Why does mankind NEED religion?

Stupid people need religion so they can believe better things are ahead.

Try googling "Why does humanity seem to need religion?" You'll get some hits that seem like they might point you onward.

But philosophically speaking I have to agree with Gus

Mankind doesn't necessarily need religion. But until such time that we have all the answers to the so-far unanswerable questions, then there will be some who need answers and they'll turn to religion to fill in the blanks.

Others need religion for hope. Hope that there is more to life than this incarnation of it. Hope that there is an afterlife that makes living this life worthwhile. It's difficult to accept that we are here for less than a spec of Time without a purpose.

Others need religion for a sense of connection of the spirit. Religion is different than spirituality. Spirituality is personal and what it is is an entirely different question than the one you've asked. Consider, if you will, a group of people with similar (not necessarily exact) philosophies on the big questions that religions try to answer. What is the meaning of life? Is there an afterlife? If so, how do we achieve favor with those who decide? Without religion (group centric) we are each adrift with our own answers to these questions. People tend to come together in order to gain assurance that the answers they have to the big questions are right -- that they're on the right path.

Here's a great way to fill a few minutes of your presentation. Take a stack of paper napkins. Rip a corner, or two, or three, or four from each one. They're still all napkins, but each represents an individual view of spirituality (self centric) meshing into a single religion. Rip one napkin in half (easy to split). Put a couple slightly different napkins together and rip them in half (still pretty easy). Work your way up to a stack of napkins - no two exactly the same - and try to rip the stack in half. Not possible.

Some religions impose "split tests" on an individual's spirituality before they are allowed to join, i.e., they must profess the exact faith. Other religions have more of a "don't ask, don't tell" mentality (as long as you fit most of the corners you're a-ok, and still others look at each individual as a napkin and accept everyone.

Religion provides a sense of community and strength, which is sometimes coupled with a varying degree of self-righteousness, that allows for hope and a feeling of belonging for those who need it.

Mankind doesn't need religion; religion serves a useful function in society. Most enduring societies have been fairly homogenous with regard to religion. Even in societies with multiple religions, the dominant religions of that society typically promote similar moral and behavioral codes. There are many functions served by religion that help stabilize a society (and, of course, placate possible dissent). If a new institution emerged that served religion's function more effectively than religion, religion would diminish. Indeed, one could argue that it already is.

What exactly do we mean by "religion"? Dictionary definition is useful, but too limited. Not all religion is the same. There are, for instance, at least three varieties of religious experience within every religion we know of. (see William James and Royce)

There is the transcendental experience of the founder, whether legendary or historical. In this variety of religious experience, the transcendental experience is so intense that it is accepted as "higher knowledge" that is qualitatively different from that of the sensory world. The transcendental experience has been reliably reported in every human culture, though always in terms of the cultural background of the individual having the experience. Because the experience is subjective and not provable, some deny that the experience has any value as a means of knowing anything.

When the transcendental experience happens to an individual who is charismatic, persuasive, or in a position of high repute and the "tenor of the times" is seeking religious conviction, the founder's vision will attract a group of disciples. The disciples may never have the transcendental experience of the founder, but they begin the process of structuring the vision into a doctrine and world view that will attract others. There may be a struggle between disciples over how the Master's teachings should be interpreted, and they may compete for the Master's mantle. The dogma that evolves from religious scholarship rarely strays far from the cultural context and assumptions about the nature of the universe and reality.

The third variety of religious experience is brought to a religion by the people who define themselves by their doctrinal religion. Ordinary people bring their prejudices, myths and superstitions into their religion, even though there may be little or nothing in the doctrines, nor the original vision to support them. People have many reasons for being religious. They are comforted by belonging to a group with whom they are in fundamental agreement. They go to church for social acceptance and status, and for business contacts. They seek solace when suffering the inevitable reverses that accompany living. They want their family relationships consecrated from birth to the grave.. They want a palliative for the risks of living and the fear of death.

