The society is the most fundamental demographic unit of human association. The community or society that one lives in has a significant influence on many of their personal and societal characteristics. Some of the most definitive elements of people in a society or community are religion and culture. The two aspects are similar in many ways. Today, it is challenging to find someone who has no affiliation to any religion or culture. The two have become pertinent structures of most societies. Many countries in the world even have constitutional provisions that embed all the aspects regarding culture and religion. Also, religion and culture have been used on some occasions to justify certain actions. Although some people may argue that religious and cultural affiliations are utterly subjective, it is difficult to opine their presence and role in the structure of modern society. Therefore, what are constitutive elements of the existence of religion and culture?
Religion and culture have been in existence as long as human beings have been on earth. To understand how the two came into existence, it is crucial to look at what they mean and what aspects are inscribed in their definitions. Religion is the belief in a spiritual being that is perceived to be more powerful than human beings. It is the acknowledgment of a superpower (God) being who is immortal, omniscient, and constantly watches over human beings (Foucault, 2013). The most outstanding thing about religion is that it is shaped on the basis of faith. Religion has assumed different definitions over the years. Today, even the people who do not believe in God are perceived to have a religion of their own that is based on ‘not believing in God.’ Culture is the integration of the norms, traditions, beliefs, and practices of a particular demographic setting. Culture is often complementary to the subject of ethnicity and origin or location.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Geographical location is the first aspect that is hugely attributed to the origin and existence of religion and culture. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the Redeemer of the human race. Biblically, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Even though Christianity is believed to have begun long before Jesus was born, Jesus strengthened the religion and founded the first trinity church. The birth of Jesus greatly influenced the regions of Bethlehem and Nazareth. This is because the first institutions of modern Christianity were induced in those places. Therefore, this means that someone in Europe, America or Africa would not be easily affiliated with Christianity due to their geographical location (Dawson, 2013). Other religions like, for instance, Islam and Buddhism are also based on geographic area. Islam is the most widely practiced religion in Africa. The spread of Islam was induced slowly between different African countries due to their proximity to each other and the general aspect of the geographical location.
Culture follows the above model as well. Asia and Africa are notably the places with some of the most vibrant cultures in the world. One of the ways that culture was brought into existence through geographical location is based on climatic conditions. Tropical Africa, for instance, experiences high temperatures. Due to these temperatures, the dress code is characterized by light clothing. Farming practices and recreational activities are also modeled under the consideration of the climatic conditions. This deductively implies that cultural practices like recreational activities and dress code were dependent on the climatic conditions of an area which are again dependent on geographical location. The same illustration applies to places like Asia, Australia, and South America. The geographic location of people defines many cultural practices and cultures as a whole. It is also the element of geographical location that resulted in the phenomenon of Westernization or the Western culture.
The second element that is profoundly attached to the existence of religion and culture is the concept of inheritance, affiliation, and adaptation. This means that culture and religion have come into existence because one generation has always adopted what the previous generation did. Once in a while, parents have been known to disagree with their children over what career to choose. This is because some parents want their children to follow a similar career path to theirs. The same applies to religion and culture. A Christian parent, for example, would be reluctant to allow their children to be Buddhists or Muslims. The reason is that most people believe that their children (next generation) should conform to the definitive cultural and religious ways of their elders (predecessor generation) (Dawson, 2013). Therefore, through the elements of inheritance, affiliation, and adaptation; religion and culture have come into existence.
Thirdly, culture and religion have come into existence due to historical experiences that people experienced. In the US, for instance, Thanksgiving is one of the most celebrated holidays. Over the years, Americans have enjoyed the celebration for so long that it has become part of the American culture. However, the origin of Thanksgiving is based on a historical event of agriculture (Foucault, 2013). During slave trade and the time when slavery was a normal practice, Christianity was the popular religion in the US. Even some of the people who enslaved others practiced Christianity. Most slaves were African Americans. The slaves assessed this religion that was fostering slavery (Christianity), and they were disgusted. Due to this mentality, the slaves sought other faiths that would promote equality and humanity. According to them, that religion was not Christianity. In fact, this is what led to many African Americans becoming Muslims. Therefore, historical events like Thanksgiving and Slavery were instrumental in the shaping of the phenomena of religion and culture.
Overall, the existence of culture and religion has been as a result of the continuous integration of many aspects. Indeed, many variables and parameters came into play so that religion and culture came to be the way we know them today with the three elements of geographical location, inheritance, and historical experiences forming the most fundamental and reasonable explanation for the phenomena. However, these elements are not entirely exclusive; other minor factors seemingly had some impact though not significant. Regardless of how they came into existence, the undeniable fact is that culture and religion are a critical component of the society. People should, therefore, endeavor to live in harmony despite the cultural and religious difference.
References
Dawson, C. (2013). Religion and Culture . CUA Press.
Foucault, M. (2013). Religion and Culture. Routledge Publishers.
