Author: Andre Coleman

In Venezuela and around the world has had been developed endless medical specialties, psychological, science and technology very rapidly, in the same way and nearly at the same speed, also, has emerged a large number of beliefs, myths, religions that each day rises with a booming effect. In fact, in the XXI century these religions, beliefs and superstitious practices, such as witchcraft, they manifest themselves with a large number of followers and/or curious people that are consulted with the idea that the shaman, medium or wizard help them to solve their problems, whether physical, mental, economic or any other nature.

Some people queried for evil or revenge from others who according to them are the responsible to the origin of the conflict, and then there are those still without ever having attended a witchcraft ritual or religion and they are usually followers of Christianity or Catholicism, those people express to believe or to be under the effects of a “work” of magic and / or sorcery, or have a firm belief that witchcraft is real and something to be fear of. We often hear from these people phrases like ‘I don’t believe in witches, but if there are, there are,’ or ‘with the Saints do not play’ (referring to Santeria which is a syncretic cult of witchcraft).

Santeria: A religion that combines beliefs of the Yoruba and Bantu people of Southern Nigeria, Senegal, and the Guinea coast with elements of Roman Catholicism, with roots in the Caribbean.

Donnelly (2005:65) explains how in this century Venezuelans ‘increasingly break with a series of taboos imposed from the Spanish conquest about customs and religion’, which opens a new door to the practice of rituals, spiritualism and occultism, being a heritage of ancestors, natives and slaves of the past. This cultural legacy, talking about occultism, rites and religions intermingle to combine religion, magic, occultism, between the sacred and pagan, between the rational and irrational, is to give a deeper meaning to life or tangible and its problems, is to looking for a closer God and not abstract or distant one. (Marin,1986:27).

Because many of the religious practices and beliefs are transmitted by oral tradition, such as Santeria, they have not established a clear basis; in fact many of these religions and pseudo religions are characterized by a complex process of syncretism that even today continues.

According Gruson (1970:34), the most popular religion is Catholicism, where 80 percent of the population consider themselves Catholic, whether or not they are participants. The faithful believe in God, but he is far from this world, the rites are directed towards the saints, the Virgin and the Souls who are closer to the humans. Religion provides the afflicted people the solution of many problems, including physical and mental health; also it has recreational purposes (dances, parties), psychological (ego gratification, when a person has an important position in the ritual organization), social (cronyism) and medicinal (miracle cures).

Popular religions believe in nature spirits and other supernatural entities, ghosts and miraculous goblins, this is considered Catholic and does not cause damage to the basic structure of religion. Private rites are secrets, they are done in time of crisis, performed with a single purpose, but the intention is to alleviate the problem of the client or do evil, while the public rites are rather linked to official Catholicism.

A mixture between paganism and sacred characterizes popular Catholicism. The rituals and symbols of Catholicism often have a different meaning for members of the educated classes than lower class or humble peasants. Catholics go to church, but also they practice rites of Santeria at spiritualist centres, at the same time they may visit the graves of “folk saints”, spiritual healers or get a consultation via Internet. Even in most TV channels is possible to watch programs of cartomancy, tarot, among others, with a considerable rating, over 7%. (IBOPE AGB Venezuela, 2010).

For example, baptism is considered a rite that protects the newborn against all evil influences; the cross for example, contains powers to ward off evil spirits. Although the Christianization of the Indians and black slaves during the colonial era, many concepts and oldest religious practices were preserved, which could flourish outside of official Christianity, all this is embedded so strong on this culture, that some medical professionals recommend the use of spell against the evil eye and shingles (sufferings of religious connotation) (Molina,1947:90-110).

There is no evidence of serious or reflective studies regarding the present topic, but it is interesting to note that religious and pagan is widespread in this country, rituals of witchcraft, sorcery, popular religiosity and Catholic beliefs has been mixed together; among the most common are Nigerian Santeria or traditional and Cuban santeria (Martin, 1983:74).

The practice of psychotherapy in Venezuela is new, there are very few professionals in the country and it is not specifically regulated by any entity, except the Venezuelan Association of Psychotherapist (AVEPSI), located in the capital city Caracas and formed in 2009.

The practice of this specialty in Venezuela is highly welcomed by the general public, but a continuous education and feedback from the therapist towards the client and vice versa, in areas such as clinical hypnosis, beliefs in the supernatural, myths and rituals are necessary. The therapist may face a diversity of situations, similar to those faced Carl Jung and referred in his thesis “On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena” (1902) in which he describes a young woman apparently suffering supernatural attacks.

According to the previous explanation, surges a need to do a study that lead to answer the following question:

Does beliefs; religious or esoteric practices of Venezuelans influence the psychotherapeutic practice in Venezuela?

From the above question arise the following objectives:

General objective

Describe the influence of religions, beliefs, magic and witchcraft in the practice of psychotherapy in Venezuela

SPECIFIC OBJETIVES

Identify religious beliefs, magic or witchcraft on patients attending psychotherapeutic consultation.

Estimate approximately the practice of religious rituals, magic or witchcraft in clients attending to psychotherapeutic consultation.

Recognize the efficiency of Psychotherapy Techniques in the treatment of clients with religious tendencies or witchcraft practitioners.

CHAPTER I
Theoretical Framework
Rites and Beliefs in Venezuela

Some scholars take the practice of witchcraft in Venezuela as somewhat folkloric (Cazabone, 2009:89) unlike other countries where some rites have diabolical connotations with animal sacrifices involved.

This folkloric aspect is closely linked with the Venezuelan humorous character, who in general do not take very seriously the powers of magic; the ‘just in case’, or ‘I don’t believe in witches, but if there are, there are’, gives a sense of belief in certain aspects in the ‘occult’.

Branch (in Zalazar et al, 2001:67) concluded that this Venezuelan way of be is a historic stereotype, derivative from miscegenation and the character of the participants on it, highlighting the ingenuity of indigenous, the hard labour of black workers and the conqueror’s arrogance. These archetypes explains Branch, “play an important role to explaining the Venezuelan people characteristics “, concluding that the Venezuelan broadly is cheerful and humorous by its black and Spanish heritage, smart for his Spanish and Indian roots, loving and generous the Indian heredity, but by the other hand, the negative side, lazy by the Indian essence, disorganized and wasteful by their black ancestry, disrespectful to the law and violent by the Spanish origin, nevertheless none of these influences have or are backed by scientific evidence, ‘are simply social images that continue to be relevant’ (Zalazar et al, 2001:89).

Moreover, beliefs and magic-religious practices are a privileged means to express realities, conflicts, emotions and hidden feelings, taking place beyond the ability to be rational.

Christian (2009:30-45) explains that ‘a great number of people light candles to different deities (Black First, Philip Black, Guaicaipuro, Maria Lionza, etc.) In order they may grant miracles or favours’.

This use of gadgets is a psychological strategy, Figueroa (2005:82) explains that humans use to control their lives and overcome their limitations in an environment that sometimes exceeds his capacity for understanding and action.

Moreover, the use of talismans and / or amulets or just called “vulture seed”, the “aloe plant” are used in rituals and cults as a means of protection or lucky charms.

Cabazone (2009:97) describes that the leader and ex-president Romulo Betancourt said with an air of certainty that ‘his pipe was put under spell by a witch, and many believed that this was the key to its success’. Magic and all its techniques is one of these resources and sometimes this faith on a ritual or belief generates spectacular solutions.

Figueroa (2005:89) suggest, that the use of talismans and amulets dates from the ancient times and worldwide great men, politicians, artists, soldiers, athletes, etc., have behaved and carry symbols of good luck, giving high regard to the power of positive suggestion, so have been able to accomplish their purposes. The psychological effect makes believers to have faith on the amulet, rite, or talisman.

The role of religion in Venezuelan culture and beliefs

As discussed, the cultural background and miscegenation have been influential in Venezuelan culture, even on the whole Latin America despite an apparent secularization.

Notably, worldwide, all cultures of the world were shaped by religion, no one ethnic group escapes this process and on the same area, magical religious traditions and customs have influenced significantly in social relationships, community life and moral codes, ‘this faith in supernatural beings is evident not only in Venezuela but throughout the world’ (Pollak-Eltz, 2004:69).

In Venezuela and throughout Latin America, Catholicism, shaped the culture that until recently had absolute monopoly; all social classes were influenced. Today the official and popular religions are expressions of different types of lifestyles, on the one hand, traditional or popular religiosity has curative and magical and is generally practiced by popular sectors and secondly official Roman Catholicism practiced by people in urban areas.

In this sense, the proliferation of rites and beliefs and personal interpretations of followers and practitioners and the lack of a defined priestly liturgy make these practices and cults an easy target of charlatans and abusers.

Among the most popular cults is that of Maria Lionza, in which the medium is “possessed” he or she fall in trance (matter) and them the spirit that possesses the person is consulted and this gives advice to the person seeking help. The cult of Maria Lionza is complex and covers all magical and religious beliefs of Venezuelan people and forms a synthesis of magical practices, within a religious context. (Pollak-Eltz, 2004:82).

Can be said that this is a syncretic cult with “practical” solutions through rituals that recognize the values of Christianity, in fact, Maria Lionza is sometimes identified with the Virgin of Coromoto and/or an indigenous spirit.

Magic is present on this cult and its techniques are neither good nor bad, but can be used for do good or evil. Wizards pretend to manipulate those forces and claim to possess supernatural and extraordinary powers to communicate with the supernatural world (matter).

Pollak-Eltz (2004:83) states that ‘Faith is the cause of miracles’. Because these techniques can be learnt, the magician is not responsible for acts performed; he or she is an officer to whom the client pays their services. This magician or medium often has the knowledge to solve problems and cure diseases, and is an excellent psychologist despite his limited formal education.

According Pollak-Eltz (2004:106) or pagan religion of witchcraft was faded from the countryside to the cities. This culture is broadly Christian and despite advances in technology and medicine is popular religiosity more alive than ever, and that’s because the popular religion is utilitarian, giving spiritual support and serves as a psychological calming in times of personal crisis.

Saignes (in Pollak-Eltz 2004:65), states that ‘Historically, whites and slaves used to consult black healers that often had more success than white surgeons in healing the sick. Their knowledge on medicinal plants and magical rites brought a increased the prestige of the African medicine-men’.

This figure of the magician or sorcerer could be seen as the representation of an idol, which has the privilege to channel and guide the prosperity or misfortune at will of others.

This is reflected according to Rojas (2006:30), in the particular character of Venezuelan people when they worship a person or religious figure on which can be trusted and surrender.

Popular Religion

The misfortunes and influence that the church had in the 19th and 20th has no relevance in how Venezuelans built his ideas about faith and deities. Since colonial times, this unique blend between religion and popular religion came framed on a profound mystery of the supernatural and esoteric (Gackstetter et al, 2010:45).

There is a term called “The three powers”, has nothing to do with the Catholic Trinity. Maria Lionza is symbolized as the Virgin Mary, these represent the three main components of the country identity, in other words, European, African and indigenous. On this court of spirits enters Simon Bolivar (liberator of Venezuela from Spanish rule) Andres Bello, Negro Felipe (First Black, a black slave who was also murdered by the colonists), Negra Matea (Bolivar’s nanny), Jose Gregorio Hernandez and other Catholic saints.

The cult of Maria Lionza is not a religion guided or hierarchical; the shaman or mediums simply ask questions to the believers about their families, problems, disputes, financial problems, or medical problems. Sometimes people who seek help and have a relative in jail, seek help from Juan Vicente Gomez, those political questions do through Simon Bolivar. Believers generally have a high intensity of spiritual devotion, and made a pilgrimage to Sorte Mountain (near Chivacoa in Yaracuy State) with the belief that the goddess will solve the situation or mishap.

Believers choose a corner in the woods or a bend in the river to build an altar from which invoke, this is called portals. Usually is decorated with photographs, figures and figurines, glasses with rum or brandy, cigars, cigarettes cross, flowers and fruits.

There are several versions of this legend. One of them says that a green-eye Indian woman called Yara was baptized as Maria del Prado of Talavera de Niva. The Cacique Yaracuy sent her to the mountains where it is said she rode on an ounce (leopardus pardali). So Mary was called ‘the Onza’ and then Maria Lionza. It is believed that her cult was born of devotion to the forces of nature and the spirits of the rivers, jungles and caves.

Maria Lionza is part of a “trinity” along with Guaicaipuro, an Indian chief murdered by the Spanish colonists, and Negro Felipe. These three saints are the leading figures of the cult and lead several “courts” of lesser deities. These courts are:

The Indian Court led by Maria Lionza and composed of many Venezuelan Indian chiefs.

The Medical Court led by Jose Gregorio Hernandez and composed of many other famous doctors.

The Court of the Juans made up by a number of figures belonging to Venezuelan folklore.

The Teachers’ Court led by Andres Bello and some other authors.

The Black and African Court, led by popular black figures of Venezuelan history such as La Negra Matea (who was a slave to the Bolivars and nanny of Simon Bolivar), and El Negro Primero (Pedro Camejo) who was known as Negro Primero because he was black and also among the first to go into combat.

The Celestial Court composed of a number of Catholic saints.

The Political Court, which includes Simon Bolivar.

The Court of Malandros, made up of deceased criminals.

The Viking Court, with various of the important Viking chiefs.

Maria Lionza has had a great social and cultural significance that transcends their followers. Her cult was unveiled outside Yaracuy to the 50s of last century, when in 1953 during the tenure of General Marcos Perez Jimenez, the sculptor Alexander Hill (1901-1953) built the famous sculpture of Maria Lionza on a Tapir, (Tapirus terrestris), which has been for over 50 years on the Eastern Freeway in Caracas. On this cult nothing is written, is transmitted orally from generation to generation (cited in http://www.rnw.nl/espanol/video/cultos-populares-venezuela-adoraci%C3%B3n-de-mar%C3%ADa-lionza., 2021).

