30 Jan

The question “What is religion?” is unanswerable for many scholars and adherents, according to William Cavanaugh. He finds that more often than not, people will avoid the question or provide answers riddled with inaccuracies. Cavanaugh admits that religion has “fuzzy edges”, but uses this point to give reasons for why it should not be considered inherently violent (3). He points out what religion is not more than giving an explicit definition of what it is. More than anything, he pushes us to realize that the bad things we attribute to religion, such as war and unnecessary violence, are results of other idealized institutions like American patriotism. Today, people consider religion to be many things, and usually anything that helps us answer our “ultimate” questions. Religion is the vehicle many people use to discover the deepest truths about reality. While it is true that it often takes the form of a set of beliefs, a religion is the expression of one’s use of faith and reason together. It sums up all of other inquiries under one overarching discipline. A religion gives people a reason for every other pursuit in life. In many instances, one’s religion aids them in their pursuit of God or any higher power which is outside of this world. Religion guides people’s moral compasses, and instructs them on how to make ethical decisions. For example, Cavadini explains how the Catholic Church’s “‘preferential option for the poor'” is rooted primarily in a belief in God, not particularly based in a doctrine about the poor. Religion is a problem for many people because in most cases it calls us to radically transform one’s life. As a result, society is quick to blame religion for its ills, even if other institutions should be held responsible.