Religion and Human Morality: A commentary on theological history.

Language. What is the purpose of language?

The expression of opinions and perspectives, discussion and conversation.

When it comes to a question of circumstances and situations that hinder that process, perhaps the most prominent is the concept of religion and the rules therein that guide one’s behavior. Religion, in itself, is an extremely controversial topic to have a discussion on, be it on whatever basis. But like that could ever stop me from coming on here and saying that I, on an extremely personal level, find the concept of religion both irrelevant and imperative. Many evils of this world can be attributed to religion, but that cannot take away from the reality that religion, initially at least, was formed as a way to normalize the concept of human morality. The Divine Command theory talks about how an action is only morally good because it is a commandment of god. As you go further back in time, back to when the first religions came into being, it is very evident that the rules they dictated were intended as a way to instill in people kindness and goodness. 

David Friedrich Strauss’ “The life of Jesus, critically examined” postulates that the Bible was mostly a fictional piece of work, created by early Christians to solidify the faith, but that the message shared and learned by the book still remains valid. He studied the Bible in detail and discovered that the majority of the religious “truths” could be disproven by science, but the work seeks to instill love, kindness, and forgiveness in its followers, and that still stands regardless of the fictionality of the book.

All surviving religions can be traced back to similar roots.

That brings us to my question. Do we need religion? Could humanity have evolved properly without the influence of faith and religion?

In today’s world, I would suggest that we do not need religion. All the morality that had to be learned through those scriptures, we have already learned. But does that mean that religion should be eradicated? This requires an answer that is a bit more complex, I fear.

On the one hand, there is ‘religion’ that was established millennia ago. Many theologists describe the need for religion as a way to fill in the gaps in human knowledge. God was a way to make sense of a life that didn’t make sense by itself. And on the other, there’s the religion that exists today, organized religion. Religion can be very simply described as the concept of a common faith in a higher power. But religion isn’t really just that anymore.

Faith has turned into organized religion, an unnecessarily strict set of doctrines and scriptures to follow which are under debate by several schools of thought, with no ultimate gospel truth in sight. Faith gives a sense of purpose, ease of mind, and a community to find solace in, but religion today has turned into an institution of exploitation, control, and punishment.

I believe faith is a blessing. Faith cannot and should not be removed from society, but the world does not need organized religion. It has never needed the institutionalization of a practice so intimate and delicate, and it will never need it going forward.

Organized Religion makes a mockery of the morality faith was supposed to foster, allowing people to spread hate under the law supposedly laid down by God. The Divine Command theory specifies that the actual morality of an action doesn’t really matter for a reason. Because the truth is that what is moral or not, what is right or not, only and only depends on what god commands. If God commands that homosexuality is a sin and all homosexuals should be stoned to death for this sin, then it is the morally correct act to stone these innocent individuals to death. If God says eating non-vegetarian food on a Tuesday is a sin, then it simply is a sin whether or not the superstition has any semblance of logic behind it.

Human Morality has come a long way since the origin of religion, and we don’t need the commandments of the divine anymore to know whether an action is right or wrong. Organized religion takes advantage of the divine command theory, and the people in power can make and implement rules and laws under the name of God for their own benefit.

Humans do NOT need religion anymore, but faith is a gift we must appreciate and respect.

But can we have faith without organized religion?

Absolutely. Faith, at its core, is a personal belief system that provides meaning and purpose. It can be a source of strength, guiding individuals through life's challenges.

Organized religion, on the other hand, is a rulebook and a hierarchy.  While it can offer community and structure, it can also be exclusionary and stifle individual spiritual exploration.

The future of faith may lie in a more personal and adaptable approach. Language, used thoughtfully and with an openness to diverse perspectives, can be a bridge for understanding across faiths and even between those who hold no religious beliefs.

With love, 

Kev