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Today’s lessons are on religion. After reading a Newsweek Magazine article written by an atheist on religion I got to thinking about the word "religion."

The writer blamed a lot of the world’s problems on various religious philosophies. He questioned whether any one that actually believes in a God should be a world leader. However, what is a religion and are there differences between what those religions teach and what its members practice?

Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language gives the following definition for religion: (1) concern over what exists beyond the visible world, differentiated from philosophy in that it operates through faith or intuition rather than reason (Emphasis mine D.T.), and generally including the idea of the existence of a single being, a group of beings, an eternal principle, or a transcendent spiritual entity that has created the world, that governs it. Webster’s online dictionary does not give the above definition, but does say: (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.

Putting the above two definitions together one sees that religion is a belief system in God that is not based on reason, but rather superstition. Unfortunately, Webster’s definition is not based on the Bible, but on how the word is used today. Many people do not base their belief in God on revelation, but on themselves. When asked why they believe God exists, they just know he does or they feel He exist, but they can not cite one passage that proves the existence of God. The same can be said for what they believe God wants them to do. In times past, religious groups did try to justify their practices by the Bible, but many groups see no need to do that today. This is what Paul was describing in Acts 17.22, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious {superstitious in the King James Version}." Their worship of idols was not based on revelation and reason, but ignorance and traditions. It is possible for so called "Christian Religions" to be just as superstitious as those at Mars Hill.

Can not the same be said for the religion of humanism? The Newsweek writer would scoff at such a question, but is not humanism also a belief system based not on reason but rather feelings? Less anyone try to persuade you otherwise, many humanist in times past admitted to and called humanism a religion.

John Dewey described Humanism as our "common faith." Julian Huxley called it "Religion without Revelation." The first Humanist Manifesto spoke openly of Humanism as a religion.

A belief in God and a belief in humanism are both belief systems. True belief in God is based on the Bible; belief in humanism denies the existence of God and assumes man is the totality of all there is. What reason or logic does the believer in the Bible use? One can point to the internal and external evidences to prove the Bible was not written by mere men, but God in heaven such as prophecies made hundreds of years before the event took place, scientific knowledge expressed before scientist accepted the knowledge, eyewitness accounts, and miracles. What proof can humanist give for their belief system? Absolutely none! They discount the Bible as a book of myths and reject the idea of our universe being created by a power higher than man. They speak of evolution as being fact when it has not been and can never be proven.

You tell me which religion is based on reason and which is based on superstition? D.T. (Sources for this article, Dictionary.com, Webster’s online dictionary, Wikepedia, American on Line)