8/13/2019 D5, SerhatC

1/6

1

Name: Serhat CAN

Student Number:11895

Date: 28.05.2010

Section:D5

Final Draft

Are the religious dogmas and beliefs a violent concept for human kind or a must

for man as a life guide and a necessity for us?

It is certainly hard to answer the question What is religion? in terms of defining the

meaning of the word. However there is another way to investigate the word, or at least

understand it, since it is not that possible to define it. Looking at the origins of the term

religion, will bring some Latin words. Martin Forward, the Helena Wackerlin Professor of

Religious Studies at Aurora University, explained in his book Religion: A Beginners Guide

(2001): The word religion derives from the Latin word religio. (pg, 1). He also says that

religio word may come from relegere or religare. First one means to gather things together,

and the other one means to bind things together. So the word religion refers to an act or

feeling, which is somehow connecting people into a mutual thing. This understanding can

explain how religion reaches to the whole world; it is something that everyone has in

common. Such a concept, which is apparently totally accepted among people, can have an

enormous power due to its prevalence, in fact it has. In coming paragraphs, the religion and

its effects will be handled, and the main concept of this writing is focusing on a controversy;

the real impact of the religion. However past experiences of mankind clearly show us that

people have tendency to misunderstand the events that he faces. Racism was one of the

biggest misunderstanding of humanity, because it was clarified that black or Jewish people

was not inferior to other races. Social position of women was also another example that was

8/13/2019 D5, SerhatC

2/6

2

(and still is) an important issue, which was again misunderstood. These examples indicate

that bad effects of religion are results of humanity.

Religious violence is one of the most disappointing acts of mankind in his past.

Throughout the history, countless soul has been given for the sake of religious purposes. Just

with some words of popes, monks or padishahs thousands of people died. For instance, The

Crusaders were a series of religiously sanctioned military campaigns according to Wikipedia,

in which the soldiers were very bloodthirsty, brutal and blind to see the reality that the people

they were killing, was also human. Another important example for this kind violence can be

the attack of the (so called) terrorist forces to the World Trade Centres and results of this

event. Just like in ancient times, lots of people were dead due to religious violence by

opposed attacks to each side between Muslims and Christians. A very close dated event

indicates how we are still in trouble from religion: In 8. March, 2010, about two hundred

people have been slaughtered, because of Muslim-Christian violence, and there were

remarkable numbers of kids in victims. In January, three hundred people were killed as well,

just two months before the recent one (retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/,2010). This

savagery clearly shows how religion can be a violent concept for mankind. These examples

has a time interval between 11thcentury and the 21st, a thousand year is the number here. In

thousand years, some part of mankind did not learn anything about the level of barbarity,

violence of these. Mark Juergensmeyer, an American scholar and writer, says in his book

Terror in the Mind of God (2000) like this:

[Religious violence] has much to do with the nature of the

religious imagination, which has always had the propensity to

absolutize and to project images of cosmic war. It also has much

to do with the social tensions of this moment of history that cry

out for absolute solutions, and the sense of personal humiliation

http://abcnews.go.com/http://abcnews.go.com/http://abcnews.go.com/

8/13/2019 D5, SerhatC

3/6

3

experienced by men who long to restore an integrity that they

perceive as lost in the wake of virtually global social and

political shifts. (pg, 248)

Another bad effect of religion is misuse of its power for some personal purposes and

benefits. Religion is a widely effective concept, as it is explained above. There is an example

about it in USA back in 2005. A woman in Florida named Terri Schiavo collapsed and got in

the persistent vegetative state, in which she lost her physical control over her body. Her life

was dependent on feeding machines. This was happened in 1990, and 9 years later her

husband couldnt endure his wifes condition and requested from the local court to remove

her feeding tubes. This demand was putted in the news and unfortunately used by politicians.

Schiavo case was one of the most important events in country in 2005. Her tubes were

removed and reinserted three times just because of the changing laws about ending her life

(retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/, 2010). Schiova collapsed in 1990; however her

situation became a national case in 2005. The problem, according to the claims made by

some columnists, is this case was made popular by politicians, because ending her life was

an issue related to the religion. Religion was powerful and widespread; using it can attract

millions of people. Politicians used this power and propounded that mankind cannot decide

on ones life, so that they have tried to seem interested about peoples religious values. If it

was that important for those politicians, it is expected that they would follow this case from

the begging, not at the time it became an important fact. This example shows that religion can

be used also as a tool for self benefits. According to these usages of religion, it is highly

possible to assert that religion is a violent concept.

Even though the previous argument seems to be right, there is a little nuance, which

makes the whole picture about the religion different. Past societies (in fact even todays

societies) did understand the real meaning and function of the religion wrong. Religion had a

http://www.nytimes.com/http://www.nytimes.com/http://www.nytimes.com/

8/13/2019 D5, SerhatC

4/6

4

huge power; however its fascination made people understand the concept wrong. In total,

religion is a useful concept and a need for mankind. There are two major proves to

understand how it is useful and a need.

