What does it mean to be religious?

"By connecting with others through religion, we find something greater than ourselves. It is necessary for us to overcome our vanity and the vanity of the world, and transform what is unshakable into eternal things."

- Blaise Pascal

It's hard to deny that religions play an important role in almost everyone's life, including mine. I was raised in a Christian home, and although I don't currently consider myself a religious person, I still celebrate the holidays with my immediate family. My motivation for doing so comes not only from a respect for tradition, but also from a desire to spend time with my loved ones.

This fact is not isolated, as according to data, 84% of the world's population claim to belong to a religion¹. The most popular are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, which together account for almost 80% of believers. It is worth noting, however, that not all of them are strictly religious, but often, like me, cherish the traditions associated with their religion. I firmly believe that religions, at least in the beginning, existed to bring people together, not to divide them. These figures show the significant impact religions have had on the lives of people around the world, both on an individual and societal level.

Mahatma Gandhi, noting the importance of religion in people's lives, said: "Religions are trees and different faiths are branches of the same tree. There is no higher or lower among them."² This quote captures the universality and interconnectedness of different beliefs that religion brings and emphasizes its role in uniting people despite the diversity of beliefs. A similar message can be found in the words of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who emphasizes: "The main essence of all religions is self-restraint, love and compassion."³ This quote suggests that despite the differences between religions, they all promote values that contribute to the peace and well-being of societies.

St. Augustine emphasizes these values by saying: "In matters of principle, let there be unity. In matters of doubt, liberty. But in all things, love."⁴ His words point to love and understanding of others, despite differing beliefs, as key values shared by different religions. From these different perspectives, one can see that religions are an integral part of many societies around the world. Although individual beliefs and practices differ among religions, many promote values that contribute to greater empathy, understanding and cooperation among people.

In the context of the world's religious diversity, it is worth noting the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who remarked "God speaks to each of us in a language we can understand. To understand God, we must be able to understand each other."⁵ This quote emphasizes that different religions are merely different paths to the same goal of understanding and experiencing the sacred. In this context, theories such as those of Joseph Campbell take on even greater significance. Campbell argues that religions have a profound effect on our psyche through myths and archetypes, saying: "Myth is the mask of God that a culture uses to express the inexpressible."⁶ Thus, religions serve not only as belief systems, but also as tools for understanding and transforming our own existential experience.

Understanding the common values embodied in different religions can help build community and peaceful coexistence. The world's various religions, such as Christianity, Confucianism, and Buddhism, teach principles based on the idea of the "golden mean" to promote harmony among people. Thus, although different religions have different beliefs and practices, many of them emphasize universal values that can be a source of peace, cooperation and mutual understanding.

Today, religions seem to have strayed from their original ideas and values of uniting people and promoting peace and cooperation. Although the founders and spiritual leaders of many religions passed on wisdom and teachings related to love, empathy, and tolerance, unfortunately, in practice, religions have often been used to achieve other goals.

Throughout history, we see how religions have been used as tools of social control, political power, and manipulation of the masses. Examples of such phenomena include the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the conflicts surrounding Protestantism and Catholicism during the Reformation. Although, as I mentioned earlier, one of the main tenets of religion was to bring people together, in practice this often failed. Without mentioning other consequences, I would like to point out how many people died needlessly.

1. The Crusades (1096-1291): It is estimated that between 1 and 3 million people died as a result of the eight major crusades, as well as numerous smaller crusades. This figure includes both crusaders and Middle Easterners who were victims of the conflicts.

2. Inquisition (ca. 1231-1834): It is difficult to estimate the exact number of victims of the Inquisition because there were different stages of the process and different forms of the Inquisition (Spanish, Portuguese, Roman). However, estimates suggest that the Inquisition may have been responsible for the deaths of between 3,000 and 30,000 people, most of whom fell to the Spanish Inquisition.

3. Reformation (ca. 1517-1648): The Reformation of the Church led to numerous religious conflicts and wars, both internal and international. These include the Peasants' Revolt in Germany (1524-1525), the Wars of Religion in France (1562-1598), and the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). It is estimated that the total number of victims of these conflicts may have been in the millions.

Even in the 20th and 21st centuries, conflicts such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Northern Ireland, the Rwandan genocide, or various clashes in the Middle East show that religious differences can lead to significant numbers of casualties. It should be emphasized, however, that these conflicts are not directly related solely to religious differences; often religious differences are only a pretext.

On the other hand, religions often promote charity and volunteerism and serve as a source of emotional support for their followers. Examples include Caritas (a Catholic organization), Islamic Relief (a Muslim organization), and World Jewish Relief (a Jewish organization). They operate around the world and provide assistance in education, health care, emergency relief, and poverty alleviation.

Stereotypes also play an important role. Because of what happens in the media and certain historical events, Muslims are often wrongly associated only with terrorism. Because of such thinking, we ignore valuable things in Islam, such as "zakat. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and states that Muslims must give a portion of their wealth to charity. In this way, Muslims support the poor, the needy, orphans, widows, debtors, or travelers.

Freedom of religion is one of the basic human rights. It allows us to choose to believe in God or not, to practice a particular religion or not. What is important is to respect other people's choices and their freedom to practice their faith without fear of persecution or discrimination.

Personally, I believe that different religions and their practices have great potential when it comes to values such as love, respect, and compassion. Even if we are not believers, we can be inspired by these values and incorporate them into our lives, which in turn will allow us to become better people.

It is worth noting that each of us has an innate morality that leads us to act according to certain values. As psychology professor Paul Bloom said in an interview: "People are born with a certain sense of morality. This does not mean that they are perfect moral beings to begin with. We know that children are selfish, sometimes cruel and aggressive. But we can already see in infants that they can distinguish between right and wrong, that they can show compassion, and even that they have a sense of justice".

Moreover, not only religions, but also value systems that are not based on religious beliefs, such as humanism or secularism, teach moral principles that are conducive to building a peaceful and tolerant society. An example of this is the possibility of choosing between religious and ethical education in school.

Therefore, I believe that respecting other people and their religious choices is key to maintaining peace and harmony in society. In my opinion, religions should introduce more cultural and interreligious elements that draw attention to the diversity of cultures and religions. Unfortunately, we often forget the importance of respecting other cultures and religions if we want to build a better world together. Therefore, we should promote these values more actively.

In conclusion, I would like to quote Pope Francis from one of his speeches:

"The message of every religion is to be a message of love, not of division, a message of reconciliation, not of hostility. All religions are called to promote peace. True adherence to religion is a counterweight to activities that promote confrontation and division."

Bibliography:

¹ Statistics based on data from The Pew Research Center (2012).

² Gandhi, M. K. (2001). Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha). Mineola, NY: Dover Publications.

³ Dalai Lama (1998). The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.

⁴ Augustine of Hippo (1958). Letters of St. Augustine. New York, NY: Newman Press.

⁵ Sacks, J. (2002). The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations. London, UK: Continuum.

⁶ Campbell, J. (1988). The Power of Myth. New York, NY: Doubleday.

⁷ Gospel of Matthew 7:12.

⁸ Confucius (2007). The Analects of Confucius. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. ⁹ Dhammapada, verse 183.