Legends, timeless stories told fondly by us humans since the dawn of our existence. All these stories are much more than just fantastical tales, they were our religion, our beliefs, our life. Now there is much controversy surrounding religion, if it is dying, which one is better, but what I’m concerned about is if it beneficial to humanity even after these long and countless years. I have heard many argue and believe that religion is useless now that we have science and causes more problems than it solves. Yet despite all these reasons and opinions, I still firmly believe that religion plays a large positive part in our lives.

Religion is shown to have numerous health benefits, both physical and mental. Some of these are being better at dealing with stress, less anxiety, and lower amounts of smoking and other addictions. There are several possible reasons for this; many religions encourage the care of your body as something gifted to you. A second, more scientific, reasoning also exists, that many religions support certain healthy habits (such as meditation) or even change how your brain works to focus on more positive events. Perhaps the strongest explanation is the mere fact of having  something that you can list all your worries to, without concerns about how they will judge you. Having a confidant who you can tell whatever helps to relieve feelings of stress, doubt, and regret. This fact is especially true to religions that believe in a divine being completely benevolent and forgiving. No matter the causes, the fact that religion does help our wellbeing cannot be denied. For example, one study published in 2007 monitored thousands of people between the ages of 40 and 90, and recorded all deaths due to any causes. It was discovered that the more religious, who regularly attended religious events, were far less likely to die.

There are many who claim that religion has been the cause of many tragic events, including recent terrorist attacks and the Crusades. These people do have a point, both of these trends would likely not exist if not for religion. However, to say religion was the sole cause of these tragedies would be just as wrong as saying that religion played no part. Many terrorist attacks are not only against the religion of the victim, but also their political beliefs and ideas. And as for the Crusades, ask any historian who knows about them and they will say the Crusades were more fueled by political and economic aspirations as well glory in battle, rather than religion. Even in cases where religion is the main influence, religion still isn’t the problem. The real problem is that there isn’t enough tolerance for beliefs and ideas outside of what one believes. We need to learn to respect one another’s beliefs, that we no longer live in a kill or be killed world. This applies to more than just religion, it applies to politics, economics, even something as trivial as sports has caused deaths. So many of them preventable if we had more tolerance to foreign people and their culture and beliefs.  

Religion is also tremendously beneficial to our society as a whole. Religion is one large principle that people form around. People meet at some religious event, or enjoy discussing different parts of their belief and gain companions. Some claim that this causes more discrimination due to an insider-outsider mindset, but, again, see to the previous paragraph about how more general tolerance for the unknown is needed. An additional way religion positively impacts society is charity. Many religions, from Christianity to Islam to Buddhism, state how one should help others in need, be more compassionate not just to fellow humans, but nature as well. This social awareness and helping those in bad circumstances is key to advancing as a species. We should support each other in their hour of need, not shun them with unrelenting ferocity. We should mend our planet and those that live on it, not find some distant rock to destroy with our presence. Finally, religion is one of the largest motivators for art and large architectural undertakings. Think about many famous pieces of art; the numerous angels in Renaissance art, arabesque, and the many frescoes, murals, and scenes depicted in ancient buildings. The same is true for many architectural and historical sites, the Notre-Dame, the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, Kinkaku-Ji. All built largely due to religion.

Lives of many people have been changed to be far more pleasant and fulfilling because of religion. Without our countless different beliefs in the supernatural and spiritual, the world would be a far worse place for everyone. For thousands of years this has been true, and for thousands more it will continue to be true. Even when our current religions go the way of Olympus and Yggdrasil, there will be humans who believe in the occult, the divine. For eternity, humanity will continue to tell its legends.