The other day I googled the word ‘spirituality’ and got 95,000,000 results for my effort. For a world that has supposedly been scientifically explained by the theory of evolution that is a big preoccupation with spirituality. I think most people would like to think that we are much more than a mammal who knows how to use a knife and fork, appreciate sunsets, and laugh at jokes. Perhaps we are spiritual beings as well? Well, let’s work through some broad options.

1. The safest option is to believe in a non-personal spirituality or force. So the spiritual part of you is connected in some way to a greater spirit or force. George Lucas portrayed something like this in Star Wars. Jedi’s were taught not to trust their ability to think but rather to feel the Force. Connecting to the Force gave them extra powers like seeing the future and using a light sabre (really cool). The problem with this option is that it cannot explain justice and it cannot account for love. A non-personal power is like a river. We may harness its power by damming it and making electricity but we cannot find out whether something is fair by consulting a river.

• The next not-so-safe option is where we start getting into troubled waters. Perhaps the universe was made by gods, many of them. On this view, the physical world is in the control of a variety of gods. Usually they are a bit like us, but with super-powers. The problem is that these gods might be powerful, but they are also fickle. They are just as likely to hinder or harm you as they are to help you. And they often need a lot of appeasing, with bloody sacrifices, strange rituals and monotonous prayers. Because they are personal they can be offended, get their noses out of joint and so you must tread very carefully. However, you can still basically live as you please, just pick a god that suits your lifestyle. They can’t account for justice.

1. The worst and least safe option is the theory that there is in fact only one true God and that He is the person who made and keeps this world going. This is the worst option because it means humanity is ultimately accountable to this God — unless, of course, you are willing to do what pleases Him rather than yourself. That’s the rub you see. Deep down each of us wants to be his or her own little god and we struggle against the idea that we are not. That’s why it’s easier for us to settle with the first two options and ignore the third.

The ultimate question, however, is this: Does the God of option 3 exist? Because if He does then you are accountable to Him whether you believe in Him or not. Not a safe option at all. And maybe that’s why we don’t want it to be the truth.