Most relevant Churches and cults in Venezuela

Among religious organizations and cults largest in the country are:

(source: Directorate of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Justice in Venezuela,1989).

1. Protestant or Evangelical: After the “Diet of Speyer* or Diet of Spires protest in 1529, there was no intention of proselytizing in Latin America, neither to the evangelizing mission. The main interest was focused only on the Reformation, which resulted that Protestantism could not take root in Latin America until the mid-nineteenth century with little success. However, over the years the indicators have changed, even the statistics of late twentieth century are really growing not only in terms of evangelical denominations but also on other spiritualistic denominations. They are grouped into the following:

a. Anglicanism.

b. Presbyterian Church

c. Lutheran Church.

d. Baptists.

e. New Tribes Mission.

*Diet of Speyer or Diet of Spires refers to any of the sessions of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire, of which 50 took place between 838 and 1570 in the city of Speyer (Spires), now in Germany. The most famous sessions occurred in 1526 and 1529 (Wikipedia 2011).

2. Confederate Evangelicals: Religious currents coming from the United States and has Christian connotations.

3. The Pentecostals: They represent a rapidly growing movement with unique characteristics. This religious movement is marked by Methodism and the American Baptists. Pentecostals came to Venezuela in 1940, and its founder the Rev. Irvin Olson, an American Baptist who chose Barquisimeto as pilot center to establish the first “Assembly of God” in Venezuela. Then extend his work to Caracas the capital city and Falcon.

4. Pseudo Christian religion or Millennialists: These religions tend to grow easily. They have in common that their founders made a personal interpretation of the Bible, creating a new dogma around it, which means, to give different meaning to the tradition, followers believe to have the absolute truth (Mangas and Montero, 2001:110).

In Venezuela there are three organizations: The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, the latter without registration within the Directorate of Justice and Religion.

a. Seventh-day Adventists Church.

b. Jehovah’s Witnesses.

c. Mormons.

5. Spiritual Centre: Its the Venezuelan significant inclination toward the esoteric, rituals and astral. It is not based on beliefs but on personal needs.

This conciliation between the sacred and the profane has its essence in animism and polytheism primitive Strengthened by the African Christian cult with an apparent institutionalism. The Indians embraced the faith of the Catholic Church, but the survival of their beliefs and their closeness to the African slaves produced that Kind of new beliefs.

5.1. The popular indigenous court: This tendency is associated to aboriginal elements. For example, the Indian man thought on the power of natural phenomena, on the stones, lakes, rivers, and the acquisition of that supernatural power conceived by their gods. These beliefs were transmitted to subsequent generations and were fed by transcultural elements including Santeria and Spiritualism. There is no hierarchy that identifies these elements on the contemporary society. What for the Indian was a deity for the healer now is a means of economic livelihood and it is seen as a company with excellent clientele.

5.2. Spiritualists: Along with santeria, this is one of the most advanced forms of mysterious beliefs based mostly on spiritualism of Allan Kardec, French teacher and educator. He is known today as the systematizer of Spiritism for which he laid the foundation with the five books of the Spiritist Codification. It is believed that Spiritism entered to our country under the influence of immigrants from Brazil and Colombia, product of oil fever.

There is no hierarchy around which are organized. The chief head leads the worship and is invoking otherworldly beings, becoming the medium and are called to perform miracles, healings, among others of its kind.

5.3. Santeria: This form of religion is more complex than others. There is a mix of indigenous elements with spiritualist elements, African and Christian origining a semi-organized hybrid. This religion takes the structure of an ancient African tribal religion of the coast of Nigeria, and has three priestly orders: the babalaos, the Orishas ministers and priests of a particular deity. African slaves brought this religion and their main centres are in Brazil, Cuba, and Haiti, subsequently gaining followers in Colombia and Venezuela (Gonzalez-Wippler, 1989:45).

The Santeria in Venezuela have made an even greater mixture, they have found an equivalence between the African gods with Catholic saints, so, for example, Chango (god of lightning and thunder) has its equivalent on Santa Barbara, Oshun (river goddess) at Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre (Our Lady of Charity of Copper) and so on, giving a deity character to popular saints like Jose Gregorio Hernandez, Maria Lionza, Negro Felipe, among many others.

To the priests formation a kind of tutor is assigned, who is responsible to teach the apprentice all mysteries and then a new priest is ordained. They prepare their ceremonies at sites near rivers or on a mountain as located at Sorte, Yaracuy. Once ordained, the priest is ready to heal, and to remove evils spirits, that acording to them are the ones who tie the individual. Constants pilgrimages are made from inside the country to Sorte Mountain. There are transport companies that offer their services to the mountain, plus a large number of ordained priests, commonly called doctors or sorcerers, who organize these trips from their centres. It will be noted that trade (merchandising) around these cults is prosperous (consultations, travel, esoteric products, candles, text, perfumes, etc).

5.4. The cult of Maria Lionza: The cult of Maria Lionza comes to represent the formation of a Venezuelan indigenous religion with elements of other cultures, in which prevails the origing of the worship of a deity indigenous enriched with African’s religious culture and spiritualism.

6. Sects

6.1. The Moonies: The name usually are due to its founder Sun Myung Moon, born in North Korea in 1920. The organization has the official name of “Association for the Unification of World Christianity” (AUCM) and aims to create a society based on the seeding of spiritual values and on the driving of the family towards real peace.

6.2. Scientology: Its founder is the American Lafayette Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), a specialist in 25 professions in which stand out those of the writer of science fiction (65millones of copies sold of the book “The Way to Happiness” and screenwriter) . The church is considered a company in all aspects. They have a very distinct structure. Its principles are based on the “Dianetics” which consists of the individual healing itself freeing the enslaved spirit. The procedure to achieve this end is by attending sessions called “audition” where the individual is subjected to purification by employing a tool called “electropsychometer” device that detects areas of spiritual distress. This method is progressive. The initiate discards their old beliefs and acquires new rules that he/she must comply according with the amount of promotions obtained.

6.3. Eastern Syncretism: Unlike the animadversion generated in Venezuela during a good part of twentieth century the sects, today are accepted and a significant number of Venezuelans profess parallel and simultaneously in their religion some of these beliefs. It is common to hear things like this: “I am a Catholic but I received the tao” or “I am a Catholic but I like going to the talks of Buddhist metaphysics.” All this is due to the openness of the Eastern sects who reconciled Christianity with their religious precepts and the openness of Venezuelan society to allow several beliefs coexist with both.

The use of ritual in psychotherapy as a tool for change

The use of rituals is an effective tool in some patients on the practice of psychotherapy in Venezuela and is often the only way to convince the patient that his mind can be healed, free from beings, spirits, influences, or spells that threatening the physical and mental health of the person.

The ritual was always an issue discussed by anthropologists who have described the customs and rituals of peoples and communities. Its therapeutic efficacy for change has been described by many clinicians in systemic literature (Ochoa de Alda, 1995:89).

Notably rituals are not heritage of therapists, but procedures of the peoples, families and cultures. An important point is that, in practice as therapists, it should take into account the importance of these phenomena on individuals and families who participate in these traditions (and any other), and knowing these procedures, that are made spontaneously it may arise new ideas for generating alternatives that can be used on a therapeutic context, in order to try to encourage changes that help to get a more adaptive performance, not symptomatic, of families and individuals who, because of their suffering, come to seek therapy. In addition, and of course, as an element well worked, can provide substantial information, especially relational.

In psychotherapy is considered that a ritual includes a set of actions and / or symbolic interactions more or less structured, they are not restricted only to the completion ceremony, but include the entire process of preparation, the implementation experience and reintegration back to everyday life (Rappaport, 1971:12).

A ritual must be composed of the following elements: symbols, open and closed parts and the need to be developed in a space and in a special time (Whiting, 1991:56). The symbols or symbolic actions are the minimum element would constitute a ritual. The link to the meaning of the symbol that appears is usually a personal construction, family or social. Besides rituals symbols consist of open parts and closed parts together. The enclosed parts are the parts of unchanging ritual common to all performing the ritual, these parts provide the minimum structure rigid enough to reassure strong emotional components, transmit important values and give concrete form to the shares. Instead open parts provide sufficient flexibility for each of the participants in the ritual hand contribution to personal and idiosyncratic experience. In the rituals with an important cultural root is usually prescribed by tradition the place and time that will be the realization of the ceremony.

The symbols or symbolic actions are the minimum element that would constitute a ritual. The link of the symbol regarding to the meaning that appears is usually a personal construction, family or social. Besides symbols, the rituals consist of open parts and closed parts that are joined. The closed parts are the parts of unchanging ritual common to everyone who is performing the ritual, these rigid parts provide the minimum structure enough to bring security against strong emotional components, transmit important values and give concrete form to the actions. Instead open parts provide sufficient flexibility for each of the participants in the ritual and the possibility that each one can make his/her contribution according their personal and idiosyncratic experience. The rituals, which have an important cultural root, are usually performed following the tradition, on the place and time specific to the achievement of the ceremony.

Type of rituals

Rites of passage or transition rituals: described in 1909 by A. Van Gennep. These rituals are performed in the transitions experienced by individuals and groups throughout the life cycle, marking the end of a stage of development and the beginning of a new one. Van Gennep after studying various cultures argues the universality of such rituals.

Continuation: rites of intensification. Unlike the transition rituals that are usually performed only once in life of every individual, continuity rituals are executed repeatedly, their purpose is to set the pace of life and maintain continuity, normality within each stage of life cycle.

Healing rituals: This would include the rituals performed to cure, heal and keep out certain diseases.

Therapeutic Rituals: This includes rituals developed by therapists and used in psychotherapeutic practice, nevertheless psychotherapy may be considered in some cases as a ritual. Haley (1973) considered the treatment that is carried out to treat certain problems and that arise in adolescence (psychosis, behavioural disorders, anorexia…) is like an initiation ritual, through which it promotes individuality and necessary emancipation required from the young, as a way to restore him or her to a normal life cycle.

Functions of rituals:

Ochoa De Alda (1995:56) explains that the main functions that meet the rituals described in the life of societies, peoples, families and individuals are:

Rituals make life predictable, providing a sense of belonging to the group that affects the sense of identity of individuals that form it. Rituals, does order and regulate the social functioning, confirming the social structure, while promoting an evolution in this with minimal conflicts.

Another primary function is the transmission of culture, values and lasting norms. By one hand, it does create a sense of solidarity, cohesion and continuity in groups, and on the other hand, contribute significantly to the creation of the belief systems of a group (Van der Hart, Voogt and Witzum, 1989:56).

The traditional rituals not only channelled social coordination between individuals, families, communities and villages in the here and now, but also between the past, present and future represented by the different generations (Davis, 1987:67).

The rituals of transition, allow passing from one stage to other on the life cycle. Its first element of action does that roles, relationships, and world standards are modified during their execution (Davis, 1987:78). Admitting that any transition is to a greater or lesser extent an imbalance, ritual ceremonies

The Ascension Catholic Church is located in 2950 North Harbor City Blvd Melbourne Florida. The close proximity of the church from my home enabled me make a visit to the church last Sunday for the morning mass at 9.30 am. My neighbor who is a member of the church had earlier invited me to visit the church with him on Wednesday evening. He further informed me of the church’s dressing code and even suggested that I accompany him to the church. However, since I wanted to get more exposure I declined this offer. Instead, we resolved to attend the Sunday service since it had higher attendance from the congregation (Ascension Catholic Community1).

The Ascension Catholic Church is a member of the Diocese of Orlando that consists of other churches within Florida. The church is located in a serene environment that makes it an ideal location for worship. The actual church building has a sitting capacity of approximately one thousand two hundred people. On the right at the entrance, I dipped my finger and made a sign of the cross on my forehead in a holy water font. My neighbor friend informed me that the father had blessed the water and this is used as reminder of baptism. It further signifies respect as one enters into the house of God amongst Catholic faithful. The same routine is repeated as faithful exit the church (Ascension Catholic Community1).

History of the church and nature of worshippers

I was welcomed into the church by members of the welcome team who usher in new parishioners and orient them into the church. This greatly uplifted my spirits and I felt appreciated and recognized by the church. The congregation at Ascension Catholic Church varies widely representing all ethnicities and age groups of the community. The church has therefore created several masses to cater for all groups of the congregation. The church has further created special categories of the congregation ranging from pre- schoolchildren to junior high schools and teenagers. The adult population consists of special interest outreach groups that cater for disadvantaged members of the society such as the deaf (Ascension Catholic Community1).

The deaf ministry for instance, holds special meetings with those with hearing impairments to encourage and nurture them spiritually. In addition, the job seeker ministry consoles those who have lost employment while also helping them in searching for other alternative sources of income. The Vietnamese community on the other hand, helps immigrants to settle comfortably in America. There is also a community of Hispanic Americans and a different one for Philippines at the church (Ascension Catholic Community1).

The Boy Scout movement however, seeks to develop the physical fitness and moral characters of young men in the congregation. Retirees also have their unique group through which they share ideas and life experiences. Female members of the congregation sponsor days of recollection and other social programs and events that benefit the community. The bereavement ministry helps families cope with death of loved ones while also supporting funeral arrangements. The church also collaborates with the community of hope to provide shelter to the impoverished families to build homes. The church also runs a scholarship fund for bright children and uses volunteers to steer most of its daily activities. This further exemplifies the kind and caring nature of most worshippers at the church. For instance, the transportation ministry transports the sick and elderly to church services and hospital visits (Ascension Catholic Community1).

