WENDELL G. WISCO
Abstract
This paper delves into the purpose of government through the philosophies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes and the realities of the Philippine Government. Rousseau espouses that by joining together into civil society through the social contract and abandoning their claims of natural rights, individuals can both preserve themselves and remain free. This is because submission to the authority of the general will of the people as a whole guarantees individuals against being subordinated to the wills of others and also ensures that they obey themselves because they are, collectively, the authors of the law. On the other hand, Hobbes believes that the best we can hope for is peaceful life under an authoritarian-sounding sovereign. A “sovereign” authority that is totally unaccountable to its subjects.
Keywords: religion, morality, human life
Introduction
Rousseau claimed that the state of nature was a primitive condition without law or morality, which human beings left for the benefits and necessity of cooperation. As society developed, division of labor and private property required the human race to adopt institutions of law. In the degenerate phase of society, man is prone to be in frequent competition with his fellow men while also becoming increasingly dependent on them. This double pressure threatens both his survival and his freedom
By joining together into civil society through the social contract and abandoning their claims of natural rights, individuals can both preserve themselves and remain free. This is because submission to the authority of the general will of the people as a whole guarantees individuals against being subordinated to the wills of others and also ensures that they obey themselves because they are, collectively, the authors of the law. Although Rousseau argues that sovereignty (or the power to make the laws) should be in the hands of the people, he also makes a sharp distinction between the sovereign and the government(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau) Hobbes characterized men as equal; in the faculties of mind and body; in achieving goals; and in the exercise of man’s natural right to self-preservation (http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/hobbes/themes).
Societies according to Hobbes are created by men from their conscious desire to become part of a society. For Hobbes, Man is not naturally sociable; otherwise, men will not enter into an agreement to get out of the so-called “state of nature” which was explained by Hobbes in “Social Contract Theory”. Reason is distinctive to men in general as pointed out by Hobbes. Further, he opposed man being God seekers as envisioned by Christian philosophers. Man according to Hobbes is a power seeker that supports the Machiavellian theory that man is a creature ruled by self-interest.
The political theory of Hobbes can be viewed as a theory of human nature. Hobbes stressed that the equality of men in capacities, desires, and goals, and in the exercise of his natural right to self-preservation can lead to conflict. Since man by nature is in endless pursuit of power to protect himself, man is bound to dominate other man. As a consequence, this may lead to a condition of war because man as a rational being could reason that the only way to dominate other man is when he ceases to desire power. However, the same reason would create the realization that man to preserve his life should get out in the condition of war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_nature).
The Government of the Philippines, also known as the Philippine National Government is the national government of the unitary state of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a presidential, representative, and democratic republic where the President of the Philippines is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system. The government has three interdependent branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. The powers of the branches are vested by the Constitution of the Philippines in the following: Legislative power is vested in the two-chamber Congress of the Philippines—the Senate is the upper chamber and the House of Representatives is the lower chamber. Executive power is exercised by the government under the leadership of the President. Judicial power is vested in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_thePhilippiness).
Religion
Religion has always been with us. Throughout history, it has expressed the deepest questions human beings can ask, and it has taken a central place in the lives of virtually all civilizations and cultures. As we think all the way back to the dawn of human consciousness, we find religion everywhere we turn.
