Many people find it difficult to understand why religion is necessary today. And this is not surprising, because outside the window of the XXI century, when it seems that all natural phenomena have long been explained from the point of view of science, and the very dogmas of Christianity, Islam and other religions have lost all meaning.
But this is only at first glance. If we look deeper into this issue, it turns out that the functions of religion in society today are no less relevant than in the Middle Ages. Let's figure it out in order.
How did the first religions originate?
It is impossible to say with certainty which religion was the first, most likely, it was one of the pagan beliefs. At the dawn of its formation, mankind could not explain the natural phenomena that seem now simple, whether it be thunder, lightning or wind. So people began to deify the nature around them.
This was done for several purposes - it was easier to understand nature and control the fear of the unknown. People had their patron gods, which gave them confidence in everyday life, in war, in campaigns and swimming. This can be clearly seen in the example of Ancient Greece, where each profession had its own supreme patron.
Later there was a need for new beliefs, the old religions no longer corresponded to the development of society - many of them lacked morality, which led to the decomposition of society. Partly for this reason, early Christianity was so rapidly disseminated, since the functions of religion were clearly spelled out in the form of commandments.
Religion as a deterrent to animal instincts
The basis in any religion is moral teaching, that is, the promotion of the positive qualities inherent in man, and the containment of the negative. The positive characteristics include kindness (love your neighbor as yourself), honesty, sincerity, etc. And the negative ones include envy, greed, lust, and other vices inherent in man.
In his teaching, Jesus emphasized the importance of love for one's neighbor, self-sacrifice. It is also symbolic of his crucifixion on the cross, which means not so much atonement for the sins of all mankind as self-sacrifice: he gave the most valuable thing that he had - his life - for the sake of people. Thus, an example of selflessness was set for people.
The social functions of religion in society are to maintain a balance between animal instincts and human qualities. And one of the key tasks of religion is to regulate human behavior so that it does not succumb to its weaknesses and does not do anything bad.
Worldview function of religion
Human consciousness is structured in such a way that requires a clear explanation of the world. From the moment of birth to death, a person seeks to learn new things and find an explanation for everything that he sees. But not everything that was around us could be explained logically until recently, and even today there are inexplicable things. Religion took on this worldview task, instilling norms of behavior on the example of biblical characters and showing what could happen if these norms were violated.
Until the twentieth century, no one doubted the educational function of religion, and only with the fall of morality did many negative labels begin to hang on faith. We will not deny that today Christianity itself violates its own commandments, but we cannot but admit that in its original form it carried order and organization into society, providing a stable foundation for its development.
Also, do not forget that it is important for a person to live a meaningful life, and for many, this belief has been given and is given by faith in higher powers.
The unifying role of faith
One of the functions of religion is the unification of people, their unity in the framework of society. It is for this reason that in times of crisis in history, people turn to faith. The simplest example: during the war, when not only the solidarity of people, but also the raising of their military spirit is required. Even during World War II, this was remembered, although the ideology of communism itself denies the existence of God as such!
But there are negative examples in history - crusades or jihad (translated as "holy war"). Under good intentions, terrible military conflicts unleashed, resulting in many casualties and destruction. And you can’t say that all this is left in the past and will never happen again.
The compensatory function of religion
From time immemorial people came to temples in search of comfort, trying to drown out the inner pain. This is the function of religion in society as an outlet for a person, where he can calmly speak out and find peace. The priest in this case fulfills to some extent the role of a psychologist, and to some extent, the intermediary between God and man. After all, it is on his behalf that he forgives sins and gives advice to the repentant, thereby giving him relief.
Of course, today not so many people come to church to seek comfort, however, it cannot be said that the function of religion as a compensator for mental suffering has been lost. It has survived, although not so obvious to many today. Partly its role is played by psychologists, providing the necessary psychological assistance to those who need it.
Religion and marriage
According to statistics, up to 80% of marriages today are falling apart. Moreover, the majority in the first few years of marriage, young people simply can not stand the joint life.
Why is this happening now, but did not happen in pre-revolutionary Russia or under the USSR? After all, it would seem that life has become much easier than a century ago, but the number of divorces continues to grow, and the birth rate is falling. And note that this happens mainly in traditionally Christian countries, and not in Muslim countries, where the functions of religion in human life have not lost their relevance, and the commandments are strictly observed today.
The answer suggests itself: young people entering into marriage do not take this step with due seriousness. For many, the words "Both in grief and in joy" do not carry the proper meaning, but remain only words. At the first difficulties, they file for divorce, and more often this is done by women who, logically, should be interested in maintaining the family.
It was not like that before: when they got married, people realized that they would have to live together their whole lives. And the dominant role of the husband in the family was confirmed not only by the very fact that it was he who played the main role of the earner in the family, but also by religion. No wonder there was the expression "Husband from God," that is, given to a woman as husbands once and forever.
Managing life through religion
Faith provided not only guidelines for correct behavior and the logical meaningfulness of life, but also performed a managerial function in society. She regulated the relationship in society in various social groups and between them. I tried to reconcile the rich and the poor, thereby preventing the development of social conflicts.
To summarize
Having examined what functions a religion performs in society, one can understand why religions not only arose, but were also actively supported by the state. Thanks to faith in the life of a simple person, meaning appeared and order was maintained in society itself, and this made it possible for it to develop fully, at least until some historical period.
Nowadays, religion performs the same functions as it did centuries ago. And we must admit that even with the development of technology, humanity is not able to do without it.