Description of the church and significance of the symbols used

At the front of the church at the pulpit, there was the bible. However, my friend corrected me that the pulpit was actually known as a lectern and the lectionary as the Catholics refer to it contains parts of the Bible that the father uses to conduct mass. There were different statues in different positions within the church. These statues represented different saints. Moreover, the saints, believed to be in heaven overlook upon the faithful and guide them in their daily lives. For one to become a saint, they have to live exemplary lives while on earth and present good examples to others. There was also a statue of Mary holding her baby, Jesus Christ (Ascension Catholic Community1).

In front of the statue, there were lit candles that are a symbol of prayer. I also noticed 14 pictures all round the walls of the church. These Stations of the Cross tell the story of the suffering and eventual death of Jesus at the hand of Romans. These stations guide Catholic faithful in prayer during the lent period that precedes the Easter festival. At the front of the church, hanging from above there was a cross with a figure on it. This crucifix I was informed represented Jesus crucification on the cross. Some faithful bowed to the crucifix as they entered the church as a sign of respect and adoration for Jesus (Ascension Catholic Community1).

At the middle front of the church, an altar covered in cloth with candles around it is the main figure. On the left of the altar, there is a baptismal font where baptismal rites take place on occasional basis. In addition, there was a cabinet containing three vessels of oil. One is for blessing and strengthening those preparing for Baptism, another for the sick and the third is used in giving sacraments to the faithful. The tabernacle is used to keep holy Eucharist used in communion. The lamp hanging above this small place further represents Jesus presence in inside the special house. Therefore, the catholic take the tabernacle to be the holiest place in the church. The Pascal candle is a symbol of Jesus resurrection and is therefore replaced every Easter. Finally, the canopy hanging above the altar represents the time Jewish were wandering in the desert. Moreover, the canopy serves to remind Catholics of their journey with the Lord (Ascension Catholic Community1).

The actual service and its significance

We all stood up as an introductory song was sung as the priest and ministers entered and proceeded to the altar. The purpose of this opening song was to deepen our unity as the Mass began. After a greeting from the Father in form of a short prayer, we went back to our seats. A group confession of sins followed by singing a hymn before the Father closed the first session with an opening prayer that concludes the introductory rites to every mass(Ascension Catholic Community1).

In the liturgy, we celebrated God’s word by listening to his message from the Bible. This celebration is essential to deepen our faith and thank God for the gift of life. A first reading came from the Old Testament to embrace the role of Jesus as a link between the past and present. This was concluded with a reflective psalm that also created an atmosphere of prayer. The second reading came from the book of Mathews to motivate us in facing the challenges of the modern world. The reading reflected our current challenge of electing a new president in the coming weeks and encouraged us to have faith in God’s guidance to make the correct choice (Ascension Catholic Community1).

A gospel reading from the book of John formed the gospel reading for the Sunday and marked the climax of the liturgy of the word. The sermon taught us that by proclaiming the gospel, we welcome Christ amongst us. Listening to the Gospel proclaimed further reminded us and identified us with the first faithful who heard these teachings from Jesus himself. At the end of the reading, the father proclaimed the gospel of the lord to which we affirmed. After reciting the Apostles Creed, individuals presented their own prayers to the Lord from the altar (Ascension Catholic Community1).

Worshippers then proceeded to give their offerings through a collection basket that went around. All types of gifts were also presented to the altar from a procession that included children. The father blessed these gifts and asked Jesus to accept them on our behalf.

The father later conducted a different thanksgiving prayer requesting the Lord through his Holy Spirit to transform the gifts into his body and blood. This epiclesis recalled the last supper when Jesus shared the last meal with his disciples before his eventual betrayal. In a moment of silence, the church remembered the sacrifice of Jesus (Ascension Catholic Community1).

The short meditation is crucial to keep his memory by believing in his death, resurrection, and eventual ascension. This memorial further challenges Christians to be ready to make sacrifices as Jesus did while remembering all those who have passed on. Afterwards, church attendants proceed to partake of the holy sacrament that represents Christ’s body while the wine represents his blood that he spilt to save humanity. Public announcements followed before the priest concluded the service (Ascension Catholic Community1).

My experience

The service was generally enjoyable except for some of the prayers that I was not accustomed to reciting. The visit was a revelation and I learnt many aspects of the Catholic Church. This has consequently changed my perception on Catholics and the presence of statues in their church. I fully understand the symbolism of these and fully appreciate their beliefs. Furthermore, the priest was lively and used real life experiences in relating the sermon to our daily life experiences. I also found the choir extremely wonderful by the hymns they sung and the dancing by little children from the Sunday school. Moreover, the congregation was friendly and very hospitable to visitors (Ascension Catholic Community1).

What needs to be improved

The church should expand the sitting capacity to accommodate more faithful. I noticed some worshippers stranded outside because of the limited seats available. The parking lot should also be expanded to accommodate more worshippers’ cars. However, these seem not to hinder the congregation visiting the church since all masses are always full (Ascension Catholic Community1).

Conclusion

I really enjoyed my visit to Ascension Catholic Church. Apart from the spiritual nourishment, I gained valuable insight into Catholic history and beliefs. My interaction with the friendly congregation further encouraged me to make regular visits to the church. Finally, I might just make more visits to the church in future to build on this new learning and spiritual experience. This will enable me to break the routine monotony from my church occasionally.

Work cited

Ascension Catholic Community, 2012. Web. 15th October 2012.

As a cultural condition, modernity colors religions perception in various ways. Popular modernization theorists such as Daniel Bell and Karl Marx have asserted that the result of economic development is persistent cultural changes. However, other scholars such as Samuel Huntington and Max Weber have argued that cultural values are an autonomous and enduring influence on society. Religion, which is the broad cultural heritage of society, leaves an imprint on values, which endure in spite of modernization. This paper presents a discussion the impact of religion on modernity.

Discussion

What is modernity? A traditional meaning of this term refers to the social conditions that resulted from the rise of industrialization. Certainly, the term modernity is normally used to describe the social patterns that accompanied the Industrial Revolution, which commenced in mid-eighteenth century in Western Europe. Therefore, modernity is the process of urbanizing, industrialization, increasing use of new and scientific technologies, and social, cultural and political changes, which have accompanied these developments. Though popular scholars such as Marx and Bell predicted the decline of religion because of modernity, it is important to note that religion or spirituality has not faded.

In the twentieth century, modernization was broadly viewed as distinctively Western processes, which societies in non-Western countries could follow as they deserted their conventional cultures, and incorporated ethically aa‚¬E?superioraa‚¬a„? and technologically Western ways. However, in the second half of the twentieth century, non-Western societies surprisingly surpassed their Western role models in significant elements of modernization (Dawkins, 2006 pp. 167). For instance, East Asia achieved the highest rate of economic growth in the world. Japan led in consumer electronics and automobile manufacturing, and had the highest life expectancy globally. Presently, few scholars would attribute ethical superiority to the West, and economies of Western countries are no longer believed to be the model for the globe.

With regard to secularization, secular simply means without religion. Individuals who are non-religious live secular lives. Secular government runs along humanistic and rational lines. In democratic nations, this is the norm. People, who make up the government, have the freedom to whatever religion they want, as is the population. In a multi cultural world, because of this freedom, there is a requirement for authorities not to cause divisions by identifying itself with a certain religion. Secularism is the belief that religion should be a personal, private, and voluntary affair, which does not impose on others. Thus, secularization is the process of things becoming more secular. The Western world has witnessed this standard come to dominate civil and political life. Because religion causes issues, it retreats from the public sphere because individuals choose to meet in peace in neutral terms. Secularization theory is a sociology theory that argues that religion retreats when the society advances in modernity. Scientific and intellectual developments have undermined the supernatural, paranormal, spiritual and superstitious ideas on which religion relies for its authenticity. There are three forms of secularization: privatization of religion, social differentiation, and the decline of religion.

According to secularization theory, as contemporary society advances, it will become more secular and religion will in turn become hollow. Ever since the emergence of science in the seventeenth century, scholars have asserted that religion might be in a permanent decline, while others have proposed to intelligence and science are anathema to spirituality or religious faith. Bruce (1992 pp. 78) asserts that though contemporary church membership is dropping, religious belief is still strong.

One aspect of conventional secularization theory is that one widely questioned fact among modern religion sociologists is the claim that modernity leads to the decline of religion. Rather than withering away, organized religion has a large presence in many parts of the modern world (Thompson, 1992 pp. 148). Whereas participation in churches has sharply fallen in many modern societies in Europe, the picture is still complicated. In the 90s eighty one percent of the British, and forty percent of Italians attended church at least once a week. In the U.S, a modern society, approximately forty percent attend church on a regular basis. Secularists have tried hard to explain this theory.

Is Secularization occurring in Britain? If being a secular nation means keeping religion out of education and public life, then it is evident that Britain is not a secular nation. The Church of England, which can be dated from the seventh century, predates Britain itself. Although the influence of Christianity in formal ways in public life is less that it previously was, it is still apparent. The presence of prayers in the English Parliament, church legislation passed by parliament, exercise of patronage by the Lord Chancellor reveals that religion is still very much tangled in British national life. This demonstrates that the Christian religion is largely part of British national life.

The afro mentioned can also be observed at the local level. Secularism is just not about removing religion from national life. It is rather about removing it from public life (Ruthven 2004 pp. 167). Numerous Anglican churches still hold countless civic services and in some places, they are actively involved in local life, for example when selecting Bishops and so on. This reveals the observation of many people involved in the selection process, which the Bishop does and should play a notable role in symbolizing the Church in public matters.

Another notable area where Britain shows that it is not a secular state is in education. Almost all of the primary schools in Britain are Church of England schools. In addition to this, the high number of public schools has Christian foundations. Latest statistics reveal that at least seventy two percent of the British refer themselves as Christians. That is almost three-quarters of the overall British population. But, these statistics do not prove much, it is possible to have a country where all of its population is of one religion, but the state is secular. Because the Christian religion is deeply entangled in national life in Britain, the statistics are quite relevant. However, it should be noted that relatively few people in Britain have altogether opted out of religion; atheists are rare. Additionally, although it has been observed that there can be little doubt about trends, Beyer (1994 pp. 104), asserts that by the twenty first century, believers in religion are highly likely to be only found in small numbers likely resisting global secular culture.

The U.S is a secular country both in its government and most of its private sector. The population in the United States is still mostly Christian, yet by any ballpark figure, secular Americans make up a larger section of the public than any religious minority. Still, secularists do not start to exert influence exerted by religious institutional; whether they represent large Christian denominations or small minorities such as Judaism. In the United States, the reason as to why secular groups have little influence in states governed by Christian fundamentalists is scientifically clear, but the issue of why secularists are mostly ignored by the President is more complicated.

The United States demonstrates that the impact of religion on national life is simply not one of formal engagement. The customs and laws of countries are not draw from a vacuum due to the fact that law makers are individuals themselves and thus, normally reveal the values of those around them. When the individuals of a country have been severely shaped by a certain religion, the values of that particular religion will in general, be echoed in the national life. In the United States, the influence of Christianity has been felt in spite of the contrasting degrees of separation of the state and the church. However, to a large extent, this situation is changing. There is an increasing observation that Christian ethics are been abandoned. In this context, Christians will wish to influence the life of the country and those around them. In Britain, this appears to be largely accepted due to the nature of the Church to the state. On the other hand, in the United States, a region where Christians are more in numbers and actually more aggressive, the opposition of their views is not on certain issues, but on the very notion of Christians influencing national life with secularists disputing that it is unconstitutional (Bruce, 1992 pp. 137).

Also, no secular institution can affect the lives of its sympathizers and members to the scale that churches can. This is somewhat about the social pressure and partly about money, which binds church members together as a population. No secular group can claim special authority in attempting to convincing secular Americans to support a certain position.

However, during trying times, such as during the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there is strong religious unity. For example, immediately after this attack, shocked political enemies gathered together for prayer at a National Cathedral, including a Muslim imam who even read verses from the Koran. But, it did not take long for the tender feelings of tolerance and togetherness to be replaced by hostility and division. Some policymakers and leaders embraced Samuel Huntingtonaa‚¬a„?s argument that the West was busy in a clash of civilizations with Islam (Gray, 2003 pp. 289). On the other hand, secularists embraced the idea that the world was split between dangerous religionists and secularists. Secular scholars have hoped and predicted for years that as our societies become more advanced, religion would become less significant.

However, while the last decade has inspired countless challenging discussions about the link between democratic societies and religious communities, it has also proven that religion decline is not inevitable in modern society. Trust in religious leaders and institutions as well as secular institutions have declined. However, Americans still continue to value religion with about eighty percent telling pollsters that religion is a significant part of their lives. And the relocation of religious immigrants to America and Britain has shown that Western societies are by no means a civilization in which religion is imperceptible.

What is more, many conflicts are occurring in modern societies over religion: banning of hijab in French schools, debates over teaching evolution in schools, and so on. Nevertheless, when focusing on such conflicts, we normally miss a fascinating fact. In the face of modernity, old religious traditions are not fading away. Instead, they are acclimatizing and forcing modern societies to adapt to them.

According to the conventional view, major universal features of modernity tend to wear away religious faith. Rationalization and industrialization have often been mentioned as forces that would divide the world. However, it is not evident that churches and other religious institutions can thrive in highly rationalized and industrialized societies. At times, urbanization coincides with the decline of religion, but it is regularly linked with church growth, and in various parts of the globe, the megacity has generated the mega church (Beyer, 1994 pp. 87). Another major element that corrodes religious faith is mass entertainment. No country has a lot of mass entertainment than the U.S; however, it does not seem to have led to any clear decline in church attendance. Just like in Britain, Sunday in the United States has become a day to watch football or shopping day. In the U.S, the great secular holiday is the Super Bowl Sunday. There are also other indications. Many Americans prefer to get buried or married without any kind of religious ceremony. At education institutions, such as universities, departments dedicated to the study of secularism are starting to be established. Books written by authors who are atheists are bestsellers. And there is still little uncertainty that religious groups still wield a lot of influence in American public life and politics, particularly in major parties.

