Religion: A Universal Aspect of Culture
Religion as a universal aspect of culture fascinates me, partially because religion is such a vital part of my own life but also because it is so ubiquitous. Throughout every age and every country, for as far back as history is recorded, religion has had some part in the life of every people group. The religions themselves have differed, but religion in the cosmic sense is always there. I wondered why. I wanted to know what is so compelling about religion that people everywhere seem to need it, pursue it, and give themselves over to it. I have heard it said that ôInside every man is a God-shaped void,ö and the universality of religion seems to confirm that. A God-shaped void is one that only God can fill, just as only one piece in a puzzle can go in a particular place in the puzzle. The implication is that unless man allows God inside him, he will always have that empty place, because nothing else can fill it.
In my own life, I have gone from being disinterested in God, to believing that the whole issue of God was a scam, to finally developing a relationship with Him that has transformed my life. My own experience with God has been so remarkable that I have a hunger to know more about God and about other peopleÆs quest for Him. My quest in researching and contemplating this topic was to find out whether the God-shaped void is the reason for the universality of religion in culture, and if not, what that reason might be.
Religion is a universal aspect of culture in many senses. First, it has been in evidence throughout the centuries to the present day. Second, it exists in vastly different countries and environments around the world, many of which have little or nothing else in common. Third, it transcends gender, race, ethnicity, and every other variable that normally divides people. Finally, it exists in innumerable forms; there are multitudes of religions.
The origi...