First of all, religion is maybe the biggest aid, which is used by individuals, in terms of

support in their lives. If they are investigated one by one, whole religions take part as a life

guide, in their own ways. Due to their role, people mostly use them for dealing with problems

such that this behaviour became a need, because usually all individuals face with some

troubles/ problems, which are seems to be hard to solve, like death, hopelessness and fear.

Actually this statement is proved by a researched example by Sylvia Collins Mayo, a

principle lecturer at Kingston University, in the book Religion and the Individual (2008). In

her example, there are two young girls, whose friend was shot in front of their house. Girls

immediately bring him to hospital and while the emergency situation they have faced with

lots of heavy images, like blood, consciousness, which are hard to experience for two young

girls. At that night, both of them prayed, for the boys health, despite the fact that they were

not churchgoers. (pg: 33). This example shows that people need some support in their lives,

in some situations. Proving this with young people indicates that this need comes from the

little ages, so this is in humans nature. This understanding brings the second reason, why

religion is a useful concept and a need.

Second reason, which explains the real function of religion, is that, this spiritual

concept makes peoples life meaningful. In order to understand it, at first the nature of human

being should be known. Aristotle stated in those days like that: All men by nature desire to

know. (The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 1959). This sentence tells that there is an

emptiness in men that requires some answers. They have to find an answer to their questions,

they have to make their lives meaningful and find the reason behind it. This conception is

explained by Patricia Crone, a professor of Islamic history at the Institute for Advanced

8/13/2019 D5, SerhatC

5/6

5

Study, Princeton, in her book Pre-Industrial Societies (1989), in a better way. In her

argument, she basically compares human beings with bees. She argues that bees doesnt need

(and have) religion, because they have that certain gene, which makes them legitimized. They

are naturally accepting the queen bee, and do not question the situation. However, mankind

does not have that specific gene (or whatever required), to make them legitimate. There is

nothing to tell men exactly, what they need to do. (pg: 123-127). So it is clear that there is

something empty in human beings, and this is the reason why mankind should make

meaningful his life. They need answers, because they dont have them, naturally. And it is

highly accepted that religion fills this emptiness perfectly. Actually it is a responsible, which

is related to religion, because this is its job, its duty, to make meaningful the lives. A quote

from Julius Charles Hare, an English theological writer, and Augustus William Hare, the

authorof a history of Germany, in the book; The Psychology of Religion (2003), putts the dot

to the topic: Man without religion is the creature of circumstances. (pg: 24).

In conclusion, it is clear to see that religion was a very misunderstood concept in

human history. Due to this misunderstanding, people cannot realize the real function of

religion, and how important it was. And nowadays, religion is discussing, because what it had

done to people. Investigating the controversy about religion is important, because humanity

have experienced what could happen when people misunderstood it. Since it is not possible to

reject it, because of mens nature, mankind has to understand the real function of religion.

When we learn it, in all respects, we can truly find a guide for people for their hard problems,

and even (maybe) get a chance to end the wars and live in total peace.

Word Count: 1632

8/13/2019 D5, SerhatC

6/6

6

References

1. Forward, M. (2001).Religion: A Beginners Guide. United Kingdom: Oneworld. Pg:1.

2. Gambrell, J. (2010, March 8).Hundreds Slaughtered in Nigeria Religious Violence.abcNews. Retrieved from

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=10038896(2010).

3. Juergensmeyer, M. (2000). Terror in the Mind of God. United Kingdom: Universityof California Press. Pg: 248.

4. Hulse, C. (2005, April 1). THE SCHIOVA CASE: POLITICAL STRATEGY: EvenDeath Does not Quite Harsh Political Fight.New York Times. Retrieved from

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D7103FF932A35757C0A963

9C8B63&sec=health(2010).

5. Day, A. (2008). Religion and the Individual: Belief, Practice, Identity. UnitedKingdom: Ashgate Pub. Pg: 33.

6. Knowles, E. (1959). The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. United States: OxfordUniversity Press. Pg: 237.

7.

Crone, P. (1989). Pre-Industrial Societies. United Kingdom: Basil Blackwell Ltd. Pg:

123-127.

8. Spilka, B; Hood Jr, R. W; Hunsberger, B; Gorsuch, R. (2003). The Psychology ofReligion: An Empirical Approach.United States: The Guilford Press. Pg: 24.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=10038896http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=10038896http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D7103FF932A35757C0A9639C8B63&sec=healthhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D7103FF932A35757C0A9639C8B63&sec=healthhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D7103FF932A35757C0A9639C8B63&sec=healthhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D7103FF932A35757C0A9639C8B63&sec=healthhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7D7103FF932A35757C0A9639C8B63&sec=healthhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=10038896