The best religions for living life are those that have humanitarian motives. Just like in game theory, helping one another to accomplish a goal is beneficial to all when that goal increases living standards. The idea of living a religion's tenets is best when those tenets call for peace and fellowship. When was the last time that a Quaker led a holy war? Flexibility in tolerance also allows people to come together as a group, just as Jane Addams proposes (ch 5 pg 112, ch 6 pg 127). This allows us to celebrate our differences, especially since conformity yields boredom. I am thankful that society today within the US has become more equal as far as rights and living standards go since Addams' time. However, the economic disparity between the poor and the wealthy has increased lately. I hope that people today continue to aspire toward fellowship and greater tolerance, something that has been less important as of late.
Religion has a place in modern society to act as a leveling agent. Just as Jane Addams said, death is a universal experience (ch 3 pg 53). Everyone must die at some point, but how that person dies is not entirely up to the individual. I refer to the objective of increased survival benefits as a group versus individuals holding all the wealth. This also comes back to Metropolis, where the unity between the head and the hands is the heart. An ideal heaven would be one where no man or woman was better than any other, and everyone could live a full life. The ultimate goal of humanitarianism is to bring this heaven to earth. Whenever religion supports this goal, then it has a real place for everyone in society.
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