Imagine a city filled with anarchy. The sound of discord rang in the streets.

People did what they wanted, when they wanted, and however they wanted. No one was bound to anything. Do you think a civilization this chaotic and this un-united could ever rule? Of course not! Every civilization that has ever been at the top of the world has believed in some kind of code or belief system. Some famous examples include, Hammurabis Code, Judaism, and Catholcism. But why were these codes so effective? Why did these codes change how a civilization worked more than the laws? Because all of these included gods, or some unknown force that ruled over humans. These gods were considered invincible, immortal. Rulers would often use religion to blame certain laws or moral values that they believed in on something more powerful. They could walk through the streets and say, I did not want this law to be imposed, and god wanted it to. I am not at fault for this. Also nobody would oppose the ruler of the earth. The reason why every religion has a built in destruction story or punishment to being cruel is because the ruler needs to force the people to know that if they disobey the god or kill his messenger, or leader, than they shall suffer in a realm of eternal hellfire. By employing these tactics, leaders could be unopposed and stay in power without the blame of being unfair or a tyrant. Religion is just a tool that users use to control, to pacify their citizens. Carl Marx once said, Religion is the opiate of the masses. In order to further understand the importance of a belief system on society, and their influence on their followers, acknowledge the moral dilemma below: In order to further understand the importance of a belief system on a society, and their influence on their followers, acknowledge the moral dilemma below: In 1842, a ship struck an iceberg and more than 30 survivors were crowded into a lifeboat intended to hold 7. As a storm threatened, it became obvious that the lifeboat would have to be lightened if anyone were to survive. The captain reasoned that the morally right thing to do in this situation was to force some individuals to go over the side and drown. Since the only possibility for rescue required great efforts of rowing, the captain decided that the weakest would have to be sacrificed. They, after all, would be the one most likely to die anyways. If the passengers were Hindu, then they would strive to do the right thing and follow their Dharma in order to increase their Karma, [which] was made up of all the good and evil that a person had done in past lives (Frey 149). Therefore, if the passengers were good Hindus, then they would try to save people and a few would sacrifice themselves for the greater good, believing that in their next life they would be reincarnated as something greater. People who are unhappy with their lot in life may also offer to sacrifice themselves, knowing that this will greatly impact their Karma and will help them move up on the totem pole. However, on the flip side, it is not a Hindu's Dharma to sacrifice themself for others. Hindus who knew that they had sinned a lot may try to push others off in self-preservation or sacrifice themself, hoping that this one good deed would change the course of their life. In conclusion, after analyzing both points of view, if the passengers were truly Hindu, then they

would sacrifice themselves to save others and greatly increase their Karma, and they would hope for a better life. If the passengers were Buddhist, then they would not sacrifice themselves, but they would follow the captains command if they thought it was logical and reasonable. They would be selfless and follow the Eightfold Paths law of Right Purpose (Frey 159). They would try to think of the effect on others before they make a decision. In the Buddhist religion people think of the affect of one person on everyone. They believe everyone is linked. Therefore, they all will try to think about others, not just themselves. However, a Buddhist might decide not to sacrifice himself. Since Buddhism is the Middle Path, they would not give up their life because giving up everything is not going to help them achieve enlightenment. However, on the other side of the argument, the passengers might rebel, hoping to save themselves. They would not want to regret their decisions. They would not want to be so close to enlightenment and never reach it. Therefore, after analyzing both sides of the argument, the Buddhists would do the most reasonable thing, and rebel. They would want to save important figures and people who would have the greatest impact on the society if they died. If the passengers on the lifeboat believed in Confucianism they would follow or resist the Captain. Confucius believed that society and decisions should be made by those who are older and wiser, According to Confucianism, there are five basic relationships; ruler to subject, husband to wife, father and son, older sibling and younger sibling, and friend to friend (Frey 208). Therefore the passengers would make a decision based on this law. If the captain of the lifeboat were an elder, then they would obey his orders and begin to throw off the weak. However, if the captain were a minor, then the crew would rebel and allow the oldest person on board to make that crucial decision. Even though this systematic way of functioning works well most of the time, but some of the time your elder isnt always the smartest person. According to the inverted U bell curve, only a small percentage of the population is wise, the rest are average or below average. In conclusion, if more than 90% of the ship is filled with dumb people, there is less than a 10% chance of a smart elder being on board, and therefore the right decision will most likely not be made. Now you can see how religion can be used to manipulate and control your people and unlock their unatapped values. You can force them to believe your point of view. If you think a society should be run one way, do not use laws. Relegion has proven to be more influential. For example, when Confucius created Confucianism, he was the leader, he was the husband, he was the friend, ane he was the scholar. He was able to control most of China. He was revered as a god. No matter how righteous or how holy a religion seems, it is still made by a human with their own agenda. No one makes moral laws that do not benefit themselves, hence why religion is the easiest way to get what you want. In Europe, people executed people on the streets screaming that it was, Gods will, when it wasnt, Gods will. It was their will. Few would dare to oppose a man, but none would dare to oppose a god,

therefore as I said earlier, Religion is the opiate of the masses, (Karl Marx) and hence why every civilization needs a belief system, becuase without belief systems the people will rebel.