Religion is a spiritually powerful belief system for people, consisting of certain practices and endowing things with sacred properties. Religion includes experiences, beliefs, and rituals. Sociologists of different times considered religion as something that gives social stability or as something that creates social change.
There are various theories to understand religion and its impact on society. Functionalism asserts that religion provides an opportunity for social groups to interact in a community. The conflict approach is because religion supports social inequality. Feminist theory focuses on gender inequality. Symbolic interactionism claims that religion is the symbol that people use.
Religions differ from each other in their institutions, structures, and organizations. There are cults, that is, new religious movements and sects – groups that oppose larger religious societies. In addition, there are non-believers – atheists and agnostics, whose understanding of religion is that people are not given to understand the divine origin.
Hinduism believes in the divine power embodied in Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. This religion is based on the Vedas, hymns, and rituals written in Sanskrit and karma. Buddhism was founded by the Buddha, and many followers sought to achieve enlightenment based on his teachings. Confucianism was the main religion of China, which consisted of self-discipline, respect for traditions, and a kind attitude toward people. Taoism was founded by Lao Tzu, whose teachings were based on virtue and compassion. Judaism is the main religion of the Jews, and they worship only one God. The holy text is the Torah, and religion itself is based on moral norms of behavior.
Islam is based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca. The holy text is the Koran, which is based on five pillars, such as Allah is the only God and his Prophet Muhammad, daily prayer, help to the needy, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Christianity is the largest religion founded by Jesus of Nazareth. People believe in the holy trinity: father, son, and Holy Spirit.
Religions became one of the leading causes of wars and genocides, as there were many disagreements between people due to differences in beliefs.
Some Megachurches are led by pastors who read long speeches and gather many people.
Education is a social institution that provides an opportunity to gain basic knowledge and teaches cultural norms. Non-formal education includes learning cultural values, standards, and rules of behavior.
Universal access is a fundamental problem in education since not all people have the same conditions for obtaining knowledge. States are developing various programs that enable people to study.
According to the theory of Functionalism, education is an essential aspect of people’s lives. It performs several functions, such as socialization, transfer of values, social control, and mobility. In addition, education introduces the culture and can perform the functions of a family.
Conflict theory is based on the fact that educational institutions increase social inequality. People with different social opportunities may be provided with further education, which increases inequality between people.
Feminist theory focuses on gender differences in education and the social consequences of this. This theory aims to ensure that women receive the same education as men.
Symbolic interactionism focuses on the fact that people are labeled. People with different education are perceived a priori differently, which automatically affects the different attitudes of teachers towards them.
Schools are perceived as repositories of legal actions that cause problems in education. This led to the authorities beginning to eradicate inequality in the education system. Children from low-income families get access to education, testing, and bilingual education.
There is a concept of charter schools aimed at improving student academic performance. Homeschooling is also developing, which also successfully helps students gain knowledge but excludes socialization.
The effectiveness of some teachers is relatively low, which leads to a decrease in the level of education of students. It is believed that this is because teachers are not ready to teach. Social promotion is also an urgent problem, as some students are not prepared to move on to the next grade. The level of education is low, and therefore students cannot pay the loan.