Another element of modernity that seems to corrode religion is the pluralism of modern societies. Sociologists have regularly argued that pluralism corrodes religion; the existence of so many religions challenges the plausibility of religious faith. However, pluralistic societies contain numerous people with strong religious belief. But, we all know that pluralistic societies contain numerous people with strong religious beliefs and if this was not false, then pluralistic societies could not exist. According to a recent study, evangelicalism in America positively thrives on pluralism due to the fact that living in a pluralistic society causes evangelicals to sharpen their different religious identities.

Norris & Ingle-hart (2004, pp. 245) asserts that post-modernity with its expressive consumerism and individualism, challenges tradition religion. Some types of religion appear to blossom in a post-modern environment. This is most noticeably true in Pentecostal and charismatic forms of evangelicalism that strike in with easy-to-read individualism of post-modernity. Still, there is no strong evidence that science is a key agent of secularization. According to a 1996 survey, roughly forty percent Americans believe in a personal god. Science is not a secularizing force. But, a factor that appears to closely correlate with secularization is the western style higher education. Though Americans are known for their religiosity, there is compelling evidence that social elites are rather highly secularized. Still, in the United States and Western Europe, individuals with a higher education are more likely to be keenly involved in churches than people with little education (Cohen & Kennedy, 2000 pp. 154).

It is notable that none of modernityaa‚¬a„?s universal features can explain the reason why some areas of the modern world are more highly secularized than other areas. The effect of these features is dependent on the particular context that they operate. Additionally, global factors are poor predictors of secularization, and religious decline can only be explained with reference to independent variables present in societies that are highly secularized. Beyer (1994 pp. 178) asserts that modernization essentially leads to a decline of religion, in the minds of people and in society.

Conclusion

When evaluating the role of religion in modern societies, it is crucial to address secularization. There is a lot of pressure exerted to make Britain a more secular nation. However, Britain retains a strong Christian basis in education and public life. On the other hand, the population in the United States is still mostly Christian, but secular Americans constitute a larger segment of the public than any other religious minority.

If you stumble about believability, what are you living for. Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe.

Life of Pi is a tale about survival, belief in God and coming of age that unfolds while the protagonist is floating in a lifeboat on the Pacific Ocean. Belief in God is clearly a major theme in this novel, and has been the most controversial in reviews of the book. Throughout the novel, Pi makes his belief in and love of God clear. This exhilarating story begins with an old man in Pondicherry who tells the narrator, “I have a story that will make you believe in God.” The protagonist explores the different issues of religion and spirituality from an early age and survives even 227 days shipwrecked in the ocean. Storytelling and religious beliefs are two closely linked ideas in the novel. On a literal level, each of Pi’s three religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, come with its own set of tales and fables, which are used to spread the teachings and illustrate the beliefs of the faith. This book defends not only the common spirit behind these three religions, but the rituals and ceremonies of each. It’s as if all three religions find harmonious common ground in this character. Seems unlikely, but then again, the protagonist argues passionately that the miraculous happens in our darkest moments. These three religions are really all the same except for small differences in the practice of their faith. Hindus have a great capacity for love; Muslims see God in everything; and Christians are quite devout. In this case, Pi enjoys the wealth of stories, but he also senses that, as Father Martin assured him was true of Christianity, each of these stories might simply be aspects of a greater, universal story about love.

Pi remains unattached to any one interpretation of God. Sure, he believes each religion – but he doesn’t guard their specific tenets jealously. Pi shares a rich parable: Each time the milkmaids try to possess Krishna he vanishes. Likewise, each time a religious faith tries to claim sole ownership of God, true religion vanishes. This story reveals a few of the workings of Pi’s complex religious beliefs. You may have wondered how anyone could ever hold Hindu, Christian, and Muslim beliefs all at once. Pi’s answer: without a trace of jealousy.

Stories and religious beliefs are also linked in Life of Pi because Pi asserts that both require faith on the part of the listener or devotee. Surprisingly for such a religious boy, Pi admires atheists. To him, the important thing is to believe in something, and Pi can appreciate an atheist’s ability to believe in the absence of God with no concrete proof of that absence. Pi has nothing but disdain, however, for agnostics, who claim that it is impossible to know either way, and, who therefore refrain from making a definitive statement on the question of God. So Pi sees that this as an evidence of a shameful lack of imagination. To him, agnostics who cannot make a leap of faith in either direction are like listeners who cannot appreciate the non-literal truth a fictional story might provide.

Regarding with the plot of this novel, we begin with a little boy, Pi Patel, who is the main character of Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi. He’s the son of a zookeeper who runs a small zoo in India. Despite all his family’s ideas of modern secularism, Pi is drawn to religion. In his adolescence he adopts not only the beliefs of Hinduism, but Catholicism and Islam as well. Each religion gives Pi something that he felt was missing in his spiritual life so, because of this, he never feels compelled to choose one belief system over the other. “Religion will save us,” I said. Since when I could remember, religions had always been close to my heart”. So, in this case and because of his family, he was first introduced to Hinduism and describes it as the religion of his birth and a deep part of himself. For him, Hinduism is not a religion to be left behind when he discovers another, but rather the intrinsic framework of his own spirituality. Then, when he finds out Catholicism, he studies it through curiosity for what it entails, not because of any dissatisfaction with his current understanding of Hinduism, largely for his own pleasure. The same is true at the time that he later adds the religion of Islam to his quilt of religious beliefs. While the young boy is comfortable with his firm and serious belief in three seemingly disparate religions, the leaders of these religions are obviously not so happy when they learn of his expanded view of religion. As chance would have it, Pi’s priest, pandit and imam all happen upon Pi and his parents at the same time. This ensuing conversation captures current religious discord as all of the religious leaders agree that Pi cannot be Hindu, Catholic, and Muslim at the same time and despite their prodding, Pi insists that he simply wants to love and adore God. He says: “I just want to love God” (Martel 69) and will not choose between religions.

Then, during his adolescence, he also discovers atheism through his biology teacher, Mr. Kumar. Though Pi greatly respects Mr. Kumar, and calls him his favourite teacher, Pi isn’t comfortable exploring all the ideas of atheism or seeing how science holds its own beauty without need for a deity. He decides that atheists are his “brothers and sisters of a different faith”, but it is not a belief that he understands or chooses to explore. In fact, the concept of atheism frightens him so much. Pi, who asks many questions when he is presented with other religions, is very silent when Mr. Kumar always offers some of his atheistic views: “Religion?” Mr. Kumar grinned broadly. “I don’t believe in religion. Religion is darkness.” Pi answers: Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me? Was he saying, “Religion is darkness,” the way he sometimes said in class things like “Mammals lay eggs,” to see if someone would correct him? (“Only platypuses, sir.”)(1.7.9 – 11) and finally explains: “It wasn’t for fear of angering Mr. Kumar. I was more afraid that in a few words thrown out he might destroy something that I loved.” Pi’s education includes both science and religion; he comes to love both these disciplines but agnosticism – the suspension of belief (e.g., “I don’t have enough evidence to believe in God so I won’t commit one way or the other.”) – drives the boy bonkers. For Pi, belief is one of the most beautiful actions of human life. To live otherwise is to live statically. One can either choose a rich, dynamic life or a static, uncommitted life. Yet, this religious discussion takes place well before Pi is set adrift in a lifeboat filled with wild zoo animals. Here it is the groundwork that shapes the rest of the story, a wonderful and incredible story that is only and exclusively meant to make listeners believe in god. Part two of the book begins the tale of Pi’s shipwreck and subsequent survival.

When Pi is 16, his family decides to sell the zoo and immigrate to Canada to escape the increasingly undesirable political developments in 1970’s India. They will get a better price for many of their animals in America, so the family and several of the animals of the zoo begin their journey on a Japanese cargo ship named Tsimtsum. “Midway to Midway” the ship suddenly and quickly sinks for unknown reasons. When this unfortunate event takes place, Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and an adult Bengal tiger. There are no other human survivors, and it is not long before the animals do away with each other-the hyena dispatches the zebra and the orangutan and the tiger dispatch the hyena-, leaving Pi and the tiger alone in the lifeboat.

In the same way, we can clearly assert that Pi Patel wins lots of different challenges covering from his psychic and spiritual learning to his basic and essential instinct and survival throughout his horrific and very hard adventures at sea. The most relevant fact is that his unbelievable believing in God, helps him to survive multiple obstacles that he faces on the lifeboat. His study about all three religions, serves as a great defensive safeguard from the difficult harsh situations of life. It is a very long journey filled with too much danger, loneliness and doubt, but most of all an exploration of faith. This astonishing character maintains all his religious beliefs while on the life boat through his daily ritual prayers, which helps to sustain him. He’s faced with physical difficulty almost all time, ranging from salt-water boils, to the threat of death by a tiger, to cold, to starvation, to dehydration, to dementia and many other difficulties. He continues to pray regularly, and must plead to God in order to survive his ordeal. He remembers the misery he felt after such a long time away from God, saying: “It was natural that, bereft and desperate as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God” (Martel 315). With Pi keeping his ritual prayers going, that helped him to survive. Also, he was able to maintain somewhat the religious lifestyle that he had prior to the sinking of the Tsimtsum. He also makes many religious relationships throughout his journey and lots of comparisons between Orange Juice and the Virgin Mary. “She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary” (Martel 111). Truly, Pi’s religious faith remained strong throughout his journey on the Pacific Ocean.

Straightway, when Pi eventually washes up on the shores of Mexico, and the tiger dashes off into the jungle never to be seen again, he is nursed back to health by locals. While Pi is recovering, two men from the company that owned the Japanese cargo ship come to visit him. They are very anxious because they are looking for answers about what might have caused the ship to sink so then he tells them the fantastic and amazing tale that he experienced and was presented through the book. Obviously, the men do not believe him so they became very upset and tell Pi that they want to know what really happened. They only want to know a rational truth. After some discussion, Pi agrees to tell them another story, another one that does not involve animals or any marvellous fact. His second boring story involves a handful of human survivors, including one who kills the others, even including Pi’s mother. He affirms that at the end of the story he kills the killer and is left as the only survivor. Neither story sheds any light on why the ship might have sunk. Before the men leave, Pi asks him about which of the two stories is the best, since neither provides factual information that they can use. The men who appears at the beginning, who was listening the whole story, agree that the story with the animals was a better story. This is the point of the book. It is the reason why readers are supposed to now believe in god. When it comes down to a choice between realism and fantasy, or science and religion, which story is the best?

Religious minded readers may find comfort in the notion that it is better to believe in an uplifting story over more believable, but less entertaining facts. However, this argument is unlikely to be persuasive to atheists or encourage them to believe in God.

Since the early 80s, a body of research has surfaced focusing on the relationship between religion and drug use. This literature states that there was a negative relationship between religion and drug use. The history of drug use is entangled with religion and societal views on these behaviors often have their roots in spiritual or religious perspective. In Jewish and Christian scriptures, for example, the drinking of wine is assumed to be part of ordinary life, and its virtues are even adorned.

The central sacramental observance in both Judaism and Christianity involve the use of wine. Other religions have assigned sacred uses to other drugs as well, including tobacco and hallucinogens, such as peyote. On the other hand, many religions, such as Islam, strictly prohibit the use of alcohol drinks or other drugs, and other religious groups strongly advise against their use. Religion has also impacted our views of the problems associated with alcohol and drug abuse. Although Judeo-Christian culture approve of light to moderate alcohol use, there is a clear and consistence biblical condemnation of drunkenness, the use of alcohol in a manner that cause impairment or harm. This is abuse of alcohol that is often denounced by religious teachings as sinful. Use of drugs that inflict harm or increase the possibility of harm to oneself or others is also placed in this category. Given these longstanding connections between religion and substance use, and the important roles of religious and spiritual perspective in shaping our moral understanding of addiction, researchers have long been fascinated in the relationship between religion, and drug use problems in populations (Fuller 17-91).

Evidence that religion may directly influence substance use by serving as a moral compass comes primarily from studies that have looked at why people choose not to drink. Studies have been done to correlate attitude on drug use with several measures of religiousness, including affiliation, church attendance, degree of satisfaction derived from church activities, and the extent to which people considered themselves religious.

Since religion has been acclaimed to be a protective mechanism against drug use and dependence, many researchers have conducted their studies by linking this issue with the young adults in our society. This is so since they are the ones who are mostly affected by drug use. Their findings indicated that young people who are seriously committed in their religions are more likely to refrain from using drugs than those who are not. Why since they are students who tend to avoid peer influence or groups that may lead them to engage in this behavior, and engage in other activities that may be of advantage to them. It has been examined that students who perform well at school, and those who uphold on the idea of going to college are the ones who less likely use drugs and also have been known to more religious (Maggs455).

An understanding of how religion affects drug use has been hampered by lack of theoretical development. One of the major theoretical orientations used to examine religious drug use is social control theory. According to this perspective, individuals develop bonds to society that restrain them from using drugs through the following. First, individual become attached to a faith community and its members. Because of this attachment and the negative sanctions that may follow drug use, those who attend service are less expected to use drugs than those who do not. Second involvement in religious activities allows less time for drug experimentation. Involvement also may provide a network of support that insulates people from opportunities to use drugs.

Third, commitment to a religious organization and its goal provides existential meaning that makes drugs use less attractive. Fourth, the belief system of most religious groups opposes drug use and their teachings may reinforce personal beliefs against use. In short, religious organizations tend to involve people in conventional activities and social network that disapprove of illicit drug use. If, through Religious activities, individuals develop a network of friends who do not use drugs and whose attitudes are not tolerant of drug use, participation may reinforce attitudes against drug use. Even those who have friends who use drugs might refrain from the use if they receive high levels of counterbalancing definitions from religious teachings and activities. Both of these theories provide insights in to the process of how religion influences drug use. Social control theorist assumes that bonds to a religious organization and to others who are involved in the organization deter drug use.

