Abstract

Whatever may be the correct way to understand their origins and development, the major religions aspire to providing their members with solutions to many problems, and they aspire to satisfying many needs. For example, the religious traditions offer explanations in certain important areas of enquiry. Thus they propose answers to questions such as these: Why is there a universe? Why do we exist? What sort of beings are we? What will become of us after we die? The proposed answers to such fundamental questions as these constitute the descriptive or cognitive part of religion. The religions also aspire to providing a guide to behavior. They specify how people ought to live, what is important in human life ..