Its about the social, political, and individual functions of religion in general. Short but contains a lot of information and explains well with examples.

Essay by DubC82College, UndergraduateA-, October 2002

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Religion affects our world in a variety of ways. The social, political, and individual functions are very important in basing the development of a society and how its people relate to it. Different religions promote different values or morals that will alter these functions and developments. Though this holds true, all religions have a main goal of creating a society where the citizens feel their society and lifestyle is of the highest quality.

One of the most important aspects of a religion is how it functions within a society. The first thing a religion does for society is to provide solutions for the unexplained natural, phenomena. This can be seen in Christianity and Judaism by looking at the Garden of Eden story. This story alone is basis for the creation of man and woman, a phenomenon that has no other answers. People that are a part of these religions use this story to provide an answer to this plaguing question.

The next thing religion does for society is to support the normative structure of the society. In most places the common religion is the basis for the structure of the society. Another thing that religion provides for a society is it furnishes a psychological diversion from unwanted life situations. We can see this idea through Confucianism by how it promotes kindness and goodness towards all. Confucius wanted everyone to respect one another to ward off troubles in society such as wars and prejudice. Finally, religion may both promote and retard social change. Social change is necessary but not all the time. Religion allows society to make changes in a reasonable manner, not allowing too much change to occur, which could damage a society and its people. It is almost like a "Check and Balance" for societal change. Social functions of...