Religion has both positive and negative effects on society. While some have pointed out its importance, a section of the society has come out to criticize it. However, time is ripe for more intensive dialogue regarding the position and influence of religion in society. This can enable people to understand the essence and impact of religion on their soul, body and mind. Moreover, religion has a profound effect on the profession. The effect can either be positive or negative. The paper provides some of the terminologies in religion, an interview with professional, and how religions influence the profession.
Terminologies and Characteristics of Religion
Some of the key terminologies in religion include belief, value, teachings, hope, devotion, and spiritual. To start with, a belief entails accepting something without proof that it exists. For instance, people believe in supreme beings without having tangible evidence that they exist. Value refers to a standard of behaviour according to one’s perspective. Then, teachings are fundamental concepts taught. People are expected to follow the teachings provided by an authority. Next, devotion refers to a willingness to serve or do something without expecting any incentive. Lastly, spiritual refers to the state of being related to a religious belief.
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Besides, the characteristics of religion can be categorized into two based on its impact on people in society. First, positive characteristics are those that describe how religion benefits people in society. For instance, motivation is one of the positive characteristics of religion. Secondly, negative characteristics are those describe how religion adversely impact people in society. For instance, "it is consuming" is one of the negative characteristics. Therefore, religion characteristics can be categorized into positive and negative characteristics.
Interview
Me: What religion do you attend to?
Nurse: I am a staunch Muslim.
Me: Thanks. How to do you balance between attending to you profession and
religious activities in your religion?
Nurse: It is not easy, but I try my best to attend to both. They are both fundamental in
life.
Me: Do the two have any relationship?
Nurse: Yes. Religion motivates me, give me hope, and shapes my morals. This enables
Me focus on my work as a nurse despite challenges. In religion, we are taught to
believe In Allah. He has the power to address all our challenges. Besides,
embracing respect, peace, love and other values taught in Islam helps behave
responsibly and improve my relationship with other people.
Me: Thanks for that answer. Have you ever found yourself in a position where you
felt that religion is affecting your profession?
Nurse: Yes. My boss once denied me a chance to go for a seminar on the basis that I
was Muslim despite the fact I had all the requirements. Nurses who were
Christians were selected. Besides, I spent most of the time attending the ritual
prayer five times a day. As a result, I fail meeting my targets.
Me: Thank you for that feedback and your time.
Nurse: Welcome.
How Religion Impacts Professions
Religion gives hope: Religions put a smile on the faces of people, giving them hope and inspiration to work hard in their respective professions. Religion celebrates the human spirit and enables people in society to realize their significance when challenges strike. It emphasizes the fact there is a Supreme Being that is always watching, and He can be reached through prayer. In such circumstances, the Supreme Being gives people the strength to hurdle hardships and challenges. In the contemporary world, professions are faced with challenges. For instance, paltry salary, excessive workload, poor personal fit with the management, and lack of self-development opportunities. They cause both physical and emotional distress in people. These challenges are rampant in Medicine, criminal justice, education. However, all other professions are affected. Religions play a crucial role in putting a smile on the face of professionals regardless of the adversities (Thijs et al., 2018). They find the strength to face the challenges while holding a robust perception that the Supreme Being will give strength to overcome. As a result, people working in various professions exercise enhanced focus on their personal and organizational goals (Thijs et al., 2018). For instance, teachers can persevere to low salaries but work hard in class, believing that things will change. This significantly enhances their performance and productivity at the workplace. Therefore, religions put smiles on the faces of people facing challenges and hardships in various professions, hence high productivity.
Religion raises self-esteem: Religion raises the performance of professions by enhancing the self-esteem of their workforce. Self-esteem I professions can be caused by trauma, disparities in income and social status, and variation of the level of positions on the organizational hierarchy. The low esteem in the workforce can undermine ideal communication, teamwork and collaboration, which are critical ingredients for high performance. Religions remind people working in various professions that they are uniquely made. For instance, Christians provide that a man is made in the image of God. Therefore, human beings have the strength and high abilities to counter any challenge and hardship that life throws at them. Muslims, on the other hand, are taught that Allah has a good plan for everyone. A plan that is good and satisfactory. Therefore, everyone who believes in religion is promised success and prosperity in their lives. This makes faithful to believe that they have everything and are equal human beings (Thijs et al., 2018). This enhances their zeal and focus of people in various professions to achieve their personal and organizational goals. These people are also more likely to psychologically adjust to changes in the workplace and focus on performance (Thijs et al., 2018). Religion boosts individual and collective performance in various professions. Therefore, religion significantly influences professions by boosting the self-esteem of professionals and enhancing their productivity.
