S.5 #4 | Looking to the future: religion takes over

Inspired once again by Rabbi Jonathan Sack's books "Not in God's Name" and "Morality", this episode is an analysis of religion's past, present and future. In agreement with Sacks, and other spiritual leaders, I argue that religion is necessary for humankind's survival. I spell out the benefits of religion, focusing on the Abrahamic, monotheistic faiths, and share my personal experience of why I chose religion over spirituality. 

Mentions: 

Quotes by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Transcript

The return of religion

Religion will return to the west with full force - so it is predicted by many spiritual leaders, by religious representatives and by new age figureheads alike.  

 Why will this occur and why do we need religion in the future?-these are the questions I aim to address in today’s episode. Many people ask why we need religion at all, and I used to ask this question myself. Why the bible stories? the invisible force in the sky? the fear or anticipation of heaven or hell? Why worry about all this when we can simply live our life, focus on the here and now, understand that we are finite, that after death there is nothing, so live your life to the fullest! This is how I used to think and speak before my spiritual awakening :) I look at things very differently now of course. Religion provides so much for me, for my life, that I didn’t even know about and I am only a beginner! One of the main attributes of religion is that it provides meaning for us Homo sapiens- the meaning-seeking animal. As much as we love science and are thankful for its advancements, it will never explain to us the why of anything in this world. Science is great at explaining the How, in fact, as many books out there suggest - science is but an attempt to explain God’s creation. And science has explained a lot, but unfortunately, it is unable to explain the Why. And the Why is one of the reasons I began to be drawn to religion. I became tired of wondering why I exist, why our world was created, why things happen the way they do, why some suffer and others thrive, why there are miracles and misfortunes…I needed better answers than randomness and serendipity. And then there is ever-evolving, quickly-progressing technology that gives us tools to conquer the world but unfortunately it cannot guide us as to how and what to do once we conquer the world. The market, too, provides us with plenty of choices but does nothing to instruct us when it comes to making those choices. And so every man is left to his own demise in this liberal democratic state that does nothing to guide us towards the correct - the proper choices in life. No one is there to explain to us what really matters in the short amount of time we get here on Earth. The media especially leads us to believe that the most important things in life are material, when in reality it is matters of the soul that should be of utmost importance because we are not mere bodies, we are souls first. In the words of rabbi Jonathan Sacks, “Science, technology, the free market and the liberal democratic state have enabled us to reach unprecedented achievements in knowledge, freedom, life expectancy and affluence. They are among the greatest achievements of human civilization and are to be defended and cherished. But they do not and cannot answer the three questions every reflective individual will ask at some time in his or her life: Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live? These are the questions to which the answer is prescriptive not descriptive, substantive not procedural. The result is that the 21st century has left us with a maximum of choice and a minimum of meaning.” To add to Sack’s commentary, I would argue that progress in technology and science are only partially beneficial to our society because while they take care of some problems, they create many new ones. It’s the same as when you are prescribed a medication to treat one symptom but end up suffering or even dying from five side effects. Hey, how about learning to stay healthy in the first place? I have various episodes on this topic: ailments take root in the soul, in our view of the world, in our thoughts and feelings and then they manifest in the body. Sorry, but science doesn’t address the soul! Yes, smart phones, AI and social media help us accomplish so many more tasks and stay on top of things, but look what they’ve done to humanity- addicted people staring for hours upon hours into screens, losing contact with other human beings, losing interest in the real world and opting for virtual reality, the brain atrophying since AI can write the email or

  essay for us, I can go on and on, I think you get the point. There is an urgency in our returning to what matters before it becomes too late. This is one of the reasons I advocate religion because it focuses on the human connection, on loving and trusting your neighbor, on creating supportive communities, and on doing what’s best for the soul, which ultimately heals the body.

Looking at human history, it is evident that no society has survived for long without either religion or a substitute for it. Think about it, when in the Soviet Union religion was eliminated, it was substituted by communism. In Germany, nazism became people’s religion. Heck, the free love movement in the 70’s was something people ‘religiously’ believed in. If there is no religion in a society, there must always be a substitute for it because this is how human beings can find their identity - something of much value for any human. The beautiful thing about the world’s great faiths is their provision of just that - identity, along with which comes meaning, direction, a code of conduct, as well as a set of rules for the moral and spiritual life. This is something the free-market and the liberal democratic state cannot provide. I’ve mentioned in previous episodes that religious, or truthfully spiritual people, are much more optimistic, they don’t tend to suffer from depression, for instance. This is because Abrahamic monotheisms offer us ordinary people a sense of pride. When we believe in a loving God, we believe that we are created in His image, we know that we exist for a purpose, that we matter in the scheme of things. Contrary to that, modern liberalism dictates that we are mere selfish animals motivated by money and success, existing in a universe created for no reason by who knows what, and that after our life ends, we are nothing but worm food. No wonder mental health has become such a huge issue in today’s world, so many people taking antidepressants and turning to drugs to escape this horrific reality for at least a moment. 

