Thanks for your response. I assume that you are advocating Humanism. Can it prove that there are no external drivers, or is that merely an assumption/hope/denial?

One possibility as to why some humanists seek to create a man-god is that this is the goal of true spirituality, to connect human beings with their original divine nature. Their humanism would therefore be a poor reflection of that which it seeks to deny, and an attempt to achieve something which is perhaps impossible, certainly limited, if it denies external drivers.

Our brain may appear to have a spiritual centre. It depends on how one understands the brain. Physicalists, and presumably humanists, believe that the brain is responsible for consciousness. Again this is an assumption, unproven and unexplained, hence the term the Hard Problem. More spiritually oriented people believe that the brain (which itself is a form of consciousness) is an organ which limits the more spiritual consciousness into what we experience.

Some organised religions have been unmitigated disasters, but I don't believe that condemns the original meaning of religion in general, which was much more spiritual. We need to revise and reform the various organised religions. That's why I'm currently engaged in a series about a new Reformation for Christianity. I'm also an optimist.