LESSON 3: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION

 Psychological, Personal, and Social/Communal Benefits
1. Religious belief allows people to better cope with adverse life events.
2. Religiousness is associated with better mental and overall health.
3. Religious youth are less likely to be violent or engage in delinquent behaviour.
4. Faith has also been found to have a soothing effect on those who are ill.
 Paul Bloom, a psychologist explains that the most significant positive effect of religion is
that it provides people a sense of community and strengthens connections between people.

 Literature, Music, and the Arts

1. The Christian faith has inspired countless works.
2. Literature has been used to shed light on the flaws of religious institutions.
3. Religious music such in Christianity has a rich, prominent tradition and history.
 Christian worship music is a large, lucrative industry.
 Islam has a more complicated relationship with music.
 Muslim scholars and authorities say that only music which serves to praise Allah is halal
(permissible) and any music which is given to earthly indulgence and leads Muslims away
from Allah is strictly haram (prohibited).
 Christianity has had a strong, vibrant presence in the visual arts throughout history.
Example: Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel and Leonardo Da Vinci’s: The Last
Supper
 Islam’s visual art depictions of the prophet Muhammad are considered taboo. A key
element of Islamic art is calligraphy and geometric design.
 In the Philippines, much of indigenous, pre-colonial art bears religious significant.
 BULUL – carved wooden figures, they used the figures in healing rituals and ceremonies
that dispel misfortune.
 MANUNGGUL JAR – a precolonial burial jar discovered in Manunggul Cave in Palawan,
features design which refer to the belief of the ancient natives in the afterlife.

 Charity and Humanitarianism

 Numerous religious organizations dedicate their time and effort to humanitarian activities.
 These organizations sponsor and implement numerous spiritual, philanthropic, and
charitable programs for the welfare of the poor, destitute, and those suffering the effects of
both natural and man-made calamities.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION

 Violence, Human Rights Violations, and other Abuses of Power
1. When adherents of one religion engage in violent actions against adherents of another religion,
or against groups of people they consider a threat to their beliefs.
2. Religious violence includes attacks on individuals or communities, communal violence, suicide
attacks, and terrorism.
3. There are also several cases of religious organizations inflicting harm on their own members.

 Women’s Rights and Gender Issues

1. The Catholic Church has faced criticism for its stand against women becoming members of the
priesthood.
2. Conservative Muslims often implement restrictive rules against women such as strict dress
codes and certain prohibition in activities.
3. HONOR KILLINGS – women and girls are murdered because they have violated religious or
social prohibitions and have brought shame to their respective families.
 WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH – believes that anyone who does not follow the laws of
the Bible is doomed to suffer in hell.
 “God Hates Fags” – the organization’s slogan, and this organization has been deemed as a
group that fosters hate against gays, Jews, and non-Christians.

 Conflict between Religion and Science

1. Religion has often been accused of hampering scientific progress.
 2. Nicolaus Copernicus – a Polish mathematician and astronomer published the heliocentric
theory, which directly contradicted the widely-accepted notion that the Earth was the center
of the Solar System.
3. Galileo Galilei – faced persecution for his studies into heliocentric theory, his observations of
heavenly bodies led him to confirm the truthfulness of the Copernican theory.
 In 1925, the state of Tennessee in the United States passed the BUTLER ACT, which
outlawed the teaching of evolution in public schools in the state.
 JOHN THOMAS SCOPES – a local high school teacher, agreed to stand as defendant in a
test case challenging the Act.

THREATS TO RELIGION
• While religious can become perpetrators of discrimination, intolerance, and violent acts, there are
some religions that have become victim of discrimination.
• A 2015 report of the Pew Research Study has seen a slight decline in hostile acts directed against
religion worldwide.
• A number of governments have also been found to have implemented more restrictive policies on
religion.
• A 2014 study by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the hate crimes in the U.S reveals that
Jews remain the biggest targets of such crimes, with Muslims and Catholics coming in at second
and third on the list.

TOLERANCE, UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PEACE INITIATIVES

• Religious Tolerance, which is the recognition that religions can coexist without one asserting
primacy over others.
• Understanding and Respect of religions require individuals to study, observe, and appreciate the
faiths of other members of the society.
• SILSILAH DIALOGUE MOVEMENT – a movement for dialogue and peace in Mindanao. It was
founded in 1984 in Zamboanga City by Italian missionary FR. SEBASTIAN D’AMBRA, PIME.
• SILSILAH is an Arabic word meaning “chain or link”. This movement is also so named to imply
“spiritual linkage of humanity as created by the same God.”
• In 2013, SDM was awarded the Goi Peace Award by the Goi Peace Foundation in Japan in
recognition of its efforts to promote dialogue for peace and solidarity among Muslims and
Christians in the Philippines.