CHAPTER 1

The contribution of
religion to society
Religion can make a profound contribution
to how we understand ourselves as human
beings. It can also contribute to culture, the
arts, to other people and our views of the
world generally. Religions discuss the basic
questions of life and may address the issue
of a supreme being, or an ultimate cause and
reason for life.
Religious beliefs can help us answer such
questions as, Who am I?, Why do evil
and suffering exist? and Is there life after
death? Answers to these questions can offer
comfort, a sense of belonging, meaning
and community, and can contribute to the
mental health of a society. Religion can also
confront, challenge and stimulate change in
a society, especially in the face of a social or
political injustice.
Religions can also encourage extreme
violence when their believers become
convinced that their world view is being
challenged.

17

/ T H E N AT U R E O F R E L I G I O N

DID YOU KNOW?

The Quakers (or Religious

Society of Friends) were
established in the 1640s to be an
ardently peace-loving religious
group. Quakers worship by quiet
sitting and they are very concerned
about social justice issues. Refusing
to go to war, many Quakers died on
battleelds serving as ambulance
drivers and medics caring for the
wounded. Their concern for the
horrors of the twentieth century led
them to campaign to save Jewish
Germans from Nazi Germany. For
their amazing efforts, two relief
organisations represented by the
religion were awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1947.

INVESTIGATE lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Do religious organisations tend towards
political engagement or not? What do
you think were Christian responses to
Australian engagement in war? (This will
be an issue that emerged in Australias
history during the twentieth century.)

Figure 1.9
Quakers meet for
worship

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Is there a supreme being?

Does God exist?
Many thinkers have tried to argue that God
or gods and spirits do exist. An eighteenthcentury theologian named Paley gave this
argument: if you found a watch on the
road, you would look at it and assume that
someone must have made it. The world
is far more complicated than a watch, so
it must have been made by some kind of

sentient being. Evolutionary theory, most

clearly developed by Charles Darwin in his
book of 1859 On The Origin of Species argues
that the world and all its complex lifeforms
developed by natural processes. There are
some religious people today who feel that
Darwins scientic theory is wrong. They
are called Creationists because they believe
that the Book of Genesis is literally true
and the world was created by God in six
days only a few thousand years ago. Many
Westerners think that Genesis is a beautiful

ISBN: 9780521279505
Hartney & Noble 2011
Cambridge University Press
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.

18

CAMBRIDGE STUDIES OF RELIGION

DID YOU KNOW?

To counter scientic theories

of evolution, a number of
radical Christian groups in the United
States have established Creationist
Museums to try to demonstrate that
the world really was created by God
in six days.

Agnostic Person
who believes that
it is impossible to
know whether God,
gods or spirits exist
Atheism Doctrine
that there is no
evidence for the
existence of God;
that gods and
spirits do not exist;
from the Greek a
(against/no) and
(theos) god; an
atheist is a person
who holds that
view
Omnipotent All
powerful
Doctrine A body
of teachings that
form the basis of a
belief system

metaphor and that Darwin was right. This

doesnt mean these people are not religious.
They may see their god differently from the
Creationists, and feel that the biblical stories
were recorded for a different purpose than
to provide an exact explanation for the state
of the worlds origins.
The existence of a supreme being is
ultimately a matter of faith, intuition and
emotion, and is something believers say
they know in their hearts. Agnostics have
no rm belief either way. Atheists do not
believe in gods or spirits.
In India, China, Japan and South-East
Asia the cosmos is believed to have always
existed. There are some stories about creator
gods, but these gods created worlds out
of things that already existed in different
forms, and they are minor gods. Buddhists
revere Buddha not as the creator of the
universe but as a very wise teacher who
became enlightened to an inner wisdom.
Hindus worship their gods because they
help create, destroy and re-create the
universe, helping the souls of believers
become better along the way.

SECOND EDITION

suffering are explained through humankinds

free will. They could also be explained by
the presence of the devil or Satan. Satan
torments people in the hope that they will
turn away from goodness. He is a force
who works against God, monotheists say;
however, different monotheists take Satan
more or less literally. This satanic argument
for the existence of evil is problematic
because God is supposed to be omnipotent,
and should therefore have the power to
destroy Satan. This is counterpoised by
the principle of free will meaning that
humans ultimately choose for themselves
the directions of their own lives, and this
can lead them into pain.

Is there life after death?

