Question

Answer the following question in detail (in 150-200 words).

‘Religion has an impact on society.’ Discuss with suitable examples.

Answer 1

1. India is a land where religions like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Sikhism coexist.
2. Different religions have different places of worship. For example: Hindu: Mandir, Islam: Mosque, Sikh: Gurudwara etc.
3. The deities worshipped by members of different religions also differ. For example: Islam preaches monotheism and believes only in Allah while in Hinduism, there are a large number of deities.
4. Religion brings together people of the common faith to celebrate their festivals. For example: Diwali, Ramzan Eid, Pateti, Christmas etc. Today, these festivals are also celebrated by people of differing faiths.
5. Religious dogmas also influence economic endeavours, political movements, social hierarchies, and cultural differences. It also has an impact on beliefs, value system and rituals followed by an individual. 
6. There are certain common values and virtues preached by every religion. For example: Each religion shares a belief in the value of life, benevolence, piety and virtues such as honesty, simplicity, goodness etc. It positively influences individual’s ways of thinking and behaving. 
7. As pointed out by sociologist M. N. Srinivas, the spread of various religious communities all over the country and diversification of their economic activities have strengthened the process of social integration. 
8. However, communalism or excessive loyalty to one’s own religion before the nation poses a challenge to national integration.

All the above points illustrate that religion has a significant impact on our society.