7/23/2019 Why Human Needs Religion

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Why Human Needs Religion?

It’s been estimated that nearly 90% of people in the world belong to a religion making it learthat a large perentage of people ha!e religious beliefs" #he $uestion is why? Is there a god

shaped hole in our brain&? Why do people ha!e the need to belie!e fer!ently in the !ery

unlikely&? #he short answer is no'one knows for sure( but there are some aspets of our beha!ior that pro!ide some lues"

Religion is a ornerstone for spirituality whih( in my opinion( helps de!elop a grasp of moralharaters and ethis" We don)t really need it as a neessity to sur!i!e but it does help us get

along" *lso( sometimes people feel lost and often it)s religion that guides them towards a new

understanding( insight( or perspeti!e"

+harater an also be formed through religion" ,ften there are fundamental priniples in religion

that help us beome more of a -holisti- person

#here are atually a few basi human psyhologial needs that moti!ate people to seek meaning

through religion( said .te!en Reiss( author of the new theory and professorof psyhology and psyhiatry at ,hio .tate /ni!ersity"

#hese basi human needs whih inlude honor( idealism( uriosity and aeptane an

e1plain why ertain people are attrated to religion( why 2od images e1press psyhologiallyopposite $ualities( and the relationship between personality and religious e1perienes"

#he most ommon reason they ite is that people embrae religion beause of a fear of death( as

e1pressed in the saying 3there are no atheists in fo1holes(& Reiss said" 4ut religion is multi'faeted it an’t be redued to 5ust one or two desires"

Reiss said that eah of the 67 basi desires outlined in the book influene the psyhologial

appeal of religious beha!ior" #he desires are power( independene( uriosity( aeptane( order(sa!ing( honor( idealism( soial ontat( family( status( !engeane( romane( eating( physial

e1erise( and tran$uility"

In a study published in 8000( Reiss found that religious people the study inluded mostly

+hristians: e1pressed a strong desire for interdependene with others" #hose who were not

religious( howe!er( showed a stronger need to be self'reliant and independent" #he study alsoshowed that religious people !alued honor more than non'religious people( whih Reiss said

suggests many people embrae religion to show loyalty to parents and anestors"

,ne e1ample is the desire for uriosity( Reiss said" Religious intelletuals( who are high in

uriosity( !alue a 2od who is knowable through reason( while doers( who ha!e weak uriosity(

may !alue a 2od that is knowable only through re!elation" ;eople who ha!e a strong need fororder should en5oy rituali<ed religious e1perienes( whereas those with a weak need for order

may prefer more spontaneous e1pression of faith"