What is religion? (From Lancashire Telegraph)

What is religion?

10:56am Tuesday 19th July 2011 in Sir Bill Taylor blog By Sir Bill Taylor, Lancashire Telegraph blogger

Been back in hospital visiting again.

Nearby there was another old lady being admitted.

“Religion”? She was asked. “Sorry Love”? “What religion are you”? “Oh Religion”, she confirmed. “I’m too old really to be bothered with all that”!

She made me chuckle then think, like a Shavian play.

What is “religion”?

There will be those who know the answer to that far better than me…isn’t there?

One of my “youngsters” once told a new comer to the family, “We don’t believe in God, we believe in people”.

Profound I thought.

I was brought up in a Christian culture:Church with Scouts, hymns and prayers at school.

Never did learn the words to Jerusalem by heart.

Nationally only 2% of Christians attend Church regularly, it’s about 5% locally.

But is attending Church religiously, observing a religion?

There’s a great programme on BBC2 at the moment about the Prophet Muhammad, presented by Rageh Omaar, charting the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

It often parallels where Christianity and Islam overlap.

Of course, many of our community locally are followers of Islam and attend mosque to worship very regularly.

We have Hindus locally too, some Jews, and some Humanists. Many of our Christians follow with Catholic, “non conformist” views.

I think we still have a Quakers Friends Meeting Place.

So, lots of different Faiths and none.

It makes you think, doesn’t it?

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