Religion and Happiness Essay

Humanities Module 6: Religion and Happiness

Happiness is defined as the state of emotions where a person exhibits feelings of contentment, joy, and pleasure. People feel happy when their needs and desires are fulfilled. Humans often use many definitions to describe happiness. However, they are happy when they have positive emotions and life contentment. According to Janaro & Altshuler (2012), happiness is described as a state of mind and wellbeing. Having good well-being means a person is psychologically fit while being satisfied reflects their experiences in real-world situations. One thing can make a person happy but fail to gratify the desires of another individual. Therefore, the triggers of happiness vary from one person to another, as humans are happy when they can manage their fulfilment.

What Role Does Religion Play in Being Happy

The faith of one person is rooted in religion, a core determinant of a person’s level of happiness. The spiritual views are often the factors responsible for steering human actions and behavior. Thus, religious belief is a firm notion about supreme beings that dictates the fate and fortune of a man. There exists a direct correlation between religious practices and happiness. Religious teachings urge us to become the best version of ourselves, prompting voluntary action and ethical deeds. As a result, people practice these teachings to find eternal happiness, accommodate their worldly needs, and stay with others.

Belief in religion enables the human spirit to bear with all life ordeals and follow the ‘golden rule’ of treating others with respect and honor. With religious faith, humans have the resilience needed to challenge trials, make wise choices, and move towards the right direction.  Lewis & Cruise (2006) highlight that there is a positive correlation between religion and satisfaction. Thus, it is clear that atheists have lower subjective well-being than their religious counterparts, who are highly personal and closely identified with religious groups. In highly religious countries, religiosity mirrors living a meaningful and purposeful life, respecting others, and offering greater social support to others (Tay & Myers, 2011). Hence, so much joy is derived from being kind and compassionate, demonstrating self-enhancement concepts, showing love and forgiveness, and participating in social activities such as sharing, singing, giving, and attending prayer meetings.

How Buddhism Promotes Happiness

Buddhism allows people to find happiness through religious practices. This faith is rooted in the beliefs of Siddhartha Gautama, a monk who disadvantaged himself from worldly materials and used mediation to save himself from misery. Gautama’s path is used to help Buddhists live peacefully. It is based on acting, reacting, and thinking about everything as they are, not as how we want them to be or as we convince ourselves they are. Buddhism centers on doing good things and good things will be done unto you. Essentially, what goes around comes around, whether good or bad (Janaro & Altshuler, 2012).

Moksha in Hinduism is another example of how religion plays a role in happiness. The concept of moksha is centered on achieving oneness with the universe and being delivered from pain. To reach Moksha, one must suffer. Hinduism is based on the belief that one's soul passes through a cycle of successive lives, and the next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived. Once Moksha is reached, the ultimate reward is the eternal release from pain and peace at last. By living a good life without desire, supreme peace, and happiness can be obtained (Janaro & Altshuler, 2012).

Discussions and Conclusions

I do not believe religion is necessary for gaining a state of happiness; there are many ways to achieve it. Happiness is a psychological concept involving positive emotional states or an overall sense of satisfaction and enjoyment in life. All of these can be obtained without religion. It is all about what drives you and how you live your life that makes you happy.

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In conclusion, religion plays a role in our lives, and the closer we are to God, the more our lives are shaped. The action of being religious makes us avoid bad behaviors in our lives, thus making us live happily. Religion is commonly picked up as a redemption point. Happiness is found in many places and pleasures in life, but ultimately, happiness comes from the satisfaction we get out of personal achievements and how we treat others in life. If we live a good life and do good things, we attain happiness without grapples.

References

Janaro, R. P., & Altshuler, T. C. (2012). The art of being human: The humanities as a technique for living. Pearson.

Lewis, C. A. & Cruise, S. M. (2006). Religion and happiness: Consensus, contradictions, comments and concerns. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 9(3), 213-225. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-04787-002

Tay, L. & Myers, D. G. (2011). The religion paradox: If religion makes people happy, why are so many dropping out? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(6), 1278-1290. https://europepmc.org/article/med/21806304