Why do we need religion?

Many of our non-religious friends would have us ponder the possibilty that Earth would be a far better place without religion. This is an interesting point. At the surface, it seems to have some genuine merit, given such historical atrocities such as the Crusades, 9/11, the Salem Witch Trails, and the bombings of abortion clinics, all of which were carried out in the name of religion.

But there is one critical error these individuals make in asserting this claim. They cite crimes propagated in the name of religion as evidence that religion is a terrible institution, but what they forget is that human beings are not perfect, infallible beings.  We are indeed capable of making mistakes, which does not unfortunately exclude atrocities on the global scale.  Granted, there is no plausible excuse for such events which transpired throughout history. 

What we often forget is the incredible good that comes from religion. As a born again Christian, I say this in a purely rational way.  Putting my personal beliefs aside, I see the good in not only Christianity, but also other religions such as Islam and Buddhism.  Do I agree with their theology? Absolutely not. But the humanitarian aid that comes from other world religions (such as Islam) as well as the personal virtues advocated by them (such as Buddhism) are truly great things.

Allow me to- in a biased fashion- take my own faith, Christianity, and list contemporary examples of the good that comes from it:

First, there are the non-profit organizations. To list all of these would likely take me years on end. I’m probably not even exaggerating there. Here’s some of the more popular examples (as derived from the non-partisan www.one.org):

World Concern http://www.worldconcern.org/ A Christian humanitarian organization that provides emergency relief and community development in some of the most neglected areas of the world.Bread for the World Institute http://www.bread.org/ Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. By changing policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities in which we live. World Vision http://www.worldvision.org/ World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. American Baptist Churches, USA http://www.abc-usa.org/ American Baptists are a Christ-centered, biblically grounded, ethnically diverse people called to radical personal discipleship in Christ Jesus. Our commitment to Jesus propels us to nurture authentic relationships with one another; build healthy churches; transform our communities, our nations and our world; engage every member in hands-on ministry; and speak the prophetic word in love . AERDO http://www.aerdo.net AERDO exist to promote excellence in professional practice; to foster networking, collaboration, and information exchange; and it enable its membership to effectively support the Church in serving the poor and the needy. Baptist World Alliance http://www.bwanet.org/ The Baptist World Alliance is a fellowship of 214 Baptist conventions and unions comprising a membership of 36 million baptized believers and a community of 105 million. Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, works through Baptist communities around the world, mitigating suffering and providing long-range help for persons in need, regardless of religion, nationality, tribe or class. Blood:Water Mission http://www.bloodwatermission.org/ Blood and water represent a community-centered and integrated approach to AIDS that include establishing basic conditions necessary for health, addressing the constraints of poverty, and empowering communities to take ownership of their own long-term health development. Caring for Kaela http://caringforkaela.org CFK is a Christian relief and development organization whose Vision is to empower the lives of destitute children in Africa. We serve the poor and downtrodden regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or gender. We strengthen the communities where we work by promoting self-sustained, people-centered approaches to development and building the foundation for peaceful and productive societies. Christian Children’s Fund http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/ Christian Children’s Fund is creating a better future for more than 7.6 million children & family members in 34 countries, helping overcome poverty through education, early childhood development, nutrition, health, livelihood programs & disaster relief. Christian Reformed World Relief Committee http://www.crwrc.org CRWRC is a Christian non-profit organization present with 2,000 communities in 30 of the world’s poorest countries where together we are addressing hunger and poverty through emergency disaster assistance, integrated community development programs, and justice education. Church World Service http://www.churchworldservice.com Church World Service, a global humanitarian aid agency and ministry of 36 Christian denominations, works to support sustainable self-help and development, meet emergency needs, aid refugees, and address the root causes of poverty and powerlessness. CrossRoads http://www.CrossRoadsLink.org CrossRoads is a character-based strategy dedicated to help communities worldwide discover the hope, life, and truth of Jesus Christ in the midst of devastating societal needs such as HIV/AIDS, addictions, and violence. Edge Outreach www.edgeoutreach.com EDGE OUTREACH is a faith-based nonprofit that trains and sends people and organizations to deliver integrated water solutions where they are needed most throughout the world; hosts vision clinics for refugees and the poor; and networks with local agencies and volunteers to provide community needs in our hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. In September 2007, EDGE created SWIMSERVE.COM to train college students about the most efficient water solutions available and to mobilize them to install the systems overseas and train indigenous leaders in their use and maintenance. Emergent Village http://www.emergentvillage.com Emergent Village is a growing generative friendship among missional Christian leaders seeking to love our world in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Episcopal Relief and Development http://www.er-d.org Episcopal Relief and Development responds to human suffering around the world. We provide emergency assistance after disasters, rebuildcommunities, and help children and families climb out of poverty. Habitat For Humanity http://www.habitat.org/ Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the eradication of poverty housing. Some 200,000 Habitat homes now provide decent, affordable shelter to more than 1 million people worldwide. Hope for Kids International http://www.hope4kidsinternational.org/ The Mission of H4KI is to bring HOPE to kids in the greatest need around the world through HEALTH (medicine and medical/dental treatment), DIGNITY (practical provisions), JOY (entertainment and bringing smiles/laughter), and LOVE (Christ’s amazing love for each one). Lutheran World Relief http://www.lwr.org/ Since 1945, Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, has worked to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world’s most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. Mennonite Central Committee http://www.mcc.org Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief, service, and peace agency of North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches. MCC seeks to demonstrate God’s love by working among people suffering from poverty, conflict, oppression and natural disaster. Micah Challenge http://www.micahchallenge.org/ Micah Challenge USA is a Christian campaign that is part of the global Micah Challenge campaign. Our aims are to deepen our engagement with impoverished and marginalized communities and to challenge leaders to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Micah Challenge USA is a movement of churches, organizations, schools, families and individuals united by their desire to see the end of Extreme Global Poverty. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries http://www.ncm.org Nazarene Compassionate Ministries facilitates projects which address the temporal as well as the spiritual needs of the economically disadvantaged through child development, disaster response, development education, and social transformation. Opportunity International http://www.opportunity.org Since 1971, Opportunity International has been a leader in microfinance helping the poor fight poverty through small business loans, other financial services, training and counsel. As the world’s largest Christian microfinance organization, Opportunity serves over 1.1 million poor entrepreneurs in 28 developing countries. Sojourners http://www.sojo.net Sojourners/Call to Renewal is an ecumenical Christian ministry whose mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world. World Hope International http://www.worldhope.org World Hope International is a faith based relief and development organization alleviating suffering and injustice through education, enterprise and community health. World Relief http://www.wr.org/ World Relief is a Christian relief and development organization focused on empowering the Church to relieve human suffering, poverty and hunger worldwide in the name of Jesus Christ.

The thing is- these only constitute very minute number of organizations that are formed around only one issue from one religion. Imagine if we were to pull together all organizations from all religions that deal with all issues.

I guess my question to those earlier is: can we afford to live free of religion?

I think not.