Replacing health care with religion practice

In 1999 Haworth press published a journal the journal of religion and abuse. The issues stated that while membership in close religious groups may enhance social support for those who abide by prescription and proscription of the group, individuals who deviate from the accepted standard may be judged negatively and consequently be marginalized. If a religious person becomes ill members of his church pray for his healing if the person receives healing, the religious group affirms their beliefs. If no healing is received the person is often blamed for the sickness and it is always blamed on him.

Religious practices have been used to replace traditional health care as well as physical care. This is not surprising since there is such a great overlap between mental health and spiritual health, which is indistinguishable. Some religions have been known to prohibit their members from going to the hospital and also to from taking drugs. Believers of these religions claim miraculous cures where they seek help from faith healers, turning exclusively to religious activities instead of seeking timely medical attention.

Other religions have been known to treat their members with some drugs which are considered to be harmful to the human bodies thus endangering the lives of their members. For example a religious group in Mexico has been known to use tobacco for their rituals in their religious ceremony. This is where believers in this religion proclaiming that through usage of this substance one experience healing of the mind and the body but on the hand we know that tobacco is a drug (Hoyee 34-40).

Conclusion

With the studies done linking drug use and religion it has clearly established that religion plays an important role in curbing and influencing the drug usage in our society, most people have been known to refrain from the drug use due to religion teachings. On the other hand, we see also religion playing a big part in inducing drug use by its members. This is where some religions permitting their members to drink wine, smoke tobacco and indulge in other drug related practices which are harmful to the human body. In a way, we can say religion plays a big part in influencing people in every aspect of our lives.

Work cited

Ng, Ho-yee. From Coffin to Heaven: A Psychological Study of Christian Conversion in Drug

Rehabilitation. Hong Kong: the Chinese university press, 2004. Print.34-40

Fuller, Robert C. Stairways to Heaven: Drugs in American Religious History. Boulder, Colo.

[u.a.: Westview Press, 2000. Print.17-91

Maggs, Jennifer, John Schulenberg, and Klaus Hurrelmann. Health Risks and Developmental

Transitions during Adolescence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Print.455

Leadership and Organizational Behavior: “If you change your past and work together in a spirit that every one of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what his color, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you will make.” (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) (1)

It really takes a lifetime to achieve your dreams but in order achieve the dream of millions, it is a feat that only a few can perform in the whole mankind but Quaid-e-Azam was one of them. The abilities and skills which he manifested in the creation of Pakistan and the fight he fought, with reasons and logics to bring the dream of a lifetime for millions of souls was unsurpassable. We will always remain in debt to this man and those millions of sacrifices.

Why I chose Quaid-e-Azam, the best leader:

Everyone in this earth has a hero. People have heroes because they really admire that specific person and they really look up to that person. They really want to do what they have done and they have achieved in their lives. Likewise, I also have a hero. My hero is Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

There has been a lot written and said about him. From Larry Collins, Dominique Lapierre to Stanley Walport; everyone agreed on one thing: this man, this leader and founder of Pakistan had resolve of a man unbreakable even by the might of the mightiest, the British Empire, the Hindus and by all who thought that to create Pakistan was something beyond reach. But he stood strongly against all who promised and applied pressure from every direction and yet they couldn’t move him even an inch. He was to give all, he single handedly performed his responsibilities and there are some elements that make him very unique in all sense; as a leader or as a tactician, as one of the finest implementer of law or as a symbol of governance.

I choose him as my hero leader because I really admire him and his style, his personality and most importantly what he did for the Muslims of our country. He gave Muslims the freedom from the British Empire that was ruling at that time.

Biographies and Articles:

I have read lots of biographies and articles on Quaid-e-Azam and I am going to discuss and analyze a few of those here.

The first biography named, “Muhammad Ali Jinnah Biography” (2) describes the basic introduction about the early life of Quaid-e-Azam and his early education, his comeback to India, starting of his practice at bar, his joining of All India National Congress has also been described, agreement on Lucknow Pact, Jinnah’s fourteen points, his control over the Muslim League, Lahore Resolution, 1945-46 elections and the establishment of Pakistan.

The second biography named, “Biography on Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah” (3) also describes his early life and his education, his life in London has also been discussed, his return to Karachi in 1896, his entrance in Politics in 1906, his role in unifying the Muslims into a nation and becoming the first head of a new estate i.e. Pakistan.

The third biography named, “Biography on Quaid-e-Azam” (4) explains Birth of Quaid-e-Azam, the Early Life of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Political Career of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Constitutional Struggle of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Muslim League Reorganization and link of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Demand for Pakistan Slogan Raised by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Cripps Scheme and the most importantly, The Quaid’s last Words.

An article, “Remembering the Founder” (5), from Dawn – December 25, 2000; shows the importance of Quaid-e-Azam in the struggle against the problems in making Pakistan, it also shows his modern vision of politics and his vision of Pakistan as well.

Another article, “Quaid’s Concept of Pakistan” (6), from The News International Pakistan – December 25, 2005; tells about the controversy over whether the Quaid-e-Azam envisaged Pakistan to develop into an Islamic or secular state, the collapse of the 1857 resistance, treatment of minorities, his effective speeches, the dangers to Pakistan and his concept of a Nation.

By reading all the above mentioned biographies and articles, I want to share the information I gathered, his qualities, efforts and most amazingly zero level of weaknesses, my views about the strengths and accurate behavior of this great leader.

Early Life:

Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was born on December 25th, 1876, to a mercantile family in Karachi. He got his early education at the Sindh Madrassat-ul-Islam and the Christian Mission School. He joined the Lincoln’s Inn in 1893 and became the youngest Indian to be called to the Bar. After three years, he became most famous lawyer in Bombay. In 1905, he entered politics from the platform of the Indian National Congress. As a member of a congress delegation, he went to England in that year to plead the cause of Indian self-governemnt during the British elections.

By forming a political group called the Muslim League, he got us a freedom. Talking to all the Muslims around in the sub-continent at that time, he said, “We are a nation with our own distinctive culture and civilization, language and literature, art and architecture, names and nomenclature, sense of values and proportion, legal laws and moral code, customs and calendar, history and tradition, aptitudes and ambitions; in short, we have our own distinctive outlook on life and of life. By all canons of international law, we are a nation.” (7)

Political Career:

In January 1910, Quaid-e-Azam was elected to the newly-constituted Imperial Legislative Council. He was probably the most powerful voice in the cause of Indian freedom rights all through his parliamentary career. Jinnah was also the first Indian to pilot a private member’s Bill through the Council and soon became a leader of a group inside the legislature.

Strong Beliefs:

For almost three decades since his entry into politics in 1906, Jinnah strongly believed in Hindu-Muslim unity. The Hindu leader before Gandhi, Gokhale, had once said of him, “He has the true stuff in him and that freedom from all sectarian prejudice which will make him the best ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity.” (8) And he did become the architect of Hindu-Muslim Unity, he was the one who was responsible for the Congress-League Pact of 1916, known as Lucknow Pact; the only pact ever signed between the two political organizations, the Congress and the All-India Muslim League, the two major communities in the subcontinent.

Key Roles:

The Lucknow Pact showed a milestone in the evolution of Indian politics. It conceded Muslims the right to separate electorate, reservation of seats in the legislatures and weightage in the representation both at the Centre and the minority provinces, thus binding the trend towards Muslim individuality in Indian politics. All the credit for this goes to Jinnah. Thus, by 1917, Jinnah came to be recognized among both Hindus and Muslims as one of India’s most outstanding political leaders. He was very prominent in the Congress and the Imperial Legislative Council as he was the President of the All India Muslim and that of the Bombay Branch of the Home Rule League. More importantly, because of his very special role in the Congress League agreement at Lucknow, he was hailed as the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity.

Great Impact:

In 1940, the formulation of the Muslim demand for Pakistan had a great impact on the course of Indian politics. It shattered forever the Hindu dreams of Indian, in fact, Hindu empire on British exit from India. The reaction of the Hindus was quick and bitter too.

The British were equally hostile to the Muslim demand, their hostility having stemmed from their belief that the unity of India was their main achievement and their foremost contribution. The irony was that both the Hindus and the British had not anticipated the strong response that the Pakistan demand had elicited from the Muslim masses. Hence, they failed to know how a hundred million people had amazingly become so much conscious of their distinct nationhood and their destiny. In monitoring the course of Muslim politics towards Pakistan, none played a more prominent role than did Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. It was only his advocacy of the case of Pakistan and it was his remarkable strategy in the delicate negotiations that followed the formulation of the Pakistan demand, particularly in the post-war period, that made Pakistan inevitable.

Limitless Struggle and Efforts:

In subsequent years, however, he felt dismayed at the involvement of violence in the politics. Jinnah really felt that political terrorism was not the way to the national liberation but, the dark route to disaster and destruction. Hence Jinnah could not possibly, countenance Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s novel methods of Civil Disobedience and the triple boycott of government aided schools and colleges, courts and councils and British textiles. Earlier, in October 1920, when Gandhi, having been elected President of the Home Rule League, tried to change its constitution as well as its nomenclature, Jinnah had resigned from the Home Rule League, saying: “Your extreme program has for the moment struck the imagination mostly of the inexperienced youth and the ignorant and the illiterate. All this means disorganization and chaos”. (9)

Required Behavior:

In the growing frustration among the masses caused by colonial rule, there was strong cause for extremism. Jinnah felt that it might lead to the building up of resentment, but nothing constructive. Hence, he opposed the tactics adopted by Gandhi to exploit the Khilafat and wrongful tactics in the Punjab in the early twenties. On the eve of its adoption of the Gandhian program, Jinnah warned the Nagpur Congress Session (1920): “You are making a declaration (of Swaraj) and committing the Indian National Congress to a program, which you will not be able to carry out”, (10). He felt that there was no short-cut to independence and that Gandhi’s constitutional methods could only lead to political terrorism, lawlessness and chaos, without bringing India nearer to freedom.

Although Jinnah left the Congress soon thereafter but he continued his efforts towards bringing about a Hindu-Muslim unity. However, because of the huge distrust between the two communities as evidenced by the country-wide communal riots, and because the Hindus failed to meet the right demands of the Muslims, his efforts came to zero. One such effort was the formulation of the Delhi Muslim Proposals in March, 1927.

Jinnah argued in vain at the National convention (1928): “What we want is that Hindus and Muslims should march together until our object is achieved. These two communities have got to be reconciled and united and made to feel that their interests are common”, (11). The Convention’s blank refusal to accept Muslim demands represented the setback to Jinnah’s passionate efforts to bring about Hindu-Muslim unity, it meant “the last straw” for the Muslims, and “the parting of the ways” for him, as he confessed to a Parsee friend at that time. Jinnah’s disillusionment at the course of politics in the subcontinent made him to migrate and settle down in London in the early thirties. He returned to India in 1934, at the pleadings of his co-religionists, and did assume their leadership. But then the Muslims presented a sad spectacle at that time. They were a mass of dissatisfied and demoralized people, politically disorganized program.

To get the Muslim people freedom, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah played a big role. He was the only Muslim to stand up and rally all the Muslims together so they could have their freedom on Aug. 14, 1947.

Great Thoughts and Sayings of Quaid-e-Azam:

“We can look to the future with robust confidence provided we do not relax and fritter away our energies in internal dissensions. There was never a greater need for discipline and unity in our ranks. It is only with united effort and faith in our destiny that we shall be able to translate the Pakistan of our dreams into reality”. (Mohammed Ali Jinnah) (12)

“My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilize all our resources in a systematic and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation.” (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) (13)

“We are now all Pakistanis–not Baluchis, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, and Punjabis and so on–and as Pakistanis we must feet behave and act, and we should be proud to be known as Pakistanis and nothing else.” (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) (14)

“We should have a State in which we could live and breathe as free men and which we could develop according to our own lights and culture and where principles of Islamic social justice could find free play.” (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) (15)

“Come forward as servants of Islam organize the people economically, socially, educationally and politically and I am sure that you will be a power that will be accepted by everybody.” (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) (15)

The Quaid’s Last Message:

With a sense of great satisfaction at the completion of his mission that Jinnah told the nation in his last message on 14 August, 1948:

“The foundations of your State have been laid and it is now for you to build and build as quickly and as well as you can”, (16). In accomplishing the task he had taken upon himself on the morrow of Pakistan’s birth, Jinnah had worked himself to death.

Result:

The Quaid e Azam is admired by all political parties as well as by the army in Pakistan.

He was a tremendous leader whose first preference was to give special status for the Muslim League within a united India as being the sole representative of the Muslim community.

This was unacceptable to the Congress which had been quite secular in its outlook and had leaders from all the many religions. The Quaid-e-Azam was an accomplished lawyer and a magnificent negotiator. He used the threat of creating Pakistan as a “stick” if his demands were not met.

After getting Pakistan, he wanted it to be a secular state but unfortunately he died within a year of its creation. As a result, religious forces quickly adopted a resolution making Pakistan an Islamic republic and introduced a basis for subsequent misuse for intolerant agendas of some of its most influential leaders.

Conclusions:

That is why I really admire him. He is a hero to everyone in my country because of what he did for our country and for the Muslims. He fought so much for Pakistan and he did so much for us that no one can ever forget. He is a great freedom hero for me.

In all his speeches given in whatever little time he had, it paved way for all to see and to learn how Pakistan should develop its economic and foreign policies, how to protect rights of the minorities, based on justice and fairness, a society set on the principles of Islam, where all will be able to take part to its success and progression but we all forgot within the months of his departure.

