Speculation
Most people, from the moment of their birth to the time of their death, face many of
the same challenges concerning the uncertainties of life. It is human nature to specu-
late about some of the mysteries of life that seem difficult to comprehend and often
out of our control. To deal with these questions, people have, for centuries, turned to
religion. As Ferraro and Andreatta note,“Religion is psychologically comforting
because it helps us explain the unexplainable. Every society must deal with imponder-
able questions that have no definitive logical answers.”^48 What religion does is pro-
vide a design for those parts of the world that people do not comprehend and thus
lessens their feelings of bewilderment. For example, members of each religion find
comfort in creation stories that reveal how the world began. In addition, they receive
answers to questions about heaven and hell, why they are here, why there is evil,
what the nature of the soul is, and why there is suffering. In the course of answering
these questions, religions provide their members a sanctuary and a sense of security.Sacred Writings
At the heart of each of the world’s religious traditions lies a body of sacred wisdom—
wisdom that must be transmitted from generation to generation. Van Voorst speaks to
the importance of these sacred writings, noting,
The major living religions of the world have all expressed their teachings and practices in
writings. Over the course of time some of these writings gained unique standing in their
traditions and scriptures. As scriptures, they continue to influence the course of their reli-
gions. To read the scriptures of the world, therefore, is to encounter world religions in a
direct and meaningful way.^49
These sacred writings become a repository for a religion’s essential principles and
teachings. It is important to notice that the word“sacred”is selected when describing
these writings. Matthews clearly identifies why that word is used:“Each religion believes
its sacred writings have divine or spirit-inspired origin. They were either written or spo-
ken by God, written by divinely guided humans, or spoken by teachers of deep spiritual
insight.”^50 You will notice that in the last sentence, Matthews is alluding to the variety
of forms these scriptures can take. Those who follow Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
discover their faith by reading and listening to historical narratives drawn from these
scriptures that are usually associated with individuals. These individuals are authority
figures who provide guidance and instruction. For Jews, these figures are Abraham and
Moses, who speak through the Old Testament. They also find wisdom in the Tanach and
Talmud. For Christians, the figure is Jesus, the Son of God. For them, the“book”in the
Bible. For the Muslim faith, the figure is a supreme all-knowing God, called Allah, who
used Muhammad as a conduit to deliver his message. The sacred book, written in classical
Arabic, for Muslims is the Holy Qur’an (in English, usually written as Koran).
Several sacred texts are philosophical in nature and even offer specific directions
on how to perform numerous rites and ceremonies. The Hindu Upanishads is an
example of this genre of sacred writings. Another text with a philosophical orienta-
tion is the ConfucianAnalects. In addition to offering more moral philosophy, the
Analectsoffer specific advice as to how people should treat and react to one another.114 CHAPTER 4•Worldview: Cultural Explanations of Life and Death
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