Believe it or not—religion’s role in human life
Name: Li Yixiu Student ID: S08620
Research paper supervisor:Dr.Sekou Conde
Minzu University of China
2008-2009 Academic Year
Abstract
This paper describes the effects of religious coping in modern times. Religion belief did weigh a lot in industrial age, war era, nature disasters, illness, etc. However, as time changes, when it comes with spiritual comfort, which role does religion pay in our digital age. In this research paper, the key objective is to investigate how religion helps people in modern ways. People are confronted with various of difficulties in every walk of life. All suffers. Religion helps a lot in cognitive restructuring, social support, perceived control. Evident show that the use of religious coping usually associates with better adjustment both concurrently and over time, religious coping is more effective in promoting adjustment for people. In fact, there is more openness to the religious involvement nowadays. In this paper, the role of religious value will be discussed. In addition, the unhealthy ways of being religious is also described. Suggestions are given for religious clientele in order to make sure religion in best service. Finding that the respective roles of religious involvement and private devotion in strengthening religious belief systems.
Key words: stressful, religion, private devotion, life satisfaction
Still remember? The German famous philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, claimed that we human beings do not need religion any more. “The god was dead.”[1] For a very long time, he devoted himself in fighting against all kinds of religion. He said, “Christianity was from the beginning, essentially and fundamentally, life's nausea and disgust with life, merely concealed behind, masked by, dressed up as, faith in ‘another’ or ‘better’ life.” [2]In his point of view, religion was not worth a straw. In fact, he is not the only one go against religion. Nowadays, in an age of love and peace, do we really need it?
The answer is yes. It exists at all the corner. Take China for an example, it is a country with a great diversity of religious beliefs. The main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity, accounting for 67.4 percent of believers. The poll of about 4,500 people, conducted by professors Tong Shijun and Liu Zhongyu of Shanghai-based East China Normal University from 2005 till 2007, found that 31.4 percent of Chinese aged 16 and above or about 300 million are religious. This is in sharp contrast to the official figure of 100 million, which has remained largely unchanged for years. In reference to the reason behind it, of the 1,361 people surveyed, 24.1 percent said religion "shows the true path of life"; and 28 percent said it "helps cure illness, avoid disasters and ensure that life is smooth".[3] Many people attribute the rising influence of religions to the religious freedom enjoyed in the country and social problems among the Chinese in a time of fast change.
In US, it is as the same. According to a survey of religious affiliation by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, more than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion. Michael Lindsay, assistant director of the Center on Race, Religion and Urban Life at Rice University, said that” Religion is the single most important factor that drives American belief attitudes and behaviors”[4]
In addition, data shows that more and more students get involved in religious belief. Expert tan Zongfan said, in the last two years, the proportion of students who have religious belief increased by 3.7%. In another survey, when asked about the possibility of belief in the future, 12.6% said they would.[5]
There are other sayings, like with the great development in science, religion may not weigh as much as several decades ago. Instead, it is still a mainstream in man’s spiritual field. Today a large number of scientists, even political leaders are religious clientele, such as Louis Farrakhan, Pope John Paul II , Mary Baker Eddy, Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Mother Teresa,etc.[6] Even in the past century, when science was not so further developed, many scientists embraced religion in their lives. Albert Einstein once said, "I want to know how God created this world, I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details.”, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." And Isaac Newton, In Principia he stated, "The most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion on an intelligent and powerful Being." With the ever-growing impact of science on our lives, religion and spirituality have a greater role to play by reminding us of our humanity. In fact, there is no contradiction between the two. Each gives us valuable insights into the other.
Almost all religions pursue the same goals, that of cultivating human goodness and bringing happiness to all human beings. Though the means might appear different the ends are the same.Literature suggests that religion may enhance various aspects of well-being in at least four ways:1)through social integration and support:2)through the establishment of personal relationships with a divine other;3)through the provision of systems of meaning and existential coherence;4)through the promotion of more specific patterns of religious organization and personal lifestyle.[7] Speak of social integration and support, 2nd world war still impressed us. Science brought about advanced techniques, but it caused hurt, too. It was religion that comforts people those hard days.