Just as some people are eager to prove
the existence of God, so too they try to
prove there is life after death. Most of
the major religions seem to agree on this
point. In Hinduism there is a doctrine of
reincarnation that a soul exits the body
after death and returns into a new body just
before it is reborn. The good or bad that a
person does in their life leads to an easier or
more difcult new life. The Chinese believe
that when a parent dies it is the duty of the
son or daughter to venerate the ancestor
by placing food and other offerings on
the family altar. When Buddhism arrived
in China, the doctrine of rebirth became
very important. Rather than cancelling out
ancestor worship, the doctrine of ancestor
worship and reincarnation fused into a
complicated idea of what happens to the
soul after death for the Chinese.

Why do evil, pain and

suffering exist?
Buddhists reply, Because you desire to
be in the world too much. Buddhism is
a system that helps you to see that your
desires, emotions and reactions to things
happening around you do not need to exist.
In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, pain and

Dynamic living religions:

change versus tradition
One of the tasks of the great world religions
we will be examining is how they deal with
death both our own death and the deaths

ISBN: 9780521279505
Hartney & Noble 2011
Cambridge University Press
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.

CHAPTER 1

of those we love. Religious belief can offer a

community great comfort in a cosmos that
seems vast and uncaring. The comfort and
security of a religion is nevertheless subject
to time and change. Religion represents
tradition and constancy, but if it is too
constant, too rigid, it may become irrelevant
to people. This is what makes the study
of religion so exciting: examining how a
religion can offer stability and certainty and
how it reacts to the challenge of an everchanging world.

/ T H E N AT U R E O F R E L I G I O N

INVESTIGATE lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Can you think of a time when religion
offered comfort and stability at a time
of change or threat? Can you think of
another example where religion sought to
bring signicant change and challenged
societys views?

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
EXERCISE 1.5
1 Construct one question that
religions may seek to answer.
2 Recall, based on your knowledge
at this time, whether all religions
believe in the concept of God.
3 Predict whether all religions
suggest there is life after death.

ACTIVITY 1.5
1 Choose one of the big questions
of life such as, Why are we here?
Investigate the answer given by
one of the religious traditions. Does

the answer given by that religious

tradition satisfy you? Why or why
not?
2 John Miltons Paradise Lost,
published in 1667, is considered
a classic discussion of evil.
Investigate it on the internet and
discuss whether it contributes to
your understanding of good and
evil.
3 Construct an outline for a talk on
the following subject: Religion has
made a great contribution to the
lives of individuals as well as the
community.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Australian Aboriginal
beliefs and spiritualities
the Dreaming
The second part of the Nature of Religion
syllabus refers students to an Australian
example of a belief system that encompasses
many of the aspects of religion discussed
above. As an essentially animistic religion,
Aboriginal spirituality reects the essential
characteristics of religions. Having said
that, Aboriginal spiritualities are not
simple but are complex areas of belief

19

and practices that only those who are

initiated into their complexities can fully
understand. Nevertheless, the Dreaming
is an appropriate subject to study to try to
obtain a deeper understanding of the nature
of religion.

The nature of the Dreaming

The Indigenous Australian world view
is a distinctive religious system. Theirs
is a religion very strongly linked to the
land; the land remains alive with religious

ISBN: 9780521279505
Hartney & Noble 2011
Cambridge University Press
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.

Cosmos The
universe viewed as
an ordered system

FIG. 1.11 Religion gives the individual an identity as a believer

within a religious tradition and a keen sense of belonging.

The contribution of religion

Contribution to individuals
Religion offers an individual answers to lifes
profound questions. It explains the creation of
the universe, human nature and lifes purpose. It
also gives the individual an identity as a believer
within a religious tradition. This identity gives the
individual a keen sense of belonging. This helps the
person understand what it is to be human and what
are the rightful relationships expected of him or her
with others and with nature.
Religion also offers an individual a system
of ethics that will guide the person in behaving
appropriately. It advises individuals on how they are
to treat themselves, others and the environment. It
helps individuals address current and challenging
ethical issues that may be too complex and difficult
for them to decide.
Religion also gives to individuals ways by which
they can celebrate significant events and times in
their lives. These rituals proclaim to the community
of believers that a person has grown and developed
in his or her faith and can now accept greater duties
and responsibilities within the community.
Most importantly, religion offers individuals a
way of perfection, that is, it instructs them on what
is required to become more true to themselves as
people of faith and to move closer to achieving the

14

goal of their religious tradition. Religious traditions

present role models, guidance and direction for
individuals to develop their understanding of their
faith and how to become better people. Religion also
presents to individuals ways of achieving inner peace
through prayer, reflection and meditation.
Religion also places individuals in a long tradition
of belief and practice. This heritage gives reassurance
to them of the validity of the tradition since it has
been an appropriate means of living for thousands
of years. It also places individuals within a specific
cultural context of that religious tradition, which
defines the particular customs and practices that they
will observe throughout their lives.
Religion may also help individuals define their
attitudes and ideas. It may reinforce stereotypes
of race, gender and sexuality. It may determine
a persons response to other religious traditions
or different sects and churches within a religious
tradition. It may make individuals resistant towards
modern developments of science and technology.

activity
Create two columns headed Contribution to individual
and Examples. In the rst column list in dot point form
the contribution made by religions to the individual, and
in the second column give examples.

