As a Baptised atheist with beliefs which go against the
religion to which I was baptised I find it hard to understand why, firstly my agnostic
mother and my atheist father would have their three children baptised, and
secondly why religion of any belief is ever present in politics and seen as a
dominant ideology in many countries’?
When prompted as to my baptism and why it occurred my mother
clarified that “it was just a family thing more so than a religious thing. I was baptized, my mother was baptized and so
on and so forth”, I feel used, my body
was offered to be engulfed in water to pledge my “obedience” and “allegiance”
to Jesus Christ, a fictitious character, without me having any say in it…just
to please my grandma.
In Australia we have the right to religious freedom allowing
Australian citizens to practice a religion of their choosing however they also
have to accept that “although they are free to practice their religion, they
must accept the nation’s legal or traditional preference for another faith” (Trofin,
L, & Tomescu, M 2012) begging the question, why is religion present in
politics’ at all if we have a right to choose against that? And this is not
only an issue in Australia but multiple democratic nations around the globe; it
would seem that Religion is an opposing force against social and cultural globalisation, and for that matter, peace.
It is easy to see how in the bronze ages that religion was
necessary, to set needed ground rules
so to speak (i.e. the Ten Commandments) however those rules have been
established and now the use and necessity of religion is hard to see in any
realm of living.
For as long as there are conflicting religions, cultures and
beliefs around the world is social and cultural globalisation even possible?
No. Religion is becoming less about preaching equality and
peace but proving that their individual religion is the best, it is driving
communities, countries and the world apart and “The irony of religion is that because of its power to divert man to destructive courses, the world actually could come to an end” (Bill Maher, 2008).
Maher B 2008, Religulous,
Documentary, distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment, USA
Trofin, L, & Tomescu, M 2012, 'SOLIDARITY AND SOCIETY IN THE ERA OF GLOBALIZATION', Contemporary
Readings In Law & Social Justice, 3, 2, pp. 236-241
Mitch this is a very powerful piece. Your views are executed clearly and directly, well done. I really like how you made the connection between religion and globalisation, stating that it is possibly restricting certain aspects of it. Also, your insight into the irony of religion actually driving communities apart is profound and we can definitely see that effect in some parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteIn respect to your discussion as to why religious belief is relevant in political ideology, I personally express a slightly different view. In many countries around the world, religion is such a central part of people's lives that it makes sense to see it implemented in government policies and laws.
We are from a multicultural country where we are exposed to and, like you said, have the option to practise, a variety of different religions. In that sense, I think that religious freedom policies are essential and I can absolutely see its relevance in today’s society. For instance, as part of the Islamic faith people participate in formal practises of worship (I believe the prayer is known as the 'salah') at specified times throughout the day. This means that they may have to drop work or other commitments at those times. Therefore, I think it is necessary that we have policy and laws to protect these people in the work place against discrimination or prejudice, etc.
I do think, however, that there is a limit on how far religious ideology should seep its way into politics. In recent times we have seen examples of how, what some would consider, ancient or outdated religious belief, is impacting the development of laws in Australia. There is a fine line that needs to be drawn but I don't think that politics should be completely free from religious consideration.