It’s commonplace for people to feel like they are right and other people that disagree with them are wrong. People rationalize all of their thoughts and beliefs in a couple of ways. More often than not, people hang around with those whom share similar beliefs and values as they do. That is, grouping for the sake of not being around any evidence that contradicts shared beliefs. Also, people create an “otherness” to the people that believe differently than they do. This often leads to demonizing groups and creates an undue hate for people that just don’t understand. Each religious denomination/sect believes they are the truth when it comes to understanding religiosity and faith. Man is inherently prone to “other-hatred.” But not always, not everywhere, not against everyone who is different. Some filter must be brought forth which isolates and clearly identifies the “otherness” which will elicit the emotional flux. Otherness is the trigger that brings forth the human characteristic of prejudice. It is a very subjective thing. It might be racial, it might be political, it might be cultural, and it might be religious. But it has to be something. Religion, regrettably, is a very efficient catalyst, a very efficient trigger. Because so much of it is based on very deep emotionalism, differences, which to an outside observer might seem superficial, are, in fact, quite profound to the believers. Religion, therefore, becomes much more problematic than secularism when dealing with world politics. Westernization and modernity have been key players in the creation of otherness amongst nations. Through the spheres of influence, Western societies have tried to push their beliefs on other societies. Ultimately, what it comes down to is Judeo-Chris...
... middle of paper ...
...other cases, he says, religious movements have been assimilated into the political process. He points to the negotiated end in 1998 of the protracted and violent struggle in Northern Ireland. In this case, he says, the more moderate activists on both the Catholic and Protestant sides moved into the public arena while extremists such as the Rev. Ian Paisley came to be ignored and isolated. But the record here is spotty. In Palestine, for example, Hamas has transformed itself into a political party that won a large majority in the new Palestinian parliament in the 2006 elections. In response, Israel, the U.S., the European Union, Canada and other countries imposed sanctions and suspended foreign aid. Juergensmeyer concludes that Western countries will have to make more room for religion in the public sphere and otherness is something that will have to be placed aside.
Culture is made up of three main components: ethics, aesthetics, and religion (Lincoln 52). The lines of culture become skewed as it often blends in with political and religious views. In Western Europe during the time of the Reformation, the Church was the central ruler of the society. This meant that religion was not only a cultural view, but also a political one. As time moved on, the Church became less important, but today’s standards still connect religion to culture. This becomes an issue as individuals who are noticeably outside the culture in forms or religion are often judged and looked down upon (Lincoln 56). Due to this outcast it can cause anger to certain religions and culture which can often lead to these acts of violence. With the hate between cultures, religion becomes the justifiable mean on which violence can occur. Many individuals can state that God wants them to make their own religion superior, and one way they can draw attention to their religion is terrorism and other forms of violence. Due to this connection to culture, religion can not be separated into it’s own personal category, as it is forever affected by the changes and culture of the community (Lincoln 57). As time and culture progress, the religion of the community will either change with it, or fight the changes which will often cause conflict. This can be seen in the results of the practice of Jihad, the Reformation and
Religion has always played a major role in the development of human society. This is the main reason why it has so often been used for unjust purposes. The concept of war is in complete opposition to what Islam and Christianity teach their followers. Still, by different means, religion was and is often brought into play to cater for the interests of powerful people.
Aslan, R. (2010). Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks.
Religion, “part of the human experience that has to do with a god or gods, a higher power, or the ultimate values of life” (Cason & Tillman 6-7), is one of the most controversial and interesting subjects for humanity. It has been around for as long as anyone can recall and they have difference and similarities in their founders, beliefs, and history. Religion has served to give some sort of a meaning to life and everything around it. In modern society, some religions have grown and expanded significantly. These larger religions have been classified as world religions. In addition, these world religions have been split into two categories known as Eastern and Western religion.
