Does religion have a place in society

Does religion still have a place in the society?

In our current society, we have the various religions that play their part in making it a conducive place for living. We have multiple religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and the list goes on. These above mentioned religions were once of equal status with the government and the society. In most circumstances the society or the government would sought the advice of their most prominent religion in matters of ethics and even the authorisation of policy making. However in a increasingly secular society the role of religion is diminishing and it no longer holds much relevance that it once did.

Most of us are guilty of celebrating another’s religious festival without truly understanding the significance of the celebration. For example, my family celebrates Christmas every year despite being born Hindus. We do this by decorating the Christmas tree and exchanging gifts with one another. This is not a negative thing as it shows the inclusivity of our society. However it also portrays the escalation of secularity and how religion has become less important in the 21st century.

With factors such as race, class and financial status becoming relevant in our everyday lives, we have started to take religion for granted. Instead of being inspired by the words of our religion many are using it as a social grouping mostly to benefit themselves or a particular group. Furthermore religion itself is slow to move with the times and find modern-day relevance which makes us believe that the teachings or beliefs are is not applicable to our society.

Despite fewer people aligning themselves to a religion, it still has the ability to mould the thoughts and actions of those who follow it. This can be seen in our elders as religion played a greater role in shaping their society and infusing culture allowing to dictate the minds of many. This ability has not been always used for good but most religions have used it for many benevolent causes and moral guidance. If religion could further tap into the ability while teaching and applying beliefs in a contemporary context, it will definitely be able to connect with our secular society.

Between religion and society, there isn’t a complete cessation. For those who consider themselves agnostic or severed ties with the religion that they were embedded with, religion finds its significance reasserted for rites of passage out of convention and tradition if nothing else. While it might be fading, religion has not completely lost its relevance.

Personally I believe that religion gives many people the mental strength that they have a purpose in life. Taking for example, some of those who go to prison find god which then rehabilitates them and they turn over a new leaf leaving behind their former selves. Religion is what separates man from beast by giving us the willpower to accomplish more in life and carry on living with a moral code.

Finally, religion still offers the society an opportunity for worship sessions and articulation of faith which to many is priceless. Every religion has its own set of moral values and principles that can be adopted into the daily lives for the benefit of an individual or the society itself. Even though religion is not always in sync with our society, it still offers us moral guidance in a number of areas. The only problem facing religion is that it needs to alter the approach it has to applying its teaching to our modern living. If not the rise of secularism will proportionally erode the impact that religion has in our society, condemning it to the shadows.