The Ultimate Framework of Religion

It was mentioned in class that religion is formed in human cognitive building blocks and is not separate from many aspects of our lives. Nationalism and other ‘cult’ like groups might possess similar attributes such as meaning creation, cohesion, identity and some form of spiritual connection but on a much smaller scale than religion. Science may also be thought of as a rival to religion because scientific texts offer different interpretations compared to religious texts on similar issues such as the origin of mankind. However, religion is the ultimate framework that people revert back to because it is all encompassing.

The most fundamental difference between religion and science is the capacity for allegorical interpretation. It is very difficult to interpret scientific texts allegorically whereas most of the literature in religious texts has an allegorical meaning attached to it. The opening section of ‘Zohar’ has multiple meanings and mentions that only a fool would take the words of the ‘Torah’ literally while the wise would find the deeper allegorical meaning conveyed behind the stories. The concept of Jihad in the Quran also has multiple interpretations. While it may be taken literally to mean waging a war against infidels, also known as the ‘lesser’ Jihad, the allegorical interpretation behind the words is the concept of a ‘greater’ Jihad, which is waging war against one’s sinfulness. The scientific framework lacks this attribute and consequentially leads to a limited ‘scale’ when compared with religion. As much as science attempts to explain everyday phenomena connected with our lives, the importance of allegory is greatly highlighted in religion through religious texts and many religious texts, such as the ‘Torah’, place a greater importance on its intended allegorical interpretation rather than the literal interpretation.

Nationalism is also limited when compared to religion as a rival because it offers a much smaller range of explanations, while devout followers consider religion as encompassing all possible explanations. As I mentioned in my previous post, Sam Harris is an advocate of nationalism over religion and believes that the existence of religion is not an absolute necessity for existence. The role of religion might be hampered in areas of extreme poverty but it offers hope for a better future through people’s beliefs in higher power. Therefore, religion provides a broader spectrum to people when compared to Nationalism, which is deeply rooted in matters concerning our practical life.

Source: Zohar

Harris, Sam. "The End of Faith"