a first example

I don't have the visionary strenght to write a complete religious book from scratch. Therefore I have created this blog to discuss issues, one at a time, using current events or other references as individual points of depart.

For this first post I am inspired by a personal testimony of a believer in Jesus Christ. I think that this text offers an insightful example of what people need from religion. I think in an era where many people are drawn towards a religion for the wrong reasons (i.e. power, conservatism, etc.) it is import to see that religion also responds to some innate human needs which exist by our nature and which deserve to be cared for.

The two needs which I read from the testimony are meaning and the relief of guilt. In the present post I want to concentrate on the relief of guilt.

In Christian tradition people become guilty by sin, but I think we can take a more general view point and consider all human behaviour that hurts other people or ourselves. If a person has done something wrong, they get into a double struggle of coming up with excuses and refusing to admit their error and at the same time a wish that they would have done better. But since people have to protect their reputation, the refusal to admit and the excuses will often prevail and the good which is inside everybody will not be able to take effect. The guilt which is innate to all humans has the potential to better every being, by correcting their behaviour which they have realized to be bad. However, guilt that stays captivated inside a person will bother them unconsciously and paralyze them, blocking their progress and growth.

This is why human guilt needs to be taken care of by somebody and I think that some kind of religion can offer this service to us. In another post, I will show how the Religion for People does just that.