For us to understand, religion is the set of beliefs and practices that define the relations between human beings and sacred or divinity. A given religion is defined by specific elements of a community of believers: dogmas, sacred books, rites, worship, sacrament, moral prescription, interdicts, and organization. The majority of religions have developed starting from a revelation based on the exemplary history of a nation, of a prophet or a wise man who taught an ideal of life. A religion may be defined by its three great characteristics: beliefs and religious practices; the religious feeling i.e. faith; and, unity in a community of those who share the same faith: the church. http://atheisme.free.fr/Religion/What-is-religion-3.htm
According to many theorists, religion is the primary expression of humanity's need for purpose and meaning. On the one hand, religion is the search itself. From deep within religious traditions come difficult challenges, profound questions, and seemingly unanswerable paradoxes. If religious people choose to take up the path, religion pushes them to confront the most pressing difficulties of existence—and urges that they confront them with courage. Quite often, however, religion also finds a way of settling matters. The deepest questions of life and death, love and sex, authority and freedom, or duty and fulfillment cannot be solved like algebra problems, but religion does have the power to create a kind of resolution. It indicates that questioning is itself meaningful and it also marks off particular stories and practices that give some answers. To this extent, religious traditions challenge, but they also offer security and direction.http://www.studyreligion.org/why/
Religion can be distilled as any belief system that rests explicitly on faith, but if you asked ten theologians what "religion" is, you would get 12 different answers. That is because religion is a complex subject and "religion" is only a word. Like all words, it can mean anything we want it to mean, but in a discussion, we must understand how the word is used. Philosophy or religion is concerned not with information about God or various religious systems of belief, but with why we should be concerned with such things, if and how we can know about them, and how people think about them. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_Religion/What_is_religion%3F
In our day and age, it seems all too easy to lose a sense of belonging, to unravel the ties that bind, and to find oneself utterly different and alone. Religion has traditionally been a powerful force for preserving a sense of community, counteracting the tensions that can easily pull people apart. The word itself is most likely derived from the Latin root religare, to "re-tie" or "re-connect." Most of us have had an experience of "collective effervescence," a powerful feeling of shared energy and identity among a group of people. When religious practitioners gather together for a ritual, they are often energized and motivated by this feeling, which they then carry beyond the ritual and into their daily lives. Because they feel bound to each other (and perhaps even to all of humanity), their shared feeling of community fuels their actions in the world at large. It follows that religion offers a sense of knowing one's place in others (one's duties, obligations, and goals) on a broad and sometimes universal scale.http://www.studyreligion.org/why
The purpose of the study of religion is not to produce religious states of mind. And yet studying religion allows access to concepts that almost inevitably lead to the intellectual parallel to James' "oceanic feeling." For example, reflecting on concepts of divinity—the multitude of gods in the Hindu tradition, the revealed God of Christianity, the gods of the earth in indigenous traditions, and so many other forms—is one of the deepest and most remarkable forms of academic inquiry. Other concepts and traditions open onto a similar depth: the seemingly infinite "hyper-text" of Jewish and Hindu scripture, or the Buddhist concepts of nirvana, or emptiness, to name just a few. The study of religion brings to the forefront ideas that are outside of normal expectations and everyday concerns. Intellectually, they open a great, sometimes overwhelming beyond.http://www.studyreligion.org/why
Religion is just as much about doing as it is about believing, feeling, or thinking. Religious rituals are not just window dressing for the core beliefs of a religious tradition; ritual practices form identity and sustain tradition. Some would even suggest that religious ideas, beliefs, and faith would have no energy without ritual.However, the examination of ritual is not limited to the precincts of a church, temple, or holy place. Even for the most secular among us, life is guided by rituals. Everyday activities guided by rules and conventions seem to offer us both practical results and a sense of meaning and structure. For the religious person, there seems to be a deep connection between religious practice and the way life is lived. .http://www.studyreligion.org/why/
Religious people often turn to the written and solemnly spoken word to commune with what they consider to be most important in life. But another side of religion consistently appears: striking artistic objects and grand performances that engage all of the senses. Because quiet reading and solemn speech cannot always convey the deepest truths, religious traditions have evoked some of the most astounding products of the human imagination to present them more vividly.
Religion provides mental peace. Human life is uncertain. He struggles for his survival amidst
the uncertainties, insecurities, and dangers, Some-times he feels helpless.
It is the religion that consoles and encourages him in all such times of
crisis. Religion gives the right shelter to him. He gets mental peace and emotional
support. It encourages him to face his life and problems. It inculcates social virtues. Religion
promotes the major social virtues like truth, honesty, non-violence, service,
love, discipline, etc. A follower of
religion internalizes these virtues and becomes a disciplined citizen of society.
