Religion a tool of oppression Essay

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Religion is an of import facet of life ; it influences a high proportion of many things. The uneven portion is that many people are non really clear on what a faith is. There are several cardinal facets that make something a faith although the exact inside informations can change. In world there is no steadfast understanding on merely what a faith is. Religion is defined by the online dictionary as‘a set of beliefs refering the cause. nature. and intent of the existence. particularly when considered as the creative activity of a superhuman bureau or bureaus. normally affecting devotional and ritual observations. and frequently incorporating a moral codification regulating the behavior of human affairs’ . ‘The organic structure of individuals adhering to a peculiar set of beliefs’ .

Religion is a belief system that uses symbols to let people to research their spiritualty. Religions normally rely on narrations and symbols that are used to offer a significance to life or to explicate things like who or how the existence was created. In add-on most faiths have an ethical constituent that teaches people how they are expected to populate.

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There is a batch of fluctuation within this as can be seen by the figure of faiths that exist in the universe. In fact there is no steadfast understanding about what constitutes a faith and what does non. One facet of faith that applies in all instances is that it is a public procedure. Having a personal belief system does non do it a faith. By definition a faith is an organized activity that involves other people.

Most faiths have a hierarchal system for illustration with priests and bishops and so on but this is non required. Most faiths besides have a specific topographic point of worship and there are normally discourses. festivals and many other activities that are portion of the procedure. None of this is purely required ; the lone demand is that the faith be a belief system that is held by a group of people who publically portion that faith. However in pattern the huge bulk of faiths have some facet of these things. A batch of faiths have been established in drastically different ways with the differences mostly being cultural.

The largest difference in most instances is that some faiths put the importance on belief pieces others put the accent on pattern. Basically this means that in some instances the most of import thing is that you believe the philosophies of the faith while in other instances it is more of import what you do than that you really believe what is being taught. It’s a known fact that faith is used to underscore the importance of peace and harmoniousness between persons for illustration some of the Torahs made by the authorities is influenced by Christianity’s ’10 Commandment’ . All Religions teach parents how to develop or train their kids. how to get the better of certain obstructions and besides what to and what non to make. faith does these things by assuring a wages and penalties in the hereafter. Eden for the righteous followings and condemnationfor the people which disobey

Discussion
However. faith is criticised of being a tool of subjugation. a sociologist. Karl Marx famously stated that “Religion is the opiate of the people” that statement clearly shows that he’s thought that faith was a prevarication by the opinion powers for illustration. the male monarchs presidents etc. . to maintain their topics submissive and obedient. and to give them trust for the following life so they would non revolt in this life.

Besides. another Marxists sociologist. Louis Althusser. brought forth the thought that faith serves the society by being the ideological province setups. this fundamentally means that the higher category regulation over the working category by commanding people’s thoughts. values and beliefs. This means that the higher category merely brought forth faith as a manner to command the massed that all their difficult work will be rewarded in the following life or will be punished if they try to arise the higher class’s control over them.

The mediaeval divinity presented the civilization of the clip a construct called ‘the Godhead right of kings’ this therefore fundamentally means that whatever the male monarch said were straight from God and should be treated as the determinations of God. This was merely the latest of manifestation of the inclination of ancient dictators to put themselves as indistinguishable with God. as the Roman Emperors would make. holding the citizens bow in worship of them. In existent fact. history droves with illustrations of power starved authoritiess and persons utilizing God. Gods and faith as a mean of justification for their thoughtless and self-aggrandising usage of political power. So so. is faiths particularly exactly the Christian religion. so. merely another strategy imposed upon the multitudes to maintain them obedient to the jurisprudence of the land. no affair how unfair the jurisprudence may be to halt them revenging?

