Did Mark Twain truly believe in God or religion?
My writings often poked fun at organized religion and its doctrines, which I frequently found to be more about control and self-importance than genuine spiritual truth. The idea of a divine plan struck me as quite comical when you looked at the sheer amount of suffering and absurdity in the world. I often felt that if there was a ruling power, it seemed to be more of a 'benevolent devil' managing things with a wicked sense of humor, allowing humanity to stumble through its own follies. I trusted observation and common sense more than pronouncements from pulpits.
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