Name: Serhat CAN Student Number: 11895 Date: 28.05.

2010 Section: D5 Final Draft

Are the religious dogmas and beliefs a violent concept for human kind or a must for man as a life guide and a necessity for us?

It is certainly hard to answer the question What is religion? in terms of defining the meaning of the word. However there is another way to investigate the word, or at least understand it, since it is not that possible to define it. Looking at the origins of the term religion, will bring some Latin words. Martin Forward, the Helena Wackerlin Professor of Religious Studies at Aurora University, explained in his book Religion: A Beginners Guide (2001): The word religion derives from the Latin word religio. (pg, 1). He also says that religio word may come from relegere or religare. First one means to gather things together, and the other one means to bind things together. So the word religion refers to an act or feeling, which is somehow connecting people into a mutual thing. This understanding can explain how religion reaches to the whole world; it is something that everyone has in common. Such a concept, which is apparently totally accepted among people, can have an enormous power due to its prevalence, in fact it has. In coming paragraphs, the religion and its effects will be handled, and the main concept of this writing is focusing on a controversy; the real impact of the religion. However past experiences of mankind clearly show us that people have tendency to misunderstand the events that he faces. Racism was one of the biggest misunderstanding of humanity, because it was clarified that black or Jewish people was not inferior to other races. Social position of women was also another example that was

(and still is) an important issue, which was again misunderstood. These examples indicate that bad effects of religion are results of humanity. Religious violence is one of the most disappointing acts of mankind in his past. Throughout the history, countless soul has been given for the sake of religious purposes. Just with some words of popes, monks or padishahs thousands of people died. For instance, The Crusaders were a series of religiously sanctioned military campaigns according to Wikipedia, in which the soldiers were very bloodthirsty, brutal and blind to see the reality that the people they were killing, was also human. Another important example for this kind violence can be the attack of the (so called) terrorist forces to the World Trade Centres and results of this event. Just like in ancient times, lots of people were dead due to religious violence by opposed attacks to each side between Muslims and Christians. A very close dated event indicates how we are still in trouble from religion: In 8. March, 2010, about two hundred people have been slaughtered, because of Muslim-Christian violence, and there were remarkable numbers of kids in victims. In January, three hundred people were killed as well, just two months before the recent one (retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/, 2010). This savagery clearly shows how religion can be a violent concept for mankind. These examples has a time interval between 11th century and the 21st, a thousand year is the number here. In thousand years, some part of mankind did not learn anything about the level of barbarity, violence of these. Mark Juergensmeyer, an American scholar and writer, says in his book Terror in the Mind of God (2000) like this: [Religious violence] has much to do with the nature of the religious imagination, which has always had the propensity to absolutize and to project images of cosmic war. It also has much to do with the social tensions of this moment of history that cry out for absolute solutions, and the sense of personal humiliation
2

experienced by men who long to restore an integrity that they perceive as lost in the wake of virtually global social and political shifts. (pg, 248) Another bad effect of religion is misuse of its power for some personal purposes and benefits. Religion is a widely effective concept, as it is explained above. There is an example about it in USA back in 2005. A woman in Florida named Terri Schiavo collapsed and got in the persistent vegetative state, in which she lost her physical control over her body. Her life was dependent on feeding machines. This was happened in 1990, and 9 years later her husband couldnt endure his wifes condition and requested from the local court to remove her feeding tubes. This demand was putted in the news and unfortunately used by politicians. Schiavo case was one of the most important events in country in 2005. Her tubes were removed and reinserted three times just because of the changing laws about ending her life (retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/, 2010). Schiova collapsed in 1990; however her situation became a national case in 2005. The problem, according to the claims made by some columnists, is this case was made popular by politicians, because ending her life was an issue related to the religion. Religion was powerful and widespread; using it can attract millions of people. Politicians used this power and propounded that mankind cannot decide on ones life, so that they have tried to seem interested about peoples religious values. If it was that important for those politicians, it is expected that they would follow this case from the begging, not at the time it became an important fact. This example shows that religion can be used also as a tool for self benefits. According to these usages of religion, it is highly possible to assert that religion is a violent concept. Even though the previous argument seems to be right, there is a little nuance, which makes the whole picture about the religion different. Past societies (in fact even todays societies) did understand the real meaning and function of the religion wrong. Religion had a
3

