Why People Decide To Join A Social Movement Essay

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Ever since the beginning of time, people have wanted to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. Social movements off a perfect haven for these individuals who may not have the power to make change on their own. Social movements are groups of individuals of any size that focus on addressing specific political or social issues that they feel need to be changed or have more attention brought to them. Joining a social movement is similar to joining a community, humans want to join a group of people of whom they share the same ideas and interests with. This creates less resistance among members as well as creates a single minded effort in addressing the changes that these individuals wish to make. One of the main reasons why people decide to join social movements is to stand up for what they believe in by making a personal statement. While some …show more content…

Religion has been used on numerous occasions as a mobilizing factor for social movements. In the ongoing argument between pro-life and pro-choice, the ability to choose whether or not to have a baby versus the idea that all life is sacred and thus should not be taken away has mobilized a large following of religious supporters for the pro-life side. In the Bible, it is said that killing an innocent human being is always morally wrong, so therefore taking away the life of another must be wrong. Hundreds of millions of people from all over the world use the Bible as a reference for their daily lives, so engaging in defending pro-life choices for all individuals would seem as not a big deal. Religion shapes people’s identities and gives them a home where they feel they won’t be persecuted for their beliefs. This idea of coming together as a group of people with a common focus and belief runs directly parallel to social movements, which is why religion is the perfect weapon for mobilizing people from all over the