In these very difficult times, we hear religion blamed for many of the ills that plague us. That is an understandable sentiment. Let’s reflect on that.

Since the criticism is of “religion”, we can take that criticism to mean religion “broadly defined”. In its broadest sense, religion provides a sense of meaning and purpose to life. Conversely, can one achieve a sense of purpose in life without some form of “faith”, that is, believing in something that cannot be deduced from observations?

Calls for the abandonment of religion are thus calls for living life without a sense of purpose or meaning. I cannot help but believe that this is a call for us all to return to our “natural state”, when human life consisted of foraging for food, instinctively avoiding danger, and instinctively seeking to procreate. Is that really a goal to aspire to?