Dear David F.,

«Ipso Fatso, I think, deals with reality.»

Don't we all?

«All concepts are man made. However some human concepts rely on evidence and others do not.»

Either way, that's all they are - just concepts.

Reality is not a concept!

«The various creation stories of tribal people and the Biblical ones do not rely on evidence.»

OK, but why do Ipso Fatso and yourself need to even mention them here?
How are they even related to the topic?

«They are attempts to explain the world by creating imaginary entities like gods or God for a pre-scientific mind.»

I happen to disagree (not that it matters to me personally) - I don't think that the various authors of the Bible were interested in explaining the world, I think that this particular pursuit is a modern disposition, which incidentally, also does not appeal to me (and my post-scientific mind) and I fail to see why it would appeal to them.

We digress, but just to make the language clear, I agree that gods (real or imaginary) are entities, but God is not. Those who consider God to be an entity are idol-worshipers (and if that indeed was what the authors of the Bible believed then that's what they were!).

«God is a concept without evidentiary support.»

You could be referring to any concept of God and in that case I would agree with you that it has no objective support, yet God is not a concept and thus must not be mixed up with concepts of God (of which there are many, not just one).

«A person is free to believe in a concept without evidentiary support. Apparently, you do. I would rather not.»

Maybe you rather not, but try as you may, I think you also do.

Don't you believe, for example, in the concept which equates you with a human, called David?

The world we live in is a physical and practical one.
Our reality should be based on this view.
However, there are also things we cannot see, which we know affect life.
So science attempts to explain them.
It creates theories for them.
And there is constant investigation of those theories.
So the theories can eventually become near certainties.

With religion it is all statements, with no attempt to validate anything.
Why would I go along with such an absurd arrangement?
And religious bodies always seem to be flush with cash.
So could we say they are all about control and money?
Courtesy forbids me from being too explicit.
But one could be 'forgiven' for thinking along those lines?
To a brain which processes information logically, their irrational ideals are horrendously distasteful.
They are an affront to honesty and truthfulness.

So rejection is more than not accepting such silly ideas.
It is instead a sensible way of retaining personal integrity and decency.
Were we to stray from the path of reason, and live in their false reality, it must lead to mental irregularity.
And we see many examples of this in the news.
Luckily, we are not entirely controlled by our instinctive behaviour.
We have reason to help us.
So it is more than possible to live effectively, without resorting to truthless notions.
But for those who want their thinking done for them, there is an easy way out.

Dear Ipso Fatso,

«Our reality should be based on this view.»

Reality is not based on anyone's view and does not ask us or anyone else what it should be - what is is.

«With religion it is all statements, with no attempt to validate anything.»

Your barber too may make all kinds of statements without validations while they snip your hair - his/her role is to cut your hair, that's all. You only judge them by how your hair looks after, not by their statements.
Your barber is there to cut your hair and religion is there to bring you closer to God.
If you want to cut your hair - go to your barber.
If you want to come closer to God - follow your religion.
Neither religion nor your barber are there to explain the world - if that is what you are after, then for that there is science!

«And religious bodies always seem to be flush with cash.
So could we say they are all about control and money?»

What you could probably say in that case, is that these are not at all religious bodies, even if so they claim!