"Why Do We Need Religion to Be a Good Person?"-A Personal Reflection on Healing, Faith, and Finding Purpose
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I was once asked about converting into Islam:
"Why do we need religion to be a good person? Isn’t just thinking good and doing good enough?"
I used to ask the same.
When Goodness Wasn’t Enough
I grew up in China, where Confucian values shaped my understanding of right and wrong. During a difficult chapter of my life—emotional breakdowns, work dissatisfaction, and strained family ties—I turned to Confucian teachings for guidance.
One book that deeply impacted me was The Four Lessons of Liaofan. It highlighted the law of cause and effect:
- Good and evil have consequences
- Every small act of kindness matters
- We must examine our behavior often
- Consistently doing good shapes our future
- Not all results are visible immediately, but they’re always unfolding
These values gave me structure, but not peace. I still felt a void. Even when I tried to live morally, a deeper question remained:
“Why do I still feel lost, even when I try to do everything right?”
Taoism and Sitting in Stillness
I turned to Jing Zuo—an ancient practice of sitting in stillness, like meditation. It’s rooted in Taoist thought, which speaks of Qi, the vital energy that flows through everything.
Through silent breathing and reflection, I connected with the Tao—the Way—which teaches balance, flow, and harmony. It helped me feel grounded… but only for a while.
The peace faded as life’s challenges returned. And I began to see: stillness alone couldn’t carry me through my deepest pain.
Therapy Helped Me Cope—but Not Fully Heal
I explored different healing therapies to process my trauma. They gave me tools to survive—but not a sense of purpose.
Even after all the self-help, I was still asking: “Why me?”
The Deeper Your Pain, the More You Need Something Beyond Yourself
I began to realize: when pain is deep, logic and philosophy aren’t enough.
When you’ve hit a point where nothing external can soothe the ache inside you, that’s when you start seeking something greater.
That’s when I found Islam.
The Turning Point: Faith, Not Just Morality
Converting to Islam wasn’t just about becoming “a better person.”
It was about reconnecting with the One who created me, and finding answers to the questions that haunted me.
Islam didn’t just give me rules. It gave me:
- Meaning in my suffering
- Purpose in my journey
- Peace in surrender
- A constant relationship with Allah
Through faith, I began to heal in ways therapy and philosophy never could.
A Message for You
No—religion isn’t a requirement to be a good person.
Goodness is a universal value.
But if you’ve ever been in a place so dark that nothing else worked… you might understand why faith matters.
For me, Islam was the light that turned my pain into purpose.
If you want to explore more of my story—my healing, my struggles, and how I found faith and hot it changed everything—take a look at my book Healing from Within.
In it, I share how the love of God became the turning point of my life.
Remember:
The deeper your pain, the more you might need something beyond yourself.
Seek. Reflect. Stay open. You never know where truth will find you.