What makes religions meaningful?

Illustration by Copilot Designer

Personally, I’m not much concerned about whether the gods are real simply because, for me, they aren’t. I can accept the mysterious nature of the cosmos, the realms that science hasn’t fathomed yet and may never, and the awe that some of it inspires in a lot of people including me. But I won’t ever find myself imagining a god that looks like a man or woman, as is the case with most of our divine entities. What will a god do with a gender, in the first place? Forget the cumbersome physical masses of their bodies which will have to obey Newton’s laws of motion in the ethereal spaces.

That is why I was amused when Facebook decided to enlighten me with a booklet titled Is the Bible True? You can download it free of charge from the site Life, Hope & Truth. It being a Sunday when life is a lot relaxed for me, I decided to explore the material which Facebook seemed to thrust into the core of my being after censoring two of my recent posts for “going against community standards.”

I have no issues with the arguments and documents provided in the booklet which try to prove the existence of Jesus and the authenticity of the Bible as a sacred book by providing certain historical evidence. For example, it quotes eminent personalities of the first century CE, such as Publius Cornelius Tacitus and Flavius Josephs both of whom have mentioned Jesus who claimed to be the Christ or was projected as such by later followers. I particularly enjoyed reading the chapter on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

My problem is not with evidence, historical or scientific, when it comes to religions. My problem is the impact religions make on the world. Does the religion make the world a better place? If it does, I can go with it. It doesn’t matter whether the foundations of some of the dogmas and credos are myth. After all, we all need some myths, don’t we?

I stand with Joseph Campbell when it comes to myths. Myths are essential, Campbell said. They help us make sense of life, navigate challenges, and connect to deeper truths. He argued that myths provide a framework for understanding the human experience, offer guidance on how to live meaningfully and harmoniously within oneself, society, and the universe.

I will defend with all my might any religion that performs those tasks: help its followers/believers/worshippers to make sense of life, navigate challenges, and connect to deeper truths.

What do we see instead? Strife, wars, terrorism. On a more tolerable scale are the hate speeches, blatant hypocrisy, and plain exploitation of the ignorant and the innocent.

At any time, if you come across a religious believer who claims that his religion is the only true religion, or makes any similar claims (ancient history, etc), and also considers all others as inferior or untrue or whatever, be sure that the person hasn’t understood even the elementary meaning of religion.

What use is a religion if it doesn’t teach one to be compassionate, at the very least? Just imagine a religion which claims to be the eternal law, Sanatan Dharma, and then goes on to kill fellow human beings in order to protect cows which are then left to die on the streets? I’m just taking a very common example from my own country. There are countless such examples from all over the world, which prompt me to keep a safe distance from religions.

I judge religion by what they do to make the world a better place. Not by their historical antiquity or scientific evidence or whatever.