I know I am writing about a topic that has led to many serious controversies. As per Pew Research Center’s forum, Religion and Public Life, 8 in 10 people identify themselves with a religious group. That leads to 84 percent of the world’s population believing in or following religion.

Well, religion is indeed a big thing not only in the United States, but also throughout the rest of the world. Millions of dollars are spent on religious activities in the name of charity and social service by religious organizations. But does being in a particular religious group really make a difference in life? Does it solve the problems the world is facing today?

Going into historical background, it is seen that religion has had a huge influence over masses in all parts of the world. In those ancient and medieval ages, due to lack of science and technology, people were not only amazed by, but also feared, the unpredictability of nature. Most of the population practiced agriculture, and it was necessary for them to be dependent on nature for survival. Due to an absence of scientific ideas, it was the various religious theories that ruled over the masses. People often found security and community bonds by practicing religion.

But in this modern age, thanks to the scientific community, we have made this world a better place. We have explained so much about natural phenomena and now our curiosity and scientific quests have led us to understand for the most part the origin of the universe, our evolution (here, there seems to be a divide between science and religion) and even understand human psychology, which can give us many answers to human behavior. 

In spite of these myriad scientific explanations and technological inventions, still we are God-fearing people. Many might not believe in religion, but they do believe in God. Even great physicists like Albert Einstein believed in the existence of some powerful force beyond the control of humans. This unknown powerful force is what we call God. Now, different religions believe in different forms of God, but this concept has been the same in many of them. Religious theories compel people not only to believe in God, but also to fear God. 

This is where there occurs a sharp contradiction between science and religion. Science, on the other hand, develops the notion that nothing is to be feared and that everything can be explained in a scientific way. So far, in the past 400 years, we have successfully discarded many antiquated theories that religion professed in the name of God in order to dominate the masses.

Still, the question remains: Why do so many people follow religion? Not to say that we should stop following religion. But today the world is facing so many problems that religion cannot solve. In many cases, science can. History reminds us that it is often religion that has divided people and even led to some terrible conflicts, such as the Crusades. But on the contrary, today’s technology, such as computers, the Internet, social-networking and telecommunications have connected people and made this world a global place. The spread of scientific education has primarily empowered people. 

We have observed conflict between science and religion for centuries. Even today, both contradict one another on topics such as evolution, the beginnings of the universe, the existence of God, etc. But it is important to understand that science has repeatedly given justified answers to the many problems in the past. The hard work of the scientific community has shaped the world for centuries. Many scientists believe in God, but not in any religion. Having faith is a good thing, but gone are the days to blindly follow what religion preaches us in the name of God; science has more convincing, concrete answers. It is better to be a rational individual while still having faith in God and remembering that we are not the only dominant species in this universe. We should stay humble and connected to each other, to our beautiful planet.