discuss some of the ways religion has had an impact on world politics. provide evidence to support your claims

Discuss some of the Ways Religion has had an Impact on World Politics

Provide Evidence to Support your Claims

Outline

Introduction

Ways of Influence

Personal

Institutional

Impact and Importance

Example of Islam

Example of Catholicism

International Situation

Conclusion

World politics is influenced by different internal and external agents including foreign relations and economics , social and cultural changes Today , religion is often understood as a separate and independent institution which provides its own policy and does not interfere into social affairs . Taking into account recent

changes and political decisions , it is evident that religion has remained strong political force which influenced worlds politics even at the beginning of the 21st century . Today , a substantial portion of the world returned to the earlier identification between the political world and the religious world , with the belief that only political power can make men moral

Religion influences world politics at different ways : an individual or personal level , and a collective or institutional level ' 1 . Religion controls the circulation of ideas in society and politics . This impact is evident , because religion replaces unwritten code of ethics helping to distinguish what is good and what is bad , what is moral or immoral etc . These notions affect world politics in decision-making process and situation analysis . In world politics , religion becomes the base of social ethics . When one country 's actions begin to affect another country , people have moved from personal ethics to social ethics and often have to place some limits on human behavior , for instance such questions as sexual freedom and abortion rights 2

On the institutional level , religion plays the role of a lobbying force . Following Rubenstein : it is through its communities and institutions that religion 's impact on politics becomes visible , so the rest of this introduction will deal with it in these twin guises ' 3 Demands on the political system originate in the minds of individuals Impact of religion may well not be immediately recognized as political and

1 . Rubenstein , R .L . Spirit Matters : The Worldwide Impact of Religion on Contemporary Politics (Paragon House Publishers , 1987 ,

. xi

2 . Hayes , B .C . The Impact of Religious Identification on Political Attitudes : an International Comparison . Sociology of Religion , Vol . 56 1995 ,

. 179

3 . Rubenstein , R .L . Spirit Matters : The Worldwide Impact of Religion on Contemporary Politics (Paragon House Publishers , 1987 ,

. xv

whether they are seen as such will depend on the nature of the society concerned . However , the voice of one individual in a modern society will normally carry little weight unless the demands which that individual articulates come from within the central elite and its decision-making body until those concerned get together with others who share a common interest and aggregate their demands into a program for action

It is important to note that the influence of religion on politics differs in all the countries around the world . It is caused by differences in religion traditions and bonding of cultural and religious life . For instance , in Asia and Middle East the impact...