POSITIVE

EFFECTS OF
RELIGION
 RELIGION PROMOTES SOCIAL HARMONY
Religion believes in supernatural
beings and powers. It practices a set of rituals
and ceremonious rites of passage and rites of
intensification. It also regards religious leaders
such as priests, priestesses and shamans in
high esteem. These characteristics help
advance social harmony by assimilating and
stabilizing cultures and nations. Religion
provides divine authority to ethical and moral
principles which also help promote unity
among people. Common participation in rituals
together with basic uniformity of beliefs helps
promote social cohesiveness.
RELIGION PROVIDES SOCIAL VALUES

It provides a systematic model

of the universe, which in effect
determines organized human
behavior. By providing moral values,
one is able to distinguish right from
wrong, good from evil. It also
provides a system of reward and
punishment that administers and
standardizes people’s behavior in
society. Some people believe that it
is sometimes more effective than the
laws implemented by the state, since
most people give more importance to
the reward and punishment in the
 RELIGION PROVIDES SOCIAL CHANGE

Since religion is a source

of moral values, religion
provides social change. It can
be very effective in lobbying
and campaigning for certain
social issues using its own
moral teachings as the basis
of argument. For example,
the Church in the US has
been active in the campaign
for civil liberties as well as
the antislavery movement.
RELIGION REDUCES FEAR FOR THE UNKNOWN

Religion has provided

people with answers to the
unknown such as the origin of
life and the concept of
afterlife. Explanations
provided by religions have
reduced fears and anxieties
among individuals and some
religions have even made
death a better alternative to
living in uncertainty.
 RELIGION GIVES POSITIVE GOALS IN LIFE

People were inspired by

the stories of different prophets
from their own religious
affiliations, like that of Moses,
Siddharta Gautama, and
Muhammad. Their narratives—
perpetuated through religion—
may give people a sense of
meaning in life; that they are
not placed in this world without
a purpose; that each and
everyone has a mission to fulfill
and it is up to them to fathom
RELIGION GIVES SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS

Just as family, ethnicity,

or nationality give people a
sense of belonging, so does
religion. For some, religion
provides people with personal
identity as part of a group with
similar worldviews, beliefs,
values, practices, and
lifestyles. It provides
communities with prospects to
recognize and offer vital
action and service to provide
the needs of the larger
community.
 NEGATIVE
EFFECTS OF
RELIGION
 RELIGION AFFIRMS SOCIAL HEIRARCHY
Some religions affirm
social hierarchy often
favoring men and as a result,
perpetuate the notions of
class or gender discrimination
and oppression. Another
example of religion reflecting
the hierarchy of political
structures would be the
Confucian emphasis on the
relations between the ruler
and the subject, with the
former exercising authority
RELIGION CAUSES DISCRIMINATION
There are some who say that
religion, after turning people against
themselves, turn people against each
other. This happens when people do
not tolerate religious ideologies
different from the one they follow.
Religious fanaticism can lead to
feelings of hatred, which could lead
to racism, and eventually violence.
Throughout history, religion has been
used by colonizers to justify their
forcible occupation of territories. In a
way, religion has made this world a
more complicated place to live in.
RELIGION TRIGGERS CONFLICTS AND FIGHTS

Religion also has some

aspects which make it
susceptible to be a source of
conflict and war. History
witnessed numerous lives
sacrificed and lost in the
name of religion. Wars have
been fought in the name of
religion, and this
phenomenon continues up to
the present time.
RELIGION AS AN ECONOMIC TOOL FOR
MASSES
Whether one is Christian,
Jewish, or Muslim, religious
teachings justifying one’s
acceptance of oppression as a
normal part of life on earth
and as a means to get an
everlasting reward in the
afterlife can be seen as a
bourgeois tactic to maintain
the status quo where they
reap more resources and
power in society.
 RELIGION IMPEDES SCIENTIFIC SUCCESS
Throughout history,
religion has proven to impede
scientific development. For
example, it has often been
said that the Catholic Church
used to teach that the world
is flat and warned people
against going to faraway
places if they do not wish to
fall off the edge of the earth.
Another example would be
the claim that the earth is the
center of the solar system,
RELIGION OBSTRUCTS THE USE OF REASON

Many question the

suitability of religious
doctrines to the needs of the
present and future
generations. In order to put
this dogma to practice,
religion should, therefore,
evolve and learn to adapt to
the ever changing world.
Ancient religious beliefs and
practices which have proven
to be inhuman should be
replaced with sensible ones.
ACTIVITY 2