Can religious practices help curb anti-human behaviors?
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The world according to historical and biblical facts was created by God the omnipotent just by pronouncing some words and within a couple of days, mankind came into existence. History established the fact that the first man was without any form of problems until he fell out with God and the problems started. But with the beginning of the problems came the knowledge and practice of science which has in one way or another solved some of the problems encountered by mankind.
Some religious fanatics have argued that science has done more harm than good and positivists believe that the only authentic knowledge is scientific knowledge. Regardless of these two opposing and contrasting views, one fact is certain; the use of the religious approach to tackling the problems encountered by man has excelled in some ways, so has the use of the scientific approach.
A True Story
Some time ago, the death of a young pregnant lady was recorded. It was later confirmed that after her baby died in her womb, she started a prayer session to make the baby come back to life. Unfortunately, she died on the third day of intense prayers and didn't live to tell her story.
Another lady had a similar experience and was scheduled for a medical procedure to have the baby removed. She defied her doctor and embarked on an intense prayer and fasting session with the belief that her faith would bring her baby back to life. When she eventually returned to the doctor and was examined, the baby was alive and kicking and the doctor was quoted as saying:"Since I started practicing professionally, this would be the first medical miracle I've ever witnessed."
The above instances prove that the use of the religious approach to tackling problems faced by mankind could be as important to some as the scientific approach is to others. But regardless of how much faith we have in either of the two approaches, the question is: which is smarter to adopt?
Some people who are deep in religious practices have argued that every life's situation; medical societal e.t.c. is controlled by an unforeseen power which no amount of science can explain. These categories of people are die-hard fans of religion and find solace in prayers to solve any problem encountered in their lives. Such people do not hesitate to rubbish science and believe that in the end, God's will always supersede.
On the other hand are those who believe science rules and will continue to dig every scientific approach there is. These group of people have so much faith in science and believe in its power.
Then there are others who want to have it all and may decide to combine both scientific and religious approaches at the same time. These group of people believe that religion is as important to mankind as science is and adopting both practices is the best option.
Regardless of these diverse views, one thing is obvious: religion and science are very important in the lives of mankind. Given this fact, how much of these two approaches should be adopted to tackle the greatest problem faced by mankind; anti-human behaviors.
People indulge in all sorts of despicable behaviors which is anti-human. Some of these behaviors are murder, bestiality, rape, pedophilia, etc. People carry out these acts as if it were their second nature and it is becoming rampant by the day. Finding the right approach to taming these group of offenders has proven to be a daunting problem for both people with religious and scientific orientation. While the religious believe preaching and prayers can go a long way to curb some of these anti-human behaviors, science presents a more refined approach and lay emphases on the use of psychological methods. So the question is, what approach should be adopted to tame these anti-human behaviors: scientific or religious?
Before this question is tackled, let's take a look at how the human mind works. Our thoughts are generated by our minds, and sometimes these thoughts could lead to actions which are evident in what we do. Other times, we may cut short our thoughts and abandon the idea of doing something we had thought about earlier. Although the complexity of how the human mind works has not been fully understood, the mind of a man plays out the following script before committing an act.
- The mind conceives a plan
- It proceeds to think about it
- A method is devised on how to carry out the plan
- The planned action is executed or abandoned
It is important to note that planned actions are sometimes abandoned for one or the following reasons:
- Wrong timing.
- Failed courage
- Complete change of mind
Given this simple structure of how the human mind works before committing an act, one thing is obvious, in order to tame a behavior, you need to change the mindset. Although some people may never undergo this change in mindset and continue to have fixated beliefs, it is possible to develop a new mindset and have a complete change in mindset.
Can the use of religious approach change the mindset?
With the coming of religion, certain practices have been abolished and over time people have adopted modern lifestyles. Some people have sought solace in religion and are quick to point out how religion made them become new and better persons. Although religion preaches against indulging in anti-human behaviors and reiterates that there is a deadly consequence in the afterlife, some people continue to kill in the name of religion. Such people portray a different picture just for public consumption, but have a fixated mindset and continue to perpetrate their devious acts.
Thus, the use of the religious approach in taming anti-human behaviors could prove to be quite a challenge given that perpetrators may likely pretend to have a change in behavior just for outward appearances. But regardless of this situation, people rooted in religious practices sometimes result in prayers hoping for a miracle to change the behavior. Whether this approach has been effective leaves much to be desired.
Can the use of scientific approach change the mindset?
Science observes, identifies, describes, experiments, investigates and draws conclusions. Over time, researchers have adopted a scientific approach to determine how possible it is to change the mindset and it has been proven that the use of scientific approach can change the mindset. If you take a look at what science represents, you would realize that science is fact-finding and gives you the ability to understand how the brain works. This knowledge helps us understand further how certain mindset is conceived and what methods to adopt so it can be changed.
The psychology of science which deals with the scientific study of behavior seek to identify some behavioral patterns and proffer solutions on how some of this behavior could be changed. Using psychology to initiate a new behavior is hard, but the resultant effect could be permanent. Thus, it is safe to say that the use of the scientific approach to curbing anti-human behavior may promise to be quite effective given that a change in behavior in such circumstances will likely come from within and not intended to pass a message across or impress anyone but ourselves.
Science indulges in fact-finding
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Conclusion
Adopting a religious approach to curb anti-human behavior may not likely be effective if the use of scientific approach is relegated to the background. An in-depth research of how and why people act in certain situations would be of immense help in understanding certain behavioral patterns. Most people flood prayer houses seeking for religious solutions to their behavior or that of a family member. Some people believe that certain behaviors are demonic and require intense prayer sessions for change to occur. But what most people fail to understand is that behaviors are cognitive and sometimes in order to manage our behavioral patterns, cognitive-behavioral therapy should be adopted. This can to a certain extent change the way we think and behave.