How has religion impacted American society - Term Paper Example

? How Has Religion Impacted American Society? This assignment explains the significance of religion andthe way it can impact various components of a society be it culture, education, politics or economics. The areas that are significantly under consideration in this paper are education and culture. The factors contributing to the effects taking place will be discussed and their possible recommendations will also be offered. Impact of Religion on American Culture Talking about the developed countries, it has been observed that America is most religious as far as the demographics is concerned. In 2002, a survey was conducted which revealed that citizens considered religion as a very important part of their lives and it was an area which was given high respect and priority. An attitude similar to this was also observed in America’s neighboring country; Latin America. To study the impact of religion on American culture, it is necessary to understand the meaning of both the terms and the relationship between them. Religion is a system of principles through which individuals identify their existence and base their explanations of the universe and the natural occurrence that are linked with it. Culture is a set of methods, values and norms that are adopted and practiced by people in a society which are also transferred form one generation to the other. In America there is not a universal religion, a number of religions which include; Christianity, no religion, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Baha’i Faith. All the religions have had their respective impacts on the American culture. A few of them will be discussed here. The religion that is practiced by majority of the Americans is Christianity which further branches out into more sects that are considered to be a part of Christianity. Christianity pays emphasis on compassion, in the light of this teaching; individuals make attempts to help the needy and to assuage distress of the troubled ones. Donations are paid in higher amounts and in case of disasters, every individual rushes to help their virtual brothers. Christianity has also discouraged homosexual relationships and has put a stop to them which has ultimately affected the family life and husband wife relationship in a positive way. (David, 89) Islam has also been rated as the fastest growing religion in America. It started after the African Muslims arrived here and immediately formed a community of their own named as Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. American culture has experienced a relative difference since the emergence of Islam which encompasses building of mosques, formation of political and donation organizations and other Islamic practices. The Muslims have immigrated to America in large numbers especially in the year 2005 which has significantly affected the culture in a way that Muslims equally take part in the educational matters. Islam discourages the ideological perception of granting superiority to a particular race and gives equal status to mankind including slaves. This has encouraged slaves particularly to enter into Islam empowering them in the wake. Impact of Religion on Education in America Maintaining a balance between education and religion has emerged as a dilemma and persistent problem in America. Arguments and discussions have been held to ponder over the problem of right placement of religious education in the course outline. The two parties involved in this battle are religious conventional, secularists and liberals. The former demands religion to be included in the basic public education whereas the latter thinks it is a private issue and should not be confused with worldly education. However the importance and impact of religion cannot be ignored. The teachings of religion gave a new prospect to the human life. As far as the Greeks were concerned, they emphasized on the human mind whereas Christianity showed man his soul. The benefits and impact of religion on American education can be better understood if compared with the Greeks. Christianity has inculcated a sense of equality among individuals and has taught them that every soul is important, dear and equal in the eyes of God. Where Greeks regarded ugliness, crippled and diseased as hideous, Christianity on the other hand sought out the solution for the troubled and distressed. Religion provided awareness to the general masses and laws were passed for their benefit ad welfare. The most significant among them was the law in which prayers and religious exercises were made mandatory in the school premises. This would generally include recitation of bible or prayers in case of other religion. Another law named as Louisiana Law demanded that state money be spent on the textbooks used by children in schools; this was the first step to providing free and quality education. This law faced a lot of opposition; scholars argued that this step was towards supporting some religion and not the children. This was however ruled out since spending money on textbooks clearly provided benefit to the children and not a particular religion. (John, 120) Contributing Factors There are positive as well as negative effects posed by religion on both culture as well as education. The positive effects have been discussed whereas the negative effect of religion on culture that has been observed is that religion has proven to one of the disturbing factor that has resulted in majority of wars and clashes. Every individual believes that his religion is right and true among all the others. This belief develops within oneself a degrading approach towards all the other religions except ones own. Another negative effect that was observed was that religion was initially introduced so that the masses could be controlled, however with the passage of time religious structures were erected such as mosques, temples, churches etc where people belonging to different religions could go and perform their rituals freely. The God who existed in these places did not portray a very forgiving picture and the people were made to fear him rather than love. Religion became one of the factors which created doubts in almost every facet of life. People were pressurized and it was continuously hammered on their minds what they could do and what they couldn’t. Hence it resulted in people whose mentality became restricted to a specific area. Religion also adversely affected the educational field. With the compulsion of religious education in schools, it was observed that only that religion was taught that was practiced by the majority. The secularist approach was not followed. This did not give a very healthy impression on the students who did not belong to the minority group. (Jonathan, 167) Recommendations If the above mentioned problems are considered from a sociologist’s point of view, it should be made sure that a sense of equality along with respect for other religions along with one’s own should be inculcated in every individual. This way no one would oppose the other person’s religion and would try to understand the other point of view too. This would prevent clashes and disagreements among different group of believers. Secondly religion should not be taken as a subject to scare people and instill in them fear of God. However, what’s more important is to build the love for God in the minds and hearts of people. This way they would perform the rituals and do the right deeds willingly rather than forcefully. Through this a better environment will be created which is healthier and gives rise to more confident and prosperous human beings. The teachings of religion should be inculcated in individuals since their very childhood so that till the time they grow up, they have comprehensive knowledge of their religion and so that they can learn to grant reverence to other schools of thought too. Works Cited Dunmore, John. Religion and Education in America. 2006. Oxford University. Print. Hackett, David. Religion and American Culture. 2003.Routledge. Print. Imber, Jonathan. Morals and Religion. 2008. Transaction Publishers. Print. Read More