"Holy books were written hundreds or thousands of years ago - They have nothing to say about the modern world and moral issues" - Discuss.
Holy Scriptures "Holy books were written hundreds or thousands of years ago. They have nothing to say about the modern world and moral issues." ) After reading this, my first thought was that growing up all my life being a Muslim with the Koran always there, I immediately thought that this was completely wrong! But after thinking about it, I realised how I could see the point that it made, and how in some ways it is true. Holy books were written a long time ago and simply cannot have an answer to every problem we face today. Some religious leaders of course conveniently re-interpret their books to keep pace with modern scientific discoveries which they can no longer deny: Evolution, origin of the world, the Big Bang and others, and even for example with Christians, modern things such as genetic engineering, abortion, and using contraceptives, which are not allowed for people such as Catholics except for the first one. The Holy Books don't tell us how to deal with modern day issues, or what to do in modern situations. And also tells us nothing of modern science and discoveries that have happened more then a long time after they were written. And there is nothing about the world wars for example, not telling us anything about them. And some may even say that these Holy Scriptures are no use anymore! That they are just outdated books that do not help us at all
"In modern society religious beliefs and religious behaviors are changing rather than declining" Assess the argument for and against this view.
"In modern society religious beliefs and religious behaviors are changing rather than declining" Assess the argument for and against this view. The term Modern Religion in this essay will refer to the religion in the 20th century (i.e. from the 1900's). Also to reduce confusion I will focus mainly on religion within the UK I will term the phrase religious beliefs and religious behaviors to be related with the exclusive definition of religion. Which means a belief in god or a high being and participating in religious practice. There are many views on whether or not religion is declining in this essay I aim to outline and explain different ideas given for and against the idea. Bruce and Wilson agree with the statement and believe that religion is declining, however Davie and Shiner are just some sociologists that believe religion is changing. In sociology there is a name attributed to the decline of religion, this is secularization however there is dispute between sociologists on the usefulness of this term as it can be much broader. However for the purpose of this essay it will mean the decline of religion. There are many statistics that argue against the statement "religion is declining rather than changing". Christian church membership in Britain between 1930 and 1990 has dropped from 9.9million to 5.6 million, that's nearly a 50% drop, which shows a definite
"In modern society, religious beliefs and religious behaviour are changing rather than declining" assess arguments and evidence for and against this view.
"In modern society, religious beliefs and religious behaviour are changing rather than declining" assess arguments and evidence for and against this view There are two main ways in which religion is defined. Substantive definitions define a religious belief system as involving relations between the "natural" and the "supernatural" ideas therefore religion is defined in terms of structure and content of people's beliefs not what religion does for them. The other way is functional definitions this defines religion in terms of the function it performs for society. This is what Marx called "the opium of the masses" and a form of social cement, this means TV or football matches could be considered religious. Wilson (1982) stated that those who defined religion in substantive terms are more likely to support the secularisation thesis because they can show that religious beliefs has declined as people accept other more rational explanations of the world. The idea of secularisation suggests that religion is becoming less prominent in society and its institutions less important and influential in the lives of individuals. The strongest evidence for secularisation is church attendance according to the 1851 census 40% of the population attended church by 1950 this had dropped to 20% and was less than 7.5% in 2000. Sunday school attendance has also dropped considerably from 55% in
Television Presents Religious people as out of touch with the modern world
Television always presents religious people as out of touch with the modern world. Do you agree? Give reasons showing you have considered another point of view. In television, some characters are portrayed as out of touch with the modern world, however, some characters, though they are religious; do acknowledge the use of modern items and technology to a certain extent. In the Vicar of Dibley, the new vicar is female. This can be seen as relatively modern as this role in society has usually been seen as a man's job. She also makes fun of herself and the fact that she is a female vicar which shows that she is not ashamed of what she does. She has a very strange but modern sense of humour which people these days could associate with. On the other hand, she dresses in a rather old fashioned way; wearing thick knitted jumpers which you would rarely see in today's society, and she is very well spoken which could portray her as out of touch; as the use of slang is increasingly dominant. Dot Branning from Eastenders is a classic religious character. She is very true to her beliefs and tries to influence Christianity on others; quoting from the bible and praying in times of need. She acts and dresses how someone on Dot's age would be expected to and prefers a traditional way of life. She tends not to watch too much TV, if any and only tried to learn to drive in her later years;
"Describe the variety of specifically religious programmes on mainstream television."
Religion and the Media - Religious TV Programmes "Describe the variety of specifically religious programmes on mainstream television." There are three main types of religious programmes; magazine, worship and documentary. Throughout my essay I hope to explore these programmes, providing examples and discussing their effect on an audience. I hope to do this by evaluating and analysing the different programmes. I will also discuss the reasons behind why they are made. Religious programmes are made for a reason. They are a replacement to going to a church or another place of worship. They may be aimed at disabled people who can't get to church, or people who have busy lifestyles, either way; they aim to bring religion to people's homes. One of the three types of religious programmes is a magazine type programme. An example of a magazine type programme is the Heaven and Earth Show, which can be seen on BBC1 at 10.00am, in the god - slot (usually Saturday or Sunday morning). They are called magazine type programmes because they include a variety of items e.g. interviews, guests, discussions, debates, phone-in... The Heaven and Earth show, as the title suggests, tires to give the impression that Earth is connected to Heaven through religion or through a television programme, on Sunday morning, at 10.00am on the BBC! Which can mislead people to think that if they watch it,
How can we best understand the role of religion in foreign policy?
