The Influence of Religion on Politics - Research Paper Example

? The Influence of Religion on Politics Here Here Here Here The Influence of Religion on Politics Near the middle of the 19th century, the renowned economist, philosopher, and otherwise multidisciplinary theorist Karl Marx delivered one of the most scintillating suggestions in the history of discourse; that religion is consumed by the common masses in much the same way that opium is used among drug addicts. This comparison influenced a host of discussion, contemplation, and research among minds throughout the academic and professional worlds. Religion has had an irrefutable impact on the development of virtually all aspects of human development. Accordingly, it would be an epic undertaking to complete a thorough examination of the role religion plays in the everyday life. A more reasonable approach is to focus on one specific aspect of the relationship, such as political influence. Dissecting the connection between politics and religion will provide an ample amount of information that can be used as a frame to better understand the overall impact of religion on human development, including the proposed analogy to opium. The Early Days of Religion and Politics Pre-Religion As is the case with many sociocultural developments in the history of human development, it is difficult to place an exact beginning to the concept of religion. Indications of funerary ceremonies or traditions among proto-human great apes have been traced back past 200,000 years BC, but such practices do not sufficiently establish the characteristics of an organized religion. Evidence for the evolution of burial traditions continued for thousands of centuries. These ceremonies came to be more specific in procedure and increasingly associated with spiritual symbology, but the first organized religions would not appear until the Agricultural Revolution began to take hold in the 90th century BC. Dual Conception As humans congregated in centers of agricultural production, the first economic communities (cities, states, etc.) were established. Although agriculture drew people to certain areas, the groups were commonly led by a theocracy. As the beginning of politics came as a direct result of these early communities and their unavoidable interactions, it can be clearly observed that religion had an immediate supporting role in the formation of the first political systems. Conversely, it is also true that the creation of these communities established the population bases that would be needed for theologically sympathetic humans to become organized and form the first religions. From the infancy of civilization, politics and religion have shared a fundamental bond. The Rise of Political Philosophy First Conflicts Religion and politics continued to develop in parallel throughout the rest of prehistory and ancient times. Many religions were established and refined as the agricultural center became popular throughout much of the established world. When conflict and wars arose between groups due to ambitions of resource and land acquisition, religious beliefs served as a potent source of motivation and acted as a rallying point for armies. Significant developments in political philosophy are generally understood to be rare in the time between the prehistoric formation of economic theocracies and the application of various East Asian schools of thought (Confucianism and Taoism for example) to political activities in ancient China near 600 BC. First Theories About two centuries after Chinese politics underwent an integration of various theories, Western politics would be forever changed by the Greek philosopher Plato when he classified the various political systems that were found in the many city-states throughout Greece. Plato's categorizations included the dreadful tyrannise method, and the modernly emphasized concept of democracy. These political formations would be adopted by the Romans (like much of Greek culture at the time), who then infused the system with the concepts of Stoicism. The result of Roman alterations to the political method was the birth of justice and law; elements that continue to dominate political affairs. The Era of Religious Conquest Muslim Conquest Inspired by the life of the prophet Muhammad (Nasr, 2002), Muslim Arabs banded together in the seventh century to attempt a takeover of both religion and politics in the Eastern Roman Empire, Persia, and other surrounding areas. Waging war in the name of their god, the Muslim invaders were successful in capturing several Byzantine territories while simultaneously obliterating the Persian navy and taking the entire state. Arabs would continue to control these areas until the invasion of the Mongols in the thirteenth century. The Crusades As Islamic rule was implemented in much of the Near East and adjacent territories, Christianity was slowly gaining popularity throughout Europe and the Byzantine Empire after being established as the official religion within the domain (Rawson, 1974). By the eleventh century, Christianity had gained a wide acceptance throughout Europe, due in no small part to the Arab occupation and spiritual conflict with Islam. Near the dawn of the 1200s, a Roman Catholic European military force took part in the first of what would become nine separate crusades for the expressed cause of establishing Christianity and re-establishing a route from the West to Jerusalem (which had been recently obstructed as a result of war between the Byzantines and Islamic Turks), though their motives have also been less honorably linked to land acquisition and general domination. The crusades had some early success but faced defeat in later conflicts with Islamic territories. When the Muslims were eventually driven away by the invading Mongols, the Roman Catholic military began to crusade throughout the reachable world. The result of these conquests was a rise in European Christian political strength and the eventual dissolution of the Byzantine Empire. Medieval Christianity The crusades and the subsequent rise of Christianity during the Middle Ages benefited greatly by the research of the eventual St. Augustine. The theological