...For the longest time, religion has played a big role in society. Religion’s main role today is to guide the followers through life influencing their world views, but there is some problems when it comes to religion and politics. The problem has carried on through the ages. Should they coexist or should they each stand individually in society today. When defining religion, people think of traditions and rituals that had impressed beyond them by their family and their older generations. Politics isn’t something that an individual is taught or learned, its experience that they have got through either having hands on issues or through experiences they have encountered. People tend to lean towards the form of government that best suites them or benefits their life style in which they are living or want to live. If an individual lived a life of poverty, that individual may lean more towards a society of equality and shared wealth where class lines are more consolidated to the people in need. A staggering 82 percent of the American population identifies with one religion or another. A religious sentiment is so ingrained in society that its effects cannot help but be seen in the political arena. A religious belief is either worn as a proud demarcation of their personal moral standing and virtuous character. Due to the American party system of election, certain polarities of religious and moral tendencies between democrats and republicans have risen out of the people’s...
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...Religion and Politics and the effect of religion in America For a virtuous instance of how religion affects politics in our current world we need not look very distant but rather look around you. The influence of Catholicism on Latin American politics, and the role religion plays on Middle Eastern politics have had a profound affect in those related societies. After examining the effects of religion into the above mentioned societies it is clear that the introduction of religion into politics has proven to be suppressive and counterproductive to most third world countries, and various subcultures in first world countries. A very well known writer and scholar on the history of Egypt, Budge, E. A. Wallis, "Egyptian Religion and Society: Egyptian Ideas of the Future Life (Library of the Mystic Arts)". Citadel Press. August 1, 1991. Wrote, “Most scholars have concluded that, in later times at least, there was no close personal tie between the individual Egyptian and the gods, that the gods remained aloof, that their relationship to humans was indirect, communicated to him by means of the king”. We must remember that there was no established book or set of teachings, as the Bible or the Qur'an, and few prescribed conditions of behavior or conduct. Humans were guided essentially by human wisdom and trusted in their belief in the goodness of the gods and of their divine son, the king. An important concept in Egyptian life was the idea of justice. Although the Egyptian was entirely...
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...RELIGION AND POLITICS 1 Religion and politics are quite interwoven into society both in the developed world as well as in the developing world. In this paper, I will discuss the major religions of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism and how these faiths interrelate to politics of nations. Islam has always been a very mixed within state and society as a whole, with no true line between church and state. Islam began in the Arabia by the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century, and is the second largest religion in the world today. Muslims are the followers of the Islam and believe in only on God, or Allah. Muslims base their beliefs on their holy book the Koran and the Sunnah. The Sunnah provides the five basic Pillars of Islam. These are: declaration of faith, praying five times a day, giving money to charity, fasting, and a pilgrimage to Mecca at least one time. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/ataglance/glance.shtml) Since there is really no true division of church and state, Islam teaches religion, but also how to run a state, government, conduct business, etc. An Islamic state is based on five principles as follows. 1. Sovereignty of power. Muslims believe that Allah is the all-powerful who knows what is good and bad for society. They use the laws in the Koran to base concerning life and believe that laws must be put to practice by an Islamic state for the greater good of human beings. ( http://www.angelfire.com/bc3/johnsonuk/eng/dawa/politic...
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...It is not only unrealistic to believe that religion and politics can or should be separate but it has proven to be exactly what the majority population desires. Ülker, Ö, (2013), stated, “Some global level developments –such as the secularization experience of the USA, the Iranian Revolution, the effective role of religion in the experience of democratization in the Latin America, the rise of religious nationalisms opposed to secular nationalisms, the rise of Christian Right- has revealed that religion has no intention of leaving the public sphere, on the contrary its intention is to take an effective role in the construction of the public space.” As time has progressed through the many ages of mankind there has been one constant, religious influence. The origin of religion is equated to the origin of civilization. The conflict of interest that has been ethically lingering throughout history is the issue of religion’s influence in Politics. In “Religion and the US Presidency: Politics, the Media, and Religious Identity,” Michelle A. Gonzales writes about how John F. Kennedy was worried about his faith and the Roman Catholic background because he feared the population would worry that the Vatican would have an influence in American politics. He then realized that a candidate’s religious background has a large impact on the credibility and support he or she will receive from the population. This has shown many leaders that people will support a political candidate who shares a...
