Do we need religion in today’s world
Do we need religion in today’s world?
I watched a thought provoking priest giving a sermon recently on the television and when he said that the recession had increased the numbers attending special ceremonies at Christmas and Easter it made me think about how we feel about religion and its necessity in our everyday lives. He said we turn to religion when we are in trouble, sad or seeking some favour. He is correct of course, that is what we do. So what is religion? The definition in the dictionary says: Religion is an organised collection of beliefs, cultural systems and world views that relate to humanity to an order of existence. The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith, belief systems, or a set of duties, the service and worship of God or the supernatural.
A global report in 2012 reports that 59% of the world population is religious, with more women than men having religious beliefs.
We live in a world full of mysteries and unknowns. Fear of the unknown makes people turn to religion and to God. It is this fear of the unknown that makes religion such an attractive alternative and is the root of all religious beliefs. Almost all religions are designed to bring about a packaged peace of mind and give us values and strong beliefs and an attitude to live by. Religion offers comfort and a moral instruction for how to live life and helps us believe in a life after death. We do not hear much preached about hell in today’s sermons, anymore than we hear about grave sins, but it is these fears that a strong belief in God eliminates and gives people hope for to receive the compassion of the Lord at the end of life. People do turn to religion in bad times and seek solace and answers to questions that are bigger and more complicated than they can understand, like when people have a terminal illness, but it is our own deep spirituality that sustain us eventually.
Freud’s view of religion that people use it as a way of reassuring themselves that their difficult, poverty stricken lives, either financially, emotionally, mentally or physically are worthwhile and tolerable in view of the benefits that may come in the afterlife or that people just go along with the philosophy, morality and instructions that religion or the church dictates in their daily lives. Some think that religion is only a crutch for those who are weak and have no strong opinions.
Well it may be true, religion is a crutch as many, many believers have difficult lives and turn to faith as a solace to the soul. Religion and the rules that govern a religion give a strong foundation upon which to build daily lives, stops people making serious mistakes and help them find ways to care for others, and puts boundaries and rules into a framework for living, which is of vital importance to our everyday lives. Crutches/religion are a useful tool, beneficial and helpful, but they must not be overused, or abused to a point where instead of helping to heal they cause disruption and damage. When we look at religious extremists and the damage they cause to the lives of others, we must accept that religion can and do harm to people in the name of whatever God they support.
Religion is often used to control and manipulate people and to keep the oppressed silent and the militant obedient. We should ask ourselves have we handed over our deep connection with God and have we outsourced our spirituality in a blinded way to external powers who decide the rules that govern religions of all hues.
The promise of life after death has kept many on the straight and narrow, and in recent years the damage done by the abuse of children and those vulnerable by church clergy, has left many questioning what they believed in and held sacred. There are no perfect people in this world so erosion of values and beliefs are a fact of life.
But overall religion can and do encourage positive changes in our lives. We have all experienced divine intervention in our lives in one way or another, even if we think it is coincidence. Our faith teaches us humility, patience, gratitude, to reach out to others in our family, community and to those that need a helping hand. It also encourages us to challenge abuse of power, to stand up for the oppressed and downtrodden, and to fight injustice at every corner. Faith and religious beliefs also allow people to be truthful and loving of others. It also encourages us to fight against greed, corruption, manipulation, deceit and the abuse of power by those in authority and in leadership roles. Every individual must rely on their own spirituality to trust in themselves to do what is correct and proper.
If we believe that there is a loving God who created us, cares for us and want what is best for us, then it follows that what is important for a happy life will have attributes or blessings showered on us and that we will practice love, care and sharing, all the things that will bring us closer to our God. Religion and how we practice it is the right path in life, some people may disagree, but as faith leads to hope which in turn leads to a life of happiness and fulfilment, even those that consider it a crutch for bad times will benefit from faith in every area of life.
Religion has always been part of humanity and has taken a central role in virtually every civilization and culture. Critics are continually telling us that religion is on the way out, but all we need is to look at the numbers climbing holy mountains, attending sunrise masses, attending novenas, thronging to holy places, all of which is a recognition that people want to be part of religious beliefs. It is a powerful and persistent part of our life and shows no sign of disappearing as the critics suggest.
Indeed that preacher was correct, since the recession we have seen a rise in churchgoers and professions of faith at every level. We are now facing a dwindling clergy and we must face up to the fact that we will have a society in the future that will be short of priests and religious to care for our needs. That is when we will have to resort to our own strengths of spirituality. When that time arrives and there are no clergy to conduct funerals, weddings, sacraments or be at a bedside as someone dies, we will then realise how precious their presence were in our lives and how we lived and needed the rites that they delivered.
Our faith, beliefs and inner spirituality encourages us to love God, love our neighbour and live within the commandments of the Lord. But we must also re-examine our dependence on external sources (church teachings) which may have been responsible for the abandonment of our own understanding of spirituality and escalating our fears surrounding the unknown. We must be able to accept that we are made in the image and likeness of God and trusting in His compassion and love and not feel ostracised by the choices we make in life. You can only feel outside the fold if you abandon your own nurturing of spirituality, which is unique and personal to every human being.
Peg Hanafin, MSc 9/7/2014