Roles of Religion in Modern Society

Religion predates history itself. It has undoubtedly contributed to the shape and current structure of the modern-day world. A vast majority of the world’s population belongs to some kind of religion and because of this high participation in differing religious beliefs, religion has been blamed for violence and global turmoil. However, religion has helped immensely with peace efforts, particularly in Africa and India.

There are over 10,000 religions in the modern world. Of these 10,000, the vast majority have engaged in some kind of violent action and only a handful have been consistently peaceful and resistant to violence. Much of this violent behavior can be explained by understanding scripture, “the Bible’s Old Testament, revered by Christians, Jews, and Muslims, is replete with God’s wrath and quasi-genocidal retribution” (Mani, 2012, p. 154). Throughout history, scripture has been used to justify mercenary and missionary work, which ultimately led to the vicious colonization of dozens of regions across the globe. Sometimes, however, the violence isn’t carried out directly by religious groups but rather condoned by them through simple inaction, such as the events of Nazi Germany with the Vatican, or through validations in the form of blessings when wars or other violent acts (suicide bombings) are carried out.

Inaction carries forward in the continuing debate among scholars about the impact of “mainstream” religious participation. Much like the events of Nazi Germany, many religious experts claim, passive acceptance of religious extremism like ISIS and fundamentalism by mainstream religion is a crucial issue, “…it should not divert attention and shift responsibility from mainstream religions. The violence inherent is un-questioned but widespread, religious beliefs and practices remains unrecognized” (Mani, 2012, p. 156-157). Therefore, it is important to distinguish between the deliberate violence and the passive acceptance of violence that spans across all religious groups.

In Africa, the results of religious-inspired peace have been noticeable in the form of civil war intervention. One of the most notable instances was in 1992 when the Sant’Egido Roman Catholic community helped to resolve conflict between the government of Mozambique and the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO). This community succeeded in peacekeeping in several other countries in Africa and received a number of awards for their efforts. In addition to singular religious efforts, there have been collective alliances involved in peace, “…the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative…brings together the Muslims of the Middle East, Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox leaders to prevent and mitigate conflict.” This coalition helped ease violence in Uganda and also aided in peace efforts in Juba, winning the Niwano Peace Prize in 2004 (Mani, 2012, p. 152). Arguably, this group is a fundamental example of fostering healthy relationships amongst different religious groups for the collective goal of peace (Gabriel, 2013, p. 100).

Turning to India, the most impressive record of religious involvement in peace is the founding of the Sarva Dharma Sansad (SDS) in 2007. The SDS is also quite organized in its mission, “it jointly campaigns on a seven-point agenda to eliminate religious violence, extremism, dogmatism, casteism, and gender discrimination.” SDS leader, Swami Agnivesh has spent 40 years fighting, mobilizing and championing new legislation in hopes of eradicatingreligious violence (Mani, 2012, p. 153). As a result, Agnivesh is the embodiment of religious based efforts for peace.

In looking at the impact of religion on modern society it is always important to give careful consideration to both the violent events fueled either directly or indirectly by religion as well as the reconciliation and peace efforts implemented by the same institution. It is crucial,therefore, to remember that religions of all stripes have a tremendous responsibility in the transformative processes of peace and violence (Gabriel, 2013, p. 101). Religions are practiced in varying degrees worldwide, and within those degrees, it becomes easier to analyze and attempt to understand what role specifically each religious practice plays in violence, peace or sometimes both on the world map.

References

Gabriel, I. (2013). Where difference matters: Social ethics in the contemporary world. Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 48(1), 97-106. Retrieved October 09, 2013, from http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=87482647&site=ehost-live

Mani, R. (2012). Cure or curse? The role of religion in violent conflict and peaceful governance. Global Governance, 18(2), 149-169. Retrieved October 09, 2013, from http://web.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/ehost/search/basic?sid=97c31c84-86d5-4fbc-a277-cf4ce1da20ca%40sessionmgr11&vid=1&hid=24