The Essential Role of Narration in All Religions
Religion, in general, is sustained by narration. Without tradition, that is, the passing down of the original doctrine, its continued existence would be inconceivable. For this reason, narration plays an essential role in religions – a fact that many religious people today are not even aware of.
Many people, often from childhood, are convinced of a certain religious doctrine but make no effort to return to the source in order to verify the authenticity of that doctrine. The problem with this is that, in such a situation, one can essentially regard anything as his own religion simply because he has been told so, even though it may have little or nothing to do with the original doctrine.
It is also generally known that in all religions, as time distances them further from their original doctrine, a multitude of different orientations have emerged, differing significantly in fundamental aspects. Consequently, it is impossible for all these varying beliefs to reflect and align with the one original doctrine – neither in Judaism, nor in Christianity, nor in Islam.
In this regard as well, the pivotal role of narration in religion becomes evident. The authenticity of the sources is, therefore, an extremely important question that everyone must confront if he seeks to examine the foundations of his own religious beliefs.