Rinban’s Memo: Questions I
                      Received Recently
 

Question #1

Some people say that when science is developed there will be no need for religion, but what do you think?
 

Answer: The idea that the development of science will make religion unnecessary is usually based on the following view of religion.

It is the view that religion is the result of man's attempt to compensate for his own lack of knowledge and power by relying on some power greater than man.
 

It is the view that religion is an attempt to deal with or understand irrationally things that can be dealt with rationally or facts that can be judged rationally.
 

Looking at religion in this way, it is natural to think that as human knowledge advances and science develops, religion will gradually become less and less necessary.
 

Among the various religions, there are certainly some that should be dismissed as superstitions.
 

There is no doubt that the use of advanced medicine is more rational and effective than trying to cure illness with prayers and spells.

However, is true religion really such a thing?
 

True religion is not preached as a means to satisfy human desires.

Religion exists at the very edge of a human being's attempt to become a real human being.
 

In order for a person to become a real person, he must find his true self.

Science, by the way, is still trying to find out what man really is, and it has actually brought about a lot of understanding and knowledge about man, and there is still a doubt that if psychology and other sciences about man eventually develop, science will be able to help man find out what he really is. However, scientific knowledge about human beings has not been developed yet.
 

However, scientific knowledge about human beings is not based on what we think we should be, but on what we objectively observe.
 

Therefore, becoming a real person, as in religion, and finding one's true self, are beyond the reach of science. For this reason, it would be a mistake to think that the development of science makes religion unnecessary.
 

Question #2

There are many religions, but in the end, aren't they all the same?
 

Answer:

There is an opinion that all religions have different teachings and objects of faith, but they all end up in the same place, just on different paths. This may sound plausible, but it is a way of thinking that comes from a lack of true understanding of religion.
 

First of all, I think there is a problem with thinking of teachings as a path to something. All religions have their own teachings, but the teachings themselves are where we end up, there is no other place to end up.
 

A religion is a destination, or goal, for us believers, not a path or a means to an end.
 

All religions have different teachings, and directly related to those teachings are specific beliefs about how we should be, live, and act. And when we live out our lives in accordance with those teachings, then we can say that we are living in a religion.
 

In this sense, a certain religion relates to the entire existence of a person, and it is not a matter of using religion as a means to solve some problem at a certain time, choosing this religion for such and such a time and that religion for such and such a time.
 

Nevertheless, the reason why the idea that all religions end up in one place sounds meaningful is because the ultimate goal of all religions is the true happiness of human beings and true human beings.
 

That makes no sense at all. Because the question is, "What is true happiness, what kind of human being is a true human being?" You must know clearly that the abstract term "true happiness" itself is meaningless and empty for your real life.
 

If you define all religions with such meaningless words and say that they are all the same, it will be completely meaningless.