Why do people rely on religion?

Answer 1

There is a difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is about politics, rules and such, and spirituality is about your heart and soul, and your personal communion with deity by whatever name you are comfortable calling deity.

Answer

We need religion for salvation. If you have no faith you have no hope and after death all you're going to end up with (if you're lucky) is death but most religions agree you'll end up with torture in hell. The Bible explains the need further.

Answer

I believe that we don't absolutely need religion, as far too many religions have been perverted into cults. However, we do need a relationship with the real God, which is certainly not the same thing.

This is how I understand this whole relationship/ religion issue. In the very beginning, there was Adam and God, (and with the exception of the animals, on land and in the sea) and that was it. Adam, and later Eve, had a face-to-face personal relationship with God. I believe that our most ancient ancestors could not have had such a relationship if they had sin in their lives (for much longer, even after the actual sin). As fathers passed this on to son after son, and generation after generation, this relationship became less and less personal, as no one really could know Him as personal as Adam and Eve. Somewhere down the line, this belief in this relationship became intertwined with the life of the people, which is to say that this belief became part of their culture. Beliefs intertwined with culture, and religion was born. And now, we have cults because people have conjured up beliefs in non-existent beings and the relationship thereof.

Answer

I believe we need religion in order to live the right role of life. I believe religion helps us to know more of what we want to be; and how our lifestyle will be and our families as well.

Answer

Religion was to explain unexplainable misfortune such as illness, death, starvation, etc. When there is a problem in life and no one knows why it's happening to them, they tend to seek higher authority. The explanation may not be true, but it gives a sense of comfort and ability to process and accept hardships in life. But now with science and technology, we are growing out of the need for religion. We can now explain what was previously unexplainable and we can build technology to solve our problems.

Answer

There is a big gulf between God and man that man cannot cross. There is nothing that man can do to cross that gulf. St Augustine said that we are restless until we find our rest in God. He is right. People spend millions to get comfort, rest, answers to life etc. This is not new we all know this. We are looking for peace and for answers. This search can come to a conclusion only by understanding the God of the Bible who wants to have a personal relationship with us.

Answer

In many ways we don't since much religion is merely man's ideas about God or gods and so unnecessary. Much religion (in Christianity at least) is totally unnecessary in terms of what God Himself regards as essential., and in terms of benefit to those who practice it.

Real religion involves knowing the true and living God who 'does not dwell in temples made with hands' and so is unknowable from the perspective of any religious practice we can create ourselves. Thankfully God has appeared in history and spoken and dealt with people and told us about Himself, so we can both know about Him and know Him if we want to since He has given His light to every man.

So, to put it simply, we don't need religion, we need reality.

Answer

I don't think religion is necessary, I believe religion causes suffering and grief. I have been without religion for the past year, and have had a smile on my face everyday since. I think people need to live with the physical essence of the planet and live life how you wish, and not by the "Book"

Answer

This depends entirely on what you mean by religion. Many people are turned off religion because it doesn't offer meaning and is seen as an empty and meaningless set of rules and rituals. Much of this type of religion may actually be against the true meaning of life as taught by the 'author of life'. Anything that doesn't correspond with reality cannot be the true religion. This does not necessarily mean we will always understand everything, but true religion must not just be 'pie in the sky' but be true in a historical and an empirical sense as well.

The Christian experience is based on just that. Jesus came as an actual man and walked the earth for over 30 years. His feet left prints in the sand on the shores of Galilee. He talked with real people and did whatever He could to help them - which in some cases was a great deal. And, as often happens, people who do not follow 'organized religion' get persecuted. The religious leaders of Jesus day organized for Him to be killed by crucifixion, the cruellest death imaginable. So, if anyone has a reason to have a gripe against religion Jesus does.

The reason I say does, is because He rose from the grave and is alive today. His followers saw Him alive -a great surprise, but a reality they had to accept. So following Jesus is what some call religion, but a lot of what people do in following Him is much like what those who killed Jesus did. They are trying to find God and earn favor with God by what they do. Jesus got rid of all that by what He did. Now those who follow Him can do it freely and gladly - that's not religion, it's a relationship. It's also reality.

