Simple for the likes of thee and me. But what about the stupid, selfish, cowardly, criminal-minded layabouts that make up the other 90% of the human race?

They want/need something that justifies having their arses kicked. Something they can understand, like a wrathful Supreme Being or an ideology that teaches them to do things they don't like rather than be deservedly punished.

They don't want to understand science and they aren't rational, so it has to be 'magical' - aliens or an or all-powerful AI or something. Educating the entire human race to be rational and sensible will take too long.