The Significance of World Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 11

The Significance of World Religions - Essay Example Religion is one such issue that is much misunderstood and raises passions to unexpected limits. Given the two sides of a coin, religion can be used constructively for the betterment of society or to serve the vested interests of a few. It is intriguing that intolerance in the name of religion has grown in spite of increased literacy and education on the one hand, and a better standard of living on the other. The fanaticism of today has its parallels in man’s hoary past. It is this past that communities repeatedly invoke to settle scores with those with a different outlook. It is in this backdrop that religious leaders the world over are endeavoring to facilitate dialogue not only among religions but also among the adherents of various religions. One such leader is His Holiness The Dalai Lama of Tibet who is a vocal advocate of religious harmony besides being a role model for Buddhists everywhere. Fisher opines that there is an inexplicable reality experienced by all cultures. The material world fails to provide answers to all our questions. It is this void that religion tries to fill. The man has overcome nature and is in a commanding position vis a vis nature many a time. It is questions that defy logic or are beyond his comprehension for which he turns to religion (12-13). Fisher mentions a set of human needs that religion fulfills. One of these is the question of the afterlife. Rational thinking cannot explain the journey of the self after death. Similarly, the aspect of perfection beyond the five senses is alien to human experience. Man strives to find the answer to perfection beyond sensory perception (14-15). Likewise, religion can give the true reason behind personal problems and how man overcomes these when there is no hope left. Apart from the physical self, man can also discover his true self, the soul, which cannot be easily described in a material setting.