TOPIC 1: THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE SUFI DERVISHES' SPIN DANCE

RELIGION (Concise Version; Sociological Perspective) The whirling and spinning of the Sufi dancers aim to reach all perfection by
abandoning one's personal desires through listening to the music, focusing
on God, and spinning the body in repetitive cycles. It creates a positive
THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION feeling by doing something to a common purpose: the glorification of their
god.
1. Religion promotes social harmony.
2. Religion provides moral values.
3. Religion reduces fear of the unknown. XIAO
4. Religion gives positive goals in life. Xiao or filial piety is an important aspect of Confucianism which promotes
5. Religion gives people a sense of belonging. social harmony. It is the attitude of obedience, devotion and care of one's
6. Religion provides social change. parents and elders, becoming the basis of moral conduct. Children are
expected not only to obey but even to defer to parents' judgments, as well as
performing the proper rituals for them. In this way, social harmony is
THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION achieved since conflict is avoided.

1. Religion affirms social hierarchy.

2. Religion triggers conflicts and fights. AHIMSA
3. Religion causes discrimination. Ahimsa is a key concept in Jainism which helps promote social solidarity. It
4. Religion is an economic tool to exploit the people. is the concept of non-violence. As a way of life, Jainists believe that the
5. Religion impedes scientific success and development. killing and consumption of animals is not allowed, since the idea of ahimsa
6. Religion obstructs the use of reason. aims to minimize the violent impact in the environment. Therefore, Jainists
are vocal on issues such as conflict, economic equality, abortion, and civil
rights.

TOPIC 2: JUSTIFYING THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF

RELIGION (Concise Version; Sociological Perspective)
1. Religion promotes social harmony?
The belief in supernatural beings and powers help advance social harmony
by assimilating and stabilizing cultures and nations Religion provides divine
authority to ethical principles to promote unity among people, since common
participation in rituals with basic uniformity of beliefs promote a social
cohesiveness.
2. Religion provides moral values?
Religion provides a systematic model in determining organized human
behavior. By providing moral values, one is able to distinguish right from
wrong, good from evil. It provides a system of reward and punishment to
standardize peoples' behavior in society.
FARMING RITUALS
In ancient times, people act according to what pleases or angers their gods
and goddesses. Farmers do a ritual before planting, to ask for a bountiful
harvest. When calamity struck, they took it as a sign that they displeased the
gods, and so perform the ritual again. But when they had a productive
harvest, they would perform a ritual to extend gratitude to their gods.
3. Religion reduces the fear of the unknown?
Religion provides answers for events and questions that science or reason
cannot explain. Most people say that it is better to believe that we are
created by Supreme Being than by being descended from the apes, which is
being promoted by evolution. But more importantly, religion has provided
assurances where spirits go when people die, reducing the people's fear of
death as something undesirable. The belief in the afterlife is very important
in most religions because it has become the basis of their daily conduct.
THE WHEEL OF LIFE
Hindus follow their dharma, or moral and social obligations, to determine
what will happen to them in the afterlife. As long as they follow their dharma,
they will attain good consequences to their acts (good karma). Continue to
do this, they will be set free from bad consequences in life (bad karma),
finally attaining liberation of their soul to return to Brahman or the universal
soul.
THE HAJJ A Muslim's visit to Mecca at least once in his life. Some Muslims
believe that the hajj is a sure way to get to heaven.
4. Religion gives positive goals in life?
People are inspired by stories of different prophets and other religious
figures. These people showed how ordinary people were given important
mission in life, and how they struggled to carry out respective missions.
There stories give people a sense of meaning, that they are not placed in
this world without a purpose. Each and every one of us has a mission to
fulfill and its up to them on how they fulfill their mission.
THE RELIGIOUS "HEROES"
Moses was ordered to liberate the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and lead
them back to the Promised Land.
Muhammad was chosen to challenge the supremacy of the rulers in the
desert by preaching equality and founding the Islamic religion. Siddharta
Gautama, or the Buddha, gave up his wealth and power to find the solution
for sickness, poverty, old age, and death.
5. Religion gives a sense of belonging?
Religion provides people with personal identity as part of a group with similar
worldviews, beliefs, values, practices and lifestyles. It makes people
recognize and offer vital action and service to provide the needs of the larger
community. It also gives people a sense of being in the right place with the
right people. Religion also provides them with a sense of security because
people who belong to the same religious group will tend to support and help
each other in times of crisis.
THE PRINCIPLE OF SEVA
The Sikh principle of Seva, also known as Sewa, came from the word
Karseva which means "selfless service."
In Sikhism, followers are expected to perform work or service without
expecting anything in return. They are taught by their Guru, or teacher, to
reach out to serve and uplift all of humanity to show their devotion to their
beliefs.
6. Religion provides social change?
Religion can be very effective in campaigning for certain social issues using
its own moral teachings as the basis for their argument. Therefore, religion
has potential to institute social change, especially on issues concerning
poverty, reproductive health, gender equality, and religious discrimination.
SATYAGRAHA
Mahatma Gandhi started satyagraha, or passive resistance, which paved the
way for India's independence from the British. Satyagraha is a belief that
non-violence of the mind can lead to the realization of the real nature of an
evil situation. By refusing to cooperate with evil, truth can rise. Mahatma
Gandhi's struggle in India versus the British became a model for other
protest actions in other countries.
This is why women are excluded from church offices and priestly functions,
because the Roman Catholic authorities also excluded women from
positions of authority.
CASTE SYSTEM
The traditional caste system in India shows the political and social
structures, propagating the idea that people have to be subdivided into
certain social classes.
Each particular role is important for the eventual attainment of liberation, or
moksha, where the person's soul will unite with the universal soul.
The attainment of liberation will depend on how they performed their
duties based on their designated class.

