Seizing the Power of Religion to Shape Purpose

Bibliographic Data

ID23629902
AuthorsNegin R Toosi (0000-0003-3351-3294), J Douglas Wellman (0000-0002-7234-4369), Clara L Wilkins (0000-0003-3563-1243)
Year2025
Pages207-227
Publication date2025-12-31
Open AccessYes
TypeCHAPTER
VenuePurpose in Life As Ancient but Nascent (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/9781009407427.010
OpenAlexW4415717220
ISBN9781009407427
LanguageEN
References cited36

Religious beliefs are a profound source of motivation and purpose for many people. This is especially true of fundamentalists of different faiths, who strive to strictly adhere to what they believe to be scriptural guidance for how to live their lives. However, given the high rates of religious illiteracy across American citizens, belief in a religion does not necessarily indicate knowledge of the contents of one’s religious teachings. Perhaps as a consequence, people belonging to the same religion, and the clergy who guide them, have used different aspects of the scriptures to express divergent viewpoints (for and against slavery, homophobia, violence, etc.). The complexity of religious scriptures and interpretations across history has meant that members of religions who have sought to follow the righteous path have, at times, been taught that expressing bias against certain groups is the virtuous thing to do. As such, religion has been used to justify strategic beliefs (based on power and political motives) which then become fused with religious identity in private beliefs and public discourse. This chapter addresses how the noble purpose associated with being a virtuous person can be reclaimed from the forces that exploit the power of religion to create division and discord. We call on people to educate themselves about the content and context of various religious scriptures, to value diversity and avoid bias, and to cultivate spiritual and intellectual humility.

Agnosticism · Context (archaeology) · Identity (music) · Mainstream · Politics · Power (physics) · Religious identity · Value (mathematics) · Viewpoints · Mormonism, Religion, and History · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics · Study and Philosophy of Religion

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