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Ally Fraser
May 21, 2015
Mrs. Milne
ENG 3U
Religion
Websters dictionary describes religion as the belief in a god or in a group of
gods. However, religion is much more than a belief; it is an important and positive
aspect of our society. It influences people in many different shapes and forms, creating
the best version of a person. Religion is simply a positive addition to our society that
improves our lives. Religion displays positivity in many different ways: all religious
values are based on positive values; it forms communities of like-minded people; it offers
diversity within its belief system; it is a place to turn in times of trouble; and it gives our
lives a sense of purpose. Religion may have a couple of downsides, however the positives
outshine the negatives.
Undoubtedly, religion can take a turn for the worse. Sometimes, people follow a
religion too aggressively and they become extremists. They interpret their religions
belief system extensively and often it results in violent actions. For example, ISIS is
considered to be an extremist group; ISIS is an Islamic based group that is globally
considered to be a terrorist group. For the past few years, they have been
committing public acts of violence and murder and disseminating pictures and
propaganda through social media (Willingham 2015). Many other terrorist groups have
been formed revolving around religion, notably the Islamic religion, such as Al Qaeda.
However, it is not necessarily due to religion that these groups are formed. In fact,

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all religions are based on positive values. Every religion has good intentions and belief
systems. For example, a religion such as Islam, which is commonly related to terrorist
groups, has many genuine values. To be a Muslim, one must: recite certain Arabic prayers
three times a day; give to the poor; once in their life worship a shrine in Mecca; once a
month each year fast from food, drink, sex, and smoking from sunrise to sunset; and
repeat a creed about Allah and Muhammad (Adamson) . These are more commonly
known as the five pillars, Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj (Adamson).
Christianity is also based on extremely positive human values. Many Christians live by
the Ten Commandments, which are:
1. You shall have no other Gods than me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not use the name of the lord your god in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep holy to it.
5. Respect your parents.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor
10. Do not covet (Holy Bible 2011).
One of the very specific commandments is -- do not murder. Religions do not
value violence; they value faith, peace, and honesty. Most religions are completely
against murdering innocent lives, so then why do extremist groups who claim to be
following religion commit murder? This is because many of these extremist/terrorist

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groups only use religion as a cover and although they many have some religious
intentions, their reasons are mainly political. In 1916, the Sykes-Picot agreement was
signed which split the Levant into different colonies. Isis has stated that one of their goals
is to destroy the borders and colonies that are a part of this agreement (Salman 2014).
This believe from ISIS is simply political, and has nothing to do with the Islamic religion.
Many extremist groups mask their political intentions with religious ones, causing them
to be viewed as extremist groups instead of terrorist groups. What these people are
really seeking is power, control over others. Power is often more valuable than religion.
Religion is often used to hide the race for power. When someone reaches power, he
leaves religion to God and focuses on worldly matters (Salman 2014).
It is true that religion does sometimes cause separations. Many people have
different opinions and ideas of what religion should be. Richard Dawkins, a well-known
atheist, believes that religion is the main cause of hatred and war on earth. A lot of the
hatred in the world is sectarian hatred (Dawkins 2014). Sectarian hatred is hatred caused
due to different views and discrimination. People tend to think that their religion is the
right religion, which causes arguments and rivalries. However, religion does not only
allow people to find others with like-minded opinions, it also creates communities.
People with the same or similar beliefs will tend to get along well compared to those with
opposing beliefs. Religion creates a place for people with shared value and faith. These
communities motivate people to get to know each other better and trust each other even
without having a long-term relationship (Hirschman 2003). Churches, and other
religious organizations also play an important role in the creation of community and as a
major source of social and economic assistance for those in need, (Hirschman 2003).

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Church communities are a place for people to turn in times of social or spiritual needs.
Studies also have shown that people who are involved in religion tend to be more ethical,
meaning they avoid criminal behaviour, marital issues, alcohol abuse, and other non
ethical activities (Plante 2011). In general, those involved in religion tend to be involved
in activities such as volunteerism and social activities that influence our society in a
positive way (Plante 2011). Religious stories and lessons of the scripture generally have
good morals and meanings and as a result have a positive impact on our society.
Religion gives us a moral compass telling right from wrong and how to relate to each
other and the world around us said Minister Frances Savill of Calvin Presbyterian
Church. Overall, religion is capable of bring people together, creating a community of
followers of the same beliefs and interests, allowing for an ethical group of people.
Religion is important to our society because it provides a direction for our lives and sets
goals to achieve and examples to follow.
Often, religions existence is questioned due to the hundreds of different religions
and beliefs that exist. Many believe religion to be fake because of the wide range of
different beliefs around the world, and the many different types of strange, made up
religions. Perhaps this is because it is possible to create your own religion. To create your
own religion one must simply create a scripture, and rituals (Howell 2013). It is
becoming more common for people to create their own, personalised, sometimes unusual
religion. On the other hand, these many different shapes and forms of religion allow
individuals to have more freedom in their choice of what they believe. The idea of
creating your own religion can be beneficial to some who take it seriously. In this
generation, we have the resources and freedom to create our own religions (Howell 2013)