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...Religion purports to answer people's ultimate and most important questions. These are among the questions that personal development, which is the same as true education, also addresses. Yet, from the late eighteenth and to the middle of the nineteenth century, "enlightened" thinkers expected religion to disappear by the twentieth century. Intellectuals came to find secular alternatives to religious faith: reason, science, art, and politics. Nevertheless, religion is making a strong comeback. This is not surprising. Religious and secular concerns are inseparable: In areas like marriage, contractual obligations, and personal development they overlap. Simultaneous with this revival of religion is a renewed interest in ethics, morality, and humanitarian concerns. From the subjective point of view, religion is a virtue that leads a person to render to God the homage due Him. As an objective manner of behavior and concrete manifestation of virtue, revealed religion comprises several things – for example, belief in, respect for, and submission to one God, who is personal, infinite, immanent, and transcendent. And there have to be acts of worship to show these things: Actions speak louder than words in religion as well as elsewhere. Lastly in the objective sense, revealed religions have to have institutions which regulate external religious activity, lest the activity become in some way an aberration, or abnormal, or impinge upon the rights of others. Personal development, another term...
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..."ღმერთი რომ არ არსებობდეს, აუცილებელი იქნებოდა მისი გამოგონება." ვოლტერი რელიგია ჩვენი დღევანდელი კულტურის განუყოფელი ნაწილია, მაგრამ არავინ იცის, თუ ზუსტად როდის გაჩნდა იგი, სწორედ ამიტომ არსებობს საფუძვლიანი ეჭვი იმისა, რომ რელიგია ყოველთვის არსებობდა. მანამ, სანამ უშუალოდ რელიგიის წარმომავლობაზე დავიწყებდე საუბარს, თვითონ ამ ცნების განმარტებაა აუცილებელი. რელიგია არის რწმენის, კულტურული სისტემებისა და განსხვავებული მსოფლმხედველობის კრებული, რომელიც კაცობრიობას არსებობის ცნებასთან აკავშირებს. სამი ყველაზე უფრო გავრცელებული მონოთეისტური რელიგია (იუდაიზმი, ქრისტიანობა, ისლამი), რომელთა მიხედვითაც ღმერთი იყო ის, ვინც შეგვქმნა ჩვენ და ყველაფერი ჩვენს გარშემო, მხოლოდ დაახლოებით 4000 წლის წინ გამოჩნდა, მაგრამ ადამიანები მანამდეც არსებობდნენ და, შესაბამისად, არსებობდა რელიგიაც. ვფიქრობ, რომ აუცილებელია რელიგიისა და რწმენის ერთმანეთისაგან გამიჯვნა. რწმენა არსებობს მას შემდეგ, რაც არსებობს ადამიანი, რელიგია კი უფრო კომპლექსური ცნებაა, რომელიც თავის თავში მოიცავს რწმენასაც და მისი მუდმივობა, ასე ვთქვათ, მუდმივად არსებობის დაშვება, არასწორი იქნებოდა, რადგან ის არ ეფუძნება რწმენას, როგორც ასეთს, მისი ყველაზე უფრო ზოგადი მნიშვნელობით, არამედ კონკრეტულად რაღაცის/ვიღაცის რწმენას. გამოცდილება იყო ის, რამაც ქვის ხანის ადამიანებს ასწავლა, რა იყო მათთვის კარგი და რა ცუდი, რა იყო საკვებად ვარგისი და რა - არა, მათი ცოდნა გარესამყაროს შესახებ ძალიან მწირი იყო და მხოლოდ ემპირიულ რეალობას ეყრდნობოდა. ჩემი აზრით, სწორედ უცოდინრობა და სამყაროს შეცნობის წყურვილი იყო ის, რამაც საფუძველი ჩაუყარა...
