What kinds of Social control does religion has on an individual - Essay Example

Lawan B. Mbaya Victoria Gateworth Modern Language Association 16 November 2007 What kinds of Social control does religion has on an individual. “A religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people, often codified as prayer, ritual, and religious law.” As according to the defination from the wikipedia, free encyclopedia. Religion has a great impact on an individual both socially and morally. An agnostic person beliefs to be free from the; not bound by religion but logically imprisoned with emptiness from within.

Even superstition is classified a religion as according to Edmond Burke “ Superstition is the religion of fable minds.”On the other hand, religion answers the basic and intriguing question about human existance as well as the final destination of all mankind. Death is the fate of all men but the choice of where to spend eternity; either in heaven or hell is left to every individual and the fear of eternal death in hell leads to some social characters exibited by those who practice religion.

Religion is an asset to the society which has a great impact and control on the individuals who practice true religion. The practice of religion either fable or geniune helps in governing a society in different aspects. Organization in the setting of democracy or a government by the use of religion in taking an oath of office. While in the rule of law religion plays a vital role in witnessing by swearing by his or her belief.People that practice religion are less likely to be caught up in societal ills such as, crime, addiction, alcohol, drug abuse, suicide, and other bad vices.

Religion bring social stability mixed the norms and beliefs from religious beliefs. Patrick(1996), shines more light to the issue of religion on the social status of an individual health thereby promoting longevity, improving the chances of recovery from any sickness, and reduces the probability of being infected by deadly diseases.One of the such deadly diseases is AIDS which is primarily transmitted via sexual intercourse, this is highly prevented not by protection of practicing safe sex but by total abstainance.

Total abstainance is mainly practiced by those who have religion and this is one of the many impacts of religion in the society. “The absence of self-esteem weakens the personality and put the person at greater risk for crimel, addiction and other social maladies.” The absence of self-esteem renders an individual empty, thereby giving room for depression. Depression alone leads to many societal ills which all started from a crippled pesonality. Another point by Patrick is “… the practice of religion has a significant effect on happiness and an overall sense of personal well-being.

” Happiness makes a society a great place to be and religion makes an avenue for such. Church attendance affects an individual in different ways: from being more optimistic, having better relationship with spouses, dismiss racism, and have a solid future. True religion also has other impacts such as: keeping a marriage together, and reduction of the rate of suicide. In conclusion an individual as defined by the Encarta dictionary as “a specific person, distinct from other groups.” Any individual without a religion is like a stray bullet that can cause damage to any given society, while an individual that practices true religion has a great social control that benefits the individual and the society at large.

REFERENCE“Individual.” Encarta, dictionary.2006. 11 November 2007Fagan, Patrick. Why Religion Matters: The impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability. 25January, 1996. “Religion.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2007. Wikipedia. 11 November 2007