Finding New Religion

nScience has systematically shredded almost everything religion holds dear. We know through carbon dating the earth is considerably older than the eight thousand years that the Bible explains. We also see through Darwin that the vast array of species on this planet is the result of countless mutations that survive due to their fitness to exploit a given environment, not monuments of stagnant design of a creator. Galileo, even in the face of Catholic Church opposition, repeated the view of Copernicus that the earth and the planets of our solar system orbit around the sun; further destroying the absurd notion that the earth is the center of the universe.n Yet despite the force of scientific discovery, a belief in God and afterlife is nearly universal. Religion is a central aspect of identity for people all over the planet, even in the richest and most educated countries. To some religiosity is so important they cling to the dogmatic view that every word of their religious documents, no matter how seemingly unreasonably, is infallibly true. Even among those that don't hold dogma in high esteem regularly report that spirituality is a very important part of their life.n The persistence of a God belief then must be rooted deeply in our psyche. In his book The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins claims that religion is a by product of evolution. He says that children are genetically wired to listen to their parents because they give mostly solid advice. Unfortunately, he writes, a child can’t distinguish the good advice, don’t touch fire, from the bad, sacrifice a goat and study how the blood splatters for the purpose of divination. n I suspect the stubbornness of the God belief has something to do with ego. It comforts us to feel like we were intentionally designed and it provides a ready made sense of belonging and meaning. To question God is to face the possibility of insignificance, uncertainty, and chaos.n I wonder what would happen if humanity stopped believing God or afterlife? Would that change the way we behave? Would we become more selfish than we already are? I suppose that it could be argued that if people stopped believing in an omnipotent and all knowing being that monitors all thoughts and actions, chaos and despair would ensue. I, however, believe that doesn't need to be the case. n For me the advice of Jesus to treat others like you want to be treated would be no less relevant. Sure one could rationalize that since no divine punishment would be given for actions we would be free to do what ever selfish act we wanted. But I feel that would not bring happiness. To treat other living things with respect and compassion as Jesus, the Buddha, Krishna, Mohamed, Moses and many others have advised us would still be true. What would we gain by ignoring religious principles of love? In my opinion, we would reap nothing but war and alienation. n We don’t need religion to be good to one another. All we have to realize is that we need each other as well as all other salient beings on this planet for survival. Companionship, food, shelter, happiness, or love would not be possible without living resources. It feels right to bond with living and inanimate material that surrounds us. The energy of walking by the ocean, the exhilaration of driving through the mountains, or the gentle feel of a fall breeze is every bit of a wonder and a gift. n We know through the study of DNA that life is connected from the smallest one cell organism to complex primates like ourselves. We also know that the elements of the universe that make up living and inanimate matter are the products of stars. What more do we need to feel blessed and united with the entire universe. Even if life begins with birth and ends with death and nothing is watching us in between those dates, our existence is one of meaning and splendor.n