Religion as a Pragmatic Truth
We often believe in ideas because of the utility we derive from them, not because of their inherent truth. And yet we seldom apply this same standard in religion, even though many religious adherents report an abundance of benefit — ranging from social belonging to individual satisfaction, to healthier eating habits and mental wellbeing.
Many modern scientific theories, such as Einstein’s Theory of Gravity and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, have provided us with numerous benefits. However, the principle of falsifiability teaches us that theories can never be proven correct, but only verified to be not incorrect thus far. After all, theories are all built on axioms — assumptions about nature that cannot be verified and are not rooted in empirical evidence. However, we selectively blind ourselves to this limitation and instead base our belief in these theories on their ability to explain our finite observations. The more observations (in number and diversity) that a theory can explain, the more confidence we have in it. And yet, such theories evolved and dramatically morphed from previous renditions, letting down generations of believers before us.
This belief in useful ideas is not limited to the realm of science. The institution of credit is built upon one such belief, for example. In support of this, Yuval Noah Hariri explains that credit only works because we believe that those whom we lend to have a good chance of paying us back. In a stable world with a competent judicial system and wherein wars and pandemics are generally exceptions, this is a fair belief. It would well be so — as the foundation of the entire modern banking industry, credit is integral to our everyday lives. And yet it is ultimately a belief, and one that does not necessarily need to be true. In fact, many modern credit-based economies have crashed when this axiom was eradicated. Just think of any government bailout for an example.
In fact there are many more such beliefs. For example, living in a nation-state comes with the belief that, in exchange for tax, the state will protect you, take care of the roads, provide education, and so on. There is no guarantee that the state will uphold such a social contract and, unfortunately, it so often seems to fail at doing so. Yet we continue to pay our taxes and live within states.
Life would be unimaginable without these implicit, not necessarily scientific, beliefs, which we believe not due to their inherent truth but due to the utility they endow us. It is therefore hypocritical not to extend this privilege to the realm of religion if it can be shown that religion has utility. If we define an idea as useful if it has more benefits than harms, to the believer, then it would be possible to subjectively assess the utility of religion within our own lives.
To this end, I will focus on Islam as a case study, because it is the religion I am most familiar with, but please feel free to do a similar exercise with other religions.
Before we take this idea further, I’d like to note that there exists a caveat in assessing religion in terms of material utility. Namely, that every religion values sincerity. And sincerity is hardly a rational idea, but one of conviction and faith. If you are concerned about this, then know that the human mind cannot fake its belief in an idea for long. Cognitive dissonance is a powerful force. Any actions you take that demonstrate your belief in an idea will eventually lead to you believing in it. This initial insincerity is natural and was considered during the invitation to Islam by the Prophet Muhammd:
Whenever the Messenger of Allah was asked a thing by someone who is about to accept Islam, he would give it. A man came to the Prophet and he gave him a herd of sheep scattered between two mountains. When he returned to his people, he said to them: “O my people! Embrace Islam because Muhammad gives like one who has no fear of poverty.” Some people would embrace Islam only for worldly gains, but soon Islam becomes dearer to them than the world with all that it contains. —[Sahih Muslim]
Now, for the sake of simplicity, I will limit my cost-benefit analysis here to the Islamic 5 pillars: the shahada, a declaration of faith; fasting in Ramadan; Zakat, almsgiving; Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca; and prayer, 5 times daily. It is generally accepted that if you believe in the shahada, then you are a Muslim. However, to be successful as a Muslim, it is necessary to also pay due diligence to the other 4. Keep in mind that this analysis assumes a healthy adult individual:
1. Shahada (“I bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His messenger”)
- POSITIVE: symbolic conviction in an idea, leading to character building. Join a 1.8 billion person wide social group of Brothers and Sisters.
- NEGATIVE: depending on the circumstance, may be an example of coerced speech. Conversion may result in stigma from family and friends.
2. Ramadan (annual month of fasting from sunrise until sunset)
- POSITIVE: there are numerous reported benefits of fasting, such as weight loss and detoxification, to the point that intermittent fasting has become a lifestyle trend. Builds willpower. Builds empathy with those who are less fortunate than ourselves, particularly those who regularly go hungry. Cuts out negativity (e.g. swearing).
- NEGATIVE: can be tiring, especially in areas with short days. As a result, it may make it difficult to concentrate and get work accomplished.
3. Zakat (annual ~2.5% almsgiving wealth tax, given to the needy in one’s local community)
- POSITIVE: social good in the form of aid to the less privileged leads to personal satisfaction. Helps overcome greed. Encourages sympathizing with less privileged, particularly if done personally (i.e. not through an institution). Helps deal with wealth inequality.
- NEGATIVE: financial loss.
4. Prayer (5 mandatory daily prayers — Sunrise, Noon, Afternoon, Sunset, and Night)
- POSITIVE: a form of meditation 5 times throughout the day which allows one to relax and reflect. Some studies indicate health benefits derived from the particular physical motions of the Islamic prayer. The regularity engenders self-discipline. The experience of symbolically submitting to something larger than yourself results in humility. Ritual cleansing prior to prayer is hygienic.
- NEGATIVE: although it only costs about 20 minutes of your day, its regularity can make you late to timed events or result in your temporary leave midway through a meeting.
5. Hajj (once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca if one can afford it)
- POSITIVE: a chance for adventure/exploration, seeing history, meeting people from all over the world, re-enacting the past
- NEGATIVE: can be very expensive.
I hope that my list has been helpful but I encourage you to built on top of it. Regardless, as a way of life, Islam cannot be reduced to just these 5 pillars. A similar analysis can be conducted on the Islamic 6 Articles of Faith, culture and mannerisms, and so on.
However, although rationalization can be a powerful means to faith, there are religious commands that are difficult to rationalize. A study of history reveals that the pious predecessors did not concern themselves with whether they could rationalize a command or not; general wisdom was to obey God in places where intellect can’t enter. The institutions which can’t be understood by intellect are the perfect divine services for making the heart pure, because to act contrary to nature is real servitude. Therefore, if the command is clear, then we waste no effort questioning it:
No satisfactory reason is ostensibly found in the throwing of stones, or running between Safa and Marwa [components of the Hajj pilgrimage]. However, true servitude is a separate thing and to serve God means that one should conduct himself according to the order of God, whether it contains any meaning or not. — [Imam Al-Ghazali]
That being said, this may be an exercise worth trying, especially for those on the fence.
Know that it is not we that guide to religion, but God who guides whom He wills to His religion. All Truth is from God, and all errors are my own only.