It is still time for Pakistanis to wake up and to follow the spirit of its founder to bring back this country to its feet. All the challenges we face, all the resistance we face amongst ourselves and from outside can be removed if we could only understand Jinnah and his life and know the mechanics in creation of a country that became second largest Muslim country in 20th century. But this was not to happen as we forgot our very own sacrifices, our very own people and our very own founder Jinnah.

Instead of following his vision; we followed our instincts based on greed and promotion of values against all what he made and created. We forgot Jinnah and have turned Jinnah into just a mere symbol. It is his words; it is his life which should be lived in all of us. We have betrayed him in last sixty one years. It is still time to appreciate and to bring that spirit back in Pakistan and in all of Pakistanis, and we have to forget these differences that we have created. We must become more understanding and tolerant of each other and work together. It is this task that is the need of the time and our major responsibility.

Remember a young boy, age of seventeen, arriving at Southampton. Remember a person who learnt all the important ways of life in those dull and depressing months of winter. Remember that person who once walked near river Thames, asking himself what a change means and how it can be brought. Even Jinnah had no idea what so ever at that time but he learnt that studying Law will take him so far but he never thought that one day he will fight in a way no one had done it ever before. One day he will fight for the hopes of millions. He took stand against Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Mountbatten and the whole British Empire. But he fought well with both his mind and words and took intelligent actions to turn this dream into reality. It is now up to us as individuals and as a society and as leaders of this Pakistan to understand the cause and all what it took.

It is this man Mohammed Ali Jinnah who became in the process our Quaid-e-Azam, the founder of Pakistan. It is this man, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Quaid-e-Azam, a man for all seasons we owe our lives to and to Pakistan.

“We can choose our sins but not their consequences,” is an ancient proverb. These words are most widely used in a spiritual context albeit in reality, they denote that we select our actions by free will without the ability to predict their outcome or impact on our life.

The proverb signifies that humans are prone to various vagaries, purely caused by mental processes. It is well known that every action is the culmination of a thought: We think first and then act accordingly, based on our knowledge, resources and circumstances prevalent at any particular time. That thoughts emerge from our brain is well known. But the complexities involved behind every thought and possibly related actions remains a mystery till date, despite every human effort to interpret these myriad processes.

To a great extent, humans, since ancient times, have comprehended and found cures for a plethora of ailments that plague the physical body- from simple wounds to life threatening viral contagion. Yet, no scientist or inventor has managed to successfully interpret the workings of the human thought chain. The brain is composed of brain cells and membranes- kept alive by an incessant supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients. It has also been established that various potent hormones in the brain are responsible for its functioning. That deficiencies or overages of some may result in behavioural anomalies, which are treated medically.

Despite, nobody has found the wonder key that would unravel mysteries associated with the sequences of human thoughts and behaviour till date.

Human Origins:

To understand psychology, let us examine the basis of human evolution: scientific, as propounded by Charles Darwin that we are all descendants of some esoteric, primordial apes or spiritual, contained in the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran- that we are progenies of Adam and Eve. Both concepts of evolution remain hotly debated.

Importance of Darwin’s Evolution Theory and related research in Psychology:
Psychology of Primitive Humans:

If humans are indeed descendants of ancient apes, what factors made these primates different from other animals of that era? Obviously, humans are endowed with something exceptional other animals lack: the ability to think and behave accordingly. Scientists aver that primitive humans evolved some seven million years ago, as a distinct species of apes.

Primitive humans had simple needs: food and shelter. Basic understanding of how to procure these was their only requisite. While no records exist about how the primal man behaved, it is apparent they experienced fear- mainly from animals and creatures more powerful, loneliness- leading them to live in societies rather than isolation, anger and affection- an emotion intrinsic to social life. Above all, they possessed a unique trait: To dominate other creatures. This required them to harness natural resources to their advantage and gain the cutting edge that would eventually make them the dominant species on Planet Earth.

For obvious reasons, psychologists did not exist in that era but palaeontologists have tried to sequence the human thought process of primitive humans through the study of their artefacts including tools, skulls and climatic changes of that period.

Excavations of thousands of archaeological sites worldwide reveal, primitive humans began using tools and hunting equipment as early as some 2.6million years ago, during the Early Stone Age (Palaeolithic). These included stone hammers and sharp stone flakes, among others: A clear indicator of their thought process led them to rely on implements that were almost indestructible and could vanquish any powerful animal, if deployed properly. Around 1.75million years ago, they began making the first version of axes called Acheulean axes and larger cutting tools- once again pointing that primitive humans were dissatisfied with their earlier achievements and yearned for something more sophisticated- caused by the thought to improve their lifestyle and perhaps, excel.

As humans progressed, these simple tools began assuming more complex and practical forms such as basic shafts to hone spears, awns possibly used to cut animal hides for clothing and scraping tools to shape such hides, wood and stones, which are found to date some 200,000 years ago, or, the Medieval Stone Age (Mesolithic) – signifying that primitive man’s chain of thought was more progressive.

Archaeological evidence from the Late Stone Age (Neolithic) reveals, humans had begun experimenting and using other raw material for their inventions such as durable remains of animals including antlers and horns, ivory tusks and various forms of stones, found deeper in soil. Driving force behind this progress was of course- the infinite human thought process: the will to prevail over other creatures and the necessity to create basic gizmos that would aid this dominance.

From Stone Age till date:

Mankind evolved gradually but steadily with every millennium marking a milestone such as Agrarian Age, around 9500BC, when humans learned to domesticate animals and grow crops for food rather than forage, Copper Age, around 4000BC when humans discovered the metal and used it to their benefit, Iron Age (3000BC) and eventually, to rudimentary yet developed civilizations. This evolution stemmed from the human mind: the thought process culminating in action, aimed at attaining supremacy over nature, living creatures and inanimate elements and, over ages, achieved successfully.

Development of the Human Brain:

Primitive humans, by virtue of their intelligence over other creatures, were affected by several factors. Physiological and psychological changes in brain are believed to have occurred about 6 million years ago, when primates that would eventually evolve into humans, began walking upright rather than on all fours, unlike other variants of the genus. Brain size of early humans increased slightly during this era, as their intelligence grew and they began creating rudimentary tools.

Between 2million and 800,000 years ago, primitive humans emerged across the globe, albeit with varying degrees of development. The need to adapt to climatic changes, invent and discover implements for survival and develop further caused significant changes to the brain size. The reason: Larger brains are a prerequisite to processing greater amount of data and higher intelligence. Relying on fossilized skulls of primitive humans from various eras, scientists were able to conclusively deduce that brain size increased as human intelligence grew, while those of other animals remained somewhat consistent, till they became extinct or evolved into denizens we know now.

A clincher to this is: An average Chimpanzee brain weighs around 400gms while a normal brain of a modern human weighs a whopping 1.350gms. A modern human brain constitutes only two percent of the average body weight but accounts for 20 percent of oxygen supply to the body and requires 20 percent of the body’s blood to remain functional.

The advantages of a larger brain, as explained by scientists are that it can store vast amounts of information, collect and process data within split seconds and deliver necessary impulses and reactions while devising or engaging in creative or destructive activities, of which no other species are capable on this planet.

Laboratory experiments prove that human brains have more white matter indicating it is connected to an intricate network of nerves and cells thus imparting a greater ability to process data while Chimpanzees have lesser white matter in their brains leading to lower connectivity to nerves and cells and a limited capacity to comprehend or process information.

These findings are essential to psychology today because a modern brain is capable of multi-dimensional though processes.

Evolution of humans in spiritual context: (In chronological order):

Primitive Spirituality: Little is known about how and when primitive humans developed their belief in a supernatural power or a higher power. Ancient cave paintings and carvings indicate that primordial humans worshipped natural phenomenon and elements such as the Sun, Moon, lightning and thunder among others. Some such art also depicts humans with different physical features and robed in attire uncommon for the era. While research on these paintings and carvings are highly empirical and results, ambiguous, they do confirm that prehistoric man feared and revered these objects or humanoids.

Due to societal life, it was also essential from primitive humans to choose leaders for their group. To be a leader, primitive humans chose a compatriot who was endowed with exceptional brawn and knowledge- for example, a person who could guide them how or where to forage for food, lead them to safety or created a useful implement.

In both these cases, it is evident that psychology played a major role since complex thought procedures were involved.

Primitive humans evolved into well organized societies that transformed into ancient kingdoms. Technology and science developed concurrently, giving birth to newer creations, improvements on earlier inventions and sophisticated lifestyles.

Yet, no efforts were made by the now well evolved humans to determine what triggers the human thought process, the chain leading to action and its subsequent consequences. Myths and folklore emerged and primitive spirituality began developing into organized religions.

Organized religions, to a great extent, were the first attempt by humans to imbibe psychology into daily life, albeit, unwittingly.

Emergence of organized spirituality or religion:

Hinduism: Srimad Bhagwad Geeta (The Song Divine), believed to have originated around 3000BC, is said to be an excellent and the first recorded example of psychological counselling: The Pandava warrior Arjuna (counselee) , saddened at the prospect of slaying his cousins, uncles, teachers and friends and the imminent bloodshed during the epic Mahabharata war, wishes to abandon the war and expresses his thoughts to Lord Krishna (counsellor). Ancient Hindu texts do not define evolution of humans clearly.

Lord Krishna: Counsels Arjuna about the meaning of human life and its various aspects while encouraging Arjuna to perform his duty. This counselling includes in the Srimad Bhagwad Geeta relates to daily life, food, duties and rights as well and speaks about a Utopian state of mind wherein a person is immune to all attachments of human emotions ( Sanskrit word: Stithaprajnya).

Judaism: The Noble Torah (Origin around 1500BC), an ancient version of the Old Testament ( and also part of the Holy Bible) mentions Adam and Eve as the ancestors of humans in the Book of Genesis.

Christianity: The Holy Bible (Origin around 1500BC with Old Testament to 200AD): Genesis 1:26 to 5:5: Describes how Almighty Creator (God) created the Earth, living creatures, the universe and the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, whom He entrusted with the Garden of Eden with a warning: “But the Lord God gave him this warning: (Genesis 2:16): “You may freely eat any fruit in the garden (Genesis 2:17): except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.”

These verses clearly mention ‘knowledge, good, evil’ – some of the words that form basis of modern psychology.

Jesus Christ: An outstanding example of qualities that any psychological or psychiatric counsellor should possess. An embodiment of simplicity, Jesus Christ was astute in his judgement about human behaviour, its pros and cons, aptly analyzed human dilemmas while counselling accordingly, on basis of spirituality and understanding of a power greater than humans.

Islam: Al Quran Al Shareef: (Origin around 630AD) Chapter 7, Verse 189: “It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her. And when he covers her, she carries a light burden and continues therein. And when it becomes heavy, they both invoke Allah , their Lord, “If You should give us a good child, we will surely be among the grateful.” (Surat Al-‘A`rA?f). This verse refers to Adam and Hawwa (the Arabic pronunciation of Eve.)
The Al Quran Al Shareef also lays emphasis on human behaviour in this verse through words such as the ‘soul’ (inner self), ‘security’ and ‘grateful’- all vital in modern psychology.
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH): This great founder of Islam is the pioneer of what is now recognized as Racial Psychology. The Arab world, during those years, was home to people from different races, from Far East Asia to Europe, Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, who resided there as traders, soldiers or slaves and embraced Islam. The Islamic worship (Namaz or Salaah) united all Muslims regardless of their race, creed, nationality and colour for a common purpose- to respect Almighty Allah, in whose eyes, all humans are equal and dissolving any divisions based on earthly features such as wealth, might or race.

(Though the Noble Torah, the Holy Bible and the Al Quran Al Sharif texts agree on some principles about human creation (male and female) by a divine power, a few differences exist in their interpretations and narrations, within their respective faiths.)

Significance of Spiritual Teachings in psychology then and now:

Psychology, in spiritual context of the Al Quran Al Shareef, the Holy Bible, the Noble Torah and Srimad Bhagwad Geeta are primarily based on human behaviour or psychology. They contain detailed instructions on how to aim for a perfect life that is free from irrational fear, proper social behaviour, ties with family and brotherhood, duties towards mankind and obeisance to a power greater than humans-God- by whatever name we choose to describe the Creator, eliminating a human’s most basic fear of death. This holds true for most faiths and their texts as well. Invariably, all spiritual texts lay great emphasis on mental well-being of humans by defining certain standards for behaviour.

Spiritual or religious texts also define the concept of ‘Sin’- or actions that contravene ideal life, warning about dire consequences of indulging in such acts. It’s a well known fact today that a ‘sinful’ life- which can be defined as a flagrant violation of well established societal and spiritual tenets, can have disastrous circumstances on one’s life and those around them.

Committing a crime (sin) renders one liable to prosecution under the law and consequential punishments, causing irreparable psychological harm to culprits and their family members.

Addiction to alcohol or narcotics and psychotropic substances, also deemed a sin, has disastrous effects on an individual’s behaviour while directly impacting the lives of their families, colleagues and the society.

Modern day psychologists agree that genuine spirituality (not religious rituals performed without faith in a higher power), play a major role in the mental well-being of humans, since it helps people to answer questions that human reasoning or science cannot explain. On the flip side, an excessive inclination towards religious beliefs and blind faith can lead to addictive behaviour including fanaticism.

The Birth of Psychology:

While spiritual texts offered excellent guidelines about living a near Utopian life by preaching how to control one’s behaviour, they contained negligible information or no explanation about what influences the human thought chain and resultant actions. For example, religious texts caution humans against “sins” but do not explain the human thought process leading to a “sinful” act. This, apparently, had to be entrusted to humans.

