Is religion a good force for the society?

Is religion a good force for the society? Is religion a good force for the society? The role of religion in our society has always been debated. Some people are of the view that, religion helps in bringing about a change in society, while other believe it does the very opposite. However, sociologists have a different view on this. They say that religion adopts a middle path. It brings about change and also acts as a conservative force. The notion that religion can help bring about a change is rejected by many theories, including the theory of functionalism and Marxism. It is the effect of such theories which have given birth to the view that religion is a force of conservatism. However, there is still difference between these two theories as well. Functionalists say that, the norms and values on which our society has been built are reinforced by religion. According to Durkheim, religion performs many functions. One of these functions is to ensure that there is harmony and stability in the society. For instance, functionalists say that, when people of the society pray together, it helps in making the society into a single unit. When people become a single unit, the unity of the group increases the bond between the society members is strengthened. Religion in other words is a kind of glue. In fact, its social glue, one that enables solidarity to prevail in society. For instance, Durkheim studied a society of traditio nal Aboriginal people. In his study, he got to know that totems are the main focus of this particular type of society, through which they show their solidarity towards the values that they have learnt. This is one form of solidarity and integration of people into the society. On the other hand, Marxists have a different take on religion. According to them religion brings about conservatism. They say that this is because, religion seeks to make sure that one class is superior and dominant over the other. Marxists have the view point that, the current inequalities in our social surrounding is due to the fact that religion makes one class dominant over the other. The inequalities are mainly due to two things. First and foremost, it is due to the ownership of the means to produce things and secondly, the people who act as employers are easily able to exploit the working class. Marx famous lines on this believe is, Religion is the opium of the masses. He connect the drug opium to religion saying, just like opium, religion makes sure that people who are suffering can bear the pain and it takes them into a dream where they feel happy, when in fact the reality is quite the opposite. Religion is able to do this by, telling people that in the next life they will be given eternal bliss. This promise of bliss makes it easier for people to bear the current suffering and in this way religion justifies the inequality that prevails in society. Class consciousness is stopped from growing by religion. When there is no class consciousness, it is not possible to bring about a revolution. Thus in this way, religion prevents any kind of change in society. Those who are Feminists also agree with the theory, that religion is conservative force. They say the system of patriarchal is also a part and parcel of this conservatism. For example, the fact that in many religions women are not allowed to be religious leaders and the fact that religions endorse the idea that women should stay and take care of the family and that is what their role should be after marriage, also shows that there is some kind of conservatism prevailing, which wishes that the role of women should be subservient and this stance is endorsed by many religions. The above theories can be supported by many real life examples, which show that religion acts as a force of conservatism. One of the best examples, which support the view that Marxists have adopted is the Caste System in India. This cast system is fully supported by the Hindu religion. One more glaring example is the Medieval Europe Monarchs. Their right to rule was said to be their divine right. Their right to be the rulers was believed by the people of those times to be God-given. They had all the power and there was no one who could challenge them or any decision made by them. The above examples show the conservative force of religion. However, the problem is that these theories entirely reject the fact that religion can bring about change in society. Therefore the statement is not supported in entirety. Even though both Marxism as well Functionalism gives an account of religion which is plausible, but their views are criticized by other sociologists, who argue that religion is not a conservative force at all. In fact, they say, religion is a force, a radical force which helps to bring about a change in society. The one who holds this view that, religion can bring about a revolution is Neo-Marxist Otto Maduro. He points to the catholic priests of the 1960s in Latin America, who used to criticize the bourgeoisie. These priests used to teach the Theology of Liberation. It means to free people from their oppression using religion. In both social actions as well as political actions there was collaboration between the Marxists and the Catholics. This was the main catalyst which gave birth to resistance and then led to social change. Consequently in 1979 the Somoza regime in Nicaragua was overthrown from power. This was due to the resistance and change in which the Catholics revolutionari es played a huge part. Some more instances which show that religion was responsible for bringing about social change are also present. Another example of this can be seen during the time period of 1978 to 1985. During this time, Desmond Tutu who was the Archbishop during that time played a very important role in South Africa, when he opposed apartheid. What resulted from his efforts was that, he was the first black person who became Cape Towns Archbishop and led the Anglican Church. Other examples seen by Nelson (1986) include the opposition to communism by the Catholic Church in Poland, as well as in America, where there was a black civil-rights movement. These examples show how