The today’s world has embraced the element of globalization in the attempt to improve the political, social and economic well-being of all nations. Globalization mostly goes hand in hand with the advancement in technology spreading to all corners of the world for high benefits of member countries because of increased idea sharing and cohesion. In the past, there were littler concerns regarding globalization as individual nations focused on building their own countries without requiring any external assistance. For that matter, some of the European countries notably Germany had already made a wall that apparently indicated self-contention hence proving globalization unworthy. Nevertheless, globalization has currently been one of the topics for discussion owing to the many benefits underlying it as far as the progress of individual nations is concerned. In the same way, religious fundamentalism has emerged to take care of the protectionism concerning personal and group beliefs. Evaluation of relation between globalization and religious fundamentalism will play an integral role in understanding the subject.
Undoubtedly, globalization has contributed to the growth of religious fundamentalism. As a rule, Christianity and Islamic religion form the basis for religious divide each being driven by varying beliefs that collectively guide the lives of the people (Williams, 1970). Concisely, religious fundamentalism seeks to hold on to traditions and cultural concerns that are
Secularisation theory has argued that modernisation has undermined religion. The importance of science and technology on economic development and rational worldview on which they depend on are seen as destroying the belief in supernatural. However religion can contribute to development, but most recently sociologists have examined what role religion may play in development in today’s globalising world.
The focal purpose of the article ‘Americans get an ‘F’ in religion’ by Cathy Lynn Grossman is to explain how ignorant Americans are when it comes to other religions around the world and their own. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs; a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons and sects. Being ignorant to something as vital as religion scares the author of this article
As part of the human experience, religion weaves itself through human organizations and institutions. An integral part of social order, governments are built on and around it. Systems of morality, and the very identify of entire societies all fall under the broad and sometimes ambiguous umbrella of religion. Historically, Christianity and Islam represent two religions that often entrench themselves in government, or take the place thereof. It is no accident that religions based on liberation find conquest so fitting to their rhetoric. Although Christianity and Islam preach peace, both have a propensity for violence, which stems from the value placed on doctrine, the concept of salvation, manifesting itself in the creation of state-like organizations.
In these two article globalization and the increase of globalism is described in two very different ways. Waltz arguing from a realist’s perspective; that the politics of the state is ultimately affected within globalization. R.O.keohane and J.S.Nye Jr express a liberal opinion, arguing the many different factors that affect the increase in globalism.
He comes to these conclusions since these fundamental cultural differences were forming organically for centuries if not millennia; These dissimilarities are more prevalent today due to technology drawing the world closer together and forcing the contrasts to light. Fundamentalist movements are prevalent in many major religions of the world and are transcending “national boundaries and [uniting] civilizations”; The union of ethnic groups across nations for movements such as “re-Islamification” emphasizes this effect. These differences are not easily compromised as some cultural norms explicitly forbid
The objective of this work is to examine Islam, a highly controversial sensitive issue in today's world and specifically to examine the misconceptions, beliefs, and values of those of the Islamic faith. Most people think that the majority of Muslims live in the Middle East, while in reality there are more people of the Islamic faith living in Indonesia. Islam, just as Judaism and Christianity, is practiced in various cultures, serves to shape, and is shaped by those cultures. This study examines the perceptions of those of the three faiths in various countries and how they view one another and seek to answer how a level of threat is felt by those belonging to these three religious groups in various countries. Countries examined in this study include those of the United States, Great Britain, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. The depth of understanding or the teachings of Islam among the various religious groups in these various countries will also be examined in terms of how these understandings impact the ways that Muslims and non-Muslims interact and communicate with one another.
