role of religion in contemporary society

7/27/2019 Role of Religion in Contemporary Society

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AP Literature & Composition

1-20-2014

Purpose of Religion in Contemporary Society

As modern society progresses forard! outdated tec"nologies and ideas are constantly

being impro#ed upon! suc" as t"e e#olution of "orse-dran carriages to automobiles$ Progress

and inno#ation cannot be stopped! so is it possible for parts of our society to remain untouc"ed

and unimpro#ed upon for countless generations% Can a lac of progress be beneficial for

society% Surprisingly! t"e anser is 'yes!( some aspects of our orld "a#e a#oided de#eloping

beyond t"eir original form! and for good reason$ )or instance! one of t"e most dated practices

t"at is still idely accepted is religion$ Some of t"e oldest religions de#eloped fairly 'recently( in

about *000 +C,! and t"erefore for about t"e past !000 years! t"is aspect of our society "as

remained almost unc"anged ./"e Purpose of Religion$ et! in urt 3onneguts no#el! Cats

Cradle! a ne form of belief is de#eloped by t"e c"aracter! +oonon$ +oononism! "ic" is

based solely on lies! becomes t"e only practiced fait" by t"e citi5ens of San Loren5o 6sland$

7o is it t"at a boo of admitted dis"onesties can "a#e suc" a serious impact and be

ors"ipped so de#otedly and "at does it tell us about "o present-day society utili5es

religion% Cats Cradle and t"e fascinating perspecti#e it s"eds on fait" s"os t"at religion is

more for t"e benefit of t"e ors"ippers t"an it is for t"e ors"ipped$

Cats Cradle is t"e story of 8ona"! or 8o"n for s"ort! and "is mission to compose a boo

called The Day the World Ended.6n t"is boo! "is aim as to depict t"e creation of t"e atomic

bomb and t"e life of t"e scientist! named )eli9 7oenier! "o as responsible for it$ As it as

supposed to "appen! "is searc" for information on t"e deceased scientist led "im to t"e son!

)ranlin 7oenier! "o resided on t"e small island of San Loren5o$ 6t is on t"is island t"at

8o"n first learns of +oononism and its creation$ According to t"e +oo of +oonon! misery and

po#erty ere rampant among t"e citi5ens of San Loren5o$ /"e island as a sad! useless piece

of land t"at "ad been 'con:uered( many times! for no nation could e#er find a reason to put up a


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fig"t in order to eep it$ ;"en Lionel +oyd 8o"nson! ot"erise non as +oonon! and "is

partner Corporal ,arl


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'6n t"e beginning! Fod created t"e eart"! and "e looed upon it in 7is

cosmic loneliness$

And Fod said! HLet us mae li#ing creatures out of mud! so t"e mud

can see "at e "a#e done$ And Fod created e#ery li#ing creature t"at

no mo#et"! and one as man$


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needed as an escape! a ay to feel good and t"e best met"od of ensuring t"is as to gi#e

t"em a better trut" to focus on$ 6n t"e Et"Calypso of t"e +oo of +oonon! "e sings! '6 anted

all t"ings to seem to mae some sense! so e could all be "appy! yes! instead of tense$ And 6

made up lies so t"at t"ey all fit nice! and 6 made t"is sad orld a par-a-dise( .3onnegut 12B$

/raditional religions are based upon t"e teac"ings of a religious te9ts! "ic" are normally

establis"ed t"roug" a spiritual presence speaing t"roug" a mortal indi#idual$ Knfortunately! as

of today! t"ere are an estimated 4!200 different religious sects t"roug"out t"e orld! "ic" can

mae it "ard for a person to determine "ic" sole one t"ey belie#e to be t"e /rut" .7a#erloc$

)or eac" indi#idual! it seems as t"oug" figuring out "at is t"e /rut" among so many options is

more of a sub=ecti#e decision rat"er t"an one based on facts! since all religions claim to be /"e

Jne and t"erefore almost impossible to distinguis" "ic" ones are not$ 6t is because of t"is t"at

+oonon c"ooses to ignore t"e traditional approac" to religion and emp"asi5es t"e fact t"at "is

#ersion is! in fact! foma,or s"ameless lies! t"erefore pro#iding a ma=or distraction for t"e San

Loren5ans t"at can be easily adapted according to necessity$ +y taing t"e trut" out of religion!

+oonon can focus on pro#iding t"e comfort t"at t"e citi5ens of San Loren5o need it"out

"a#ing to concern "imself or ot"ers o#er con#incing t"e people to belie#e "is ;ord$

/"e idea t"at a person can simply "ip a religion out of t"in air stries many people as

odd! some e#en find it offensi#e! but t"is is only so because our society tends to disregard t"e

significant difference beteen spirituality and religion$ As psyc"iatrist Ric"ard Pratt e9plains!

