1. "The Adverse Psychological Outcomes of
Natural Disasters: How Religion May Help
to Disrupt the Connection" by Mohsen Rezaeian, Ph.D.
This article talked about the disastrous effects of natural disasters and how religion can help alleviate some of the negative effects on the societies that are faced with apocalyptic tragedies. Religion can facilitate this by not only providing physical goods and services towards the victims, but also by providing psychological support. The author argued that "..under normal circumstances clergy frequently provide first-line mental health care, even to a greater extent than psychiatrists". The author went on to argue that in the aftermath of tragedies, when people are feeling lost and hopeless, religion provides these people with something to cling to and a sense of normalcy.
2. "Is there a Meaning in Natural Disasters? Constructions of Culture, Religion and Science" by Bernard Adeney-Risakotta
This article discusses the ways that Indonesian Muslims and Christians dealt with the tsunami and earthquake that hit Yogyakarta in 2006. The author argues that "Human responses to natural disasters include a religious element. Transcendent, unfathomable suffering that arrives suddenly, without warning, elicits a sense of awe", and this sense of awe makes humans try to find a meaning in the suffering. People want to answer the questions of why the tragedy happened and who is to blame for the natural disasters that occur on Earth. The author explains that people answer these questions using the vocabulary they know, causing religious answers to differ greatly from non-religious explanations of tragedies.
3. "The Power of Religion" from The Economist
This article talked about the intense effects that the religion of Islam has on Syria. The author states that "the mixing of religion with politics implicitly involves the right to interpret and to impose the will of God", which is a negative affect that religion has on society. Because of this strong connection between religious power and political power in Syria, political unrest led to attacks on Christians and other minority groups. Although this unrest at first glance seems like it would stem primarily from religion, the author concedes that it has been seen as less a product of religious dogma than of contests for power or resources. However, overall, religion is a complication of a situation that should be secular.
This article talked about the disastrous effects of natural disasters and how religion can help alleviate some of the negative effects on the societies that are faced with apocalyptic tragedies. Religion can facilitate this by not only providing physical goods and services towards the victims, but also by providing psychological support. The author argued that "..under normal circumstances clergy frequently provide first-line mental health care, even to a greater extent than psychiatrists". The author went on to argue that in the aftermath of tragedies, when people are feeling lost and hopeless, religion provides these people with something to cling to and a sense of normalcy.
2. "Is there a Meaning in Natural Disasters? Constructions of Culture, Religion and Science" by Bernard Adeney-Risakotta
This article discusses the ways that Indonesian Muslims and Christians dealt with the tsunami and earthquake that hit Yogyakarta in 2006. The author argues that "Human responses to natural disasters include a religious element. Transcendent, unfathomable suffering that arrives suddenly, without warning, elicits a sense of awe", and this sense of awe makes humans try to find a meaning in the suffering. People want to answer the questions of why the tragedy happened and who is to blame for the natural disasters that occur on Earth. The author explains that people answer these questions using the vocabulary they know, causing religious answers to differ greatly from non-religious explanations of tragedies.
3. "The Power of Religion" from The Economist
This article talked about the intense effects that the religion of Islam has on Syria. The author states that "the mixing of religion with politics implicitly involves the right to interpret and to impose the will of God", which is a negative affect that religion has on society. Because of this strong connection between religious power and political power in Syria, political unrest led to attacks on Christians and other minority groups. Although this unrest at first glance seems like it would stem primarily from religion, the author concedes that it has been seen as less a product of religious dogma than of contests for power or resources. However, overall, religion is a complication of a situation that should be secular.
The first source is very similar to what I was using my sources to defend. Religion can help people at times of tragedies or apocalypses. Religion can provide comfort and hope.
ReplyDeleteI think your first source is really interesting because I am writing about atheism and how it aggravates disasters, while your source argues the exact opposite. It is interesting to see the real life examples of how people cope with such trauma.
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