What is religion?
A common definition of religion is: ‘the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.’ Most human beings acknowledge, to a greater or lesser extent, the existence of some kind of deity or, more often, a vague supernatural force up in the sky: a useful someone that they can blame for their shortcomings and misfortunes. When things are going well the presence of a higher being is usually disregarded.
There are, I think, only a few real atheists because atheism implies a complicated thought process which is beyond the capabilities of most people. A more common attitude is one of agnosticism, where there is a feeling that, in the end, we cannot know the answers to the meaning of life, and yet the presence of God is not specifically excluded. I think most people adopt the attitude that, on the whole, they couldn’t give a monkey’s…, so the existence of a deity is just an irrelevance. This is certainly the most prevalent attitude which I have come across and cannot be classed as atheism, and yet it fails to meet the definition of agnosticism because it is based on indifference rather than rational deduction.
Religion as an escape
A person who is up to his neck in the cares of the world – marriage, job, children and materialism – will often have no time for religion. It often is only those who have experienced some kind of disaster who reach out for some deity or other. It is equally possible that in the event of a downturn in fortunes, a person may find any lingering religious belief destroyed.
There are religions that cater for those seeking a refuge from the realities of life, especially when that life is falling apart. It is quite normal for those of us who find life unbearable for some reason to embrace a religion which offers, not so much as an explanation for suffering, but rather some insulation from the stark realities of life. This is why religious cults are so popular amongst such individuals, as they demand a life-long commitment to the organisation and encourage isolation from anything which gets in the way, such as close family and friends. Such cults prey on the vulnerable and suck them dry of anything of material value. In return the organisation offers them a type of love, and lots of it. This has been described as ‘love-bombing’ where the unfortunate victim, that is the word, is made to feel secure in the ‘love’ of his newly discovered brethren. This has the suffocating effect of denying to him any sense of reality as he is immersed deeper and deeper into the cult.
Such cults come in many guises and are perhaps more common in the United States of America. Ostensibly, they can be Christian in outlook, and yet the object of worship is not God at all, but rather the cult leader who may even represent himself as a Catholic priest. Once some unfortunate has been absorbed into the cult and is encouraged to be suspicious of, or even hate those outside, including family and friends, rescuing him or her from this predicament is well-nigh impossible. Various attempts at kidnapping a son or daughter from a cult have often proved unsuccessful because after a while the offspring has become completely brainwashed.
‘Feel-good’ religions
Many religions, including the modern Roman Catholic Church, try to reflect the class, race and attitudes of the people who come to their churches. This is very common indeed as we see the clergy of all denominations attempting to manufacture church services so as to appeal to the majority of people in the local catchment area. If they are mainly white, Anglo-Saxon, wealthy and posh, the clergy will put on services which will cater for them. In such a case the congregations may even be treated to ‘reverent’ Masses or, at the very least, Masses in the vernacular with drawly sermons and ‘nice’ hymns. In such cases it is essential that the faithful exit the church building after the service with a nice, cosy inner feeling and admit that they feel good. Sermons are deliberately constructed so as to avoid upsetting anybody. If the priest gets it wrong, and misses the mark in some way, all the people do is drift to another, more appealing, parish. This has to be avoided at all costs which means that the whole tenor of the church service is: ‘thank you for coming and please come back next Sunday.’
This attitude has gone on for so long now that there is an underlying assumption in most Churches, that most of those present have central heating in their homes, watch television, possess two cars and go abroad for their holidays. This is a safe bet nowadays as it is acknowledged that the working classes have more or less abandoned religion completely. Most religions now concentrate their efforts towards humouring the middle classes who return this indulgence by giving generously when the collection plate comes round.
Negative religions
Negative religions, which may also encompass ‘feel-good,’ are noteworthy not because of what they believe, but because of what they do not believe. This applies to all Protestant religions because, after all, that is the meaning of the word ‘Protestant.’
Negative religions, the chief of which is Islam, will also draw people in because of their hatred of all kinds of modern Western values, such as homosexuality, materialism, democracy and, above all, Western imperialism. It may well be that one might have sympathy for some of these ideas, and yet they are not suitable precepts for any kind of religious belief. And yet, by turning these ideas into a religion, the appeal to the masses is irresistible and has produced the world’s fastest growing religion.
Islam contains two principles which it shares with the Roman Catholic Church. They are, firstly, the belief that they are the only true religion and, secondly, that they will not rest until the whole world is converted. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church has abandoned these objectives and a cursory reading of the documents of the Second Vatican Council leaves room for doubt as to whether this Church even believes that it is the true religion. It is abandonment of these principles which has left Islam alone in the race for world domination, which explains why it is now the world’s fastest growing religion.
