A Critical Commentary on the Passage from the Conclusion of the Juergensmeyer - Essay Example

Critical Commentary Roll No: Teacher: 27th February 2009 Critical Commentary Although religion may not be the problem, the religion response to the problem of identity and control in the modern world is often problematic. When antimodernism, anti-Americanism, and antiglobalization are expressed in the drama of religious struggle, religion brings in a whole new set of elements. For one thing religion personalizes the conflict. It provides personal rewards-religious merit, redemption, the promise of heavenly luxuries-to those who struggle in conflicts that otherwise have only social benefits. It also provides vehicles of social mobilization that embrace vast numbers of supporters who otherwise would not be mobilized around social or political issues. In many cases, it provides an organizational network of local churches, mosques, temples, and religious associations from which patterns of leadership and support may be tapped. It gives the legitimacy of moral righteousness in political encounter. Even more important, it provides justification for violence that challenges the state’s monopoly on morally sanctioned killing. Using Max Weber’s dictum that the state’s authority is always rooted in its capacity to enforce its power through the use of socially approved bloodshed-in police authority, capital punishment, and armed defense-religion is the only other entity that can give moral sanction for violence; it is therefore inherently at least potentially revolutionary. In the passage state above, the writer highlights about the relationship between religion, morality and society. According to the writer, religion itself cannot be considered as a problem but when religion plays its responsive role for identifying and controlling the problems of identity then a problem is created. Every person on earth is identified by means of the religion he/she follows. In other words, it can be said that religion of a person constructs his/her identity. The writer considers the points of anti-modernism, anti-Americanism and anti-globalization. According to him, a problem is created when modernism, Americanism and globalization are seen through the eyes of religion. Every religion has its own set of values, traditions and culture and its followers follow those values. The concept of modernism is different in different religions. For example, the use of alcohol is prohibited in Islam and it is one of the values of modernism, Islam cannot be categorized as anti-modernism. It has its own values and principles and will not allow its followers to adopt the aspects of modernism that are anti-Islamic. The writer also points out that the religion brings in its own elements when it encounters with modernism, Americanism and globalization. Americanism can also not be followed everywhere in the world because everyone is not an American. Similarly, the concept of globalization is not always welcomed by religions because all the mentioned concepts challenge some religious norms and principles due to which, religions are considered as conceptualizing against the concepts. Religion owns the conflicts against concepts that are popular and political. According to the writer, the religion has its own set of values, rewards, merits, redemption and promises. “He (God) has decided to make this life a world of trial and the next one a place of reward and punishment” (Zaheer, 2009). Therefore, it is quite clear that religion promises about rewards hereafter. Those people who do good deeds by working against the anti-religious concepts earn a reward for the world hereafter while who go with the social concepts only have social benefits. Religion has a number of supporters and the issues that are against a religion encounter great difficulties because the followers of a religion support the religion to a great extent. The religious followers as compared to political or social followers are great many in number and are also more mobilized. The supporters of a religion construct a religious network in form of churches, mosques, temples and other religious institutions. Due to these social networks, there are religious leaders and millions and thousands of supporters of a religion. According to the writer, the religion is somewhat similar to politics. It has its leaders, followers, institutions, code of conduct, morality and much more just like the any other political network (Demerath and Straight, 1997). Like political networks, the religious networks also allow some practices to be performed and restrict to perform others. According to Demerath and Straight, religion and politics are related to each other (1997). “Morality is one of the fundamental sources of a nations strength, just as immorality is one of the main causes of a nations decline” (Morality and Ethics in Islam: Social Order in Islam). Religion regards morality as a necessity that should be followed but what is morality? Religion defines morality according to its own principles. When people encounter any political conflict, they do a moral duty to the religion. Like the political network in form of government, religion also authorizes to do some activities such as violence. Such as the state has sanctioned killing in form of capital punishment and other kinds of violence, similarly religion also allows violence to a certain extent and all this comes under the title of morality. The state keeps the authority to punish the defaulters on the basis of their wrong acts and the religion also provides laws for defaulters. The laws provided by the religion are considered strong and are followed in terms of morality of people (Hamidullah, 2009). According to the writer, the state enforces the people to perform and act according to the laws and regulations of the state. The religion also acts similar to the state as it also enforces some rules and regulations on its followers that they should perform in order to act morally. When people act against the defined morality, they have to suffer through violence. Like the state, religion also sanctions some violence on the basis of negation of its defined morality. For example, in Islam, fornication and adultery are crimes and for these crimes, the practitioner has to suffer the coming punishment that is very violent. The punishment that is given to fornicator or adulterer is a punishment that is wholly violent and is given in order to maintain morality in society (Hamidullah, 2009). The religion has its own laws and norms such as a state or political institution. It is not only seen in Islam but all the other religions of the world. Islam defines what is right and what is wrong and the Muslims follow the criteria given by the religion in order to act morally (De Sondy and Robertson, 2005). State also defines about what is right and what is wrong and people of the state follow the rules. If people do against the state, they are punished and state allows some violence. Similarly, when people in an Islamic state do against Islam, they have to face some violence. Violence and religion is interconnected. We cannot say that one specific religion is violent. All the religions of the world can be considered violent when they sanction punishments for wrong acts. All states of the world can be considered violent when they sanction punishments against the wrongdoers. Therefore, it cannot be said that Islam is violent and other religions are peaceful. Works Cited Demerath, N. J. and Straight, Karen S. Religion, Politics, and the State: Cross-Cultural Observations. 1997. Retrieved on 25th February 2009 from http://www.crosscurrents.org/Demerath.htm De Sondy, Amanullah and Robertson, Brady. Morality in the Modern World: Islam. Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies, 2005. Retrieved on 25th February 2009 from www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/MoralityIslamv2_tcm4-299190.doc Hamidullah, Muhammad, Dr. The System of Morality in Islam. Retrieved on 25th February 2009 from http://muslim-canada.org/ch7hamid.htm Morality and Ethics in Islam: Social Order in Islam. Retrieved on 25th February 2009 from http://www.whyislam.org/SocialOrder/MoralityEthicsinIslam/tabid/124/Default.aspx Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Social Contract and the Principles of Political Right (1762), Book IV, 8. Civil Religion. Spring 1, 2009: 7-10. Zaheer. Khalid. Why is Religion needed in a Society? Retrieved on 25th February 2009 from http://www.khalidzaheer.com/qa/869 Read More