The Purpose of Religion

The end purpose of all religious practice is to bring man, such as he is, into communion, or fellowship, with God.  We might think that the purpose of religion is the control of evil impulses so that our society is a safe environment for all, or in short, we worship God so that we become nice persons to live with.  I often hear the question from my students, "Isn't it possible to be a good person and not go to church?"  I think the evidence is all around us that it is possible to be good and not go to church, so of course, that cannot be the purpose of going to church or of practicing one's religion.

If our religion stops with making us 'nice people,' it has not achieved its purpose at all.  Unfortunately, many faithful church-goers are not even nice people at home; wives snarl at their husbands, fathers beat their children; and siblings struggle against one another on a constant basis.  So why should we even attend church if church attendance does not penetrate our minds, hearts, and spirits?

I would say that going to church is but man's attempt to "enter into His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise (Ps. 100).  Psalm 16 tells us that the fullness of joy is at God's right hand.  To experience that fullness of joy, we must enter His Presence -- and for most of us, the way we do that is to enter through the gates of some religious practice.  For the Eastern Orthodox, the practice seems to be chanting, candles, incense, and surrounding oneself with icons -- a very powerful experience, all in all.  The Roman Catholic enters into the mystery of the Mass, while the Lutheran scorns ritual in favor of breaking open the Word of the Lord. Jews faithfully embrace the Torah and practice mitzvah --good deeds.  The Buddhist strives to block out the entire world of sense in order to enter Nirvana, while the Muslims put their faces to the floor five times a day in worship of Allah.  All of these practices have value IF they bring those who practice them into the Presence of God in "spirit and in truth," as Jesus told the woman at the well:  The day is coming and is now here, when the true worshippers of the Father will worship in spirit and in truth.  You worship what you do not know, but we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews (Jn. 4).

When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples, they came back rejoicing because they experienced the power of God flowing through them to heal the sick and to preach the Good News that the kingdom of God was present on earth:  "Even the demons are subject to us in Your Name," they exclaimed.  "This is eternal life," Jesus told them on another occasion, "to know God and Him He has sent, Jesus Christ." 

The purpose of any religious practice -- prayer, meditation, good works, etc. -- is communion with God, to know Him and the One He has sent to establish the kingdom on earth.  If we don't know Him, our religion has failed us.  At the last judgment, many will come and say, "Lord, we cast out demons in Your Name...." but He will say, "I never knew you."  First, we must know Him; He must know us -- and then everything else will follow.  Then and then only, we will be 'nice people" and the kingdom of Jesus Christ will flow through us and in us.