INTRODUCTION

Not all religions share the same set of beliefs, but in one form or another, religion is found in all
known human societies. Even the earliest societies on record show clear traces of religious
symbols and ceremonies. Throughout history, religion has continued to be a central part of
societies and human experience.

One may ask questions like what role does religion play towards individuals and does it owe any
duty to society? Or is it the individual and society that owe a duty to the religion?

To address the concerns raised, the writer wishes to discuss the assertion made by David .A
.Brown that “Religion is both an individual and social activity”.Therefore, the following issues
will be talked about:

 Brief definitions
 Religion as an Individual and Social activity
 Conclusion

BRIEF DEFINITION

A lot of attempts have been made in order to define religion, but these definitions lack academic
satisifaction.when a term is difficult to define this becomes a problem. In an attempt to define
religion, it has been said to be the beliefs, values, and practices related to sacred or spiritual
concerns or a social institution, because it includes beliefs and practices that serve the needs of
society.

According to the Collins dictionary, Social activity relates to leisure activities done with other
people. a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say set apart
and forbidden, beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community”

Individual activity these are things done alone by someone. For example, Beliefs, values, and
practices concerning what a person holds sacred or considers being spiritually significant.

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RELIGION AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY

Brown (1986:8 &10) states that, religion is a basic human activity which most people can
understand and sympathize with. In that vein a relationship with God is seen as the basis of all
religion. people view God in different ways, for example, some believe that God is one being
.Thus, use the Name ‘GOD’ like a personal name, this is true for Jews and Muslims .On the other
hand some believe that there are many gods and God is unchanging, always the same eternal
being beyond human power to describe in all his fullness, this is why people have different ideas
about him. No human face is the same .However; all faces have a nose, two eyes, two ears and
two lips. That is why our response to God is not expected to be the same. The relationship
between God and every living thing is unique.

In studying religion, sociologists distinguish between what they term the experience, beliefs, and
rituals of a religion. Religious experience refers to the conviction or sensation that one is
connected to “the divine.” This type of communion might be experienced when people are
praying or meditating. Religious beliefs are specific ideas that members of a particular faith hold
to be true, such as that Jesus Christ is the son of God, or believing in reincarnation. Another
illustration of religious beliefs is that different religions adhere to certain stories of world
creation. Religious rituals are behaviors or practices that are either required or expected of the
members of a particular group.

Religion then provided differing degrees of “social cement” that held societies and cultures
together. Faith provided the justification for society to exist beyond the mundane and partial
explanations of existence as provided in science, even to consider an intentional future: “for faith
is before all else an impetus to action, while science, no matter how far it may be pushed, always
remains at a distance from this.” (Durkheim 1915, p. 431).

But what would happen if religion were to decline? This question led Durkheim to posit that
religion is not just a social creation but something that represents the power of society: when
people celebrate sacred things, they celebrate the power of their society. By this reasoning, even
if traditional religion disappeared, society wouldn’t necessarily dissolve.

To him, the sacred meant extraordinary—something that inspired wonder and which seemed
connected to the concept of “the divine.” Durkheim argued that “religion happens” in society

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when there is a separation between the profane (ordinary life) and the sacred. A rock, for
example, isn’t sacred or profane as it exists. But if someone makes it into a headstone, or another
person uses it for landscaping, it takes on different meanings—one sacred, one profane.

In relation to social activity, every community of any size will grow and develop in their own
peculiar way and the way of doing things become fixed. The rules of behavior become laws of
governing communities and nations, this becomes a political system. These systems may either
change fastly or slowly.Evey community builds up its own religion on God, God’s relationship
with the world, ways of worshiping Him and places that may be considered to be holy and
dedicated to God in special way. In the same community the rules prevailing will be followed
because of the belief about God.

