Science does a great many things for us. It helps us get from place to place faster, it allows me to type on this computer, and it even flew us to the moon. And in modern society today, it has replaced what used to be for many people, religion. But it does not feed us. Not feed in the physical sense, but it didn’t feed our spiritual needs. I believe that all of us have these needs, this place inside of us that needs nourishment, that needs a sense of purpose and place to belong. That is why I am a christian and why christianity fulfills that for me. But on a less personal note, it seems that most people, in the past and present, seek religion
I was reminded of this idea when we went to the Bongwonsa temple this past tuesday. And it was my first real buddhist experience. I had been to the temple before, but had never learned so much. And I was reminded of this aforementioned idea of spiritual needs when, as I was translating for the monk, he started to explain about the ox and how it was our thoughts of worldliness. He said that the first step to enlightenment was getting control of our worldliness and worldly thoughts which was our cow. He said that from the moment we are born, we want things, and that we have likes and dislikes. And to achieve enlightenment, he said that we must throw away these thoughts. And that is one reason, it seems like, for why we have religion. It is that people want to be at peace with themselves, that they want to be able to be happy with their lot in life, without coveting others and that they want to be able to live happily without a great many things. That is the Buddhist answer to our need for spirituality, at least.
I was reminded of this idea when we went to the Bongwonsa temple this past tuesday. And it was my first real buddhist experience. I had been to the temple before, but had never learned so much. And I was reminded of this aforementioned idea of spiritual needs when, as I was translating for the monk, he started to explain about the ox and how it was our thoughts of worldliness. He said that the first step to enlightenment was getting control of our worldliness and worldly thoughts which was our cow. He said that from the moment we are born, we want things, and that we have likes and dislikes. And to achieve enlightenment, he said that we must throw away these thoughts. And that is one reason, it seems like, for why we have religion. It is that people want to be at peace with themselves, that they want to be able to be happy with their lot in life, without coveting others and that they want to be able to live happily without a great many things. That is the Buddhist answer to our need for spirituality, at least.
Personally, I think that people seek religion because we all have a sense of insecurity. Because what really happens when we die. Who really knows? I mean our bodies decompose and are (usually) buried, but what happens to our souls. Religion answers this question without a shadow of a doubt. And it fills our souls with reassurance that life is good, and will be good for the rest of time.
For others, it seems as though it helps bring order to a chaotic world. It gives them, and me, a place to belong, as a member of something. For example, worshippers of islam, all stop at the same time of the day, 5 times a day, no matter what they’re doing and they worship. I can only imagine what it feels like to worship with millions of others. It would bring me peace and a sense of belonging.
The other day, I was having a conversation with one of my friends in my church youth group, when one them screamed, “I’m a scientologist!” It was obviously a joke and not really knowing what it was, we laughed. But this seemingly benign event prompted me to think, at great length later that day about what scientology was. I was curious. And I looked up what scientology was and it turned out to be, “The name of an applied religious philosophy, supposed to encourage development of the human spirit”. And we all have this a spirit, spiritual needs. Science or no science, scientologist or not scientologist, we all have these spiritual needs that can only be fulfilled through religion.
