Social context and the development of religious identity

INTRODUCTION _____________________________________________________________________ ＂Once formed, an identity furnishes individuals with a historical sense of who they have been, a meaningful sense of who they are now, and a sense of who they might become in the future＂. -James Marcia (1966) Identity plays an important role in human functioning in contemporary civilization both at individual as well as community levels. Identities provide a sense of belonging, coherence and purpose of living a social life. The role of religion as a domain of social identity is significant. It influences individual and group beliefs and organization of everyday life. Religion inherently offers individuals‟ intellectual, ideological, sociological and spiritual foundations that help them to build their identities (Furrow, King, & White, 2004). People belonging to the same religion discover emotional and relational bases for identity formation. Thus, they share similarities in beliefs, life styles, practices with fellow members of the religion helping them develop a close affinity with each other. At the same time, individuals develop religion-specific identity which gives corresponding meanings to ＂self‟ in the religious community, circumstances and roles (Stryker & Burkes, 2000). Religion also provides a world view and a sense of connection with the world. Thus, religious identity becomes an important locus of life, especially in the Indian social context,