The Benefits of Religion

Although I have concluded that all religion is man-made and contains no ascertainable divine influence, religion does have utility in the life of humanity, even though it contains serious errors and inconsistencies and is incorrect in its concept of a deity-ordered and –created universe. Many persons, because of traditional thinking and indoctrination, require a system of thought that involves a deity who provides the illusion of order and significance in their existence and which to them justifies their particular mode and philosophy of life. If such a religiously oriented outlook enables these individuals to meet the problems and vicissitudes of life in a more equable state of mind, then it certainly has a functional utility. It is of course regrettable that oftentimes this stance denigrates the thinking of others — the picture is one a self-exaltation at the expense of the view of others of differing persuasion.

Further, there is the part of religion which deals with person-to-person relations and has many elements of compassion and care for others that religion presents a factor of beneficence and utility in the lives of its adherents, and in the populace in general. In this aspect, religions tend to adopt similar stances of consideration and compassion often differing sharply from their divergences in theological belief. These same beneficial interpersonal relationships are of course not unique to religion, they occur outside of any religious orientation as well. It is irksome at times to see how religions adopt these evidences of compassion and good-heartedness to justify their theological tenets, all in the face of a rational picture of the situation. But then there are many irksome things in life and these must be kept in proper perspective.

I believe I have indicated previously that I suspect that all of my siblings retain a much higher regard and identification with their childhood training and a lifelong association with organized and traditional religious thought than I do. They probably vary somewhat in this regard and I surmise that my sister Vivian changed the most. In part I think this was because of the extent and variety of her reading. Exposure to a variety of ideas is always an eroding factor in changing a viewpoint or a previously held position. I would not consider discussing my religious outlook with my siblings, it would serve no useful purpose and would likely only upset the tenor of their lives. And perhaps evoke in me an unsettling response.