Influence of Religion on Developing Societies - Research Paper Example

Influence of Religion on Developing Societies Introduction Most religions of the world today are usually based on a belief system that acts as a guide upon which the religions’ believers derive their moral and ethical codes of conduct. Because religion generally steers the behavior of members of a society towards productivity, religion and development should be perceived as complementary since development is reliant on society’s productivity (thesis). In order to appreciate more clearly the role that religion plays in developing societies, it is important to understand the concept of religion. Religion refers to a social system of beliefs and attitudes regarding objects, people, the sacred/divine and morality. Religion has made key contributions to societal development in the past as it does today. This paper elucidates the complementary nature of religion and development. Body Research has shown that one of the most significant contributions that any religion makes to societal development is by playing its role as a means of enforcing morality to society members. In societies where there is a prevalent belief in God and a substantial number of the members of society are religious, the moral value of integrity is also prevalent. As such, the resources in such societies are more likely to be fairly distributed to all members of society; this is because those who are in charge of the distribution of resources work with integrity. This contributes to the holistic development of the society. Furthermore, in a society that is prevalently religious, members of such societies are less likely to be distrustful of firms/companies’ ethics since such companies also have ‘religious’ employees who share similar moral values. While this may be a quite naïve outlook, such trust may also create a suitable business environment, which enhances development in a society. In his book ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’, Max Weber advances the idea that the work ethics that were instilled to European societies during and after the protestant Reformation in the church played a major role in the development of capitalist ideals, which led to rapid economic development in Europe and America. According to Weber, the reformation emphasized moral values, such as hard work, austerity, frugality, and loyalty to interests of the group. These values, according to Weber, were the cornerstone of capitalism, which led to intensified economic development (Weber, 1992). Another way in which religion influences developing societies is through its ability to promote the development of personal characteristics, which promote higher productivity among societal members. Such traits include (but are not limited to): a work ethic, prudence in financial spending, integrity and sincerity (Cohen, 2002). Studies indicate that people who possess such characteristics are likely to be more productive and, hence, they contribute more to a society’s economic development. These traits are also invaluable to social development since they encourage productive social interaction. One of the moral traits that members of most developing societies are mostly urged to develop and nurture is hard work. Some religions even regard hard work as a God-given responsibility that all human beings should fulfill. As such, religious leaders encourage members of their religions – followers -- to be diligent in everything. Since hard work is required to sustain development; religion, therefore, serves a crucial role in fostering development in societies. Furthermore, religions, such as Christianity and Islam, urge their followers to use hard work as a means of avoiding idleness, which can lead to immorality. Because of this, religion is an effective tool in development since it discourages the undertaking on non-productive activities, such as crime and laziness, and it encourages members to engage in productive endeavors. By promoting the concept of honest living, religion positively influences development in societies. In most religions, members are urged to earn their living honestly and truthfully to avoid retribution by a higher power. When religious members of a society abide by these principles, activities which are detrimental to the society’s development, such as crime and corruption, are reduced, thus, foster development. These principles may also promote the practices of investing and saving which ultimately lead to development (Cohen, 2002). Apart from aiding in economic development in society, religion may also contribute towards development in other areas. For instance, religion can aid in the attainment of better healthcare among the populace. Some religions out rightly condemn the practice of activities, such as drug abuse and excessive eating, among their members. This condemnation influences members of society to live healthy life and this leads development in healthcare, which also affects economic development since a healthy society is more capable of working hard to achieve economic prosperity. The attainment of good health care in society also influences the social structure of developing societies. This is because healthy members of society are in a better position to live longer and happier lives, and this strengthens social bonds in society. Rituals are an integral part of most religions. In fact, when members/followers of different religions congregate together, one of their main objectives is to engage in various religious rituals, which they deem important and sacred. These rituals help to foster trust and teamwork among members of a religion and this enhances the development collective problem-solving skills. The immense trust that is cultivated by religion and religious rites promotes constant interactions among members of a religious group, and this leads to the development of co-operation among members of a religion. Studies have shown that enhanced co-operation among members of one group is eventually reflected in other groups/institutions within the same society (Fitzgerald, 2009). As such, even though the co-operation that is attained through religious rituals is primarily evident only in a religious context and within religious institutions, such co-operation is ultimately reflected in other societal institutions. This is because members of society who are affiliated to a religion that fosters co-operation through rituals are also likely to be affiliated to other societal institutions and they uphold the value of co-operation even in these institutions. This co-operation enables a society’s economy to be more open in terms of trade. Religion also has a positive effect on a developing society’s human capital by improving the education system. Most religions, including Christianity and Islam, encourage their followers to fight illiteracy and gain education so that they may be, among other things, capable of reading religious scriptures. Literacy is a major factor that contributes to the social and economic development of a society since literate and educated individuals are able to attain employable skills, which can be put to use in the attainment of personal and national/societal economic growth. Educated and employed members of a society’s populace can also engage in fulfilling/satisfying social interaction encounters with other members of society. At this point, it is important to note that the influence of religion on developing societies is not necessarily always positive. There are some negative influences of religion in developing societies. For instance, religions which prohibit believers from engaging in activities that foster economic growth, such as profit generation, charging/paying interest on loans and accrual of capital, contribute to the detriment of the economic growth of the society. In developing societies that are intensely religious, there is a high likelihood that a vast amount of the society’s resources will be spent on various religious activities. In free market societies, this means that fewer resources are available to be infused into the economy (Haynes, 2007). Religion may also have a negative impact on developing societies if religious groups promote extremist principles and encourage an attitude of non-tolerance towards other religions among their believers. Religious non-tolerance and extremism may lead to violence and strife among believers of different religious background (Krueger, 2007). Such religious conflict may negatively influence development economically in various ways. For instance, investors are often unwilling to invest in nations/societies that are rife with any form of conflict fearing loss of their investment. In addition, a developing society that has religious conflict uses up a substantial amount of resources in mitigating such conflict, and this reduces the amount of resources available for economic and social development (Haar, 2011). Conclusion Religion and development are seemingly inseparable. In abstract, religions offer believers a guideline about life and, hence, offer crucial incentives and motivation for believers to engage in productive activities which all developing societies are heavily reliant on. This paper clearly explicates the fact that religions promote overall societal growth since religious guidance encourages development-friendly principles, such as integrity, diligence, discipline, the search for literacy and prudent financial spending. All in all, it is clear that ‘because religion generally steers the behavior of members of a society towards productivity, religion and development should be perceived as complementary since development is reliant on society’s productivity’ (thesis). It is, however, important to note that religion and development can only complement each other in cases where religions in society do not promote extremist policies and/or policies. This is because such extremes may cause conflicts between people who believe in different religion; these conflicts could lead to a state of anarchy which may be highly detrimental to a developing society. References Cohen, J. (2002). Protestantism and Capitalism: The Mechanisms of Influence. New York: Aldine De Gruyter Publishers. Fitzgerald, M. (2009, November 15). The Curious Economic Effects of Religion. Retrieved January 5, 2012, from bostonglobe.com: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/11/15/the_curious_economic_effects_of_religion/ Haar, G. T. (2011). Religion and Development: Ways of Transforming the World. New York: Hurst & Company Publishers. Haynes, J. (2007). Religion and Development: Conflict or Co-operation? London: Palgrave-Macmillan. Krueger, A. (2007). What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism. Princeton: Princeton University. Weber, M. (1992). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. London: Routledge. Read More