Religion promotes social solidarity. Religion gives rise to the spirit of brotherhood. Religion strengthens social solidarity and religion has the supreme integration and verifying force in
human society. It is true that common belief, common sentiment, common worship,
participation in common rituals, etc. These are the significant cementing factors
that strengthen unity and solidarity. http://www.preservearticles.com/201104296054/10-most-important-functions-of-religion.html
Religion converts animal qualities to human qualities. Religion inculcates the spirit of self-service. It demands that people should be charitable and benevolent. Through various religious experiences, he forgets the worldly life and problems. This experience suppresses the animal's desires and converts the animal qualities of man to human qualities. Religion is an agent of socialization and social control. Parsons viewed religion is one of the most important agents of socialization and social control. It has a significant role in organizing and directing social life. It helps in preserving social norms and strengthening social control. It socializes him individually and exercises control over both individuals and groups in various ways. As an informal means, religion regulates the activities of people in its own way. Organizations like temples, mosques, and churches also control the behavior of individuals at different levels. http://www.preservearticles.com/201104296054/10-most-important-functions-of-religion.html
Religion promotes welfare. Religion teaches the people to serve the masses and promote their welfare. It gives the message that "the service to humanity is service to God". For this reason, people spend money to feed the poor and needy. Great religions like Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity puts emphasis on alm-giving to the poor and beggars. It develops the philanthropic attitude of the people and thereby injects the idea of mutual help and cooperation. With the influence of religious belief, different religious organizations engage themselves in various welfare activities. Religion gives recreation. Religion plays a charming role in providing recreation to the people. Religious rites and festivals are more or less performed in every religion which gives relief to the people from mental exertion. Similarly, religious lectures, bhajans, kirtans, musical concerts followed by the utterance of hymn, etc., give much more pleasure to the people and provide eternal recreation. Religion also is an effective means to strengthen self-confidence. http://www.preservearticles.com/201104296054/10-most-important-functions-of-religion.html
Morality
Morality seems to be easy to understand but most people are bewildered about what really is morality and how it helps us have a positive disposition in life. So what then is morality? The simplest answer is that morality is the human attempt to define what is right and wrong about our actions and thoughts, and what is good and bad about us.
Further, morality is the rule of right conduct concerning matters of greater importance than the rules of etiquette. Violations of such can bring disturbance to individual conscience and social sanctions as well as changes in personal relationships. http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/CISESHV_TEXT/Chapter-3-Ethics/ch-3-Basis-for-Morality.html
We must begin with a foundation upon which to build our understanding of morality, so let's begin with defining what is meant by 'good.' After all, that seems to be the focal point of understanding morality; understanding what it means to be good. http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/what-is-morality-definition-principles-examples.html
The most basic principle of the Christian moral life is the awareness that every person bears the dignity of being made in the image of God. He has given us an immortal soul and through the gifts of intelligence and reason, it enables us to understand the order of things established in his creation. God has also given us free will to seek and love what is true, good, and beautiful. Sadly, we also suffer the impact of Original Sin, which darkens our minds, weakens our wills, and inclines us to sin. Baptism delivers us from Original Sin but not from its effects—especially the inclination to sin, and concupiscence. Within us, then, is both the powerful surge toward the good because we are made in the image of God, and the darker impulses toward evil because of the effects of Original Sin
But we should always remember that Christ's dying and rising offers us new life in the Spirit, whose saving grace delivers us from sin and heals sin's damage within us. Thus we speak of the value, dignity, and goal of human life, even with its imperfections and struggles. Human life, as a profound unity of physical and spiritual dimensions, is sacred. It is distinct from all other forms of life, since it alone is imprinted with the very image of its Creator.
Another important foundation of Christian morality is the understanding of moral acts. Every moral act consists of three elements: the objective act (what we do), the subjective goal or intention (why we do the act), and the concrete situation or circumstances in which we perform the act (where, when, how, with whom, the consequences, etc.)
For an individual act to be morally good, the object, or what we are doing, must be objectively good. Some acts, apart from the intention or reason for doing them, are always wrong because they go against a fundamental or basic human good that should never be compromised. Direct killing of the innocent, torture, and rape are examples of acts that are always wrong. Such acts are referred to as intrinsically evil acts, meaning that they are wrong in themselves, apart from the reason they are done or the circumstances surrounding them.
The goal, end, or intention is the part of the moral act that lies within the person. For this reason, we say that the intention is the subjective element of the moral act. For an act to be morally good, one's intention must be good. If we are motivated to do something by a bad intention—even something that is objectively good—our action is morally evil. It must also be recognized that a good intention cannot make a bad action (something intrinsically evil) good. We can never do something wrong or evil to bring about good.
The Christian moral life seeks to cultivate and practice virtue. A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts but to give the best of him. An effective moral life demands the practice of both human and theological virtues.
Human virtues form the soul with the habits of mind and will that support moral behavior, control passions, and avoid sin. Virtues guide our conduct according to the dictates of faith and reason, leading us toward freedom based on self-control and toward joy in living a good moral life. Compassion, responsibility, a sense of duty, self-discipline and restraint, honesty, loyalty, friendship, courage, and persistence are examples of desirable virtues for sustaining a moral life.