huge power; however its fascination made people understand the concept wrong. In total, religion is a useful concept and a need for mankind. There are two major proves to understand how it is useful and a need. First of all, religion is maybe the biggest aid, which is used by individuals, in terms of support in their lives. If they are investigated one by one, whole religions take part as a life guide, in their own ways. Due to their role, people mostly use them for dealing with problems such that this behaviour became a need, because usually all individuals face with some troubles/ problems, which are seems to be hard to solve, like death, hopelessness and fear. Actually this statement is proved by a researched example by Sylvia Collins Mayo, a principle lecturer at Kingston University, in the book Religion and the Individual (2008). In her example, there are two young girls, whose friend was shot in front of their house. Girls immediately bring him to hospital and while the emergency situation they have faced with lots of heavy images, like blood, consciousness, which are hard to experience for two young girls. At that night, both of them prayed, for the boys health, despite the fact that they were not churchgoers. (pg: 33). This example shows that people need some support in their lives, in some situations. Proving this with young people indicates that this need comes from the little ages, so this is in humans nature. This understanding brings the second reason, why religion is a useful concept and a need. Second reason, which explains the real function of religion, is that, this spiritual concept makes peoples life meaningful. In order to understand it, at first the nature of human being should be known. Aristotle stated in those days like that: All men by nature desire to know. (The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 1959). This sentence tells that there is an emptiness in men that requires some answers. They have to find an answer to their questions, they have to make their lives meaningful and find the reason behind it. This conception is explained by Patricia Crone, a professor of Islamic history at the Institute for Advanced
4

Study, Princeton, in her book Pre-Industrial Societies (1989), in a better way. In her argument, she basically compares human beings with bees. She argues that bees doesnt need (and have) religion, because they have that certain gene, which makes them legitimized. They are naturally accepting the queen bee, and do not question the situation. However, mankind does not have that specific gene (or whatever required), to make them legitimate. There is nothing to tell men exactly, what they need to do. (pg: 123-127). So it is clear that there is something empty in human beings, and this is the reason why mankind should make meaningful his life. They need answers, because they dont have them, naturally. And it is highly accepted that religion fills this emptiness perfectly. Actually it is a responsible, which is related to religion, because this is its job, its duty, to make meaningful the lives. A quote from Julius Charles Hare, an English theological writer, and Augustus William Hare, the author of a history of Germany, in the book; The Psychology of Religion (2003), putts the dot to the topic: Man without religion is the creature of circumstances. (pg: 24). In conclusion, it is clear to see that religion was a very misunderstood concept in human history. Due to this misunderstanding, people cannot realize the real function of religion, and how important it was. And nowadays, religion is discussing, because what it had done to people. Investigating the controversy about religion is important, because humanity have experienced what could happen when people misunderstood it. Since it is not possible to reject it, because of mens nature, mankind has to understand the real function of religion. When we learn it, in all respects, we can truly find a guide for people for their hard problems, and even (maybe) get a chance to end the wars and live in total peace. Word Count: 1632

References 1. Forward, M. (2001). Religion: A Beginners Guide. United Kingdom: Oneworld. Pg: 1. 2. Gambrell, J. (2010, March 8). Hundreds Slaughtered in Nigeria Religious Violence. abcNews. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=10038896 (2010). 3. Juergensmeyer, M. (2000). Terror in the Mind of God. United Kingdom: University of California Press. Pg: 248. 4. Hulse, C. (2005, April 1). THE SCHIOVA CASE: POLITICAL STRATEGY: Even Death Does not Quite Harsh Political Fight. New York Times. Retrieved from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D7103FF932A35757C0A963 9C8B63&sec=health (2010). 5. Day, A. (2008). Religion and the Individual: Belief, Practice, Identity. United Kingdom: Ashgate Pub. Pg: 33. 6. Knowles, E. (1959). The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. United States: Oxford University Press. Pg: 237. 7. Crone, P. (1989). Pre-Industrial Societies. United Kingdom: Basil Blackwell Ltd. Pg: 123-127. 8. Spilka, B; Hood Jr, R. W; Hunsberger, B; Gorsuch, R. (2003). The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach. United States: The Guilford Press. Pg: 24.