Religion and The Law: A Logical Similarity


Religion and the law today, has been interpreted differently by different people. Most people conceive the law as being entirely different from Religion. In fact, most people even conceive the law as less merciful, and Religion has more merciful. However, having being  librated from the claws of this unending Religious abstraction, it is my intention to point out logical similarities between Religion and the law, in a bid to liberate rational thinkers out there.

Sincerely i do not have a problem with religion. I see religion as a Twin Brother of the Law. For me, the main thrust of religion and the law, is to inculcate morality in the society. However, you can not state laws intending to inculcate morality, and think people will obey. No, it doesn't work that way. Every law, according to Karl Olivercrona, should be backed by active sanctions and punitive measures. Here, both religion and the law, are geared towards similar paths. The law adopted several punitive measures and a Law-Judge to impose them. This is why we have laws like; "Whoever commits murder, shall be sentenced to death", and also a Judge being there to impose such laws. Here, the punitive measure attached to this law, is death. This kind of offence, does not stay long in the Law Court.

Religion, on the other hand, also adopted punitive measures, but it had to look different from it brother, the law. Hence, it created an imaginary Deity or God, who would stand as Judge to impose these punitive measures. This is why we have laws and punitive measures imbedded in the Sacred Text of most Religious doctrines. For instance; "All sinners will go to hell". So you see, struck by this punitive measures like hell, and also an All-powerful God to impose them, most people will decide, on their own, to live a moral life. This is called, the "Internalization of the Law."

To actualize this, a document is created to guide Man's conduct towards a strict adherence to the dictates of the law and Religion. In the legal circle, this document is called "A constitution". In the religious circle, on the other hand, this document is called "A Sacred Scripture". Its quite unfortunate, however, that most people do not treat the constitution, the same way they treat the Sacred Scriptures. In other words, people seem to know the nooks and corners of sacred scriptures, than the constitution. I wish everyone treat the constitution, the same way they treat the Bible, Qur'an, or the Bargavad-Gita.

However, as religion began to gain popularity, it decided that since it had created an All-powerful God, it can also answer to certain human conditions and predicaments, like death, sickness, failure, and so on. This was done in a bid to eradicate fear and despair amongst people who eventually became aware of these insurmountable human predicaments. To achieve this, religion used it created All-powerful God, to raise the hopes and optimism of people, by promising them vain things like, Immortality and an After life, where sickness and death, will be no more.

As an Existentialist, a School of Thought I belong to, these insurmountable human predicaments, are in fact basic traits of man. In other words, death for instance, should not be viewed as an event that happens to man. Rather, according to Martin Heidegger, death and all these predicament, are part of man. For me, a man is what he is due to these predicaments. Without them, he ceases to be a man. You will all agree with me that A man who does not fail, fall sick, or even die, can not be regarded as Man. My point is, it is the awareness of all these predicaments that makes us  Human Beings.

As regards the Story Jesus in Christianity, He actually existed. Yes, Jesus came to this World. But he only existed as an historical man, not the son of a Deity or God. However, the claims of Jesus being the Son of this created All-powerful God, is simply to authenticate the religious aim of inculcating morality through this All-powerful God, who imposes punitive measures on defiers of religious laws. Likewise, the Prophet Mohammed in Islam, Buddha in Buddhism, and so on.

From these, it becomes obvious that an inculcation of moral principles, a Judge(whether physical or imaginary), a guiding document, and so on, serves to prove the logical similarities between religion and the law. Hence, it is only logical to see religion as a Twin Brother of the law, with different punitive measures in their Arsenals.

Thank You
Yours Faithfully

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