Where are we going, how can we change?an investigation into the motivations for human action |
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Copyright © 2006, John H Wilde. Reproduction with acknowledgment is permitted.
The Role of Religion
It is within my power either to serve God or not to serve him. Serving him, I add to my own good and the good of the whole world. Not serving him, I forfeit my own good and deprive the world of the good, which was in my power to create. Leo Tolstoy
The specific meaning of God depends on what is the most desirable good for a person. Erich Fromm
Non-practitioners of a religious faith, who have established a degree of status within their society, tend to question the value of religious devotion. For actively engaged and successful members of the industrial economic system, it is apparent that devotion to a religious faith provides attraction and advantage, for the practitioner, falling within three main categories: community, morality, and the pondering of the nature of existence. It is important to differentiate the useful properties of religion, in regard to what is not at odds with success, (meaning the ability for an individual to provide herself and her dependents with sustenance as well as an increasing degree of physical comfort and well-being within the global economic system) as opposed to that which impedes success. Engagement of the industrial global economy, as explained previously, is a requisite of today’s existence as the human population and patterns of settlement have exceeded the ability for self-sufficiency within any culture. Participation within the global economy is now, whether consciously accepted or not, a property of life for essentially any citizen on the Earth. A chief requirement of effectively engaging the industrial global economy is the ability to understand cause and effect. Prior to the pervasive expanse of industrial systems, civilizations may have been effective in using alternative forms of explanation to describe natural events. However, today, if cause and effect relationships are not recognized, the individual will be at a great disadvantage to provide effectively for himself and his dependents. Before the importance of understanding cause and effect relationships was required for higher degrees of success, devotional practice had additional useful characteristics. These characteristics still evidence themselves, amongst the lower-educated and lesser-successful, and are comprised of beliefs in the supernatural and animistic nature of objects. An animistic belief system, (that all objects contain souls) is the lesser seen amongst today’s world citizens. However, it is still existent in the most primitive of societies. Belief in supernatural powers, as evidenced by the prevalence of interest in: tarot cards, fortune-telling, ghosts, angels, clairvoyance, magic and the like is still extremely visible. These beliefs are not accepted as useful, and are recognized as such, by the otherwise religiously devout who are capable of successfully engaging the industrial economy. People who engage in common-sense decision making, clearly recognize the un-usefulness of practices involved in cultivating the belief in the supernatural. For instance, the practitioner of common-sense, when passing by an establishment advertising the ability to predict the future, (these establishments are typically housed in run-down trailers on an ugly stretch of state highway or behind shabby storefronts in the seedier areas of town) will readily realize that if the practitioner is truly clairvoyant or otherwise capable of accurately predicting the future, then he/she would have made investments or decisions ensured of success and would be established in places of a lesser objectionable character, but surely not in a trailer on the side of the road. Supernatural and animistic belief systems once served a useful purpose in alleviating perplexity in individuals who were not able to understand cause and affect relationships. Because cause and affect understanding is recognized and proven to be more advantageous and accurate in making predictions, the supernatural and animistic beliefs have been de-selected as good practice for decision making. Those who are religiously devout and capable of success within the economy have eliminated the supernatural and animistic propensities of religion and have continued to practice their faith due to its assistance in other areas. Providing assistance in the realms of: community, morality, and the contemplation of the nature of existence have become the three useful features of today’s religious practice. When effective means to address these three areas, of inherent importance to the human being’s emotional well-being, are not at hand, the individual will incur some degree of suffering. People who are capable of economic success but are non-believers fall into two camps: those who have not yet thought about how to affectively address the three mentioned areas and suffer a greater degree of emotional suffering, and those who have thought about these things but have developed their own individual belief system. A useful individual belief system is normally comprised of a mixture of philosophies found to be preferable to only one of the world’s formalized religions. It is believed by those who have created a successful individual philosophy (successful in that it leads to less mental and physical suffering throughout an individual’s lifetime) that, they are capable of reaching a higher plane of consciousness than that which can be accomplished by a formal religion. These personalities generally prescribe to the importance of achieving the highest level of individual freedom and recognize the limitations imposed by selecting any single pre-formulated philosophy, however respectful it may be of other beliefs. They are uncomfortable with the necessary exclusion of points of view, however liberal the mind of the religious devotee, simply by the choosing of one faith over another. Too often religious believers do not recognize that those who follow an individual successful philosophy have achieved a more inclusive system that erases the need for hypocritical posturing or bigotry. Because people with an effective self-made belief system do not have leaders and do not have any need for organized groups, their point of view is not lobbied for even though their numbers are great. The ever-present danger posed by zealous evangelicals is recognized by philosophical