{"id":11449,"date":"2023-10-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/?p=11449"},"modified":"2026-01-12T13:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T12:35:21","slug":"achieving-immortality-is-religion-still-necessary-in-the-21st-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/achieving-immortality-is-religion-still-necessary-in-the-21st-century\/","title":{"rendered":"Achieving immortality. Is religion still necessary in the 21st century?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the European Union of the 21st century, 70 percent of the population still declare a religious affiliation (Eurobarometer, 2010). In the United States, this figure stands at 76 percent (The World Factbook, 2007). In the so-called Western civilization, the vast majority are Christians, as is the case in South America, Australia, Russia and South Africa. The followers of Muhammad predominate in North Africa, the Middle East and the Caucasus. The world\u2019s third largest religion is Hinduism, followed by Buddhism, the religions of China, Japan and the Jews. Statistical data \u2013 collected through interviews or questionnaires \u2013 speak only of subjective, declared religious affiliation. This being said, are statistics enough to describe religion as still relevant to contemporary lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tower of Babel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, recounts the beginnings of humankind and its difficult relationship with Yahweh, its creator. The story abounds in unexpected twists and turns and can act as an interesting read, with the tale of the Tower of Babel representing humanity\u2019s quest for perfection. According to Roger Norman Whybray \u2013 a biblical scholar and specialist in Hebrew studies \u2013 the human race, driven by exuberant ambition, challenged God\u2019s undivided power. Such behavior had to be met with His response, and human plans were thwarted. In this extraordinary drive towards development and exploration, pride steps to the fore, recognized by the Bible as the gravest of sins, for pride was the cause of the fall of Satan, who exclaimed: \u201cNon serviam!\u201d (I will not serve!). Lucifer\u2019s belief in his own might grew into his sense of injustice, which was compounded by the fact that he had been created to serve not only God but also lower beings: humans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another and entirely different example of humanity\u2019s pursuit of perfection is Charlie Brooker\u2019s British TV series \u201cBlack Mirror.\u201d Each episode is a disturbing vision of a not-so-distant future in which humans employ the advances of science and technology to revolt against the order of things, whether by experimenting with the environment or reducing human consciousness to a computer program to ensure that specific individuals are granted immortality. Life devoid of its inevitable end might, on the face of it, seem like a wonderful prospect; yet the psyche, in which Thanatos<\/em> coexists with Eros<\/em>, causes every action, even one with the most noble intention, to bring suffering as a consequence of going against the natural order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Midjourney \/ Maciej Kochanowski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Achieving immortality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every human on this planet wishes to have the longest possible and happy existence. A belief in an afterlife helps us to overcome the fear of death, or rather the horror of \u2018non-existence\u2019. The absence of consciousness is a state we find difficult to imagine, as even during sleep our brain generates projections, and our sense of the passing time is completely altered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diseases, wars, and natural disasters have subjected the human race to indescribable suffering. Religion has always served to explain death, as each religion<\/a> came with the promise of existence in bliss for eternity after one departed from one\u2019s earthly body. Appealing to a higher power is also a form of seeking support when the actions of humans no longer seem to suffice. The impossible, from a human point of view, avoidance of mortality is becoming increasingly attainable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, people died for reasons that nowadays seem unimaginable. The plague, caused by dire hygienic conditions, tuberculosis, pneumonia, or diseases that were fatal before the invention of penicillin are currently considered marginal causes of death. As a civilization, we have found ways to combat bacteria, viruses (despite the emergence of new viral strains), and malnutrition (the unequal distribution of wealth is still a problem, but more of an enigmatic than practical nature). The human race is also tirelessly working on ways to extend our lifespan, mainly by focusing on efforts to slow down or reverse the aging process. Scientific achievements in tissue regeneration will, in the opinion of some scientists, make unlimited life expectancy a real possibility in the near future. That being so and with the prospect of our endless existence \u2013 do we still require consciousness or the promise of life after death?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dedicated to the Cause: Social Activity\u2019s Costs and Benefits<\/a><\/blockquote>