Answer

Religion is nothing more than a way to understand our environment, it may be said to do this while incorporating your faith into the explanation. If you think totally for yourself it will be a religion for one, but if you need an explanation that is affirmed by others arriving at the same conclusion, then you are more likely to choose a world religion familiar to all. Problems arise in the world when people wish to mix a world religion and a religion of one, which results in break away groups from the main religion, for example Protestants forming a new religion away from the original Catholism and debates over the true path lead to conflict, from then on it becomes more about politics than a way to express your faith. But no one really experiences the world in the same way.The main issue I think comes from societies need to label everything.

Answer

God is the author of religion. God has made us human beings with an innate desire to have a relationship with Him but we don't like it. As humans we are made to have relationships with God but we feel that we can make it on our own. We want to be dependant. Owe no man anything. We want to be free and be our own authority. There are those who say there is no God but saying this does not make it not true. Now it is true that I cannot force anyone to believe there is a God but let me point you to Romans 1:18 which says," the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness". Later on the author says that there is enough evidence in creation to show us that there is a creator but we suppress that information as well. Why do we need religion" Well God thought it was so important that he died for us so that we can have an eternal relationship with him.

ANSWER

There is no God in the sense of a being looking down on us. The evolution of the universe and ultimately, Humans is a mystery that could be described as God. There is no After Life. This is an important need that humans have created to keep themselves civilized. Unfortunately religion and other supernatural symbolism has caused much conflict ever since different tribes with different belief systems have begun to merge. If their was one real God why do so many cultures see him differently? The answer to this is, there is no God. The mystery of the universe is beyond our comprehension for now so its perfectly understandable that we need a God at this point in our development as a civilization. But really, there is no God being looking over us. We are the product of the universe becoming aware of itself. That's it really.

Answer.

In my opinion, religion has become outdated. It is the main cause of war and conflict. In the past it has hindered scientific advancement. Two hands at work will achieve far more than a thousand clasped in prayer

ANSWER

An allegory to understand the nature and the worth of religion to man

To understand the world and the spirit of man in it; to understand the nature and the worth of religion to man; to understand how, if there were not the True Religion, the world would become the darkest dungeon and the unbeliever the most unfortunate of creatures; to grasp why it is that belief in the existence and Unity of God and reliance upon Him open the secret sign of this universe and saves man's soul from the darkness-read this allegory:

Once upon a time, there are two brothers who set off on a long journey together. One is self-indulgent and clever. The other is self-disciplined and wise. After a while they come to a fork in their road where they see a wise old man. They ask him which way to take. He tells them that the right fork requires obligatory observance of the law which governs that road, but that this burden of observance brings with it a certain security and happiness; while the left fork promises a certain kind of freedom it represents also certain danger and distress. "Now the choice is yours," says the old man.

On hearing this, the well-disciplined brother takes, in reliance upon God, the right fork saying that he accepts dependence on Law and Order. The other brother takes the left fork just for the sake of freedom. Seemingly, he is comfortable but in truth he feels no tranquillity inside. He reaches a desert. Suddenly he hears the terrible sound of a beast, about to attack him. He runs away and, happening to come across a waterless well sixty meters deep, jumps into it. Half-way down, his hands meet a tree growing out of the walls of the well. He clings on to it to save himself from falling further. The tree has two roots. Two rats, one white and the other black, are gnawing away at them. The man looks up and sees that the beast is waiting at the top of the well. He looks down and there is a horrible dragon almost at his feet, with its large mouth gaping to receive him. Having time to do so, the man looks more closely at the wall of the well and notices that it is all covered with laboring insects. He looks again at the tree. It is actually a fig tree but it is a miracle of a tree in that it has a great variety of fruits growing on it, such as walnuts and pomegranates.

There, hanging in the well, he cannot understand that all that has happened to him is in any way special or meaningful, that the scene and the events in it cannot be merely coincidental. That there should be, must be, some secret to it all, that behind the scene and the events there must stand an arranger and doer of all-none of this, alas, even occurs to him due to his lack of reasoning.

Now, although this man is inwardly distressed about this situation and his spirit and heart are complaining, his evil-commanding self pretends to itself that there is nothing to complain about and so he pays no attention to the weeping of his heart and spirit. The man pretends to himself that he is in a garden, having a nice time, starts eating all kinds of fruits-for free-but some of which, it will turn out, are poisonous and harmful to him to consume in this way.

