Religion's Role: Insights from James and Kierkegaard

Religion is a fundamental aspect of human life that cannot be ignored even with the advances in science as noted by James stating that “Through prayer, religion insists, things which cannot be realized in any other manner come about: energy which but for prayer would be bound is by prayer set free and operates in some part, be it objective or subjective, of the world of facts” . It is a control mechanism, a defining factor and guide to humans despite the many differences that exist. This is seen in the works of James and Kierkegaard who acknowledge that religion plays an important role in shaping the life people live. The works of William James’ "Varieties of Religious Experience" and that of Soren Kierkegaard "The Sickness Unto Death" are

The kind of practices and beliefs that people hold all depend on the kind of faith that they profess. The faith of an individual is the source of strength and realization of the full human potential because through faith, one is able to develop a relationship with God. God as noted in the two readings is the source of life and every other thing in the world, and which means that once an individual has faith in God, they are relieved of despair and the search for a religious experience that would satisfy their needs

One such right and freedom is to choose the practices and the beliefs that they want to follow. For one to overcome the issue of despair and stay away from sin, their religious decision to believe and have a relationship with God is important. However, for those that do not feel the need to engage in religion, they also have a right to become what they want and to believe in what they please. The two authors give a choice top the people regarding religion. They are of the view that people cannot be forced to believe in what they do not feel is right for