Some have said here that only the ignorant and dull-witted are religious. Not so, by a dam site. Religious people are statistically about the same as the non-religious population. In modern times, more so than in the past, people have challenged the religion of their ancestors. Modern science, another form of religion (that is, perspective on the nature of the universe and the means of "knowing") has been growing since the middle of the 17th century. Observation and critical analysis of data has brought many Abrahamic religious contentions into question. That is a weakness in that family of religious thought, but that weakness is not universal to all religions. In the developed world of the early 21st century it is fashionable to reject anything that doesn't easily fit into the scientific method of knowing, and for good reason. Lights go on when we flick a switch, and under the right conditions mankind can kindle the surface of the sun right here on earth. The mechanical universe of Newton is satisfying, though with the advent of counter-intuitive Quantum Physics most people have no better reason to believe in advanced mathematics than they do to believe in miracles. Quantum Physics may only be another way of looking at the universe, perhaps a universe that is closer to traditional religious "truths" than not.

A second point you may want to consider is that the study and understanding Mankind, would be a practical impossibility if we failed to take into account the religious contexts of history. The impact of Christianity on the development of Western Civilization was a major, even pivotal, source of our history. Today's world conflicts are largely driven by the contending positions of Jews, Christians and Muslims. How can one understand China without also understanding Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism? Moral and ethical values taught by religion are important to maintaining civil society where individual desires are reined-in for the good of the group. To "know" Mankind, we must know those institutions, traditions and mores adopted by human tribes. To "know" almost any human trends and events, the student who neglects the religious environment may go wildly astray.

Welcome to A2K daliajay !

Here you'll find plenty of ways to say "Mankind needs to lose religion" in 20 minutes.

http://beyondbelief2006.org/Watch/

My husband once said:
Whatever my wife thinks she needs, I am sure she needs.

This was on the subject of useful/useless kitchen appliances, but I think the answer is just as valid to answer your question!

Re: Why does mankind NEED religion?


Man/Men don't need religion. Many of us exist without it just fine, and that alone is proof that religion isn't necessary for particular people, or even for groups.

I think the original thesis of the question is based on an invalid assumtion.

It might be more interesting to explore why religion remains a common aspect of most cultures despite the fact that it isn't necessary for individuals or for the group.

man doesnt need religion
But society might...

How so?

what would happen if everyone on the planet realised that god didn't necessarily send them to heaven or hell when they died? people would put less stock in morality and ethics, which would lead to stress on society and governments to keep order which is needed to further our collective technological standing.

Most people aren't smart enough to live without religion and stay civil,
i think it was aristotle who said that philosophy taught him things that he followed when others only did it out of fear of the law.( i wish i had better memory)

i think as a whole society IS migrating away from religion, at least the malicious ones like islam and christianity ( maybe they aren't malicious in themselves, but the people who follow them sure can be!)

I'm not sure. What would happen?

If existing adults suddenly realized this, I think their reaction would be very different from someone who was raised not to believe this. So part of the question has to be asked in relation to how suddenly the information is merged into society.



I'm not convinced that people would put less stock in morality and ethics without religion. I think morality and ethics come from a deeper need in people.



I don't think it's because they aren't smart enough, I think it's because they've been raised to use fear of religious reprisal, as a foundation to their behavior. In my opinion, people can find other reasons to behave in a moral manner.

…Man stands in need of most of the varieties of beings in the universe and is connected to them.

His needs spread through every part of the world, and his desires extend to eternity.

Just as he wants a flower, so he wants the spring. Just as he desires a garden, so does he also desire everlasting Paradise.

Just as he longs to see a friend, so does he long to see the All-Beauteous One of Glory.

Just as in order to visit one he loves who lives somewhere else, he is in need for his beloved's door to be opened to him, so too in order to visit the ninety-nine per cent of his friends who have travelled to the intermediate realm and so be saved from eternal separation, he needs to seek refuge at the court of an Absolutely Powerful One Who will close the door of this huge world and open the door of the hereafter, which is an exhibition of wonders, and remove this world and establish the hereafter in its place…….

23.word BSN

daliajay, good, i.e., sophisticated, philosophical views on religion may be found in the writings of Huston Smith (various), Aldous Huxley (the Perennial Philosophy) and William James (The Variety of Religious Experience). Then an anthropological text on Religion would give a broad culturological overview.