In a sacred tradition (a saying from the Prophet, the wording of which belongs to the Prophet but the meaning to God) God says, "I will treat My servant in the way he thinks of Me." This wretched man in the well sees every event that befalls him as no more than itself, as having no further weight or significance-and, for him, so it is. He does not die but he does not live well either. He persists merely, in an agony of suspense.

Let us now recall the other brother. He is the wiser of the two and, because well-disciplined, not suffering anxieties. He always thinks of the good, affirms the law, and feels himself to be secure and free within it. Whenever, on his journey, he enters a garden and comes across, besides lovely flowers and attractive fruits, ruined or ugly things in it, he is able to turn his mind to that which is good and beautiful. His brother cannot and does not do the same; he has concerned himself with evil and therefore cannot find ease in such a garden. The wise one lives according to the saying, "Look on the good side of everything," and is therefore generally happy with everything.

On his way he too reaches a desert, just as his brother did, and a beast shows up. He too is afraid but not as much as his brother, because he is sure that the beast must be in the service of a certain master. This disciplined man also jumps down a well that happens to be there and, halfway down, catches hold of the branches of a tree. He too notices a pair of rats gnawing at the two roots of the tree. Looking down, he sees the dragon and, up above, the beast still waiting for him. Just like his brother, he finds this suspense a strange situation to be in. But because he is wise and self-disciplined, he infers that all these strange happenings are arranged by someone and constitute a sign. He thinks he is not alone and that he is being watched and examined by someone. He understands that he is being directed and guided in some way as a test and for a purpose.

He is curious about the one who arranged all these events and asks, "Who is it that desires to make me know him?" Even in his curiosity he is patient and self-disciplined, and so this curiosity arouses in him a love for the owner of the sign. This love, in turn, builds in him the desire to understand the sign and meaning of these events and the will to acquire good qualities that will please the owner of the sign.

He observes that the tree from which he is suspended is a fig tree but one that bears almost every kind of fruit. He is no longer afraid; he understands that this tree is actually a sort of catalogue of samples of the fruits belonging to the unseen owner, which the owner has prepared for his guests to his garden. Otherwise, one tree would not bear so great a variety of fruits as this one does. He starts to entreat earnestly and, as a result, the key to the secret is inspired in him. He declares:

"O owner of all this scene and these events, I am wholly in your hand. I take refuge in you and I am at your service. I desire your approval and I desire to know you."

Following this prayer, the wall of the well unexpectedly parts and a door opens onto a wonderful, pleasant garden. Indeed, the dragon's mouth has been transformed into the door, and both the dragon and the beast become two servants inviting him in. The beast even changes into a horse for him to ride on.

And so, O my lazy soul, and O my imaginary friend! Let us now compare the positions of these two brothers, so that we can see how good brings good and evil brings evil:

The interpretation of the allegory

The unfortunate traveler who took the left way, the way of self-trust and self-willed freedom, is about to fall into the mouth of the dragon; he is continually anxious. He suffers loneliness and considers himself a prisoner facing the attacks of wild beasts. Furthermore, he adds more to this distress, eating apparently delicious but actually poisonous fruits which are only presented as samples, not intended to be consumed for their own sake but to persuade the consumers to seek out the originals and become customers of them. This unfortunate one changes his day into darkness; he himself does injustice, changing his situation into a hell-like one, so he does not deserve pity, nor does he have the right to complain to anyone.

In contrast, the traveler who took the right way is in a fruitful garden with servants all around him. He studies every strange and beautiful incident in fearful awe, and sees himself as an honored guest, taking pleasure in the strange and beautiful servants of his generous host. He does not eat up the fruits on the fig tree. Rather he only samples them and, understanding the reality, he postpones the pleasure of eating them up and enjoys the anticipation.

The other is just like a man who denies his favored situation in a summer garden surrounded by friends, and instead, by making himself drunk with foul intoxicants, imagines himself to be among wild beasts in winter time, and complains thereof. He does himself injustice and insults his friends, so deserves no mercy. The brother who took the right way, the way that accepts trustingly what is given and observes the law, sees and accepts the whole reality and for him it is beautiful. In doing this he respects the one who possesses reality, and that is why this brother is deserving of mercy. By this we may understand, at least in part, the meaning of the Qur'anic decree, "Whatever of good befalls you is from God, and whatever ill befalls you is from yourself."

