Spirituality And Religion

Religion and spirituality have had an extensive impact on individuals and society. Over time, society has evolved dramatically to adapt to the persistent changes that surround it and those who inhabit it, one thing that has remained constant throughout these changes is religion. This factor brings up the question of ‘will religion ever disappear’, with atheism on the rise, does that mean that spirituality will rapidly become a thing of the past? The contributions that religion has had on both individuals and society opposes this question with thorough evidentiary support.

An individual can be heavily influenced by religious belief and tradition in a number of ways. The most evident effect on an individual is their sense of faith. In varying

Strongly linked to the land the religion aims to keep the land alive with religious significance through sacred sites and the Dreamtime. Each clan or tribe respects a specific physical location within the area, possibly including the home of a spirit ancestor or a ceremonial ground. The Dreamtime is the Aboriginal people’s form of a ‘sacred text’. Spread through by oral rather than written tradition, the ‘keeper’s’ of these stories carry them down through the generations of their clan expressing them through art and ritual ceremonies.

Another religion that puts a lot of significance into faith is Islam. The Qur’an and Hadith are the central sacred texts of the Islamic faith. Rituals such as Mecca and Salat are frequent practices of the religion creating a sense of oneness with Allah also known as Shahada.

The world’s enduring questions are something dealt with by individuals sometimes on a daily basis. These questions include, why is there suffering? What happens after death? How did the world come to be? Does God

Implications of religion to society can involve rituals, traditions and celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. These great celebrations of family, community and religion, have now become westernised, Easter is about chocolate and Christmas is about gifts, changing the pure nature of these traditions into materialistic ‘holidays’. Communal ceremonies in Aboriginal spirituality are key to creating a close-knit bond within a clan or tribe, while ‘baptismal’ rites in Islam create worthwhile moments in the upbringing of a Muslim