In regards to religion coming back to the West to save us from this secular bottomless pit we have found ourselves in- and I say bottomless because there are issues galore in the West, such as destabilization of societal norms, lack of a source of values and wisdom, moral decay, lack of identity, the breaking apart of marriages and families, low birth rate…to name a few; notice that history repeats itself and goes in cycles. The sixteenth century came to be one of the most religious times in history with Christianity spreading in the West, Islam in the Middle East and North Africa, and Buddhism in East Asia. It was followed, though, by the age of secularization in the seventeenth century continuing all through the twentieth century. But now, the twenty-first century is bound to be the start of the desecularization and the return of religion on a whole new level. This will happen for various reasons, but mainly because people will realize that secular freedom is not all that - it lacks in guidance and wisdom, it does nothing for the soul, it has destroyed tradition that can be so very good for families and the passing on of knowledge and identity. Moreover, since it is the religious who are having the highest number of children, there will be a massive transformation in the makeup of much of the world. Societies that are having one to two kids are slowly dying out, and being replaced by religious families that are having upwards of nine kids. It’s important to note, too, that research has shown that the more religious groups have a longer life span because religion creates and sustains communities. Perhaps you’ve heard of blue zones around the world, one of them is the Seventh-day Adventist community in California. You see, religious people have a morality that binds groups together, that helps the stranger and the neighbor; in short, religion helps communities thrive by linking people emotionally, behaviorally, intellectually, and spiritually. And hey, it’s no news that together we are stronger than alone. I am telling you, it won’t be long before people realize the countless benefits of religion. 

Believe it or not, when religion comes back full throttle into our world, the most extreme movements will prevail. Such is the pendulum of life, we go from one extreme to the other. Today the secular West has chosen to worship the market, consumerism, individualism, and autonomy, adopting the motto “whatever works for you”. Unfortunately, while doing this, the West has also lost the most important values - loyalty, reverence and respect that once preserved marriages and communities and prompted us to think and work for the common good. Today more than ever Jews, Christians and Muslims must come together in defence of humanity and religious freedom. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks advises, “ We must train a generation of religious leaders and educators who embrace the world in its diversity, and sacred texts in their maximal generosity. There must be an international campaign against the teaching and preaching of hate because no soul was ever saved by hate.” 

Those who will be new to religion, and those who will have forgotten what it means to be of Abrahamic faith, will need to be taught to respect the one who is different, whose faith or understanding of God is different from ours. In my previous episode I spoke extensively about the fact that diversity is good; all we need to realize is that God loves us all equally and we are all made in His image. Furthermore, no one owns anything. Everything, including land and what it produces, power, children and even life itself - it all belongs to God. We are mere temporary guardians of all these things. And our life is but a breath - this is all that separates us from death. God breathed life into Adam, into the first human, and he can take that breath away at any point, it is not ours. Perhaps when people recognize the transience of our being, they will be more likely to spend their numbered days loving rather than hating, especially since divine love is governed by the principle of plenitude and can provide us with countless blessings. Let’s choose love over hate and pave a bright and bountiful future for our descendents.

According to Judaism, the messiah is coming, and it should happen in the next couple hundred years. This new leader, a prophet, will lead the world into a time of peace called the Messianic Age, he will bring social justice and make people serve God. Change is- a- coming, and it’s a good kind of change!  Like I said, perhaps other spiritual beliefs picture this new age slightly differently, but what remains the same across the board is that we are headed towards a brighter future, in which peace and love will reign. Isn’t that exciting? I think so and I wish I could be here when it happens. But if I am not, at least I know I am doing what I can to pave the road for this special time. 

I am so interested in hearing your opinion on this topic! Please share your thoughts through email, instagram or tiktok. I thank you for listening and I will leave you today with a quote by the amazing Rabbi Jonothan Sacks whose books I cannot help but mention and recommend every chance I get. Enjoy and until next time!

“Judaism was the first religion in history to place love at the heart of the spiritual life: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your might. Love your neighbour. Love the stranger. And what we love most – because that is where God is to be found – is life itself. That is our greatest strength. It enabled our ancestors to survive every persecution. It helped Holocaust survivors to survive. It gave the Jewish people the courage to rebuild the land and state of Israel. That’s why our greatest prayer on this day of days is: “Write us in the Book of Life.” We don’t ask for wealth or fame, stardom or success. We don’t pray to be spared trials and tribulations. We just ask for life. That is what Judaism is: a life of love and a love of life. All the rest is commentary.”