[Bellc]

Is having a religion really important is / is it something you really need?? :(

[NeedKarma]

I don't believe so. Millions of atheists and agnostics get along just fine without it.

[curlybenswife]

No one has to have anything... each and every one of us is different we all have different needs.
I have no religion or belief of any kind but it doesn't stop me trying to understand others paths they choose to take.
Keep an open mind you never know what tomorrow brings.

[ordinaryguy]

I'm not sure what you mean by "have a religion". It could mean:

• Belong to a particular church, synagogue or mosque,
• Affirm a belief in a particular creed or dogma,
• Believe that the chances are greater than 50/50 that there is a God (of some sort, without being too specific)

I'm also not sure what you mean by "really important" or "really need". It could mean:

• Necessary condition for happiness and satisfaction in this life,
• Necessary condition for life after death (of any sort),
• Necessary condition for entry into heaven or paradise

From what I've seen, belonging to a religious institution isn't very much correlated with happiness or satisfaction in this life. There are some really grouchy and miserable true believers. Of course, they would tell you that happiness in this life isn't the point, that the only thing that matters is whether you are 'saved' to live in heaven after the death of your body, and for that, the correct set of beliefs is absolutely essential.

Personally, I doubt it. I like the idea that everybody has to go to heaven whether they like it or not. It'll be hell for angry, mean-spirited people.

[vinutellicherry]

Religion is just paiting pure and natural human beings, so it stops all kinds of search of God. And God is live, but realigion is a dead corpe with no chance of life. You carry this all in your life saying a thousand and one excuses that's all my friend.

[Dani171986]

I don't think religion is needed. Its not that I don't believe in god, or that I do or which religion I believe in. As long as you go through life with a strong set of values and people you could confined in when you have your times of need that's all you need. Im not an atheist, I just keep an open mind.

[vinutellicherry]

Is having a religion really important is / is it something you really need ??? :(

Dear Bellc,
Realigion is just painting human beings, not more than that if one's painted well we can't recognise him. God is/was/will be no religion is needed to get connect to God. Without any scriptures it can stand. God works through the unconditional love. So live moment to moment; even in the middle of all difficulties up to last sigh of being.
Have nice days.

[Morganite]

Is having a religion really important is / is it something you really need ??? :(

It depends. I have a religion. That is, I have religious faith. In my own life this provides an anchor, a focus, and a direction, as well as helping me understand the purpose of life in general and the purposes of my own life in particular. Because of these, my religion is extremely beneficial to me.

There are, of course, alternate views to mine about the need for religion, some of which are:

E.B. Tylor and James Frazer who determine that religion is nothing more than systemised animism and magic.
Sigmund Freud believed that religion is a mass neurosis and exists as a response to deep emotional conflicts and weaknesses, an this nothing more than a defence mechanism brought on by psychological distress
French sociologist, Emile Durkheim, saw religion as nothing more than a means of social organisation.
Karl Marx, who declared "Religion is the Opiate of the Masses" saw it as a social institution dependent upon material and economic realities in a given society. Although he did say that when stripped of independent history, then religion is a creature of productive forces. Marx wrote. He saw it as being formulated as the feflexion of the real world, an illusion whose chief purpose is to provide reasons and excuses to keep society functioning just as it is.
Mircea Eliade's understanding of religion lies in two concepts: the sacred and the profane. Religion he argues, is mostly about believing in the supernatural which lies at the very heart of all that is sacred.
Stewart Guthrie argues that religion is “systematic anthropomorphism” that has gone badly wrong.
E.E. Evans-Pritchard rejected most anthropological, psychological, and sociological explanations of religion, seeking instead a comprehensive explanation of it that took intellectual and social aspects into account. He didn't't reach any final answers, but did argue that religion should be regarded as a vital aspect of society, as a “construct of the heart.”
Clifford Geertz was an anthropologist who described all forms of social culture as systems of "symbols and actions which convey meaning." He treated religion as a vital component of cultural meanings, arguing that religion carries symbols which establish especially powerful moods or feelings that help explain human existence by giving it an overarching, or ultimate, meaning, and which connects us to a reality that is “more real” than what we see every day.

These theorists expound some of the ways in which the question of why religion exists has been explained.

Which of these is the “right” explanation? Maybe we shouldn't try to argue that any one of them is “right” and instead recognize that religion is a complex human institution. Why assume that religion is any less complex and even contradictory than culture in general? Because religion has such complex origins and motivations, all of the above could serve as a valid response to the question “Why does religion exist?” None, however, can serve as an exhaustive and complete answer to that question. [?]

One thing is certain, with so many 'experts' disagreeing, we ought not to plump for a simplistic explanation of religion, religious beliefs, and religious impulses, because these explanation, whether byu believers or atheists, are not likely to be adequate even in very individual and specific circumstances, and they are certainly inadequate when addressing religion generally. However, they do all offer some insights which might be able to help us understand what religion is about.

Most important of all, is the value to believing individuals of his or her own faith system, and the qualities with which it endows their daily lives, in the short and long terms.

So, the answer to your question: "Do you really have to have a religion?" is "It depends." It depends largely on accidents of birth, on individual needs, and on individual experiences. My faith is vital to me. Atheists do not understand why. Then there is 'the middle way' in which religion plays no part in the thinking of individuals, and who are neither for or against it. It simply does not appear on their horizons.



M:)RGANITE

[Tuscany]

I don't think you need an organized religon in your life. But I do not fault those that do.
But I do think that you need to have something to believe in when times are tough.
It does not have to be a god or Jesus. It can be mother nature. Whatever you find comfort in.

[valinors_sorrow]

This is really for you to decide for yourself. Each one of us does the same too. If you look at the world and how it works, its shows you what other people have decided for themselves. But ultimately its really about what you think, about how you experience life, about your unique journey. Your decision will either be right for you and you'll settle in it or it won't and you'll find that out and get to change it.

That's the beauty of being human--- we get to learn, grow, discover and change our entire lifetime. Cool, huh?

So I realise I didn't answer your actual question but that's because I like to trust and respect your ability to learn and come up with the right answer for yourself! :p It is a very thought-provoking question, thanks!

[Marily]

Since we are not going to be judge at what religion we are, I would say no, religion is not important- but concerning myself God's word is. We are placed on the earth on a free moral agency, its up to us how we choose to live.

[lalwanis]

To get answer start going back in history of Human Being why did religion come into existence.