Religion

Religion


Religion has been around for as long as people have walked the earth and continues to thrive hundreds of thousands of years later. There have been thousands of religions throughout the years ranging from polytheistic to monotheistic and everything in between. These religions have shaped the lives of people all across the world and have literally formed the culture of almost every group of people.
Religion started thousands of years ago in an attempt to justify things that could not be explained at the time such as weather, the stars, death, destiny and countless others. When people were unable to explain something it made perfect sense to believe that the gods were praising or punishing the people on earth which explains why things would happen. Since then religion has transformed into explaining how you should live your life, books such as the Bible or Koran have distinguished a set of rules for all believers to follow in order to make it in to heaven or have an eternal life. These rules in turn have dictated how our society has developed and is run because they outline the only way a civilization or society can function together without turning into anarchy. The Ten Commandments say you must respect your peers by not stealing, murdering, cheating, and committing adultery to name a few. These of course are not only the standards everyone must obey to be a proper Christen, but the way everyone should live by if they want to live in a civilized society. It now seems that religion has turned into a backstage effort to be a good person because it is said to be the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of explaining the unexplainable and giving hope of an after life. People now follow religion because it has been ingrained in them since childhood and it is seen as the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of true faith.
Religion plays one of the biggest roles in where you live, how you live and who you associate with; a society is based off of the dominant religion in the region even if the population as a whole may not be overly religious. Here in America Christianity plays an incredibly large role in the way business is done as well as how people live their personal lives, even with religion being so dominant here in America, it is ten times that as you travel towards the eastern hemisphere. In the Middle East, Islamic and Muslim faiths literally determine the way that you live your daily life. Businesses shut down multiple times a day for prayer when almost the entire population plays facing Mecca, the holy city. This religion is so fixed in their daily lives that it is quite possible that many don’t believe in the religion at all, but take part purely because it is what the society dictates.
Religion has also been the largest cause of conflict since the beginning of time, almost every war ever fought has been linked to some kind of religion. Ever since people have joined together in religion there has been endless conflict, people feel it extremely important that they defend what they have been brought up to believe. There is thought that literally every war or battle ever fought has been because of some kind of religious conflict, even the war in Iraq has a lot of religious affiliation from the beginning. Since religion is so big in many parts of the world it is difficult for different cultures to understand and respect one another’s customs which usually leads to conflict.
Religion has also played a huge role in the literally works for thousands of years, many stories are derived from biblical tales and beliefs from thousands of years ago. Almost every story comes from some kind or religion, even if it is not one of the major religions that everyone knows. Smoke Signals tells the story of Thomas and Victor hitting the road in a quest not only to get Victors fathers remains, but a religious experience where Thomas is able to reinstate Victors love and respect for the reservation and the rest of the world by telling him mystical stories. Waking life also hits briefly on religion when a young man travels through his dreams meeting new people and discussing not only different aspects and beliefs of life but how we are to live our life. The film concentrates on dreaming and if we can control our dreams but as an underlying factor about different peoples beliefs. In the film you get to meet many different characters who give you their outlook on life and the things that make the world work. By watching these films and learning about everyday life I have realized that religion is not only the major six beliefs that control the world but the beliefs of individuals that control the way they live their life.
Religion has played a huge role in the way the world has been divided since the beginning of time. Different beliefs have led to segregation and conflict forever across the globe even though all religions are based primarily off of the same principles with a few changes in the way that they worship their gods. Basically every major religion runs off of the same principles of living your life the best you can by respecting your peers and yourself and attempting to reach a higher world. It is difficult to say if the beliefs of different religions are true or just there to comfort people into believing that there is a higher power looking out for them. Either way, religion, no matter how small, plays an intricate part of the world’s society as a whole and it is important to have some kind of belief to fall back on when things get difficult even if it’s as small as a dream.