TOPIC 3. JUSTIFYING THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

EFFECTS OF RELIGION (Concise Version; Sociological 2. Religion triggers conflicts and fights.
Perspective)
Religion is a source of conflict and war.

Wars have been fought and numerous lives have sacrificed and lost in the
1. Religion affirms social hierarchy. name of religion.
Religions can affirm social hierarchy by favoring people. As a result, it
creates the notion of class, gender inequality and oppression.
During religious wars, so many resources are being wasted and millions of
Also, religious activities are less prominent for the upper class than the lives are being lost.
lower class. The upper class control their lives because of wealth; the lower
class engage in religion hoping to improve their lives and solve their
problems through faith.
RELIGIOUS WARS
Finally, rich people can solve their problems with their money, while the poor
tend to solve their problems through prayers. The following are the notable religious wars in the world today:
a) Palestine: Jews vs. Muslims
b) Kashmir, India: Muslims vs. Hindus
CATHOLIC HIERARCHY
c) Sudan: Christians vs. Muslims
The Catholic Church patterned its structure from Rome, which is very d) Ireland: Catholics vs. Protestants
hierarchical. e) Sri Lanka: Buddhists vs. Hindus
f) East Timor: Muslims vs. Christians

3. Religion causes discrimination.
Religion can be a source of discrimination.
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of different categories of
people or things, especially on the basis of race, religion, age and sex.
Indeed, there are religions which discriminate people who especially belong
to the lower class.
THE HIJAB
In Islam, women practice the wearing of the hijab.
The hijab is the head covering worn in public by Muslim women.
For Muslims, women have to cover their body from head to toe, so as not to
attract attention from men. This creates the idea that women are temptations
that men should avoid.
4. Religion is an economic tool for exploiting the masses?
Some economists believe that religious teachings can justify one's
acceptance of oppression as a normal part of life on earth. It can also
become a means to get everlasting reward in the future.
This becomes the tactic of the rich to maintain the status in order to reap
more resources and power in society.
KARL MARX
According to German philosopher Karl Marx, "religion is the drug of the
people."
For him, the rich businessmen keep the poor workers in control through
religion.
For Marx, religion propagates an idea that justifies oppression. It is used by
the ruling class to favor the working class, thereby maintaining a social
order. The abolition of religion is needed to liberate the people from their
oppressed situation.
5. Religion impedes scientific success and development.
Religion has proven to obstruct scientific development.
Some of the moral teachings of religion are deemed by modern or secular
communities as a hindrance to development, such as religion's opposition to
the reproductive health program, stem-cell treatment, and the continued
practice of washing a dead body.
THE HELIOCENTRIC SYSTEM
The best example is the fight for the Heliocentric System, which claims that
the sun is the center of the solar system.
The Church believed that the earth was at the center of the universe, known
as the Ptolemaic Theory
But scientists like Aristarchus and later Nicolaus Copernicus proved the
sun is at the center, and the rest of the planets revolve around it.
6. Religion obstructs the use of reason?
Many people today want religion to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing
modern world.
For them, religious beliefs and practices which have proven to be inhuman
should be replaced with sensible ones.

