The importance of coding has been growing for the past few decades, and rising in importance. It is in our laptops, televisions and in the palm of our hands, but how can a bunch of numbers and letters typed into a computer become so useful? Much of what coding is, is just structure, composed of different functions and instructions. In the same way many religions around the world have different functions and instructions, and when they are put together they add up to the religions we see now and believe. It is incredible to see the ways computational thinking is used in a variety of different ways that do not have to pertain to computers. In this case I believe computational thinking is used in religion. To explain how religion uses computational thinking I will use the definition of computational thinking given by Jeannette Wing, VP of research in Microsoft. She says "Computational thinking involves solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior,"In the same way I believe the structure of religion involves these aspects.
      Dr. Wing's description talks about solving problems, in the same way many religions attempt to solve problems, within their community of believers or perhaps in the world that surrounds them. Religious communities solve problems in the world by doing many things such as providing necessities, hope and even prayers for those in need.
      Computational thinking is also about designing systems, which I believe is also something religious communities do. Religious groups develop systems of beliefs based on what they have thought to be inherently true, it is thanks to those systems of beliefs that many people within their respective denominations same page. Without the belief systems set up by religious communities there would be no correlation or common set of things people believe are true. It is those systems that keep people true to their faiths.
     The last thing Dr. Wing claims computational thinking involves is the understanding of human behavior. Religious communities are very centered on the idea of human behavior and are constantly trying to understand it. Many beliefs try to understand the understanding of human behavior and many have tried to explain it, very many have come up empty handed due to how complex human beings are.
      In the end much of what coders do is a lot like what religious communities do. They both try their best to structure things in such a way to help benefit humankind, each in their own different ways.

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Abstract Art Cooperation Earth by OpenClipart-Vectors is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://pixabay.com/en/users/OpenClipart-Vectors-30363/.
Raja, Tasneem. "Is Coding the New Literacy?" Mother Jones. Mother Jones, 16 June 2014. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.