# Placating the Gods: The Core of Religion

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-inquiry-audio-edition-7055830/placating-the-gods-the-core-of-religion
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-inquiry-audio-edition-7055830/placating-the-gods-the-core-of-religion.md
Podcast: [Free Inquiry Audio Edition](https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-inquiry-audio-edition-7055830)
Published: 2026-07-17T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://646ef2be-1f48-43ae-b5f1-b4ac9bd4e95a.libsyn.com/placating-the-gods-the-core-of-religion
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Duration seconds: 358

## Resource

Ronald A. Lindsay argues that modern religions, particularly the Abrahamic faiths, retain the ancient practice of trying to placate deities through sacrifice and petitionary prayer, differing more in form than in substance from ancient Greek religion. He contends that petitionary prayer is logically incompatible with the concept of an all-knowing, benevolent God and concludes that religion reflects humanity's early attempts to explain and influence an uncertain world rather than a rational understanding of reality. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/placating-the-gods-the-core-of-religion/ About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine. Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

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## Transcript

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