Equal worth = equally worthless
Many of our world leaders have spoken about those ‘of all religions and none,’ which, in the eyes of most people, condemns all religion as merely decorative and practically useless. The sight of Saint Pope John Paul II at Assisi (1988) standing on a platform, shoulder to shoulder with religious leaders in their colourful costumes, confirmed this idea and did much to make all religions appear ridiculous. The religious meeting at Assisi also did much damage to the souls of good Catholics because up until that event, they may have believed in the exclusivity of their faith. The sight of the Holy Father visibly compromising in front of the world’s press was bound to make them question such ideas. If, for example, one lines up ten leaders of ten religions, and if they each claim to be the true religion, the assumption made by onlookers is that they are all lying.
Interreligious dialogue
Dialogue between religions is a noble objective. In practice, however, the result is usually to force the one true religion to compromise on its beliefs. The idea that Muslims would indulge in such activities is laughable, and yet that is what the Catholic Church engages in habitually. The Catholic Church ends up giving ground on its teachings in order to maintain its input into the dialogue process.
In the realm of ecumenism, there is no question of the Church of England conceding its beliefs through ecumenical dialogue for the simple reason that it does not believe that it is the true religion. Ecumenism therefore represents an attack on the beliefs of the Catholic Church and has had devastating consequences. The Church has discarded so much ‘Catholicity’ that it is now almost unrecognisable in its current form, with doctrinal contradictions and confusion rampant everywhere.
Do we need religion?
A man without any religion is really no better than an animal as he can only live on his instincts, and a man without the true religion is similar to a man without any at all, except that a false religion may lead him to offend against the natural law. A typical example may be found in Islam, where a Muslim is told that he is justified in taking the life of an infidel, or is encouraged to have more than one wife.
It would not be stretching the point to suggest that it would be better to have no religion at all than to have a false one. This is because a man without any religion may instinctively abide by the natural law and refrain from killing, stealing and bigamy, for example. Indeed, such a person may get through his life without any religion and, if this condition was not his fault, he could theoretically save his soul.
Most non-Catholic religions contain principles which are either false or defy common sense. False principles abound in non-conformist religions, such as the idea that we are all born good. This may sound harmless at first hearing, and yet ideas have consequences. If we are all born good, denying the existence of original sin, the temptation is to believe that anything which turns us away from that good is not our fault. This idea is also promoted by our modern ‘counsellors’ and ‘psychologists’ resulting in a growth industry. This implies a denial of free will and, ultimately, to the notion that we are predestined to go to heaven if we are one of the lucky ones.
Jehovah’s Witnesses say that only 144,000 people are saved. Methodists say that all we have to do is ‘proclaim Jesus as our Saviour’ and that’s that! For offences against common sense, one need look no further than the Hindu religion, which regards cows as sacred. Harmless enough, one might think, and yet one hears of villagers in the south of India who were starving to death as they watched their cattle roaming free and unmolested.
There is hope…
“You did not choose me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16) By making this simple statement, Our Lord tells us that we are obliged to submit ourselves to His one true religion, the Roman Catholic Church. It is not a matter of choice or preference, but more an obligation which is binding on all men regardless of time and space. This is primarily a work of conversion, rather than conviction. Obviously, the conviction comes afterwards and is a never-ending process. The Catholic Faith is a gift from God which we must ask for. Initially, it is hard to acquire it through human reason alone, although it is obviously completely reasonable. Incidentally, I know of only one priest who can use solely his powers of reason to convert, but he is a rarity.
Many famous people, including the writers C.S. Lewis and William Cobbett, have argued convincingly in support of the Catholic Church, yet never converted, perhaps because they had never prayed for this supernatural gift. In order to convert, one has to acquire the spirit of submission to a higher truth, and that is precisely where most people are lacking: it is a gift from God which has to be asked for.
Highly intelligent people find religious conversion more difficult owing to their reluctance to submit to a higher authority. They have to work it all out themselves, which is why the universities of Oxford and Cambridge have produced many die-hard agnostics and atheists. In our current way of living, where ‘choice’ is venerated as a supreme human right, our ability to ask God to give us the true Faith is drowned out by pure human pride.
The Catholic Church has all the answers even though, temporarily, it has lost its voice. Man cannot isolate himself from the problems in his life any more than he can rationalise himself out of them through his reason. God sends us our problems in an attempt to drive us down onto our knees and ask for forgiveness, submitting ourselves to his truths. All false religions are man-made and, for that reason alone, cannot provide us with the inner tranquillity which we all seek.
Unless he embraces the true religion, a man denies himself the full meaning of his existence. To go through life ignoring the promptings sent by God leads to misery and even ultimate damnation, and who wants that
Joseph Bevan, June 2026.
Joseph Bevan has published Two Families: A Memoir of English Life During and After the Council (Os Justi Press, 2024) and Traddy Daddy: Memories and Thoughts of the Father of a Catholic Family (Os Just Press, 2025), also available from Amazon.
