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So says science
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One of the most profound statements ever made about human beings came from St Augustine: that our hearts were made for God and cannot rest until they rest in him.
Here we have the great secret of happiness, not just in the next life, supremely important though that is, but even in this life.
In recent times scientists have been taking a growing interest in measuring the effects of religious faith on people who practise their religion.
Only a society that has lost touch with reality could be surprised by the findings-that having a loving God in our lives and worshipping him together is likely to makes us happier people.
It's not hard to see why this is so. Belief in a loving God gives us the sense that the world is good, that love will finally triumph, that we are immensely valuable, and we have the sure hope of eternal life.
All this gives our lives purpose and gives us the strength and courage to face the difficulties and sufferings of life.
So, is this a good reason for practising religion? No. The only good reason for religion is to worship God and to live in harmony with his commandments. The happiness flows from that.
On the other hand, children who are not taught about God and taken to church are left without a sense of real meaning and without hope in and for their lives.
They are seriously deprived children, though we rarely think of them that way. Modern science, however, is now helping us to grasp the depth of that deprivation.
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