Section C. (8) How can we best understand the role of religion in foreign policy? In order to best understand the role of religion in foreign policy, one needs to acknowledge that religion does play a role in foreign policy. However, the role religion plays in international relations is often overlooked. This omission of such an important factor that influences international politics in so many ways and on so many levels is detrimental and should be addressed (Fox, 2001:73). Religion influences international politics in varied ways. The phenomenal role of religion in foreign policy is not new or in dispute. Fox purports that religion, in more ways than one, is tied to other issues that distinctly influence international politics. There is a link between religion and nationalism, totalitarianism, political regimes, political opinions and attitudes, ethnicity, issues of identity, the process of globalization, terrorism, political culture, attitude towards war and peace, and the politics of specific states (Fox, 2001:72). We can best understand the role of religion in foreign policy by examining the influence that religious beliefs and views have on the decision making process. Moreover, is the religious foundation of a country the guiding light in that country's foreign policy? One is cognizant of the argument made by some that religion's contribution to international
In an essay of not more than 1200 words, discuss the claim that the most compelling reason for studying religion today is to reach a better understanding of contemporary society.
In an essay of not more than 1200 words, discuss the claim that the most compelling reason for studying religion today is to reach a better understanding of contemporary society. For me, the word 'religion' conjures up images of wailing fat ladies dressed in their Sunday best singing at the top of their lungs about the glory of God. Of course, this image comes from my childhood when I attended the New Testament Church of God in Jamaica every Sunday, rain or shine, with my grandmother. For her, Church, Christianity and God was a way of life; a set of principles she believed in and lived by. For others less convinced, the idea of religion or 'being religious' is as far fetched as aliens and UFO's. Throughout the centuries, religion has played an important part in shaping the political landscape of most modern societies and one reason for studying religion is to understand how and why certain societies developed in the way they did. The church - used here in generic terms - was often married to the way in which rulers administered laws and punishments. Often some used the church to swindle people out of their wealth and to gain their allegiance through fear. While other rulers such as Henry viii manipulated the religious order of the day by breaking away from the Catholic Church and forming a new Church of England so he could marry his mistress. For most, Islam is a way
Why is Religious Fundamentalism spreading so far as of 2004?
Joe Levy Politics Homework Why is Religious Fundamentalism spreading so far as of 2004? Religion no longer plays a leading part in the lives of most of the inhabitants of the industrialized west. We can define religious fundamentalism by looking at Professor Scruton, who identifies two components to religion. The first is belief in spiritual, non corporeal beings who may have created the universe and the living beings which inhabit it, and have the power to intervene in the affairs of the world, for good or bad, and to hand out rewards or punishments to mortals after they die; these rewards or punishments may include being sent to a Heaven or Hell or whatever that particular faith's equivalent may be, or being reincarnated into this world with higher or lower status. The second is piety, which means belief that such beings are morally superior to mortals, have set out codes of conduct for humans to follow, and that one must abide by these codes in order to lead a good life in this existence and be rewarded in the afterlife; piety, therefore, covers obligations that are not covered by contracts or any kind of secular law - it means abiding by the laws of God, or the Gods, rather than the laws of man. Fundamentalism places piety at the heart of politics. In terms of religion, it demands that any religion should abide by the fundamental doctrine out of which it has grown,
Explain briefly Ninian Smart's seven dimensional model of religion. Do you think that Smart's model solves the problems that arise when attempting to define religion Do you think that Smart's model soleves the problems that arise when attempting to defin
Explain briefly Ninian Smart's seven dimensional model of religion. Do you think that Smart's model solves the problems that arise when attempting to define religion? For centuries Scholars have struggled to come up with a neatly defined term for what constitutes a religion. Many scholar definitions are either substantive or functional. Substantive definitions distinguish religion by common beliefs and practices such as (rituals, prayer or belief in one god). Substantive definitions tend to be too narrow and prejudiced; it would be difficult to consider Buddhism, which is atheistic, as a religion under this definition. Functional definitions tend to distinguish a religion by the needs it fulfils, (peace, comfort, security), the problem with functional definitions is they tend to be to flexible and vague to be considered as definite solutions to what exactly makes a religion "a religion" since there is no clear boundary to where a religion ends and something else such as a political movement or cult begins. Recent scholars have attempted to emphasize the broad nature of religion rather than define it within a narrow framework. One of the best known of these attempts is the seven dimensional model proposed by Ninian Smart, who suggested we approach each religion by looking at it under a number of different dimensions. These are: The practical & ritual dimension Smart
Religion in the Media :Analyse and explain the way a religious/moral issue has been dealt with in a TV soap opera or national press
Aii: Analyse and explain the way a religious/moral issue has been dealt with in a TV soap opera or national press I've chosen to write about an episode of the TV soap Eastenders which was aired on BBC1 on Thursday the 7th of September 2000. The moral issue dealt with is euthanasia. Ethel and Dot have been friends for most of their lives, and are very close. Ethel is terminally ill and asks Dot to help her die before she becomes unable to help herself. She knows she's going to lose the use of her body and eventually will become completely dependent on other people's care, and wishes to die before that happens. The setting of the scene in which Ethel asks Dot to help her die is key to how Eastenders chose to portray the situation. The scene is set in a small, cramped room with Ethel in a bed. The bed which Ethel is in is quite central in the room, which draws the attention of the viewers to her Dot is the perfect person for Ethel to ask for help. She's extremely religious, whereas Ethel is not. By asking Dot for help, the BBC can show the two sides to the dispute over euthanasia and if it is right or not. They can do this because Dot strongly believes that God created life and therefore only he can take it away, but Ethel doesn't believe in God and so says that it is her choice whether she lives or dies. There's a strong contrast of opinions, which represents society's