Advocates of Christian morality can sometimes lapse into a legalism that leads to unproductive moralizing. There is no doubt that love has to be the essential foundation of a moral life. But just as essential in this earthly realm are rules and laws that show how love may be applied in real life. In heaven, love alone will suffice. In this world, we need moral guidance from the Commandments, the Precepts of the Church, and other rules to see how love works
Love alone, set adrift from moral direction, can easily descend into sentimentality that puts us at the mercy of our feelings. Popular entertainment romanticizes love and tends to omit the difficult demands of the moral order. In our permissive culture, love is sometimes so romanticized that it is separated from sacrifice. Because of this, tough moral choices cannot be faced. The absence of sacrificial love dooms the possibility of an authentic moral life.
Scripturally and theologically, the Christian moral life begins with a loving relationship with God, a covenant love made possible by the sacrifice of Christ. The Commandments and other moral rules are given to us as ways of protecting the values that foster the love of God and others. They provide us with ways to express love, sometimes by forbidding whatever contradicts love.
The moral life requires grace. The catechism speaks of this in terms of life in Christ and the inner presence of the Holy Spirit, actively enlightening our moral compass and supplying the spiritual strength to do the right thing. The grace that comes to us from Christ in the Spirit is as essential as love and rules and, in fact, makes love and keeping the rules possible. http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/morality/
The Natural Law tradition holds that all rational persons know what kinds of actions morality prohibits, requires, discourages, encourages, and allows. They also hold that reason endorses acting morally. Even religious thinkers in this tradition, such as Aquinas, hold that morality is known to all of those whose behavior is subject to moral judgment, even if they do not know of the revelations of Christianity. Aquinas holds that knowing what morality prohibits and requires does not involve knowing why morality prohibits and requires what it does. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/morality-definition/
The Relation of Morality to Religion
The relation of morality to religion has been a subject of keen debate during the past century. In much recent ethical philosophy, it is strenuously maintained that right moral action is altogether independent of religion.
The church has ever affirmed that the two areessentially connected, and that apart from religion the observance of the moral law is impossible. This, indeed, follows as a necessary consequence of the Church's teaching as to the nature of morality. The church admits that the moral law is knowable to reason: for the due regulation of our free actions, in which morality consists, is simply their right ordering with a view to the perfecting of our rational nature. But the church insists that the law has its ultimate obligation in the will of the Creator by whom our nature was fashioned, and who imposes on us it's right ordering as a duty; and that its ultimate sanction is the loss of God which its violation must entail. Further, among the duties which the moral law prescribes are some which are directly concerned with God Himself, and as such are of supreme importance. Where morality is divorced from religion, reason will, it is true, enable a man to recognize to a large extent the ideal to which his nature points. But much will be wanting. He will disregard some of his most essential duties. He will, further, be destitute of the strong motives for obedience to the law afforded by the sense of obligation to God and the knowledge of the tremendous sanction attached to its neglect — motives which experience has proved to be necessary as a safeguard against the influence of the passions. And, finally, his actions even if in accordance with the moral law, will be based not on the obligation imposed by the Divine will, but on considerations of human dignity and on the good of human society.
Such motives, however, cannot present themselves as, strictly speaking, obligatory. But where the motive of obligations wanting, acting lacks an element essential to true morality. Moreover, in this connection, the Church insists upon the doctrine of original sin. She teaches that in our present state, there is a certain obscurity in reason's vision of the moral law, together with a morbid craving for independence impelling us to transgress it, and a lack of complete control over our passions; and that because of this inherited taint, man, unless supported by Divine aid, is unable to observe the moral law for any length of time. Newman has admirably described from the psychological point of view this weakness in our grasp of the moral law:
"The sense of right and wrong . . . is so delicate, so fitful, so easily puzzled, obscured, perverted, so subtle in its argumentative methods, so impressionable by education, so biassed by pride and passion, so unsteady in its course, that in the struggle for existence amid the various exercises and triumphs of the human intellect, the sense is at once the highest of all teachers yet the least luminous" (Newman, "Letter to the Duke of Norfolk", in the section on conscience).
