What is religion for; what does it do?

We started with a recap of the past week's airing of NOVA, The Bible's Buried Secrets.
Part of the message there was the way the ancient Israelites show up in the archeological record in the northern half of modern Israel, in what was called Canaan. They appear to have been the underdogs there, serving the people residing on the hillsides above. The change from idols plus YHWH (before the Exile to Babylon) to YHWH only (returning from the Exile) was presented, along with the location where the exodus path led to Midion, where the earliest trace of the YHWH reference appears.

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Then we posed the question: for a non-church goer, things on the surface look kind of like a social club (gather weekly, some music and food, go home again). So what can you tell a person about what goes on inside you - the part that an observer may not grasp?

<> People get together to recognize [acknowledge; praise] God. =love God with all your heart
<> People can share their experience and expression of that =love your neighbor as yourself

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Looking at the function of religion another way, we asked: for someone who is a sympathetic, curious, but ignorant person asking you to tell what your religion does; what it is good for, how would you respond?

<> What is inside your heart seeps into what you do and say on the outside

<> Being aware of something greater than yourself helps you hold yourself to a higher standard. You can feel that you are living for some purpose.

<> Why attend church? Not sure, but pleasing to go; free from ordinary stress/demands. It is just something from habit you are used to doing.

Sustained fellowship and friendship with a set of people you can count on; trust and know that it is OK to talk about tough or awkward or uncomfortable things. It is OK to do nice things without ulterior motives being cast about.

My interest in the church as an effective vehicle to take me to new places (instead of treading comfortable waters) only started with my children getting into middle school. I have lots of questions I want to answer and while I believe lots of religious paths have answers for me, this one is near to hand. If you think of each religion as a language for relating to God and this creation we are part of, then some benefit comes from learning a second language (then you begin to think more carefully about your first language, by comparison). But the greatest gains come from digging deeper into that first language.

What I get out of church, besides the social connections and chance to be part of useful projects with people of different generations and life experience, is satisfactions:
1. it feels good to express praise by singing or praying
2. insights come from hearing the Word and its interpretations; glossy prose dulls me, but challenging commentary stirs me
3. alignment with what is truly of lasting importance in one's daily routines is good to regain Sunday

In summary, what is religion good for? It is a set of routines, practices, structures and ideas that help scaffold one's attention and efforts. It is shared with others and allows some way to relate to one's creator and to one's peers of all ages.