English Writing Skills Semester Assignment #2: For and Against Essay

On the Religious and Non-Religious

Concept
The religion and the concept of existence of God has not always been a much discussed subject like
nowadays. Although people used to follow religious belief without a question, the free will to choose
whether one should follow a religious belief has been granted producing a different categories concerning
religion: theist and atheist. Have you ever thought about where these religious and non-religious
movements are going to in the end?

Religion, without its divisions and subdivisions such as Roman Catholic, Anglo Christian, Mormon,
Islam, Zen Buddhist and Gelugpa, produces a big and usually positive effect on one’s life from the view of
living a respectful life. First of all, having a belief and concept, which was polished and galvanized by people
of previous several hundreds of years, can show one a great and “right” way to life his/her life while it lasts.
It gives already written, programmed and “installed” path that almost no one who has a religious belief and
faith would lose his/her way in life. Secondly, as a part of pack every person has a need to have a place to
belong to, which is provided by the community that any religious sects have and the unwritten rule to
welcome any one from that sect to their “heart” fulfilling people’s need of a family. Faith in a greater being
outside this realm gives people a sense of safety, rule to abide and will to be changed.

On the other hand, some people choose not to believe in the existence of a greater being that
guides the “mortal beings” to the right path and find their own way to live. One advantage of being and
atheist or agnostic is that one will not be in a dilemma where he/she has to choose between what he/she
want to do and what is right to do in what he/she believe in, ultimately resulting in a “free-minded” person.
Moreover, as Bill Maher said in his film Religulous (Maher 2008): “If you believe that the world is going to
come to an end – and perhaps any day now – does it not drain one’s motivation to improve life on earth
while we’re here?” the unquestioning faith in religions, most of which state the life after death – hereafter,
ruins and decrease the care and appreciation towards what one has at the moment “here”. What is more,
religion is probably the most illogical custom that we – the human beings – have saved from the dark ages,
4th to 14th century A.D, through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, where we discovered logical
thinking and the science of being. Having faith in the future and reality is more logical than having a faith in
talking snakes.

All things considered, ruling one’s live to a better direction even with the fear of being condemned
to an eternal suffering place after death is a path to a better life, however, from my personal perspective, it
is for those with weak mind. As Bill Maher said in his film Religulous (Maher 2008): “The plain fact is religion
must die for mankind to live. The hour is getting very late to be able to indulge in having key decisions made
by religious people – by irrationalists – by those who would steer the ship of state, not by a compass, but by
the equivalent reading the entrails of a chicken.”

Works Cited
Maher, Bill. Religulous. Directed by Larry Charles. Produced by Jesse Johnston, Leila Lak and Kevin O'Donnell.
Performed by Bill Maher, Tal Bachman and Jonathan Boulden. 2008.

Anu Gankhuyag Harchu

International Economic Relations 21
2010 – 2011