Hello Marilyn :)
Brilliant subject. This is going to take my mind of things for a while, I too enjoy a good intellectual debate!
I'm not sure that it is entirely of conformity. Religion is such a massive subject, involving so many different components of why religions are followed personally, socially etc.! I think there are several levels to consider here. Conformity in the literal social aspect (inbuilt into culture), and conformity on the personal side (those who don't conform, those who do, and why - is it simply culture? Is it simply being raised into it?). Unconscious conformity (family, schooling, media etc), conscious conformity ('you will go to hell', choosing to have faith of own personal choice, fear, holy war etc) .... too much for me to possibly comment on or get my head around. But definitely interesting to think about the complexity of it.
In the UK religion played a major influencial part in the past socially, politically, economically etc. It played it's part in causing pain, but also creating social cohesion, which this country has now lost. In other countries the major influence of religion is still the case, and I would be interested to hear people's views from different countries and religions on this subject.
I guess there is definitely a major component of conformity in those places, but I haven't studied them in great detail. I did theology when I was 16, and Sociology when I was 18 but I feel the education system in the UK is biased and too focussed on the little bubble of England. Religion taps heavily into culture, and I believe has its good and bad points depending on the religion and culture. It's a difficult subject to raise, and no doubt many will have different views!
For me, personally, I feel that in the UK conformity isn't an issue unless there is family pressure. If anything, the media is showing it's negative side recently (pervy priests) and perhaps the conformity issue now is NOT to be religious? The Scientific boom led to a major decrease in faith, because the thinking pattern became one of 'prove it'. And as education is mostly based around scientific thought, that element is now in my generation. I don't have any friends who are massively religious in the context that they are regular churchgoers. But most of them believe in God, and believe that they don't need to go to Church to have a faith. I do, however, feel that religion doesn't guide them in life. They just believe in God, they don't necessarily run their lives by it. They seem confused.
I am one of those confused people over it. I was raised a Catholic. I had Catholic schooling. I think because of my upbringing, there will always be an element of my religion in me -if nothing but in the words that I use. However, I am a jaded person in regards to faith. I see holy wars, and the awfulness in the world that I know of, or have experienced. And that makes me question faith. In that respect, I am not conforming, because as an adult I am lucky enough to be in a society that doesn't force religion, educates people, and allows free opinions and lifestyles. One advantage of a multicultural society. Although, I do have to say that conformity was an issue in school - they put the fear of God into us. I was made to watch an abortion of a blue baby being thrown into a bin and told that abortion is wrong and a sin etc. I found that so distressing.
I remember being in primary school, and being told that everyone had to go to confession. I remember thinking 'but I haven't done anything wrong!' and being really confused. So I had to make up what I had done wrong to confess. I used to question my teachers asking 'well who is God's mummy? EvERYONE'S got a mummy?!" and I could never get my head around that. But nontheless I had faith at that age, and I guess I was conforming to what was expected of me. I continued to do so until my teens. I abandoned it because I decided that if there was a God, I was going to hell. So what was the point in believing in it? Kind of sad when I look back at that now, and I wish that I did have a strong faith. I don't know where I lie personally with it.
Conformity or not, I think it has an important place. Catholicism gives society moral guidelines, faith (in the literal word, which I think is an important thing to have), comfort, a sense of community and identity, and it makes death easier to handle. But also has so much to answer for all the badness in the world. Socially, how people abuse it to incite, and also how inividuals use it with children sometimes.
