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8.0.8.4 A Comprehensible Religious WayVersion 1.1 August 2014                              (Previous Version) So should we call this reasonable global way a natural, rational religion, or not? Or would that cause too much confusion? Does religion have to be incomprehensible? Is this way a religion or not? Some say religious beliefs must by definition involve a belief in something that is beyond our understanding, ie incomprehensible to humans or inexpressible. Some say religious beliefs must by definition be beyond rational argument. They are not saying religion must be irrational but that it cannot be decided on rational grounds alone, that it must involve “faith”, beyond reason. But there is no reason why our most fundamental beliefs must be essentially incomprehensible. It is obvious that we don't know everything, and some things are incomprehensible. These global beliefs do acknowledge some fundamental dilemmas which we cannot resolve. There is still much to learn, but we are trying to understand as much as we can. But we cannot find meaning and purpose and values from something totally incomprehensible. We can only find meaning and purpose in what we can understand at some level. A lack of understanding does not give us meaning, it just provides an ongoing mystery. Many of the atheists and sceptics among us might take it as a good thing if this reasonable global way is seen as a non-religious way. But most of the world seems to want to follow a religion, because they think it is right to do so. So it seems reasonable to fill that slot with this way. Our heroes, our exemplary models, are those who advance knowledge and those make realistic moral choices that are consistent with the values of this way. Our heretics are those who lie for personal gain, who are ungrateful for what is extended to them out of compassion, who are not open to rational dialogue, who wish to impose their beliefs by force, who abuse others – rape, murder, torture, rob, starve and imprison – for the self-interested benefit of themselves or their group. Despite our uncertainty and pluralism we must have the courage to oppose evil in ways that are effective. 8.0.4.3 Natural Rational Religion or Way If religious beliefs are by definition our most fundamental strategic beliefs that provide: ●      whatever meaning and purpose we have; ●      core values that guide our behavioural choices; and ●      ways to understand deeper feelings and experiences, Then ●      we can say these global beliefs are religious beliefs If we call this reasonable global way our “religion” then everyone will understand that we use these beliefs to find meaning and purpose and the core values that guide our choices. To distinguish this way from the traditional more supernatural and irrational approaches, we may choose to refer to this Way as a “natural rational religion”. This description has an emotional impact. Alternatively we may in some circumstances find that it is too difficult to distinguish this Way from traditional more supernatural and irrational approaches if we refer to it as a religion, so we may in those circumstances refer to is simply as a Way, which is less emotionally demanding.
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