Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and the rulers as useful. - Lucius A. Seneca
I would like today to write about
the religion in society and in following weeks to analyze a role of
religion.
Everybody knows what is Religion, but
no everyone knows the meaning and origin of this word. Religion in the Latin
word REL {I} IGIO, [together, count or observe] refers to belief in and practice.
Meaning of Religion is concerned with the shared beliefs and practices of human
being. It is the human response to those elements in the life of mankind.
The man from earliest times has been
religious. Largest religions in the World are: Buddhism, Christianity,
Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism.
Religion is an almost universal
institution in human society. It is found in all societies, past and present.
Religion goes back to the beginning of the culture itself. It is a very ancient
institution. There is no primitive society without religion. Like other social
institutions also arose from the intellectual power of man in response to
certain felt needs of men. Most people consider religion as universal, a
significant institution of societies. It has been tremendous influence upon
political and economic aspects of life.
Central to all religions is the concept of Faith. Faith is
something which binds us together more important than reason. If we analyze the
great religions of the World, we shall find that each of them contains five
basic elements:
1. Belief in supernatural powers
2. Belief in the Holy
3. Ritual
4. Acts defined as sinful
5. Some method of Salvation
Religion, as we understand the term,
implies a relationship not merely between man and man but also between man and
some higher power. All the religions have preached love an non-violence.
They have emphasized sacrifice and
forbearance. Religion not only defines moral expectation for members of
religious group but enforces them.
The primary requirement of society
is the common possession of social value by which individuals control the
actions of self and other. These social values emanate from faith.
Religious is the foundation upon which these values rest.
Religion serves to soothe the man in
times of his suffering and disappointment... When human hopes are blighted,
when all that was planned and striven for has been swept away, man naturally
wants something to console and compensate him.
Religion encourages people to render
services to the needy and poor and to promote their welfare. In addition to
positive function of religion, there are negative aspects of its social
function.
Wars and battles have been fought in
name of religion, in name of God.
Religions create diversities among people. It creates a gap
among them. In the name of God and religions, loot, plundering, mass
killing, rape and other cruel and inhuman treatments have been meted out to
people. Also religion promotes Fanaticism.
Karl Marx: who was a philosopher in
19th century, as well a great humanist strongly criticized religion. For him
all that was fundamental in science of society proceeded from the material and
the economic sphere. For Marx religion is, to be sure, superstition, but
to stop at this point is to limit religion to merely abstract belief.
Religion, writes Marx, is the "self’ <consciousness
and self < feeling of man who either has not yet found himself or has
lost himself. Man is the World of Man, the state, the society.
“In prayer is bether to have a heart without WORDS
than words without a HEART”
Mahatma Gandhi
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