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Religion

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Religion is the cause of many good and bad things around the world. Many would say that religion separates and divides all humans and causes conflict. Our society today has developed far beyond what we had expected. Human civilization has evolved intellectually and also technologically. Humans have come so far on their own and they are only going to get farther. Humans have proven that they do not need much to advance but knowledge. Religion is still needed in our society, not for our civilization to advance but for humanity to maintain aspects of its roots. Religion differentiates all of the unique cultures we have around the world, teaches and emphasizes the role of morals and gives people hope and faith in themselves and the world.

There are one hundred and ninety-six countries in the world as of today. We are all the same people but what separates us is our cultures and traditions. Every ethnic group of people in this world have unique traditions, languages, political and social ideologies, cultures and lifestyles. According to Professor Billikopf who teaches at the University of California in his article he says that knowing each other’s cultural differences brings the sense of unity and understanding to the human race. If all humans were the same there would be nothing to understand about our species and our similarities would make our race unbalanced. Unbalanced in the sense that humans would not be as significant as they are today. People would feel as if they are just the same, have nothing unique about them and nothing to strive for. Religion and peoples cultural differences are what make the world united when you look passed the ego. Religion was originally meant for uniting each other but the majority of people who follow religion let their egos get in the way thus causing destruction but that’s a completely different topic. Religion also helps the people of this world adapt to what’s around them. They learn from each other and may grow into complex and stronger societies. A perfect example of this is our world today. If the world did not have any religion or beliefs ever our society would be completely different. Humans would be more instinct prone and primitive because the development of morals would have been weaker. Morals also play a huge role on why religion is still needed in our post modern world.

Religion emphasizes on good morals and good intentions. It teaches people of the world to be peaceful, show love to one another and to live life with an open mind. Buddhism probably has the best teachings of morality. In Buddhism there is a teaching called “The Four Noble Truths” which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path to the cessation of suffering. The second noble truth, the origin of suffering focuses on the three main roots of evil which are greed and desire, ignorance or delusion, and hatred or destructive urges. This teaching emphasizes that suffering comes from within and the only way to get rid of it is to know the where the suffering is coming from. The three roots cause suffering not only to oneself but to others as well. Buddhism not only teaches how to be free within yourself but to treat others with kindness and care. Christianity emphasizes the moral value of love and compassion. In the bible love is mentioned multiple times. Christianity is more towards the utilitarian point of view which would be to make others happy before oneself. In (Romans 12:10) of the New Testament it states “honour one another above yourselves”. In (Romans 13:10) of the New Testament it says “love does no harm to its neighbors” which teaches people that only good can come out of love and care. There are many other religions that teach morals and good values, the list can go on.

Religion helps the people that are in the most need feel a sense of hope. Hope is what gives strength to the weak. When people do not have anything to believe in they rely on religion to pull through. Religion does not need knowledge to thrive and give people hope. When people don’t believe in anything else it’s a natural human intuition to talk to a higher power according to Immanuel Kant. He studied religion and its effects on humans for years and he noticed that religion made people stronger mentally and emotionally. Even though people did not see “God” they believed in him/her. They believed in him because somehow believing that there was a superior being made people feel that there was always help even when you have no one and nothing. Hope is an optimistic feeling that everyone feels and long as they allow it to come out. If people did not have hope they would not believe in themselves to do anything and our human race would be oppressed.

Religion is needed in our society because it gives people something that nothing else in this world can give. It gives you a feeling of security and comfort when no one else is there to give it to you. It is solely up to a person to believe in religion. The fact that people are so ignorant about religion not being needed anymore is just inconsiderate because people rely on this to get through their daily lives. It gives people strength, teaches us to love one another and to not spread hate, and it also gives us a reason to learn about our hundreds of different cultures in the world. Religion is a part of every human. It doesn’t have to be about believing in a God or higher power or following rules. It could just be about the positive energy and vibes it gives to each other’s lives. That is why we need religion in our society, because behind the knowledge and the need to know more about the world, religion is needed to learn more about ourselves as humans.

Citations
B, Gregorio. "Cultural Differences." Cultural Differences. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

Spanner, Douglas. "The New Testament Emphasis on Relationships." The New Testament Emphasis on Relationships. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.

N/A. "Noble Truths." BBC News. BBC, 17 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

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