It would be difficult to explain religion to a being from Mars. Most people would agree it is belief in something transcendent and beyond daily experience and rational knowledge. But many factions claim knowledge of the unknowable and fight over the differences.
Perhaps that being would be amused at the variety. Or maybe puzzled that religions can be personal, cultish, widespread, rigid, flexible, tolerant, vicious, monolithic, fragmented, personal, cultural and infinitely varied.
Obviously religious belief has value. People find guidelines and meaning to their lives and situations. It comforts the individual and strengthens bonds of sharing. It engages a sense of wonder at existence.
Yet, the Martian would also note, there are “civilized” religions and those which are not. For one thing, a “civilized” religion recognizes there can be others, whereas an “uncivilized” religion treats “unbelievers” as insects. Most “civilized” religions eventually cannot tolerate those which are not.
Given their useful qualities, it is impossible to eliminate religions. Given their intuitively transcendent foundations it is impossible to rationalize them. And given their basic irrationality, impossible to even standardize and stabilize over time.
Our only hope is that they get along ok.
HuntingtonHarborThoughts 