Is religion made by man or by God?

Religion can refer to various things. If by religion we refer to the Sanskrit word dharma, then that is definitely not man-made; that is our intrinsic nature, the very fabric of our being. However, we normally don’t understand religion this way.  To gain a sense of its normal meaning, let’s analyze the word etymologically and functionally. Etymologically, or in terms of the roots of words, religion refers to “respect for what is sacred, reverence for God,” or “obligation, the bond between man and God.” These roots indicate that religion is the means by which we bond with God in love. Religion provides us tools for inner transformation by which we can learn to love God. So it can be said to be a type of treatment – a treatment for the soul. This spiritual treatment cures the misdirection of our love and enables us to love the eternal instead of the temporary, God instead of the world. Religion as a spiritual treatment is not so much a set of dogmas or rituals as a set of universal principles. These principles are intrinsic to existence, as is say gravity. We may call gravity by different names in different languages; we may or may not comprehend the origin or cause of gravity; we may or may not know the mathematical equations that describe it. But still gravity exists and acts. The same applies to the principles that comprise religion. Just as the universe is made by God, so are these principles that govern our destiny in the universe.  So, when by the word “religion” we refer to these principles, then again it is definitely made by God, not man. Functionally, we often use the word ‘religion’ to refer to different religions like Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. These great religions have usually begun with a primeval revelation in which God shared the knowledge of the principles of religion. So, at their roots, these religions are God-made. However, over the course of centuries, they have undergone many changes. Not all the forms that they have taken are geared towards helping people to love God. Many concocted ideas and practices have been added in it. So, much of what goes on in the name of religion today is man-made. Therefore, to the extent that today’s religions are in accordance with the words of God, to that extent they can be said to be made by God. To the extent that they deviate from those divine words, to that extent they are man-made.

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.

Hare Krishna, question, is religion made by man or by God? Answer, it depends on what we mean by the word religion. If we look at it etymologically, religion comes from the word religio, which means to connect, to link, to bind humanity with divinity. So, when we look at that principle, religion at its original core has come from God.

God has himself come or has sent his messengers and has given books like the Bible, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, which guide us to come back to him. So, those people who live according to the wisdom given in these books, they are the followers of God, they become linked with God. And subsequently, those people came to be known as belonging to a particular religion.

Now, in the original sense, the wisdom has come from God and the method for linking back with him has come from God. But over the centuries, over the millennia, often many undesirable and unscriptural things have come into religion. And because of that, much of what is going on in the name of religion has not come from God, it has come from man.

So, the original principle and process of linking back with God is something which has come from God, but the many accretions, which are deviations, which are inappropriate things, which actually do not connect us back with God, they are not what has come from God, they are man-made. So, therefore, rather than rejecting religion entirely as having come from man or following religion uncritically as if it all has come from God, we have to actually study scripture, understand God's message, understand God's process for coming back to him and then follow religion in a way by which we can actually become connected with God. So, religion in Sanskrit word which is often used as equivalent for religion is dharma.

Dharma originally means, etymologically it means dhriyate, dharyate, that which maintains, that which sustains, that is called dharma. So, this root, at its root dharma is actually, it means to sustain, that which is something which sustains the existence of something, that which is the very innate nature of something else. So, just as it is the nature of fire to be hot, it is the nature of water to be liquid, it is the nature of sugar to be sweet, similarly it is our nature to love and serve.

So, wherever we, living beings exist, we want to love and we want to express that love through service. So, our dharma in that sense is to love and to serve and this, at this level if you understand the word dharma, it is definitely something which is innate to us. We could say it has been made by God because that is a part of our very fabric, of the very fabric of our being.

So, that is made by God and that nature, so there is our inner nature to love and serve. Now, where do I direct that nature to love and serve so that we can be truly happy? That is meant to be directed towards God and through God towards all living beings. So, in this way, the process by which our innate nature gets directed in a way that it brings lasting happiness, that process is actually religion.

So, our nature is purified and directed towards God by which we get lasting happiness. So, those processes which enable us to develop love for God, they are actually religion in the true sense. So, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, one of the most important books in the Indian Vedic scriptures, it says, it doesn't talk about this religion being greater or that religion being greater.

It says that that religion which enables people to develop love for God, that is the highest dharma. सवाईपुम्साम्परोधर्मोयतोऽभक्तिरधोक्षजे अहैतुकियःप्रतिहताययात्मासुप्रसीदति So, that which helps us to develop pure love, अहैतुकियःप्रतिहता, which is unmotivated and uninterrupted, that is the perfect path of religion. So, rather than saying that rejecting religion as man-made or embracing religion uncritically as God-made, we study scripture, understand the purpose of religion to channelize our innate nature and to help us find lasting happiness and then follow a religion that helps us to develop love for God.

Thank you. Hare Krishna.