What is the purpose of religion?

Answer 1

I think this question comes to your mind due to some kind of disillusionment and a vehemance created out of it.

Let me rephrase your question: "What the hell is the purpose that religion serves on the face of earth?"

I say this because, for certain thngs you don't ask for purpose. It is like asking what is the purpose of Father, what is the purpose of Mother etc. They are all just there. It is when you constitute an entity by planning, that you define a purpose and then go on analysing whether it serves the purpose over a period of time.

Religions as we know today probably existed much earlier to the time before the word religion started being used for that purpose. People used to have insecurity about the world they live in, and started praying to some illogical entity which is considered to be very powerful, much powerful than their enemies, so that entity would remove all the fears. There came into existence a system of thanks giving to that entity for favours receieved in the form of sacrifice, group prayer etc. A social structure also came into existence in line with these beliefs. The total of all these, could be termed as religion.

For different sets of people it serves different purposes. It is a solace in the middle of calamity and sufferings. It is a convenient instrument to cheat others. It is a tool to rule the poor and milk them to ones own benefit. It shows the ultimate goal of life. It gives a purpose in life. It creates an order in the society. So many different and contradictory purposes does it serve.

Answer 2

There seems to be two major angles of this answer, both valid definitions. I'm aquainted with both so i will attempt to answer a clear precise answer without showing a biased opinion either way.

Religion has been said to control and keep in line, a group of people, for the purpose of profit or for the enjoyment of power.

It is also (from a more individual sense) a means to keep one on track with how he/she believes and feels life should be lived.

A person's opinion about religion being a positive or negative force , may be a big factor on which of these two angles a person emphasizes more.

Answer 3

It used to be a way to answer questions about the unknown (what happens after we die? what is a rainbow? where did people come from?) and to serve as a basis for law (the ten commandments etc) when there was no science or law enforcement to speak of. Religion has always offered a moral compass to society, and a way of uniting people of similar belief.

It offered counseling through faith for personal and family problems (tell a priest)

It offers hope to the hopeless.

It offers a way to direct and control those who could not communicate through reading or writing (hence the elaborate art all the world's religions have created over the centuries to tell their stories).

Today, we have science to explain where we came from and to answer the questions regarding our world and others. We have well-established laws and adequate forces to enforce and uphold them. We have literacy so communication and education are commonplace, and not reserved only for the rich and powerful.

We've grown as a society to replace the things religion provided with finely-tuned social programs and institutions based on research instead of faith. Today, religion has a different purpose, but its roots are easy to understand.

Answer 4

To control by promising a better time in the after life what ever that may be. All religions in some way promise salvation for those who behave themselves.

Didn't someone once say "Religion is the opium of the people"? This is what they meant I think.

Answer 5

If we set aside people who use it for negative ends, there are those that who are uncomfortable with just saying "I don't know". Religion gives them answers to the mysteries of life. For some, it is a comfort to know the grave is not the end. Some like a moral code to give them stability and to help with life's decisions. Others, like the reassurance that there is something larger and wiser than themselves looking after things. Some like having a faith that sustains them in times of emotional need or crisis. Some like the fellowship that comes from being part of a religion....helping others while helping themselves.

Answer 6

Faith and religion are 2 different things. Religion governs how you live your life while faith is the individual expression of your relationship with God.

Answer 7

religion is just a word, with no purpose to it.
i beleive in God and that comes with purpose enough.

Answer 8

To produce conflict between:
Catholics and Protestants
Muslims and Jews
Hindus and Muslims
Muslims and Christians

Answer 9

"Purpose" of religion?

Answer 10

To control.