Responding to globalization: Religion and human flourishing (original) (raw)
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Religion and Terrorism: A Socio-Historical Re-Consideration
Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social …, 2010
Terrorist activities have taken a new turn in the wake of 21st Century, thereby creating a sense of insecurity in the global family, The reason for the upsurge of terrorism has also remained an enigma. However, scholars have posited diverse reasons and motivations for terrorist activities. Scholars mostly of western orientation, blame religion for it. On the other hand, scholars with liberal inclinations place the blame on the socio-political exigencies that fosters authoritarianism as the sole cause of the social phenomenon. The third group of scholars posits eclectic sources of terrorism. They opine that though, socio-political exigencies are at the root, however, religion fans the ember and gives it legitimacy. The fourth group proposed an alternative model in which they subsumed that globalization and not religion is the purveyor of modern terrorism. They noted that globalization agenda depersonalizes culture, breaks traditional identities, nullify national sovereignty and violates human rights and life of those at the fringes of development. Thus, those affected adversely by the scheme resort to terrorism as retaliation for the violation done to them. Religion, on the one hand, occupying a central position in human life becomes a medium of translating this sociopolitical conflict into a moral one. It is by religion that secular conflict acquires a cosmic nature. Any conflict understood in cosmic terms acquires stateless and timeless status and as such become unending. Therefore, the paper surmises that terrorism will not end unless globalization ends.
When discussing religion in a globalized world, scholars usually proceed from several standard assumptions. First, they proceed from the modern notion that religion should be separate from the state and, therefore, should not participate in public discourse, limiting its sphere of influence to personal faith and spirituality. Second, scholars often discuss established religious traditions that have evolved over the centuries, paying less attention to new religious movements because their numbers are relatively small, as is their influence on the world stage. Third, they focus their analysis on "religious disrupters," that is, those sects and groups that challenge social norms and pose a threat to civilization. In my essay, I challenge all those assumptions and discuss the impact of the Baha'i Faith and its teaching on the unfolding global social order.
Ghamari SOC-396 2 antithetical to its core idea of unity among believers. In reality, however, these distinctions have played a major role in shaping the Muslim world. In Part III, we shall discuss more recent developments in the global economy, means of communication and traveling, and the formation of transnational networks which have given rise to new promises and predicaments in Muslims' experiences of globalization.
The Resurgence of Religion in the Age of Globalization
The history of mankind shows that religion is one of the deepest and most intimate urges of mankind which, in one way or another, is found everywhere. There was a widespread assumption that the trends toward industrialization, urbanization, secularization and globalization which world had pioneered in the twenty-first century had led to the complete displacement of religion from any central role in public life. Experts once predicted that as the world grew more modern, religion would decline. Precisely the opposite has proven true. The so-called "information age" is gradually spreading its influence to the realm of religion. The twenty-first century is witnessing a resurgence and globalization of religion. Around the world, religion has become an increasingly more vital and pervasive force in both personal and public life. So this article will focus on the globalization of religion. It connects today's religions to their classical beliefs and practices but also shows how they have been transformed by globalization and by their contact with one another. To highlight, in what way globalization has contributed to the revival and resurgence of religion, is the major theme of this article.