Discuss the trends in the institution of religion within the context of globalization and conflict theory.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Although there is a long history of conflict and adaptation as the major world religions confronted each other in the same political and geographic areas, globalization has urgently increased the need for religious communities to find ways to coexist globally as well as locally. A religious belief system helps people to feel secure, and exposure to different belief systems can be unsettling and sometimes perceived as a threat to the integrity of one's own beliefs and identity. Today, however, it is almost impossible for believers in one religious tradition to be isolated from other religious traditions. We are increasingly exposed to the beliefs, rituals, and organizations of diverse religious groups, and this is not a trend that is likely to be reversed. There are few choices about how to cope with this trend. We can attempt to impose one belief system on the world and commit genocide if that doesn't work. Or we can attempt to find a unified ethical code that is consistent with all religious traditions and respectfully agree to disagree if that doesn't work, giving legal protections to all groups. In the past, both of these choices have been put into practice at one time or another.