Faces on Faith: Religion’s primary purpose is to help us be better
In a column for the Huffington Post several years ago, biopsychologist Nigel Barber proposed that religion is on a path to extinction.
Why? Because, Barber claimed, religion was becoming less and less able to compete in the “marketplace” of what he referred to as “anti-anxiety devices.” Barber claimed that “the primary function of religion is to help people feel better about their lives,” and as access to greater material prosperity, psychotherapy, anti-anxiety drugs and entertainment continued to grow throughout the world, religion would become less and less needed by people for that purpose.
Barber’s sentiment was certainly not a new one, nor was he the last to express it. Variations of his argument have consistently been offered before, since and now. But that perspective, it seems, is built on a flawed basic premise in that it misunderstands the real purpose of religion.
Does religion help reduce anxiety for many? Certainly. Does it help many feel better about their lives? Absolutely. Studies repeatedly show that religious participation is connected to lower levels of anxiety and a greater sense of well-being. But those things are not the primary purpose of religion. No religious tradition I know of — and certainly not Christianity — makes that claim. One can hardly take a close look at the teachings and example of Jesus in the Gospels, for instance, and say that his primary goal was for us to “feel good” about our lives. It was instead, to live good lives — lives in union with God and God’s ways of compassion, forgiveness, justice and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
And the truth is that sometimes, living out those ways doesn’t feel particularly good. Sometimes it doesn’t feel particularly good to give rather than receive. Sometimes it doesn’t feel particularly good to forgive rather than seek vengeance. Sometimes it doesn’t feel particularly good to love our neighbor when our neighbor’s not so lovable. I know it doesn’t for me.
But again, Jesus never seems to be very concerned in the Gospels with how people feel. He never once, for example, talks about our being happy. But he does tell us repeatedly that we will find “fullness of life” — real, deep, lasting meaning and fulfillment through living the way God calls us to. And at times, he is what I refer to as “not so nice Jesus” in service of moving his followers in that direction.
What Barber and others who share his position seem to miss is that religion’s — genuine religion’s — primary purpose is to help us be better far more than feel better about our lives. It is about doing good far more than feeling good about our lives.
At the same time though, I have also never known a person who made those things their primary purpose who didn’t also experience a great deal of peace, joy and happiness. Who didn’t feel good about their lives in the very best way.
The Rev. Dr. Mark Boyea is senior minister at the Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ.