Why does a person need religion? I also got another question to it – does a person really need a religion? Does a person truly need all the dogmas, rules, and customs to be closer to God when himself he already got everything necessary to be closest to God- his heart. I am a person who actually does not believe in religions, but I rather believe in faith. Faith in Someone eternal, great and non ending, Someone loving. But I do not think that many of the customs that every religion hold actually help to feel God closer. It makes people think that they are closer to God, but are they actually closer??? That is the main question.
My personal subjective opinion is that not people need religions, but such institutes as government actually need religion to have as much control of their people as possible. The first dirty fact about religion is that each religion states that a person is sinful. How come? How can a child born just now already be sinful? When people feel themselves to blame, they are already very weak. Much weaker than they would if they knew that they were beautiful from the beginning. Each religion wants to make a human being pray for his sins until the end of his life? Why? Is God really that narcisstic that he creates sinful people and wants them to feel this shame and to know it and to stay on their knees to pray for salvation, for some life that is beyond the moon and the clouds, that no one has ever seen, but religion states that we should believe. Religion takes a person from life. For instance, having sex before marriage is sinful. How come? So it’s wrong to have sex with the one you love, but if your parents happen to find you someone that you don’t like, but you get married to him/her, then it is ok to sleep with him/her, even though you do not love him. How come??? How possible? Marriage is something that is totally created by men, why did God say that it is sinful to have sex then if you are not married? Does God happen to follow the rules of people? I do not think so…
And then, Sunday, and a special place full of people, where someone “special” talks about who God is, and what to do to be closer to him, and why people who are not sitting there listening to him, will most likely go to hell. To me it is absurd. Why is church a sacred place??? For me, nature, forests, mountains, oceans are much more sacred and they can tell me much more about God’s love and creation. Why would I come to this building and listen to someone who has all the same questions as me…. But why would I listen to his answers instead of looking for my own? Ok, it is wonderful that his answers work for him. But why would his answers work for me as well?
I believe, that all the secrecy, love, understanding of the world lies within our hearts. It is given to us from the beginning and we are given special abilities to develop it. But religion is created by men, by those who want power and control over the society. The only fact – how many innocent people were killed and how many people killed for the sake of religion, God. Does not that sound absurd? Does God really want all the wars that happen because of religion? I do not believe it.
So, my personal answer to the question – why does a person need religion? A person does not need religion, a person needs himself, his inner life, where true God is. A person needs to learn to listen to his heart and it will teach him much more than any religion – to be happier, to be more joyful, more thankful, to be kinder, to be more innocent. A person has to have faith not in religion, but in something beautiful, good and joyful in this life. He has to feel God’s love through witnessing all this beautiful, magnificent, amazing universe that God has placed us in. This is the way, again my personal opinion. I do not claim it to be the right one, but it’s my opinion.

I think that a person needs religion because anyone living in this world whether consciously or subconsciously is seeking for something that is eternal and that is more than the negativity that people have in life. It is like person’s need for having a high goal in his life where he feels his value and understanding that his mission in life is much higher than simply eat, drink and produce. That is what religion gives – understanding that human’s worth in this life is far greater than that. It makes people believe that there is somehow a battle between God and Satan for human living, and a human has to take part in this battle and win for God. Religion says that it is human’s goal to develop such qualities as love, patience, understanding, kindness and nobility. I think that is why people need religion. Moreover, people would be just lost having no idea what the purpose for their life is and where they go after death. Although, I personally not sure if I do believe in life after death. But I know that for some people it is very important to believe that there is something that is eternal, good and never ending awaits for them after life. It gives them some sense of piece in their lives too.

"What is religion?" we ask ourselves, or, looking at it the other way around, "What is the purpose of religion for us? Why do we need it?" Though the question about the need for religion may be a familiar one, it alredy contains a problem. In one sense, for the person who poses the question, religion does not seem to be something he needs. The fact that he asks the question at all amounts to an admission that religion has not yet become a necessity for him. In another sense, however, it is surely in the nature of religion to be necessary for just such a person. Wherever questioning individuals like this are to be found, the need for religion is there as well. In short, the relationship we have to religion is a contradictory one: those for whom religion is not a necessity are, for that reason, the very ones for whom religion is a necessity. There is no other thing of which the same can be said.