authority was undermined and a change was brought in. Weber, one of the most influential classical sociologists also supports the view, that religion is a force which can bring about change. He strongly believed that religion can bring about change and from this belief he came up with his famous theory which said that, Capitalism developed due to Protestantism. There are many types of Protestantism, but Weber has focused on Calvinism. This is because the skilled workers as well as the entrepreneurs were Calvinists, in all the countries where, Western Capitalism prevailed. Weber talks about, how social change was brought about by Calvinism, in his book titled, The Protestant Work Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism. Ascetic ideal was a very important factor in Calvinism, according to Weber. The ethic of hard work with lots of discipline is the basis of capitalism. In the early times, Calvinists followed the bible, their pleasures and entertainments were very simple and they lived a simple life, which was much disciplined. This led to the prop er and correct ethics of work being developed, besides capital. In other words, the right conditions of the economy and the religious belief in Protestantism was mainly responsible for the building of the system of Capitalism. But this theory that Weber came up with has been criticized as well. It was claimed by Eisenstadt (1967), that the development of the system of capitalism has nothing to do with the idea of Calvin. This is because, in countries like Italy, which were catholic, Protestant Reformation came out after Capitalism. Other people, who criticize Weber, talk about the fact that there are many other economic factors which helped to develop capitalism. Some of these factors include, democracy, the influence that immigrants have on the economy and people as well as freedom of religion. Many other critics have disagreed with Weber and said he was wrong because he did not interpret Protestantism properly, he did not locate capitalism properly and last but not the least and he did not understand Catholicism. However, Weber had his share of supporters as well. Marshall (1982) says that people criticized Weber, because they were never able to understand his work. For instance, Weber simply demonstrate d how Calvinism and Catholicism were related and how religion can bring change. He never said that there was any kind of casual relationship between the two. The good thing about the work that Weber did is that, his work is able to show us clearly how religion has the power to change the society. The problem with his view is that, it completely ignores the simple fact that, it is possible for religion to be conservative in some cases and thus the statement put forward in the question is not fully supported. Most of the sociologists believe in the middle path. They believe that religion has both sides. Religion can be a radical force which can bring about change and a conservative force which can stop the change from coming. It all depends on which religion it is and the circumstances that are prevailing in the country in which the change is coming. Thompson came out in support of this view. He identified the factors which are responsible for the role that religion will play in bringing change. For instance, he says that if there are no avenues which can bring change, like no political will to change then religion can step in to do so. Likewise, when such avenues are available (example economy), then religion will play a limited role and will have a more conservative nature. In the end we can say that, religion is indeed a conservative force as well as a force which brings about change. This position is supported by the evidence which has been put forward in support of both views. It shows that religion has the capacity to take on both roles, the role of acting as a radical force as well as a conservative force. The thing that will determine what role religion takes will depend on two things, the religion and the society in question. Even though both the conservative side and the radical side have their supports and arguments, it is better to have a wider view if this, in contrast to a single view. Health Promotion in Nursing: Smoking Cessation Health Promotion in Nursing: Smoking Cessation Public Health Issue SMOKING The purpose of this essay is to identify a public health issue related to a patient in my previous clinical placement. The patient Mrs M who was 35 year old woman diagnosed with lung cancer as a result of smoking. To facilitate the discussion smoking as a public health issue has been chosen. The stage of change model and The Healthy Lives (2010) policy will be explored in relation to smoking. The rationale for choosing this topic is because smoking is an important public health issue. The smoke is very toxic to every human tissue it touches on its way into, through and out of the smoker’s body (Ewles 2005). The cost of smoking on the National Health Service (NHS), which has been found on the ASH poster. ASH is the campaigning group, which was established in 1971 by Royal College of Physicians [RCP].It is a campaigning group which eliminates the harm caused by tobacco. Ash produced a poster with the cost of tobacco to NHS. ASH poster on the rate of smoking cost the NHS  £2.7 billion yearly; more than  £50 million individually week paid treating infections triggered by smoking. Each week smoking financial records for an estimated  £20 million spending on hospital admissions,  £4 million on outpatients,  £10 million on GP consultations,  £1 million on practice nurse consultations and  £17 million in treatment costs. Assuming 1996 amounts of recent and ex-smokers advocates. So advertising and Promotion bans can prevent the onset of smoking and help people to stop (WHO 2008).The ban reduce consumption which was started by research.Saffer and Chaloupka 2000 stated that anti-smoking companies pressed for further restriction on advertising and promotion. Electronic cigarettes has been banned from showing on TV a restriction that some believe might confuse viewers (ASH 2014). It has been said that E –cigarettes are not cigarettes. Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) recommended that quitting all forms of nicotine is the best for smokers E cigarettes are used by 700.00 to 2.1million (ASH 2014). According to Peto et. al. (2003) cited in Ewles (2005), most premature deaths caused by smoking are Lung and coronary cancer, chronic obstructive heart diseases and coronary heart diseases with 42800, 29100 and 30600 deaths respectively every year. In addition, smoking is known to also bring increased risk of many debilitating conditions like impotence, infertility, gum disease, asthma and psoriasis (Ewles 2005). Furthermore, through second hand smoking the health of other family members can be negatively affected. Percival (2009) indicated that second hand smoking can lead to rise in respiratory infection and infection in the lungs .Research shows that the families whose paternities smoulders are the ones who get infected (NHS 2013).The Blair regime introduced to help or guarding children of risk of damage. Blair management has introduced to aim upgrading in social services to security to inspire youths. The government indicated that â€Å"smoking kills† in a white paper. This campaign was to target reducing smoking among students from 13% to a 9% or less by (2010).They also tried to reduce adults from smoking from 28% to 24%, to reduce the ratio women who were pregnant from smoking. The Prochaska DiClemente (2000) Trans theoretical Model of Change (TTM), will be used to highlight the role of the nurse in implementing a variety of therapies that can be used in order to support Mrs M’s behaviour change. Public health is defined as the science and art of protecting and promoting health and wellbeing, preventing ill health and prolonging life through the organised effects of society (Faculty of Public Health 2010). Health promotion is a complex activity and is difficult to define. Davies and Macdowall (2006) describe health promotion as â€Å"any strategy or intervention that is designed to improve the health of individuals and its population†. However perhaps one of the most recognized definitions is that of the World Health Organizations who describes health promotion as â€Å"a process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve their health (WHO 1986). If we look at this in relation to the nurse’s role in smoking cessation and giving advice to a patient, this can be seen as a positive concept in that with the availability of information together with support, the patient is then able to make an informed decision, thus creating empowerment and an element of self-control DOH (2013, March 25). Bright (1997) supports this notion suggesting that empowerment is created when accurate information and knowledgeable advice is given, thus aiding the development of personal skills and self-esteem. A vital component of health promotion is health education which aims to change behavior by providing people with the knowledge and skills they require to make healthier decisions and enable them to fulfill their potential. Healthy Lives Healthy People (2010) highlight the vital role nurses play in the delivery of health promotion with particular attention on prevention at primary and secondary levels. Nurses have a wealth of skills and knowledge and use this knowledge to empower people to make lifestyle changes and choices. This encourages people to take charge of their own health and to increase feelings of personal autonomy (Karen.et.al 1999). Smoking is one of the biggest threats to public health, therefore nurses are in a prime position to help people to quit by offering encouragement, provide information and refer to smoking cessation services. In 2010 the white paper Healthy Live Healthy People set out the government long term policy for improving public health and in 2011 a new tobacco control plan was published (Department of Health 2011). The Whitepaper Healthy Life Healthy People set out a range of measures aimed at preventing people from starting to smoke and helping them to stop, such as banning cigarettes advertising on billboards, in size and action on tobacco intensified (DH, 2011). There are also smoking campaigners like Stoptober which is a regime campaign which has been encouraging smokers to quit smoking for a month. These campaigns are done on TV’s and radios on a daily basis.Gorvenment is using ways to campaign by advertising through these advertisements, papers and internet as well. Stoptober is a 28day trial which was said to work 5times more to stop individuals from smoking for good. The reason why Stoptober launched a campaign was to encourage people to take part of the smoking challenge. It started to give advice through the leaflets, posters, in order for people to stop smoking for a month. Research shows that 160 000 people managed to stop smoking for a month with Stoptober campaign. WHO defines health promotion a process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve, their health. It implies that the ideology moves beyond a focus on individual behaviour towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions. Naidoo and Wills (2010), states ‘health promotion is based on theories about what influences people’s health and what are effective interventions or strategies to improve health. The Marmot Review (2010) stated that between 2001 to 2007, prevalence of cigarette smoking among women in manual household dropped from 34 to 28 percent. In Woodhouse, C. 2011 ,showed that between 2001 and 2008, there has been a decrease of smoking in the population of England. They further stated that since the 1980s the uptake of smoking among young people in England has decline, study by Ansell, Gu , Tuit and Sinha (2012) suggests that it is important for nurses to have good relationships with their patients in order to provide quality care which is well understood by their patients. In order to help Mrs M on her transitioning journey to smoking cessation there are therapies such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). These efforts have been successful in some cases of enabling patients to stop smoking however there is limited clinical evidence to suggest that this method would be successful in all patients (Rice and Stead 2000). Health