by Jacob Walker

Created on: September 15, 2009   Last Updated: September 16, 2009

Religion has evolved into a heavily organized and structured approach to spirituality. Before we can determine whether or not religion should be practiced in any form, we need to first clarify the origins of organized religion. Even before the dawn of Christianity or Buddhism, many hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans questioned everything about the world around them. Once we began to understand and embrace the idea of self, we became aware of our own existence. Mankind has always had a natural curiosity about the world around us. We were amazed by the basic complexities of the earth and the role of life. Religion in its most basic form allowed our curiosity to surrender to imagination. Over time, religion became a separate part of life. Human beings no longer were forced to roam in confusion; we could fill the feelings of emptiness and loneliness. It was a comforting realization knowing a higher power watches over you and your life, a power that can provide answers and morality, rules and structure. Like a small child, we constantly ask why.

Religion began to escalate into an authority to mankind. It was the compass of our desires and the path to happiness. Before we knew it, religion was incorporated into every aspect of human evolution. Our history, over thousands of years, is written on the hand of God. It is startling to imagine what the world would have been like yesterday and today if we did not have religion. Unfortunately for us, science had not progressed enough to provide the answers we needed. It took the spirit and innate curiosity of the notable few that allowed us to escape the depressive strain religion had on our minds. Explorers, driven both by wealth and wonder, drew back the curtain to show us new places. Scientists and religious skeptics unwound the erroneous concepts of the beginnings of life and the nature of the universe. Had human beings evolved to such intelligence during its beginnings, we would have accepted the fact that the world is full of unanswered questions.

On the issue of morality, it is a simple fact that the ability to determine right and wrong is an innate quality. Government provides laws and structure just as easily as religion, never mind the excessive expense. Long ago settlers set out to escape religious persecution, seeking independence. However, ultimate independence is the freedom of your mind. Today, we fight daily to escape governmental control over our lives. We struggle to speak our ideas, for fear of offending someone else. Religion continues to play a powerful role in our lives, whether you practice a particular religion or not, its jurisdiction remains closely rooted. Wars are fought over religion on a constant basis. They will continue to be started as long as religion continues to evolve. As much as the natural order becomes disrupted by fantasy, mankind will never truly enjoy the ability to think for ourselves.

We are not children; we are independent, intelligent people. We are beyond the need to feel accepted by a higher power. Human beings are programmed to belong to one another. As a collective society, we have everything we need to survive and evolve happily. Senseless dreams of God and salvation will only bring more pain and death. Science is the only true provider of answers. The universe is an immense place, filled with danger and uncertainty. To feel comforted by faith is only an illusion.

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