Religion in modern ways
• Suicide Generally speaking, almost every religion goes against people commit suicide. The Bible said, “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”[8] It teaches us all non-believers will be resurrected in the last days[9] and punished by burning in hell eternally[10]. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (to die for our sins), that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life[11]. Apparently, that is to say, a true believer does not commit suicide for humans were made in God's image, thus God disapproves suicide.
The Buddhism has a similar saying; it claims that happiness comes behind sufferings. All Buddhists believe in “no mark of self”, “non-production and non-extinction”. With its mendicant and ascetic traditions, the Buddhism has always been associated with non-violence, non-confrontation, and the inner or spiritual life, and obliviously, never commit suicide before all suffering.
The data shows that the number of suicide cases is on the rise every minute across the world. World Health Organization (WHO) and International Suicide Prevention Organization has fixed September 10 as the "International Suicide Prevention Day", which indicates that suicide has become an increasingly serous issue of public health.[12]China Daily said 250,000 people commit suicide in mainland China each year, which translates into one suicide and eight attempts every two minutes, giving China the world’s highest suicide rate.[13]
Ranked by
Ranked by
Ranked by
Country
Males
Females
Ratio M/F
Males
Females
Highest Ratio M/F
Australia
27.3
5.6
5/1
9
11
7
Austria
21.1
6.5
3/1
15
7
21
Belarus
24.2
5.2
5/1
12
14
7
Bulgaria
15.4
5.6
3/.1
20
11
21
Canada
24.7
6.0
4/1
11
10
15
Czech Rep
16.4
4.3
4/1
19
18
25
Estonia
29.7
10.6
3/1
7
1
21
Finland
33.0
3.2
10/1
6
22
2
Germany
12.7
3.4
4/1
21
21
15
Greece
3.8
0.8
5/1
30
30
7
Hungary
19.1
6.5
3/1
16
7
21
Ireland
21.5
2.0
11/1
14
27
1
Israel
11.7
2.5
5/1
23
23
7
Italy
5.7
1.6
4/1
28
29
15
Japan
10.1
4.4
2/1
24
14
27
Latvia
35.0
9.3
4/1
5
2
15
Lithuania
44.9
6.7
7/1
1
5
3
Netherlands
9.1
3.8
2/1
26
19
27
New Zealand
39.9
6.2
51
3
9
5
Norway
28.2
5.2
5/1
8
14
7
Poland
16.6
2.5
7/1
18
23
3
Portugal
4.3
2.0
2/1
29
30
27
Russian Fed
41.7
7.9
5/1
2
4
7
Slovenia
37.0
8.4
4/1
4
3
15
Spain
7.1
2.2
3/1
27
26
21
Sweden
10.0
6.7
1/1
25
5
30
Switzerland
25.0
4.8
5/1
10
16
7
Ukraine
17.2
5.3
3/1
17
13
21
UK
12.2
2.3
5/1
22
25
7
US
21.9
3.8
6/1
13
19
5
Source: WHO, World Health Statistics Annual 1993 and 1994, 1994 and 1995, Center for Disease Control, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; National Institute for Mental Health.
For some, a suicide attempt is a way to express deep emotional pain. They can't say how they feel, so, for them, attempting suicide feels like the only way to get their message across. Ethan, still a teenage boy in high school, felt like there was no point going on with life. Things had become really tough since his mom died. His dad was working two jobs and seemed to be frazzled and angry most of the time. Whenever he and Ethan talked, it usually ended in yelling. Ethan had just found out he'd failed a math test, and he was afraid of how mad and disappointed his dad would be. In the past, he always talked things over with his girlfriend — the only person who seemed to understand. But they'd broken up the week before, and now Ethan felt he had nowhere to turn.[14] Actually, nearly every suicide case comes out of depression, people feel unable to confront any problems that lie in the way of life. Moreover, they often can not find out a listener.
Most teens interviewed after making a suicide attempt say that they did it because they were trying to escape from a situation that seemed impossible to deal with or to get relief from really bad thoughts or feelings. Like Ethan, [...]
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