NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... re never would have been a problem with one group of people taking another group's land: they would " ve both been part of the same group. However, due to their religions, the two groups are different, which leads to their dislike for each other and to their current situation which is nearing all-out war. Religion is amazingly successful in creating prejudice between religions. Whether one looks at Catholic vs. Protestant, Judaism vs.
Islam, Christianity vs. The World, Muslim vs. Hindu, or at any combination between any religions, they will find tension. This tension frequently results in violence and war.
Religion also has adverse effects on global economies. Too many people spend valuable time praying, fasting, traveling on pilgrimages, and celebrating. Were it not for religion, this time could be spent working. Muslims must pray five times a day. This can be very time consuming. Taking Sunday off can hurt the economy of any country.
To make an example, take a look at one of the blue laws of the United States: it is illegal to sell cars on Sunday. Imagine if it were illegal to buy anything on Sunday. This would decrease the personal consumption expenditures of the United States drastically. In fiscal year 1999, U. S.
citizens spent $ 75 billion. Take away one seventh of that quantity, and U. S. citizens would only have spent $ 64 billion. To put that in perspective, that costs about the same as either two aircraft carriers, four stealth bombers, or ninety thousand Porsche 911 s. In addition to the increasing problems with the drawbacks of religion, the benefits are becoming fewer.
Religion is no longer needed to answer frightening questions: modern science answers most of these questions now, and when it doesn't it is at least able to prove that there aren't greater (and more evil) forces at work. When religion was needed in the past to pray for health, in modern times we have, well, um, modern medicine to cure the diseases with or without divine assistance. And where religion was needed in the past to quell fears of disaster, we now know that there is nothing to be done about natural disaster except for taking cover or moving to a safer environment. Although religion has historically had great value as a civilizing force, it has been rendered obsolete by modern science.
In the today's world, religion serves only as a difference between people which many see as an excuse to kill. There are still those who believe that religion is vital in the modern world, however. The opposition to this argument is fairly weak. To list a few benefits of religion, I will start with the most important.
Religion gives people a code by which to live. This code, which is characterized by the ten commandments, was useful in telling people the difference between right and wrong. By studying the Bible, or the Torah, or the Koran, one can derive many guidelines for living. These guidelines are usually acceptable by modern standards, but if taken too literally they can often be harsh on certain groups of people. Women for example. In many Middle Eastern countries, women have drastically fewer rights than men do.
There are widely accepted laws in these countries which make it acceptable to treat women as second class citizens. If a woman is raped in Afghanistan, it is acceptable for her husband to blame her and punish her at his own discretion. Of course, there are many who - whether as a result of religion or ignorance it is impossible to tell - believe these laws to be just. The second great value of religion is that it serves as a great charity service. Most world religions make it a point not to leave anybody behind, and therefore they serve as great charity services. In America, the Catholic Church supports many charities and offers education as well.
Religion also serves to unite people. It is debatable whether or not this is a good thing, however, because it is all too often the case that members of a religion unite simply to present a more formidable opponent to inferior' religions. In addition to these practical benefits, there are also some perks. Religion gets you into heaven, it allows Mormons a discount when purchasing tickets to BYU football games, it allows Catholics discounts on cemetery plots at Catholic cemeteries, and various other things. At one point, a man actually sold tickets into heaven so that he could raise money to build a cathedral. Religion was once invaluable to the advancement of humanity, despite the enormous toll it took on human life.
In the modern world, Religion still takes that toll. The difference between modern religion and ancient religion is that ancient religion had a social benefit. The difference is very analogous to the difference between cars and guns. Cars kill people, but they " re useful.
Guns kill people but they " re useless. The same is true of religion: why keep it around if all it's good for is killing people? Yes, those who use it may not mean to hurt people with it, but all the same people die. Religion has been rendered obsolete by modern science and modern society.
Religion affects not only human life, but also human prosperity. Religion deprives global economies of valuable workers for a large portion of time every day. For some, this toll is acceptable. However, when the problem is examined using logic as the measure of success, religion simply doesn't measure up.
Simply put, religion helps nobody, and in the best instances its followers will get away from it alive. As a society, we must examine the true benefits of religion. We must decide whether or not this enormous institution has a place in our modern world. During a time when technology is able to answer more and more questions about our existence we must ask ourselves, "Is religion really helping us achieve happiness?" Bibliography: BIBLIOGRAPHY Billings, Malcolm, The Cross and the Crescent. (New York: Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. , 1987) 232. Edwards, John. "Black Legend' of the Spanish Inquisition, " Independent 29 Oct. 1999.
Elizabeth Hallam, Chronicles of The Crusades (New York: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1989) 19 - 25 Kenneth Neill, Larry S. Krieger and Steven L. Jantzen, World History-Perspectives on The Past. (Lexington, Massachusetts: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994) 241. Kruger, Kristen. "The Spanish Inquisition. " (October 21, 2000) McCabe, Joseph. "The Story of Religious Controversy Chapter XXIII, " (October 21, 2000) "Protestant Witch Hunts, " (October 19, 2000) Ranjit Perera, "Religion, " (29 Sept. 2000) Richard Bourdeaux, "Thought Police, " The Toronto Star 21 Apr. 1998.
The Bible
Free research essays on topics related to: human life, spanish inquisition, u s citizens, modern science, modern world
Research essay sample on Religions Effect In The Modern World Is Harmful
