Introduction to the Purpose of Religion
Bill Tammeus' Perspective on Religion
Justice Markandey Katju's Atheist Viewpoint
- Why Do People Believe in Religion?
- Religion as Psychological Support for the Poor
- Religious Belief Among the Well-Off
- The Future of Religion and Advancements in Science
Discover Justice Markandey Katju's thought-provoking take on the purpose of religion. From the psychological support it offers the poor to its significance for the well-off, delve into this debate on faith, superstition, and the potential future of science replacing religion.
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| A Debate on Faith and Science |
The purpose of religion
By Justice Markandey Katju
Bill Tammeus is my American friend who lives in Kansas City, Missouri. He came to India with his father, an agricultural expert, in or around 1957 and was my classmate in Boys High School, Allahabad. Later he went back to America and became a journalist. Having retired, he does social work, and is also a preacher in his Presbyterian Church,
Bill also has a blog called Bill's Faith Matters Blog on which he regularly posts articles,
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| Justice Katju with Bill Tammeus |
Bill's latest blog has an article called 'A foundational question: what the heck is the purpose of religion'.
Blll, being a believer in God, has his own understanding of the purpose of religion, and I being an atheist, have another.
I regard all religions to be superstitions, the truth being in science, which is never final but always developing, I have explained my view in this article.
Although all religions are false (being unscientific), yet the vast majority of people in the world are religious, Why ?
The majority of people in the world are poor. Their lives are so miserable that they would go mad or commit suicide if they did not have religion as a psychological support. So the purpose of religion for poor people is to enable them to remain sane and survive.
But it is not just poor people who are religious. Many relatively well off people also are. Why ?
That is because we are still at a low level of development of science (compared to what it will be, say, after 100 years hence ). We plan something, but something else happens. In other words, we cannot control our lives. So we believe there are some supernatural powers like God which control our lives, and which must be propitiated to keep them benevolent and not turn malevolent.
For instance, when a businessman starts a new business he cannot be 100% sure it will be successful, despite his best planning. There may be a recession, or some other unforeseen eventuality may intervene and cause him losses. So he also starts believing in some supernatural force like God which influences our lives, and to whom we must pray
As Shakespeare said in King Lear " As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods, they kill us for their sport ".
But say 100 years hence, science will have developed to such an extent that we will be able to control our lives. There will then be no need of religion, which will then disappear.
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. These are his personal views.)