philosopher posited the marriage of the traditional forms of Platonic political organization and Stoic justice with laws inspired by religious scripture. This approach formed a foundation for the future policies and actions of Roman Catholic Europe. Augustine`s concept of religious law in Christian politics was later refined by Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century. Near the end of the 1300s, the Catholic church was irrevocably divided by the Western Schism. This event serves as another example of politics having a strong influence on religious development instead of the popularized reverse relationship. As the papacy had grown corrupt through the abuse of political power, two groups formed with each claiming to be led by the true pope. Faith in Christianity fell flat following the schism, until the Protestant Reformation symbolically led by Martin Luther`s posting of the ``95 thesis`` in the early 16th century. At the same time, the Catholic church was employing extreme measures in an attempt to retain religious and political power through human rights nightmares such as the Spanish Inquisition. Tensions between Catholics and Protestants would reach a fevering pitch during the French Wars of Religion in the latter half of the 1500s, Religious oppression would be a tool of politics for many years. The Renaissance and Enlightenment As the middle ages came to an end, so did the harshness in which the churches responded to potential threats within and between societies. The easing tensions allowed for the explosion of culture first in Italy, and then spreading throughout Europe. During this era, known as The Renaissance, science and the arts gained popularity within the church and throughout European societies. Religion was no longer an untouchable object of permanence as it began to search for ways to integrate the cultural growth. Efforts were made to reconcile scientific findings with religious doctrine, art was investigated as blessed gifts, and religious powers soon became supporters of the same ideas that would previously be met with threats, imprisonment, and/or death. The age of enlightenment followed the Renaissance due to the newly acquired freedom of study and thought. This era further built upon scientific discovery and inspired the segregation of religion and politics that would follow important events like the French Revolution and increased emigration to the New World. Religion slowly lost credibility as science continued to revolutionize society in the West. The Modern Era Immediately following the revolution in Europe, Christianity suffered a further blow to its political aspirations as the Freedom of Religion Act is enacted as a part of the Bill of Rights of the newly established United States near the end of the 18th century (Greenawalt, 2008). Secular government continued to gain ground throughout the Western world while religion was relegated to places of worship. However, many religions maintained power over the education system, even when the association was opposed by political forces. Clearly, the influence of the church was not dead, and in fact remained unassumingly strong due to the consistent role of religion in the development of all educated children. Politics in the modern era became increasingly tied to nationalism, which could be supported by a variety of religions and other institutions by basing political divisions on geographic factors rather than spiritual ideologies. The dawn of the 1900s came with the Industrial Revolution in full swing. Most of Europe and the western hemisphere experienced rapid growth in manufacturing industries and resource production. Money was becoming the international source of political strategies as it replaced religion as the preferred tool of manipulation. The Russian Revolution was also based on resources as it became increasingly influenced by Western culture, and resulted in the complete separation of state and church. Monetary desires were gaining control of politics in the contemporary West, but the Near East and several parts of Asia experienced the opposite developments. In the middle of the 20th century, following the ethnically motivated atrocities of Nazi Germany, another Islamic uprising occurred in the Near East neighborhood. Spurred on by a mix of political and religious animosity toward the newly established state of Israel, Muslims soon found themselves engaged in a holy war with political roots. The conflict remains a prominent concern on an international level, and has been associated with revolutions like the Arab Spring continuing to reunite religion and political power. Conclusion Religion and politics are practically kin. The concepts evolved together, from the onset of civilized societies until the rise of secularism that followed the Renaissance. But like many estranged family members, a reunion was practically inevitable. It has not taken long for religious leaders to infiltrate the political stage in the West by exploiting the greed of supposedly secular officials, while political corruption has led to the resurgence of Muslims in the Near East. Unfortunate incidents like the World Trade Center terrorist attacks have once again firmly established a public conception of religion and politics as closely associated concepts. Terrorism around the world continues to be claimed as a religious act, but it is fairly easy to see the political influences that take advantage of a spirit-seeking populous. Returning to the opiate comparison proposed by Karl Marx, it could be theorized that the exploitation of spiritual need that is prevalent today is an adequate analog of the reality faced by an opium addict. Both situations involved an emptiness of spirit that gnaws at the heart and mind. In one case the only effective medicine is opium, and religion assume the drug's role in the second situation. References Greenawalt, K. (2008). Religion and the Constitution: Establishment and Fairness (pp. 456-n). Princeton University Press. Nasr, S. H. (2002). Islam: religion, history, and civilization. HarperOne. Rawson, E. (1974). Religion and politics in the late second century BC at Rome. Phoenix, 28(2), 193-212. Read More