It is hard to think of anything in society that has advantages only. Almost everything has its positives and negatives. This is the case with religion. How is religion useful to society and the individual? How does religion hinder individual and community life? These are the main questions that this essay will answer.
To start with, religion is a great source of order in society. The huge numbers of people who belong to various religious groupings are advised to maintain order through the expression of love and respect for their fellow human beings. This is not to say that people who do not belong to any religion cannot maintain order. The point is that the emphasis on love for one another that is the cornerstone of the world’s major religions has been a source of order in society for a long time. The promises from God in the case of Christians, Allah for the Muslims, and Yahweh for the Jews, for good deeds, make people strive for a peaceful, orderly life. The result is an orderly community.
Secondly, the bigger religions that exist in the world today have played a major role in the alleviation of human suffering through humanitarian aid. In times of disasters, it is not uncommon to get organized religion moving in with relief for the victims. The problem may be an earthquake, a volcano eruption, a flood, or a war. In some cases, the religions take their resources directly to the people and sometimes they act as avenues through which other agencies can send help to those in need.
At the individual level, religion provides answers to man’s most pressing problems. Man has always struggled to look at something bigger that explains this earthly life. Apart from religion, there is nothing else that provides answers to questions addressing the origin of matter. Even science is not able to provide a satisfactory explanation concerning the origin of life. Concepts like evolution do not explain why a human being living in the same environment with a cow did not evolve into one creature if the idea of natural selection works. In this case, religion authoritatively reveals the existence of someone powerful; who is responsible for life on earth. What are the problems that are experienced by society and by individuals as a result of religion?
On the other hand, religion has been and still is the cause of many divisions in the world. All over the world, there are numerous divisions based on religion. These divisions include Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, among others. In such a case, it becomes difficult to create a united front in dealing with life’s most pressing problems. This is especially true when there are prejudices in some of the religious groups.
At the individual level, religion can be a source of confusion due to the lack of uniformity in society. What does it benefit the individual if belonging to a certain religion puts you at odds with others? This raises personal questions of the appropriateness of one’s religion as compared to those of others. This can be disturbing to the individual.
In conclusion, religion is a source of good and bad for the individual and society. Order in communities and help in moments of need are some of the advantages of religion to society. It also provides answers to man’s most pressing problems such as the origin of life. The negatives of religion include divisions in society and confusion to the individual regarding the appropriate religion.