Belief systems are essential to civilizations for many reasons.

To begin, just try to imagine a civilization where nobody knew what was right and what was wrong, and nobody even knew what their moral obligations and values were. Everything would be unorganized and there would be many crimes. This is the outcome of a civilization with no belief system. Every major civilization that has ruled the world and been prominent has had a belief system. This is because belief systems keep people in order, because if everybody believes in the same religion or god, then there will be less evil and people will live in your civilization in peace. People need to know what their moral values are, or they will do what they please, not caring about what the outcome could be of their actions. Moral values, and belief systems, are crucial to a growing and thriving civilization, because not only is it giving your citizens a strong moral value to follow by, but it also gives people the right sense of good and bad. In order to further understand the importance of a belief system on society, and their influence on their followers, acknowledge the moral dilemma below: Roger Smith, a skillful swimmer, is out for a leisurely stroll. During the course of his walk he passes by a deserted pier from which a teenage boy who apparently cannot swim has fallen into the water. The boy is screaming desperately for help. Smith recognizes that there is absolutely no danger to himself if he jumps in to save the boy; he could easily succeed if he tried. Nevertheless, he chooses to ignore the boy's cries. "Why should I inconvenience myself for this kid," Smith says to himself, and passes on. If Roger Smith were Hindu, then the effects of karma, and his religion would cause him to immediately save the teenage boy from drowning in the water. Karma is a Hindu belief that governs what happens to peoples souls after death. If you lived a good and honorable life, you would come back after your death into an even better life. If you lived a bad life, such as not following your dharma, then you would come back after death, living a much worse lifestyle. Dharma is another Hindu belief that stands for, law,

obligation, and duty (Frey p. 148). Following your dharma means following your duty in life. This is another reason why Roger Smith would have had the moral obligation to save the drowning boy if he was a Hindu, because it would have been his correct Dharma to save him. In this situation, saving the boy would have kept Rogers karma positive. Even though it would have been less trouble for Roger Smith to just keep walking and not bother himself with saving the boy, it is more important that what he did would give him a good life when he comes back after death. This is how the Hindu religion can provide the moral guidance people need to make the right decisions. If Roger Smith practiced the Buddhism religion, he would have saved the boy drowning in the water due to the fact that his religion follows the EightFold Path. The EightFold Path is what Buddhists believe to be the way to reach enlightenment, and to end suffering. Buddha believed that one of the steps on the EightFold Path is to promote good actions and prevent evil actions. This is the reason why Roger would have taken his time to save the boy, because by saving him that is promoting good actions, to anyone who would have seen him saving the boy. There was another belief that Buddhists believed in called the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths was the way that Buddhists believed to be the way to enlightenment. The Buddha saw that, even when one finds pleasure, it does not last forever, and on suffers when it is lost. (Frey p. 159). This is another reason why Roger Smith would have saved the boy from drowning in the water, because saving the boy would mean that he would end his suffering, which is part of the Four Noble Truths. This is one of the many reasons how the Buddhist religion can help people find the difference between good and evil in the world, and know their moral values. If Roger Smith practiced Confucianism, then he would have had the moral obligation to save the boy from drowning, just as if he practiced Buddhism or Hinduism, but for different reasons. One of the teachings of Confucius states

that, All people must respect and obey those above them. In particular, they must respect their elders (Frey p. 208). Confucius also stated that in return, elders must set a good example for those that respect them. This is why Roger is obligated to save the boy. He must set a good example by saving the boy, so that he is a good moral example to others about good moral values. This is how the Confucian religion can give people the moral guidance to make the right decisions. As you can see, having a religion with moral values are essential to a thriving civilization. Moral values do not only show in how you act and speak, but if your civilization enforces it enough in the citizens, the religion will become a part of you. Without a religion for people to follow by, people would have no guidance about the actions they take. Whatever religion you are, everybody that has a one to follow will have the similarity of moral values, and that is what is most important. This is why it is crucial to have moral values, so that the people of your civilization have a strong guidance in whatever they do, and they can make the right decisions.