Religion and the Social Process
by Living according to the principles of religious freedom has its challenges for everyone, even when surrounded by a variety of religious options.
Religions work with forces which are both finite and infinite ideas. All religions, either revealed or natural, interact with the finite in a social process, while at the same time perfect this process in time thru what I would term a historical filtering. This filtering is also a dominant element in every emerging religion, whether it is a revealed religion as Catholic or Jewish or a natural religion based on the natural desire of man to commune with God. The Catholic Catechism calls man a “religious being,’ since form the first moment of his coming into being he is called to this communion with God.
When we speak of a historical filtering of the progress or emergence of religion we are referring the absolute necessity of every religion to have its feet on the ground. This doesn’t mean that it cannot be free to have its heart in the skies, in the transcendent reality for which it longs. Social interaction is a necessity to either Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian or Muslim. One of the reasons why all major world religions have inter-faith dialogue with one another is because it needs to know that these others whom journey along the space of the same earth have some one common goal, the ultimate end. Perhaps some will disagree with the idea of an ultimate end, but no one will disagree that there is a relative end of life. It up to each individual to freely choose a path of faith or not. Freedom of religion is the right to choose one’s own religious affiliation and expression according to conscience. More than likely this path will also incur some interaction with others who will help to refine each person’s concept of what religion is.
While man can surely be called to a communion with God even on a natural level, all will accept the fact that man is situated in a historical setting and need to develop in the midst of social forces.
Social Forces
What are these social forces at work in man to create tensions even among religious believers of organized religions: Catholic, Jewish or Buddhism, Zen, Muslim or Protestant. One recent study focused on what happens when those who practice religion choose to exit their affiliation. Their model outlines an approach to understanding the development of apostates:
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