And humans did make efforts to unravel the mysteries of their thought process and resultant actions. Early philosophers, thinkers and scientists, intrigued at the complexities of human thoughts and actions, embarked on long, often painstaking and sometimes fruitless endeavour to solve this enigma. Centuries of work, wrong perceptions, accidental discoveries, unwarranted ridicule and astute research mark this ongoing, unending journey that led to the evolution of psychology, from ancient times to the latest developments of today’s modern world.

Today, psychology aids millions of people worldwide to live a better life by helping them understand various facets of their behaviour. Psychology is helping the corporate world reap larger profits by helping select workers with the desired qualities. Psychology joins ranks with law enforcement officers to make this world a better, safer place by identifying criminal traits of individuals. Psychology goes online by assuming ‘avatar’ (cyber images) created by individuals of how they perceive themselves. Hence, psychology is the true “biological mother” of all inventions, either propelled by necessity or ego.

Ends.

It was stated earlier in the introduction that proverbs play an important part in Reggae music as it is an essential aspect to the genre, but in order for us to fully appreciate the role they play, a connection between them and the genre must be explored. Jamaican proverbs are well-known for their roles in creating moral commentaries and as it is a known fact that the Reggae discourse is primarily concerned with the giving of advice – teaching values, wrong’s from right’s and issuing warnings- proverbs are quite useful in this context. An example of a warning can be found in Peter Tosh’s album Mama Africa which was released in 1983, in his song Glass House he warns, “If you live in a glass house / don’t throw stones / If you can’t take blows, brother / don’t throw blows” (“Glass House,” Mama Africa 1983). Tosh warns us not to criticize other individuals for faults that we ourselves might possess, similar declarations can be found in Bob Marley’s Misty Morning where he states:”like one of my friends say/ From a reggae riddim/ Don’t jump in the water,/ If you can’t swim.”(Misty Morning, Kaya 1978).

Proverbs, along with their functionality, also hold poetic qualities; this is so as they contain musical features such as rhyme and rhythm making them very useful in the Reggae discourse. Throughout the Reggae culture, proverbs are typically chanted, sung, or shouted transforming it into musical notes that a key to the unique sound of Reggae music. Proverbs in Reggae music are many times used to re-live history, to showcase the past and the many struggles that the ‘black community’ has faced throughout the years. Bob Marley has created numerous songs that echo this idea, one of which is the widely popular Get up! Stand Up! which was co-written by fellow Reggae artiste Peter Tosh. The song was heavily influenced by their upbringings and the struggle they faced with their Rastafarian religion in Jamaica. The song had first made an appearance on The Wailers 1973 album Burnin’ but it was later included on the compilations Legend and Rebel Music. Get up! Stand up! can be viewed as an argument, an argument for those individuals that are being harassed beneath the weight of oppression, the song serves to persuade these said individuals to stand up for themselves, to rebel against the cruelty that they face. Its fundamental focus is the rebellion against the teachings of the Christian religion that hinder black people from attempting to achieve their freedom in the here and now. It is a social commentary against the ‘Babylonian’ system of hierarchical religions, religions which oppress its members and look down upon other faiths.

Three proverbs are clearly seen the song and there are two in the first stanza: “all that glitters is not gold/ half the story has been told”, this proverb advises not to be lured into believing things because everything isn’t always what it seems. He warns that though a fantasy might sounds alluring there is no substance to it. The second proverb refers not only to history but to theology. The African’s voice throughout history has been hushed primarily by colonial influences throughout the years, what is told is only half of the hidden truth, one will never really know what truly happened. The third proverb intimates that many people are “wise” to the trickery of Christian advertising; he’s telling us that religion is a fallacy and only a way of controlling, “We know and understand/ Almighty God is a living man/ You can fool some people sometimes/ But you cannot fool all the people all the time” (Get up! Stand up!, 1973). These proverbs are a favorite among Rasta’s and are used in the negotiation of power. The imbalance of power between the ruling class and the oppressed is addressed by the speaker and points and accusing finger specifically towards the use of Christian texts and teachings that seek to reinforce the ‘status quo’.

Exodus is the ninth studio album released by Bob Marley & The Wailers. An assignation attempt was made on Bob Marley’s life on the 3rd of December 1976 an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley’s life and following the attempt Marley left Jamaica and was exiled to London where Exodus was recorded. The album is widely considered to be the album that propelled Marley to international celebrity. A favored rhetorical strategy found in songs by Bob Marley is the critique of Babylon which is a recurring motif in his songs; he critiques Babylon while speaking to the community. “The Heathen” is an excellent example of him ‘chanting down Babylon’. Rastafarianism is a religion that is mainly based upon the idea of African freedom from a structure of inequality and repression. The chorus consists of one line, repeated four times: “Heathen back there pon the wall.” The two stanzas contain four proverbs and are essentially words of encouragement to the African community. The first proverb suggests there is no shame in having made compromises in the context of slavery and post colonialism: black people did what they had to do to survive. But now the time has come to rally the forces of African peoples, to battle against the influences of colonialism, and once again become a proud, independent world power: “Rise O fallen fighters/ Rise and take your stance again/ ‘Cause he who fight and run away,/ Live to fight another day.” (The Heathen, 1976).

Marley’s “So Much Things to Say” (Exodus) is another composition that fit the idea and is of him critiquing Babylon. The song ridicules the Babylonian characters, condemning their desire for unending, meaningless talking. The song connects modern tyrants to olden forces of oppression that have fought against the righteous. The chorus, a repetition of the line “They got so much things to say,” is preached by Marley throughout the song, revealing his contempt for the oppressors of his people.

Proverbs have a tradition within reggae that authenticates the opinions of these songs as principally problem-solving and health-giving. This rhetorical approach has become a key marker in roots reggae, and so the repetition of specific maxims is not surprising when it is considered that the creators of the genre (Reggae/ Roots Reggae) were drawing inspiration from the same sources – both spiritual and cultural – and openly sharing their knowledge among themselves as they advanced as both songwriters and musicians. Even a casual survey of song titles reveals a substantial number of proverbs or allusions to proverbial expressions. Consider Bob Marley’s Time Will Tell, Small Axe, Who the Cap Fit, Them Belly Bull (But We Hungry) and Rat Race. The titles alone hint at the meaning behind the songs, all laden with proverbs, Bob Marley seeks to make a commentary on the political and social situation that has left the people in suffering. The proverbs “Cotton tree never so big, but Lilly axe cut him” and “Small axe cut big tree” is the equivalent to “likkle but we tallawah”, the seen here is message is important and is symbolic of individuals who are undermined because of their outward appearance, it urges us to not ‘judge a book by its cover’ because the strength that lies on the inside might surprise us. The social meaning of the proverb parallels the metaphor of David and Goliath from the biblical tale. Bob Marley develops the proverb into an allegory, applying the metaphor of the tree to the “evil men” and the axe to himself and all Rasta’s as the righteous, and the oppressed.

There are many Reggae songs of social commentary/comedy that are primarily concerned with human relationships and with the evils of deceitfulness and hypocrisy (two-facedness). They warn us against the deceitful because mankind can be treacherous and one should be careful, even in one’s dealings with those who need our help. Peter Tosh’s Maga Dog (from his Mama Africa album) and Skany Dog both rely on the metaphor of the ‘mangy’ dog, The song is symbolic of those individuals that at first appear to be in dire need of help but once that assistance is given they turn around and betray you. “Sorry fe maga dog/ Him turn around and bite you/ Jump outta frying pan/ Jump inna de fire!” (Maga Dog, 1983). The song is founded on two popular sayings ” Sorry fi mawga dawg, mawga dawg tun roun’ bite you.” And “Out of the frying pan, into the fire”. These proverbs warn us against the treachery that can be found in most individuals and are characterized by a certain scorn.

Swami Anand Prahlad, author of Reggae Wisdom: Proverbs in Jamaican Music, explores how the various elements of roots reggae music, particularly proverbs, help in conveying the ethics and traditions of Rastafarianism. Prahlad asserts that the proverbs used by Jamaican reggae songwriters aid in the improvement and motivating of Rasta’s it also helps to introduce outsiders to this mystical religion. He goes on to analyze the meanings of many familiar proverbs, particularly those of leading reggae performers like The Itals and Bob Marley.

In the mid- to – late 1960’s Jamaica entered a phase of “post-Independence depression” as Edward Kamau Brathwaite described it in his 1971’s essay entitled Forward Savacou. The granting of Independence was followed by displeasure as the standards of living failed to progress with a Jamaican government set in place. The late 1960’s was primarily a period of social unrest. The complications of public unrest and juvenile crime were addressed by Bob Marley the Wailers in their very first recording which became a number one hit in Jamaica: “Simmer Down” (1963). The song deals with the problem of hooliganism and consists of famous Jamaican proverbs strung together: “Chicken deh merry,/ Hawk deh near,/ What sweet nanny goat,/ A-go run him belly”, the speaker warns that where there is too much merriment and enjoyment, danger lurks near, the last proverb in the stanza is a popular idiom that cautions against too much indulgence as what seems good to you now, may hurt you in the long run . These are very popular sayings in Jamaican culture and their employment in the lyrics of these songs, serve to not only preserve the culture of the past but to teach the younger generation by its (proverbs) profound wisdom.

Peter Tosh, a young rebel at heart, sang many Reggae song aimed at describing the frustrations and the oppression that can be found in the ‘shitstem’ (system). He employed the use of proverbs and idioms to bring across knowledge to his viewers and followers as he was a firm believer in equal rights. Treat Me Good is one of such songs that express this idea. In the song he states in the chorus “Things you don’t like/ don’t do it to your neighbor/ those same things may react upon you later”, it draws from the popular biblical saying “do unto others as you would like them to do unto you”. The proverb is a golden rule that advises individuals to treat people in the same respect and regard as you yourself would wise to be treated, the speaker uses it as a life lesson for others to follow.

Both Peter Tosh and Bob had very rewarding musical careers, however, it’s their life journeys and their upbringings that are the primary contributors to their songs and the messages that they convey. The incorporation of proverbs into roots reggae music helps the genre in its plea for African empowerment and justice in a society subjugated by neo-colonialism and oppression. This struggle to overcome and find pride in one’s African heritage is depicted through the lyrics of popular Jamaican music. In the employment of these popular idioms, both Bob Marley and Peter Tosh aim to address the socio economic issues, symbolism and reinforces societal norms that are perpetuated in our Jamaican society

The principles of the Rukun Negara formulated by National Consultative Council with together headed by our second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak at 31 August 1970. The purpose of formation of this national principles are to created unity of various race in Malaysia after the riots of different races at May 13th 1969 in Malaysia. That riots happened had proven the Malaysian racial issues and stability had fragile.

The formation of “Rukun Negara” are one of the method to overcome the racial issues between different races in Malaysia after the May 13th incidents has happened which involved hundreds of people are death in that particular incident. It happened when after election at year 1969 where Parti Tindakan Rakyat (DAP) dan Gerakan get a very good respond from the result of the election. Procession was held by them purpose for incident of one youth Chinese was killed in battle with policemen before the election was held. UMNO was felt be challenged of the result of the election although them still win the majority seats in parliament.

Datuk Harun Idris led the riots happened. Purpose of this provocative procession happened was to set fire to the spirit of nationalism of every races in Malaysia. This riots happened until the police force was unable to control the situation. Army force had to be called to help police force to control the situations.

This incidents has made all the leaders in Malaysia has realized of importance of unity issues of various races in the country. In the official report, there are totals of 493 people was injured and 196 people are reported death of that incidents. Emergency in the country was declared by our Yang Dipertua Agong, with advices from our first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman based on article 150 in constitution of federal Malaysia.

The Rukun Negara can be related with several place that we visit in the trips. The first principle can related with Batu Caves and National Palaces. Batu Caves are rich with Hinduism cultural. The cultural still preserved until today that let us to enable to study and get to know the elements and everything cultural about Hinduism. National Palaces are rich with Islam religions and cultural. Inside the palaces, lot of architectures are follow Islam and mixed with Hinduism elements to build with it. Switch of the light and fans are made of gold plated, which represent the wealthy and higher class people in society.

National Museum represent the place to let all the people to access the past cultural and present cultural in Malaysia. In museum, we can access different races occupations, cultural, rituals and behavior being practice in past and until current today in Malaysia. It also show us how the life, ritual and cultural of Orang Asli in Malaysia.

Examine carefully the importance of Rukun Negara for our country; how it cultivate social structure and social organization in society.

We are admitting that Rukun Negara was important to our country in Malaysia. Rukun Negara was created to meet it’s purpose of unity of various race in Malaysia, and prevent the riots of races happened again within the country. Analysis of each elements of national principles

BELIEF IN GOD

Nation and the State was created based on a strong belief in God. It would make the sovereign country or nation thru these religions belief. The Federal Constitution declared that Islam is the official religion of the Federation, but other religion and beliefs can be practiced in freedom and tranquility. Any actions discrimination against any citizen on grounds based on religion are prohibited. Pillars of the drafters of the committee recognize the importance of belief in God and religion in human life. Recognizing the importance of community members holding robustness against their religious teachings, this principle has been selected as the first principle of the Rukun Negara.

LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY

Malaysia practices a system of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy with His Majesty the King as Head of State. Loyalty to King and country means that every citizen should be devoted faithful, honest and sincere to His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. At the state level, the citizens are required to devote loyalty to the king who ruled the land where they reside without reducing allegiance to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

THE SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION

This principle pressing need for people to accept, obey and defend the Constitution of the country or glory. Constitution is the highest legal source. Its function is to provide protection to every citizen of this country because of their privileges and rights as citizens in this country. The Malaysian citizens are required to respect, appreciate, and understand the meaning and content as well as the historical background of the formation of the National Constitution. Constitution was drafted based on consensus of all parties and races within the country. Thus the social contract that people cannot be questioned about it and threatened by any individual or any party. Constitution of Malaysia made for determine the pattern of socio-economic and political position of the citizens in this country.