Brown (1975:31) affirms that “members of the public may attend the religious ceremonies, but it
is the social aspects which is the greatest importance to most people.” So during the celebrations
of the feats people from different towns travelled to the place where the activities are taking
place, since the feats is the time for family reunion. To this ceremonies is where the rituals are
been performed, and what is the purpose of these rituals? Brown (1975:31) as given the answer
that “the purpose of the rites is to thank gods and ask for their blessing, to ensure the fertility of
the soil and the increase of family and to guard against misfortune

Rituals and Festivals play a very important role in any kind of a religion in the world today.
Mbiti (1992:131) defines a ritual as a set of carrying out a religious action or ceremony .It is the
means of communicating something of religious significance, through word, symbol and action.
Therefore a ritual embodies a belief or beliefs. Mbiti further stresses that fact that rituals generate
a sense of certainty and familiarity, they provide continuity and unity among those who perform
or attend them. Some of these rituals can be done individually or as a community, but in
Christianity individuality is just as important as the social activity. Social activity is important
and it plays a vital role in religious setup. It is not good for people to practice religion in
isolation; people need to interact with other followers of the similar religion.”No man is an
island” so goes the saying, In Christianity every member of the Christian family is a member of
God’s “household”. Similarly Islam also encourages religion as a social activity in that every
member of Islam is a “brother” globally.

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Taylor (1983:23) talks of Martin Luther a leader of reformation in German, stressed the doctrine
of the universal priesthood of all believer as I quote “Christians should not be monks, but live
with one another in social fellowship and manifest among men the works of faith.” this view
points out clearly that indeed religion especially Christianity is a social activity and encourages
unity among believers and the exercising of faith in Christ.

Mbiti (1975, P. 11) asserts that “religious practice shows how people express their belief in
practical terms. They include praying, making sacrifices and offering, performing ceremonies
and rituals and observing various customs, and so on.” This part of religion covers the things
and places which people have set apart as being holy or sacred. In some places they are some
many objects that are made by human beings and some are just they are naturally and this objects
are set apart for religious purposes. These objects are not been worshiped but to use them during
tradition ceremonies and some events like marriage ceremonies, this is so because every religion
has its belief, probably that would be the reason why Christian God is the living, eternal Being
and in His presence all creatures ‘live move, and have their being’ .

When processing bad news, religious beliefs may enable people to construct an interpretative
reality, to ascribe subjective meaning and to re-establish a better world to live in. This way
religion is used for personal relief. Studies have shown that people who engage into devotional
activities experience less fear of death .Trying to explain this relationship, some authors focus on
processes of primary appraisal, emphasizing that looking forward to an afterlife that is better
than the current situation makes religious people less likely to see their disease as harmful.
William (1983 :xxi) states that,feelings,acts and experiences of individuals in their solitude ,as
they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they consider Divine including the
private activities that connect one to the greater being will enable one to get stronger in
affirming their religion. Focusing on processes of secondary appraisal, others have suggested that
feeling close to God is seen as a source of power and strength that can be used in times of
trouble.

From the perspective of the social cohesiveness hypothesis religion can benefit individuals by
providing support from clergy or fellow church members. However, studies show that the effects
of religious activity are not the same for African-Americans as for Whites. To account for this
difference it has been argued that, because the former face greater discrimination and barriers to

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institutions and status, they must find alternative avenues to success and well-being, and that one
such alternative avenue is the church (Hummer 1999:20). Proceeding from the assumption that
church and religious activity serve a special place in the lives of African-Americans, religious
activity should have a greater effect for them than for Whites.

Earlier we said the goal of liberal learning, including and especially religious studies, should be
wisdom, not knowledge for its own sake.  It was not simply knowledge about the world, but
wisdom about right relationships within the world, that propelled many agents for change in our
own time, from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. to Rachel Carson, Nelson Mandela,
and Bono, to challenge the dominant culture in their efforts to make the world a more just and
caring place for everyone to enjoy.  We often know a lot about these and other important
persons , that is, we know something about their politics, their moral vision, and their impact on
society , but we generally know little if anything about the spiritual sources that animated (and
animate) their commitments to a larger good. 

Religion can also serve as a filter for examining other issues in society and other components of
a culture. For example, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, it
became important in North America for teachers, church leaders, and the media to educate
citizens about Islam to prevent stereotyping and to promote religious tolerance. Sociological
tools and methods, such as surveys, polls, interviews, and analysis of historical data, can be
applied to the study of religion in a culture to help us better understand the role religion plays in
people’s lives and the way it influences society. While some people think of religion as
something individual because religious beliefs can be highly personal, religion is also a social
institution.

Social scientists recognize that religion exists as an organized and integrated set of beliefs,
behaviors, and norms centered on basic social needs and values. Moreover, religion is a cultural
universal found in all social groups. For instance, in every culture, funeral rites are practiced in
some way, although these customs vary between cultures and within religious affiliations.
Despite differences, there are common elements in a ceremony marking a person’s death, such as
announcement of the death, care of the deceased, disposition, and ceremony or ritual. These
universals, and the differences in how societies and individuals experience religion, provide rich
material for sociological study.

