religion as a group conduct

INTRODUCTION

Religion is a practice of worship towards a deity or a supreme being; it is an institutionalized system of belief and practices relating to the divine. Religion serves as a meaning system that influences human values and meaning. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and mental states, and of human and animal behaviour. Psychology of religion is the psychological study of religious experiences, beliefs and activities. Religious experiences are referred to spiritual experiences, a sacred or mystical experience. The study of religious psychology involves both the gathering and classification of data and the building and testing of various explanations. The former activity overlaps with the phenomenology of religion, so it is to some extent an arbitrary decision under which one should include descriptive studies of religious experience and related subjects.[1]

Religion is not an act practiced in segregation; it is not a personal practice as such. Religion is a group practice and conduct toward a deity or a supreme God. One person cannot own a religion. Religion is a group conduct, and one is forever free to decide on which religious practice to adopt for him/herself; there is no independent authoritative source on the size or composition of religious institutions and their membership.

Religion is a practice of the group. In many cases the things people consider sacred are determine by the community to which they belong, this is a perfect illustration of religion as a group conduct. Religion is a group conduct and each group is entitled to their religion, this is to say that religion is relative with regards to different groups; the holy things in the world of one group-its gods, scriptures and sacraments are not necessarily seen as sacred by another group. The notion that sacredness is a value that a given society places on objects, that such objects shape and generate the religious feelings of its members, and that religiousness is therefore a function of social belonging. Religion belongs to the people and not to a person. Religion develops together with all the other aspects of human heritage; it belongs to each people within which it has evolved. Religion is best understood as the power of a society to make things sacred or profane in the lives of its individual members.

While other theories were interested in religion as a social phenomenon, the primary focus of the psychological approach to religion is the way in which religion operates in the mind of the individuals, of which a particular individual could adhere to religious practice actively not in isolation but in group. With regards to the above, religion is a system of beliefs and practices by which people interprets and responds to what they feel is sacred and, usually, supernatural as well.[2] This term paper has the focus and the concern to explain religion as a group conduct with examples and possible illustrations from the society. But before we proceed in doing the proposed work, we which to make clarification of terms conceptually with regards to the context of which this work is written and presented.

CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION

GROUP: group is a number of people considered together of regarded as belonging together. It is a number of people sharing something in common such as an interest of belief etc. according to John C. Turner (1987) define a group as one that is significant to the members to which they relate themselves subjectively for social comparison and acquisition of norms and values, and which influences their attitudes and behaviours. A group is a collection of individuals who have relations to one another that makes them interdependent to some significant degree.

CONDUCT: conduct is the management or execution of matters such as work or official affairs.it is a way of behaviour of a particular individual.

RELIGION AS A GROUP CONDUCT

Having considered the meaning of religion, we came to the awareness that the assertion that religion is a group conduct is significant both for what it says and for what it fails to say, what it excludes. It excludes individual conducts of people. There is no doubt with regards to religion equally being an individual conduct, simply because involves and deals with one’s personal emotions, thought and belief.

Many persons are content to be religious without belonging to group, maybe because of a strong personal need for religious individuality or maybe they are brought up outside group structures and never felt a need for them or maybe because they once belonged to a group and found no significant benefit in membership. They seem to be no less good or fulfilled than the members of the religious groups. Still there are advantages in religious groups and organizations which they may not experience or in a less formal way.[3]

On the other hand, it makes no much sense when everyone presents his or her personal religion for consideration. So for effectiveness, religion is better considered and practiced in the group, just as the bible passage of Matthew’s Gospel chapter 18 verse 20 says “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them”. However, from the etymological meaning of the word religion we can say that people in every corner of the word people have engage in religion behavior. Congregations, ceremonial services, ecumenical council are all example of group religion and it is said to be in group. For a religion to exist there should be certain level of interaction (communication) and for that to happen there should be two or more people.

Such interaction does not necessarily take place continually, or even daily, nor does every member of a group interact with every other member, neither is it necessarily one-on-one (face to face). The point is simply that the people who constitute a religious group (group members) are aware of one another and have established patterns of interaction characteristic of their group. Additionally, religion in the group share common goal and this is one of the main characteristic of religion as a group orientation.

Humans as we are, are bound to encounter problems, as long as we live, there are always moments of difficulties and easiness. Religion as a group conduct implies that individuals who are confronted with common problems, recourse to others for solutions to their problems. With regards to this, every member of the group is equally important and has a role to play, a function to fulfill when it comes to religious enclaves. Religion is better practiced in the group and should not be monopolized.

In religion group members feel and express a sense of identification with the group, a sense of active participation and belongingness. The degree of group commitment, dedication and identification varies from member to member. A religious group can collapse if the individual members do not put in a required minimum amount of identification and commitment to the group.

