What is Religion?
It can be openly admitted that in defining religion, most of the Indian thinkers follow the definition given by the western thinkers. As the western thinkers believe that the religious approach is theistic, so the Indian thinkers maintain that religion is some form of theism. This view of western thinkers seems to be an echo of a Scottish theologian and philosopher Robert Flint. According to Flint, both theism and religion are the same things. In his lecture, he says the impossibility of anything more than theism. Similarly, no religion is less than theism. This point is stated by William James in another way. He says, “Anything short of God is not rational, anything more than God is not possible.”
There are three different aspects of religious consciousness, viz., intellect, feeling and action. In our understanding man has always believed that there exist powers, which are beyond their control which make things happen over which he/she has no control. However, in primitive or modern society, the belief in such powers exist. E. B. Tylor clearly defined religion as “the belief in spiritual beings”. These powers are called supernatural powers, i.e., powers that are beyond man’s control and for which he/she does not have any satisfactory explanation. Because of this, he/she fears such powers and does everything within their power to deal with this fear. The name given to this belief in the existence of supernatural powers is ‘religion.’ Religion fulfils the need of the people to deal with their fear of the supernatural powers.
According to Émile Durkheim, there are no specific beliefs or practices shared by all religions across the world. However, all religions, irrespective of which part of the world they are found in, differentiate between the sacred and the profane. The sacred, for Durkheim, refers to aspects of life connected with the existence of supernatural powers that inspire awe, reverence, respect, and even fear. By profane, Durkheim refers to aspects of life that are not directly related to religion or religious beliefs and practices but are a part of various aspects of everyday life.
Definition of Religion
Arnold W. Green defines religion as “a system of beliefs and symbolic practices and objects, governed by faith rather than by knowledge, which relates man to an unseen supernatural realm beyond the known and beyond the controllable.”
According to Maclver and Page, “Religion, as we understand the term, implies a relationship not merely between man and man but also between man and some higher power.”
As Gillin and Gillin say, “The social field of religion may be regarded as including those emotionalized beliefs prevalent in a social group concurring the supernatural plus crest and behaviour, material objects and symbols associated with such beliefs.”
According to James G. Frazer considered religion as a belief in “Powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life”.
Social theorist Émile Durkheim defined religion as a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things”.
According to Max Muller, “religion is a mental faculty or disposition which enables man to apprehend the infinite.”
According to MacIver and Page, “religion imples a relationship not merely between man and man, but also between man and some higher power.”
Thus, the above mentioned definition of religion is not sufficient. There are so many definitions of religion given by different thinkers at different periods of history but none can give us a complete picture of it. Because religion is a very complex phenomenon.
SIGNIFICANCE OF RELIGION IN TODAY’S WORLD
Why do we need religion in our society? Is religion really important in our societies? These are some of the questions we ask ourselves because of the world we are living in today. It is characterized by violence of all levels. People are fighting based on a tribal basis or believer and non-believer. Such kind of activity has no peace at all, the poor are the ones always being oppressed yet we are supposed to help one another.
We do need religion otherwise we will lose all our morals. Prostitution has become the order of the day starting with school girls. This is just because of greed for money. People do not want to accept who they are but just want to live in dreams, o what is the significance of religion in our society?
Religion is an important part of life for many people. Even people who are not all that religious by nature consider it to be important. The question is why do they feel this way? The reason is largely down to the belief that society needs religion. As a society, we benefit from our collective religious beliefs. In fact, there are many people who would argue that we could not function without religion. Let’s look into the functionalist perspective.
Bronisław Malinowski pointed out that religion is intimately connected with various emotional states, which are states of tension. The human mind always suffers from pain and tension and it seeks relief from all problems and offers them solutions in even an inexplicable manner, then religion is made to bring about a readjustment between man and the supernatural in upset states of existence. It is a device to secure mental and psychological stability in an individual’s life.
Alfred Radcliffe-Brown takes a different stand. The function of religion is not to purge fear and other emotional strains from the human mind, but to instill a sense of dependence in it and the individual should learn to depend on society through some ritual and behavioural norms. Thus, he feels religion is not a device to save an individual from his individual stress and strain rather it is to assure social solidarity and homogeneity. All the members of a particular society come close to one another and share their failures and expectations by practicing religion.
Émile Durkheim says that religious notions are born and conceived of when the social group collects together for festivals and other social gatherings. Social life on such occasions is at its intensest, and impresses the human mind with the transcendentalism and omnipotence of the group. It is conceived of as the source of all that man has and all that man is. Religion is the recognition of the superiority, moral and physical, of the collective over the individual.
