Introduction
There is a lot of information and misinformation on subjects regarding religion and spirituality, with the level of signal-noise ratio getting ever higher within the past decades. While currently there is a growing relationship between religion and psychology (especially mental health), modern psychology and traditional religion have come into close scrutiny and are significantly divided, especially on normative trends. More often than not, these issues of traditional religion have been overlooked, though they carry significant religious and socio-cultural implications- together with the implications that are associated with the wellbeing of the individual (Wolfe et al. 243).
Critical considerations and acknowledgements have to be given between these relationships between religion and psychology, more cautiously developed and constructed from the systematic relationship between the two and their consequent effects on the lives of the people and the societal perception. This has the synoptic advantage of giving advantages to the cross-sectional referencing of the traditional practices and the respective responses from more modern beliefs and ways of life. Additionally, it serves to highlight such issues as abortion, homosexuality, ecological issues, marriage and family as well as the questions regarding what is right and wrong (Morgan and Lawton 12). Repeatedly, issues arise within these issues of traditional religions with most scholars being of the belief that traditional religion does not support these ceremonies, critically questioning the very validity of the traditional religion.
Marriage and Traditional Religion
Marriage is an institution that was held highly among the people in the tradition and the subject under that community followed the norms strictly because marriage is a cherished faculty. Marriage is the coming together of two people that are going to be one. Their togetherness did not only affect them as persons but also involved the community at large. It is a much respected body by everyone (Morgan and Lawton 15). There were certain fundamental rituals that had to be followed in the making of marriage over time.
There are several steps that are to be followed closely in the making of marriage and that involve the community and the church. These steps may differ from community to community but the bottom line of them all is to give important lessons as to how they will be able to live with each other as married people (Wolfe et al. 245).
One of the main reasons of marriage it the traditional community was for procreation. Having children was seen as an important step in life, it was seen as giving back that which you were given by your parents which is life. In some community children were important in a family since they were seen as a source of wealth since wealth was calculated in terms of how may children you have.
In some traditions they allowed the man to marry more than one woman which is known as polygamy. A man would marry several women according to how his wealth would allow him to and would have pride in it since he would be held highly in the society because of his statue.
In the case that a woman would be married and be barren this could also be a contributing factor that could lead to a man to marry another woman in order she can bear him children, the decision could be individual from the man or the woman could be involved so as to help the man in getting a right choice of a lady that they could live together with her as co-wife (Morgan and Lawton 22).
In other traditions it is made so strict that a man should remain devoted to one particular woman, since having another woman is seen as disrespect to the woman and also to God. In cases where a man violated the rules of the tradition he is brought in front of the council of elders on the bases of infidelity, which he is punished accordingly.
Equity and difference
In many traditions this is a major topic of discussion that has had many people have different opinion on the issue. In many communities in the traditional society, the issue of equity was never well appreciated since their argument would be that based that a man is the head of the family and so it would follow that he takes the higher regard.
Women were regarded as the helping hand to the man and mainly her duties would be involved in the bringing up of the children and taking care of all the home affairs, while the man on the other hand takes up the role of leading and decision making on matters regarding home and also the society.
Mainly the older men were very respectable people, they would termed as the men of wisdom which was delivered from the numbers of years that have lived and since they have gone through many challenges they know how best to solve issues.
Younger people would go seeking advice from these old men, and incase of any problem e.g. in marriage, succession among other this were the people to be approached in helping solve the problem. The older women were also held with respect and would be given special attention by the younger women by taking care of them and from time to time the younger women would be sending to them, to help them learn issues about women. Mainly in many traditions women were meant to be submissive to their men and their say was not held with high regard (Wolfe et al. 267).
Religion and abortion
When the issues concerning religion and abortion are discussed, there is usually the general consensus that regards abortion as a general form of murder. In particular, religious traditional are more pluralistic when it comes to the issue of abortion, and woven amongst these religious entities that publicly oppose the issue, there are still these traditional that would generally permit abortion, though in the most limited of circumstances. It is vital to be of the understanding that these traditional have been created because religion is of the general view that abortion is a simple, black and white choice of committing murder (Morgan and Lawton 77).
The roman Catholic Church is typically against abortion, with this strictness dating from the 1930’s as exerted by the then Pope Pius XI (Morgan and Lawton 79). Before this, there were typically no discussions concerning this issue. Additionally, there are no quotations on the bible that address this act, with the early church theologians generally allowing the act of abortion within the first three months of conception as well as the period prior to quickening. This is because traditional religion was of the assumption that it was only after this period that the soul is formed. However, the Vatican has since refuted this issue, saying that life starts at conception. Buddhists are also known to subscribe to the same belief complicating the view point further by arguing that “life is a continuum with no discernible starting point” (Morgan and Lawton, 2006). The Dalai Lama has however said that the abortion is a negative vice, though exerting the exceptions that “abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance” (Morgan and Lawton 97).
Protestantism is perhaps one of the primary ingrained and de-centralized religious traditions of all time. There are always new and innovative denominations anywhere, with vocal and voracious oppositions towards abortion. However, there is no single position towards abortion. Protestants who are against abortion, most times are seen to be the only true Christians.
Traditional Judaism in contrast has constantly been pro-natalist, though exclusive of the essential authority that is used to state the orthodox beliefs. This is the single religious proclaim that abortion is not an act of murder. According to ancient Jewish religious brief, abortion is permitted for the sake of the mother as, according to the religion, there is no soul within the first 50 days of conception. Even in the latter stages of the pregnancy, the status cannot be considered in the place of the mother. In some cases, abortion is sometimes considered as a sacred duty, a mitzvah, which has to be conducted (Wolfe et al. 289).
With regards to the above discussion, there is thus a great deal of consensus on the exact period when abortion is permitted. Most of the traditional religions however agree that the act is permissible within the very first months of the pregnancy than during the latter stages. Additionally, there are economical and health considerations of the mother to be weighed, which might sometimes prevail over the interests of the fetus.
Those traditional religions that do not consider abortion as murder do so because they o not necessarily ascribe to the same exact morals of the fetus as compared to those of the mother. However, much of the abortion issues have been treated as an immoral sin generally considered in the same light as that of killing another human being.
Traditional religious rights issues
Theoretical and practical codes of morality, what is right and what is wrong, have been used through the ages, receiving both historical and cultural success. Prostitution, for example has long been regarded as a socially negative act, though it was mot until the late nineteenth century when most traditional religions gained interest into the vice, labeling it as a “social evil.” In most cases, the prostitute was vilified more than would be a blasphemer or drunkard, though these two vices had direct rebukes from most of the religious testaments (Morgan and Lawton 103).
There is huge debate over the practicality of traditional religion on social and political interests of a person or group of people, with the views of some of the extremist groups being downplayed so as to attract a larger following from the common masses. The traditional religious right for people of the same sex to marry each other has for a long time been regarded as immoral and sinful. Those who oppose these marriages do so with such vehemence and intensity that it is a not a matter of the right of the individual to exercise their own beliefs but a great moral and social practice of sin and evil. However, these traditional religions cannot be dismissed as mere cranks without first understanding their point of view and determining how authentic and religiously binding their argument is.
Works Cited
Morgan, Peggy and Lawton, Clive. Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions, 2nd edition. London: Edinburgh University Press, 2006. Print.
Wolfe, Regina W. and Gudorf, Christine E. Ethics and World Religions: Cross-Cultural Case Studies. London: Orbis Books, 1999. Print.