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Secularization Of The World Essay

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Religion plays a vital role in imparting meaning and explanation on the existence and purpose of mankind. It has been an elemental aspect of many societies across different time periods. Religious beliefs and practices affect everything from an individual level such as personal ethics, to a larger scale such as national and international politics. However, what exactly does religion provide? What needs does it serve? To some, it is a source of morality, to others, it represents membership in an inclusive community. There is no one absolute definition of what constitutes religion because the word provide different meanings to different people. Numerous theorists have explored the subject of the strong sentiments behind religious life with both …show more content…

One of this theory is the secularization theory; the belief that religion, as a meaning provider, should stay as out of the public eye, and retreat as a personal affair. However, over the years, there has been many speculation about this point of view. The relationship between modernization and secularization is no longer so direct (Berger, 2002). One theorist who initially advocated the decline of religion in modern society, and then rebutted against that is American sociologist Peter Berger. In “The Desecularization of the World”, he claim that religion is currently undergoing a resurgence (Beyers, 2013). Instead of conforming, many religious movements have developed their own uniqueness and triumph. He attributed this largely to man’s desire for transcendence. It is an integral part for human to constantly seek meaning and comfort outside this world (Parsons & Giddens, 2005). With the resurgence of religions in many parts of the world, there came to be new reworked religions which includes a fusion of old traditions with modern ideas. Additionally, the growth of new religious movements such as Salamullah, the Brahma Kumaris, and Anand Ashram in Indonesia (Howell, 2005) and the resurgence of fundamentalism noticeable Islam and Evangelical Protestantism (Berger, 200), proves that there is no one definite expression of

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