Religion In Society

973 Words4 Pages
In Modern society, religious traditions are constantly challenged by social, moral and contemporary challenges. These challenges can affect the church both positively and negatively. Challenges can be positive by helping the religious tradition to reform, improving their position in modern society. Other positive effects on a religious tradition can come from a challenge; it can bring on an explanation and create better understanding of core beliefs and aspects of the religion. Challenges that religious traditions face usually result in a negative way, bringing about a bad reputation for the religious tradition causing it to lose power, its following and the faith of the people. If a challenge is not appropriately responded to it can ruin religious traditions, giving them a tarnished name and bringing them down. The immediate effect of a challenge is normally negative, but when given time to respond, most religious traditions are able to come back to their former name. This was experienced in the Reformation led by Martin Luther, this challenge on Christianity was negative in the way that the church lost a lot of power and following in Europe, but it was also positive because it brought around change and reform in the Church that allowed it to expand and eventually become what it is today. The Catholic Church has recently been the subject of a contemporary challenge of the sexual abuse of minors in the Church. This terrible issue has re-emerged recently and is a big challenge to the Catholic Tradition, mainly in Europe and Australia. The Melbourne Archbishop, Hart, quoted Pope Benedict XVI on the issue, saying “A terrifying crisis that comes from inside the church, not from outside”. This quote poses a problem for the Catholic Church as it immediately reflects on where the problem has come from, not shining a bright light on the Church, but in fact putting it down.
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