What about Gods? (Skeptic's Bookshelf Series)

People who help us understand the world and how it works are important people. They are scientists, teachers, parents, and many others. They should also help us understand what it means to be a human being. They should help us learn that human beings can best get along with one another by cooperating to make our world a beautiful and friendly place to live.

They should help people to want to be good by showing everyone that being good makes the world much nicer for all of us. Then no one would have to scare anybody into being good by inventing gods.

Unfortunately, many important people treat other people, especially children, as if they had no minds. They seem to think that other people will always want to do bad things.