Globalisation and Religion Essay

Secularisation theory has argued that modernisation has undermined holiness. The importance of science and technology on economic development and rational worldview on which they depend on argon seen as destroying the nonion in supernatural. However religion can contribute to development, but most recently sociologists have examined what role religion may play in development in todays orbicularising world.This can be seen in India. Globalisation has brought rapid economic offshoot and has seen India become a more important player in the world political stage. It has brought prosperity to some, notably the Indian middle class. Nanda shows that 85% of India is Hindi and this is where globalisation has interpreted place. Globalisation has created a huge and prosperous, scientifically educated middle class melting in IT, pharmaceuticals, and so forth These are who secularisation theorists say will be the first to abandon religion.However Nanda sees a long majority of this class continue to believe in the supernatural. A study of developing societies in 2007 shows that Indians are more religious and only 5% claim their religion has declined in the past five years. It overly found that urban areas are more religious that rural areas. Nanda goes as far to say that it is graceful fashionable to be seen as religious.She examines what motivates this. Nanda rejects poverty and existential insecurity as a reason for their belief because they are not poor. She also rejects the idea that their religionism is a denial mechanism to modernisation and occidentalisation. She argues that their religiosity is to do with their ambivalence to their new found wealth. This has helped to see the relationship betwixt globalisation and religion, as Nanda points let out that globalisation has increase the religiosity in India.She also examines the role of Hinduism in legitimating a triumphalist version of Indian nationalism. From a survey it found that 93% of Indians belie ve they have a superior culture to others. Nanda notes that the Indians mastery in the global market have attributed to Hindu values. These are constantly promoted by media and politicians. Ultra nationalism, worshiping Hindu gods and India itself has become a civil religion.In recent years the East Asia tiger economies such as Korea and Singapore are instanter becoming industrialised. Also China has become a major global power. Sociologists argue that this success is because of religion acting interchangeable to Calvinism. Redding sees their post Confucian values as encouraging, similar to the protestant work ethic. Similarly Berger argues that Pentecostalism in Latin America acts as a functional same to Webers protestant ethic. He says that they embrace the work ethic and vivificationstyle of Calvinists aspect of life which in result its members continue to prosper.However Berger underlines Webers point that religious ideas alone are not enough to produce economic development . He says that natural resources are also needed. For role model tour Protestantism has grown in northern Brazil, the religion lacks resources and remains backwards. By contrast, the south, which is developing rapidly, has both a work ethic derived from Pentecostalism and the necessary resources. Christianity has also become globalised.Lehmann says that it has done this by accompanying globalisations, imposed my indigenous race and in the past 100 years it has spread because of its popular following. The symbols and imagery from local cultures attributes to their success. They attack cults and arrange exorcism, and accept and validate beliefs. This has contributed to the relationship between globalisation and religion as it shows that religion has helped countries to develop and use the idea of protestant ethic in Latin America gives a valid explanation as to why they have grown.A further link between globalisation and religion is explained through fundamentalism. Fundamentalis m has a response to globalisation and related trends. Giddens describes fundamentalists as traditionalists. He sees that this is a relatively new term and sees its growth, as a production of and reaction to globalisation. He claims that it has undermined traditional norms and values. They say that religion offers certainty to a now uncertain world due to the choice which people have.A contrasting view to this however is Beckford. He criticises fundamentalists for ignoring other important developments, including how globalisations also affects non fundamentalist religions such as Catholicism. Giddens groups all types of fundamentalism together, ignoring any differences between them.Jeff Haynes argues that we should not focus narrowly on the idea that Islamic fundamentalism is a reaction against globalisation. For example in the set East, conflicts caused by the failure of local elites to deliver on their promises to improve the standard of living are ofttimes the fuel that drives fu ndamentalism. This evidence argues that globalisation has undermined traditional religious beliefs.Religion has also created a cultural defence whereby religion serves to unite communities against external threat. In this situation religion has a special significance for its pursual because it symbolises the group or societies collective identity. There are two examples of this from the late 20th century and those are Poland and Iran. It has created war and terror such as the war in Iraq. Therefore the effect of globalisation on religion is a confrontation of civilisations. Huntingtons view is that religious defences are creating a new set of uncongenial us and them situation as there is an increase in competition against cavitations for economic and military power. An example of this is the 9/11.Although there are some critics such as Jackson who believe it is a western ideology that stereotypes nations. Also Armstrong argues hostility towards the west does not stem from fundamen talist Islam but to western alien policy in the Middle East. This shows thats due to globalisation is has increased religiosity but has created clank between countries. This has had a negative effect in the world.Overall globalisation has brought rapid economic growth and has seen India become a more important player on the world political stage. It has also increased Indians religiosity which is shown in Nandas argument which she also says this relationship is because of the optimism about the opportunities globalisations will bring and the result of the ambivalence to their new found wealth. But also like Huntington says, both religion and globalisation has created a clash of civilisations and created both war and terror. In conclusion this relationship between globalisations in religion is good as it has helped countries such as India in the economy and has increased their religiosity. However it could also be argued that it has created friction between religions and in result has had a negative impact on the world.