What is religion’s relevance today?

What is religion’s relevance today? Then post two discussion comments: (1) Respond to someone else’s comment; (2) Post your own comment. If you are first to post, check back later to respond to someone else. Please be sure to write enough to fully address the discussion topic. For full credit, your comment must have at least ten (10) complete sentences, and your response to someone else must have at least five (5) complete sentences.
Week10 discussion: What is religion’s relevance today?
Americans on average are more religious than people in comparable developed countries such as Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, etc. However, religiosity has greatly decreased in the past 200 years in all these countries. Nevertheless, many sociologists have argued that society today can learn a great deal from religion. For instance, many Americans today feel isolated, with weak social ties; one of the features of traditional religiosity is a strong connection to a religious community (mosque, church, synagogue, etc). Regardless of whether you yourself are religious, are there perennial social values–community connectedness? compassion? self-denial or sacrifice?–we should retain from the world religions? That is, what is the social value of religion?
First, read the Wikipedia article “Islam” (under Syllabus, this week). Then watch as much of this 20-minute video you think necessary for your understanding:
Karen Armstrong: 2008 TED Prize wish: Charter for Compassion (Links to an external site.)
Now post a discussion comment about religion that answers some or all of the following questions: How is Islam similar to yet different from Christianity or another world religion? What is compassion? Why do all world religions (e.g., Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc) teach compassion? Why is it difficult to act with compassion towards people or groups who are different from yourself, such as prisoners or foreigners? What is the social value of religion?
[Hint: The English word “compassion” literally means “suffering with (another person).” Compassion has a lot to do with empathy and the Golden Rule.]

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