A quotation mark from the Bible. Hebrew 11:1 provinces that ‘To have faith is to be certain of the things we hope for. to be certain of the things we can non see’if this transition is clearly and carefully looked at with the idea of it being used by the authorities or higher opinion categories as a tool of subjugation. so it’s clear that this is used as a reassurance to its followings non to doubt the transitions in the book and have faith that all the fraudulence they are exposed to is for their ain good. In the Bible. the transition Matthew 10. negotiations about Jesus directing out his adherents out into the universe. teaching them to prophesy his Gospel no affair what the sequels may be every bit good as warning them of the opposition and Acts of the Apostless of hatred they will meet merely because of their message. Jesus says‘

Think non that I have come to direct peace on Earth: I came non to direct peace. but a blade. For I have come to put a adult male at discrepancy against his male parent. and the girl against her female parent. and the girl in jurisprudence against her female parent in jurisprudence. And a man’s foes shall be they of his ain household’ When the adherents went away and began to learn. they were arrested repeatedly. At one tribunal hearing they were asked if they had non understood that they were non allowed to learn the Gospel of Jesus. to which they replied. “We ought to obey God instead than work forces. ”So therefore the existent inquiry is has faith been used as a tool for authoritiess and governments to command the multitudes? Absolutely.

However. there is one component found in all such faiths that is conspicuously absent in proper Christianity. That is the thought that true faith consists of obeying a set of Torahs in order to derive ageless wages. In ancient Egypt the deceased are judged by their workss in life. their souls being weighed against a plume. If the psyche is non weighed down with evil. they pass into the kingdom of the Gods. In modern twenty-four hours Islam there is a similar belief where Allah Judgess the dead. weighing their attachment to the Torahs set Forth in the Quran against their evil workss.

If Allah deems that the person’s obeisance was greater than their noncompliance. they pass into Eden. Even in Roman Catholicism. a individual must invariably squeal and do damagess for their immorality. following the assorted rites of the Church in order to derive redemption. When a faith forces changeless public presentation from its followings. assuring the highest wages for obeisance and the most monstrouspenalties for failure to put to death. that faith has a commanding consequence that can non be overstated. The followings of the faith go absolute slaves to the public presentation demanded by their religion. There is besides a strong inclination to hypocrisy in such faiths. since the followings tend to overrate their ain righteous public presentation while looking down on others. Proper Christianity. nevertheless. is no such religion.

While every other faith offers merely enslavement to jurisprudence. Christianity offers freedom from jurisprudence and Torahs. This is why Christians have ever obeyed a power that transcends authorities. frequently to the misdemeanor of those authoritiess. Because those who must follow Torahs in order to obtain God’s favour semen to resent those Torahs. but those who are freely forgiven and adopted have a trueness that surpasses mandatory obeisance. They have a trueness to God that stems from bottomless gratitude On the other manus faith is non all somberness and day of reckoning. faith is inevitable in our twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours life.

Religion is an of import portion of life for many people. Even people who are non all that spiritual by nature see it to be of import. The inquiry is why do they experience this manner? The ground is mostly down to the belief that society needs faith. As a society we benefit from our corporate spiritual beliefs. In fact there are many people who would reason that we could non work without faith. The biggest ground that society needs faith is to modulate behavior. Most of the Torahs that we follow today have their footing in spiritual instructions.

There is considerable argument as to whether or non faith is required to do us good people but what is beyond difference is that the regulations for what is acceptable for society are mostly based on faith. Without faith we would about surely live in a different type of society. it can be debated whether it would be better or worse but it would surely be different. Since a major alteration like that would be impractical it is of import that we maintain faith. The other large ground that society needs faith is that it teaches autonomy. Virtually all faiths that teach that you are responsible for taking attention of yourself. While they all support the thought of charity. none of them teach that accepting charity should be desirable.

This has helped to promote the work ethic that is needed to do society successful. Therefore it is of import that people continue to want to make the work that is necessary. Society is mostly based on the thought of cooperation. This can be a spot of a slippery issue since as worlds we are selfish by nature. There is an obvious job here ; we need to work together to be successful but for the most portion we can profit personally by being selfish. Religion has proven to be an effectual manner to acquire around this job.

Religion Teachs that we should work together and assist each other and it discourages the sort of selfish behavior that would do a operation society impossible. Surely there are selfish people who are willing to take advantage of others for their ain benefit. However the fact that the people who do this are in the minority is mostly down to faith.

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