You ask, “where in any of this is the lust for power coming into the picture?”

I ask, where did your assumptions about my beliefs come into the picture? (Are you even aware you made assumptions?)

I’m not religious in any sense of the term.

Sixty-one years ago my parents took us to a Unitarian Church for three Sundays in a row more or less as an experiment. That is literally the last place of worship I’ve ever entered, anywhere, other than as a tourist.

Power? Isn’t that a very common human motivation? Why would it be left out in any conversation regarding the foibles of humans?

So, as to the question of what would I do? I would do what I've been doing, and what the United States has been doing, for the 65 years of my life and the 200+ years of my nation's life. Let those who wish to salt their life with god, do so.

And by the way, it’s a generational thing, woven into the fabric of daily life in many areas, but the need for god has been diminishing, globally:

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2020-08-11/religion-giving-god

“…since 2007, things have changed with surprising speed. From about 2007 to 2019, the overwhelming majority of the countries we studied—43 out of 49—became less religious. The decline in belief was not confined to high-income countries and appeared across most of the world.

Growing numbers of people no longer find religion a necessary source of support and meaning in their lives. Even the United States—long cited as proof that an economically advanced society can be strongly religious—has now joined other wealthy countries in moving away from religion.”

It's a firewalled article. But give them your email and they'll let you in.

Be good!