FINALLY WHAT IS RELIGION?

Some say it is a form of belief in God. But that would not fit Buddhism, which does not believe in God at all.

Some say it is a belief in the supernatural power. But that does not fit Hinduism, which does not believe in supernatural realm beyond the material world, but only a spiritual reality within the empirical.

Some say it is set of beliefs that explain what is life all about, who we are, and the most important things that human beings should spend their time doing.

For example, some think that this material world is all there is, that we are here by accident and when we die we just rot, and therefore the important thing is to choose to do what makes you happy and not let others impose their beliefs on you. Notice that though this is not an explicit “organized” religion, it contains a master narrative, an account about the meaning of life along with a recommendation for how to live based on that account of things. Some call this a” worldview’ while others call it a “narrative Identity’. In either case it is a set of faith assumptions about the nature of things. It is an implicit religion.

Human communities should not be completely inclusive, but should be open to all on the basis of our common humanity. The idea of totally inclusive community is, therefore an illusion. Every human community holds in common some beliefs that necessarily create boundaries, including some people and excluding others from its circle. Each community should have beliefs that lead its members to treat persons in other communities with love and respect – to serve them and meet their needs.

Freedom of Religion: –

Christianity, Judaism and Islamic religions are supposedly a limit to personal growth and potential because it constraints our freedom to choose our own beliefs and practices. The present day enlightened human beings trusts in their own power of thinking, rather than in authority or tradition. This resistance to authority in moral matters is now a deep current in our culture.

Freedom to determine our own moral standards is considered a necessity for being fully human.

In many areas of life, freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones, the liberating restrictions. If we only grow intellectually, vocationally, and physically through judicious constraints – why would it not also be true for spiritual and moral growth? Instead of insisting on freedom to create spiritual reality, shouldn’t we be seeking to discover it and disciplining ourselves to live according to it?