What is the purpose of religion?

Question

...just fishing for opinions, do't you all go self-righteous on me (especially if you're Christian/Muslims, in which case self-righteousness is hypocritical to your faith).

Answer 1

Religion is finite man trying to reach infinite God. Jesus Christ is infinite God trying to reach finite man. The purpose of religion is to show how futile it is, and cause one to search for the Truth of God.

Answer 2

In my view, to keep the public under control. To make people seem less important than they really are. Ever notice on how it goes on and on and on in the bible that it's "God's way" and not "your way"? And there so many what ifs that the bible clearly can't put to rest. What if a person never hears about the bible but lived the best life they could? What if a baby dies, where does it go??? But to top it all, there are many questions I ask about the whole religion thing. What was before Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and all the others??? There had to be a beginning point. To me, religion is pointless. Look how much more suffering than "salvation" has came out of religion over the last 1000 years. Look what has been carried out in the name of religion over the last 1000 years. It is simply sickening for one religion to say they are the best when they add to the suffering to all people cause they are beaten, harassed phsyically and mentally, brainwashed into thinking their religion is wrong and another is right. Thanks for listening to me go on and on about this. Hope this helps any.

Answer 3

To have a close, personal relationship with God the Father.

We were seperated from God through the sin of Adam and Eve.

Jesus came into the world to appease God so that we could have that relationship with our Father back.

Evidence of this is also found in other religions like the Buddhist Jataka tales, the Native American stories about Degonaduida and Wankontonka and many others.

One good Buddhist story I can recommend is The Cat Who Went To Heaven.

It's a wonderful story about self-sacrifice, loyalty, humility, pride and joy.

Here is a story of the Iroquois Nation.

In an ancient time, the Haudenosaunee were ruled by warfare and anarchy, and people lived in fear and hunger, preyed upon by powerful warriors and tyrants.

One day, a white stone carried a man, born of a virgin, across Onondaga Lake to announce The Good News of Peace had come, and killing and violence would end. "Peace," he said, "is the desire of the Holder of the Heavens. Peace comes when people adopt the Creator's Mind, which is Reason."

For years The Peacemaker traveled teaching the Path of Peace—that "all people love one another and live together in peace." One by one he convinced each person, village and nation to accept his teaching. Hiawatha, an Onondaga, was his spokesman. John David Fadden

At last, all the people gathered Onondaga Lake for the first Grand Council of the United Nations. There, Peacemaker transmitted The Great Law of Peace—instructions to form a society and government based on liberty, dignity and harmony.

The White Pine—with five needles clasped as one—became symbol of Five Nations united as one Confederacy. Peacemaker uprooted a White Pine, exposing a deep cavern with a river at its bottom. He told warriors to cast weapons into this hole and the river carried the tools of war deep in the Earth.

Replanting the White Pine, The Peacemaker said, "To bury the hatchet signifies the end of war, killing and violence." a complete, authorized account of The Legend of the Peacemaker was published as:

"The Tree of Peace," Peacemaker explained, "has four white roots extending to Earth's four corners. Anyone who desires peace can follow the roots to their source and find shelter under The Great Tree."

Atop the White Pine sits Eagle-that-sees-far to be ever vigilant to sound alarm when evil threatens. The Great Peace endured for centuries before Europeans came to the New World.

From:

White Roots of Peace
The Iroquois Book of Life
By: Paul A. W. Wallace

Answer 4

Well first off, what is a religion?
Is it a way of life?
Is it what you believe in?
Why does anybody believe in anything?
People often follow a religion because it brings sense to how the universe was created, it gives people comfort if they're feeling low and it gives people advice as to how they deal with every day life.
I'm a Christian. I don't personally agree with this Catholic/Protestant lark, so I just call myself a Christian.
I follow Christianity because it simplifies life for me, a subject that can be very confusing and maddening at times. Simple morals and lessons from the Bible have helped me to deal with life's annoyances. I'm not prude, mind you, I'm not all thou shalt not drink or have sex before marriage. As I said, simple lessons from the Bible. A Christian isn't someone who just claims they believe in God and Jesus and that's that. That isn't the way with any religion. A Christian, for example, is someone who embraces the way Christ dealt with life. Endure life's injuries, don't let them overcome you and treat life's annoyances with utmost patience. Which, if you ask me, is something anybody should try following, regardless of their religion or regardless of whether they are a steadfast atheist or agnostic.
For some, religion is a way of life, it is life, it is the reason why they get through every day.
We live in a different era now, in Ireland fourty years ago everyone went to church every morning, and the women covered their heads. Now, kids just pass notes in a pointless "religion" lesson being told to make a fish shaped bookmark and write Jesus or Mary on it, and this is the most religious activity they get up to each week. No church, no covering one's head and no being scrubbed from head to toe the night before church so as to make yourself presentable to The Virgin.
People are losing faith in believing. Not believing in a religion, just belief itself. Everyone needs something to believe in, or else they become bitter and lose all hope.
Most people don't admit this though, this is why there is prejudice and fear and pig ignorance. People turn to the tabloids for answers.
It's a pretty sad situation really. You then get these radicals who use their "religion" as an excuse for their prejudice. Whether they be Christians, Jews, Muslims, whatever they CLAIM to be they aren't really.
We're living in a world of hatred or fear and we need to do something about it.

Answer 5

Well I don't think you can ask what is the purpose of religion, maybe a better question would be, What is the purpose of life.

I think that "religion" is a name given to a group of people who believe in something. Something bigger than man, that we have a hard time understanding. When you search for religion, most times you will find God. When you search for God, most times you find Jesus. When you find Jesus, you find eternal life.

People are going to answer and say hateful things because there are so many of them (religions). The Devil wouldn't want one way to reach Christ, because he doesn't want you to find Christ. He wants it to be confusing.

Do you really believe that when we die, we are just dead, gone, never to be again?

Answer 6

to give an explanation to the unanswered questions in life: where do we come from? who are we? why am I here? what is my purpose? from a secular view: religions give us hope in this life to stride for the best with the idea of an afterlife reward, therefore reducing our anxiety of death.
from a faithful view: religion (christianity) is god's plan for us, why we are here and where we are going when we die.

Answer 7

In my opinion, organized religion began because people wanted a way to worship together and share common beliefs.

Answer 8

To put our being in the context of the mystery of existence. Unfortunately, most of the time it's corrupted to where it becomes a worship of the ego, where we want to live forever and we project a god that supports these ego concepts.

Answer 9

I agree with inge w If you are strong, you have a mind of your own and don't need the teachings of any religion to tell you how to run your life with the aim of reaching heaven. or hell if you are bad. stay clear of it all.

Answer 10

To try and establish a deeper meaning to one's existence, besides "eat, sleep, procreate, and die".

Oh yeah--control too. But people (i.e.cave dwellers, hunters/gatherers, etc.) had established "religion" long before opportunists siezed upon it for the purpose of controlling others.

-A Pagan