'Religion is a searc" for peace and security in an unsure orld$ Spirituality @or fait" is t"at

personal urge many of us "a#e it"in! to listen to an inner #oice from a deep Hsomet"ing t"at is

calling us from t"e inside out( .ing$ Simply put! religion is t"e application of our fait"! not t"e

actual beliefs t"emsel#es$ Religious people loo for ansers and purpose be"ind "uman

e9istence! "ic" typically is directly related to ser#ing a di#ine poer! "ile fait"ful people

simply recogni5e t"e presence of a "ig"er poer$ 6t is possible to be any mi9ture of spiritual and

religious! or to affiliate it" neit"er at all Alt"oug" it seems as t"oug" religion and fait" go "and


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in "and! it "as only been for about t"e past E of t"e entirety of "uman "istory t"at people "a#e

incorporated religion into t"eir spiritual li#es ./"e Purpose of Religion$

Prior to practiced religions! people relied on a traditionally culti#ated sense of morality

based upon conscience$ /"us! it as rong to steal not because a "ig"er poer said so! but

because one ould not ant someone to tae t"eir "ard-earned belonging$ So "y did religion

first e#ol#e% According to arl


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8eis" and 6slamic fait"$ et t"ere are multiple distinctions beteen eac" religions approac" to

acnoledging Fod! leading people to c"oose t"eir fait" based upon t"eir moral beliefs of "o

to best li#e t"eir life in a ay t"at mig"t lead to sal#ation$

6nterestingly! ant"ropologists "a#e found t"at religions "a#e de#eloped in a #ast ma=ority

of "uman ci#ili5ations! "ic" implies t"at it is a uni#ersal c"aracteristic of all types of persons to

e9perience spiritual callings .+arber$ ,#en more interestingly! societies in "ic" t"e standard

of li#ing is :uite "ig"! suc" as in Iort" America or many parts of ;estern ,urope! s"o less of

a need for comfort! and t"erefore t"ere is less of a calling to religion! so turning toards at"eism

becomes more apparent .+arber$ 7oe#er! in societies in "ic" t"e standard of li#ing is :uite

lo! religion becomes a massi#ely idespread lifestyle$ /"erefore! lie in t"e case of Cats

Cradle! San Loren5o is t"e perfect setting for a religion to arise$ Citi5ens ere impo#eris"ed!

miserable! oring as sla#es! star#ing! and under t"e constant t"reat of imminent deat"M if

anyone could "a#e used a source of comfort! it as t"e San Loren5ans$ +oonons absurd

religion as created as a distraction for t"e people in order to restore some "ope to t"e island!

"ic" it did :uite successfully$ Jnce 'Papa(

Alt"oug" religion is more of a faNade t"an anyt"ing else! it is remarably effecti#e in

obtaining its ob=ecti#eG guiding "umans along a pat" toards fulfillment$ Per"aps mareting a


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religion as a blatant lie! suc" as +oonon did it" "is! taes aay from t"e o#erall e9perience!

or maybe it "as no effectM for t"e citi5ens of San Loren5o! it certainly did more good t"an any

ot"er pre#ious religion "ad accomplis"ed$ )rom t"is! e can gat"er t"at it is not spiritual fait"

t"at allos people to better t"eir li#es! it is t"e morality and isdom pro#ided by t"e

corresponding religion t"at brings "ope to t"e people$ 6n t"is regard! e can see "y a practice

as old a religion "as remained unaffected for generations and ill continue to endure for many

moreM it is not t"e fait" t"at "umans need! it is t"e sense of purpose! community! security! and-

most importantly- "ope t"at comes along it" it$ /"roug" religion! folloers "a#e found an ideal

ay to pro#ide t"is for all of "umanind$

;ors Cited

+arber! Iigel$ O/"e Fod Spot Re#isitedG Spirituality as ,#ol#ed +rain )unction$O 7uffington Post

Science$

7uffington Post! 20 Aug 2012$ ;eb$ 1> 8an 2014$ "ttpGQQ$"uffingtonpost$comQnigel-

barberQt"e-god-spot-re#isited-spirituality-as-e#ol#ed-brain-functionb1BB**B$"tmlT$


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O+oononismUs /rut" and Lies in CatUs Cradle$O 7ubPages$ 7ubPages! n$d$ ;eb$ * 8an 2014$

"ttpGQQre#eriemarie$"ubpages$comQ"ubQ+oonisms-/rut"-and-Lies-in-Cats-CradleT$

Campbell! C"ris$ O/"e 8an 2014$ "ttpGQQ$"uffingtonpost$comQp"ilip-

goldbergQtoard-a-broader-understabE4E>14$"tmlT$

7a#erloc! 8im$ O/"e e9act number of religions in t"e orld is $$$$$ unnon$O ,9aminer$ Clarity

igital! >0

8ul 2010$ ;eb$ 20 8an 2014$ "ttpGQQ$e9aminer$comQarticleQt"e-e9act-number-of-

religions-t"e-orld-is-unnonT$

ing! )ran$ O/"e ifference +eteen )ait" and Religion$O )ranUs Cottage$ ;ordpress! 21 8un

2012$

;eb$ 1> 8an$ 2014$ "ttpGQQfranscottage$ordpress$comQ2012Q0*Q21Qt"e-difference-

beteen-fait"-and-religionQT$

$ ;eb$

20 8an$ 2014$ "ttpGQQre#eriemarie$"ubpages$comQ"ubQ+oonisms-/rut"-and-Lies-in-

Cats-CradleT$


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role of religion in contemporary society

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