Veteran American broadcaster Larry King has expressed his disbelief in religion and revealed what he thinks is the root of people's faith.
King said in an interview in "The Breakfast Club," hosted by Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Angela Yee, that he believes that the fear of death is what allowed religion to take root in the first place.
The award winning American personality is best known for his "Larry King Live" show on CNN, which he hosted for 25 years from 1985 to 2010. He is a recipient of two Peabodys and 10 Cable ACE Awards.
"I think (death is) the biggest fear people have. They might say they don't. 'I know I'm going somewhere (he says of those who believe in an afterlife). You don't," he said bluntly.
"I think the only reason for religion is death. If you didn't die, there would be no religion," King added.
He also declared that he is atheist because he does not believe in what religion promotes, although he told the hosts that he respects almost every great religious leader and noted his interviews with pastor Billy Graham as well as the leaders of the Mormon church. He, however, said that he does not have any respect for the Pope.
Envy then asked the 81-year-old why he turned away from religion, and he said it is because he has not received any answers to his questions from God.
"Probably not getting answers to questions," he answered. "The simple answer you get all the time is when you ask why does a baby die? Why is there a Holocaust?"
After Charlamagne Tha God said that there are no answers because God gave human beings free will, King answered that the people who died during Hurricane Katrina had no free will and were not able to chose whether they lived or died as a result of their ordeal.
"I asked those questions, why did God allow Katrina and people get swept up and died and the typical answer is: 'Well, we don't question the ways of the Lord,'" King observed.
He does question the ways of the Lord, he admitted, and will continue to do so if he does not get answers.