THE RULE OF LAW

Justice based on the rule of law where all citizens equal before the law in the country legally. Fundamental freedoms guaranteed to all citizens of Malaysia. State law based on the Constitution. Thus the need to be accepted and defended its sovereignty. Without the law, social and state life is not peaceful and stable. By the laws of the country are guaranteed by an independent judiciary and competent. Every country needs laws to regulate and create peaceful, prosperity and stability in society. The existence of the law will guarantee a life member of the community can move with freedom and orderly, without any disturbance which not threated the safety of other citizens in the country. The rights of all people can practice freely as long as no violation of the law as well as things as guaranteed by the Constitution. The freedoms right declared in the Constitution does not means citizens have the right to overthrow the current government.

COURTESY AND MORALITY

These five principles to emphasize the development of one’s personality and behavior of the people. The aim is to form citizens’ courtesy and manners in line with the campaign Courtesy and Noble Values aˆ‹aˆ‹conducted now. Individual nature of courtesy and manners are the most important and meaningful in the elements of relationships with other various races within the country. Attitude of courtesy and manners should be taught and practiced to develop the individual and society as well as high discipline and morality that will help create harmonious in the society. Conduct hate and condemn this behavior or act arrogant or offend any person or class. Polite behavior within the person are contains of high degree of morality in his / her life.

Importance of Rukun Negara are create unity among the different races, Chinese, Malay and Indians in Malaysia. In the national principles, it has avoid any racial issues happened between among the three main racial in the country. It was law binding for those go against with it will be arrested.

National Principles also create function as a guidance in the formation of one nation in the country regardless of religion and race. It has become important guidelines for government in Malaysia ruled the country.

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National principles also creates the way of democracy life in the Malaysia nation. In the federal constitution, it was stated practice of democracy must in element for governing in nations of Malaysia. The constitution are almost same like United States. National principles also to serve purpose of create the society, which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared among the nation. It also to ensure the liberal approach of diversity and rich of different cultural traditions within Malaysian nations.

In first elements of national principles, not one were racial, each citizens of Malaysia was respect each other cultural, traditions and religions been practice by different races. In today, we can see the effects created by the national principle in our country, Malaysia. Every races still manage to get mixed well by each other.

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Different races mix well together

Second element in national principles are made the citizens in Malaysia have love and loyalty to their country and Kings. Not only that, they are expected to be love their leaders as well. In Today, although we can see Sultan are functionless in our country, but Malaysians are not going to oppose the Sultan but to love the Sultan more and respect them as there are one of the leaders in Malaysia. We can saw Malaysia are developing far behind than Singapore. But, we still love our country as we can see the specialty of Malaysia are united three races in one nation one country, which this reasons are attracted the foreign tourists come and visit to Malaysia. http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcOnb4vumEJrNuMrUf4f6kECYXXMiYk9tfPM7dEnTZjK7Kl679

Third elements in national principles enable the citizens in Malaysia live in democracy way in their country. There is freedom to practices their own rituals, cultural and also religious for each races. Every citizens have their right and own voice to protest the wrong doing in the society. Very good example are referring to “Bersih Campaign”. It is one of the democracy way for Malaysian citizens to voice out their dissatisfied with the wrong doing in past elections.

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Bersih Campaign

The Law Binding were cultivate the society become more alert when they commit any illegal activity. One of the example, any drug trafficking was arrested and had been judged by court, it will received penalty as dead sentences in final.

The last principle has enabled all the citizens to build up better or superior personality which consist good moral and behavior. The superior of personality are the important elements of the development of the country. It also able to avoid any riots happened within the country among the different race. In opposite, it able to create harmony among the race for helping each other, complement each other which gave a fast lane for a country to become developed country. Crime rate also can be reduce at the same time. Hence, the Ultimate goal of Rukun Negara also can be achieved at the same time.

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Different races of Bersih Activists help to save out the victim which hit by policemen car in Bersih Campaign. They eventually help policemen get out of the car after they save the victim of accident.

In my opinion, national principles have it’s importance and it have affect the Malaysian society to get united even better compared with time at post- independent. In today, we can see everyone can have different races of friend in their life. The freedom of Malaysian citizen to practice their cultural and rituals without anyone restrictions are amazing, it has attracted the different country tourists just to come and visit the Malaysia for experiencing this multiracial cultural in Malaysia. In today, we able to see even we from different races but they really help each other when we have difficulty in some situations. My personal experience, when there are a accidents occurs, i can see the Malays and Indians come and help out each other.

But, we still can see some group of people which have power in political and position which seen Rukun Negara as nothing. Here, i not wish to refer anyone in Malaysia, but we commonly know what is actually happened in our country. Death of Teoh Beng Hock was still became mystery until today, although court had given final judgment as he commit suicide. We still can see many corruptions happened around the country, which the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission cannot do anything on it because the excessive power involve which can overwrite everything and manage run away from judgments including legislative.

In conclusion, Rukun Negara are play very important roles in Malaysia. It gave peace among our country. It also born good personality of the citizens, which love their everything in their home country. Unity among the races are become the specialty of Malaysia toward other countries in all around the world.

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Others discussion questions
Examine Malaysian crime rate and analysis the statistics based on Roberts Merton ‘s Typology of Deviance.

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In Robert Merton theory of Deviance typology, there are consist of five elements in basically. There are conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. Basically, he explain about deviants behavior becomes crime when the crime too disruptive and uncontrollable thru informal sanctions. All forms of deviance are related with crime. (Tepperman, L., & Curtis, J.(2006). Principles of Sociology: Canadian Perspectives, p. 117. Oxford University Press, Canada. ISBN 0-19-542348-8. )

Conformity are refer to achieved of societal goals by social ‘s means which both of them are accepted by society. Innovation is the attaining goals by using unacceptable way by the society. Innovators always think and take of creative ways to achieve their goals, which the creative ways are not accept by society at most of the times. Meanwhile, Ritualism is the means accepted by society but the loss of the goals. Although they has rejected the goals, but they still continue the means. Retreatism is the rejection of both the goals and means. They often find a way to escape from goals and means. Rebellion are same meaning with retreatism but they are with new goals and new means. Merton defined innovation and ritualism are the pure cases, it is because both cases there is a discontinue to implied and pursue between goals and means.

Based on Malaysia statistics related with crime and law, there are fourteen type of crimes. In concern of increase number of crimes are violent crimes, property crimes, commercial and serial commercial code crimes. Violent crimes are included case of murder, rape, fire armed gang robbery, gang robbery without firearms. Property crimes covered stealing of truck/van, car, snatch thefts and burglary. Commercial crimes covered those trick in business deal, criminal breach of trust, the fraudulent misuse of property and others related.

Relation between Malaysia crime rate and Robert Merton theory, He try to stated that deviances. There is an adaptation by the people to dominant the culture in the society. As the grows between the means and goals, the people will experienced the most internal conflict. Good example, a poor people desired middle class people goal, such as a new LCD television in the home. They find difficulty of means to achieve their goals, in result they felt stress. He argued that they use illegitimate way to accomplish a legitimate goal. Very good example, stealing are one of related element of crimes rate and Robert theory. Thief choose to use stealing ways to achieve their goal of acquire money to survive in this society. This term called as innovations, and the thief called as innovators.

Ritualism has some similarity problems with innovators’ experience. But, they choose to refuse for attaining the goal, and continue with their means (ways to achieve the goal). Example, some people know the way of their achieve the goal are not going to work, but they still practice the ways.

Best way to describe retreatism are referring to drug addicts. They did not choose the way to achieve the goal, they also refuse to achieve to goal. They choose to escape from everything.

Rebellion are referring group of people or individual who reject the norms, goals, and values of society, which they choose go for another new norms, goals, and values which do not exist in that particular society.

Sometime, it is a society itself led the crime happened. Examples, everyone was addicted with the New IPhone which cost very expensive in price. But, because of the society’s demand pressure, everyone essential has one by themselves. Some of them might be not afford, they choose perform deviance ways to achieve the cost which enables they to buy the phone, including steal, rob and involved in prostitutions.

Father and mother should play a very important role in teaching their children which are ethical ways to perform a decision. It same go with teachers and lecturers in study institutions. Morality values should focus by the teachers in school for their student. Father and mother should become of role to be teach their children should not fall into the trick of deviance typology.

In conclusion, everyone has the responsibility for judge whether the ethical decision has been made for majority benefit and agreement in the society.

Evaluate the status of women in terms of career and education in Malaysia compare with United States, Kuwait and Nigeria.

In Malaysia, premarital sex is still a big NO-NO in our culture for various reasons. Sex comes with responsibility. Thus it does not matter if it is premarital sex, extra-marital sex, marriage sex or even unconsented sex. If you engage in premarital sex, be prepared to take all consequences including dealing with your God, pregnancy, the potential gossips and condemnations from the world, etc. Sexuality is not an instrument of enjoying lustful pleasure for human beings, at least. In premarital sex, many a times, immature human beings explore the sexuality, jut out of curiosity, and might be are unaware of the consequences. Society has forbid premarital sex from the very outlook that adolescence is the time to form oneself as mature and responsible human being and not at all a time to procreate.

We have to start saying ‘No!’ to premarital sex. We should keep in mind that engaging in premarital sex is not the best way to convey your love towards the one you loved. We should push the thought to the back of our minds and remember that we would definitely feel sorry later if we engaged in premarital sex.

One of the ways to prevent premarital sex is to start from education. Sex education should begin at home and as early as possible in a child’s life. The parents must have a close relationship with the child to make him feel comfortable to talk about his anxiety and concerns. From the healthy discussion between the parents and the child, the topic of premarital sex can be brought up easily. The parents may give the child piece of advice on dealing with the relationship between couples. Keep an open mind and be ready to answer any questions openly and honestly. Learning the truth about sex is much better then learning false info from peers.

The parents have to help their child when their child is in a relationship. The parents should not get panic and freak out when their child is in a relationship. They should help the child in avoiding temptation. For example, the child can go on supervised group dates and invite the partner over when an adult is home where premarital sex is less likely to happen. One-to-one time with the partner alone should be strongly discouraged as this may lead to unwanted accidents to happen. The child should be aware of the serious consequences of premarital sex such as unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS. Currently, there is no known cure for AIDS. Though most parents may know this information, keep it in mind when discussing sexual behaviours with children. Educate your children with this information. It may mean life or death.

Luckily, parents are not the sole providers of sex education. Schools can lend a hand by helping parents teach children about sex. Both of them should work hand in hand in handling this problem. The children and teenagers should be taught to protect themselves from premarital sex. They must understand that nobody can force them to do anything that they feel not comfortable with. They must realise how important it is to respect themselves, not using their bodies to fulfil the sexual desires of their partner. The school and the parents should tell the children to say “No!” firmly. The teenagers must remember, “If you don’t walk away, you will be sorry”.

The teenagers should strictly refrain themselves from reading, listening or viewing to those unsavoury media culture such as pornography and movies with sexual scene. Instead, they should choose something which is pure and healthy. For instance, they can involve in various healthy activities and sports which can build up their self-esteem.

They should draw a line wisely to set limit on the expressions of affections. The girls should never give out false signals by wearing tight and revealing clothes which may cause them to fall into sexual immorality. The boys should always refrain themselves from making any rash decisions and they should always think of the consequences they may face after involving in sexual immorality. You must lead your heart rather than letting it to lead you. The teenagers should always be careful about the uses of alcoholic beverages. They may lose their inhabitations under the influence of the alcohols. If the couples find themselves uncomfortable with the intimate situation, they must do something that breaks the mood. It is difficult to avoid premarital sex from happening, but with a bit more effort it will become easier. Never compromise to your principles and say “No!” firmly to premarital sex.

Conclusion

Is premarital sex good or bad? Well actually, that depends on us to decide it.

We can tell that premarital sex is against God, and it is unsafe physically and emotionally. Although sex is pleasurable, it is designed by God to be enjoyed by two married people. Sex is a holy gift from God wherein we celebrate it after marriage. A person should think long and hard before involving in premarital sex.

Premarital sex seems to be a norm in nowadays. This should not be allowed among the teenagers. They should be aware of the bad sides of premarital sex. In a pleasure of a moment, they are being blinded by the sexual desire. In the moment of lust and passion, their future is destroyed. In the moment of foolishness and self-gratification, they will fall into the dark abyss. Sexual desire is like a fire and won’t stop until it burns itself.

Sex is for married couples and when done out of marriage it cause a lot of harm to the doers. The effects are not immediate but later in life they are devastating. The scars of premarital sex are painful and difficult to get rid of. They will leave an indelible mark in your life and it will always follow you even in your marriage. They will shame you, degrade you and interfere with your life. Imagine meeting your previous sex partners whilst with your husband and children. How would you feel? You will wish to hide but you’ll have no place to do so. So, think about it before it is too late.

Premarital sex should strictly be banned from teenagers’ life. Parents have great responsibilities in educating their children about the essence of marriage and proper sex education should be given to the children. Parents should make an endeavour in teaching their children about sex, letting them know that it can be pleasurable, but there are so many risks involved – sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and HIV, and unwanted pregnancy – all which can be prevented. The teenagers will be in matured mind. As a result, the teenagers will know that marriage is not only about having sex, but having a harmonious family and a heavy responsibility as well.

Teenagers should always keep in mind that, if a boy or girl truly loves you, they will want the best for you. They will not want you to suffer fear of disease, unwanted pregnancy and the psychological difficulties of premarital sex. They will want to experience love with you only in the very best place of all – the love nest of marriage. So, say “No!” to premarital sex before it is too late.