Importance of Religion

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life, Buddha.

Religion can be traced back to the dawn of human existence and it plays an essential role in the life of billions of people around the world. Therefore, it is very important for everyone to have an overall knowledge about it regardless if you are a believer or not.

Religion is and has always been an essential element of human society, an extremely powerful force impacting all societies, a tool in the hands of the ruling class (Religion as Opium of the people, Karl Marx), and a cause of conflict, but History does not support the hypothesis that religion is the major cause of conflicts and wars.

You may want to read our free on-line e-book Religions for a gentle introduction to this topic and our article Religious software: Xiphos, e-Sword, BibleApp, etc..

Religion is a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements (Religion, Wikipedia).

There are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide. “The fact that more than 8 out of 10 people worldwide identify with a religious group underlines the importance of taking religion into account as a key component of cultural relations work, US and UK Perspectives on Religion and Belief, British Council, 2020.

Moreover, babies born to Muslims will begin to outnumber Christian births by 2035. Global atheism may be in decline due to irreligious countries having the lowest birth rates in the world and religious countries having higher birth rates in general (Atheism: Contemporary Numbers and Patterns, Phil Zuckerman).