Religion and Society

¶ … 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 better and influenced individuals in these respective communities to express more interest in cooperating.

It would be safe to say that religion is a social concept, given that it brings people together and encourages them to get actively involved in assisting others. A recent Oxford University project aimed to reveal more information about religion and its relationship with mankind.

"The project, involving 57 researchers who completed more than 40 studies, found that human thought was 'rooted' to religious concepts." (Belief in religion is 'simply a universal part of human nature') This contributes to the idea that religion is inherently human and that, regardless of its form, it can play an important role in shaping character and in shaping society in general. When discussing about religion in a social context, it would be safe to say that it has been one of the most important influences in human history.

It shaped the way that people interacted with each-other and it has influenced life in a series of communities that eventually developed in some of the most significant groups in the contemporary society. Religion and social life are interconnected and this respective relationship has had numerous sociologists actively involved in trying to comprehend how it is connected to human nature as a whole.

While there is much controversy regarding this matter, it has been proved in numerous occasions that humans have the inherent tendency to use religious ideas with the purpose of interpreting concepts they come across. "From the earliest foundations of the discipline, sociologists have sought to understand the larger society through examining religion and its influence." (McGuire 2008, p. 1) It is intriguing to consider religion in a moral context, as there are numerous examples involving individuals who refrained from putting across immoral behaviors as a result of considering religious principles.

A person's tendency to perform deviant activities is significantly curved as a consequence of his or her relationship with religion. "There is a well-established link between religious participation and a host of other positive societal contributions, including volunteer work, charitable donations, community involvement, and political participation." (McConkey & Lawler, 2000, p. 86) Taking this into account, it appears that religion has the ability to induce even more moral thoughts into individuals as they gather in larger communities.

While there have been several episodes in which people have committed violence as a consequence of wanting to promote religious values, these are largely owed to individuals interpreting religious teachings wrong. Religion's positive contribution to humanity is significant and this is reflected by a series of instances in which religious people have helped those in need. The Christian church itself is focused on promoting positive values and on trying to get individuals to contribute as little as they can to helping others.

When considering the way that Christianity generally influences individuals to take on positive behaviors, it would be safe to say that it is successful in its mission. Many have problems understanding why particular individuals convert to Christianity. It would be wrong to say that they do so because it is the best religious ideology or because it is perfect. However, the fact that it can provide them with things they need is essential in their conversion. McGuire (2008, p.

76) provides an example involving a tribesman from the Philippines choosing to convert consequent to seeing seven of his children dying over a short period of time. While the man might have not been interested in many Christian teachings, the fact that the religion provided him with a better understanding of life and death and that it helped him cope with his suffering was important in his life at the time. This.