Faith and Religious Extremism in the Third World Countries

Religion above all things has been a factor, and sometimes the most important factor, in everyones daily life. Religion is everywhere, with no avoidance possible (unless of course you are a hermit in the Himalaya). And for some religion has even destroyed their lives. To quote Albert Einstein, If this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every human action, every human feeling and aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty Being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself.

How can this be combines with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?. This is not a diminishing factor against religion. It is said to make a person think, not to prove religion wrong. But because religion is so powerful and probably ever flowing (in a time sense) it makes religion tedious and overbearing. But to some thats the point; religion wouldnt be religion if all you had to do was prey once a day it would seem to easy.

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Yet, it trucks on, attracting more and more for the belief of a certain God. The power of religion is present in everyday lives, and even more so in the past. Today in developed countries, the power of government has surpassed the power of religion. This change occurred in the United States sometime in the 18th century. The third world countries still have the predominance of religious power.

In the middle ages, belief in God was not a choice, but a matter of fact. With church services held daily, tithes (which were like paying an electric bill), and clergy held in extreme high regard and ranked almost to points of absurdity, for power in the middle ages was located at the church. And in some the power was misused from personal vendettas to actual control over a noble and sometimes a king. If you werent attending church or living for God, as it was said, you were accused of blasphemy and sent to jail. Through fear of their very lives, the church was able to control peasants, noblemen and even each other (clergy).

But theres got to be a way to keep the people coming to services associated with their worship. Enter fear and hope. Some stay associated with their religion just incase. I.e. afterlife, mortal sins, the natural drive for sex, and the apocalyptic view which most commonly referenced to Revelations located in the bible. This is most of the reason as to why the older generation is so closely attached to their religion. But through fear there is hope, and the power to heal through miracles and prayer. Many stories have been told of a super being or an unnatural force intervening for the better. There are even television shows, books and newspaper articles with unexplained phenomena usually labeled as miracles. With that kind of mercy who wouldnt worship that god? But once again with a good comes a bad. This bad is also labeled as Mother Nature, because why would this all merciful god create so much destruction, such as the weather volcanoes and earthquakes, lets put the blame on something else. The power to heal and destroy is extraordinary and I would want no other to wield such power.

But for some, the power is felt to be in their hands. Suicide bomber, murders, and the belief that you create you own destiny. This, in my opinion, is very hypocritical when your god has already got your life planned out. The Palestinian suicide bombers believe they are sacrificing their lives for the greater good, they believe that this act of bravery is in no regards wrong. That it is what God really wants. But who am I to judge maybe their god is actually talking to them. So by killing themselves, and sometimes others, they believe that they will go straight to their heaven with 50 virgins of Gods race await them when they arrive, for the act of extreme bravery on behalf of God. Here are some excerpts from published 1articles:

" knows where the human missiles are being programmed and armed. Such fanatic indoctrination takes time and isolation; it takes teachers of terror skilled in evoking visions of a martyrdom and requires recruits from vulnerably infuriated families who are known to other cells. The brainwashing is reinforced with official broadcasts of films of a dead boy beckoning potential suicide killers to join him in paradise."

"The bombers believe they are sent on their missions by God, and by the time they're ready to be strapped with explosives, say the sources, they have reached a hypnotic state. Their rationale: that by blowing themselves up in a crowd of Israelis, they are forging their own gateway to heaven."

To have a person believe that committing suicide and in the process try to kill others while doing it is, in the Americans perspective, absolutely crazy. But for this man to do it on behalf of a God is, above all, a great and mighty deed. For someone to sacrifice their life for a being they have never meant and probably never heard before, that being must have a great influence over that person. And the place that that influence comes from is religion. So essentially that mans life is held in the power of his religion.