The Role Religion Plays in Society - Essay Example

One’s immersion in religion, as a subject in class, was actually during the course entitled Religions of the World which had been very illuminating. I realized from then on that the subject appropriately prepared me for life beyond the traditional classroom setting and also in various settings including the workplace. The course is a dynamic and evolving source of sociological learning due to its interactive nature with diverse societies worldwide. Knowledge of different religious beliefs, teachings, and practices and how these are applied in current scenarios made one recognize the diversity and richness of religion as it encompasses social structures. The experience made one compare other courses, such as engineering courses, where theories and concepts prepared students for applications to work behind computers or research laboratories, as well as in high technology settings.

Since the first religion course, the next successive courses on religion have been enriching in terms of learning so much about diversity in people from various cultural orientations.  Despite being in the field of technology, one acknowledges that through an increasing emphasis on globalization, one has significantly become most respectful towards other people’s religions and diversity in culture and social perceptions towards beliefs, preferences, value systems, and family life.

One’s expectations from the course on the sociology of religion include highlighting religion as a belief system and also as a social expression of faith. It could therefore include looking back at the theories and concepts learned from the past religion courses; but at the same time, the course could be more advanced in terms of thinking about how these religious theories are linked to sociological theories in both the domestic setting and on a more global scale. As one learned from the Religions of the World, most of the practices become linked to traditions and belief systems that adapt and are eventually applied to different social structures. For instance, as one got to be more interested in research in this course, it was discovered from the article written by Crossman (2012) that “in studying religion from a sociological perspective, it is not important what one believes about religion. What is important is the ability to examine religion objectively in its social and cultural context” (par. 3). As such, the questions that students could look forward to discussing and finding concrete answers those that were noted as:

• “How are religious beliefs and factors related to other social factors like race, age, gender, and education?
• How are religious institutions organized?
• How does religion affect social change?
• What influence does religion have on other social institutions, such as political or educational institutions?” (Crossman par. 3).

These and a whole lot of other social issues that could be closely linked to religion could be subjects of discussion and active participation. Other issues and concerns that one could think of include:

• Does religion facilitate a resolution to social problems or does it cause the division of society in terms of supporting or arguing about controversial issues? An example of this is the current problems being experienced in predominantly Catholic countries where the government is supporting the use of contraceptive pills and legislation that runs counter to the Catholic faith’s teachings.
• Does religion play a significant role in supporting foreign diplomacy, despite one country opposing the religious ideals of that of another country?
• Do current trends in religious beliefs and values impact and influence the way society addresses the social ills of poverty, terrorism, or support for capital punishment?
• Are there significantly greater social problems on a global scale that people have decided to focus more on solving social problems without any need or regard for religion to play a role in the resolution?
• Does a free society where laws are passed according to majority consensus include and incorporate elements of religion in legislative policies? How would a country, with diverse religious orientations in its government structure, decide which religious teachings, beliefs, and practices should take precedence in legislation?

These are some of the questions one thought of which could be subjects of discussions and further learning during the course. In addition, current and future trends in religious ideals and their link to sociological issues are thought of as potential learning opportunities to enhance knowledge on the subject.

At the onset, one acknowledges that religion surely plays a significant role in society. The degree, scope, and extent of how religion is deemed an important factor in social structures is a subject that the course could effectively explore. By the end of the course, it is hereby expected that the students would be illumined on the reasons why exactly religion plays an important role in social structures.  One ultimately wants to understand the depth of extent, degree, and importance of how religion plays a role in every society and if indeed religion unites people to arrive at a decision that would ultimately solve problems, or does it divide people that lead to social problems being continually unresolved? At the end of the course, one expects that most of the questions, issues, and concerns about the sociology of religion identified herein would at least be effectively addressed.