What Role Does Religion Play In American Culture

In Chapter 10 of Religion and Popular Culture in America, Joseph L. Price attempts to show sports as an example of popular culture as religion, because of its ability to shape the engagement of their fans and the fan’s environments. Although the majority of fans do not see sports as coming close to being a religion, Price gives several compelling reasons as to why sports are religion.

Religion, as one of the components of the social system, not only depends on the existence of the whole social system but also play an important role on the various components of the social system. Thus, people should be well versed in a group's religious affiliation, if they want to integrate into the society of this group.

Spirituality is one of the most important aspects of life to some communities, cultures, and nations. People who believe in God usually become more spiritual as they age. In American societies, the mosques and churches have older people than younger people. In most cases, we become more spiritual or at least start looking for religious answers when we are faced with a death in the family. In a study by Moremen,(2005), 26 older women who had not experienced a life changing even or recent death in their families were interviewed on their views in terms of “their place” in society” and the “order of things”. None of the participants were facing a terminal illness. The majority stated that they wanted to understand things and were looking towards

Religion played an important part in the founding of the United States. Settlers wanted to get away from religious persecution in England and to separate themselves from the Anglican religion. These people were known as religious dissenters. In 1760, Andrew Burnaby made the statement that colonies were different from one another and one of those differences was religion. Settlers wanted religious freedom and for them to get the freedom they wanted, they left and founded the United

Religion has shaped and played a big part of America since colonial times. In colonial times there was religious event and groups that affected the American’s society we know today. A religious event that made an impact was The Great Awakening, the revival of Christianity. Two religious groups were the Puritans and the Quakers. The Puritans came to the country to reform the Church of England and they tried to establish a temporary government in the new country until an official government arrived.

Religion had both positive and negative impact on the lives of Americans before the Civil war. It influenced the morals, rules and regulations of the colonies. Most of the colonies were established based on Christian beliefs and values. There was great religious diversity; Massachusetts was populated with pilgrims and puritans, the Quakers in Pennsylvania and Catholics in Maryland. Each colony believed in their faith and expected everyone to follow their religion. Puritans believed that they had been ordained by God to create a puritan society and did not believe in religious tolerance. The Catholics on the other hand dominated Maryland and the Quakers dominated Pennsylvania. Catholics and Protestants did not approve of each other religion. These divisions resulted in the persecutions of those who had different beliefs causing settlement of different groups in different colonies, hence the establishment of different states in America.

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.

Religion and the United States have an interesting relation over the history of the United States. Religious conservatives portray the United States as being God’s chosen nation and that religion influences every facet and procedure of the United States. Liberals try to contend that the United States is a bastion of secularization and that the founders were not particularly religious. David Sehat in his book, The Myth of American Religious Freedom, shows that religion has played a significant role in the United States, but that interaction is not always good in terms of individual actions and actually put the individuals of losing life, property and limb. Overall, Sehat’s books detail the moral establishment that was created around the time of the American Revolution and the various methods that were used in order for them to maintain their power. The book also details the way that religious and secular dissenters tried to push back against the moral establishment.

“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

Religion is a major foundation for many cultures. It is present all over the world in many different shapes and forms. But all religions have one thing in common, communality. Naturally, with rituals such as congregation people of religion are brought together. This community worships together, but this relationship extends further than the confines of a church. Members of the same church, or religion, have the same core values, and these commonalities result in a community that would not have otherwise existed. When there is a disregard for religion, there is a loss of community and thus a step

Kaitlyn Ouellette November 22, 2016 Impact of Religion Assignment The Influence of Religion on Western Society Religion has significantly affected the development of western civilizations and societies. All throughout the history we have covered in class, religion has played a key and essential role in defining the types of cultures within a society – a belief or faith in a spiritual, also a divine ‘power’ can add significance and true meaning to many of the western people’s lives. Religion is essentially the force that binds a race or a religious group together, and comes with a sense of personal identity to a higher figure, - God. Three specific and most commonly known religions of Western Society we have focused on in class have been Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Fagan, P. (1996). Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability. Retrieved from: http://www.heritage.org/civil-society/report/why-religion-matters-the-impact-religious-practice-social-stability Retrieved on: 15 November 2017.

Religion can be defined as a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance. It contains a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices that allow its followers to live their life a certain way. The world consists of 19 major religions, which are further subdivided into 270 larger groups. According to David Barrett et al, editor of the “World Christian Encyclopedia,” there are 34,000 separate Christian groups around the world. Just from those numbers alone, we can conclude that religion has a prevalent effect on people and society. Religion is viewed as a positive influence on an individual both psychologically and physically. Throughout history we can study the various effects that religion has on society. Studies generally provide great evidence in favor of religion having a positive effect on individuals and society as a whole.

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

Throughout history, religion has worked as a great unifier of diverse people. Its overarching messages have worked to bring together people of different backgrounds be it racial, political, or economic, giving masses a common goal. Much of the world’s charity work is on behalf of religions which instill values that provoke these selfless actions.