Religion is better practiced in the group; perhaps the most important advantage of practicing religion in the group is the sharing of values and meaning. Religion in the group transmits meanings for life and the values that people have found essential for their fulfillment. Not only do religion in the group frequently take the task of introducing meanings and values to the young if parents fail to do so, but they also continue to reinforce these meanings and values throughout the entire lifespan of the individual.

As a group, religion exerts conformity pressure that lead persons to share the same feelings, behaviours, and thought patterns as the other members of the group. As long as the mind of the group members is itself conducive to personal fulfillment, the conformity forces are advantageous.

THE PROCESS OF RELIGIOUS GROWTH IN THE GROUP

Development is fragmented, uneven and uncertain in a human being. Since humans are more complex than other organisms, and more wider range of possibilities are open to the human person, it is certain and understandable that his development is longer and segmented. From childhood a human person develops a group orientation of religion, practicing his or her religiosity not in segregation but in the group. Religion is practiced in the group, be it any form of religion; Christian, Islamic, traditional etc.

While one practices his religion in a group, he grows in his spirituality, from being a child to being an adult because he must sure learn many other things from other members of the group. When an individual belongs to a church, it is difficult to draw a clean line between his personal religion and the religious structure to which he belongs. Religion in the group generates characteristics that individuals do not have. For example, once there is a group, pressure toward conformity arises. Conformity is a psychological trait that can exist only in group. In the light of the example just sited, religion is a group act in which each individual member of the group needs to or is required to conform.

RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN OUR SOCIETY

CHRISTIANITY

Christianity is the religion which put it faith in Jesus Christ.[4] Like any system of belief and values—be it Platonism, Marxism, Freudianism, or democracy—Christianity is in many ways comprehensible only “from the inside,” to those who share the beliefs and strive to live by the values; and a description that would ignore these “inside” aspects of it would not be historically faithful. To a degree that those on the inside often fail to recognize, however, such a system of beliefs and values can also be described in a way that makes sense as well to an interested observer who does not or even cannot, share their outlook.[5]

The instruction and exhortation of Christianity concern all the themes of doctrine and morals: the love of God and the love of neighbor, the two chief commandments in the ethical message of Jesus who is the central figure of the Christian religion.

ISLAM

The Islamic religion is the religion that prophet Muhammad founded in Arabia early in the seventh century. The central teaching of this religion is that there is only one all-knowing God who created the universe. This rigorous monotheism provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends class, race, nationality, and even differences in religious practices. Thus all Muslim belongs to one community, the “umma”, irrespective of their ethnic or national background.

JUDAISM

            Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. It is more ancient than Christianity, and shares many things with Christianity, especially the religious and ethical teachings of the Jewish Bible (which is the Old Testament for Christians). Judaism also influenced Islam and has some beliefs and practices in common with it. The Falasha people of Ethiopia are Jewish Africans, and live like ancient Jews as they follow Judaism. They have sacred scriptures, observe many of the laws, customs and expectations of the Jews, and have ties with Jews elsewhere today.

THE POSITIVE IMPACTS OF RELIGION AS A CONDUCT OF THE GROUP

The uniqueness of religion as practiced in the group is emphasized in the moral dimension of it. This refers to the judgment a religious group and system makes that certain thoughts, certain ideas, are good and worthwhile and to be encouraged and positively reinforced, while other actions, thoughts, and ideas are bad, harmful and to be rejected by the faithful. In other words, religion advocates some behaviour with the sole intention of encouraging its adherents to conform to such behaviours in their everyday situations.

Religious groups can reveal a wealth of detailed information and deep insight when well executed, this group creates an accepting environment that puts participants at ease allowing them to thoughtfully answer questions on their own words and add meaning to their answers about the faith which they have received and be able to defend it anywhere they find themselves. Religion as a group conduct allows each member to be able to organize themselves in the group, because in a group conduct, each member will remain in the same umbrella guiding the group, they will not see themselves as people who are out of those groups, they work towards the same aim; thereby having a sense of belongingness.

Religion is of a particular significance in claiming a higher source or basis for its morality: one should subscribe or refrain from a particular act because the group says so. In this regard, religion ultimately invokes the sacred in influencing the behaviours of individuals not only in extreme or extraordinary situations or in situations referred to as religious but also in the ordinary and routine ones.

Religion serves many functions which include the following:

 It is a catalyst for change

It can serve to preserve social ideals and traditions. The role of religion as a way to preserve the traditions of the society is based in the main functions of religions. Religions are intended to reinforce group norms. This may be accomplished through defining actions as either good or evil, such as in the Western religion of Christianity. Killing is considered an evil, and so is prescribing to idolatry. By defining these actions as evil, spiritual consequences can be attributed to the actions that deter group members from participating in such activities.

