Question: According to you, does religion impose conformity, compliance or
obedience? Write an evidence-based, critical-thinking essay justifying your
arguments.
Three Forms of Social Influence
Religion has been an important part of human life for a long time for shaping
cultures, communities, and how people behave. It provides guidance, moral
values, and a sense of belongingness. However, a key question is: does religion
make people conform, comply and obey? To answer this, we need to understand
these terms conformity, compliance, obedience and see how they influence
people in religious settings and activities.
Conformity means changing your beliefs or actions to match those of a group.
Compliance is when someone agrees to do what another person asks and often
the person agrees because of social pressure. Most people obedience is
following direct orders from someone in authority or higher position. In
religious situations, these ideas can mix together which affects how people
relate to their faith and community.
Religious groups often have rules and norms that members are required to
follow. For example, many religions encourage worship, prayer, and certain
moral behaviors like in Hindu Brahmins (priest) can't consume meat or bath
before worship. Religion’ rules and norms can lead to conformity, where
individuals feel they must align their beliefs and actions with those of the group
for acceptance and belongingness. A well-known study by Solomon Asch
showed that people often go along with the majority, even if they know it’s
wrong, to avoid being different or even ostracized. Similarly, in religious
settings, people might hide their doubts or personal beliefs (self-fidelity) to fit in
with their community. Therefore, showing how strong social norms can be in a
person's life. For example: Hindu country like Nepal and India beef is banned, in
contrast United States and Brazil.
Compliance in religion can be seen when people follow practices or beliefs
because of outside pressures. Compliance can be referred to as a social
influence where an individual does what others want them to do. For instance,
someone might go to church regularly or take part in rituals not necessarily
because they believe in them, but to meet the expectations of family or friends.
