East or West, religion and religious beliefs are at the core of every society. While religious beliefs and practices vary from society to society, no known society in the history of mankind have existed without practicing or believing in some form of religion or other. The tenets of religion – focused on the supernatural-- have long been considered to provide the much necessary psychological prop to humans in times of crisis such as death, disease and other struggles of life. Sociologists have considered the socio-political functions of religion and believe it to be a major source of social harmony, playing an important role in social control by defining rightful and wrongful behaviors.

While the process of secularization is considered to have weakened the influence of religion across different societies, the recent developments and events in international politics, foreign policies of many governments including the United States, the recent election campaigns in the United States and other countries, the rising spirituality in corporate and individual lives confirm that religion still plays a crucial role in public as well as private spheres including governments, businesses and families. The paper attempts to analyze the role of religion in these spheres -- governments, businesses and families – in today’s world. However, before attempting to analyze the socio-political role and functions of religion, it would be imperative to understand religion and its elements from a sociological perspective.

Concept of Religion – A Sociological Perspective
Religion –religious beliefs and organizations – have been a subject of close study by social scientists, even before sociology emerged as a discipline of studying the social behavior of man and his establishment of social organizations. Religion was long considered as the system of beliefs involving the worship of supernatural forces or beings that influence man’s perception of the universe. However sociologists developed a comprehensive definition of religion.

Sociologists define religion as a cultural system of commonly shared beliefs and rituals that offers a sense of definitive meaning and purpose by creating an idea of reality that is sacred, all-encompassing, and supernatural. [Giddens, Duneier & Appalbaum, 2003] In this regard, it is important to note that the sociological perspective is less concerned with the specific religious beliefs and practices, but are particularly concerned with the social organization of religion, viewing it as a major cause of social solidarity and endeavors to explain religion in terms of social forces rather than defining it in terms of purely personal, spiritual, or psychological factors.
The sociological approach to religion has been greatly influenced by Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. While all the three essentially held religion as an illusion, Marx considered religion as an ideology that rationalizes the inequalities of wealth and power found in society. Durkheim saw religion as a major cohesive force serving such functions as social unity, as religious institutions ensure that people meet regularly to affirm common beliefs and values. Weber considered religion as serving a major role in promoting social change and illustrates how religion has been instrumental in the development of Western capitalism. [Giddens, Duneier & Appalbaum, 2003]

The Role of Religion in Present Society
The sociological perspective of religion suggests that religion plays an important role in society. Religion has helped societies in maintaining social harmony and well as aided authorities in social control by directing citizens towards rightful behavior. As suggested, historically the process of secularization and the development of science have weakened the influence of religion. However, these processes have not resulted in the decline of religion, but only in the declining scope of religious authority; [Giddens, Duneier & Appalbaum, 2003] the overriding influence of religion in both the public and private lives is still perceptible. Martin Marty, a theology researcher at the University of Chicago asserts that religion, faith, and spirituality are all playing a very public role in America.
Government, business and families are the three major spheres, where religion and religious beliefs play a crucial role. Let us analyze these spheres of the modern society to understand the role of religion in the present society.
Role of Religion in Government

The relationship of religion and government has long been a factor in the United States. The role of religion in public life including the government is explicated in the Constitution itself – freedom and religion is inseparably linked to ensure the welfare and the endurance of our country. The founders of the U.S. constitution realized that even a strong constitution would not be enough to uphold freedom, as human nature, if left unchecked, would eventually subvert the Constitution. Thus the three independent interlocking sets of eternal principles --liberty, virtue, and religion -- were viewed as the first principles of the Constitution. Liberty needs virtue and virtue needs religion.

American government considers that the separation of religion, that is the religious organizations and government as desirable and necessary. While religious institutions such as the church are separated from the government, religion continues to manifest in many matters related to Government. The U.S. currency declares, “In God We Trust,” the Declaration of Independence notes, “all men . . . are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.” and the pledge of Allegiance states, “One nation under God.” Legislative bodies -- from Congress to the General Assembly to local town councils -- open sessions with prayer. [McDonough, 2003]

