A Case for God from Universal Belief

Across the globe and through all of recorded history, human beings have worshiped. From towering ziggurats in Mesopotamia to whispering prayers in remote African huts, from the gods of Mount Olympus to the Spirit Houses of the South Pacific, belief in something transcendent appears not as a rare mutation—but as the human default.

This observation leads us to ask a provocative question: Has there ever been a society of naturally born atheists? In other words, a culture where belief in God, gods, spirits, or any supernatural realm simply never emerged?

To the best of anthropological and historical knowledge, the answer is no.

This universal pattern forms the basis of an argument for God—not from a particular religion’s truth claims, but from humanity’s inescapable religious impulse.

A Universal Phenomenon Demands a Universal Explanation

Let’s begin with a basic syllogism:

• P1 Every known human culture has exhibited belief in the supernatural.
• P2 If belief in the supernatural were purely learned or cultural, we would expect at least some cultures to be entirely atheistic from their origin.
• P3 No such naturally atheistic culture has ever been found.
• C1 Therefore, belief in the supernatural is likely rooted in something deeper than culture—it is embedded in human nature, pointing to a transcendent reality.

This argument does not claim that all religions are equally true, nor does it deny the existence of individual atheists. It simply contends that the universal presence of spiritual belief is best explained by the reality of what that belief points to—God Himself.

Anthropology Supports It

Anthropologists have documented that belief in spiritual beings, gods, or cosmic forces is found in every culture—without exception. Even isolated tribes with no exposure to modern religion display belief in invisible agents and moral order. This suggests that spirituality arises naturally, not artificially imposed.

John Mbiti famously observed that in Africa, “religion is in the whole system of being.”¹ He was speaking of Africa, but the statement could just as easily apply to early China, Native America, Australia, or Mesopotamia.

Cognitive Science Supports It

Recent cognitive science backs this up. Dr. Justin Barrett, a psychologist at Oxford, has shown that children naturally infer the existence of intelligent designers and purpose-givers.² In fact, young children are more likely to believe in God than not, even when raised in secular homes.

In one study, children favored creationist explanations over evolutionary ones, even when not taught religious belief.³ This suggests belief in God is not merely taught—it arises intuitively.

The Exception that Proves the Rule?

Some might point to secular modern nations—such as Sweden or Japan—as examples of godless societies. But even in those places, spiritual beliefs persist in various forms, and their moral and cultural frameworks are still deeply shaped by earlier religious traditions.

Moreover, these are not naturally atheistic cultures; they are post-religious societies, born from religious roots. The “God-shaped hole,” as Pascal put it, remains unfilled, even if ignored.⁴

Are Babies Atheists? Only in the Same Way My Cat Is

Some atheists argue that babies are “born atheists” simply because they lack belief in God. But by that definition, so is my cat, Hugo. He doesn’t believe in God either—not because he’s made a reasoned decision, but because he lacks the cognitive capacity to even ask the question. Hugo will live and die comfortably agnostic, never writing a blog or debating metaphysics.**

But human children are not cats. And as we’ve already seen, studies show that children naturally believe in a Creator, moral order, and purpose. They grow into that belief with no need for religious instruction—it arises from within. The question is not whether they believe in God. The question is whether, when they grow older, they will choose to know Him—or suppress that knowledge.

My dog, Pippin, lovable as she is, cannot deny God. But a human can. And that makes all the difference.

So the claim that “babies are atheists” is, at best, a word game—and at worst, a philosophical sleight of hand. It mistakes absence of articulation for absence of belief, and in doing so, ignores the mountain of evidence that children, unless talked out of it, tend to believe that Someone is behind it all.

Why This Points to God

If belief in God or gods was merely a cultural construct or psychological crutch, we would expect more variance. Instead, we find near-universal agreement—not about the details of theology, but about the reality of the divine.

C.S. Lewis framed it this way:

“Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food . . . If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”⁵

We desire meaning, transcendence, justice, purpose—and God. And humanity’s persistent longing across all ages and lands is not evidence of delusion but of design.

Scripture Saw It First: God’s Voice in Creation and Conscience

What modern psychology, anthropology, and archaeology are only now beginning to articulate, Scripture declared millennia ago: we are not blank slates. We are wired to know God, and to know right from wrong, even when we suppress it.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, made this unambiguously clear:

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
So they are without excuse.”
— Romans 1:19–20, ESV

Creation itself speaks. The stars declare His glory. The intricacy of life, the beauty of nature, and even the instinct to ask, “Why is there something rather than nothing?”—all of it points us back to God. And yet, we suppress the truth.

Paul goes on to say that although humanity knew God, “they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Rom. 1:21). In other words, the problem is not lack of evidence—it’s the denial of what is already known.

And this same theme is echoed in the next chapter:

“They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness.”
— Romans 2:15, ESV

Even if someone has never read the Ten Commandments, they know—deep down—that lying is wrong, that murder is evil, that justice is good. These aren’t merely cultural constructs. They are signposts written into the human soul, placed there by the same God who formed the stars.

We deny Him, but we cannot escape Him. He is seen in what has been made, and He is heard in the quiet voice of conscience. Even in our rebellion, the echo of Eden remains.

A Challenge to the Skeptic

If atheism were the natural human state, history would surely have produced cultures devoid of any god-belief. Yet it hasn’t. Why?

Could it be that the reason humans keep inventing gods . . . is that there is one?

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Endnotes
¹ John Mbiti, African Religions and Philosophy, 2nd ed. (Heinemann, 1990), 1.
² Justin Barrett, Born Believers: The Science of Children’s Religious Belief (Free Press, 2012).
³ Deborah Kelemen et al., “Children’s Causal Explanations for Natural Phenomena: Teleological Explanations in Nature,” Developmental Psychology 40, no. 4 (2004): 379–391.
⁴ Blaise Pascal, Pensées, trans. W.F. Trotter (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1958), 148.
⁵ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (HarperOne, 2001), 136.

** Personally, I believe Scripture points to a deeper truth—that animals are not excluded from God’s Kingdom. Christ’s redemptive work doesn’t merely apply to human souls but extends to all that has been entrusted to us, even the innocent creatures affected by our fall. As Paul writes, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22, ESV). Creation itself longs for redemption.

When Christ purchased our redemption, He did so not only to restore what was lost in us—but also to reclaim what was broken around us. The fall affected more than just people; it fractured the harmony between humans and nature. But the cross is big enough for all of it.

My cat Hugo may not understand theology, but he is part of a world that awaits renewal. And I believe that in the fullness of God’s Kingdom, what was lost will be found, what was broken will be healed—and the goodness of creation, animals included, will be restored under Christ’s reign.