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and personalize them to what we truly believe. Unlike those who claim to be
atheists, others are honest enough with themselves to realize that as a
human being they are hardwired to be religious, but at the same time
they dont like the standard choices on the menu, (Howell 2013).
Religion is a basic necessity of life, and more people will begin
following religion if they are capable of personalizing it to their own
specific beliefs. Although, this does not reduce religions validity.
Religion is simply a belief, faith, and style of life; therefore it cannot be
proved or disproved. Everyone has a different idea of what type of existential power
could be influencing his or her life. Moreover, even though there are many religions, the
majority of them are related in some way. Religions vary from being monotheistic to
pantheistic, where monotheistic religions are religions that involve only one god, said
Minister Frances, such as Christianity and Judaism, and other religions, such as
Hinduism, believe in more than one God meaning that they are pantheistic. Hindus, for
example, believe in over three hundred thousand different Gods and Goddesses.
However, even though religions may seem extremely different, they are quite all closely
related. The majority of religions have at least a few similarities between each other.
Although Muslims and Christians have different beliefs and different Gods, in the Islamic
religion, Jesus is present however he is not their God, he is solely a prophet (Religion
Facts 2015). This shows how even though there are many different religions, they are all
related in different ways, suggesting that they all grew from the same religion.
Furthermore, religion allows for diversity. Diversity in our society today is considered to
be a good thing, since it allows for people to discover different experiences that they are

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not accustomed to (Sarah 2014). The diversity in religion is beneficial because it allows
people to have many options of what they would like to believe in.
Religion is many things, however one does not often view it as being therapeutic.
Yet in fact, many people use their faith in times of trouble. People turn to their God in
times of need, even for someone to talk to. In Christianity, God represents healing,
wholeness, forgiveness, hope and new life. This religion says that we can be forgiven and
start anew, and have a clean slate, said Savill. The fact that God is forgiving welcomes
people into his arms and allows them to feel accepted by him. This is the same for
Judaism and Islam also. Between God (or Allah) and Muslims, there is a sense of both
awe and intimacy in the relationship with the divine (Reem 2012). Jewish people also
have a similar relationship, one that is unique and deeply personal (Scheinerman 2013).
Furthermore, many people have found a new way of life once they found God.
For example, a middle aged woman who had been an atheist her
entire life found God through a close friend who was a strong
believer. She eventually concluded that the evidence for god was so
strong that she could not deny it. Once she found God, she learned
how helpful he could be. In times of trouble or tough decisions, God
would speak to her though the Bible. God has better answers than
anything Ive ever read (Adamson).
Many people turn to God when they are seeking help, advice, or hope.
Conclusively, religion has been used as literal therapy. Many recovery groups, such as
AA, use basic beliefs in Christianity for hope. Minister Frances Savill pointed out even
hospitals, schools, and community help groups were founded by the Christian church.

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Religion can help people through their pain and suffering because Jesus suffered and
died, was betrayed and beaten, and then resurrected. God welcomes anyone with open
arms, which makes him a good healer in hard times.
In conclusion, religion is beneficial to humans because it gives hope of an
afterlife. Many people turn to religion in hope of seeking comfort, seeking a purpose to
life. In many religions such as Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, there is such thing as an
afterlife. One of the main functions of religion is to help people deal with the idea of
death (Krause and Hayward 2014). This varies for each religion; Christians believe in
heaven, in eternal life after life, with God. Knowing that there is something to live for
helps to satisfy and comfort people. Muslims believe in an afterlife also, however it is
slightly different. Muslims believe that there is a Judgement day, where Allah judges
people on their good and bad deeds and life and sends them to Paradise or to Hell
(Religion Facts 2015). Judaists do have an afterlife, yet do not talk much about it; they
are focused more on actions during life (Religion Facts 2015). People no longer worry
about death to such an extent when involved in a religion. Many studies have shown that
religion eases death anxiety, that the hope of an afterlife relieves this anxiety because it is
believed that there is somewhere to go after life and that life is purposeful. Religious
commitment is associated with greater forgiveness by God and greater forgiveness by
God is, in turn, associated with less death anxiety, (Krause and Hayward 2014). The idea
of an afterlife also helps individuals cope with deaths in this current life. Knowing that
their loved ones have moved on to a better place where they will have the chance to meet
again.

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Religion is certainly beneficial to mankind. Religion plays and important and
necessary role in every society, for religious beliefs shape lives and life decisions for
everyone (Thames 2014). Births, deaths, weddings, questions about life all revolve
around religious practice. Individuals have the fundamental right to believe what they
want and to act on those beliefs in peaceful and non-coercive ways, (Thames 2014).
How could something that is so involved in our lives be unimportant and made up? The
fact is, religion impacts our society positively by helping people live their lives fully and
happily.