Introduction
Religion is believed to be a systematized compilation of beliefs, traditions, and world analysis that link humanity to religion and to ethical principles at times. A number of people have the belief that religion can only take place in churches, temples, or any other place that spiritual get-together takes place.
In the real sense, religion is intrinsic within several characteristics of the society, and that religious way of life unavoidably affects several areas, for instance, political, economical, and ethics in culture. This paper will be addressing the fundamentalism of religion, its influence on politics, its determination in social class, and differentiation of religious expression in gender.
The Influence of Religion on Politics
A society can stay free with the correct political arrangement. However, this will not be enough. Its efficiency crucially relies on the broader perspectives of culture and communal contexts. Religion matters in politics, as it is a powerful tool when it comes to shaping of culture in terms of good and evil.
Conservatives frequently uphold that a powerfully religious society stands more appropriate when it comes to being loyal to freedom ideals. As claimed by Johnstone, religion provides two ideal advantages. It stands out as a foundation that is firm for moral disposition and personal dependability thus instilling honesty, self-discipline, and self-reliance to citizens. Secondly, the citizens are so less probable to be lured to enhance themselves at the outlay of their fellow citizens through government intimidation (Johnstone 92).
In addition, religion provides morals as the only option to the nations’ authority consequently acting as a rein on governmental enhancement. Conservatives recurrently conclude that the governmental administration of a liberated society should engage in active procedures that will help in the promoting and strengthening of religion. This conclusion is however disagreed by many even if the premise is acceptable.
Religious Fundamentalism
The word fundamentalism is applicable to several religious groups, for instance, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists to mention a few. The term is also applicable to some of the secular groups both economical and environmental though all of them are different.
According to Putnam and Campbell, fundamentalism patents itself as an effort by overwhelmed believers to discover their asylum in supporting themselves with an individuality that is entrenched as a past golden era whose individuality is preceded by an effort to reinstate that golden history (245). Fundamentalism in every religion symbolizes a thrust back against several forms of exterior burden and a reflective panic of destruction habitually at the hands of the current secularists.
The disjointing of religious beliefs and political affairs may be regarded as natural to the societies in the West except it is never the set of circumstances in scores of other cultures. The connection between religious beliefs and political affairs in the western societies has been an aggressive one in the past. It took centuries to solve. For this basis, Putnam and Campbell wrote that secularism has frequently had unenthusiastic consequences if cultures lacked secularizing time (324).
For instance, Gamal Abdel Nasser had the idea of separating religious beliefs and political affairs in Egypt. The idea was a violent one, as confirmed by the Muslim Brotherhood affiliates whom he located in prisons of persecution. Therefore, it is significant to recognize the consequences that can result when certain measures are practiced towards spiritual movements.
Religious Expression As Determined By the Social Class
According to Hallahmi and Argyle, American findings can be summarized that they expose a divergence in the temperament of religious participation in diverse classes in America. The middle class affiliates achieve higher scores on institutional participation measures, for instance, church membership and church attendance.
Based on the reported religious experiences and traditional belief measures, lower class members score higher. They are also more probable to join and become members of a sect with a subsequent intense of psychological and social involvement (Hallahmi and Argyle 164).
They add by explaining the social class differences in religious participation that the members of the lower class tend to hardly engage themselves in all types of voluntary organizations. Like any other kind of voluntary organization, membership in churches is directly related to social class (Hallahmi and Argyle 164). Another explanation is that different social classes have different styles of religious expressions.
Therefore, the upper and the middle class protestant church members stress much on formal and organized participation in church activities while working class Protestant church members stress much on the spontaneous and emotional aspects of religious behavior (Hallahmi and Argyle 165).
The Difference Made By Gender in Religious Expression
In conclusion, it is vital to address the role played by gender when it comes to religious expression. For reasons that value separate investigation, Johnstone mentions that religious sociology has delayed several other areas of expressing seriousness in gender and or taking it acutely (114). However, there has been a debate on why women in the societies from the West are believed to be more religious in relation to men. Major dissimilarities between sex genders become visible on several spiritual characteristics.
Putting in mind that women are believed to be the weaker sex, their emotions and feelings are different from those of their male counterparts. Since most of the religious practices involve emotions when put to practice, several women are carried away and or get touched with memories they get when either singing or praying. For instance, it is often seen in churches that women weep when singing worship songs, as opposed to men who regard themselves as tough at heart and in mind.
Works Cited
Hallahmi, Benjamin, and Michael Argyle. The Social Psychology of Religion. London: Routledge, 1975. Print.
Johnstone, Ronald. Religion in society: a sociology of religion. New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.
Putnam, Robert, and David Campbell. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print.