non-religious citizens and can only be opposed by individual determination to not stand for the disrespect such types direct at those they consider heathens. Apart from these successful philosophical non-believers, those who follow an unsuccessful non-religious philosophy, such as criminals or those engaged in decadent or degrading choice-making, would likely be helped by a formalized religion. Most often, a religious person is drawn to a faith to concentrate on predominantly one of the three basic useful functions, with the other two remaining of less importance. The relative importance of the three basic functions most normally changes during the lifetime of the devotee. One may contemplate his own or his acquaintance’s purposes in devotion to a religious faith and how each uses their religion to help them with predominantly one, two, or all three of these functions. A few examples taken from actual people, however anonymously presented, may help show the value of today’s religion. In the realm of community: a girl who had found herself marginalized by her peers during high school decided to join a church. She had never been considered popular and had trouble with confidence meeting people. Her family was not religious. Through her church, she was able to join a group of people with whom she could spend time and do activities. This improved her network of friends and acquaintances and made her life more fulfilling. She eventually found her husband within the church. People need companionship and to feel a connection with others and a church can be a good way to find this. However, the need is more essential than just friendship. A community of support is critical to ensuring a greater degree of safety within the wider predatory economic system. Where adequate level of support is not provided by family, neighbors, or relations, the church provides a sub-community ensuring greater protection. Minorities certainly understand the great importance of the church as providing a means for congregating a group of people who care for the well-being of one another. In Recalling some good advice offered in a lecture by Kurt Vonnegut: in regard to someone released from jail, who does not have family or relations capable of helping them, they should immediately join a church to gain acceptance by a community of people who will provide a network of support without judging them for their past sins. People naturally have a need to identify with a group. The need for group identity, manifested by to proclivity to emulate, is strong among humans. Its necessity stems from archaic requirements for survival during the barbaric stages of human history where identity with a group strengthened the likelihood to attain and sustain the possessions necessary for livelihood. If the means for providing for possessions can be sustained outside of the group, the necessity to conform to the group on purely economic grounds diminishes. However, the need for identity within a group may still remain purely for social reasons. Emulation signifies identity to a particular group and is the means for members of the group to recognize who belongs. The devout signify their religion and commitment to their specific faith by exhibiting: regular attendance in church, mosque or temple activities, knowledge of sacred texts, hymns and liturgy, and ritual practices such as prayer, fasting or the wearing of symbolic dress. As for the second useful component of today’s religious faith -moral guidance- one sees that, like community, this also helps to support the intrinsic sympathetic component of human nature. Where the fostering of community supports the sympathetic nature of humans within a group against the outside predatory world, the practicing of morality professes a less exclusionary regard for the sympathetic. A moralist intends his compassion for all humans. Apparently, all of the worlds’ religious faiths contain some provision equivalent to the golden rule and support the doing of good deeds. However, it is also true that, through the teaching and interpretation of the sentiments written in holy books, such as ‘an eye for an eye’, the predatory nature for retribution may also be strengthened. The morality of any faith is not solely composed of the sympathetic qualities. Religious intolerance characterized by hatred between religious affiliations is widespread. Religious morality is a system of rules specific to the devotees of a certain faith and leader. It is shown to be of value, where an individual may be perplexed by the infinite options afforded by choice-making, or is generally not predisposed, even when cause and effect relationships are understood, with the ability to exercise control. Without otherwise having full access or proclivity to engage in educational processes involved with strengthening the critical thinking ability, a moral code of rules as promulgated by religion, can provide an effective, if less rational, substitute. Without critical thinking ability, or a moral rulebook, one will be more likely to be mis-educated through the influence of the predatory values rewarded by the economic system. A real example many will recognize as a moral conversion, is shown by an artist who had become addicted to drugs and then while going straight became deeply religious in mid life. She had trouble with dealing with desire, and found as many often do, that the inability to resist temptation can lead to suffering and bad results. Religion has helped her become a stable person and has alleviated her suffering, due to better long term decision making guided by a moral code. The benefit of religious morality in helping to promote the sympathetic side of human nature is also seen in the popularity of religious holiday observances such as Christmas. Although containing the same function as all religious holidays, towards self-promotion of their faith, the value of Christmas is accepted, by even the non-devout and the non-believer, simply as an observance of the sympathetic side of human nature. The sympathetic nature is promoted as important and inherent to human nature and in opposition to the predatory traits valued by the industrial economic system. Ever-popular Christmas classics, such as A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life, attest to the importance of the sympathetic nature’s value to society, independent of any overt reference to the birth of Jesus or Christianity. Because religious mythology is ambiguous in its teaching and the same passages of