...state have crumbled in favour of the state. Every day, the states intervene in religious business, and judges by strict interpretation of the law overturn holy sacraments, indigenous religious stipulations etc.; the various religions lacking legal standing are not consulted and have no recourse. Rather than fighting this outrage, some are even campaigning to preserve this infringement on religious freedom by writing it into the constitution. The politician is always on a look out to exploit and to take advantage of situations and social groupings to advance their cause and these have both negative and positive consequences for society. Since 2001, most of the leadership of major religions in Ghana have been viewed by the wider Ghanaian society as sympathetic if not openly supportive of one political party or the other. Religious leaders who were once constant critics of a ruling government become less critical when there is a change in government. Today, political parties are vying for Muslim votes; in other to outdo each other, politicians continue a tradition of government using tax-payers money to subsidise Muslim pilgrimage or attempt to send some members of the clergy to Jerusalem as happened earlier this year. Party politics may have built bridges between ordinary adherents of the various religions but may also have open up new frontlines of polarization in the society. If religious leaders will sincerely and honestly under this secular dispensation stay off politic, respect...
Words: 2490 - Pages: 10
...established its significance to the Filipino people regularly. Today our country has been open to any religious practices. In a recent statistics Roman Catholic is the most numbered among other religious practices. More than eighty percent of the population are Catholics, this is because it is the religion brought by the Spanish colonialists who stays in the country for over three hundred years. Aside from other Christian denominations other religions also were able to establish their presence in the country. There are Muslims, Buddhist, Jews and many others to mention, and this is because of the freedom given with regards to religious practices. Looking upon the past and even until now, religion has always been the subject of many criticisms. The Muslims in the south were considered subversive due to their demands that were not meet by the government, resulting to war and bloodshed. This has been a perennial problem for many years. Although this was more on the political aspect but religion plays a vital part. Muslims are very loyal to their teachings even to the point of committing suicide for the sake of their cause. Another issue that clouded religion in the country is its participation in politics. Politicians befriended and even gave money and other incentives to religious leaders in order for them to gain votes from the member of the particular religion. Religious leaders were already bribed by traditional...
Words: 806 - Pages: 4
...Indian Politics and Politicians Indian Politics refers to the activities of the political parties associated with the governance of India as a country. A Politician is person who is professionally involved in politics. It is to be said politics is the art and technique of government. Every idea contains an intention, similarly political idea also contains intention for implementation, but recently people observe negative sense. Introduction to Indian Politics Mahatma Gandhi stated regarding the place of ethics in politics. He told that politics without ethics and principles were not desirable. The principles are the moral principles. According to his philosophy political, life should be governed by truth, morality and self-purification. Gandhiji’s politics were bound up with truth and non-violence. He also prescribed that country should concern with the morals of her leaders. Devotion to truth was drawn by him to half corruption. He had no intention to indulge the religious matter. He interpreted that religious matter is a death-trap because it kills the soul. He also expressed that “For me there is no politics without religion, not the religion of the superstitions or the blind religion that hates and fights, but the universal religion of toleration”. Roles and responsibilities of Politicians The role of the Politicians is to deal with national issues and are driving the country in full gear. It is the duty of the Politicians to check Corruption, nepotism, crisis in...
Words: 455 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1705 - Pages: 7
...Evaluating Truth and Validity Exercise All religious authorities are concerned about the dangers of nuclear war. All politicians are concerned about the dangers of nuclear war. Therefore, all politicians are religious authorities. The above statement is false and creates conclusions based on fallacies. It generalizes all political and religious leaders into one group and assumes that they all think the same. It also does not take into account the many varying religious ways of thought and forms of political leadership within the world. This is a case of over simplifying something that is not simple. It would be better worded as follows: Nuclear war is a very real concern amongst many of our religious and political leaders. Though the ideas behind what qualifies as and why nuclear war is a concern may be different, the end state of nuclear war is what concerns most though there are some extremist religions and political factions would like nothing more than to incite a nuclear war and are trying desperately to acquire nuclear weapons. I was able to identify most of the errors by playing the devil’s advocate as it were. This ability gives one an objective perspective and allows them to see the errors in their ways of thought. Beginning the statement with the word “All” is one that should be avoided. Many things you or I consider common sense might not be the same to someone else. This takes away the ability to accurately generalize. With a topic as ambiguous as this...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...reform in India and there was optimism among nationalist leaders that progress towards independence would quicken. Viceroy Wavell was worried that Labour was too eager to hand over power to congress, which would further raise the anxieties of the Muslim League. In January 1946, the British MPs made a small visit to India without announcing there conclusions, but in private some stated that Pakistan must be conceded to avoid Muslim unrest. Viceroy Wavell was keenly interested in making practical preparations for the eventual unpleasantness of announcing the actual boundary lines. This shows that some of the British leaders did foreshadow the horrific consequences of the partition but they went ahead with it anyway, perhaps believing that it was a better solution than keeping India united. This contrasts with popular writings which claimed that 'the country’s division was a colossal tragedy, a man-made catastrophe brought about by hot-headed and cynical politicians who failed to grasp the implications of division along religious line's '[14]. The writings criticise the politicians for not being perceptive and aware of what the outcome of the partition could be. It places the partition solely in the hands of the clueless politicians, so the partition was not inevitable and the leaders should be blamed for making such a disastrous decision and not thinking about the consequences of separating the country based on religious differences. Neither the congress nor the Muslim League...