In dealing with this subject, however, it is further necessary to take account of the historical argument. Various facts are adduced, which, it is alleged, show that morality is, in point of fact, capable of dissociation from religion. It is urged (1) that the most primitive peoples do not connect their religious beliefs with such moral code as they possess; and (2) that even where the moral consciousness and the religious system have reached a high degree of development, the spheres of religion and morality are sometimes regarded as separate. Thus the Greeks of classical times were in moral questions influenced rather by non-religious conceptions such as that of natural shame than by fear of the gods; while one great religious system, namely Buddhism, explicitly taught the entire independence of the moral code from any belief in God.
To these arguments, we reply, first: that the savages of today are not primitives, but degenerates. It is the merest superstition to suppose that these degraded races can enlighten us as to what were the beliefs of man in his primitive state. It is among civilized races, where man has developed normally, that we must seek knowledge as to what is natural to man. The evidence gathered from them is overwhelmingly in favor of the contention that human reason proclaims the essential dependence of morality on religious belief. Regarding the contrary instances alleged, it must be denied that the morality of the Greeks was unconnected with religion. Though they may not have realized that the laws prescribed by natural shame were derived from a divine command, they most certainly believed that their violation would be punished by the gods. As to Buddhist belief, a distinction must be drawn between the metaphysical teaching of the Buddha or of some of his disciples, and the practical interpretation of that teaching as expressed in the lives of the great mass of the adherents of the creed. It is only the Buddhist monks who have really followed the speculative teaching of their master on this point and have dissociated the moral law from belief in God. The mass of adherents never did so. Yet even the monks, while denying the existence of a personal God, were regarded as heretics any who disputed the existence of heaven and hell. Thus they too help to bear witness to the universal consensus that the moral law is based on supernatural sanctions.
We may, however, readily admit that where the religious conceptions and the moral code were alike immature and inadequate, the relation between them was less clearly grasped in thought, and less intimate in practice, than it became when man found himself in possession of a fuller truth regarding them. A Greek or a Buddhist community may have preserved a certain healthiness of moral tone even though the religious obligation of the moral law, was obscurely felt, while ancestral precept and civic obligation were viewed as the preponderating motives. A broad distinction must be made between such cases and that of those nations which having once accepted the Christian faith with its clear profession of the connection between moral obligation and a Divine law, have subsequently repudiated this belief in favor of a purely natural morality. There is no parity between "Fore-Christians" and "After-Christians". The evidence at our command seems to establish as certain that these latter can't return to the inadequate grounds of obligation which may sometimes suffice for nations still in the immaturity of their knowledge; and that for them the rejection of the religious sanction is invariably followed by a moral decay, leading rapidly to the corruptions of the most degraded periods of our history.
An unprejudiced observer can draw but one conclusion, namely: that for a nation that has attained maturity, morality is essentially dependent on the religious sanction and that when this is rejected, morality will soon decay.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10559a.htm
Within
the wide range of moral traditions, religious value systems co-exist with contemporary
secular frameworks such as consequentialism, freethought, humanism, utilitarianism, and others. There are many types of
religious value systems. Modern monotheistic religions, such as Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and to a certain degree others such
as Sikhism and Zoroastrianism, define right
and wrong by the laws and rules set forth by their respective scriptures and as
interpreted by religious leaders within the respective faith. Other religions
spanning pantheistic to nontheistic tend to be less absolute. For
example, within Buddhism, the intention of the individual and
the circumstances should be accounted for to determine if an action is right or
wrong.
Peggy Morgan, "Buddhism." In Morgan, Peggy; Lawton, Clive A., eds. (2007). Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions (Second ed.). Columbia University Press. pp. 61, 88–89. ISBN 978-0-7486-2330-3.
A
further disparity between the values of religious traditions is pointed out
by Barbara Stoler
Miller,
who states that, in Hinduism, "practically, right and wrong are decided
according to the categories of social rank, kinship, and stages of life. For
modern Westerners, who have been raised on ideals of universality and
egalitarianism, this relativity of values and obligations is the aspect of
Hinduism most difficult to understand".
David Hume, "The Natural History of Religion." In Hitchens, Christopher (2007).The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-306-81608-6
Religions
provide different ways of dealing with moral dilemmas. For example, there is no
absolute prohibition on killing in Hinduism, which recognizes that it "may
be inevitable and indeed necessary" in certain circumstances.