TREPANNING
Trepanning is the ancient practice of boring holes in the human skull.
It is a surgical procedure performed for epileptics and the mentally ill.
It stems from the belief that through the hole the evil spirit will leave the
person.
They regarded trepanning before is an attempt at exorcism, but at present
this procedure is just unthinkable.
SUICIDE BOMBING
It is a practice associated with the Muslims, a manifestation in the belief of
jihad.
Muslims who die while performing jihad or practicing the hajj will go directly
to heaven.
The act of suicide bombing is believed to be a sure way to get to heaven.
A successful suicide bomber prepares the path for his relatives to follow him
as well as sending his enemies to hell for eternal damnation.
HISTORICAL EVENTS INFLUENCED BY RELIGION
THE INQUISITION
The Inquisition refers to the Catholic Church charged with stopping heresy
from 1184-1230s. It includes the Episcopal and Papal Inquisition.
Two groups were hunted by the Inquisition: a) Catharists, a dualist
movement believing in a good god and an evil god, and b) Waldensians,
Protestant movement who advocated poverty as the way for perfection.
The word "inquisition" has been connected to the word torture.
It was Pope Innocent IV who issued a law to authorize torture by the
inquisitors.
The most common torture is the strappado, where the hands were bound
behind the back with a rope, and the accused is hanging down this way,
dislocating the bone joints painfully in both arms.
SATI
Sati, or suttee, is the practice of suicide by a widow during her husband's
funeral. It began in India almost 700 years ago
It started with the rajputs, or the ruling class of India. The rajput women
burn themselves alive after their husbands were defeated in battle by
foreigners.
But the British rulers of India stopped this practice in 1829.
But in 2006, a Hindu woman was reported to have done sati in Tulispar
village, found in Madya Pradesh province.
Her name was Janakrani, and she burned herself to death during the funeral
of her husband named Prem Narayan.
THE BABRI MASJID INCIDENT
In the province of Ayodha, the Muslim mosque in Babri Masjid became a
source of fighting between Muslims and Hindus.
The mosque was built on top of the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama. The
Hindus blamed the Muslims for disrespecting the holy site. The Hindus
started a political rally in December 1992, until it became a deadly riot, killing
hundreds. Ten years later, the Muslims bombed a Sabarmati Hindu train in
Godhra, killing 59 Hindus.
Hitler's second in command, Heinrich Himmler, believed that their ancestry,
the "Aryans" of mythology," should result in exterminating non-Aryan
people.
From 1933-1940, the Germans only imprisoned Jews in concentration
camps. But by 1941, Reinhard Heydrich, proposed that all Jews should be
killed now. His plan was called "The Final Solution." The mass killings went
on for three years, until 1945.

SELF-BURNING MONK

The suicide of a Buddhist monk is called self-immolation. The best example

is setting oneself on fire; others include leaping a mountain, starvation, or
removing the inside organs (called seppuku).
The best example of self-immolation happened in Vietnam in 1963, by a
Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc. He burned himself in the middle
of the street of South Vietnam.
He did this as a protest against the dictator of Vietnam, named Ngo Dinh
Diem, who was a Roman Catholic.
During Diem's rule, the minority Catholics were given more favor and
privileges than the Buddhists. Sometimes Buddhists were shot dead by
Diem's army.
The self-burning of Thich Quang Duc actually helped assassinate Diem and
then overthrow his government in the same year

THE HOLOCAUST
The word holocaust is a Greek term which means "sacrifice by fire."
It pertains to the systematic and government-sponsored persecution and
murder of six (6) million Jews by the German Nazi soldiers under Adolf
Hitler during 1933-1945. 1.5 million of them were children.
The Germans considered themselves a superior and master race, compared
to inferior races like the Jews.