When we reflect upon the differences between the two brothers we see that the inner-self of one prepared a kind of hell-like situation for him, corresponding to his own attitude to reality. The other's potential goodness, positive intention and good nature led him to a very favored and happy situation.

Now, I say to my own inner-self as well as to the inner-self of anyone who has read thus far:

"If you desire to be like the luckier of the two brothers, follow the guidance of the Qur'an." The details of the allegory could be explained at very great length, but the gist of it, roughly, is this:

There are two ways before everyone

One of the brothers is a believer who is good-hearted and the other is a blasphemous unbeliever. Of two ways, the one on the right is the way of the Qur'an and faith, whereas the other is the way of unbelief and rebellion. The garden on the way is human society and civilization, which has in it both good and evil, cleanliness and pollution. The sensible person is he who acts according to the rule: Take what is clear and pleasant, and leave what is turbid and distressing, and goes on his way with tranquillity of heart.

The desert in the story is the earth, and the beast that turns up unexpectedly is death. The well is the life of man, and sixty meters in depth is our average life span corresponding to sixty years. The tree in the well is life itself; the two rats gnawing its roots are day and night. The dragon in the well is the grave opening onto the Hereafter and, for a believer, becomes a door to the Garden. The insects on the walls of the well are the troubles people face on this earth. However, these troubles are but gentle warnings from God for a believer, to prevent him slipping off into the sleep of heedlessness. And the fruits on the tree, as we have already indicated, are the bounties of this world presented as samples from the blessings of the Hereafter, inviting customers towards the fruits of Paradise.

(There is only one tree in the well but there are various fruits on it. This shows the seal of Divinity Whose unique virtue is "to create everything out of one thing" and "to change everything into one thing." He makes various plants and fruits from one soil only, creates all living things from one drop of water, and nourishes and sustains alike all living things but through diverse kinds of foods.)

To return to the allegory, the sign shows the secret will of God in creating. This sign is opened with faith and the key is: O God, there is no god but God; God, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent.

For one of the brothers, the mouth of the dragon changes into a door to the Garden. This is a sign that for the other, as for all unbelievers, the grave is the door to a place of trouble, the belly of a dragon. For believers, however, it is the door to the eternal Garden, which is the blessing of God for the faithful followers of the Qur'an.

The beast changes into an obedient servant, a disciplined and trained horse. This means that, for unbelievers, death is a painful detachment from loved ones, a kind of imprisonment after leaving (for them) the paradise-like earth. For believers, on the other hand, it is a means of reunion with the friends and companions who have already gone to the Hereafter. It is like going into their eternal home of happiness. It is for them a formal invitation to pass into the eternal gardens from the prison of the earth. It is an occasion to receive the wage which will be bestowed out of the generosity of the Most Compassionate and Merciful One for services rendered to Him, and a kind of retirement from the burden of life.

In sum, the one who chooses the transient life as his aim puts himself into Hell even though he stays in what appears to him paradise on earth. By contrast, the one who aims at the eternal life will find peace and happiness in both worlds. Despite all troubles, he still thanks God and will patiently conclude his stay on the earth which, as he properly comes to understand, is merely a waiting room opening up to heaven.

O God, make us among the people of happiness, salvation, the Qur'an, and faith! Amen. O God, bestow peace and blessings upon our master Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions, to the number of all the letters contained in the words of the Qur'an, reflected by leave of the Most Compassionate One in the waves of the sounds of each word recited by reciters of the Qur'an from its first revelation to the end of time, and have mercy on us and on our parents; and have mercy on all believing men and women to the number of those words, through Your Mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful. Amen. And all praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.

Answer

Religion is an emergent behavior that satisfies the genetic survival mandate that all living organisms possess. In order to survive, each individual organism has evolved to seek safety, avoid danger, harm and death, and to reproduce. The human species is the only one that we know of that is acutely aware of its own mortality. This dilemma, the genetic demand that the individual stay alive and the knowledge of her/his certain death, is the reason for religion.

Humans evolved to work best in relatively small groups (tribes) where everyone is known and everyone knows what they can expect from everyone else. Religion in the form of a person's own church can provide the feeling of safety that being a part of an insular, familiar and reliable group provides. The dogma of religion provides the feeling of avoidance of danger with the certainty of how the world is organized. Almost all religions have an afterlife, which helps ameliorate, but does not eliminate the fear of death built into us by our genetics. Many religions also have the mandate to generate as many offspring as possible, which in small tribal situations increases the chances of survival of the group.