Words: 722 - Pages: 3
...demeanor of nation is through politics. “Politics is the art of influencing people on a civic or individual level, when there are more than two people involved. It is thought of as the way we "choose government officials and make decisions about public policy".” In politics there are two major elements, politicians and voters. Politicians are the persons who stand for the right of people, contest in elections and represent the common people in the legislature. Voters are everyone else than politicians .They pick out their favorite candidate by using basic right of casting their vote in elections. These elected personalities form government and run the overall infra structure of the state. In this entire procedure of elections, the major role is played by voters and their choice of candidate. Here we will discuss the factors that decide the selection of a voter especially in remote and rural areas of Pakistan. In our country population in rural areas is much more than population in urban areas. So their vote plays substantial role in forming any government. The major trends for voting in rural areas are Braderism, tradition and values, common knowledge, feudalism and any religious or ideological attachment of the voter. Population in villages is divided into braderies. Bradery consists of different families having same forefather. Their custom and traditions are same. Bradery is headed...
Words: 1297 - Pages: 6
...who violates what others view as a moral standard may have no tangible consequence other than damaged relationships. Laws are sometimes viewed as legislation on moral issues. Many people lean on religious beliefs to frame their moral viewpoints. Politicians and some citizens also point to faith-based principles in suggesting that laws should follow what God commands. Others believe that laws should protect individual rights and freedoms but should not extend to topics viewed as ethical gray areas. In some cases, laws and morals evolve over time based on changing societal views. The Civil Rights laws of the 1950s and 1960s developed as Americans became more supportive of an end to segregation. Sometimes, though, principle-based politicians and leaders look to enact laws based on personal convictions, even though they may contradict the popular opinion of the time. My Position on this View: This would lend itself to the current “Religious freedom Law” recently passed by the Indiana legislation which would allow business owners to discriminate against gays and lesbian in the LGBT community based upon their moral/religious conviction. The proponents of the Indiana’s law state their claim based on the premises that their moral/ religious belief is under siege in the U.S. To the religious conservative right this is not about...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...Retrospective Healthcare Policy Analysis: Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act Professional Policy Analyst from the Normative Policy Analyses Approach Retrospective Healthcare Policy Analysis: Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act was the legislated response to a highly controversial health policy debate regarding patients’ rights – specifically whether or not a patient has the right to die if they choose to do so (Altmann & Collins, 2007). While euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are not new topics, they did receive an increase in public and media attention during the early 1990s. Most notably Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who defied the law and assisted in 130 patient suicides, Dr. Kevorkian’s actions brought about increased media coverage on the topic of physician assisted suicide, which is a contributing factor as to why the Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act was conceived in the first place (Werth JR & Wineberg, 2005). On the one side of the spectrum were advocates of physician assisted suicide who maintained that it was an infringement on patients’ rights to deny them aid in dying, and inhumane to make people suffer when diagnosed with a terminal illness (Merino, 2012). On the other side were critics who concluded that physician assisted suicide was a breach of medical ethics, and morally unacceptable because it devalued human life. Furthermore, these critics found that assisted suicide was not valid because there were alternative solutions, such...
Words: 1834 - Pages: 8
...Mass media is an industry that is hard to penetrate. It is often difficult, as an individual, to express your ideologies and beliefs towards a greater audience than those of your current circle of friends and family. Traditional media frequently represents the sentiments and opinions of politicians and celebrities, as opposed to the views of the general public. So, the individuals are able to advocate their voices easier by taking advantage of various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. This act, often referred to as citizen journalism, is used to facilitate the spreading of news particularly towards ‘Gay Marriage’. This process of dissemination is an effective strategy as an effort to communicate their ‘voices being heard’. Now, Twitter, as a media platform, is being used to promote or demote the voices of Gay Marriage. The immediacy and easy format to distribute the message to a widespread audience is its most appealing trait. Many twitter users have dedicated tweets to the possibility of Gay Marriage, whether they are supporters of the lesbian and gay community or highly against the implementation of gay marriage. They utilize the readily available news articles, their own photos, links to videos and hash tags to spread their relevant gay marriage message. Twitter is an excellent platform to send messages to a vast audience. Very often in online news articles or blogs, readers are encouraged to leave their own feedback and comments...
