Religion is an art form

Interviewer: What do you think religion is?

Karen Armstrong:  “I see religion as an art form. Ever since we fell out of the trees and became recognisably human, we’ve created religion and works of art to give us some sense that life has ultimate meaning and value to make us wonder, to hold us in an attitude of awe, because we’re meaning-seeking creatures. Without it we fall into despair very easily and art is one of the things that transfigures reality for us, that makes us look more clearly. I think you can see religion as a moral aesthetic. By living in a certain way you transform yourself and I think beliefs are neither here nor there.”

(taken from Belief by Joan Bakewell/ BBC)