Influence of Religion on a Culture

Religion plays a big role in the development of a culture. For example, culture basically means common beliefs and practices between a group of people, so the common religious belief is part of culture. Religions such as Islam can play a role in foods that are eaten and when. For example, during a period of time, they fast (refrain from eating and drinking) from dawn until sunset. Other religions can play a role in the clothing that you wear, including Christianity and Judaism. Another effect religion has on culture is the holidays that it brings. For example, Christians celebrate Christmas, Jews celebrate Hannukah, and many others. The main difference between religions is the difference of beliefs and practices that make up a culture. The impact of Christianity on the American culture can be seen on the U.S. dollar "In God We Trust" and in the Pledge of allegiance "one nation under God".

Latin America Crime

     Crime in Latin America has been on the constant increase in recent years, most notably in Colombia and Brazil, but these aren't the only countries experiencing increases. The high crime rates make the economy suffer, as well as decrease the amount of economic opportunities in these places. In fact, it's getting so bad that military personnel have been called in on a remarkably high amount of occasions. In Colombia, somebody is murdered every ten minutes, and in Mexico, gangs of rival drug smugglers have been fighting it out with one another for a long period of time. Most of the criminal activity that takes place happens to be directly related to drug trading and selling, including the most recent attack in Acapulco, Mexico.

     Fifteen decapitated bodies were found dumped near a shopping center in the tourist city. Also, twelve other bodies were found dead as well. All of the victims were men in the 25-30 age range. Something that could almost be assumed before reading the article is that the killings were drug related, and sure enough, authorities believe they were. These 27 deaths put the tally at over 31,200 that have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence since 2006. Conditions are getting so bad that citizens are leaving and tourists are no longer coming in, resulting in an economic downturn.