Religion and Society - Essay Example

Module Module ID: Religion and Society By looking into the history of the globe at large, it becomes evident that an overwhelming majority of almost all societies have been the followers of one religious group or the other. Consequently, faith in the Supernatural has been an essential part of every society and culture at large. However, people have always been divided in groups, sects and factions in respect of adopting beliefs; consequently, different societies have faith in different religions, which not only has given birth to spiritual diversity, but has also invited enmity and antagonism between the cultures and civilizations. In the long list of the existing faiths, the Abrahamic religions enjoy unique and distinctive place in their nature and scope. The number and proportion of these faiths dominate in the world, as over half of the total world population consists of the followers of these three faiths. There are almost 13.3 million Jews (0.23% of the world population), most of which live in the USA, UK, Canada, South Africa and Israel. (LeElef, 2011) Similarly, there are 2.1 billion Christians, while 1.34 billion Muslims, i.e. approximately 33.1% and 21% of the world population respectively. (Quoted in adherents.com) Judaism, Christianity and Islam are viewed to be the Abrahamic religions due to the very reality that they follow almost one and the same mythology and religious belief systems. All these three religions have developed faith in monotheism, and unconditionally believe that Almighty God is regulating all the affairs of the world. They also share the concepts of angels, satanic forces, heaven, hell, the Resurrection Day, reincarnation and concept of rewards and punishments in their fold. Moreover, their Holy Scriptures i.e. the Holy Torah, Bible and the Holy Qur’an also share Adam’s creation, dwelling and expulsion from the Eden Garden; they also appear to be in consensus that Satan seduced the first parents of humanity, and led them to taste the fruit of the Forbidden Tree. Since then Satan and his accomplices rebel angels have been at war with the descendants of Adam and Eve from the time of their birth and blessings bestowed upon them by the Lord. Their Holy Scriptures also present almost the same description of the Noah’s Great Deluge, Abraham’s holy life, and the tales of the holy prophets including Jacob, Job, Joseph, Moses, David and the latter holy personalities. Somehow, they also observe imperative differences with one another in their fold; as the Jews do not consider Jesus and Muhammad as the prophets of God, and the Jews and Christians refuse to accept and admit the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon both of him) as the holy messenger sent by the same God, Who had appointed the earlier prophets for the guidance of humanity at large. The Jews did not view Jesus as the son of the Holy Virgin Mary, and blasphemously declare him as the son of some Joseph, to whom they maintain the belief that Mary was married. Consequently, the followers of all the three Abrahamic faiths have been at daggers drawn for centuries, and even seek the support of infidels and pagans in order to crush one another at any cost. The intensity of hatred among these religions has cost thousands of precious lives, and still rivalry between them seeks no ending altogether. By minutely studying and making comparison among the Leviticus 19 from the Old Testament, the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus Christ and the Last Sermon by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), it becomes evident that their teachings appear to be the source of one and the same light, and also focus upon the same beliefs including worship of One God, obeying the parents, practicing nobility, chastity and graciousness to all humans without discrimination, paying charity, avoiding harm to others and looking after the fellow beings etc. However, instead of complying with the commands of their Scriptures, the followers of all these faiths have replaced them with antagonism, repugnance and clashes. They not only abhor one another, but also do not have any sympathies and compassion with the people belonging to their own faith. The main reason behind the three religions being at odds is lack of tolerance and endurance in their behavior. They actually falsify one another out of sheer jealousy and envy against one another. The same hatred has been being observed even the fellows of their own faiths. History is replete with the shameful atrocities the Jews, Christians and Muslims had committed on their brethren. Apparently, the Jews, Christians and Muslims maintain unflinching and unabated love and belief in Oneness of God, the Omnipotent and all-Powerful; however, their practices reveal that they have no care for the word of the Book. Their respective Scriptures command them to help the poor and the needy, and do not harm or hurt others with their sword or words; somehow, all the three leave no stone unturned to hurt the others through pens and guns, which invited the wrath of the opponents, and clashes start taking place out of sheer revenge and resentment. One the one side, the horrible incidents of Abu Ghuraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons startled the world, and people denied accepting them as real ones as their imagination causes shivering and trembling; and on the other side, the suicidal attacks and terrifying genocides committed by the extremists and nefarious safali and deoband Muslim sects on the Christians and Shiite Muslims even bring death, destruction, defoliation and disorder in the world. Consequently, the extremists, including the Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists on the one hand, and the revengeful and cruel George W. Bush and the people of the same category on the other, have turned the globe into a virtual inferno, where everyone appears to be feeling himself absolutely insecure and unprotected under the awkward and ugly clutches of extremist and narrow-sightedness. The sad incidents of church burning and demolishing of synagogues and mosques reveal that Semitic-phobia and Christo-phobia also exist along with Islamo-phobia. (Ali, 2012) Since attacking on the worshipping places does not find any justification in the teachings of the Abrahamic religions, these sorrowful incidents actually exhibit the jealousy and malice of the narrow-minded individuals, who appear to wish out of troubled waters only. By looking into the history of these religions, it appears crystal clear that the Prophets always remained defensive in the face of hardships. Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them) were pelted with stones and garbage, were rebuked and tortured, but they pardoned even their worst enemies, and did not take revenge from their enemies. Muhammad (peace be upon him) forgave his worst enemies even after conquering the same city of Mecca, where he and his companions were once vehemently tortured, and then were forced to leave the city eventually. Hence, the noblest personalities demonstrated extreme benevolence and humility towards the humanity at large. Somehow, their purported followers went astray from the path of glory and kindness for the future years to come, and practiced enmity, bloodshed, chaos and disorder for their personal benefits and vested interests at large. The problem and motif of the extremists appears to be one and the same i.e. to terrorize the world with the fear of the rival communities, and to obtain political, financial and social power and statuses subsequently. They intend to rise at the helm of the power at their respective states in the holy and sacred name of religion. Since all faiths teach and preach peace, solidarity, compassion, kindness and tolerance, the extremists actually violate these very principles by hiding their obnoxious faces behind the thick veil of religious discrimination and labels. Such people are neither Jews, nor Christians and nor Muslims altogether; on the contrary, they are the enemies of humanity, and thus are the companions of Satan, who is determined to astray the children of Adam and Eve, so that they could not regain their lost paradise they have been promised with the condition of doing good and avoiding evil during their stay on the face of the earth. Thus, lack of knowledge, absence of tolerance and escape from rational investigation of the prevailing critical situation have increased the gulf between the civilizations, and eventually drifted the followers of the Abrahamic faiths apart from one another. Work Cited Ali, Ayaan Hirsi “The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World” Newsweek Magazine Feb 6, 2012 LeElef, Ner “World Jewish Population” Web. 2012 http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/world-jewish-population.htm “Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents” Web 2011 http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html Read More