My Answer: What are the roots of religion?
Q: Where did religion come from? I’m not sure I even believe in God, and even if I did, I don’t know which religion I’d choose. — S.P.
A: In college, I majored in anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures around the world. One thing that struck me was that anthropologists have never found a culture that doesn’t have some kind of religion.
Why is this? The reason is that deep inside, we all yearn for God, even if we don’t realize it. Even atheists seek something to fill the empty place in their souls — a political system, a cause of some sort, even their own egos.
Why do we yearn for God? God put that yearning in us, and he did it because he wants us to seek him and come to know him. God isn’t a vague, impersonal force (like gravity or electricity). God is a person, and he loves us and wants us to seek him and know him personally.
The Bible says, “From one man he made all the nations ... so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him” (Acts 17:26-27).
But how can we know — really know — God? The only way is if he reveals himself to us, and this is what he has done! He did this by becoming a man: Jesus Christ. This is what we celebrated just a few weeks ago at Christmas.
I invite you to discover this Jesus for yourself. His life is recorded in the first four books of the New Testament, and I urge you to read them with an open heart and mind. When you do, you’ll not only realize who Jesus is, but you’ll also want to make him the center of your life.
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Q: My sister-in-law spends a lot of time worrying about the future. She reads all sorts of doomsday blogs and worries constantly about all the disasters she thinks might happen to us. Is it good to worry so much about this? — Mrs. R. McF.
A: No, it’s not good to worry constantly about things that might happen. For one thing, worrying about them doesn’t change anything. In other words, worrying may change us, but it won’t change the situation.
Jesus said, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27).
Does this mean we shouldn’t ever think about the future or prepare for problems we might face? No, of course not. But constantly worrying about them will only fill us with anxiety and fear, and God doesn’t want us to go through life like that.
More than that, such speculations turn our minds and hearts away from the only one who knows what the future holds — and that is God. Why depend on human speculations that may or may not prove true?
As the writer of Ecclesiastes put it, “Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come?” (Ecclesiastes 8:7).
The only lasting cure for worry is to trust our lives and our futures into God’s hands. He loves us, and ultimately the future is in his hands. Urge your sister-in-law to commit her life to Jesus Christ and to focus on the hope and security we have because of him.
And if you’ve never committed your life to Christ, I urge you to do so today. The Bible tells us to commit every worry to God in prayer. Then, it promises, “the peace of God... will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
(Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn., 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM; or visit https://www.billygraham.org.)