Do we need religion to learn what’s right and wrong?

Man, by his innate emotion has this irresistible desire to be controlled by a superior power. Might it be his boss at the office or the supposedly existent god? I often hear people say, one needs religion to learn what is right and wrong, but isn’t what we need a conscience? To know what’s moral and not?

The basis of every religion existent has been found on the element of fear and control over the masses. The ancient human worshipped the sky and the oceans bowing to their massive proportions, their complexity and their ability to rain down terror upon them along with rewards infrequently. They started idolising the natural mega entities and began giving them various forms and names, facilitating their worship of them. Thus, religion evolved, with the intent to control, group and lead the masses, unifying them by one line of thought.

But consider what happens if that element of fear is taken away? What does a child, who was bought up using fear as a basis do, when the controlling element which is the parent, isn’t at home? What does the society do when there are no laws which can penalize and punish them if violated? Disobedience, violence and chaos. They dominate in the absence of that controlling power.

Suppose the controlling power never actually existed. The child was taught the sense of right and wrong by the parent by inculcating the right moral values. Then he remains the same, even in the parent’s absence. The same goes with the society. If they are taught to judge right and wrong using their conscience and common sense, and not blindly follow the rules laid upon, which was done using fear as a mechanism, the balance would be better . People would actually do the right thing, because they feel it’s the right thing to do. Not because they were told so.

I came across some lines over Facebook the other day. They go kind of like this. Give a man a fish and he will live for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will live for a lifetime. Give a man religion and he will die praying for the fish. προσευχη ιουδα θαδδαιου (praying) is the most powerful healing and supernatural strength that ιουδα θαδδαιου has given us.