text can be interpreted in various ways, (even within the same faith) it does not give clear insight in how to act. This is left to the interpretation of the specific denomination and religious leader. The individual is still responsible in the end for formulating his own specific understanding. Religions may contain within themselves beliefs that can be interpreted in different ways. For example, Christians and Jews may tend to take the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, and that humans were created in gods image, to believe, that humans are of a more divine nature than animals and plants, and that the rest of the natural world was provided simply for human consumption. This is normally interpreted in a manner that places the highest importance on human life and can lead to a lack of concern, disinterest, or even disdain for the animal and plant world. Alternatively, it may be interpreted that God made humans the stewards of the Earth to care for the animals and plants that provide for their existence. This interpretation would help to bolster ideology that supports efforts for wildlife protection. Turning to the nature of existence or: Where did the Universe come from?, Why do I exist?, and What happens when I die?, the answers to these questions appear to be unknowable. Science cannot provide a definitive answer to the formation of the Universe prior to the Big Bang, nor can it alleviate the perplexity caused by the contemplation of why humans exist or the cessation of an individual’s existence. However, this does not prevent great expenditure of time and effort in the search for an answer. This search is a basic condition of being human, and even if an answer could be found, it would likely not make living any more interesting or easier. Religion provides various mythologies to ease the mind caused by thinking about these questions. Just as mythopoeic thought had once been valuable, in lieu of science, to explain natural phenomena, the mythologies promoted by religion serve the same purpose, to alleviate perplexity, in regard to the nature of existence. An illustration of someone who used religion specifically for this value without great need of its other purposes is as follows. A never-before religious man who was a communist party member in Eastern Europe, after becoming ill with both heart problems and cancer, became interested in religion. His conversion was promulgated by his confrontation with his own mortality. After becoming a believer, this man neither attended church regularly nor changed his moral beliefs. He had always been a good decision maker and had achieved a good position in the government. As well, he was not interested in increasing his circle of friends and acquaintances. However, through his new belief in religion, he was able to secure a space for his remains in the most beautiful cathedral in the city. This practical benefit was appreciated by his family appreciated and eased his mind in contemplating the after life. Additionally, he hung a painting of Mary, which he said provided him comfort as he could face it while lying down. A scientific explanation, or other more matter of fact explanation of death, would not have been useful for him in these regards. Societies, which have attempted to outlaw religion, have been ineffective in doing so. The former Soviet influenced nations of The major religions of the world springing from the However, almost two thousand years or more in the future, the world’s religions and sacred texts could not have predicted the additional global problems now facing the human species and thus should not be expected to give any direction in this regard. Unfortunately, the limitations of the useful application of religion are not understood by many. This has the doubly regrettable effect of obstructing the enactment of possible solutions while promoting un-useful and un-targeted action. The misunderstanding that an ideology, which has proven to be a valuable tool in one application, must be useful to solve a problem of a different nature, is like believing that a saw is the best means of turning a screw. One of the non-useful concepts, in regards to applying mythology towards solving current difficult problems, and which is a requisite of religious belief, (although not exclusively employed by this endeavor) is faith. What does it mean to have faith? This normally applies to a mode of thinking in which things, that can not be proven or predicted by scientific means, are accepted as absolute truth simply due to strength of conviction. For example, in regards to the question of death, when answered by science, death can only be answered as a termination of brain function, respiration, and heartbeat. The concept of the soul as separate from the body, with the capacity to continue to exist when the body has died, could never be proven by scientific means. That the soul continues to exist could only be accepted on faith. Faith may be applicable and useful to the devout where cause and affect explanation is unavailable. When applied to real problems, whose outcomes can be more successfully predicted by common-sense and/or science, faith may be more readily recognized by its common name, ‘wishful thinking.’ Wishful thinking, although very evident even in the most advanced societies, is not proven to have any affect on outcome or improve probabilities. This type of belief is seen, for example, by lottery players, who although knowing their remote odds of winning, believe through the strength of their conviction, that they will have a greater likelihood of winning. In such a case, luck-which is the increased frequency of events happening in relation to their overall probability during a given interval, is believed to be influenced by strong emotional investment. This can also be seen in the belief that ritualistic action undertaken by a sports fan while watching his team on television will increase their probability of winning. It should be noted that this thought-experiment has not found cause to be opposed to religious beliefs and, as evidenced by their popularity the world-over, it would be unwise to not accept their value. This writing thus does not present any ideas that should be in competition with their core values and real benefits. However, it does maintain that when religion is employed to address issues beyond its scope, it is venturing into territory in which it does not provide clear and useful direction.
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