Communism and extreme nationalist movements over the last century essentially became secular religions in some countries. They had their rituals, essentially sacred objects, and beliefs that provided meaning and order for millions of people. Even in democratic nations that are more international in their focus, there are often symbolic political objects and rituals connected with them.
An example in the United States is the pledge of allegiance to the American flag in schools and at public meetings. The flag takes on a powerful meaning for which people have given up their lives despite the fact that it is only a piece of cloth with different portions dyed red, white, or blue. Psychological and Social Functions of Religion.
Religions fulfill psychological needs. They help us confront and explain death. They help relieve our fears and anxieties about the unknown. Supernatural powers and beings may be appealed to or manipulated by people in times of crisis, as for example in praying to win a battle or survive a fierce storm.
Religions help ease the stress during personal life crises such as birth, marriage, serious illness, and death. It is not a coincidence that in most societies the "rites of passage" that are performed to help people adjust to these often highly emotional transitions are strongly religious. We also get psychological relief from "divinely given" moral codes. They lift some of the burden of decision making from our shoulders in difficult situations because they tell us what is right and wrong. Knowing what to do without having to think deeply about it provides tremendous psychological relief.
Religions also fulfill social needs. They can be powerful, dynamic forces in society. By reinforcing group norms , they help bring about social homogeneity. They can provide a basis for common purpose and values that can help maintain social solidarity. A uniformity of beliefs helps bind people together and reinforces group identity. In most societies, religions play an important role in social control by defining what is right and wrong behavior. If individuals do the right things in life, they may earn the approval of the gods.
If they do the wrong things, they may suffer supernatural retribution. Ordinary family rituals are often given added meaning by overlaying them with forms of religious ritual, so placing the large and small events of life within a cosmic framework. Ritual gives shape to emotions and helps humans come to terms with the major events of life. Religious ritual has generally been seen as indispensable in deepening spiritual insight. The repetition of rituals instils religious values and attitudes in the lives of the worshippers.
Ritual also expresses and emphasises the things that bind a faith community together, and through ritual both individuals and communities make visible their most basic religious needs, values and aspirations. In all religions the major events marking the cycle of life are given prominence and marked through ritual: birth, growth to adulthood, marriage and death. Seasons of the year are also marked through harvest thanksgiving, the blessing of the fleet, or rituals related to winter and summer solstice.
Other events not connected to the natural cycle, but observed through annual rituals connected with religious beliefs, include the Christian observation of the life of Christ, the Islamic observance of Ramadan and Tarawih, and the Jewish Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - amongst many others. The 20th century liturgical movement within the Christian churches saw a renewal of ritual through revised patterns of worship. The Roman Catholic Second Vatican Council promoted important changes including use of languages other than Latin for services, and the designing of new churches giving a greater focus on communal worship.
Similarly other churches and religions have attempted to respond to changes in language and thought. McCullough, M. Religious involvement and mortality: A meta-analytic review. Health Psychology, 19 , — Powell, L. Religion and spirituality: Linkages to physical health. American Psychologist, 58 , 36— Pruyser, P.
A dynamic psychology of religion. Google Scholar. Rappaport, R. Ritual and religion in the making of humanity. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Spilka, B. Religious practice, ritual, and prayer. Park Eds.
New York: Guilford.
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