As Peter Berger (1967) explained religion, it is a sacred canopy under which the entirety of life is explained and regulated. Secularization theory as explained by Weber holds that modernity challenges this sacred canopy through two major ways: increased cultural and structural pluralism and increased primacy of economic pursuits (Emerson and Hartman, 2006:129). With globalisation accelerating in the post Cold War era, causing mass migration across borders, increased interstate interaction and huge growth in the global financial market, it was predicted that religious influence would be relegated to the private sectors of social life by ripping the sacred canopy, and leaving people with, at best, sacred umbrellas (Smith 1998). Despite this, what secularization theory did not anticipate is that the demystification of the world provided within it the seeds both for the re-mystification of the world and resistance to the demystification (Berger, 1992:1). Hence the world today, with some exceptions, is as furiously religious as it ever was, in some places more so than ever (Berger, 1999:8). Since the 1970s there has been a particular rise in religious fundamentalist movements, as signalled by the Iranian Revolution in 1979 led by Ayatollah Khomeini, which led to the establishment of the first Islamic State. As Almond et al note, fundamentalist movements have risen to the highest levels of power in Sudan in 1993, Afghanistan and India in 1996, and in India again
Globalization is the process by which different societies and cultures integrate through a worldwide network of political ideas through transportation, communication, and trade. Generally, globalization has affected many nations in various ways; economically, politically, and socially. It is a term that refers to the fast integration and interdependence of various nations, which shapes the world affairs on a global level. Simply put; globalization is the world coming together. In this essay I will discuss multiple perspectives on globalization through the analysis of these three sources.
In a process begun in the nineteenth century and accelerated in the twentieth, the great religions of the world became truly global in the geographic distribution of their adherents and so
During the last decade of the twentieth century, the word ‘globalization’ has become an increasingly prominent feature of political, social, and economic discussion in academic and policymaking circles, as well as in the media. The processes and outcomes of globalization drew attention and debates that had one thing in common. The research shows that nearly everyone agrees that globalization is a trend that is changing the face of the world, and as a result the world society lives in a more ‘globalized’ world. Nearly two and a half decades passed since 1990s, and studies have been conducted to examine the causes and consequences of globalization. Moreover, nearly every person experiences some type of globalization and can testify firsthand the effects it has on their life, society, and the state. The analysis of the effects that globalization dynamics have on the world society indicates that globalization has a significant positive impact via spreading opportunities and wealth across nations, stimulating innovation and productivity, enhancing the economic development of poorer countries, and helping to improve living standards.
Theories of globalization present a more difficult task for Beyer, as he must not only establish what globalization is, but religion’s place within it. He explores the problem in various ways through the rest of the first part of the book. Beyer rests his analysis upon the work of Luhmann primarily, but also that of Immanuel Wallerstein, John Meyer, and Roland Robertson. Using Luhmann, Beyer resolves the theoretical debate of whether globalization is a homogenization of all particularities under a common social rubric or a simpler transformation of
The way in which ideas are constructed, shared, and interpreted is largely a result of one’s culture, philosophy, and experience. These elements are a result of one’s environment, and education; as if one grows up in the United States, in modern day and a normative household, then they will understand and experience religion differently than one growing up in Iran. One example in the United States is the separation of Church and State, a foundation United States principle, while this idea is not commonly believed possible in Iran. This difference in thought is largely a result of both nations, or cultures different understandings of religion, with the United States being largely focused on ritualistic and organized movements that worship a
The United States is full of religious diversity. The foreign population has greatly increased, and the “proportion from Latin America (54%) and Asia (28%) greatly surpassed the proportion from Europe (13%)” (Fasciano). Many
Religious Fundamentalism is not a modern phenomenon, although, there has received a rise in the late twentieth century. It occurs differently in different parts of the world but arises in societies that are deeply troubled or going through a crisis (Heywood, 2012, p. 282). The rise in Religious Fundamentalism can be linked to the secularization thesis which implies that victory of reason over religion follows modernization. Also, the moral protest of faiths such as Islam and Christianity can be linked to the rise of Religious Fundamentalism, as they protest the influence of corruption and pretence that infiltrate their beliefs from the spread of secularization (Heywood, 2012, p. 283). Religious Fundamentalists have followed a traditional
The concept of globalization is a complex and peculiar one, failing to be definable by a single, precise definition. Centrally, globalization involves information and goods being exchanged amongst different countries. These interactions and interchanges among countries globally over time is due to an increase in communication and transport networks. Globalization is often divided into three main areas being economic globalization, cultural globalization and political globalization. All three are vital areas to one’s life and globalization is said to have a large impact on each. Although globalization is controversial in the aspect that it cannot be declared just how much of an influence the notion has in the world. Political scientists such as Muhammad Ijaz Latif, Anton Pelinka and Martin Wolf all discuss this issue in their respective pieces as well as differing aspects of globalization such as the role the European Union plays in relation to globalization, the different perspectives of globalization and the challenges of the nation-state in regards to globalization.