If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. ~ Voltaire

All cultures have had religion, to help explain things they did not understand. In today's world, science has helped us understand a great deal about how things work. But science doesn't answer "why" questions. Religion is needed as much as ever for questions like: why are we here, what is the purpose of our time on earth, or why does life sometimes seem so unfair.

To understand religion (or other matters) it helps to gain a perspective from a different culture. I have been staying in Kyoto, Japan for a month. The country's Buddhist practices seem similar to Catholicism, as many observers have noted. The similarities and differences help one understand religion in general somewhat better. Here are some points in common:

1. Leaders supported the new religions as a means of unifying the state and of bolstering their personal power. Even today, political leaders talk about the influence of higher powers in national matters and use some ceremony from religion in the theatrics of their job.

2. Countries use the ethics that the religion fosters as a major support for the legal and judicial system. But ethics are a by-product, not the main force behind religion. People are mainly concerned about their salvation in an after-life. They behave ethically because they think it will help them for that afterlife or in attaining a blessed state.

3. Major religions like Christianity and Buddhism have accommodated themselves to local customs and worship practices. Buddhist temples were often built next to Shinto shrines. Christian sainthood was extended to many traditionally venerated local people. As a result, the theologies of the major religions were adapted, sometimes in major ways. Buddha changed from a man without any images to a god-like figure whose image is central in temples.

4. People prefer simplicity in their religion. And simple religious theology is winning in the 21st century. While theologians spend much time reconciling what original religious leaders said with new scientific facts or trends in society, their complicated arguments are little noticed by ordinary people. Billy Graham's simple message to "Ask Jesus to be your Lord, and you will be saved" is much more understandable and powerful than a well-researched encyclical from the Vatican.

Similarly, in the 21st century, Shin has become the largest Buddhist denomination in Japan because of its simplicity. Shin Buddhism is a spiritual path made for busy people who have hefty work schedules and families to take care of. As a consequence, it simplifies and spiritualizes the seemingly complex and intellectual Buddhist teachings and practices. Shin has nothing to do with believing in a deity, Higher Power or God for salvation or blindly following a creed, teaching, ritual or guru, but focuses on daily practice, open-minded reflection, and the direct and personal religious experience of the transcending mystery of life, symbolized by Amida Buddha. It is nothing but saying "Namu Amida Butsu" with a conviction that by saying it one will certainly attain birth in the Pure Land. Thus, Pure Land can be considered the Easy Path to Enlightenment. To followers of Japan's Pure Land sects, Amida has eclipsed the Historical Buddha as the most popular divinity in Japan's Mahayana traditions. (from http://www.bffct.net/id72.html )

5. People worldwide seem to have a need to ask for favors from a deity. They are not much concerned with the big issues in a religion. They simply want to talk about their private needs (perhaps an illness, money problems, relationship difficulties) and go to a small side altar to ask the deity to intercede for them. This common use of a Buddhist temple is quite different from the original moderation teachings of Buddha. Rather than work on problems within themselves, ordinary people want and hope for a divine blessing. Sometimes their problem gets solved and the word spreads that a particular altar is helpful in getting favors. I have seen enough of this common practice in Thailand (Buddhist), Bali (Hindu) and Hong Kong (money is their religion?), Mexico and Brazil (Catholic mixed with indigenous and African traditions) - that it seems universal. Organized religion may strive for more noble goals, but the ordinary person in the 21st century will focus on seeking self-centered favors from any deity that seems to provide them.

Most people remain quite similar to this description of the religion of ordinary people in ancient Egypt: "In Egypt much of the time, the gods most venerated by the common people were not necessarily those most important to the state. Frequently, the gods that could assist in child birth, protection of the family in both this life and the next, and those related to various trades played the most important role in common worship. While local, popular shrines show evidence of considerable use, it appears that the religion of many Egyptians may have been dominated by the veneration of gods in even smaller household shrines. At Deir el-Medina, we find niches in private homes where images of household deities such as Bes and Taweret were kept. Such deities were thought to have the power to ward off evil." (from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/commonpiety.htm )

6. The adaptation of major religions to local customs and to the realities of the current world is continuous - and not an easy process. The traditions of any religion are a powerful, conservative force. Usually the oldest language used in any culture is found in religious texts and ceremonies (like Latin). Today in all religions there is a tug-of-war between those who want to stay with tradition or what is written in sacred books and those who want to see their religion changed. That struggle will continue.

7. Leading that struggle on matters of faith are a variety of powerful voices. Officials from religious organization are usually conservative. (But some like Martin Luther have been notable exceptions.) Self-appointed leaders can call for radical change or be quite conservative, as in the evangelical movement in the United States. In either case, such new leaders are also promoting themselves, sometimes quite successfully.

Rick Warren founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA in 1980 with one family. It grew to an evangelical congregation averaging 22,000 weekly attendees, a 120-acre campus, and more than 300 community ministries. Warren says, “This is a world class church making a world class impact.” One of the keys to Warren's success is his book "The Purpose Driven Life," a spectacular 25 million copy bestseller. Warren even plays a role in US Presidential politics. On 14 Aug 2008 candidates McCain and Obama made their first joint appearance of the general election campaign on national TV at an event moderated by Pastor Rick Warren at his 22,000-member Saddleback Church.

Simiarly successful are other TV evangelists. Many citizens have followed the ideas of men like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, two of the richest and most prominent. Both have founded influential Christian universities. Robertson even made a credible run for nomination for President of the USA. Falwell was quite influential in swinging voters away from John McCain in 2000 towards George W. Bush.

Throughout history, there have been influential religious leaders, stemming from within and without the then-current power bases. Japan is full of temple complexes founded by influential voices in all centuries, not that different from the great cathedrals of the European Middle Ages. The trend continues today, as in the examples above in the USA. Martin Luther had the great advantage of preaching at the time when the printing press could distribute his thoughts. Television in the 21st century is an even more powerful instrument for new religious thinkers, because it magnifies a leader's charisma. The public should always keep in mind that such charisma also can feed the ego and power/ wealth-seeking traits of the new leader.

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I am not familiar enough with Islam, Hinduism, or other religions to know if these common threads from Christianity and Buddhism also apply to them for the 21st century. I suspect that many of these points would carry over to many religions.