RELIGION: HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR MIND?

We live in a world where there are over 10 000 different religions. But how does religion affect our minds? Religion is defined as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. The belief in a God/gods helps religious people live their life in a certain lifestyle.

Following the rules and guidelines of a religion helps humans develop a feeling of savior, that if they follow the guidelines of their religion they will go to heaven, that their soul will be saved. Of course, in different times religion helps people feel safety. Mostly in times of grief, people turn to religion as an answer. Studies show that people who turned to religion after the death of a loved one recovered from grief much faster than people who haven’t. Religion gives some people motivation to achieve and some people a burden. With religion being passed down from generation to generation, with it comes a commitment. Many families continue religious traditions to show respect to their forefathers.

Most people still participate in religious activities and traditions, such as going to a religious institution, praying, not eating certain foods, dressing a certain way and other. It’s all completely normal, but those traditions affected today’s world in general. Following religious traditions designed human brains to think a certain way. In the bible it says “As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.“ Which helped in forming a sexist society in which women are viewed as inferior. Most of today is based on history and traditions.
Religion has a massive impact on today’s society. It helped in forming stereotypes, “boxing” people in, creating wars and hatred and other. Religion can be a wonderful thing if the person respects it. It has the power to create and destruct at the same time. I would love to live in a world where respect is dominant to hatred, but not everything is perfect.
Lastly, I want to know what you think about religion. How does religion influence your life? Is there anything you want to change about the aspect of religion? Do you participate in religious activities to honor your ancestors? Let me know in the comments.

Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC116607/
http://www.njemploymentlawfirm.com/religious-discrimination.html
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/04/this_is_your_brain_on_religion_uncovering_the_science_of_belief/
http://www.livescience.com/18421-religion-impacts-health.html
http://godisimaginary.com/i30.htm