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Originally Posted by Michael Chui  Then we go back to asking what religion is: its roots? its unchanging beliefs? its expression? Is it dependent on who you ask? (Well, of course it is, but that's not my fault. :P) |
To quote from Shakespeare: "Ay, there's the rub". What is religion? Who knows!
And so as to get somewhat back on topic, I think that's ultimately where the question of "what is the purpose of religion" becomes difficult -- if not impossible -- to answer. It seems (in my experience) that many people define religion based on what they percieve its purpose is; by the same token, many people define the purpose of religion based on what they understand religion to be. And ultimately, it becomes a circular argument -- if religion is X, then its purpose is Y. If it's purpose is Y, then religion is Z (which may, or may not, be X). So one's answer will always be relative to his/her experience / understanding of what is and isn't included in religion. For some, the experience of social control may define religion, and so they see that as its purpose. For others, it might be more based on questions of "what happens when I die" or "where did we come from" or the always popular "why are we here?" And I don't think any one of those answers would be wrong -- because they all reflect different aspects and perceptions of religion.
All of which is just a long-winded way of saying that my answer to the original question is, and will remain, a firm "it depends."
