Why Is Religion Important In The United States

Religion is an important aspect in many people’s lives. Religion: provides direction, regulates behaviour, and even provides a foundation for many of society’s laws. In the United States [US], there is an implied tolerance of religious beliefs, even if some beliefs conflict with the beliefs of the individuals enacting the law. Specifically in the bureaucratic law of the US, the first amendment establishes a basis that the free exercise of religion will be left up to the decision of an individual citizen. This can be attributed to the reasoning that the US is a bureaucratic democracy made up of elected officials. But in other non-western societies that function under more authoritarian forms of government, religious tolerance is far less abundant

Religion allows for personal growth, provides direction to everyday interactions with society, and is even at the foundation of many culture’s laws. The United States functions under a bureaucratic democracy, with the primary set of laws spawning from the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Under the Bill of Rights, the very first amendment upholds religious freedom, and establishes that the choice of any religious belief is to be left up to an individual citizen’s choice. This may appear to be a non-issue to many citizens living within a western society. Religious freedom is just something that is there; it is just something that has always been present in their lives. However, in many other societies around the world, religious freedom is drastically reduced, or even absent entirely. China, a single party socialist-state of government, functions of a mixed form of lesser communism, and socialism - with the primary political party present being the Chinese Communist Party. Religion in China has always been a highly influential factor in the shaping of culture. With widely accepted religions including Buddhism, and Confucianism originating in China, some individuals may be under the impression that China is a so-called epicenter of religious tolerance and beliefs. But this was not always the case. Hoping to change this misconception, some key points that were addressed were: the various types of religions groups currently practicing inside of China, the impact of these religious groups on China’s culture, and the relationship between single party socialist-state regulations and theses groups. Though China does not uphold complete and total religious freedom and tolerance, there is no denying that China has made significant progress in direction of reform for religious sovereignty. In a little