Religion in the Hands of Human Beings

The class discussion on Friday brought up a very interesting fact that is often overlooked about all Religions, not just Islam. Every religion faces stern obstacles in the course of time, in the form of opposition and developments. Therefore, faithful followers might manipulate the basic foundations of the religion and interpret words in a different context, which fits better with the demands of the current situation. In an excerpt of ‘Globalized Islam’, Oliver Roy talks about the ill-effects of changes in Islam and states, “These preachers, as well as social workers, know that the disappearance of traditional values lays the groundwork for re-Islamization, not the continuance of traditional structures.” Throughout history, when human beings have been unable to explain modern changes with existing interpretations of their Religion, they have viewed Religion as malleable into a social or cultural context in order to better explain recent developments. Human beings see a change in Religious context by reinterpreting same structures differently in different time periods and this is similar to a Sculptor creating different works of art by transforming the same lump of clay into different objects.

Imagine a lump of clay in the hands of a Sculptor. Essentially, the Sculptor can use the same lump of clay to construct a wide variety of objects, but uses the clay to create the object that best fits his needs or wants. The purpose of stating this is that the adaptability of religion is comparable to the malleability of the lump of clay. The clay serves as the foundation for the Sculptors’ creation and the same clay can be transformed into separate items. The traditional structures of religions have been the foundation for changes in interpretation. Over the course of time, the basics of religion have been transformed numerous times to explain modern changes, which take away from its traditional context. I believe Religion is comparable to the clay and the Sculptor represents all the devout followers of the Religion. Also, the final shape that the Sculptor creates using the clay is similar to the new interpretations attached to tradtional religious structures by human beings. In the hands of people, the same basic traditional structures of Religion can be transformed and interpreted in several manners, according to the demands of the time, much like the clay can be transformed from its original state to create a number of things in the Sculptor’s hands.

Source: Roy, Oliver. ‘Globalized Islam’