Is It Correct to Say, "People have a need for religion."

I read an installment written by a young man, an atheist, who is trying to rediscover his faith by walking through Europe. He is following the path it is believed Christianity followed through the various countries. It sounds like he is on a commercially organized tour but I could be wrong. Like a gazillion others each year, he is writing a book about rediscovering his faith.

He drops in often the "need" of people to have a faith. When he passed through the town of a famous atheist he found it "empty." In my opinion he is projecting on to others his own personal state of mind.

He refers to Europe as the theological home of the Christian faith. When he then talks of a "need" people have for the faith, surely he is referring to Europe as well as the U. S. If Europeans "need" the faith their empty churches are right there in front of them. They walk on past them and they now poll majority non Christian. Obviously, it is not true Europeans need Christianity. The author and many others are telling Europeans they need it.

The are people, perhaps the majority of people I have known in my long life, who are happier because of the faith. They need it and it should be available to them. The problem with the faith comes when sweeping generalizations are made about what is good for other people. Prayers at public meetings and religious displays on public property are examples of projecting one person's or group's needs onto everyone else.

Within religion itself there are arguments about what others "need." Decades ago my wife and I went to rural Mexico a few times. It was surreal to see magnificent cathedrals surrounded by abject poverty. Surely the poor people were not asked it they needed such a church, others thought they did.

We who are God free are tempted to say believers do not need religion. We are tempted to say it after being told we need religion. It would be a better world if we were never told we needed religion and we never told others they do not.