I will soon be 79 years of age and I have spent a lot of time trying to determine the value of religions. When I was a teenager I remember quizzing the minister of my Protestant Christian church about the relationship between the Bible's Genesis account and the process of evolution. His explanation was muddled at best. As a scientist and an educator I long ago accepted as fact the evolution of life on Planet Earth. People in the United States who reject modern science are doing themselves and their families a disservice by holding on to a past that no longer exists.
I have concluded that there is no true religion that humans should or can follow. Throughout history religions have been invented by humans (mostly men) to answer questions people had about the changing seasons, the life force found in plants and animals, the various phenomena in the heavens such as the sun, moon, stars, eclipses, etc. and most importantly the meaning of life and death. Today, we have no need for a religion to answer these questions and concerns, science is providing the way forward.
My observation is that religions were invented by humans to provide answers for the unknown and to provide a power base for leaders to control their followers. It is Politics All The Time and it has been so in the past. Today the major religions are controlled by MEN who manipulate people and events to maintain their power. There are so many religions on the planet because humans are so fickle, so argumentative, so different, so opinionated that they simply have a real hard time agreeing on anything. Thus fighting over religion has been a blood sport for thousands of years with humans killing each other by the millions.
Does this mean "GOD IS DEAD"? Humans invented "gods" to explain the unknown. There seems to have been a constant feeling among humans that there exists a power beyond their understanding. However when trying to describe such an entity we use terms such as "listen to my prayer" (assumes ears), "look down upon us sinners" (assumes eyes), "walk with me" (assumes legs).
"forgive us" (assumes empathy), smile down upon us (assumes a face), etc. In essence we are describing a human image that people insist does not show their "God".
In my opinion, the way to have a truly religious experience is for a person to make a direct connection with something and be moved by the experience such as a beautiful flower, a stunning painting, a colorful sunset, a child's smile, a butterfly, a campfire, or a perceived spiritual presence. Religious experiences are personal and different for everyone.
Modern religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam use building for followers to gather for worship activities. I believe the buildings, shrines and other symbols such as the cross, Buddha, etc. have become political symbols of separation. This is how a group establishes their power within a community. Catholic cathedrals were build to dominate the landscape and still do in many cities in Europe and the US. I remember a conversation I had as a teenager in my Sunday School class. The question was ----Could a person worship outside a church? The teacher did not think so. Modern religions are by nature conservative; and are stuck in the current political system that, in my opinion, is slowly decaying. None of the major religions are really moving humans toward a progressive future.
It may be that in order for us to move to a better place, a safer place, a more tolerant place, a happier place we must abandon the rigidity of modern religions. For older humans who have grown up in their religious traditions it will be very difficult for them to disavow what they have believed their entire adult lives.
However the young, who are always more idealistic are showing the way. They are motivated by the threats to their future of worldwide climate change, of terrorism, of nuclear war, and they see the adults in charge scamming the system for themselves not really caring about their future. If religious institutions are unable to work to solve problems, accept compromise, make necessary changes and give our youth a path to a better life, future generations will abandon the religions of their parents in search of something better.
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