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...scientifically testable, therefore they are not absolute truths either. Because absolute truth is what people tend to seek, they cling to a perfect god or a divine book, and that’s fine. It’s their right as Americans. However, when religion seeps into politics, therein lays the problem. Politics is loosely defined as “the activities associated with the governance of an area or country” or as “the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing government policy”, which ties neither God nor religion to the world of politics, even including the word science in the definition, a word that tends to be a threat to the deeply religious. Because of its tendency toward biasness, prejudice, and insensitivity, the world of politics need not affiliate with the cancer of society and decency that is organized religion. Names like Jerry Falwell, Jesse Jackson, Mike Huckabee, and Pat Robertson do not often come up in the same sentence, but they all share two things in common. They were influential to politics, and they are all deeply religious. It is no surprise then that they all hold true to the ideals presented within their churches and their bibles and use those ideals to further political agendas to create new policy or affect existing policy. Politics should be spoken for by politicians. That is not to say that, as Americans, we should not wish to...
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...religion permeates every aspect of life, from common-place daily chores to education and politics.” No part of Indian life exists without the presence and influence of religion. Over ninety percent of the Indian population state that religion plays an extremely important role in their lives. India is the founding place of four major religions; which are Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism, and the country has remained religious even during and following modernization. The religions practiced may have shifted a bit, nevertheless, the country remains deeply religious. Among all aspects of Indian life, religion also plays an important role in the politics of India. A political party’s support greatly depends upon the religion the group acknowledges. The two main religions practiced in India are Hinduism and Islam and each religion has parties from whom support is given. Often political support rallies can become so animated that the participants have the need to take action against other religious and political groups. The purpose of this paper is to highlight religion and the caste system of India and explain its impact on Indian political structure and lifestyles. Of the two religions, Hinduism is overwhelmingly more popular. Eighty-two percent of the Indian population practices it. (asianinfo.org) The Hindu lifestyle and belief system focus mainly on the concept of karma and reincarnation. Samsara is a continued cycle of ongoing rebirths. One’s ultimate...
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...Running head: RCP DIVIDE Religion Plus Castes Equals Political Divide In India, religion is an integral part of the lives of the population. The writers at asianinfo.org claim that, “For the majority of Indians, religion permeates every aspect of life, from common-place daily chores to education and politics.” No part of Indian life exists without the presence and influence of religion. Over ninety percent of the Indian population state that religion plays an extremely important role in their lives. India is the founding place of four major religions; which are Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism, and the country has remained religious even during and following modernization. The religions practiced may have shifted a bit, nevertheless, the country remains deeply religious. Among all aspects of Indian life, religion also plays an important role in the politics of India. A political party’s support greatly depends upon the religion the group acknowledges. The two main religions practiced in India are Hinduism and Islam and each religion has parties from whom support is given. Often political support rallies can become so animated that the participants have the need to take action against other religious and political groups. The purpose of this paper is to highlight religion and the caste system of India and explain its impact on Indian political structure and lifestyles. Of the two religions, Hinduism is overwhelmingly more popular. Eighty-two...
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...Aimee Arcoraci-Davies HISC 114: Theology and Politics Final Paper: Prompt 4/5 9 December 2013 How does the self simultaneously live within a virtual world and a physical analog world? When has being bound to religious doctrines and societal dogmas become the factor that constricts one’s potential to freedom from the binary of existing inside or outside the realms of tolerance? Through setting temporal boundaries, one establishes from the allegorical world of the kingdom of God and the rational/visible world of Man. Or are we all ultimately influenced by our digital reflection as exposed through the virtual networks of the Internet and our computer-generated selves? Where is the line between what is real and what is fantasy? As humans, we naturally experience the world analogically by recognizing infinite patterns of data throughout our mundane lives, while digitally we must submit to a finite code or password to identify ourselves to the digital community. In turn, by manipulating and possibly falsifying virtual identities, one can live an alternate, and sometimes dangerous, life through creation of an artificial self, through prosthetic vision and creation of the cyborg. The modernity of humans communicating through machines and developing a highly complex reflective system of digital information that relies on the analog world to input material knowledge suggests that seeking and attaining justice in the analog world is a virtualization exercise. This essay will discuss...
