Religion_and_Politics

Introduction Man is religious and political by nature. Religion and politics has always been the part of human civilization from time immemorial. Religion’s part is in bringing people together and of politics is to govern them well and to mete out justice. Religious sentiments have played a major part in controlling the people in politics. The relation between both these spheres has seen many changes over time. Many have exploited the religious sentiments for various good and bad purposes. Definition The word ‘Religion’ has been derived from the word ‘ligare’ which in Latin means to bind together. Hence, religion is something which binds people together. Religion has many aspects. Religion is a social institution containing buildings and schools, sacred books, traditional norms of behavior, rituals, and ceremonies. Religion presents moral standards for behavior and standards that govern defense of the community and conservation (stewardship of the natural ecosystem). The word ‘Politics’ comes from the Greek word ‘’ (polis) which means city or city state. Politics is the way by which a city or a state is governed. Politics has its own aspects such as governance, welfare of the people, administration of property, dealing out justice etc. Relation between Religion and Politics From the beginning of time the religious leaders have been controlling the administration of the people in their area. Religion is that binds the people together and it was found to be the most effective method by which the people could be controlled. Hence it became the chosen tool for many millennia for affecting the policies on the subjects of the state. All the major religions of the world have done this – Christianity, Islam, Jews, and Hinduism etc. - all have been using the religion as a defining tool for the spread of rule of state and the religious books have been the constitutions which lay out the rules and regulations. People taking it to be the word of god have believed out of fear even in the modern times. The Torah has been the book which the Jews believed to be the word of God and by which their chief priest have been ruling the Hebrews for years. Moses who was a religious leader also led the political scenario. The code of civil law, dress codes, lifestyle has been always been defined by interpreting the laws in the Torah. Similarly, for the Muslims, their way of living has been defined by the Quran. The Prophet Mohammed became a leader in the first community which accepted him as the prophet. Their way of living much like that of the Jews is defines by their religious leaders. In Hinduism, the religious leaders define the policies by which the people live and the various tasks they have to perform. It was they who created the caste system to divide the society for easier administration and governance. Each caste was allotted its own tasks and policies by which they live and work. Christianity has been the most successful of all to use religion as an administrative method. The Pope of the Catholic Church was the most important person in the world for more than a millennium. He was not only the spiritual leader but together with his college of cardinals decided on important world matters. Most of Europe was under his control and he decided the appointment or impeachment of kings and rulers over most of the west. Many crusades and holy wars were sanctioned by the highest authorities of Christendom. The Church became an integral part of the lives of the people and decided for the people. In the Modern Times… Though today religion has lost most of its control in politics in many countries, there are still a few countries where religion has a major say in deciding the fate of the country, some examples may be India, and some neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Arab countries etc. Now religious values having lost its true values has just become a tool for the politicians to gain their ends. The negative trends in today’s times are a disturbing fact for the world. Some of these negative features are: 1) Use of religion for political gains: Some politicians have found religion to gain their ends. They use religious beliefs to instigate the people to hartals, riots and mobbing. They try to gain votes by calculating the presence of religious groups within an area and by using tactics to gain votes for their candidates. 2) Use of religion for the spread of internal terrorism: Fanatic groups interpret their scriptures wrongly or issue improper decrees in the name of religion to provoke people to violence against other religions or groups. 3) Use of religion for the spread of international terrorism: Ultra-terrorist groups like Al-Qaida and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and others have made the use of religion to spread the reign of terror. They enroll poor Muslim youth to their camps in the name of holy jihad to use them as fighters and human bombs to other countries. Conclusion Though religion is supposed to be a bond between people, it is being used by unscrupulous people to spread political strife among religious groups, terrorism among countries and even among the people in the same religious group. There is strict need to curb the use of religion in politics and to check the parties that do so especially the terrorist countries of the world, or else the future peace of the people all over the world looks bleak.