Is Religion Any Good?
I spent years each as a Baptist, a Lutheran, a Buddhist, and a non-denominational. For a decade and more I’ve continued to be amazed at the richness and depth to be found in the practice of Orthodox Christianity. Here is something I have come to believe:
Religion is a means, not an end. It is the way we connect with one another, about connecting with the Mystery that lies beyond. God is not bound by the religious box we put him in. Heck, God is not even a him.
Religion is a toolset. I can make something amazing with lousy-quality tools or I can do a schlock job with top-quality tools. It’s not the toolset that matters; it’s what I do with it. I mustn’t get hung up on the brand I prefer, or think mine’s better than someone else’s, or fear that mine’s not good enough.
Religion is a language. I can use it to bless and encourage, or to curse or control. It is no more a betrayal of my religion to engage in dialog with a Muslim or an atheist or a pagan—on their terms, on their turf—than it is a betrayal of my native English to converse with certain friends in Spanish.
Religion is for help and not for harm. I make progress toward a More Whole Life alongside those who travel its road with me. And I bemoan the woe caused by those (alas, including me) who have used it as a bludgeon.
Religion is a grand parable. It tells a story that conveys deep and abiding truth. I need not be troubled about whether all the particulars of all of its stories are “true.”
Religion is a complement of science, not its enemy. When the earth was found to revolve around the sun rather than vice versa, we simply had to stretch our religious understanding as we’d stretched our scientific understanding.
Religion is a choice—not unlike choosing a mate. In my twenties, I tried juggling multiple simultaneous relationships. I came to realize there’s a depth of intimacy that can be found only by choosing and investing in one.
Christ came not to establish a new religion, but to demonstrate the dazzling power of ultimate love. His harshest diatribes were against those who let their religion get in the way of their faith.
I have learned to find freedom within religion; I do not need freedom from religion. I relish the delight of wonder, the value—nay, the necessity—of doubt, the exhilaration of discovery in a shared spiritual life.
So … is religion any good? I offer a qualified “yes.”
I have come to see religion as a gift to the human race that, rightly regarded, can give each soul guidance toward faith, hope and love. Religion points to the treasure. It is not the treasure.
I embrace my religion wholeheartedly. I seek to live it with gratitude and congruence.
And I hold it with an open hand.