There is a widespread perception in the West that we live in a secular age, an age in which religion is at best an optional extra, if not a false delusion completely out of place. However, religion still arouses passion and causes controversy; it controls and transforms lives. An informed understanding of the contemporary world thus requires an appreciation of the role of religion in shaping ideas, world-views and actions that have an impact on the social as well as on the personal life of the individual.
Religion plays an important role in influencing personal opinions and even political and legal actions across the globe. Religions are implicated in some of the worst of human violence. Religion inspires some of the highest ethical ideals and behaviour. In an increasingly interconnected, global world, understanding religion – and how to interact with it – is more critical than ever. Sociologists are interested in both how specific social experiences give rise to religious beliefs and behaviour and in how religious affiliation and belief affect attitudes and behaviour in other spheres of social life. The relationship between religion and politics is a contentious issue around the world. The United States has a long tradition of the separation of church and state, but the issue of what that separation entails remains a source of controversy.
Religions have functioned throughout human history to inspire and justify the full range of agency from the heinous to the heroic. Their influences remain potent at the dawn of the 21st century despite modern predictions that religious influences would steadily decline in concert with the rise of secular democracies and advances in science. Whether explicit or implicit, religious influences can be found in various social and historical experience.
The aim of this course is to introduce you to the principles of religions and help you understand the complexity and diversity of contemporary religion. Explore some of the most contentious contemporary issues involving religion. Understand religious attitudes to violence, dress codes and homosexuality. Learn about the variety of positions and practices relating to any one of these issues found within a religious context.