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Religion has historically been a major impetus to social change. In early Europe, the translation
of sacred texts into everyday, non-scholarly language empowered people to shape their religions.
Disagreements between religious groups and instances of religious persecution have led to mass
resettlement, war, and even genocide. To some degree, the modern sovereign state system and
international law might be seen as products of the conflict between religious beliefs as these
were founded in Europe by the Treaty of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years War.
As outlined below, Canada is no stranger to religion as an agent of social change.

Conversely, some people contend that secularization is a root cause of many social problems,
such as divorce, drug use, and educational downturn. U.S. presidential contender Michele
Bachmann even linked Hurricane Irene and the 2011 earthquake felt in Washington D.C. to
politicians’ failure to listen to God (Ward 2011).People sometimes see religion as an unwelcome
infection affecting the secular politics of international relations. Such attitudes easily present
themselves in consideration of terrorism and violence. Religion is seen to distort and hamper the
healthy peaceful progress of secular politics, operating as an outside pathogen that inflames
tensions and challenges already present in global affairs.

Religion is also said to play a role in the spread of novel corona virus (COVID-19). Authorities
are linking clusters of cases to religious congregations in China and Korea. Religious activities
of Christians in Korea—attending worship sessions and outreach events multiple times a week—
and their unwillingness to curb those activities may have led to large-scale spread of contagion.
US pastors are also considering adjusting core rituals and acts of worship over Easter, Catholic
priests in Jerusalem are advised to change how they give the sacrament, and Saudi Arabia were
quick to suspend pilgrimages to Mecca and other holy sites from destinations where outbreaks
are reported. The WHO and Iranian Health Ministry have linked the outbreak in Iran to pilgrims
to Shi’a holy sites in Qom.

The Bahrani Crown Prince said recently that the virus, “doesn’t discriminate,” by religion,
gender, or class, perhaps attempting to mitigate accounts that blame the Other, as happened with
historical pandemics, such as HIV and Ebola. Belief systems influence whether people flee from
pandemics or stay to support the sick, including whether to accept vaccinations. Christian
Scientists believe that diseases are a state of mind, and have lobbied hard for religious
exemptions to public requirements for vaccinations. At an ultra-Orthodox anti-vaccination

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symposium in Monsey, NY, Rabbi Hillel Handler suggested the measles outbreak was an anti-
Hasidic conspiracy concocted by Mayor Bill de Blasio as a cover for diseases imported by
Central American immigrants. Others at the event equated what they called, “forced
vaccination,” with the Holocaust. (Importantly, most Rabbis support vaccinations.) Anti-
vaccination trends are inflected with politics—in Pakistan and the Caucuses following the death
of Osama Bin Laden, poor handling of the vaccination programme and distrust in government
resulted in a rise in polio, while opposition to the programme from pro-Taliban groups (fearing it
a ploy to sterilize Muslims) led to attacks on medical facilities.

Yet while fear and the mysterious nature of a pandemic can cause hatred and division, responses
can also have the opposite effect. The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918–19 and yellow fever
crises across numerous cities and regions in America and Europe unified communities, through
self-sacrificing volunteerism, healing previous social, political, religious, racial and ethnic
tensions and anxieties. Similarly, Pakistan recruited the late Maulana Sami ul Haq (the so-called
“father of the Taliban” in Pakistan) in promoting polio vaccinations, resulting in an uptake in
immunization—but this lesson seems hard to learn. With Ebola and perhaps corona virus,
authorities have been slow to appreciate the vital role of religious organizations in supporting
health services.

Religion is therefore a more complex phenomenon in global affairs than good or bad. There’s a
lot we can adapt from the example of faith-based actors working to address public health
concerns like the spread of fatal viruses. Religious identities also help shape modes of belonging
in global politics, such as diaspora and transnational connections. It is not only in close-knit or
closed religious communities that we find clusters of infection.

This politics of hope gives us ideas about how cooperation between religious communities, and
with governments and international agencies, might overcome fear and mistrust. With that we
might find proactive engagement to counter the spread of corona virus.

CONCLUSION

The power of the sociological study of religion goes well beyond how we think and behave over
religion. These views and behaviors spill over in fundamental ways into other important arenas
within our lives. Whether we consider our views on politics, homosexuality, or our children’s

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education, the sociological study of religion provides valuable insights into our collective
behavior.

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