by Renae Richardson

Created on: June 07, 2009   Last Updated: June 12, 2009

One great philosopher once said "I think therefore I am".

No one will deny that intellect is the great gift of humanity. We are abundantly blessed with reason. It is our intellect and ability to reason that sets us apart from animals. While it is a great privilege to reason, it is yet our curse to rationalize everything, including our very existence.

It would be mere folly not to agree that we all need something to believe in. There is absolute hopelessness in the absence of belief. Look through history. Most of our lives have been spent formulating systems of beliefs and setting up rules and statues predicated on those claims. Our great country is founded on freedoms to believe as one will. Early settlers set out to explore the new world in efforts to be free from religious oppression. They wanted to be free to practice as they saw fit. They wanted to be free to search for meaning and purpose in their own lives. I don't believe they could have survived without such drive. I don't believe that anyone could even begin to grasp the possibility of life without purpose.

What is religion?

Most confuse religion with spirituality. In a matter of speaking the two are closely related. However, they are not the same. Religion is not spirituality.

Essentially religion is a practice or a ritual. I would best define religion as a set of practices that we commit to which center around theoretical imaginings.

What is the difference between religion and spirituality?

The way we act or practice is a direct reflection of the condition of the inner man; the spirit. In this sense religion is spiritual. If one wished to diagnose the ailment of a man's mentality one would have to look no further than his or her interaction with the world or even more so his or her reaction to life experiences. However, spirituality is much deeper.

Why do religions exist?

We form beliefs and belief systems!

We seek purpose. In our search we cling to those things which appease our conscience; those things we feel more comfortable with. We look for evidence to prove those beliefs. We indoctrinate ourselves and others on our findings until it becomes real to us. Subsequently, we adopt patterns of behavior that reflect those beliefs. We put those beliefs into practice. This makes religion a science of sorts as it is predicated on theories which have been tried and proven, at least by a few individuals.

Then it can be argued that truth is relative. We all have our separate versions of the truth. If one can dig deep enough they can find evidence proving just about any belief. This is what makes us so passionate about how and why we practice. Much of our reasoning for existence is enveloped in those practices. When one's religious beliefs are buffeted, they feel as if they themselves are being attacked. What is there left to build upon after one's foundation has been dismantled.

Truly, religion can find its basis in the mind of any man rational or irrational. Therefore, religion is subjective.

Why do religions exist?

Religions exist because man developed them.

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