Provision of moral sanctions and values

Religions are to provide moral sanctions for actions and to provide values and common goals that are intended to help society function orderly. This can be accomplished by attributing certain gods, goddesses, or spirits to specific behaviors, events, or items. Each god, goddess, or spirit has a function of control over some aspect of the group member's life, and can be considered to be evil or good. In traditional Chinese societies, ancestral spirits are thought to protect current generations from harm as long as tributes of remembrance are continued. If these traditions of honoring ancestral spirits are discontinued, or are not conducted according to tradition, then the ancestral spirits will be angered and they will spread misfortune to the family. These types of mythologies uses fear to reinforce traditional rituals and practices.

THE VALUE OF RELIGION AS A GROUP CONDUCT

People find religion a necessary part of life

Religion is a universal part of human life. It must, therefore, have a great and important value; otherwise by now most people in the world would have abandoned it completely.

People are often ready to die for their religion

People are often ready to dies for their religion, and many thousands have done so. Many others sacrifice their fame, power, wealth, property and time for the sake of religion. Religion must have a great value for people; otherwise nobody would die for or give so much for its sake

Governments see the value of religion

Most governments and countries of the world provide for religious freedom. This provision is often a part of their constitutions. People in many countries of the world have the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of creed, freedom of association for religious purposes, and freedom of worship. Therefore those who make the laws and constitutions of the nation of the world must appreciate the value of religion.

Public holidays are associated with religion

In many countries of the world there are national religious holidays such as Christmas, Good Friday and Easter, the Muslim feast which ends the month of fasting, and so on. About half, and in some cases more than half, of the public holidays in African countries are associated with the religious festivals.

People carry out religious duty freely

Almost on the daily base people carries out their religious duty/rituals without any force, they even fast, inflict pain on their bodies, they denies themselves some pleasures and comforts of this life, go on pilgrimage at a great expense, cross national boundaries and oceans in order to take religious message across the people, they can go to the cemetery in the mid night, all for the sake of religious. All these are done freely, voluntarily and happily in the most cases. And sometimes people are found joining religious of their choice, all is as a result of their own freedom.

People sacrifice the best they have for the sake of religion

Here people makes offering and sacrifices of their best for sake of religion, using some religious in our country today people makes great sacrifices even to the extent of killing human being. So people take religion as their priority than human being.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, religion as we already presented is a group conduct, best practiced in the group. Religion is a universal part of the human life. It must, therefore, have a great and important value; otherwise most people in the world would have abandoned it. Religion goes all the way back into history; it seems humans cannot live without religion.

Religions are not primarily for the individuals, but for the group of which different individuals are part. However, in the society there are equally irreligious people. To be human is to belong to a society, and doing so involves an active participation in the beliefs, religion, ceremonies, etc. of the society. One cannot detach his or herself from the religion of his group. To do so is to be severed from his roots, foundation, and context and in the entire group of those who make him aware of his own existence, because religion makes a man. Practicing religion outside the group amounts to self-excommunication from the entire group.

A clear identifiable interest in a formalized psychological study of religion goes back only a little more than a hundred years, roughly coincident with the beginning of formalized psychology in general, near the midpoint of the last century. The stimulus of psychological interest in religion seems to have been the reports of the early and middle nineteenth century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.      Ronald L. Johnstone. Religion in society, A sociology of religion, sixth edition. Ball State University, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2001.

2.      John S. Mbiti. Introduction to African Religion, second edition. Heinemann Educational Books Inc. 1991.

3.      Udo Etuk. Religion and Cultural Identification. Hope publications, Ibadan, Nigeria. 2002.

4.      Andrew Panzarella, FSC. Religion and Human Experience. Saint Mary’s press, Terrace Heights, Winona, Minnesota. 1984.

5.      Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

6.      Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012.

7.      Oliver A. Onwubiko. African Thought, Religion and Culture, vol. 1. Snaap Press LTD, 46 Udoji Str, Enugu. 1991.

8.      Kelvin Nichols (ed). Voice of the Hidden Waterfall, Essays on Religious Education. St Paul Publications. 1980.

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[1] "religion, study of." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012.

[2]Ronald L. Johnstone. Religion in society, A sociology of religion, sixth edition. Ball State University, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2001. Pg 13.

[3] Andrew Panzarella, FSC. Religion and Human Experience. Saint Mary’s press, Terrace Heights, Winona, Minnesota. 1984. pg 90

[4]John S. Mbiti. Introduction to African Religion, second edition. Heinemann Educational Books Inc. 1991.pg180

[5] "Christianity." Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.