Religion In Context

Religion has been an extremely prominent aspect of our species since we discovered how to write, at the very least. So, like it or not, it should be discussed, criticized, improved upon and analysed.

I chose this subject to begin with because it has such a significant impact on our lives whether you’re religious or not. Religion has such a big impact that we are counting the days since the days of Jesus Christ, as a planet in unison, regardless of what we believe. Thus, religion cannot be overstated.

Before I attempt to dissect religion as a whole and specific religions, I should mention that my intentions are not to offend or belittle any specific religion, person or group. My goal here is to provide a deeper context of all religions, including where religions can improve or reform as well as the positive effects religion has inputed into the world.

The structure of this piece will be as follows:

• Opening arguments for and against religion in general

• Dissection of specific religions based on popularity: Christianity, Jewdism, Buhdism, Islam and Sihkism

• Conlusionary statements

Opening Arguments

For

Economically, it has been found that the more similaarily religous people in your area leads “…to significantly more religious participation, and to better outcomes along a variety of dimensions, such as education, income, and marital status” (Gruber, 2005). Although, this is a general statement that should not be generalised to all religions, for example regarding Islam, “…(Jerry) Berger does not discount the possibility that it might be able to coexist with liberty and prosperity, but points out that historically the subservient role of women in Muslim nations is a source of economic drag” (Bowyer, 2013). However, the lifestyles of many religions, mainly the prominence of asceticism and the avoidance of indulgence creates heavier economic streams for religious individuals and families. “Worldly asceticism looks askance at lives of excessive spending and conspicuous consumption, which are often associated with wealth…Without this, or something like it, modern capitalism would not have arisen as it did” (Bowyer, 2013).

In terms of community, religous people tend to benefit from psychological benefits due to their attendance of religious institutions.

These benefits were most likely found not due to beliefs in religious dogma per say but rather than the regular attendance. It seems it’s the social network formed via religiouns that produce these benefits. Religious participation by children has been shown to result in “less juvenile delinquency, less drug use including less smoking, better school attendance, and a higher probability of graduating from high school” (Dorfman, 2013). This can be argued against however as these results cannot be applied to an individual, these are more general findings. It has been found religious adults commit less crimes, most likely due to the teachings and morals taught in these religiouns which, for the most part, are morally good principles. Further, religious people tend to give more to charity (in general) whether these are significant or worthwhile chairites is another conversation but upon learning this, I initially beleived these charities would most likely be religious institutions rather than charities with a focus on the vulnerable.

As well as benefits to society shown here, “…studies have shown that religious attendance once or more per week leads to an extra seven years of life expectancy” (Dorfman, 2013).

The morals of the stories mentioned in religious books cannot be overestimated as well. It can be worrisome to completely dismiss the teachings taught here. Even if you do not believe them to be true, the messages derived from these are generally decent.

Below are some videos outlining the basic beliefs and the moral teachings of the reiligiouns being discussed:

This should’ve provided a broad overview of the teachings of each of the most popular religiouns as well as the general benefits of religiouns that studies have found.

Against

Firstly, the main arguements against religions come from science. This is due to people who believe the stories in religous dogma to be true, that they actually happened i.e. Jesus actually walked on water and turned water to wine. This obviously goes against the reasoning of science, the truth. Unfortunately, it is not possible to believe in science whilst also believing the stories in the Quaran or the Bible for example. It seems

Bibliography

Bowyer, J., 2013. Is Religion An Essential Driver Of Economic Growth?. [online] Forbes. Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrybowyer/2013/05/29/is-religion-an-essential-driver-of-economic-growth/#2dcaae75206e>.

Dorfman, J., 2013. Religion Is Good For All Of Us, Even Those Who Don't Follow One. [online] Forbes. Available at: <https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2013/12/22/religion-is-good-for-all-of-us-even-those-who-dont-follow-one/#5816dbbe64d7>.

Gruber, J., 2005. Religious Market Structure, Religious Participation, and Outcomes: Is Religion Good for You?. Advances in Economic Analysis & Policy, 5(1).