The document discusses the dual nature of organized religion, highlighting its capacity to inspire peace and moral behavior while also associating it with historical violence and hate crimes, particularly in the wake of events like the September 11 attacks. It suggests that while religion can guide ethical behavior, it has also been a catalyst for conflict and discrimination. The text further emphasizes the necessity for a balanced approach to spirituality in modern society as it faces technological and social challenges.

1. Is religion a force for good?
When organized religion seeks to teach people how to live and
how to appreciate the essence of life, realization of goals is
achieved. However, when people are encouraged to commit
contemptible and staggering acts in the name of God, it gives
rise to immoral things. History supports this claim in many
ways but for this writing; the focus is on war and hate crimes.
Wars, triggered by organized religion have made their mark in
history. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the
Pentagon and the crash of the plane in Pennsylvania all had a
religious connection, radical Fundamentalist Muslim terrorists.
Organized religion has created religious warfare. Organized
religion is also responsible for many hate crimes. Following the
attacks on September 11, many persons of Muslim and Arab
descent were victims of hate crimes simply because they shared
the same ethnicity and religion as the perpetrators.
Religion can also be seen as a force which helps us discriminate
between the good and evil .If there were no religion or any
commandments then everybody would do what feels good to
them and the world would be in a chaos. So religion can be seen
as a regulator which regulates the world. Each and every corner
of this world has been touched by one or the other religion.
Every religion teaches more or less the same things to follow,
the path of love, compassion, honesty, truth etc. Love thy
neighbor as thyself, the most famous Christian commandment
teaches us to love another person and treat him well just like we
want for ourselves. Today the world is making advancement in

2. technology and science but this has led to more confusion,
stress, rise in crimes and violence. With all these going on how
do we follow the paths that make our lives serene, peaceful and
better?
Bibliography:
1. Harris, Sam (2004). The end of faith: Religion, Terror, and
the future of Reason. Retrieved 12 July 2014. Sam Harris
delivers a startling analysis of the clash between reason and
religion in the modern world. He offers a vivid, historical tour
of our willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious
beliefs even when these beliefs inspire the worst human
atrocities. While warning against the encroachment of organized
religion into world politics, Harris draws on insights from
neuroscience, philosophy, and Eastern mysticism to deliver a
call for a truly modern foundation for ethics and spirituality that
is both secular and humanistic.
2. Harris, Sam (2006).Letter to a Christian Nation. Letter to a
Christian Nation" is a rallying cry to rationalists everywhere
and should serve as a wakeup call to retrograde Christians
eagerly toiling away to displace science with magical thinking,
overturn a woman's right to choose, relegate gays and lesbians
to second class citizenship, or ensure the apocalypse. Harris
presents concise arguments with lucidity, brevity and impact. If
you haven't read his prior book "The End of Faith" the thesis of
"Letter to a Christian Nation" will be startling and new. If you
have, this worthy distillate of his prior work specifically
focuses on the fundamentalist follies and foibles of America's
cleverly marketed McJesus movement. With deft strokes Harris
pens a number of reasons not to be a Christian - or religious at
all. He exposes the unreasonableness of faith, explaining with
clarity and philosophical rigor why there is no real justification
for believing in God, and how the notion of "faith" does little to
justify any unfounded belief, or merit respect for same.
3. Harris, Sam (2009). "The moral landscape How science could

3. determine human values". ProQuest. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
Harris argues forcefully for the superiority of science over
religion as a means of determining morality and understanding
the subtle gradations between permanent truths and culturally
and historically determined values.
4. Cathy Driscoll (2004) Technical spirituality at work :Jacques
Ellul on workplace spirituality
This paper considers the incorporation of spirituality in the
workplace how it helps the employees to be more productive,
energetic and committed in the workplace and how it transforms
the employees to gain an environment which is unconditional
and not objectified.
5. Brian J Zinnbauer et al (1999) .The emerging meanings of
religiousness and spirituality: Problems and Prospects
This paper focuses on how psychologists perceive spirituality
and religion and also suggest the alternative ways to approach
spirituality and religion.
6. Fahri Karakas (2009) Spirituality and Performance in
Organizations: A Literature Review
This paper provides a summary of about 140 articles which are
based on spirituality in workplace .Not only it focuses on the
advantages of incorporation of spirituality in workplace but also
provides a recommendation how to incorporate spirituality
positively in a stressful work environment .It provides a
different perspective on the benefits of incorporation of
spirituality.
7. Evans, T David; Cullen, Francis T; Dunaway, R Gregory (
1995); Burton, Velmer S, Jr Religion and crime reexamined:
The impact of religion, secular controls, and social ecology on
adult criminality.
This paper best describes the relationship between crime and
religion. It explains how religion affects a person who often
indulges in criminal acts .How a behavioral change can be
observed in criminals if they practice religion.
8.Sandra Millon Underwood, Rhonda L. Powell (2006)Religion
and Spirituality: Influence on Health/Risk Behavior and Cancer

4. Screening Behavior of African Americans
According to the National Cancer Institute, African Americans
are at a high risk of being affected by cancer. The influence of
religion was observed on the health/risk behavior and cancer
screening practices of this group.
9.Yaw M. Mensah (2013).An Analysis of the Effect of Culture
and Religion on Perceived Corruption in a Global Context
Corruption is an emerging problems affecting the world’s
economy. This paper focuses on the two fold aspect of religion.
To examine whether religion has any impact on the prevalent
corruption system and also whether other religious besides the
Protestant Christianity has an anti corruption effect.
10.Jaco Beyers (2010)Religion, civil society and conflict: What
is it that religion does for and to society?
This paper best describes the sociological approach of religion.
This paper is a reflection on how religion influences the society
and promotes civility.
11 Heather Widows(2004) Religion as a moral source :can
religion functiona as a shared source of moral authority and
values in a liberal democracy?
12.Richard Lakeman (2013).Talking science and wishing for
miracles: Understanding cultures of mental health practice.
Science deals with a prescribed knowledge and medicine
Although psychiatry has scientific approach but a sociological
and cultural approach based on faith and religion has helped
clinicians and nurses to improvise the mental health care system
13.Elaine Howard Ecklund,Elizabeth Long (2011) Scientists and
Spirituality
How spirituality or religion is perceived by scientists and how it
affects them, also a comparative analysis was done to find out
spirituality in general population with that of scientists