#mbi_cci, No matter how hard forgiveness may seem, there are strategies that have been successfully used to make it work. The transformation of an entire social order is required, for belief is deeply rooted in the social relations of men. This state, this society produce religion, a perverted world consciousness, because they are a perverted world. But it should be noted that the diversity of religious sects and cults in modern societies demonstrates that religion has become an individual matter and not a dominant feature of social life. It has evolved from Persian, Zoroastrianism and Arab Islamism. Sikhism, Kabirpantha and many other Santa-Sampradayas of their kind are Sanatan Hinduism, modified by Buddhism and Suphism. c/o the Conflict Information Consortium In this metaphor, Juliet is compared to the sun. In the name of God and religion, loot, plundering, mass killing, rape and other cruel and inhuman treatments have been meted out to people. It is the opiate of the people.” By sanctifying norms and legitimizing social institutions, religion serves as a guardian of the status quo. In present societies religion also performs this role. It preaches submission to the existing conditions and maintenance of status quo. Besides, the State is not to give preference to any religion over another. What is more, media portrayals of religious conflict have tended to do so in such a way so as to confuse rather than inform. Wars and battles have been fought in the name of religion. No form of religion is static. When a Hindu worships a cow, he worships it not because of the kind of animal the cow is, but because of a host of super-empirical characteristics which this animal is imagined to represent. They have faith without reasoning which is blind. The primary requirement of society is the common possession of social values by which individuals control the actions of self and others and through which society is perpetuated. In fact, this figure of … They symbolize the things of the unseen, super-empirical world, they symbolize certain sacred but tangible realities. Buddhism for instance, came as a revolt against the Vedic ritual which was both complex and expensive, and also beyond the common man’s reach. This is translation of those English words and dharma-nirapekshata is used to refer to the range of meanings indicated by the English term. Interfaith dialogue would be beneficial at all levels of religious hierarchies and across all segments of religious communities. Religion is pre-eminently social and is found in nearly all societies. They think that all events in life is due to some divine power and hence due to fate. Religion results in inter-group conflicts by dividing people along religious lines. In circumstances where moderate ways are not perceived to have produced results, whether social, political, or economic, the populace may turn to extreme interpretations for solutions. [3] Motivated by the marginalization of religion in modern society, they act to restore faith to a central place. Our inability to constructively handle intractable conflict is the most serious, and the most neglected, problem facing humanity. It thus helps him to identify himself more with his fellows, and to distinguish himself more from members of other groups, communities or nations. Religion, in fact, is not a mere process of mediations about man’s life; it is also a means of preserving the values of life. Democratic It includes any kind of behavior (such as the wearing of special clothing and the immersion in certain rivers, in the Ganga for instance), prayers, hymns, creedal recitations, and other forms of reverence, usually performed with other people and in public. These constitute the heart of the religion. Links to thought-provoking articles exploring the larger, societal dimension of intractability. Marx has strongly criticised religion. There is the need to secularise the religious institutions. Social values and norms emanate from religious faith. This essay considers some of the means through which religion can be a source of conflict. As Barnes has pointed out religion adapted to our changed conditions of life is worth preserving and it must seek to organise. The cow as a sacred symbol of the Hindus, for example, is a rallying point which gives cohesion to Hindu society. Religion has also performed some other services to humanity among which Sumner and Keller included the provision of work, the spread of education, the accumulation of capital and the creation of a leisure class. Religious nationalists too can produce extremist sentiment. Often, religion is a contentious issue. Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine have engaged in violence, but they also gained supporters through social service work when the government is perceived as doing little for the population. Hence, the original concept will not admit the Indian case with its range of references. Second, the vitality of Zionism, militant Islam (Islamic fundamentalism), radical Catholicism in Latin America and Sikhism, fundamentalism and communalism in India suggest that no necessary connection exists between modernisation and secularisation. Guidelines for Using Beyond Intractability resources. Inquire about Affordable Reprint/Republication Rights. In this way religion promotes the welfare of individuals, groups and community. Help and assistance are rendered to poor and destitute persons due to religion inspiration. Therefore, in part, the solution is to promote a heightened awareness of the positive peace building and reconciliatory role religion has played in many conflict situations. The first root is Leg, meaning “together, count or observe”. In India, one has the right to practise any religion or reject them all. It can include singing, dancing, weeping, crawling, starving, feasting, etc. Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Beyond Intractability or the Conflict Information Consortium. Religion supports institutional pattern more explicitly. Prohibited Content 3. Hence, any violation of the acceptable norm is punishable not only by God but by society. On the contrary, it has often made people to become bigots and fanatics. Faith in God compensates him and sustains his interest in life and makes it bearable. In the Indian context the word has very different meaning from its standard use in the English language. Secularism as an ideology has emerged from the dialectic of modern science and Protestantism, not from a simple repudiation of religion and the rise of rationalism. There are certain holy or sacred elements of religion. But a thing is holy or sacred not because of a peculiar quality of thing. Religion is not necessarily conflictual but, as with ethnicity or race, religion serves, as a way to distinguish one's self and one's group from the other. It is based on testing of arguments and beliefs by rational procedure, on asserting truth by means of factors which can be quantified and objectively measured. Religiously-motivated peace builders have played important roles in addressing many conflicts around the world. The tendency to carelessly throw around the terms ‘fundamentalist' and ‘extremist' masks significant differences in beliefs, goals, and tactics. Although not necessarily so, there are some aspects of religion that make it susceptible to being a latent source of conflict. According to James G. Frazer considered religion as a belief in “Powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life”. Intermediaries may help facilitate this. But the process of secularisation took its course unlike Western Europe renaissance and reformation in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The process of secularisation as the most important component of the process of modernisation is occurring in different forms in various contemporary societies. By faith man is distinguished from other beings. Prior to the advent of what may be called as “the age of reason”, religion has been the chief supporter of the spiritual and moral values of life. Religion is the central element in the life of civilisation. Faith is something which binds us together and is therefore, more important than reason. Others regard religion as something very earthly and materialistic, designed to achieve practical ends. are examples of the great religions of the world. A free, open, online seminar exploring new approaches for addressing difficult and intractable conflicts. Brayan Wilson argues that the following factors encouraged the development of rational thinking and a rational world view. The process was very slow. Even today, traditional Muslims face religio-ethical problems concerning interest-taking. [4] David Smock, Building Interreligious Trust in a Climate of Fear: An Abrahamic Trialogue, http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr99.pdf. But they do not take the suggestion of those who are competent in the field. Here is your essay on religion, it’s meaning, nature, role and other details! If there is any trend of decline in any aspect of religion mentioned above, then it is indicative of the process of secularisation. It supports certain types of social conduct by placing the powerful sanctions of the supernatural behind them. Bigotry and fanaticism have led to persecution, inhuman treatment and misery in the past. Marx’s sense of the matter is more profound. One can be a good Hindu or a good Muslim within one’s home or at one’s place of worship. But when one enters public life, one is expected to leave one’s faith behind. Use the following to cite this article: Marx was an atheist as well as a great humanist. Children should obey their parents, should not tell a lie or cheat, women should be faithful to men; people should be honest and virtuous are some of the social values which maintain social cohesion. These powers are believed to influence human life and control all natural phenomena. The Buddhist hopes to attain Salvation by being absorbed in the Godhead and entering Nirvana. hinder the welfare of human beings. Some changes would certainly lead to positive reforms. It may give rise to the high level hate, crimes and discrimination in the society. Often, the group with less power, be it political or economic, is more aware of the tension than the privileged. Religion preaches submission to the existing socio-economic condition and to fate. Religion is an almost universal institution in human society. It leads to waste of human labour, energy and time. [2] David Little, "Religious Militancy," in Managing Global Chaos, eds, Chester A. Crocker, Fen Osler Hampson, and Pamela Aall (Washington DC: USIP Press, 1996). All the great religions of the world have attempted to regulate kinship relations, especially marriage and family. Religiously-motivated peace builders have played important roles in addressing many conflicts around the world. This means less emphasis on supernatural power, lack of theological doctrine, and desirability to compromise with religious beliefs and values. By distinguishing between holy and unholy things, religion creates sacred symbol for the values and this symbol becomes the rallying point for all persons who share the same values. Controversial Argumentative Essay Topics.