Why Religion Matters
Part 2
Last week in “Why Is America Becoming More Secular” I wrote that many Americans are turning away from religion. In fact, America is quickly becoming one of the most secular nations in the industrialized world, a dramatic shift from only two or three decades ago.
I suggested that science and politics have both played an instrumental role in the secularization of America. To be sure, both science and politics have shaped our nation in countless positive ways, and the foundation of our country, as well as the modern world, rests on these two pillars. Thus, when science is attacked by religious people as an enemy of faith, religion loses its appeal to significant portions of the country who value its incredible achievements. Moreover, when partisan politics set the agenda for people of faith, religious institutions forfeit their credibility as spiritual guides.
There are certainly other factors that have led to the decline of religion in America. One of the most important is the erosion of the small town. Up until the end of World War II, most Americans lived in rural areas where the church was the community center, a place where social activities took place that brought people together. After the war, people began moving into large cities where there was more anonymity and less neighborliness. In addition, the city offered amusements like sporting events, theaters, concerts, and social clubs that presented people with options other than church. It didn’t take long for the church to lose its drawing power as the primary hub of social interaction.
As the church competed with the multitude of distractions that cities had to offer, its spiritual focus became clouded. Desperate to regain its former significant influence, the church looked to the business world for help. Pastors often took on the role of managers and CEOs, instead of shepherds and spiritual leaders. Following the model of corporate America, many churches prized numerical growth and building construction over spiritual development and community. Mega-churches swallowed up smaller churches and soon dominated the religious landscape, where the individual often felt superfluous. People searching for spiritual direction and an authentic relationship with God and others often felt that religious institutions were more interested in building their kingdoms than God’s kingdom.
Culture has radically changed over the past 100 years and religious institutions have struggled to figure out how to meet the challenges of the modern age. But one thing is certain: A secular world that crowds out the spiritual dimension will be a deeply troubled and lonely place. Even in a highly technical and scientific age, people continue to long for God and seek an authentic religious experience. There is within us a deep-seated need for that which is beyond, something more than the material—humans yearn for transcendence.
Within each of us, there is a thirst for that which is greater than ourselves. Science may offer theories on the origin of the universe, intrigue us with technical jargon like quarks and string theory, but the haunting question “Why is there something instead of nothing?” continues to surface. In other words, “What is behind it all?”
Science will continue to unlock the mysteries on how our universe and world came into being. What discoveries lie ahead are anyone’s guess, but scientific breakthroughs that pull back the curtain on the material elements of our universe will never be able to address the spiritual questions and longings within us.
Saint Augustine
Religion, on the other hand, explores the possibility of that which is beyond the material. Religion pursues spiritual experience through the realm of faith. That doesn’t mean religious belief is pure speculation, for faith is based on a certain kind of evidence, yet not scientific certainty. The evidence comes from the lives, testimonies, writings, and teachings from countless people through the centuries who have demonstrated that life with God is far superior to life without God. We are made in such a way that our minds seek the stars, but our hearts long for God. Saint Augustine wrote in his Confessions over 1500 years ago that our hearts cannot find peace until they rest in God. What was true then is just as true today.
There is a danger, however, in religious belief. Religious belief tends to reduce God to what can be understood, what fits a particular culture, and what satisfies emotional longings. Yet, God is big, incomprehensibly bigger than we can possibly imagine. Just think, if the billions of galaxies in our universe, the ones that our most advanced telescopes can detect, were all compressed to the size of the earth, then our Milky Way Galaxy, with its thousands of solar systems, would be the size of a small grain of sand! Wow! Whenever a religion becomes dogmatic, pitting believers against unbelievers, religion has taken its eyes off of God.
Only an arrogant religion would even dare to suggest it has a lock on truth. Authentic religion ventures out in humble faith knowing that God’s ways and thoughts will forever remain out-of-reach (Isa. 55:8-9). The Apostle Paul recognized that the ways of God are like an unsolved riddle (I Cor. 13:12). Authentic religion may have a few clues about God, and remains forever open to new insights, but shies away from haughty dogma. Still, God has made the human mind and heart in such a way that faith will continue to seek understanding. But in all that we learn, a person of faith fears not the modern world because deep within there is a sense that behind it all is God.
Believing that there is something bigger than ourselves is not the only reason religion matters. Human beings need direction, a moral and ethical compass to live by. Religion provides human beings with boundaries that circumscribe acceptable behavior, that is, religion teaches the community the best paths for living in community. Healthy and stable communities can’t develop and prosper unless there are rules. An authentic religion, which reminds people of their ethical and moral duties to one another, is indispensable for a community’s survival.
In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) there are 613 commandments, moral and ethical laws, which give order to everyday living. Jesus condensed these laws into only two—love God and love your neighbor. I don’t know that we need any more religious laws than the two Jesus commanded. When you love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself, what more do you need to add? In fact, these two laws can even be condensed into one rule, the so-called Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like others to treat you (Lk. 6:31; Matt. 7:12; the Golden Rule is also found in all the world’s great religions).
Religion matters because it provides guidelines to live by and holds us accountable to each other in community.
Finally, religion matters because it offers a source of comfort and hope during times of sorrow and loss. Neither science nor politics can provide lasting comfort and hope when our world falls apart, and in this world, human beings cannot escape tragedy and death.
In an uncertain world, void of comfort and hope, we would eventually give up and succumb to a life of nihilism. Comfort and hope give life meaning. Life can be full of turbulence, and we need seatbelts to help us ride out the storms. Comfort and hope do not prevent the topsy-turvy experiences in life, but they do help us ride out the storms without being tossed every which way (Eph. 4:1`4). Take away hope, and human beings will not survive.
Robert G. Ingersoll
The famous atheist Robert Green Ingersoll was known throughout the country for his attacks on religion. He was such an eloquent speaker that on occasion people would renounce their faith and turn away from God after hearing him.
When his brother died and he was asked to do the eulogy, he could not, however, completely shut the door on faith. He looked down on the casket of his brother and said, “In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing.” Yes, there is something within all of us that longs for God.
Religion matters because it gives comfort and hope in times of sorrow and loss. Even the graveyard does not have the last word.
Religion, of course, doesn’t solve all of our problems or immunize us from the daily hazards of life. Godly people can still lose their jobs, have financial problems, struggle with children who misbehave, go through divorce, get sick and die. People who commit to God are still subject to nature’s laws and the unpredictability of life.
But a healthy religion provides something to hang on to when the going gets tough, and believe me, in this world the going will get tough. To know that divine presence is with us in some mysterious, yet tangible way, can make all the difference. Religion matters.
