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Religion in Society
Human beings are spiritual beings at their core. The existence of different people is traced back to spirituality in one way or the other. Therefore, religion affects different members of the society. The well-being, spirituality and health of human beings are interconnected concepts that relate to religion in a society. Religion has diverse roles in the public, which have been the topic of discussion in different cities. Moreover, religion has changed over time that has resulted to diverse phenomena such as secularization of the church. In order to have a broader view of religion in society, five news articles from three cities that relate to religion have to be analyzed together with peer-reviewed articles.
Definition of the place of religion in the society has changed over the centuries because of the emerging trends in the world. The modern religion is undergoing transition due to secularization of its beliefs. Secularization is caused by three major factors, which are political, social and legal. The three factors are intertwined, thus resulting to secularization of religion. The current society has adopted different religious practices from other societies that do not coincide with the religion practiced in the region. Such practices are like acceptance of homosexuality within the society. In the past, no religion accepted homosexuality. However, the practice is accepted in different religions. The acceptance of different religion in such practices is influence by the government. This has resulted to secularization of religion in different parts of the world that have been affected. For instance, gay marriages are accepted in Chicago city (Geiger and Manya 1). The law has legalized gay marriage in the region. Therefore, other religions tend to accept such acts because the government prohibits. This is a negative effect on religion because it tends to change from the values, which it stood for before.
Secondly, political factors affect religion in the social order. This is because different leaders support diverse factors in the society that affect religion. Their decision on religious matters has an impact on the overall reception by the societal members. For instance, the fourth debate of Michaelmas Term provides a scenario where religion is placed on debate (Freedman 1). The proponents to the debate believe that religion is harmful to the society, which is contrary to views by the opponents. Their reasoning is that religion brings about division between members of the society. Political leaders proposed that motion because there are diverse religions within the society. The practices of one religion are different from the other. This means that religious lines are drawn between the societal members. Such views and reasoning by political leaders have an effect on religion because people tend to believe in what they are told by the elected members in government. Thus, it has a negative effect on religion.
However, the views held on religion in Los Angeles (L.A.) are contrary to those of the debaters. This is because the church has been seen as beneficial to the society. In L.A., the church has tried to help its members together with other people of the society by helping addicts and gangs in the region (McLellan 1). The church works towards helping these groups of people transform and become better people in the society. This has had a positive effect on the society because it has been able to get rid of crimes that are harmful to the society. Moreover, the societal members are able to boast of better security status because of religion. This proves that religion is important within the society because of its benefits through the teachings it gives.
The government as a body has a great influence on religion. This is because it has the overall authority over the society. Any decision being made on the society has to be dependant on the legality of the issue. The existence of marriage is based on the different government that rule over the given states. Secondly, the common model of secularization is promoted by the European legalization on religion, which is facilitated by the government. This is because during independence, the parties in power were given the authority over analysis of religious factors in different parts of the world. Therefore, the State Administration responsible for religious affairs has the capability of determining how the activities of different religious groups. However, the governments are trying hard to show equality among these groups. This common phenomenon is seen in cities such as New York. The judicial system in New York is trying to come up with strategies with which they can be able to accommodate the religious groups ranging from Christianity, Hinduism and all through to Islam (Barnes 1). This step benefits all the other religious groups with the exception of unregistered groups. These groups are often oppressed because they are not recognized by the government. Thus, they are not allowed to go about their normal activities.
The social well being of an individual in the social context is based on his or her psychological and philosophical models. This is more often accompanied by life satisfaction by the individuals. Religion also has an impact on the happiness of an individual. This is because the concepts of spirituality are interrelated with gratification. In addition, the unity attained from religion has an impact on the happiness of an individual. This is one of the factors, which results to secularization of religion. This is because with each passing year, associations have been witnessed to come up with programs that provide knowledge on theological studies. The scholars responsible for the events often combine the theological studies with scientific knowledge. Secularization is facilitated by the government at such instances because it has the authority of accepting or rejecting certain programs within the society (Withrow 1). However, it is observed that the government is at the forefront of supporting secularization of religion. Hence, religion faces problems in the end and it gets affect because it would have to change in order to accommodate the rules that have been put in place.
Summary
Religion has a positive role that it plays within the society. However, it is limited by the presence of the government. This is because it has the authority the society and it is protected by the law. This factor has led to problems to religion within the society. Currently, religion is experiencing secularization in many parts of the world. Therefore, it is forced to change some of their practices, which were not present. This results to problems within the religious groups in different parts of the world.
Conclusion
The social well-being of an individual, his or her health and spirituality are interconnected concepts. When the three are brought together, one’s happiness is guaranteed. The European world is experiencing secularization of religion. This has had negative effects on the beliefs and practices of different religion. Most of them blame the governing heads in their countries for their problems. The most affected religious groups are those who have not formally registered their groups.
Works Cited
Barnes, Robert. “Supreme Court hears case on N.Y. town’s practice of opening meetings with a prayer.” WP Politics. Washington Post, November 6, 2013. Web. December 4, 2013.
Freedman, Ethan. “This House believes religion harms society.” The Oxford Student. The Oxford Mag., November 14 2013. Web. December 4, 2013.
Geiger, and Brachear Manya. “Religious protections on gay marriage in doubt.” Chicago Tribune. Chicago Post, November 7, 2013. Web. December 4, 2013.
McLellan, Dennis. “David Martinez dies at 67; pastor’s church helped gang members and addicts.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Mag. October 18, 2013. Web. December 4, 2013.
Withrow, Brandon. “How to Find the Secular at The American Academy of Religion.” The Blog. Huff Post Religion, November 22, 2013. Web. December 4, 2013.