Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

Beyond The Mirror – A Bill Allin Column

Feb 23, 2007

What Is The Truth? (Part 8)
by Bill Allin

[Caution: What follows may be offensive to some people because it is based on fact, reason and probability, not on an established belief set (religion). If you are offended by anything that does not support your belief set, you should choose to not read this article.]

The Purpose of Religion

Why did religions begin? Why do we have them in the first place?

We humans have needs that can only be met by pooling our resources to create services for a mutual benefit.

We need protection from "others" who would kills us, so we formed militaries and pay for them through collections from individuals (called taxes). We need food that we can’t grow ourselves, so we have farms and farming industries, plus other industries that link grown food products to us.

Advertising agencies "create" needs for products their clients want to sell. The cosmetics and fashion industries, for examples, use their skills with sociological principles to make us believe that we need the products they sell, even though we often don’t need them at all in reality.

Being animals with natural curiosity and a brain with the ability to wonder and question in the abstract, we want to know how we began, where we came from, whether there is anything more powerful on our planet or in our universe than ourselves.

A few people with sociology skills found ways to satisfy our needs by devising answers. In order to ensure that we continue to need their services, they devised rituals, formalities and stories that require constant attention so that we remember them as being "essential" to who and what we are.

This is not to say that all religions (or any religion) are bunkum. On the contrary, they serve a real need and their principles are usually above reproach. What many religions have suffered from are leaders who were not.

In our need to know, we have accepted outrageous claims by people, primarily because they claimed that they were being directed or spoken to directly by God or the deity who was the supernatural being of their theology.

The difference between someone who is institutionalized because they believe they are being spoken to by God and someone who is the leader of a religious cult or a religion is essentially that the latter has many followers whereas the former has none. One has public relations skills and knowledge of sociological methods while the other does not. One may also be insane, of course, but that does not say that the other is not insane in some ways as well.

Tell people that God has spoken to you and if you can convince a few (usually not difficult because some people are ready to believe anyone who claims to have been in touch with God directly) you will be able to convince many by devising the formalities that comprise today’s religions.

It’s impossible to know how many religions exist in the world today. One estimate said around 200. You may be certain about every one of them that their followers believe wholeheartedly that theirs is the only true religion, that their deity is the only true God and that they (loyal followers) are destined for eternal bliss and peace in their heaven or eventual hereafter.

The important things to understand here are two. First, all religions follow certain formats, such as having at least one holy book, leaders that claimed to be guided by their deity, special costumes, particular rituals and the followers of every one believe that their religion is the best (and usually the only one) to get them into heaven or their version of the hereafter.

The other thing to remember is that the leaders know good public relations skills and sociological methods (if they are successful), which their follower usually do not. They know how to attract and keep followers.

When we watch television, we understand that the advertisers are trying to control our minds and our behaviour enough to get us to buy their products. Many people do not approach a place of worship or a proselytizer with the same caution. They want to believe that the concept they are buying is what they need, is the best and will help them.

Does this make choosing a religion that is right for you more difficult than ever because there are so many available to us now? Or should you choose to avoid religion altogether? What it should mean to you is that you must choose a path that suits you, not someone else. Find one that satisfies you personal needs and requirements of a religion without your having to sacrifice too much of yourself to its gain.

If you choose a clear path for yourself, you have not created your own religion. You can follow any religion you like. You must, however, know that what you believe suits you, that you will be able to live the kind of life that you should to reach the destination in your life that you want.

Don’t believe someone who claims to have been spoken to by God simply because he or she seems to be sincere. Advertisers are sincere as well. You must feel that the form of religion you choose is right for you and that you can live the kind of life that will satisfy your choice.

Charlatans abound in religion. Many are no better than snake oil salesmen. For some leaders of religious groups, their purpose is no greater than to have a job they enjoy. For some, they find both power and wealth in leading large congregations of people who want little more than to be told that they are loved and protected. The latter make their followers feel good and are well rewarded and respected for this service.

You must make your own choices. Only you can live your life. Only you will be there on the final day of your life to look back and know whether or not you chose well.

Bill Allin
'Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today’s Epidemic Social Problems,' a book about real and inexpensive solutions to community problems most people think are inevitable evils of modern society. They aren't. We just have to look in the right place.
Learn more at http://billallin.com
Contact author Bill Allin at turningitaround@sympatico.ca