Why do you need religion?

[Cordoba]

The other important question to think about is "What is the real purpose of life?"

From a believer's perspective, it's to get to know our Creator, and to love Him as He loves us.

 

[Peace]

God created us. And since He is our Creator, He knows what's good for us and what's bad for us. He set religion as rules for us to follow in order to attain eternal bliss and happiness and contentment in this life and the life to come.

Peace

 

[Ophiuchus]

Religion is fun!

Living up to Jesus's expectations is a great way to find balance of character, and restraint from what makes us destructive, and uncivilized. Once you have lived up to just some of these expectations it gives you a great sence of self fulfillment, and self control. I'm sure all religious people feel this way regardless of who the messanger is, but for Me, Jesus is who I have chosen to follow closely, and He has been the greatest source of improvement I have ever had.

I think that everybody has something to gain, and nothing to lose from religion, and religious knowledge.

 

[James the Persian]

I certainly need religion. Why? I don't really know. I guess it must be innate, though, as when I was not religious I became one of those perpetual seekers who was never really happy because something was missing. Luckily, and after a lot of false starts, I found the Church and that hole in my life was filled. I am much happier, more secure and, I'm pretty certain, a better person now that I am Orthodox than I ever was before. Religion, as others have said, can do an awful lot of good both at the level of the individual and the community (whether that be a small parish or the whole population of the world). It can, of course, like many things be used as an excuse to do evil, but that and the seperation of people mentioned generally occurs in spite of rather than because of religion.

I certainly don't feel seperated from the majority of people here (some seem to want me to, though), be they Christians, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Baha'i, whatever. Do I believe that they are damned if they aren't in the Church? No, and nor does my religion teach such. On the contrary we believe God wills that all be saved. Do I believe that all their religions are completely false? No, and neither does Orthodoxy teach that. Whilst we believe that the complete and unadulterated Truth is found only in the Church we believe that others can have a degree of the Truth and we certainly do not believe that people who unwittingly believe in errors will be condemned for it. Even non-Christians may come to some knowledge of God in our belief, as everyone is made in the image of God and can know Him to some extent.

Not all religions, be they Abrahamic or anything else, are responsible for promulgating the sorts of negative attitudes that always seem to spawn such threads as this one. Whilst some undoubtedly do, it is no more valid to conclude that all religion is harmful from this than it is to conclude that all women sell sex on the basis that some are prostitutes.

James

 

[Sunstone]

Maybe I read your question wrong, but it kind of sounded to me as if you were implying that people who need religion are somehow weaker or less intelligent than those who don't. I find that kind of offensive. If you don't need religion or any of the other things I mentioned in your life, that's fine. But it certainly isn't a mark of superiority. If that's not what you were getting at, I apology.

As for myself, I didn't get from the OP a sense that the thread starter was implying that people who need religion are somehow weaker or less intelligent than those who don't. Instead, I thought he was trying to explain why it puzzled him that anyone would need religion, given his own understanding of it. Of course, I could simply be dense, and you might be right to feel offended, Katz. I don't know.

To Proflogic: I'm very curious whether you think the responses to this thread are helping you to understand reasons you hadn't suspected before as to why people are religious?

 

[Melody]

I don't need "religion" which is a man made construct. I need God. Religions need a god. God does not need religion. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that religions (denominations/sects, etc.) do far more to lead people from God than to God because the adherents become so tied up in the rules and regulations of their religion that they stop listening to God.

So, why do I need God? It all starts from the foundation of belief that we are creations of God, separated from Him by our sinful nature (the ability to sin). I believe it is a yearning of our soul to regain that spiritual connection to our creator.

God provides a balance in my life.

 

[robtex]

I wanted to clip a thread to this that talked about "the arguement from need" that I started months back.

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22446&highlight=arguement

Could give new insights into both threads.

 

[Defij]

Being a logical person, I have observed various religions. I just don't get the importance of this aspect in anyones life. I see religion as manipulation of ones self and one more thing that ensures the separation of humanity. The main focus of some religions are "If you do not believe in what we believe you are evil". This is in my opinion wrong. Why do you need religion in your life, I certainly don't?

Oh man, if you truly believe that the main "focus" of some religions are "if you do not believe in what we believe you are evil" then we who are "religious" have not done our job properly!

Let me try and explain my faith to you. I am a Christian, not out of need, as your title suggests (why do you “need” religion) but rather out of choice. I have intellectualized my religious faith, and Christianity is the out come of that intellectualization. Now, do I believe that all non-Christians are evil? Certainly not. I know way too many good pagans, if you will, to say that only Christians are “good”. And conversely, I know many people who “claim” to be Christians that aren’t such great people, in fact, I would use the word “evil” to describe them.