Words: 2535 - Pages: 11
...on governance and development up to the challenge of its newfound reputation? India has been a democracy for over six decades. In this time it has achieved some remarkable successes but also failed in significant ways. While economic growth has been rapid over recent decades, this has not translated into greater welfare for the majority of the Indian population. Despite being severely critical of its politicians, the electorate however remains enthusiastic in its political participation, especially at elections. In 1947, when India gained her independence from colonial rule, the choice of parliamentary democracy and a universal franchise for such a poor, vast and largely illiterate nation was considered foolhardy by many observers, at home and abroad. Nevertheless the first general election was held with great rigour, enthusiasm and success in 1952. In the meantime, a Constitution reflecting the political and ideological goals of the new nation had been adopted. It was authored by the Constituent Assembly made up of 299 members who represented the enormous class, religious and linguistic diversity of India’s population and who after much debate and deliberation set out the framework for India’s future as a republic and parliamentary democracy. Enshrined within it were the principles of the separation of powers, a universal Indian citizen with constitutional rights, equality before the law, the separation of civil and military powers, and the necessity for political competition...
Words: 2998 - Pages: 12
...resources. Ironically, her economy is struggling to leverage the country’s vast wealth to displace the economic and political challenges that affects its population.1 Beyond the recent impressive financial projections, a good number of Nigerians still live on less than $1.00 (One dollar) a day, which is about N160.00 (One Hundred and Sixty Naira), and more Nigerians have resorted to a life of crime with some becoming ready tools in the hands of some politicians. Poverty reduction and job creation, as promised by our political leaders, have not kept pace with population growth, implying social distress for an increasing number of Nigerians. Integrity and moral values have been jettisoned to few people, who have little or no impact in the system of government and corruption has been embraced as a tool of inordinate wealth accumulation. Social vices are committed with high level of impunity and the epidemic of the ‘get rich at all cost syndrome’ has infiltrated all age levels in our society, most especially the youths; future leaders of tomorrow. Undermining, “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at the end he will be a fool” (Jeremiah 17:11 NKJV). In ascribing reasons for these socio-economic imbalance and political instabilities in Nigeria, it would be important to note that these reasons are cumulative and have collectively brought us to where we are today. Socio-economic...
Words: 3555 - Pages: 15
...From:southasiajournal.net/author/ishan The year 2072 of the Nepali calendar has brought a long waited consensus among the political leaders: first draft of a constitution holding the major issues like federalism and electoral process. It is disappointing to get a mere half unwrapped present. The ongoing discussion on the debated issues seems to lead nowhere until now. The parties in the government are only united so as not to form ethnicity based federal units – rest of the issues are still contentious. The frequent protests, widening gaps between the parties and contradicting demand for states have made the situation very pessimistic. What could be the way forward? Federalism is the jewel of democracy, a jewel that cultivates the beauty of the nation itself. The decentralization of power that it brings and the identification of ‘unit’ it does are what makes federalism so pervasive in the democratic boundaries. The ongoing discussion is in the best interest of the nation. The more Nepal discusses different prospective models, the closer it gets in getting the apt system for the country. The debate on federalism has divided that the country for centuries. India perfectly exemplifies above statement. The central government of India, even after 70 years of federalism, still faces the demand of forming new states. Therefore, the states should be visualized perfectly for failure is not an option in this case. The kingdom of Sikkim got annexed into India and the Crimea, formerly...
Words: 464 - Pages: 2
...order to tackle this hurtful and damaging behavior, it's important to identify the causes of discrimination. Ignorance, fear and stereotyping Discrimination is often based on ignorance, fear and stereotypical viewpoints. For example, religious and/or sectarian discrimination is often fuelled by people living and working in separate communities and therefore not having ample opportunity to interact with people from the other group. Discrimination in Northern Ireland has not been helped by the fact that most children either go to protestant or catholic schools and many grow up in neighborhoods that are largely divided along the same lines. The erecting of walls (either real or psychological) between communities is a perfect breeding ground for discrimination. It is the responsibility of society to reject a "them and us" mentality wherever it is encountered and to ensure that young people get the opportunity to mix with people who have different backgrounds or characteristics. Irresponsible behavior by politicians, the media and other influential groups Most people get their views on a wide range of social and political topics from consuming media (TV, radio, Internet, newspapers, etc.) and listening to the views of politicians, religious leaders and other people who have some form of...
Words: 1198 - Pages: 5
...Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added. The religion is also known as La Regla Lucumi and the Rule of Osha.Santeria is a syncretic religion that grew out of the slave trade in Cuba. Origin: Santería is a system of beliefs that merges aspects of Yoruba mythology, which were brought to the New World by Yoruba slaves, with Christianity and Indigenous American traditions.[2] The slaves carried with them various religious customs, including a trance and divination system for communicating with their ancestors and deities, animal sacrifice, and sacred drumming and dance.[3][4] Upon its arrival in the Americas, this religious tradition evolved into what we now recognize as Santería. The colonial period from the standpoint of African slaves may be defined as a time of perseverance. Their world quickly changed. Tribal kings and their families, politicians, business and community leaders all were enslaved and taken to a foreign region of the world. Religious leaders, their relatives and their followers were now slaves. Colonial laws criminalized their religion. They were forced to become baptized and worship a god their ancestors had not known who was surrounded by a pantheon of saints. The early concerns during this period seem to have necessitated a need for individual survival under harsh plantation conditions. A sense of hope was sustaining the internal essence of what today is called Santería, a misnomer (and former pejorative)...
Words: 356 - Pages: 2