Werner Menski, "Hinduism." In Morgan, Peggy; Lawton, Clive A., eds. (2007).Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions (Second ed.). Columbia University Press.p. 5. ISBN 978-0-7486-2330-3.
In
monotheistic traditions, certain acts are viewed in more absolute terms, such
as abortion or divorce. Religion is not always positively
associated with morality. Philosopher David Hume stated that "the greatest
crimes have been found, in many instances, to be compatible with a
superstitious piety and devotion; Hence it is justly regarded as unsafe to draw
any inference in favor of a man's morals, from the fervor or strictness of his
religious exercises, even though he himself believe them sincere."
David Hume, "The Natural History of Religion." In Hitchens, Christopher (2007).The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-306-81608-6.
Religious
value systems can diverge from commonly held contemporary moral positions, such
as those on murder, mass atrocities, and slavery. For example, Simon
Blackburn states that "apologists for Hinduism defend or
explain away its involvement with the caste system, and apologists for Islam
defend or explain away its harsh penal code or its attitude to women and
infidels".
Blackburn, Simon (2001). Ethics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-19-280442-6.
Regarding Christianity, he states that the "Bible can be read as giving us a carte blanche for harsh attitudes to children, the mentally handicapped, animals, the environment, the divorced, unbelievers, people with various sexual habits, and elderly women", and notes morally suspect themes in the Bible's New Testament as well
The Role of Religion in Human Life
As far back in our history as we can go, humans have always maintained some semblance of religion or spirituality. Myths, superstitions, cults, and spiritual beliefs exist in every culture on every continent from every era of human history. These beliefs are as varied as the people who hold them, ranging from the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob followed by the adherents of three religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam the kami spirits of Shinto in Japan, to the devas and asuras of Hinduism common in India. With such diverse beliefs, it can be hard to see any commonality until one examines below the surface.
Systems of belief seek to answer a string of common questions. Who are we? What is this world? Where do we go when we die? These systems also seek (or seek) to answer questions about the natural world humanity inhabits. The explanation of the creation of the world (cosmogenesis), natural phenomena like thunder, lightning, and earthquakes, and where animals fit into the whole picture are all aspects of religious and spiritual thought. http://www.ulc.org/2011/03/the-importance-of-religion-for-humanity/
Religion is an all-round movement in the light of faith in God and a sense of responsibility for the formation of thought and belief, for the promotion of high principles of human morality for the establishment of good relations among members of society, and the elimination of undue discrimination. Given this, our need for religion and religious teachings is absolutely clear.
Religion provides a sanction for the principles of morality like justice, honesty, righteousness, brotherhood, equality, virtuousness, tolerance, sacrifice, help to the needy, and other kindred virtues. These are the virtues without which, not only our life will lose its order and normalcy but it is very likely to be turned into chaos.
It is possible to acquire these moral and social qualities without the aid of religion. But certainly, in the absence of firm religious belief, these values appear to lose their meaning and become a series of mere unbinding recommendations, because in such a case they do not amount to more than a piece of advice from a close friend in respect of which we are at full liberty to accept or reject. These qualities are rather based on an internal feeling and faith and are naturally beyond the scope of ordinary law.
It is only faith in the existence of an Eternal Being, who knows man equally from within and without and who has full control over him, that cultivates these virtues within man and impels him to automatic righteousness and adherence to duty, and if need be, to make sacrifices for the sake of others.
Religion provides power for facing adversities and serves as a bulwark against undesirable reactions of despair and hopelessness. A religious man, with firm belief in God, and of His munificence, does not find himself in utter desperation even in the worst moments of his life, because he knows well that he is under the protection of a Being who is Almighty. With faith in the fact that every problem can be solved and every deadlock can be resolved with His help, he can overcome every disappointment and hopelessness. For this very reason, it very seldom happens that a truly religious man suffers from acute reactions of desperation like suicide, nervous breakdown, or psychic ailments which are products of frustration and defeatism.
Thus, religious faith is, on the one hand, a motivating force, and on the other, it is a factor that enables man to face hardships with courage and saves him from the ill effects of failure and disappointment.
Man cannot live in an ideological vacuum for long and as such his tendency towards a wrong ideology and false values becomes definite. His intellectual life is not filled with sound beliefs and healthy teachings. A superstitious and even destructive idea may find its way into his spiritual firmament and may forever pollute his brain. Instances of man's tendency towards idolatry, man worship, diverse superstitions, and credulity regarding the influence of irrational things over destiny, can be witnessed even in the lives of world intellectuals. All this originates from the spiritual vacuum. It is the religion that can fill the ideological and intellectual vacuum with sound teachings and can save one from a tendency towards absurdities and irrationalities.
