Does religion matter in the age of globalization? An essay.
This is a essay for my Contemporary World subject. The contents are as is, with no revisions.
In the age of globalization, does religion matter? If yes, why and how? How does it help you as a person?
There are many nuances to be considered when developing a stance on the usefulness of religion in the age of globalization. My opinion is essentially: religion as an individualistic endeavor to connect with God is useful to quench the “spiritual soul”. However, religion becomes a brutal and narcissistic tool to uphold conservative ideas and the dogma of moral superiority. Historically, religion has been an apparatus to violently tout itself as the superior choice of rituals that must be done for a person to get in the Kingdom of Heaven. Examples of these are crusades of the past; and the terrorism and the neocolonial “missionary works” of today.
Religion, in my perspective, is a violent institution concealing itself as the answer to the moral endgame. There are multiple sets of rituals and dogma that are at best, meditative, and at worst, genocidal. Take for instance, the LGBTQ+ community and its clash against two main world religions: Islam and Christianity. Both view homosexuality as a sin, and both try to erase people who are homosexual either through death or torture in the name of God.
Earlier, I mentioned “neocolonial missionary works”. A good example is the death of an American missionary on North Sentinel Island† † ‘You guys might think I’m crazy’: Diary of US ‘missionary’ reveals last days in remote island . Due to the arrogance of hyperreligious people, they died under their own circumstances. I believe that spreading the Word of God should not be done through (like missionary works), but rather through actions. And no, I do not believe that “feeding the poor” is enough. Such naive solutions are not enough. Poverty isn’t solved through curing symptoms; it must be dealt with to the core. Mere prayers aren’t enough. I believe in the Filipino saying: “Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa” (Mercy is in God, work is in man). What is the use of rituals and prayers if real, material help could not be conjured?
Despite this, I believe that there are some instances where religion can be useful. Mainly, I refer to religions that do not have established mega-institutions, and whose dogma does not include a prerogative to spread its own ideas. I have much appeal for paganistic and atheistic religions. These religions do not have evangelization as its core tenets. Rather, it focuses on the appreciation of nature, philosophy, and spiritualism. This breaks the ideal religion, in my opinion, to its bare essentials. Religion is ultimately about spiritualism and morality, not proselytization.
Religion matters, but not in a way many people think. Most atheists do not derive morality from traditions and dogma; they derive their morality from logical thinking and consequences. These people are consequentialists; philosophers who derive morality from the consequences of their actions. Religious people, on the other hand, are deontologists; philosophers who derive morality not from consequences but rather from the actions themselves. To judge these actions, they usually follow a set of rules, such as those in the bible.† † The best example to differentiate deontology and consequentialism is the trolley problem (utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism).
This is not the reason why religions matter to me personally. Morality should be based on material needs, not made-up rules. I argue in my case that the correct usage of religion is to quench spiritual needs and have people’s meditative needs met. Religion is a very good tool for self-reflection. It gives the methods needed to understand one’s self fully, and determine one’s purpose. An example of this is prayer. This is an effective method to meditate one’s actions and behavior and how they can improve it upon themselves.
My personal experience with organized religion is not very good, as is evident by my writing style in previous paragraphs. I have personally been met with disdain from other people due to my views in sexuality, gender, divorce, and abortion. I have met backlash with my way of communication with my opinions, as Catholicism does not generally encourage people to speak up.
I turned to the mystical arts and magick (With a ‘k’. Surprisingly, there’s a difference). I dabbled with astrology, and I own a Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck. I sometimes use it when I need guidance on any problems I may face, and it is useful to me so far. I have received more assistance to aid my spiritual needs than organized religion, in my experience. I would love to explore more literature about magick, mysticism, and witchcraft, but unfortunately I don’t have the time to do so.
This does not mean that organized religion is bad. Rather, I argue that evangelization is bad. Proselytization has led to colonialism in the past (Spanish times), to the neocolonialism of today (North Sentinel Island). What is needed right now is for people to understand and question their own religion, and know if it is appropriate for them. Religion is not necessarily restricted to Christianity and Islam; there are many more to choose from.
In the age of globalization, religion matters, but in much more ways than worship. It has drastic effects on culture, society, and politics. Religion permeates all ways of living. It doesn’t have to be that way. I believe that diversity is a powerful concept to grasp in the age of globalization, and religion should not get in the way of that. Religion should feed, not force. There are thousands† † What Is the Total Number of Religions in the World? of religions available in the world; choose one that fits your needs best. Learning a variety of beliefs wouldn’t hurt in your journey of spiritualism.