Create a 6 page essay paper that discusses Organized Religion: A Bane to Humanity.Download file to see previous pages... (1993), the presence of religion in virtually every human society and civilizat

Create a 6 page essay paper that discusses Organized Religion: A Bane to Humanity.

(1993), the presence of religion in virtually every human society and civilization has been found through archaeological discoveries and anthropological observations made in recent times (Shepard 408). The beliefs of Romans in different forms of Gods, the practice of burying human beings after their death, Hebrew belief in religious texts etc., are the evidences that show that religion related beliefs (like existence of God and ‘life after death’) and practices were followed even before 50,000 B.C. (Shepard 408). This shows that religion is deeply rooted in core of human lives. Hence, it is no surprise that even in the today’s modern world, religion and spirituality is one of the most important aspects of people’s lives. According to German philosopher George Hegel, the nature and the structure of social life are determined by the religious ideas and beliefs and hence, religion is the core of society (Shepard 410). However, religion is not just ‘social’ in its nature. Religion has a very special place on ‘individual’ level also. Every human being has his own unique way of relating with God and hence, develops an intimate relation with Him. It has been observed that religion helps human beings to find meaning and essence in life which is beyond their mundane life (Shepard 410). The religious beliefs provide them with the idea of ‘higher’ self and drive them to achieve higher ideals and beliefs in life. This shows that religion has been a driving force for evolution of human beings and hence, is essential and good for human life. However, history of humanity has shown a different picture. Unfortunately, instead of keeping religion as an intimate and personal practice, people have made it a social phenomenon. This has caused serious problem as religious beliefs and practices have become an issue of acceptance in the society. Selfish and power hungry people used religion as a weapon to dominate other people and enslave them in the name of religious superiority. Religion in itself is good and essential for healthy human life. Religious system and beliefs bring happiness, essence and meaning to the lives of individuals. However, it has caused more harm than good to humanity by becoming ‘organized’ and ‘social’. Hence, if humanity is to benefit from religion and its essence, then people should practice it as a ‘personal’ aspect of life rather than practicing it in ‘organized’ way, because when practiced in ‘social’ and ‘organized’ way, religion becomes a weapon of destruction and dominance in the hands of power hungry people and causes more harm than good. Nature of Religion With the developments and progress in the field of science, it was believed that people will become more ‘practical’ and lose their faith and interest in religion. However, it did not happen. This is because many scientific studies have found that different religious practices like prayers, rituals, meditation, yoga etc., have scientific basis and have great positive effect on the body, mind and soul of human beings. Religion plays a major role in keeping human beings rooted in their ‘being’ and gives them strength to survive the uncertainties, challenges and fears that are the day-to-day part of their life (Shepard 410). Hence, religion is rational in nature. Even science has accepted the benefits of being spiritual and religious in nature. However, to understand the importance and the role of religion in people’s lives, it is necessary to know the essence of religion. Religion is a vast topic and has many physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual dimensions to it. Hence, it is not easy to define religion.