Religion

There must be an inherent need in us humans for religion, because the majority of us have some variety of religiosity. It may just be the desire for an explanation of things not understood, but also the hope that the supposed cause is a Being that can be influenced by the proper supplication, incantation or sacrifice, giving us some control over future events. But the existence of so many widely varying versions of religious belief seems to indicate that there isn’t any one true religion, and a high probability that they are all simply a result of this thinking process, and exist only in the human imagination..

However, true belivers are firm in their convictions, no matter which of the thousands of religions they espouse. Unshakeable faith usually results from indoctrination during childhood, but sometimes occurs when adults, looking for some meaning in their lives, believe that they have found the answer in religion.

Asking religious persons for proof of their beliefs usually has them refering you to the sacred writings on which their religion is based. Tellingly, most of these were written in an age when people were superstitious and wholly ignorant of the workings of the natural world. My own feeling is that these books are not ‘Sacred’ but merely thousands of years out of date.

In the Christian world, at least, the number of believers is declining, particularly among the young. Access to the on-line world of atheists, humanists and other non-believers, plus plenty of valid critiques of the bible, enable young people to discover the many flaws in the Christian religion. Internet access counters parental influence in many cases. Even members of the clergy are losing their faith and outing themselves as atheists. Perhaps sometime in the next 50 to 100 years, religious believers will be reduced to a minority in all major countries, and will have lost their influence on the rights of the individual. I long for the day!