The Future of Religion

Here are some questions that came to me
when reading the final chapters of The Faith Instinct.

Chapter 10: Religion and Warfare

Do you think religion evolved as a response to warfare?

When you think about European history (for instance, more than eight centuries of almost continuous warfare, from the first Crusade through World War II), do you think Islamic countries have historically been more embroiled in warfare than Christian countries?

Does most violence stem from cultural and political struggles, or from religious fervor?


Chapter 11: Religion and Nation

Do you agree that religion may be stronger than other social forces (such as ethnicity and language) because it unites people an emotional level?

Do you think there is an 'American Civil Religion' ? Do you think this 'civil religion' provides an emotional bond between people of all faiths in this country? Historian Frank Lambert writes, “One of Americans’ most powerful and enduring myths is that of God’s choosing the American wilderness as the site of a special outpouring of grace." Lambert says that many Puritan ideas passed into Americans’ political and cultural outlook. Among these is a belief in American exceptionalism, and a covenant guaranteeing God’s blessing on our country in return for righteous behavior. Do you hear some of these ideas in our politics today?

What do you think of the 'religious marketplace' theory? Do you think our 'marketplace' is the reason so many Americans are religious, while religious faith is declining in Europe?

About abolishing religious instruction in the public schools, Wade writes, "Legal secularists did not explicitly seek to abolish religion, but to build a wall of separation between church and state, with the goal of protecting religious minorities... The outcome was that Christianity was evicted from the classroom.... As the continued tussles over religious education show – particularly the assaults on teaching evolution – legal secularism is still not fully accepted in the U.S." And Wade adds, “To protect the rights of a 5% minority by denying religious education to 95% of the population, was a solution that could seem satisfactory to few besides lawyers." Is Wade saying that, since the vast majority of Americans seem to want religious education in public schools, it should therefore be allowed?

Chapter 12: The Future of Religion

Is religious behavior necessary in the modern secular state? Wade argues that the essential element of any religion, from an evolutionary perspective, is not theology but practical guidelines for moral and reproductive behavior.

Can people be moral without religion? Did Wade convince you that fear of punishment by God/the gods/the ancestors/the supernatural is the primary reason people follow moral rules?

Must religion, Wade asks, "cling to sacred narratives that make no sense in the modern world?" All three monotheisms claim historical foundations that are not wholly in accordance with textual and archaeological facts (for instance, the exodus led by Moses; the resurrection of Jesus; the revelations to Mohammad). Wade continues, "Once the sacred texts of a religion have been finalized, religions have to live within the framework set by their texts. These assertions of historical fact make it much harder for each faith to adapt to changing times and needs. Why can’t the teachings of modern religions be reworked?"

Can there be a religion without god? Wade argues that a western religion without gods could perhaps be made compatible with scientific knowledge about the human condition; but then asks, "How would such a religion assure people that their lives have meaning?"

Can human choices influence evolution? Do cultural changes operate as a force of selection? Wade suggests, "Might this not be described, from a theological point of view, as the hand of the deity in action? Perhaps religious leaders interested in evolutionary theory may see some way to make use of this possibility. Cruel and rapacious religions have, in the end, led their societies to disaster. The winners of the Darwinian struggle between societies have been, surprisingly, not the most brutal and bellicose faiths but those that chose a more sustainable balance between warfare and conciliation." Were you surprised when Wade brought "the deity" into the mix at this point?

Wade compares religious rituals to musical performances, and adds, "No one minds if the plots of operas are ridiculous – but texts sung in church are believed to express sacred truths, and so the church must stick to its sacred texts century after century. ... Secularism is on the march because religions are losing their hold on people’s belief; religions still endure because people want to believe in something, not because people believe in their religion’s historical assertions." Wade finds similarities between religious rituals and musical performances; in what ways are they different?

Wade asks, "Can't religions be transformed into new versions suited for a modern age? Many people no longer develop their propensity for religious behavior, leaving unfulfilled a part of their human nature. Is this their fault, or society's fault, or the fault of the unchanging religions on offer?"

Wade concludes, "Maybe religion needs to undergo a second transformation, similar in scope to the transition from hunter gatherer religion to that of settled societies. In this new configuration, religion would retain all its old powers of binding people together for a common purpose .... It would still touch all the senses and lift the mind. It would transcend self. And it would find a way to be equally true to emotion and to reason, to our need to belong to one another and to what has been learned of the human tradition through rational inquiry." What do you think: Does religion need another transformation?

Much more academic and practical work needs to be done in this arena of human life. Keep looking for new books and articles, and keep on thinking!