Oxford Studies of Religion

01_KIN_OSR_NatRe.indd

14

11/9/09

8:42:14 AM

Contribution to society and culture

Humans have survived and developed because of their capacity to
make sense of the world around them and to use various materials
to improve their life. They have used their reason to create meaning
and order. Religion has been one such system by which humans have
made sense of their place within the universe and what it is they need
to do in order to survive both here and after death. Though there are
aspects of religion that have not been an accurate understanding of
the workings of the material world, it is undeniable that religion has
contributed greatly to the survival and development of humankind.
Human society rests on the essential basis of maintaining order
and well-being for most members of that society. It also depends on
the safety and security of its members, the ability to feed and house
people, and the ability to hand on the knowledge and skills of one
generation to the next. In other words, society needs peace in order
to survive.
Religion has played a significant role in maintaining this peace.
Through its principal teachings that acknowledge the ultimate
responsibility of individuals towards a divine being and their
minimal obligations and duties towards their neighbour, religion
has instructed generations on the means of preserving peace and
harmony. Without doubt, religions have at times created hostilities
and wars, but the underlying motivation of authentic religions is to
recognise the fundamental goodness of a common humanity and a
common destiny.
In many cases a societys laws are based on the ethical systems
of a religious tradition (for example, the Westminster system of law
and government, or the laws and government of Islamic nations).
Furthermore, social welfare (helping those less fortunate than others)
is a basic yet constant practice within religious traditions. Throughout
most of history it has been religious institutes that have developed
hospitals, orphanages and care for the stranger.
Religions have seen the importance of education for their young
and the need to develop higher forms of learning for the educated
(for example, the great universities throughout Europe, the Islamic
world, India and in Buddhist Asia). It is through these institutes that
the sciences and medical knowledge have been either preserved or
developed. They have encouraged the higher skills of philosophy,
cosmology and theology, and developed the precision of logical
argument and clarity of thought.
The roles and positions of people within a society have also been
largely the result of religious teaching. The place of women, the
definitions of childhood and the separation of officials and laity have
all been determined by religious traditions.
Humans, however, have not simply created sustainable societies.
They have created cultures that display the creative and artistic
dimensions of the human.
Religious traditions have been great patrons of the arts. They have
been responsible for most of the worlds wonders of architecture and
grandeur such as Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, Chartres Cathedral
and Borobudur.

FIG. 1.12 The practice of taking an oath

on the Bible in court reflects the Christian
traditions that inform many Western legal
systyems.

FIG. 1.13 Angkor Wat, in Cambodia, is

a Hindu temple complex famous for its
beautiful architecture.

Prelim | Chapter 1 The nature of religion

01_KIN_OSR_NatRe.indd

15

15

11/9/09

8:42:18 AM

Religions have also dictated the appropriate diet

and dress for people. They have defined the weekly
and yearly calendar.
Religious institutes have also sponsored artists to
decorate their sacred spaces, to compose music of
the highest quality, and to decorate the interiors of
churches, mosques, synagogues and temples with
graceful design and ornament. These have been
recognised as masterpieces by both religious and
non-religious peoples.
Since religious traditions wish to preserve
what they believe to be the truth, religions
have on occasion prevented the advancement
of knowledge and understanding, particularly
in science and medicine (for example, the
rejection of the Copernican revolution by some
within the Christian tradition and more recently
the rejection of the theory of evolution). The
past misunderstandings and errors of religions
came about through a lack of access to modern
technology and science. They cannot be
condemned on this basis, for they were only
using what was available to them at that time.

Rather, religions have been an essential part of

society and culture. What cannot be dismissed is the
fact that religions have given comfort, hope and joy
to humans throughout history. They have taught
that humans are more than what is understood
and explained by science. They have insisted that
humans are beings capable of great acts of goodness
and creativity. They have consistently taught that
humans are created by the divine as beings with free
will and reason who are destined for happiness.

activities
1. Give examples of how religion has played an
important role in:
architecture
law
art
meaning and order in human life.
2. Divide the class into two groups. Create a debate
based on the following statement: Human
society is possible only with the contribution
from religion.

FIG. 1.14 Arabic calligraphy in a mosque. Mosques are decorated with

beautiful ceramic tiles. They also reinforce the messages of the Quran.

16

Oxford Studies of Religion

01_KIN_OSR_NatRe.indd

16

11/9/09

8:42:21 AM