Here, the biggest reason that society needs religion is to regulate behaviour. Most of the laws that we follow today have their basis in religious teachings. There is considerable debate as to whether or not religion is required to make us good people but what is beyond dispute is that the rules for what is acceptable for society are largely based on religion. Without religion, we would almost certainly live in a different type of society,
Religion can have great importance for a society for a variety of reasons which can range from a simple influence to complete control of society. Let’s view the significance of religion in today’s world in the following:
Cultural Identity:
Religion plays a crucial role for a person in giving a cultural identity. Each religion has festivals, traditions, mythologies which form a part of the tangible and intangible heritage of the country. Thus, religion contributes in order to protect this heritage and also adds to the diversity in the country.
Values and Ethics:
Religion helps in creating an ethical framework and also a regulator for values in day to day life. This particular approach helps in character building of a person. In other words, Religion acts as an agency of socialization. Thus, religion helps in building values like love, empathy, respect, and harmony.
Spiritual Connect:
People are always on the quest of fulfilling the economic and material pursuits in today’s world. It is the religion which plays a crucial role in establishing our connection to the divine and developing the belief that there is a supreme energy that acts as a regulator in our day to day lives. Thus, the components of prayer, chants, hymns, etc. creates the spiritual bond.
The Idea of Welfare:
Each and every religion promotes its philosophy and the crux of it has always been the welfare and wellness of the people. For example, in the Sanatana Dharma, there are ideas like Vasudaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is a family), Sarve Sukhina Bhavantu (let everyone be happy) which nurture and cultivate love and compassion in the society
Principles of Morality:
Religion plays an important part towards promotion of the principles of morality like justice, honesty, brotherhood, equality, tolerance, sacrifice, help to the needy people and other kindred virtues. A true religion always encourages its followers towards a righteous path that is beneficial for one and all. These principles hold a very important place in our lives and are the virtues without which, not only our life will lose its order and normalcy but it is very likely to be turned into a chaos, something that no one would cherish and also bring along a feeling of hatred from others. Though it is possible to acquire these moral and social qualities without the aid of religion, certainly in the absence of firm religious belief, these values appear to lose their meaning and become series recommendations without any particular reason or explanation. In such a case they do not amount to more than a piece of advice that is commonly termed as a lecture and discarded by everyone. Hence the association of morality with religion holds a great importance. These qualities are rather based on an internal feeling and faith and are naturally beyond the scope of the ordinary law.
Motivation Towards Life:
Religion provides power for facing various adversities of life and serves as a defensive wall against undesirable reactions of despair and hopelessness. A religious man, with firm belief, never finds himself in lack of motivation and emotional support even in the worst moments of his life, because he knows well that he is under the protection of superpower. With true faith it is not difficult to find a solution to any problem and every deadlock can be resolved with faith, we can overcome every disappointment and hopelessness with a positive attitude that is provided to us by Almighty. Religion gives the power to overcome a difficult situation, this is the reason, that a truly religious man never suffers from the reactions of desperation like suicide, nervous breakdown or psychic ailments which are products of frustration and defeatism, no matter how tough the situations can get for him.
Abolish Discrimination:
Every Religion strongly opposes any kind of discrimination based on colour, race or class, because religion always regards all human beings as God's creation and every country as God's country. According to religious beliefs, all enjoy God's love and kindness equally and as such, all are equal, no man can be superior to another man on the basis of his colour, race, descent, language or class. Religion always inculcates a feeling of brotherhood and helpfulness towards the needy people. Though the problem of discrimination still prevails in the world but provided religious study never encourage this type of behaviour, the community has led to much-sophisticated approach towards the discrimination and always discourage such behaviour among humans.
Provides Ideology:
Man cannot live his whole life under the belief of false superstitions and ideological vacuum. Without proper religious teachings, his intellectual life is not filled with sound beliefs and healthy teachings. Understanding one’s religion gives a clear ideology and clears all the superstitious beliefs. Superstitious and even destructive ideas may find a way into spiritual firmament and may forever pollute the human brain. Instances of man's tendency towards diverse superstitions and credulity regarding the influence of irrational things over destiny can be witnessed even in the lives of world intellectuals. Hence proper ideology is something that can save us from all of these things and helps to distinguish between what can be right or wrong for us.
Therefore, religion gives us something to believe in. People need to believe that there is a reason for what they are doing and that there is a reason for living. Religion provides this for them. This is what gives people the desire to go out and work every day and to try to make the world a better place. They do it because they believe there is a meaning behind it all. This is largely down to religion.
FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION OF RELIGION
Function of Religion:
Though religion is a highly personal thing, yet it has a social aspect and social role to play. It has been a powerful agency in society and performed many important social functions. Both from an individual and social point of view religion perform the following functions:
Religion provides mental peace:
Human life is uncertain. He struggles for his survival amidst the uncertainties, insecurities and dangers. Sometimes he feels helplessness. It is the religion that consoles and encourages him in all such times of crisis. Religion gives him the right to shelter him. He gets mental peace and emotional support. It encourages him to face his life and problems.
