Mankind’s security blanket

Why do we need religion?

By Paul Hussey

My mother once said to me, “You believe in God, don’t you? It’s good for a person to do so.” Without a second thought or justification for my response, I answered, “No, Mom, of course not,” prompting her narrow-eyed chagrin. Looking back on that conversation, however, I’ve put much more thought into what she meant. Religion is the security blanket of mankind: With thousands of religions in the world competing for believers, each one of them a reassurance salesman, selling the principles of what they have to offer. Whether one is Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist, religion offers a divine sense of belief, trust, clarity, understanding, community, unity – faith. The creation of life is explained in simplistic terms; death is explained by heaven or reincarnation. Without these reassurances, we would be in constant fear of the unknown. We would be unable to relax or enjoy life without some sort of throw-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket trump card for anything and everything. Religion also serves as a supposed guideline to living: No adultery or dishonouring thy neighbour in Christianity; no foreskin or disobedience to family purity in Judaism. It provides the moral rules that govern its followers, who adhere to its principles because it’s the basis of their existence. When belief in something becomes so entrenched in one’s identity, however, that it prevents them from respecting someone else’s, it becomes a dangerous hazard. Religious differences have been the cause of bloodbaths throughout history, and continue to do so in the present day. The Thirty Years’ War pegged the Protestants against the Catholics, which was one of the bloodiest battles of all time. Currently, the Islamic jihad movement – meaning “struggle,” but misinterpreted by some Muslims from the Qur’an – has been the foundation for numerous terrorist attacks and bombings in the name of Allah against the West. Although no one religion can claim that their interpretation of “God” or an almighty power is the true meaning of existence, everyone seems to think that they can. So, where’s the evidence? Well, there isn’t any, at least not yet. Because of the obstinate nature of mankind’s allegiance to their beliefs, people are willing to stop at nothing to protect their own sense of security and reassurance. Moreover, when somebody else has a different colour blanket, or tugs at someone else’s the wrong way, religious tensions escalate. And when these things happen, we have to ask the question: Is religion even worth it, after all? Let’s not forget the thousands of cases of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. Placed within positions of trust and authority, clergy abused (and continue to abuse) their power by taking advantage of young children to satisfy their own repressed, perverse sexual desires. These are the people who are supposed to hold themselves to the highest standard of morality, and yet all they can set is an example of hypocrisy. Then why is it all swept under the rug to be forgotten, with life continuing on like everything’s fine and dandy? Ultimately, without the reassurance that religion provides for most of the world, we would be lost. Without a sense of divine purpose and explanation of the universe, the fear would become too crippling, overcoming most of our consciences to the point of social dysfunction. As technology and scientific discoveries continue to advance, however, the basis of human religion and, more importantly, existence, will come into question. As a result of this vulnerability, conflicts over religious differences will arise more than ever as people try to maintain that same sense of reassurance that supported their lives. So, we’re left with two choices: We can throw away our blankets and acknowledge the possibility that science is the explanation of everything, or we can stay attached to these conceptions like a child – eventually killing ourselves in a religious tantrum caused by extremist differences. Indeed, it might be “good” for a person to believe in God, but it only truly works when everyone believes in the same thing. Until then, people will continue to crawl under their blankets, stopping at no cost until they get their way. But we all know they never will.

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