professionals are advocates of change in preventing smoking related diseases yet it seems during assessments they skip or hardly mention whether patients want to quit smoking as they blame it on lack of time and patient lack of motivation to quit. (DH 2011). To assist in the assessment process the model of behaviour change will be utilized such as Prochaska Diclemente’s stages of change model (1984). This works on the assumption that individuals go through a number of stages in other to change their behaviour. The first of the stages is pre-contemplation; this is a stage where the individual has no intention of behaviours change. The second stage is contemplation; at this point the individual is considering change. The third stage preparation, this is when the individual is preparing to change. The fourth stage, action, this is where the individual has to make a positive decision to quit, he works towards goals that are realistic and achievable, the need for support is very strong at this stage. The fifth stage, is maintenance, this is the stage of new behaviour for example the individual has quit smoking and moved on to a healthier lifestyle. To select the most appropriate interventions, I need to know the patients present readiness to change. The patient currently resides in stage 1 (pre-contemplation) and this stage will determine the intervention that can be used to empower the patient; therefore it is essential that an effective assessment takes place. In offering a prescription for nicotine replacement to a patient who is in the pre-contemplation stage is unlikely to be successful, because doing so essentially asks the patient to move from pre-contemplation to action without going through the necessary intervening stages AIPPO (2012). My role as a student nurse is to encourage the patient in the pre-contemplation stage to think about her smoking and to consider the possibility that smoking is a problem that needs attention. Being in the pre-contemplation stage suggests that the patient has some unresolved contradiction about change and thus needs help moving to stage 2 where the patient can start to prepare for smoking cessation. Brief interventions can be effective in the pre-contemplation stage and as the patient moves from one stage to the next. Effective interventions include the following: educate the patient about the effects of smoking, recommend changes in behaviour, list options for achieving behavioural change, discuss the patient’s reaction to the nurse’s feedback and recommendations, follow up to monitor to reinforce behavioural change. This process, known as â€Å"motivational interviewing,† uses empathy rather than confrontation. It acknowledges that the patient, not the nurse, is responsible for changing behaviour. In conclusion, it is evident that smoking is a vital aspect of public health and therefore a vital part of nursing practice. In particular, health promotion in daily practice is required to help patient to overcome the habit. Smoking is a major public health issue that continues to donate to social and health inequalities. References : According to the Oxford Medical Companion (1994) cited World Health Organization (2008). WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic Geneva: WHO 2008. Action on Smoking and Health (2006). Smoking Statistics; Illness and death. [Online]. Available from: http://old.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact02.html AIPPO (2012). Stages of Change Model by Prochaska and DiClemente. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/transtheoretical_model.html ASH. Use of electronic cigarettes in Great Britain. 2014. ASH. Secondhand smoke. 2014 Bright, J. (1997) Health promotion in clinical practice: Targeting the health of the nation. London, Bailliere Tindall Cancer Research UK (2009). Lung cancer and smoking statistics. [Online]. Available from: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/lung/smoking/. Christensen, M. Hewitt-Taylor, J. (2006) Empowerment in nursing: Paternalism or maternalism. British Journal of Nursing, Vol 15, issue 13, pp 695-699 Department of Health (2010) Healthy Lives Healthy People. London, The Stationary Office Davies, M. Macdowall, W. (2006) Health Promotion Theory, Understanding Public Health. London, Open University Press Ewles, L. (2005). Key topics in Public Health. Essential briefings on prevention and health promotion. London: Elsevier Ltd. The NHS Information Centre (2008). Statistics on smoking; England, 2008. Karen J.Berger, Marylin Brinkman Williams, (Appleton and Large). Fundamentals of Nursing Collaborating for Optimal Health, Volume 2. 3rd ed. : 1999. Naidoo, J. Wills, J. (2005). Public health and health promotion. Developing practice 2nd ed. London: Elsevier Ltd. National Health Services (NHS) 2013. Suzzane Noble, (2012). . In: (ed), Clinical Text of Dental Hygiene and Therapy. 4th ed. John Wiley and son 2012. pp.e.g. (32-48). Royal College of Physicians. Harm reduction in nicotine addiction: helping people who can’t quit. A Report by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians. London: RCP, 2007. Peto, R., Lopez, A., Boreham, J. et al. (2003). Mortality from smoking in developed countries 1950 -2000. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Prochaska etal (2000). Health attribution therapy. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gary.sturt/health/healthat.htm Prochaska, J.O. and DiClemente, C.C. (1984) The Transtheoretical Approach: Crossing Traditional Boundaries of Therapy. Dow Jones Irwin, Homewoo Rice, Stead (2001). Nursing interventions for smoking [Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000] PubMed NCBI. Re-trieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10796619 Woodhouse, C. (2011, June 24). 700 pubs closed by smoke ban, supermarket beer and tax rises News London Even-ing Standard. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.standard.co.uk/news/700-pubs-closed-by-smoke-ban-supermarket-beer-and-tax-rises-6414902.html World Health Organization (WHO) (1986) Ottawa Charter. (Online) available at: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/ottawa-charter-hp.pdf. Date accessed 11.12.10, 15.20 1