It inculcates social virtues:
Religion promotes the major social virtues like truth, honesty, non-violence, service, love, discipline etc. Besides values like children should obey their parents, people should be honest and virtuous, women should be faithful to men etc. brings cohesion in society. By the common possession of these values, individual controls the actions of self and others and thereby lead to the perpetuation of society. A follower of the religions internalizes these virtues and becomes a disciplined citizen of the society.
Religion promotes social solidarity:
Religion gives rise to the spirit of brotherhood. Durkheim viewed that religion strengthens social solidarity. A.W. Geen also pointed out that religion has the supreme integration and verifying force in human society. It is true that common belief, common sentiment, common worship, participation in common rituals etc. are the significant cementing factors that strengthen unity and solidarity.
Religion is an agent of socialization and social control:
Parsons viewed that religion as one of the most important agents of socialization and social control. It has a significant role in organizing and directing social life. It helps in preserving social norms and strengthening social control. It socializes him individual and exercises control over both individual and group in various ways. As an informal means, religion regulates the activities of people in its own way. Organizations like temples, mosques, churches, Gurudwaras etc. also control the behaviour of the individuals at different levels.
Religion promotes welfare:
Religion teaches the people to serve the masses and promote their welfare. It gives the message that “the service to humanity is service to God”. For this reason, people spend money to feed the poor and needy. Great religions like Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity etc. put emphasis on aim-giving to the poor and beggars. It developers the philanthropic attitude of the people and thereby inject the idea of mutual help and co-operation. With the influence of religious belief, different religious organizations engage themselves in various welfare activities.
Religion gives recreation:
Religion plays a charming role in providing recreation to the people. Religious rites and festivals are more or less performed in every religion which gives relief to the people from mental exertion. Similarly, religious lectures, bhajans, kirtans, dramas, dance, music, puranas, fairs, festivals, art exhibitions, musical concerts followed by the utterance of hymn etc. give much more pleasure to the people and provide eternal recreation.
Religion influences economy:
Sociologists like Sombart and Max Weber rightly established the relationship of religion with the economic system. Weber observed the influence of Protestant ethics in the development of capitalism. Sombart found this spirit of capitalism in Jewish norms. For the distinct religious principles present in Christianity, capitalism grew in protestant countries but not in the country like India, Pakistan etc.
Religious influences political system:
Religion has played a significant role in the political system in ancient and medical society. Even in modern times in many countries of the world the religion directly and indirectly also influences political activities. During the ancient and medieval periods, the monarchs were treating themselves as the representatives of God or ruling the society in the name of God. Even today, Political leaders take oaths in the name of God. The political system of the countries of the world like Bhutan, Pakistan, Italy, Germany, England etc. is influenced by religion.
Religion Strengthens Self-confidence:
Religion is an effective means to strengthen self-confidence. There are certain beliefs like ’work is worship’, ’duty is divine’, ’result in predestined’ etc. which is found in various religions gives strength to the individual and promotes self-confidence. His self thus becomes grand and elevated.
Dysfunctions or Negative Roles of Religion:
Thus religion is the supremely integrating and unifying force in human society. But at the same time, it has also proved a catastrophic force. Marx called religion ’the opiate of the masses’ which has kept them in degrading subjection. However, some of the dysfunctions of religion are as follows:
Religion hinders social and economic progress:
Religion makes people dogmatic and superstitious as a result of which people oppose all kinds of scientific discoveries and technological advancement. It divides society into different sections.
Religion promotes evil practices:
Each religion more or less patronizes one or other forms of evil practices. Animal sacrifice, human sacrifice, the custom of Sati, suicide, untouchability etc. prevailed in different societies because of religious faith.
Religion is a source of exploitation:
Marx argued that religion is a source of exploitation. In the name of God or religion, one section of the society exploits others. It misguides the exploited with the idea that they are destined to suffer and others are fortunate to enjoy. They believe that God has made them so and other than His mercy none can alter. Likewise, people become the victims of exploitation.
Religion promotes communalism:
Religion sometimes creates intolerance and forms the root of mistrust, jealously and hatred. All these conditions encourage conflict between various religious groups and ultimately give rise to the problem of communalism. History has witnessed communal riots between Hindus and Muslims in Indian and Roman Catholics and Protestants in England.
Religion makes people fatalistic:
Instead of human effort and worship, they start believing in God’s desire and believe that everything is predestined. This kind of thinking makes them idle and thereby the progress of society is hampered.
Religion creates ordain in society:
People do not try to improve their condition because God wanted them to be in that position. Religion makes a section of people untouchable which disintegrates society.
It can, therefore, be concluded that religion may not work as a cohesive force because religion has its bright as well as dark side. Religion as a social mechanism or phenomenon has been subject to serve humanity and also abused to exploit people. It is here that religion has a unifying role. Yet, it remains ennobling to the faithful.
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