Religion is absolutely vital to modern society.

Religion is what determines the

norms by which a society should operate. Here in Philippines, even though
there are many religions within the nation, Christian character, morals,
values and integrity are what keeps the peace. We all understand that to
take a life or to steal is a sin and should be punished. There are societies
where there religion allows them to take the life of someone for no other
reason than personal request. Their religion allows for that and therefore, it is
their "norm".

Many people need to believe in something and believe that things happen
for a reason because it is their way of dealing with bad situations. Religion is
used by some as a coping mechanism and for others it gives their life
meaning. It makes them feel like they are here for a reason and their life isn't
worthless.

It seems highly likely that for nearly as long as there has been man, there
has been religion. The religions change over time and place, but that there is
some religion is a constant.

Nevertheless, religion at its best endorses meaningful life, fosters

community, and promulgates the noblest values. Ultimately, the quest of
religion is Truth, and without Truth life is an empty void.

Probably the biggest influence that religion has on everyday life is that the
laws and the social customs that exist in society are almost all based on
religious teachings. While it could be argued that similar laws would be made
by a society that had no god the fact remains that the laws as they exist are
mostly an extension of religion. These laws form the basis of society as we
know it so religion has had a massive impact on the world as we know it.
Since these laws govern almost all of your daily behavior you are being
influenced by religion in almost everything that you do.

Do We Need Religion?
Join Rainn Wilson in pondering, "Do We Need Religion?"
image:
http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/8B463F4734A84276BA5F7A3BFF7DF945.a
shx?w=650&h=488&bg=00000000&f=png

In this digital, turbocharged era we dont always take the time to

consider the bigger picture and the bigger questions. Rainn Wilson
shares his thoughts on some of the most important faith questions
of our day in his new book, SOULPANCAKE, and he wants to know
what Beliefnet readers have to say, too. The Question is: Do we
need religion? Post your thoughts in the comment section
below. Return to Rainn Wilson main page.

I personally don't care for organized religion to worship the God I love, but
others like the structure of a religion and a sense of belonging. Also religions
are so varied and distinct, we all worship in our own way and everyone
should believe in something.
- Julianne P Walsh
We don't need "religion." Christianity is about a relationship with Christ.
- Kathy Boone

Don't need religion. Need JESUS!! Without him we have no hope.

- Joyce Wheatley Shockley

We don't need religion. We just need to have faith and except god as our
Lord and Savior.
- Randino Mathews

Kathy said what I was going to say^^^

- Cecile Midence Hall

We only need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ & know that He died for us.
It is necessary to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not about religion.
It is only about a relationship. I consider religion a broad term used to
describe what people put first in their lives, what they live for. What is their
top priority or what is most important to them. If it is money, vanity, sports,
status or whatever it may be that is number one in your life and what drives
you then that is your religion. For me it is Jesus. This life on earth is temporal
so I am more concerned with eternity and where I will spend that time.
- Sonya M Nef

I'd been searching for the truth since my early teens. I've studied with
Jehovah Witnesses, Islam, been a Baptist, Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist
only to come to realize that I don't need "Religion." Like Sonya Neff
previously stated, "What we need is to Believe that Jesus Christ is OUR
Saviour and that He died for OUR sins. We NEED to have a personal
relationship with Him. Not the Church, the Pastor, the Priest, Sister Mary
Margaret, the Pope or any other person or thing that will make us distracted
or disconnected from Him.
- Poetess Kharlah

There are certain things we ought to do religiously and with discipline in life,
which can in turn become good habits, that in turn make our lives better, for
eg. good personal habits, which make our own body and mind healthy, and
good ethics that make the world better. Anything good that we do religiously
becomes our religion.
- Minnie Mehrotra
Everyone needs to believe, and everyone has his own religion, but there is
only one for me. The one and only the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Just like Sonya M
Neff wrote. Thank you for the message.
- Wayne Phillips

I think it is a pity that religion has so many negative connotations, however

understandable (IMO) . . . Whatever form faith takes in someone's heart, I
think religion is much like a language and also like a ship.

Religion is like language, in that it gives us an alphabet and grammar and

vocabulary with which to articulate our relationship with The Great
Unknowable. . . it's not that religion can address & answer every question;
it's that without religion we cannot begin to form the questions. Religion asks
us to stretch our minds and imagination; it collects all the great theological
thoughts and wonderings into a great "volume" of experience with which we
finite beings can try to grasp, and know, and develop a relationship with the
Infinite Source of all Love and Light.

Religion is like a ship, in that it enables us to have a structure to hold onto in

the midst of every storm. It's not that without language we cannot
communicate -- or that without a ship we cannot sail through a storm. But
without the language of religion, it's vastly harder. Without the ship of
religion, we could try to tread water on our own, but it's so very much harder
to do. Religion is merely humankind's clumsy attempt to reach out to God
and develop a relationship with Him. It envelopes all of our sense and it
engages our minds more completely

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Rainn-Wilson/Do-We-

Need-Religion.aspx#C1kkeuTOTWwkbhrq.99

Gender socialization occurs through four major agents of socialization: family, education, peer
groups, and mass media. Each agent reinforces gender roles by creating and maintaining
normative expectations for gender-specific behaviour. Exposure also occurs through secondary
agents such as religion and the workplace. Repeated exposure to these agents over time leads
men and women into a false sense that they are acting naturally rather than following a socially
constructed role.

Family is the first agent of socialization. There is considerable evidence that parents socialize
sons and daughters differently. Generally speaking, girls are given more latitude to step outside
of their prescribed gender role (Coltrane and Adams 2004; Kimmel 2000; Raffaelli and Ontai
2004). However, differential socialization typically results in greater privileges afforded to boys.
For instance, sons are allowed more autonomy and independence at an earlier age than
daughters. They may be given fewer restrictions on appropriate clothing, dating habits, or
curfew. Sons are also often free from performing domestic duties such as cleaning or cooking
and other household tasks that are considered feminine. Daughters are limited by their
expectation to be passive, nurturing, and generally obedient, and to assume many of the domestic
responsibilities.

Even when parents set gender equality as a goal, there may be underlying indications of
inequality. For example, when dividing up household chores, boys may be asked to take out the
garbage or perform other tasks that require strength or toughness, while girls may be asked to
fold laundry or perform duties that require neatness and care. It has been found that fathers are
firmer in their expectations for gender conformity than are mothers, and their expectations are
stronger for sons than they are for daughters (Kimmel 2000). This is true in many types of
activities, including preference of toys, play styles, discipline, chores, and personal
achievements. As a result, boys tend to be particularly attuned to their fathers disapproval when
engaging in an activity that might be considered feminine, like dancing or singing (Coltrane and
Adams 2008). It should be noted that parental socialization and normative expectations vary
along lines of social class, race, and ethnicity. Research in the United States has shown that
African American families, for instance, are more likely than Caucasians to model an egalitarian
role structure for their children (Staples and Boulin Johnson 2004).

The reinforcement of gender roles and stereotypes continues once a child reaches school age.
Until very recently, schools were rather explicit in their efforts to stratify boys and girls. The first
step toward stratification was segregation. Girls were encouraged to take home economics or
humanities courses and boys to take shop, math, and science courses.

Studies suggest that gender socialization still occurs in schools today, perhaps in less obvious
forms (Lips 2004). Teachers may not even realize that they are acting in ways that reproduce
gender-differentiated behaviour patterns. Yet, any time they ask students to arrange their seats or
line up according to gender, teachers are asserting that boys and girls should be treated
differently (Thorne 1993).