How much does a society’s environment and experiences influence the nature of its values and religious beliefs? It is a question that we as a human being should ask ourselves daily in our life. The collective nature off society environment and experiences will and indefinitely affect their religious belief. It affects people in their daily lives, in everything they want to do or they don’t want to do. Unconsciously it becomes part of human’s life no matter how hard they try to ignore it once they adapt it it’s hard to get rid of such influence. People in the past has experienced it as well as people of modern world.
One of the oldest civilization that was affected by the society’s environment and nature was Mesopotamia. There are many ways in which a society can be affected. Mesopotamia was a polytheistic system, which means that they believed and prayed to multiple gods not just one. Mesopotamia culture states that the gods and deities they believed in were living realities who affected their life (Spielvogel 11). The Mesopotamian believed their god or goddesses were living realities who affected their life style, they had leaders who rule and prepare armies if they had to go to the war. The priests played huge role in Mesopotamian culture, priests oversaw taking care of deities. Priests would tell the leaders what they should do in return of benefits in their wealth, health, soil etc. they people of Mesopotamia believed if their deities are unhappy they will punish them
“The Zinacanteco Indians of Highland Chiapas have drawn on their prehistoric part, their four centuries under Spanish conquerors, and their current confrontation with the modern world in fashioning their present way of life”1. Consequently, it is quite clear that the Zinacantan language, Tzotzil, is affected by this unique blending of cultures. Language is, of course, a key feature of the Zinacantecos' religion, but religion is not an isolated concept in the Zinacantecos' society. It is, indeed, closely related to the economy and the social life in general. Nevertheless, for the purpose of this paper, I will consider it as a distinctive part of the society, even if sometimes, it is inevitable to bind religion with another aspect of life. It
First, religious experience is social rather than individual as a cultural system. Second, religious traditions
Religion and science play crucial roles in defining who we are and our outlook on societal norms.
The Mesopotamian people were the first stable civilization. The Mesopotamian people were polytheistic. Polytheistic means they believe in many gods. “The god can affect the fate of humans and they controlled the natural world” (Tuner, 2016). The Mesopotamian people would be afraid of the god since they had more control over them than what they had on themselves. The Mesopotamian people also followed the law very closely. The Code of Hammurabi which was named after a prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers…(King, 2008). The Mesopotamian people also looked up to their kings like Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh talked them about friendships and life. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were best of friends and equals. It was the death of Enkidu when Gilgamesh felt his heart breaking and was willing to do anything to bring his dear friend back to life. When Gilgamesh visits Shiduri she basically tells him to enjoy his life because no one knows when they are going to die. It better living your life being happy and being around the
The main idea in Eitzen and Zinn’s article is that religion is shaped by society. The social groups that shares the same norms are connected as they are taught what society portrays as the acceptable way to behave. However, religion is also the leading cause of separation in communities due to believes being imposed upon non-believers whose preferences differ from the mainstream.
It is impossible to get at the roots of one’s religious attitudes without taking in account the psychological and historical factors that play upon the individual. (Hamilton 19).
Many developments of the ancient river civilizations have influenced our society today. Early reading and writing have influenced us by allowing us to record ideas and facts. Math and science from ancient civilizations became a foundation for engineering and scientific inventions today. Social codes and practices from ancient times, while a lesser influence, also play a part in our society today.
With all these surrounding them, invasion wasn’t such a prime concern, so they evolved a complex and hearty view towards the afterlife. Religion was then tied into government, making it all the more significant because pharaohs were viewed as god-like and were considered to be ultimate rulers. Citizens then realized that much more is at stake for an act of wrongdoing. However, in Mesopotamian culture, death was simply foreseen as an eternal sleep and was the given the name “Land of No Return” that held no importance and did not have any affect when involved with government. All in all, geography affected the natural occurrences to the civilizations as well as the frequency of invasion, the evolvement of strong cultural beliefs, and self-sufficiency.
Society and religion have a love, hate relationship. Many who have grown up knowing that their religion is superior to all other religions. While others have grown up with their religion but have distanced from the religious sphere and discovered the culture and politics of the environment which they have never had a chance to discover for themselves. A Heightened national focus on social issues suggests politics may still be playing a pivotal role in driving Americans away from religion (Bindley). Many are beginning to feel as if their religion is not an accurate representation of who they are. Leila Ahmed and David Dark both agree that in order to find your own identity, you must first come to terms with your own culture.
The early civilizations play a key role in society today. These civilizations had their own traditions and beliefs which made them all unique. The Greek, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian civilizations all had contrasting beliefs, religions, customs, traditions, and political views which made them all individually distinct. Through studying the three ancient civilizations, we are able to analyze the differences of these civilizations.
Religion in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia played a significant role in developing and organizing the society. Based on the common belief of the world’s divine creation, both civilizations had regular rituals and ceremonies to honor the supernatural beings. In rituals and ceremonies, the cult was expressed as the manifestation of components that symbolized the divine such as the cult images, temples, and shrines. Since religion was an important aspect in the people’s daily lives, it also had an impact on the ruling system in the two civilizations. Even though Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia have similar foundational beliefs about the cult, different cultic practices imply the difference in the structure and the scope of
Throughout history, religion has impacted the lives of millions whether at school, work, with friends, or by some tragedy. Religion can change the way people view their existence. Religion also plays a big role in the infiltration of values into the loves of many young people today. In a recent pole printed in the USA Weekend Paper, “34% of respondents [said] Religion plays a powerful role in their everyday lives.” These student respondents “cited religion as the second-strongest influence in their lives outranked only by parents.” Religion also surpassed the world-renounced media as an influence in their lives (Lerman. 1).
Thesis Statement: The morals and the behavior of a person in society is a consequence of his religion.
“Religion is a ritualized system of beliefs and practices related to things defined as sacred by an organized community of believers.” (Basirico et.al. 379). Religion is an important element in the society because it influences the way individuals act and think. It has shaped the relationship and bonding among families as well as influenced the decision made in economics and politics. Religion in general has contributed to shape a society and a government structure which will influence the way the individuals under certain governmental structure behave. Sociologists are interested in religion mainly because religious belief is heavily rooted in individuals’ lives and it helps sociologists to interpret human’s actions, expression, and
Throughout history, religion has proved to be the main source of social stability in different communities and cultural groups. Everything that is part of a societal system, including law, is influenced by religious beliefs and practices of that society. This being said, most religions are based on the theory that there is a single more powerful entity, that has control over aspects of which humans do not. For the longest time in history, sociologists have argued that peer group, political movements, schools and most importantly, the family to be agents of socialization. Because of this reason, they have ignored the role played by religion in the perpetuation of cultural as well as social