Now the importance of my religious belief can basically be summed up in what the Book of James describes as “pure” religion. James chapter 1 verses 26 & 27 say this:

26 If anyone *among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

So with that, the first part is to “visit orphans and widows” or in current day vernacular, homeless families, abused children, or any other marginalized class of people. My faith drives me to help these people out in any ways possible. And the second part of that is the “keep oneself unspotted from the world”. That is the whole who I live my life part. My “personal” relationship with God, if you will. My morals, my ethics, what I do, what I don’t do, etc. So when I put them together, the vertical (my relationship with God) and the horizontal (my relationship with other people), then my “religion” makes sense. It just so happens that the vertical and horizontal make a cross.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

To Proflogic: I'm very curious whether you think the responses to this thread are helping you to understand reasons you hadn't suspected before as to why people are religious?

I'd also be curious, too. It would help me a great deal.

 

[St0ne]

I don't need religion, I need truth.

 

[Cordoba]

Maybe God's religion is the Truth?

 

[Katzpur]

I don't need "religion" which is a man made construct. I need God. Religions need a god. God does not need religion. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that religions (denominations/sects, etc.) do far more to lead people from God than to God because the adherents become so tied up in the rules and regulations of their religion that they stop listening to God.

I'm really bothered by this perspective. Why don't you start by actually defining the word "religion" instead of just throwing out reasons why you are so dead-set against it. Maybe if I understood what you mean when you use the word, I could relate to your negativism a little better.

 

[Smoke]

Being a logical person, I have observed various religions. I just don't get the importance of this aspect in anyones life.

Really? It seems to me that anybody should be able to understand the appeal of it, just like anybody should be able to understand the appeal of orgies, or smoking pot, or skydiving -- even if those things don't fit one's own taste.

I see religion as manipulation of ones self and one more thing that ensures the separation of humanity.

I do agree that religion, in general, is even worse than nationalism about dividing people into mutually hostile groups for no good reason whatever. There are exceptions, though.

 

[Smoke]

The other important question to think about is "What is the real purpose of life?"

But that question assumes that there is a purpose -- and more than that, a real purpose -- to life. I'm not sure that assumption makes sense to me.

 

[Cordoba]

Hello MB

Do you really think that life has not purpose?

Does it make sense that all this intelligence which surrounds us in this amazing universe is simply without purpose?

 

[retrorich]

Why do you need religion?

I don't.

 

[Melody]

I'm really bothered by this perspective. Why don't you start by actually defining the word "religion" instead of just throwing out reasons why you are so dead-set against it. Maybe if I understood what you mean when you use the word, I could relate to your negativism a little better.

did explain what I meant. Religion is a man made construct with man made rules -- Catholicism, LDS, Jehovah's Witness, Muslim, Methodist, Episcopalian, or any of the Christian denominations and on and on. Man made organizations with man made rules based on their interpretation of their holy scripture (or some other agenda).

I don't concern myself with religion. My relationship with God through prayer and the study of Scripture is all I need. I don't need a priest, pastor, ministor, etc. telling me what God demands of me although I do read written works by such people and other knowledgeable people (on scripture) and incorporate it into my study. Then I pray...and I listen for God's answers.

 

[BFD_Zayl]

Being a logical person, I have observed various religions. I just don't get the importance of this aspect in anyones life. I see religion as manipulation of ones self and one more thing that ensures the separation of humanity. The main focus of some religions are "If you do not believe in what we believe you are evil". This is in my opinion wrong. Why do you need religion in your life, I certainly don't?

whatever floats your boat man, i follow my path, and you follow yours, and everyone turns it happy, if EVERYBODY had my point of view, then humanity could get along. "to each his own" it isnt our differences that separate us, its our inability to reconize and celebrate those differences

 

[Smoke]

Hello MB

Do you really think that life has not purpose?

Does it make sense that all this intelligence which surrounds us in this amazing universe is simply without purpose?

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm sure it has no purpose. But I'm not convinced it has a purpose, and I'm even less convinced that we're sharp enough to discover it if it does.

I look at it this way: What's the purpose of dolphins, puppies, or peacocks? Do they need a purpose? Do we need to know it? Would it make you appreciate them any more?

 

[ProfLogic]

To Proflogic: I'm very curious whether you think the responses to this thread are helping you to understand reasons you hadn't suspected before as to why people are religious?

Since my view of religion is non essential in my life, I wanted to see how people view it in their life. Why is it vital or important in their lives? People reacts to things differently, but in the end if people do not become so defensive about their beliefs then humanity might communicate clearly. I am pretty majority wants to exists.