Checkpoint: Effects of Religion

Name

Checkpoint: Effects of Religion

Date

HUM/130

Instructor

Checkpoint: Effects of Religion

Checkpoint: Effects of Religion When contemplating over the statement Religion may affect people in many different ways, the first notion that comes to mind is the overwhelming agreement to the statement. The effects of religion vary from society to society, and can create both negative and positive outcomes because of those effects. For example, individuals who follow the Muslim faith find it more difficult to be accepted in the United States due to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 (Clay, 2011). While the attacks may not have been a direct religious attack by the Muslims on the United States, those who follow the religion find it difficult because the Middle East is predominantly of Muslim religion. There are many who group all Middle Eastern individuals as Muslim and further associate them as bad or terrorists because of the prejudice they have due to the attacks (Clay, 2011).

Another example of the effects of religion is the blood sacrifices practiced by the ancient Aztecs. In the Aztec culture, their religion instructed them to perform blood sacrifices as repayment to their gods for any debts owed (Aztec Sacrifice, n.d.). If the people received good rains and harvests, they would perform the sacrifices to thank the gods for the good year. Just as if there were a bad year, the people would perform a sacrifice to ask for forgiveness and a better year. Their religion effected the people in that they would fear being sacrificed themselves if they did anything bad or made the gods mad.

Checkpoint: Effects of Religion

References

Aztec Sacrifice. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2014 from http://www.aztec-history.com/aztecsacrifice.html

Clay, Rebecca A. (2011, September). Muslims in America, Post 9/11. Monitor on Psychology, 42(8), 72. Retrieved January 30, 2014 from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/09/muslims.aspx