Religion: is it forever?

Five: The absence of valid counterarguments. Existentialism is the only philosophy arising from the belief that God does not exist. Nietzsche announced the death of God. Kierkegaard, a Christian, told us that we are alone, anxiety claims us all Heidegger put forward the belief that life is absurd, as did Camus. Sartre pointed out that we have no purpose, we exist only. The arguments are quite frightening. Life is absurd, abandoned, it has no meaning.

The existentialists’ beliefs on the meaninglessness, the absurdity, the anguish, of our lives are disconcerting. We evolved from the primordial slime, as accidents of evolution, with no purpose or meaning. We live our four score years or so, sometimes with great pain. Then we die. Gone forever. It is fairly meaningless.

We can give ourselves meaning, of course, purposes in our lives, apart from religious beliefs - our family, work, our special undertakings. But that is individual, not collective.

Philosophers have tried to provide us with answers. The early philosophers gave us eudaimonia - a fulfilling life. Aristotle set out the path through a series of virtues (although some of them are very self serving, it must be admitted). In modern times John Rawls gave us justice - a world that is fair. Bentham and Mill built on the ancients to argue for both a personal and a political philosophy - creating happiness, ensuring minimum pain for the greatest number. Mill, the more sophisticated thinker, warning to care for the minority. In that eudaimonia can be translated as happiness, utility is a philosophy that has been with the human race longer than most major religions. But it has been attacked, at time viciously, and at times by the churches. Philosophy has been trying for 2,500 years, but has not as yet been successful, in mapping out a “why” for our lives.

Atheists have tried to give us purpose. Richard Dawkins has given us the ten atheist commandments. Andre Compte-Sponville has just brought out a book in atheist spirituality. He puts the concept of the faithful atheist - faithful to ourselves and others. Sam Harris has told us to try meditation, not such an odd idea. The existentialists also have tried. With somewhat conflicting approaches, they appear to agree that we are in charge - we decide, not others. Sartre, In Existentialism Is a Humanism has put forward concepts on our lives with which we could possibly agree.

But there is a long way to go. The spirituality, the fears, the meaning of our lives are eternal questions. Many directions are possible. We can guess that religious practices will continue to decline, at least in the West. We can guess that the inflexible dogmatic rulings of today’s church leaders - somewhat reminiscent of the purges of the Inquisition (although thankfully bloodless) will give way to individual beliefs and practices, possibly without God. Some Eastern religions have already taken that path.

But I cannot ever see the day when religion will be abandoned completely. At the ceremonial points of our life - at births, marriages and above all death. Mothers will always pray for the loss of a loved one. We will always need consolation. Some will pray, even when they do not believe in God, at times when they are close to abandoning hope. Spiritual leaders have arisen, will continue to arise, some will be shamans, even charlatans, others will be genuine. Many will follow.