Theism and materialism are closely related  •  "theism" does not simply refer to specific religious traditions, but more broadly to the human tendency to always want to be saved, to have someone else do our spiritual work for us  •  theism is similar to the literary device of deus ex machina  •  nontheism, on the other hand, constantly throws us back on ourselves  •  the essence of nontheism is expressed in the Buddha's final teaching: "It's up to you" — no one else is going to save us  •  it is in developing the muscles of self-reliance that we discover our own resources and our spiritual strength