Religion Motivates: Religion positively influences professions by stimulating professionals to work hard and boost performance. The values of giving and serving with devotion are widely taught by religion. The faithful are expected to follow these teaching in every circumstance, including in their professions. Religion provides a guarantee that abundant shall come upon those that are ready and willing to give and serve with devotions without considering any challenges and hardships. For instance, teachers work tirelessly in the teaching profession as per this teachings believing that blessings shall come their way. This motivates them to work hard to ensure success for themselves and other people. Therefore, it's a tradition and culture among religionists to give and serve with devotion. As a result, this significantly boosts performance and productivity. Professional tends to ignore challenges that act as distractions and focus on achieving their objectives, organizational goals and satisfactory service to other people. According to Tomic et al (2018), a person who is ready to serve holds a viewpoint that they are supposed to be working in their line of a profession for success. People who are loyal and devoted to serving other people are hardworking, and thus, they are an asset to an organization and the profession at large (Tomic et al., 2018). Therefore, religion profoundly impacts the profession by motivating people to give and serve, hence boost performance and productivity.
Religion enhances morality: Religion teaches morals which influence high performance in various professions. Religions have particular value frameworks concerning behaviour. For instance, religions emphasize love, respect, truth, justice, peace, and service as some of the critical values that everyone in society needs to embrace. The religions promise success and remarkable life to anyone that follows the teaching and behaviour according to the values. Markedly, morality has a profound impact on performance and productivity in professions. Wocial (2018) indicates that professionals are supposed to operate in accordance with the right values. This shapes their attitudes, perceptions and actions as they go about handling challenges and tapping on opportunities. Behaviour that is not based on right morals would eventually lead to conflicts, which undermine the focus on individual and collective goals (Wocial, 2018). Therefore, embracing moral values taught by religion shapes and made behaviours of professions ideal for high performance. For example, if the workforce within a particular profession embraces respect as a critical value, they would be able to work together in harmony. As a result, they will have minimal conflicts hence focus on goals and achieve exemplary success. Therefore, religion teaches moral values that improve behaviour in people working in various professions, thus enhancing the performance and productivity of the profession.
Counterargument
First, religion leads to discrimination which adversely impacts productivity in professions. People working in a particular profession can be treated differently based on their religion and spiritual beliefs. The situation can go the extreme where some professional can be treated worse if influential individuals in the management dislike them. This limit commitment and focus at the workplace. According to Scheitle & Corcoran (2017), discrimination based on religion kills the morale of employee in a profession hence undermine performance and productivity. This kind of discrimination also wastes talents and skills as qualified people are denied the opportunity to take up particular tasks. The discrimination and victimization that results from differences in religious beliefs and orientation lead to conflicts among people working in specific professions (Scheitle & Corcoran (2017). For instance, a Christian manager may discriminate and inappropriately handle employees who are Muslims. This adversely impacts performance and productivity. For instance, an employee qualifies by a position can be denied that a chance to hold that position because he is a Muslim. In such a case, he would not be able to exercise his intellectual capabilities and experience to the benefit of the organization. Therefore, religion affects operations, performance, and productivity in professions when professionals are discriminated and victimized based on their religion and spiritual beliefs.
Secondly, much of the time spend on religion matters undermine commitment to roles and duties in a profession. There are instances where working hours in particular professions concede with times when people are supposed to attending to various religious activities. In such a case, professionals who specific religions may leave work and attend to religious activities. A significant amount of time meant for work is wasted. Berger et al (2018) denote a substantial amount of time is spent on religious activities at the expenses of working in various professions. This hinders the achievement of targets, objectives and core goals of professions in the society (Berger et al., 2018). For example, Muslims are required to pray five times in a single day during the prayer ritual. Each session consumes a considerable amount of time that would have been spent working. In the long-run, the performance and productivity in the workplace are much reduced. Hence religions influence the profession if the aspect of time dedicated to each of the two is considered. It adversely affects the profession since time meant for work is spent on religious activities.
Conclusion
The impact of religion on professions is currently a hot topic in society. Characteristics of religion can be categorized into positive and negative characteristics. According to the interview, religion has both positive and negative influences on professions. Although many may disregard it due to religious discrimination and consumption of much time, a situation that adversely impacts professions, religion can be considered. Religion offers hope and puts smiles of the faces of professionals in time of adversities, raises self-esteem when they are low, and motivates them to work extra hard. Besides, religion enhances morality which shapes behaviour leading to high commitment, focus, performance and productivity of people in a particular profession. Therefore, religions have a generally positive impact on professions.
References
Berger, L. J., Essers, C., & Himi, A. (2016). Muslim employees within “white” organizations: the case of Moroccan workers in the Netherlands . The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(8), 1119–1139.
Scheitle, C. P., & Corcoran, K. E. (2017 ). Religious Tradition and Workplace Religious Discrimination: The Moderating Effects of Regional Context. Social Currents, 5(3), 283–300.
Thijs, J., Hornstra, L., & Charki, F. Z. (2018). Self-Esteem and National Identification in Times of Islamophobia: A Study Among Islamic School Children in The Netherlands . Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
Tomic, I., Tesic, Z., Kuzmanovic, B., & Tomic, M. (2018). An empirical study of employee loyalty, service quality, cost reduction and company performance. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja , 31(1), 827–846.
Wocial, L.D., (2018) "In Search of a Moral Community" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 23, No. 1.