Hence, true understanding of religion can play an important role in combating superstitions, though it is true that even religion itself, if not understood correctly, may promote superstitions
Religion with its firm and sound teachings can be an effective
factor in scientific progress because its foundation has been laid on the
solid bedrock of "freedom of will" and on the fact that everybody is
accountable for his own deeds. Faith in religion teaches that limitless
knowledge is the source of this cosmos, which is like a very grand book penned
by an erudite scholar. Every page of it, nay every line and every word of it,
contains a glaring truth which stimulates us to further study and contemplation. This
attitude towards the cosmos undoubtedly stimulates persistent thinking over the
mechanism of creation and consequently, helps in the advancement of science and
knowledge.
Religion strongly opposes discrimination based on color, race or class, because it regards all human beings as God's creatures and every country as God's country. According to it, all enjoy God's love and kindness equally and as such, all are equal.
Thus the role of religion in a world that has not yet been able even to solve the color problem, the question of class apart, is quite clear.
From a psychological point of view, this time-honored relationship between man and religion proves that religious feeling is one of the basic human instincts and natural elements of the human soul.
Some people think that religion restricts individual freedom and disallows the fulfillment of some desires, whereas, in fact, the aim of religious teaching is not at all to put an end to logical freedom. Its aim is only to stop the wastage of human energies and assets and to prevent their flow into improper and worthless channels.
This moral control is in keeping with the real spirit of freedom, for freedom means only that man should be able to take full advantage of the assets of existence to help in the evolution of the individual and society. It does not at all mean squandering God-given energies and indulging in immoderation and libertinism.
Religion supports every kind of freedom that carries man forward toward evolution in various fields. Only this is what freedom, in the real sense, means. Anything else is libertinism.
Our religion tells us that out of the new ideas, customs and usages, we should choose what is useful and worthy and should discard what is improper and wrong. We must not follow others blindly and must not adopt anything that is not compatible with human dignity and the spirit of independent thinking.http://www.al-islam.org/rationality-islam-ayatullah-sayyid-abulqasim-al-khui/religion-and-its-role-human-life
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CONCLUSION: |
Truly, religion is dedicated to the welfare of all and thus its scope is extensive. We should remember that all goodness that is linked to the welfare of all is religion. To absorb goodness is religion, today and in the future too. It was so in the past too.
I
believe that the founders of religious-community gave a new direction to human
lifestyle keeping in mind the immediate future and contemporary point of view.
They also made many eternal values a basis of direction out of which one
remained principal.
Certainly, directions by each religious community are different, even if their goal
eventually is the same. It is natural that out of many directions, some will be
suitable to some people and not to the rest it is not possible that a single
one be suitable for all. Thus what is not suitable for all, cannot bring welfare
to all. Such directions cannot be religion. Yes, it can be a religious community.
Thus, religion is superior to any religious community. This is what needs to be
understood.
I
cannot agree that human welfare was not the motive behind the establishment of religious communities by the establishers although their scope might be
limited. But, ironically, the followers of these religious communities diverged from the basic aim, feeling, or values and used them as a shield to exploit fellow human beings. Various inhuman deeds were perpetrated. They
even divided their own religious- communities into various sects and gave them
the name of 'religion'. You will find that the majority of religious communities have two or more sects. Is this following the feelings of the
establishers of religious communities? Not at all.
Religion
is much superior to religious-community. Religion is committed to the general
welfare. It was needed not only in the beginning periods of human beings but
today also it is needed. It was important not only during the beginning for
surety of existence and later in development but is important today also. It
urges unity and cooperation to build a conducive environment and to solve
day-to-day problems. Whoever has become familiar with its reality has
understood its meaning; and will always adopt a feeling of co-operation.
Not only this, but he will be dedicated to unity and he will not face day-to-day problems. This is how great the role of religion in human life is. If we want to be trouble-free, move towards real progress, and attain peace then we not only have to understand religion but accept its role in life too.http://www.worldsecuritynetwork.com/Religion-and-Politics-Other/Kumar-Dr.-Ravindra/Role-of-Religion-in-Human-Life
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