A Non-Religious Utopia?

            What role does religion play in a utopian society? Every community we have visited during this intensive has had some sort of powerful religious aspect. The Amish are only using their physical lives as a time to prepare and “wait” for the afterlife. Religious separatists from Germany founded the community of Zoar; even the name “Zoar” is a bible reference. Lastly, we visited a museum about the Shakers, a group, originally protestant, believing in the second appearing of Christ. This idea of religious attribution to a utopian community must be questioned: Can a utopia (at the level of these real communities) ever exist without any religious affiliation?            

           There are many modern examples of attempts at utopias, and a few of those have no religious attachment. The idea of using religion is more or less to bind each group member to a set of ideas. The rules in these communities are fabricated to worship “God” or a higher power, making it more difficult for a member to challenge any ideas. Creating a society without a religious affiliation would mean members could easily question the creator’s rules. It is also important to keep in mind that the goal of these three communities was not to create a utopia but to be closer to God. To classify these societies as a utopia one only needs to understand what the definition is and if those communities qualify. The fact that these communities are not essentially meant to be a utopia means that their goal was to truly be closer to God and not to create a perfect utopian community. What would it take to be perfect? Does religion obstruct that?