Religion has been a very important part of human life for as long as history can tell us. In some form or another, religion has been one of the most necessary element of life for people all around the world. If we talk about ancient times, people used to worship the Sun, because it gave them energy and light. Then came fire, because it gave them warmth. Then came other different concepts of divinity, all of which are what made men what he is today. And even though this is the 21st century, religion is still going strong, proving how resilient and attractive the idea of bowing down to an all-powerful being really is. In this day and age, out of the 7 billion people who live on this planet, more than 6.5 billion believe in one religion or another. But when it comes to religion, almost all major religions have some sort of holy journey which reinvigorates the faith in their believers. Be it Islam, Christianity, or Hinduism, the three most common and the most famous religions in the world, all three of them have some sort of religious journey. So why is that? Why do most religions have this concept of making its believers visit holy places? Let’s find out.
Reignites their faith:
When you talk about going on a pilgrimage, you think about investing your time, effort, and money to do something. And why would you invest your time, effort, and all the money you make on something that you are not interested to do? Religious people usually think about the benefits of this pilgrimage when making a decision. The thing is, one of the most common effects pilgrimages has on a person is that it reignites and reinvigorates the faith inside that person. Going to a holy land, seeing a holy place, or touching a sacred wall, whatever it is maybe, this gives more pleasure and definition to a devoted person than anything else in the world.
Improves a country’s economy:
With hundreds of thousands of pilgrims coming to a single country to visit holy and sacred lands, management becomes a headache, but nobody can deny the revenue it generates with all the great tourism. Saudi Arabia generates around $8.5 billion off Hajj, Israel generates tons of money off Christian and Jewish pilgrims, same goes for Jordon, they also make a lot of money because of all the Christian pilgrims who come and visit these holy places. Even travelling agencies and businesses like Gil travel earn a lot of dough on these holy land tours.
Rinses them off sins:
Most people who go on a religious journey, come back as completely different versions of themselves. It is almost as if this pilgrimage rinses them off sins, and encompasses them in a cloud of positive energy. Muslims who come back from Hajj, Christians who come back from Jerusalem, and Hindus who come back from their religious journey across the Himalayas, are always new and improved versions of themselves.
Asserts the feeling of belonging somewhere:
Going on a pilgrimage with your fellow men and women belonging to a single religious group, reaffirms a sense of belonging in a person. Performing the different religious rites in this long and sacred journey alongside these people also breed a sense of harmony, unity, and care for one and another.
Closeness to the one above all:
Almost all major religions in the world believe in a God. An entity that controls, governs and is the creator of everything and anything. These pilgrimages, to the holiest and the most sacred places known to a religion, reaffirms that belief and bring these people closer to God. We’re not going in the debate of whose God is right, or whose God is the greatest, but whoever he is, appreciates these pilgrims doing their religious duty.