Anyone who thinks religion should be eliminated is on a fool's quest. People live mostly on the level of instinct and very little on a rational level. Until this changes religion will persist. To try to eliminate it would destroy society, even though religion in mass form is in itself destructive, just not as destructive as its elimination would be.

I agree that there is a difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is institutionalized thinking, about what constitutes the infinite source behind all conscious perception of reality. Whereas Spirituality embraces the understanding that anything that constitutes a higher power, must also be understood to be beyond the cognizant perceptions afforded by the limited contemporary and evolved human intellect, which originates from a reptilian complex within the triune model of the human brain/consciousness.

Simply said, Spirituality is an intuitive understanding that we are connected to a source, beyond our understanding or ability to codify it using superstitions, myths and illusions of self-modeled anthropomorphic projections for identity of it. Just as we are bonded to the genetic structure of the lineage on both sides of our family tree, so to are we in that microcosmic scheme, linked to that what manifests us as humans from the source of all things.

This life is an illusion. What we see is identified based on what we've been told defines it's presence. One could very easily hard wire program a newborn to believing tree's look like trucks, if one were to mold that babies psyche from the time it's being implanted with subjective triggers regarding perceptions of this world view, by pointing to what that adult role-model knows is a tree and instead impressing upon the young one; truck!

Thus, that infant when they grow to 3 years of age would believe trucks sprout leaves and are fun to climb.

Everything is energy moving to a rhythm and ever changing. Religion seeks to stop that fluid harmonic eternal shift, that alters with even the energy present in the electrical vibration of thought and perception, so as to confine the infinite unto the finite of dogma, tradition and omni-consciousness. (one god, one way of thinking about god, one way of defining what god is, one way of living up to those standards, etc...)

Whereas spirituality is a kinship with something that is of a greater power than to ever be aptly confined to a three letter word or those rules that make that word law. As in "organized religion" and "fundamentalism".
Before I begin, please keep in mind that religion is an invention of man. It is an attempt to take spiritual things and make them understandable to the average human. Spirituality is an innate element of humans, some might say a way in which man was created in the image of God.

That being said, people do not necessarily need religion. A person might, but people do not. The one who does need religion recognizes a need in his life to put things into some sort of perspective. He may feel he needs direction or discipline he lacks within himself and that many religions provide. He may be looking to fill the very human need to belong, to be accepted, to be invovled.

Answer 2

People rely on religion for various reasons, such as finding meaning and purpose in life, guidance on moral and ethical issues, a sense of community and belonging, and comfort in times of crisis or uncertainty. Religion can also provide a framework for understanding the world and coping with difficult experiences.

Answer 3

There are religions because people had traditions and beliefs that eventually became formalized. Religion was created as a social compact between man and the universe. They created a God that would bring psychological comfort in times of hardship. They created a God that would protect them from natural disasters, disease and extinction.

Answer 4

there are many factors which causes us to believe in religion. mainly, most people came from religious families, and due to tradition and culture they find it very hard not to believe in it. also too, most people find some sort of comfort in their religion, as religion is supposed to give hope and so on.

Answer 5

Us humans have been both blessed and burdened with our amazingly strong brain. A brain that can be used to try and answer "Big" questions. Why are we here? How did we get here? People go to religion to seek the answers. Though this can sometimes be bad as some religions chastise other religions IE Christians hate Satanists. It is simply the fact that our brain seeks the knowledge of our existence.

Answer 6

Opinions From Contributors:

Some people use it to explain our purpose and existence on this earth.

The ability to lie is the foundation for religion.

Religion is Man's attempt to explain God and human existence by doing things - often seen as a pair of scales with the Good outweighing the Bad - and aiming to placate God without reference to God.

Answer 7

a lot of people rely on religion to provide their mind on something they can trust fully .

some people though , use religion as an excuse to either explain or avoid their fear and their questions .

other people rely on religion to support their mental health too .

Answer 8

There is no need to have a religion, somewhere between 20% and 30% of the world's population gets along just fine without one.

Answer:

Some people believe -There is no need to have a religion, others believe it is necessary. Read the book Life of Pi. The book addresses all of this but leaves it to you to pick in the end.