Religion in Society |
Posted: September 13, 2018 |
Hi for all! I adore discussing interesting topics and has recently conducted an interesting study that has caused somewhat diverse views, so I am spreading this with the expectation of gaining more points of view on this issue. I like to share my experience and also you can read more my articles here >>> serviceessaywriting.org It was believed that religions will eventually disperse in the advent of modernization. However from the current practices in the United States it is obvious that the situation is far from it since there is increased vibrancy of religion, and it values. People still value religion so much and believe in supernatural powers. More so, the acceptance of religion and Christianity from its beginning is evidenced by the fact that today one can come across large markets that sell products which are connected with religion. Among the goods available for sale is various music, the gospel artists, books and artifacts that represent religion in its different aspects. Religion has affected the lives of Americans in a great way. Most of the decisions they make are based on religious orientation of individuals. For instance, in order for one to win the hearts of Americans in the election, he or she must have good moral and be well-oriented in a particular religion. This has been seen so far in recent presidential campaigns where the religion factor played a great role in determining whether one could be voted for or not (Culotta, 2009). The most recent is the Obama elections where pollsters and various newsmakers had to dig into the presidential candidate’s religious orientation in order to answer questions raised by the press on his spiritual orientation. The voters majorly base their decisions on the morals of a candidate in order to offer him or her support. Therefore, this paper will seek to discuss the cultural ties that have been brought out with transition from traditional society to liberalism (Vido, 2005). Characteristics of the social conflict People believe in the existence of supernatural powers and pray to them in order to get guidance and blessings. There are various changes which are connected with the traditional way of perception. The differences have been brought about by the appearance of liberalism and modernity as each individual wants to play an equal role in society (Nabavi, 2009). In line with that, there are tremendous changes in gender divisions. Not long ago in the year 1950 and before, women were viewed in the society as the weaker sex in terms of duties allocation. Furthermore, the men were the home owners and major decision makers on most issues concerning the family and society at large (Beyer, 2008). Men were the ones who were at the helm of leadership and economic control. While on the other hand, women played the role of housekeepers, taking care of children. The men were the bread-winners and were involved in solving nay issues that arose in the family. They were considered the strongest, smartest and most dominant group in the society for the fact that they had power and wealth and had respect in the society (Weller, 2006). On the other hand, women were always considered the weaker sex and less intelligent and were rated second in comparison with men. Since men were powerful, with a high status, prestige and wealth, social norms and values it was assumed that women are obliged to accept them as they are. Women were considered inferior to men. However, in the 1960s with the advent of feminist movements and the contraceptive pills, various conflicts and gender division were set in. At the same time, women began to challenge their roles in the society hence needed to be addressed and regarded as men were. The demands of women at this time were equal rights and ability to have many jobs in civil service without discrimination on the basis of gender (Bush, 2007). The women were empowered and enabled to make their choices on the way to carry out their lives. This became more evident and possible with the appearance of contraceptive pills and the legislation of divorce. These factors gave the women opportunity to make their decisions on the number of pregnancies they should carry and who to marry and the duration that they will stay in that marriage before they bolt out (Pace, 2005). Gender division in the modern society has greatly changed the social structure and the women’s obligation. For instance in the westernized countries, women today carry out activities in equal measure with men. They also have the right to power, wealth, status and prestige. More so, the society normal and cultural values have shifted from the male dominated believes to both. The views of both male and female are listened and incorporated so as to ensure a smooth running of the society affairs without many conflicts (Brown, 2010). Today, there are phenomenal changes in the people’s way of lives that do not comply with the traditional religious requirements. People of late, are involved in activities and behaviors that are not supported by Bible. With the advent of drugs and substance abuse, young and old people are indulging in social behaviors that do not comply with the religious teachings. However, they are supported by the social liberalism way of life (Hitchcock, 2008). In social liberalism, one should mind his or her own business. There is no room for creating one's behavior or dress code. Each person’s way of life is recognized. Adherence to the norms and values that make the essence of the society has faded off quickly living behind the one devoid of these practices. Some of the people that have gone astray of the teachings of the religion are the major perpetrators of these. At the same time, the economic sector has evolved over time bringing about capitalism in the society. Nowadays, many people are determined to make their business big and amass wealth to themselves creating business empires. People rarely mind on whether their neighbors are hungry or not. The current society ascribes to the saying that each person should sweat for whatever they eat. Hence, the level of brotherhood that was experienced before has faded away completely (Hak, Schönbeck, De Melker, Van Essen, & Sanders, 2005). Riesman was a great sociologist who studied law in Harvard, but ended up to teach sociology and wrote various books on sociology. From his works it is obvious that he accepts that the modern society considering it the right one. He supports the idea that people should be left to make their decisions with minimal restrictions form the societal norms and practices. Merton with his career of teaching managed to define the modern society and justify the way it is. He agrees that it has undergone a transformation to modernity that caused conflicts. On the other hand, Bonhoeffer was a pastor who upheld the church norms so much. Therefore, he would accept that there are changes in the society orientation (Coyne, 2012). However, he could not justify the fact that the society has changed and should be like that. He would look forward to changing the mentality of the people in order to uphold the church norm and practices. He would like people to live in a brotherly manner with minimal conflicts and sharing. Religion and changing society have had a good share of conflicts. However, the latter are brought about by different believes and social practices which people experience today. Various sociologists have tried to define this connection and come up with theories on the developments that have been seen in the world today. With further development of various genders based organizations. However, religion still has managed to fight back and won hearts of people despite the society that would need rationalism in everything they do and see. There are a number of people in the world today who are happy with their religion and have played a great role in ensuring that it still teaches us to choose the right way in life.
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