Every state, culture, and society in the world has some form of religion. The most popular religions in the world today are Christianity, Buddhism, and the Muslim religions. Members of every religion follow some form of philosophy or ideology that shape their thinking and behaviors. One common thing about the existing religions is the presence of a supreme being. People misinterpret existing religious ideologies serving their personal interests that at times turn out to cause war. Religious ideologies brainwash populations who end up acting violently in different deviant forms (Richardson, 518). Religions use specific ideologies to make people living in a society violent to peaceful members who may fight back in self-defense.
Religion can be viewed from many different perspectives. People throughout the world hold different religious values. One person’s religious value will not match the religious values of another person. Globalization as a whole has affected the way we view the different religions and our feelings towards them; it has moved towards a more symbolic representation of ideologies. Many have come to believe that the west is more superior to others. Martha Crenshaw argues that globalization is a key driver of terrorism because there is a comparison between countries having less access to means of production and others having more access. Furthermore, most religions go against each other’s beliefs and as for Islam; they have neglected the ideologies of the west. In order to understand how religious values are interconnected is through language games; we think in certain ways because of issues of power.
Granted the people seek religion for means of peace and conflict resolution, it is widely believed that misinterpretation of religion is one of the fundamental reasons for evolution of war all around the world. History proves this by innumerable war and evolution incidents, one of them occurring in what we call now Spain.
In discussions of whether the world would be a more peaceful place without religions, one controversial issue has been placing blame on one’s own religion when wars or conflict ending in violence has occurred. The question is asked,. Does religion play a role in the violence going on around the world? On the one hand, many people may agree with this belief and argue that religion in a way has always played a role in the amount of violence in our society. On the other hand, the public contends that as humans we know what we are doing and our religion has nothing to do with the violence that we create.
Our only chance for a successful society is to get rid of prejudices. This is much easier said than done. Some religious prejudices have been going on for thousands of years. I don’t know if there is any hope for these people. There are some simple things we can do as students and people. It is real simple.
Jonathan Fox and Shmuel Sandler . Bringing Religion into International Relations. (June 2004) Palgrave Macmillan. 22 March 2014
Most importantly, the fact that religions effects on society can be so broad, really says more about human psychology than it does about religion. As quoted by David Hart,” Religious conviction often provides the sole compelling reason for refusing to kill. Or for seeking peace. the truth is that religion and irreligion are cultural variables but killing is a human constant”.
Religion creates diversities among people. It creates a gap among them. In the name of God and religion, loot, plundering, mass killing, rape and other cruel and inhuman treatments have been meted out to people.
How do we define religion? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows: “the belief in a god or in a group of gods, an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods, or an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group” (Merriam-Webster.) My personal definition of religion is that it is a set of beliefs and practices that generally pertain to the worship of one or more than one spiritual being or representation of a spiritual power. Religion can be a personal belief or an organization or group of people who have similar beliefs and values. There are many different types of religions in the world and have been since the beginning of mankind.
Religious prejudice is defined as the act of treating a person or group differently because of what they do or do not believe in. There are many cases throughout history of established religions tolerating other practices. Specifically, religious prejudice is when believers of different religions are treated unequally, either before the law or in institutional settings such as employment or housing. Even in societies where freedom of religion is a constitutional right, sometimes supporters of religious minorities voice concerns about religious prejudice against their group. Cases that are perceived as religious discrimination might be the result of an interference of the religious sphere with other spheres of the public. For a religious establishment to mistreat other religions for being ‘wrong’ ironically puts the oppressing religion in the wrong, undermining its own validity. Religious intolerance is unacceptable in general and more specifically, in the Holocaust and simply the idea that started the Holocaust. People have an inherent right to express their beliefs and not to be treated indignantly and inhumanely based on those beliefs.
In the world we are in today, every continent, city, and smallest village has some sort of belief set. Religious belief frequently has the most impact over societies with religion’s ability to mold social laws, boundaries, and sometimes hold entire sway over government systems. However, because religion is left to interpretation of its audiences, religion itself can only be as peaceful or as violent as its followers make it. When religious beliefs are paired with religious intolerance, and people willing to act on that intolerance, religious beliefs can take a turn towards violence, death, and destruction. Religious intolerance is being unwilling to tolerate another 's religious beliefs or practices