Globalization and Religion

• Religion


  Man's relationship to the unseen world, to the world of spirits, demons, and gods. Seeking to help man find meaning in a universe which all too often appears to be hostile to his interests. Salvation means being saved from disaster, fear, hunger, and a meaningless life, and being saved for hope, love, security, and the fulfillment of purpose.
• Karl Marx: 'Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature… a protest against real suffering… it is the opium of the people… the illusory sun which revolves around man for as long as he does not evolve around himself.'
• Concepts of good and evil in religions

  • Christianity: God is the source of good, and evil stems from rebellion against God. Acceptance of Jesus Christ.
  • Judaism: Human beings are born with good (Yetzer Ha-Tov = Conscience), and evil (Yetzer Ha-Ra = Self-Interest) impulses. Abiding by the 10 Commandments.
  • Islam: Things that God (Allah) has commanded are good, and those prohibited by him are evil. Fulfilling the 5 Pillars of Faith to the best of your abilities.
  • Buddhism: Dukkha (suffering) stems from our tanha (desire), and only by eliminating tanha do we eliminate dukkha and achieve the state of nirvana (blowing out, enlightenment). Following "the noble eightfold path".
  • Hinduism: Karma is accumulated through good or bad actions, determined by an individual's dharma (duty), determined by which caste a person is born. Living in accordance to one's dharma (duty).
• Globalization


  The process of expansion and intensification of social relations and consciousness across world-time and across world-space. Occurs on multiple and intersecting dimensions of integration: ethnoscapes, mediascape, technoscape, financescape, ideoscape.
• The widespread beliefs among powerful people that the global integration of economic markets is beneficial for everyone, since it spreads freedom and democracy across the globe.
• The belief that economic and foreign policy should be planned on a global basis, rather than serving the interests of individual crises.
• Religion vs Globalism


  Religion is concerned with "the sacred" and follows "heavenly precepts", while globalism is preoccupied with material gain and follows "human-made laws". Religion assumes a possible connection or communication with the transcendent, while the measure of globalism is how much human actions can lead to the highest level of material satisfaction.
• Differences between religious and globalists

  • Religious are less concerned with wealth and everything that comes with it, and more concerned about spending eternity in heaven or hell. Their goal is to be "saint".
  • Globalists are less concerned about the afterlife, and more concerned about completing trade deals, increasing private sector profits, boosting government revenue collections, shielding the wealthy from excessive government taxation, and enriching themselves. Their aspiration is to be a successful business person.
• Why do religion and globalism collide?

  Because religious evangelism is a sort of globalization in and of itself. The globalist ideal is concerned with the global expansion of products and services whereas the religious ideal is concerned with the global dissemination of sacred ideals.
• Peter Berger argues that far from being secularized, "the contemporary world is furiously religious". There are genuine religious fervor explosions happening in all the major religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Confucianism, in one way or another.
• How religion brings people together and assists globalization

  Religion brings people together by allowing them to interact and communicate. It benefits globalization because religious groups are able to take advantage of modern technology.
• Ways religion is part of political authority

  • Theocratic states where religious institutions hold significant political power.
  • Religious organizations and leaders having sway over politicians and political decision-making.
  • Secular states where religious organizations and political power are clearly separated.
  • Religion being a significant aspect of a nation's identity, influencing cultural and social norms which affect political power indirectly.
  • Conflicts and tensions arising when religion and politics collide, particularly in areas with a mixed religious population.
  • Religion having an impact on a country's foreign policy decisions, especially when interacting with neighboring countries where religion is important in politics.
• Jose Casanova noted that "historically, religion has always been at the very center of all great political conflicts and movements of social reform. From independence to abolition, from nativism to women's suffrage, from prohibition to the civil rights movement, religion had always been at the center of these conflicts but also on both sides of the political barricades." It remains the case until today with the power the Christian Right has on the Republican Party.
• Numerous religious organizations ran for office using the partylist during the 2016 Presidential Elections and the 2019 Midterm Elections in the Philippines, including Jesus is Lord (JIL) - CIBAC Party, El Shaddai - Buhay Party, Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) - Alagad Party, and Kingdom of Jesus Christ - All candidates sponsored by the Duterte Administration.
• Why do religious movements form to resist the globalist mentality?

  Religion despises the materialistic worldview of globalization, and globalization has liberated communities from national-state limitations at the expense of the cultural framework that binds them together.
• How do Christianity and Islam view globalization?

  They view it as an opportunity rather than a threat, and utilize the products of globalization to reach more people, using their religion as a moral standard in the rapidly changing world.
• Some Muslims see "globalization" as a Trojan Horse that hides followers of Western principles, such as secularism, liberalism, and even communism, who are eager to promote these concepts in their territories and eventually replace Islam.
• Globalization vs Westernization

  Globalization is the natural human instinct and tendency towards being a 'social animal' and exchanging sources and experiences with others. Westernization is the process of adopting ideas and behavior that are typical of Europe and North America, rather than preserving traditional ideas and behavior.
• Islam is not anti-globalization, as it orders people to cooperate and be helpful to one another according to goodness and piety, not evil and malice. The Islamic world has made important advances in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine that European scholars benefited from.
• The Catholic church and Pope Francis condemned globalization's "throwaway culture" that is "fatally destined to suffocate hope and increase risks and threats", and emphasized that economic rationale had to be secondary to the wider needs of human society.
• In 1998, the World Bank brought in religious leaders in its discussions about global poverty, acknowledging the "liberationist, moral critiques of economic globalization coming from the religious".
• How different worldviews/political ideas view religion

  • Secularism: Sees secularism as an "antireligion" edict, with the key principle being the separation of church and state.
  • Liberalism: Committed to protecting the freedom of persons to live and think as they choose without interference from the state, and is directly opposed by religious fundamentalism.
  • Communism: Views religion as a form of "Social Control", and believes that if the "comfort blanket of religion" is taken away, the workers would have to do something about their terrible condition.
• Globalization is oddly seen as having little to do with religion, because globalization is connected with modernization and the secularization theory. However, religious people are able to defend their political participation using moral considerations, and religious leaders have used religion to wield influence on the political arena.
• Globalization has led to increased religious pluralism as people from different religions interact more frequently.
• The global spread of Christianity has been influenced by colonialism, missionary activity, and the growth of international trade.
• Christianity is now practiced on every continent except Antarctica, with over half of its adherents living in Africa or Asia.
• where is the origin of christianity

  judea (middle east)
• what is the origin of judaism

  judah (middle east)
• what is the origin of islam

  arabia (middle east)
• what is the origin of buddhism


  indian subcontinent
• hinduism


  indian subcontinent
• yetzer hat-ov


  conscience
• yetzer ha-ra


  self-interest
• dukkha


  suffering
• nirvana


  blowing out, enlightenment
• duty


  dharma
• acceptance of jesus christ

  christianity
• abiding by the 10 commandments

  judaism
• fulfilling the 5 pillars of faith to the best of your abilities

  islam
• following the noble eightfold path

  buddhism