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...Religion and politics are different terms with different meaning, while religion serves as a person’s belief and morals; politics is the practice and theory of influencing other people which could be immoral or unethical in certain times. So why shouldn’t be religion mixed with politics or why should it. Most of us might agree that politics may serve to be unfair, cruel and untrustworthy; the idea that religion could not be associated with politics is because it may not serve for the people’s best interest. While labeling a country to be a specific state of religion it might cause uproar of many inequality treatments to citizen’s minority or expats. politics might be demining, most of the times politicians may have to undergo an unethical treatment for the right of the citizens, for example the country might come to conclusion of defending itself by violent action which in a sense goes directly opposite to the meaning of religion; in other terms what I’m trying to say is religion is a self concept and should not be a state advisory as it is in no means meant to control, start wars or even bring inequality but how do we know what is best for the people; another aspect is that religion plays a huge part in a person’s life that they may be brainwashed by the state to believe that it is a good idea to support them. In other sense politics is very manipulating and like the great Charlie Chaplin said “you need power only when you want to do something harmful, otherwise love would do...
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...Religion and Its Persuasion on U.S. Politics Rob Farmer Hodges University, Fort Myers, Florida HUM2030-OL-SU15 Dr. William Cooney August 22, 2015 Religion and Its Persuasion on U.S. Politics Religion in the United States is significant not only due to the high percentage of Americans who identify themselves with a specific religion, but the population’s large number of widely diverse beliefs. Ultimately, the United States is a nation bound on a people of immigrants, many of whom originally fled their home countries for the sake of religious freedom, and as such, laws are carefully engineered to safeguard those freedoms. Consider the formative era of our nation and to America’s culture and thinking at the time the US and the Constitution were formed. The leaders of the various colonies, states and ultimately the Founding Fathers themselves were steeped in biblical thinking. They drew examples from the Bible, and looked for confirmation of their ideas for government in scripture. Biblical absolutes enshrined into law offered a consensus that meant freedom without chaos. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, there exists “unalienable rights” of men. Rights were unalienable because they were provided by God. This was important because in most societies up until that time, and even in some countries today, rights are only conferred by whomever is in power at the time. An important aspect of our system of government is that it is based on the Rule of Law. This concept...
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...The Greeks art has both political and religious context told by individuals who adopted or supported religious history and art with their spiritual, ethical, and intellectual experiences. I do think Greek art often represents events relevant to the Greek religion and politics. The religion and politics of art was threw sacred writings, pomes of Homer, religious festival, sculptures, shrines and temples, art works and paintings. Greek religion and political art had influence and spread far as west Spain, east to Indus river, and throughout the Mediterranean world. The romans identified their gods and or goddesses with those of the Greeks and surveying through the Christianity period as saints. The Greek religion was the belief in specific human...
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...The Scarlet Letter – politics vs. religion. The book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, readers can see how confusing religion with politics can affect the life of the people. The author shows this through the laws and punishments due to sins that can be so cruel, how the beliefs of the President can affect their society and by creating a character that is accepting and being strong to her own behavior and the changes in the story makes her the character with the highest qualities. Hawthorne criticizes people that are misusing the religion and interfering with politics to show the audience that Hester’s punishment was too harsh. According to Hawthorne, “The penalty therefore is death…” (Hawthorne 32). This quote means that they went into an agreement that Hester would not only experience public shame everyday, but she had to wear the letter “A” in her bosom, presenting her sin. She should have been punished for her sin, but wearing the Scarlet Letter “A” for the rest of her life and having a penalty of death was too harsh of a punishment. “The torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul, and work out another purity than that which she had lost: more saint-like, because the result martyrdom” (Hawthorne 40). The letter A doesn’t represent a possibility for forgiveness or recognition of a lifestyle change. Hester deserved to be punished for committing adultery, but wearing the Scarlet Letter everyday for the rest of her life was too much punitive. In...
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...Annotated Bibliography: The Link between Religion and Democracy The topic of religion and democracy is an especially complex one. Current literature expresses different opinions regarding religion and democratic values. There are contradictory findings on if religion should have a place in political affairs or should be strictly kept separately that shows up in the current literature as well. The sources used for this annotated bibliography all came from the Ryerson University Library and Archives that was searched online. All four of the sources are peer-reviewed and scholarly journal articles. The question of if religion and democracy are somehow intertwined and compatible will be answered in this paper. The relationship between traditional cultural values and democracy will be examined as well. This paper will also contain an overview of the link between...
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