helpless.
People want security, so Christianity gives them a god that watches over them constantly.
People want to feel like they aren't wasting their time in a religion; they want to feel useful, and to feel that their efforts toward the religion aren't wasted. So, Christianity gives them the sense that they are a part of "God's plan".
People don't want to be plagued by doubt that they are wrong in this belief, so they create an infallible god, one that wields infinite power.
People don't want to watch over would-be criminals and prevent people from questioning their theology constantly, so they create a hell, to prevent the faithful from even thinking of commiting a crime. Or thinking at all.
People want to believe that their good deeds won't go unrewarded, so Christianity gives them a reward in heaven.
People want money, so Christianity sets up offerings to God; essentially collections of money sans the added question of where the money is going. Undoubtably, it will be used for "God's plan."
People want others to follow these imposed rules created by Christianity, so Christianity sets up eternal punishment for those who don't believe; something too horrible to risk nonbelief against.
Each of these things caters to a specific group. When combined, it would seem that there is hardly a group of people left that wouldn't want the security and community provided by the Christian church. After all, no one wants to be robbed as they roam the streets, or to be helpless within the enormity of the world and the universe with no one else to guide them in their troubles.
Which brings me to this point: It is convenient to believe in God. It is an easier alternative than having to deal with rotting in the ground after you take that fateful last breath. However, Christianity robs people of potentially life-saving techniques and forces people to live a life with children for whom they had no desire to have, on the basis of a constantly warping theology that can be interpreted a million different ways. I doubt Christians from two thousand, one thousand, or five hundred years in the past believed in a religion even remotely resembling the Christianity of today. The Church has been proven fallible in the past; once, clergymen sold absolution for money, a practice that would be looked upon as despicable in retrospect. Christianity's stubborn unwillingness to change now may be looked upon as being in the same vein.
I am not a proponent of another religion. I aim not to support a scientific theory, which are equally fallible as any religion. I am simply a skeptic, and the ideals behind Christianity, to me, seem highly suspect, catering to the individual rather than stemming from some kind of divine inspiration. I'm not here to convert anyone toward my beliefs.
