I want to try something a little bit different. Usually whatever I post here is nothing more than a fanciful thought that I’ve lingered on more than another for a short period of time. Other times, they are questions that have beguiled me for some time, and so writing is my means of processing those thoughts I have towards them. In short, my project with this blog is something ever-so-slightly random. I don’t have an agenda or a grand plan for any of what I say here, but today I want to announce a kind of “series” that I’ll soon be doing. Once per month, I thought I would reflect on the various world religions that I’ve come across, studied, or even experienced. I hope these thoughts are respectful and affirmative, however I will not shy away from whatever interesting points of dispute or problems that I may encounter throughout this journey. That’s just to keep things somewhat interesting. But, before I can say anything about all of that, I have to ask: what is religion?

You think you know, but I can promise you that you do not. Religions across the world have very broad concerns that are (sometimes) entirely different to one another. You may think religion has something to do with God, but I would disagree. That assertion would offend religions such as Buddhism, which has sects that recognise deities, but neither of which are ultimately concerned with them as Christianity or Islam would be.

I had a friend who once described religion as a “rule”, since that is the meaning of the root word (religare) from which religion comes. Again, I find this definition feeble, as not every religion is about rules. In fact, many that have (historically) had a lot of rules have even tried rebranding as legalisms have become unpopular. You may have heard it said, “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion,” and I believe it is said for this reason. The man who makes religion entirely about rules is bound to offend (if they care to take offence) the Daoists, who are perhaps the least moralising religion out there.

And what of ritual? Does that make a religion? Certainly it is an aspect of many world religions, but this is by no means an exhaustive definition. Perhaps religion is a conglomeration of these three things to greater or lesser degrees; or, perhaps religion is, as Paul Tillich said, that to do with the “ultimate concern” of human beings. I admit, I rather like his response because it is precisely what has so fascinated me with religion. Religion is humanity’s way of responding to the ultimate concern (or concerns) of the world around them and their relation to it and to each other. It is, I suppose, a crucial aspect of human nature that has, in my view, been too long disparaged or ignored as we pretend to have passed it by. However, I say that religion defines us as a culture and a species, whether we like it or not. I do believe that Freud was overly-reductive when he dismissed it in full as an “illusion” since, illusory or not, at the very least it is a mirror of human longing.

In undergrad I studied philosophy and then went on to study theology, which is maybe a little confusing for some people since, as is commonly felt, these two disciplines may stand in opposition to one another. It is the old debate of faith versus reason, but I believe there is something often oversimplified in all this. It is true: philosophy threatens even the most essential beliefs of all religions. It can do this, it has, and it ought to. This is not an act of hatred, but the contrary: it is an act of appreciation for the implications religious belief has, for good or bad, as well as an assessment of whether or not it is true. For if I had to believe in one sin, it would be cultivated ignorance, whereby one consciously or unconsciously preserve their illusions, come what may. This is stupidity at its finest, though we are all guilty of it at one point or another.

In short, you could say that true religion is not allergic to philosophy. Rather, they are bedfellows. If religion is truly man’s “ultimate concern”, then it is enriched by the contributions of philosophy just as philosophy is enriched by religion. Philosophising is obviously a passion of mine, but that is not because I love studying. No, it is because, when I take it to heart, it is religious: the “ultimate concern” not pondered but felt. So, as I reflect on these different religions, do you best to see it from their point of view. Think of it not like an evangelical sales pitch nor a cold-blooded analysis, but as an encounter with someone who has experienced a world different—and perhaps more true and beautiful—than the one you are used to. If I may coin the term, this is a journey of philosophical empathy.