ABSTRACT
Pragmatist philosophers said that the proof of religion is whether it ‘works’. Part of such working is whether religion makes people any happier, whether their marriages or jobs are more successful. From a religious point of view it would be very puzzling if religion conveyed punishments rather than rewards-unless these are to be received only in the next life. And if religion is an other-worldly affair, does it follow that the religious will be less successful in matters of this world? These are empirical questions and a great deal of research has been done on each of them. If it is found, for example, that religion makes people happier, we can ask why it does, in human terms at least. We can ask whether this is a special kind of happiness. We can also ask whether there are ‘costs’ of religion (traditional theology says that there are) and whether there are ‘fruits of the spirit’, in terms of kindness and altruism; this will be discussed in Chapter 13.
