Do You Believe That Your Religion is the Right Religion? 10 Questions About Belief

The philosopher Daniel Dennett in his book “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon,” has made important notes on the numerous ways religion shapes individuals and societies. The book revealed certain features of religious belief that may seem to us as peculiar, precious, even grotesque and distasteful based from evolutionary and anthropological studies. What captivated me, however, is the book’s strong emphasis to the notion that religion and belief must be put to rational scrutiny. Dennett voices out that belief in God (and the question of his/her/its existence) should not be exempt from the lens of natural science. 

I agree with Dennett that there is a deep need to study religion extensively as a form of scientific endeavor. We tend to apply the scientific method to all forms of inquiries everyday: from the type and color of clothes to wear, the brand of shoes to pick and much of the apps we use on our phones. On the other hand, we place little effort in learning about the religion we inherited from our parents. Is there really a God? What is the difference between a ‘God’ and a ‘god?’ Which religion is the right one to follow: Islam, Christianity or Judaism? The list below consists of my personal questions that I think must be answered in light of free discussion and reason.

 1. Is it possible to ascribe meaning to the word ‘God’ that will be compatible with various religious doctrines? (Including Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist etc.)

 2. Is religion a product of natural evolutionary processes or something else? 3. Why do religions of all sorts require faith and shun away doubt -- the baseline for an honest inquiry?

 4. If God created the Universe, then how did he/she/it made the first particles and traces of energy that composed the cosmos? Can the phenomenon of God be explained through an advanced understanding of physics?

 5. If one day, the world wakes up to the shocking news that space aliens already landed and made contact with earthlings, will our religions (and our views of the Universe) change? Will our visitors from a distant galaxy profess a new kind of religion?

 6. Are there natural and scientific explanations for religious experiences such as alleged apparitions and miracles?

 7. Assuming that we already invented time machines, will the Catholic Church, or any other Christian denomination, permit an expedition back in time to check for the truth of the claim about Jesus’ resurrection? Will we want to extend this search to witness how God (if he/she/it really did) made the Universe?

 8. Do religions make people good or is morality itself an item that can be interpreted using scientific language?

 9. What are the costs and benefits of religious belief? Do these costs outweigh the benefits or the other way around?

 10. Will the world be a better place without religion or will it be rather chaotic and hostile?

...by the way, an interesting countdown of the least known (and very weird) religions around the world.