A great question and one in which the answer just may be, ‘it depends..!’ Gary Gutting, professor of Philosophy at The University of Norte Dame takes on this profound question in a March 22nd, 2012 OpEd Piece for the New York Times. You can read the article here.
Gutting weaves together such diverse ideas as the ontological existence for God, the problem of evil and our belief in the afterlife.
The question ‘Does Religion Need God’ is an age-old one. Theologians have long debated the importance of Orthodoxy (right beliefs) and Orthopraxy (right actions). No less an eminent figure than Immanuel Kant published his Deontological Ethical Principal of duty-based ethics.
Maybe the initial question ‘Does Religion Need God?’ should be rephrased, ‘Can we be good without God?‘ God doesn’t need Religion but a Religion without God only replaces the Divine Will with Human Will -turning our intelligence into a manageable deity.
What are your thoughts to the NewYork Times article and to the question, 'Does Religion Need God?'