March 31, 2011
The Evolution of Faith
With ever changing times, societies continuously develop and forsake ideals and values. The essence of this cycle is the driving force for any progressive community, in a scientific sense, a cultural sense, or a religious one. Within the realms of science, in order for experts to put forth new ideas they must first acknowledge either flaws or unknowns within the current models. In consequence, new interactions previously unnoted are found and constants can be defined on more precise levels.
Given that the new model more accurately models the world, this is a very large return for a little humility and willingness to admit error. Within the realm of religion however, the same cannot be said. The very nature of faith itself is one of adamant stability. To admit errors or unknowns would be to admit falsehoods and misconceptions. While this has been noted to happen on occasion throughout history (particularly in the history of Christianity) this leads to divisions of both the faith and the society.
And so a society that holds reverence for both science and religion comes to a dilemma. There is not enough space within a single society for both religion and science to lack boundaries. Conflicts have already started to arise; stem cell research and cloning have run into arguments which find basis at least partially in religious values. The Theory of Evolution in particular has caused friction in both the scientific and educational settings. And as science progresses these conflicts will only continue to develop, more accurately define reality, and ultimately leave a smaller domain for religion. Regardless of the nature of religion or its wishes upon the matter, religion will eventually be placed into a new position within society.
But at what cost? Religion can be a very messy thing. Religion has been seen to cause societies to spark wars, reject advancements, and cause irreparable damages. Religion is itself one of the most powerful ideas mankind has ever discovered. Religion can cause a man to strap explosives to himself, draw up weapons, or even improve his ways. Religion has lead to countless deaths, but it has also improved countless lives. Almost every corner of the world has at one time developed its own religion, and with that religion its customs, its ways, its morals. Without this "eternal enforcer", morals could appear drastically different than they do today. Without religion’s threats and promises of an afterlife, preachings upon redemption and hope, mankind would who he has become. Regardless of whether a society wishes to admit it or not, religion affects everyone; through its influences and teaches, or through an individual’s rejection of it, religion impacts all individuals and their outlooks upon reality.
The benefits of religion upon society are too great to reject. In a truly godless society unity could be a difficult thing to achieve. People can find too many differences in political preference, ethnicity, and countless other aspects of life. Diversity is not a difficult thing to achieve within an opinionated community; the more difficult aspect of the community is accepting differences and still finding a sense of unity. With the continued existence of religion, in the realm of culture and tradition, unity could still fairly easily be maintained.
Perhaps this may be the final placement of religion, as a symbol of cultural unity. If this were the case, zealotry and martyrdom for the sake of religion would cease to exist, and yet the blessings of faith would still be enjoyed by mankind. Perhaps this could be the final placement of religion, and perhaps society is already on this path. As generations question the ways of their ancestors, religion has been seen to become much more moderate than it once was. Many families has stopped regularly attending churches, through continued some of its other aspects, such as the celebration of Easter or Christmas. Perhaps this trend will continue and religion will naturally find a new role in society. Only time will tell ...