While these may be considered as mere “vestiges” of a past when religion and government were more entangled, God is an eternal presence in all-governmental matters. [McDonough, 2003] The various polls conducted in the different states in the United States reveal that politics and governments are today mixed with a “healthy doze of religion.” Voters consider the religious beliefs and faith of the political candidates to be an important factor in electing their representatives and believe that religious attitudes should have a greater influence on government policies. [Tully, 2004] Richard Allen Greene reports that in a survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 72% agreed with the statement “The president should have strong religious beliefs.” [Greene, 2004]
Since the 2001 attack on America by Muslim fundamentalists, religion has been an increasingly important factor in almost all governmental matters, particularly foreign policies. However there are views that religion “had intruded improperly” into the political field, including abortion, stem cell research, education, and the Iraq war. [Greene, 2004] Eric Hanson surmises the increasing role of religion and religious activity in public sphere when he says that “while secularism was the safe political bet for the modern West following the Thirty Years War (1618 to 1648), today's incredibly complicated global society can only escape its obscene economic stratification and the ever-threatening Armageddon by public religious activity based upon the “individual sanctity of the true self”. [Hanson, 2004]

Role of Religion in Business
Business is another major public sphere where religion continues to influence. John Bittleston in his article titled “Religion and Business” remarks that the fundamental guidelines that allow a society to exist in reasonable harmony, can and should influence corporate behavior and decisions. [Bittleston, 2003] He states that any human activity, and that includes business, carried out under the guidelines of a major religion will work better than if it was not, as the essence of business is trust.
Daniel Lapin, president of the Cascadia Business Institute and the author of the Ten Commandments of Business Success, establishes the interrelationship between money and religion marked by godliness. He claims that capitalism is utterly dependent on the Judeo-Christian tradition. No capital market has ever grown indigenously outside of Christendom.” Lapin’s business success programs heavily draws on the insights of religious tradition to improve business performance. [Gahr, 1997]

In capitalist societies the connection between religious faith and money is, in fact, well established; U.S. is a striking example. The slogan emblazoned on U.S. coins, "'In God We Trust,' is considered to highlights the unbreakable bond between faith and money. David Neff, executive editor of Christianity Today, notes that the United States has long benefited from religiously motivated businesses. The religious inclination of business owners –both small business owners as well as large corporation – has been revealed by a national survey conducted by The National Federation of Independent Business –Among 800 small business owners of companies in such diverse fields as construction, agriculture, retail, and insurance, 43 percent identified themselves as evangelical or born-again Christian and their church attendance averaged two times per month.. Among leaders of the nation's top 100 businesses, 65 percent attend church or synagogue regularly - compared to 40 percent of the general population. [Gahr, 1997] The religious sentiments of the business leaders, no doubt, impact their workplace culture and decisions.
Edwin M. Epstein analyzes that during the past decade, many individuals have sought to find meaning in their work as it relates to their religion and spirituality. He enlists seven indicators supporting this view, including the rise of prayers or religious study groups in work settings, the alignment of corporate values with religious values, and the expanding courses and literature on topics such as Management and Spirituality. [Epstein, 2002]

A recent phenomenon – diversity in the workplace – is placing increased focus on religion - specifically, on how companies and employees are developing policies and practices that respect and accommodate employees' religious beliefs and practices. Business benefits associated with supporting employees' religious practices include:

Role of Religion in Families
The domain of family can be said to be the joint, where the public and private role of religion interjects. Religion and family have been two institutions that have operated through relationships of dependency and control, all through the history of the United States. Religion still continues to influence and guide people through times of crisis, helping them to face the challenges of living and even in facing death.
Family values and principles are greatly influenced by the religious beliefs of the family. Though the increasing rate of divorces, single parent families, child abuse, domestic violence etc, points to the diminishing role and influence of religion, it remains a fact that spirituality and religion are increasingly resorted to in times of crises. In the article Religion has big role in political year, in The Herald Dispatch Bob Withers state that family values and moral issues – like the same-sex marriage, abortion -- remains to be central issues to be resolved America approaches the Presidential elections. [Withers, 2004] It is generally thought that the religious beliefs of the President and his government would influence the values that strengthen the institution of family.

Conclusion
God and religion has always been the refuge to man in times of crises. While religion offers the direction for rightful behavior in both public and private spheres, it also protect from vulnerabilities. As the media reports and other studies reveal, religion continues to be a major force and influence in the present society, including the United States, as it influences governmental, business and family values and decisions.