Suffering

What role has religion played in these changing times? In the old days more people seemed to believe in God unquestionably; they believed in a hereafter, which was to relieve people of their suffering and their pain. There was a reward in heaven, and if we had suffered much here on earth we would be rewarded after death depending on the courage and grace, patience and dignity with which we had carried our burden. . .There is not much sense in suffering, since drugs can be given for pain, itching, and other discomforts. The belief has long died that suffering here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. Suffering has lost its meaning.
But with this change, also, fewer people really believe in life after death, in itself perhaps a denial of our mortality. Well, if we cannot anticipate life after death, than we have to consider death. If we are no longer rewarded in heaven for our suffering, then if we take part in church activities in order to socialize or to go to a dance, then we are deprived of the church's former purpose, namely, to give hope, a purpose in tragedies here on earth, and an attempt to understand and bring meaning to otherwise inacceptable painful occurrences in our life.

On Death and Dying
by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D.

Psalm 37: 3 - 9

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
For evelidoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

How some people view religion

Katrina Firlik
Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: a brain surgeon exposes life on the inside
pg 154ff

I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I have the utmost respect for people’s religious beliefs. I am, in fact, fascinated by those beliefs (in circumstances when it’s not impolite to ask). I understand why religions were created and why they persist. The benefits of affiliating yourself with a religion are without question: a ready-made framework for morals, a welcoming social network, comfort in times of duress, and a repeating schedule of events (weekly worship, yearly holidays) that strengthen belief and bring order to one’s life. Those are very nice benefits. The not-so-hidden downsides, though, can sometimes put a damper on these benefits: dividing humans along religious lines, encouraging war, discouraging marriage between otherwise perfectly compatible individuals, inhibiting free thought, and invoking guilt in those who stray from the flock.