The changing landscape of religion.
As defined by Wikipedia, a religion is a set of tents and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature, and often codified as prayer, ritual, or religious law. The term “religion” refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.
It seems that religion seems to long have been a reason and cause of violence. The Crusades starting 1095, the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s and the current-day violence which comes in the form of terrorism or inter-religious group violence such as in Indonesia. But what aspect of religion brings about this violence? I would think that its due to the fact that religion in the past and present has always been intertwined with politics and power, and always having a form of theological legalism present. When religious law becomes a state’s law, conflict is also bound to happen, as religious law is a matter of conviction that varies from person to person.
However, I think and feel that as this world continues to be changed by globalisation and technology, the landscape of religion will and has been inevitably changed. Firstly, I feel that religion is slowly evolving more in people’s eyes into a form of simple morality or ethics, and becoming less of a set of traditions, rules and laws. It is becoming a form of fulfilling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. As the world’s standard of living rises and people’s basic needs are satisfied; namely their physiological needs, need for safety, need for love, need for esteem, there could be a growing need for the final aspect of self actualisation. One aspect that is described in self actualisation theory is, ‘humans need a philosophy of life, religion, or a value system, just as they need sunlight, calcium, and love.’ Religion is moving more into giving people a sense of morality, values, philosophy. It is becoming less of fulfilling traditions and holding fiercely to them, more of answering the question of ‘what comes after death?’ or ‘how do I attain fulfillment in life?’.
Secondly, there has been a rise of moderate or liberal forms of religion. The two largest religious groups in the world, Islam and Christianity, have seen a rise in moderate and liberal forms. Though the rise of moderate of liberal forms has been a source of conflict in countries such as Indonesia where there have been bans on moderate Islamic groups, the fact that this banning is needed is because of the growing popularity of moderate Islam. One example of a predominantly moderate Muslim country would be Malaysia. Much of Islam’s current growth has not been predominantly Islamic counties, but in Western countries in the form of more moderate forms of Islam. In Christianity, attendance at traditional churches have dropped and the growth of new large and highly popular liberal Pentecostal Churches. Even traditional denominations and the Roman Catholics are moving slowly towards more moderate forms of Christianity, some changing their doctrines on issues such as Homosexuality or abortion.
I feel that religion only seems to be a key source of conflict because terrorism has widespread effect and media attention, but it only represents but the actions and views of a minority of religious communities, when in actual fact, much of the landscape of religion is changing to one of a less violent nature.
