Abstract
Despite the fact that religion is a deeply personal experience, it also has a societal dimension and a function to fulfill. In terms of social impact, it was a significant player, serving a range of critical social functions. Several universal goals, according to Arnold W. Green, are served by religious belief. It does three things: first, it rationalizes and makes individual suffering in the known world bearable; second, it increases self-esteem; and third, it facilitates in the integration of a society’s social goals into a unified whole. Man does not survive just on the basis of his knowledge. He, too, is a highly emotional individual. In times of grief and disappointment, religion can assist a person in the integration of his or her personality by calming the emotions of the individual. Social relational theories of religion pay attention to the nature of the social form of the beliefs and practices of people who follow them. Religious beliefs, symbols, and practices are said to be “relatively bounded”. Fortitude and serenity with which religious concepts and practices have been known to withstand the most terrible of calamities and suffering are some of the most powerful demonstrations of the strength of religious beliefs and practices. This paper discusses some of the vectors of society and culture from the point of Buddhism as a religion of social change.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Vectors of Society and Culture
KEYWORDS
Social Change, Buddhism, Religion, Social-Relational Theories, Vectors of society
