Religion and Society Religion is defined as an organized collection of belief systems, views about the universe, or cultural systems that humans use to relate spiritual and moral values to their lives. Many religions have symbols, traditions, and histories that explain the origin of life, the way the universe works, and the moral, ethical and legal ways to organize human life (De Vries, ed., 2008). While the exact origin of religion

religion and society. There are two references used for this paper. Religion plays an important role in people's lives throughout the world. It is interesting to look at the origins of religion, as well as its different varieties. Origins The majority of the "classical religious beliefs emerged in a pre-scientific era before the application of the methods of science. The ancient religions of prophecies and revelations -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam --

religion shaped development of colonial society in 1740s New England, Chesapeake, and the Mid-Atlantic. Religion shaped development in these areas in a wide variety of ways, and the most important religious development during this time was the "Great Awakening." The "Great Awakening" was an important event in American history and religious history. It was the first real step away from the organized, strict religions that had followed the settlers

Religion From the beginning of time religion played an essential role in people's lives, taking into account numerous accounts showing how some of the most primitive societies have concentrated on devising religious ideas in an attempt to establish diverse legislations. Humanity is apparently inclined to promote the idea of an afterlife and of a higher power regulating conditions in the world. To a certain degree, religion enabled communities to function

This means that there must be some correlation between religion and politics. Indeed Keddie (2003) asserts that there is an aversion to the word secular and that most countries that try to embrace this idea are not content. According to Carroll (2003) this inevitable link between religion and politics forces the question of whether or not the world would be better off without religion. The author asserts that misconceptions about

Machiavelli shared Douglass' opinion concerning the role of religion in one's society. He believed that religion is instrumental in bringing about not only a moral society, but also a just one. In his discourse, "The Prince," he asserted that the ideal leader, the Prince, must not "...deceive friends...be without faith, without mercy, without religion..." This invoked the belief that a leader, in order to become effective, efficient, and respected by