Role of Religions

The notion that "religion exists only to control people" – a view often promoted by certain atheists or critics of organized faith – does not hold up well when examined historically or psychologically.

A clear counterexample is the role of Buddhism in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand and Cambodia.

The historical expansion of the Tai (Thai) peoples from southern China into mainland Southeast Asia between the 11th and 14th centuries succeeded in large part because they strategically adopted and promoted Theravāda Buddhism. Rather than imposing a foreign religion to dominate others, the Tai rulers and elites embraced Buddhism as a sophisticated, legitimate, and unifying ideology that appealed to the existing Mon-Khmer populations (especially the Khmer and Mon) who were already Buddhist. Kings such as Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai (late 13th century) presented themselves as righteous dhammarājas ("kings of righteousness") and generous patrons of the Sangha. This earned them loyalty, softened resistance, and allowed the Tai kingdoms to absorb and eventually overshadow older Khmer and Mon states. In other words, Buddhism was not a tool of oppression; it was a cultural and moral framework that intelligent leaders recognized as attractive and stabilizing. Most scholars agree that the widespread acceptance of Theravāda Buddhism was a key factor in the successful expansion and consolidation of Thai states.

In modern Cambodia, Buddhism has played an even more profound healing role. After the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979) deliberately attempted to eradicate religion – killing or defrocking tens of thousands of monks, destroying temples, and banning practice – the country was left with deep collective trauma: approximately 1.7–2 million dead, families torn apart, widespread starvation, and a society built on forced confessions, paranoia, and violence.

When the Vietnamese-backed government took power in 1979 and gradually allowed religious practice again in the 1980s and 1990s, Buddhism became one of the primary vehicles for psychological and social recovery:

- Monks and revived pagodas served as safe spaces where survivors could grieve, perform funerals that had been denied under Pol Pot, and rebuild a sense of moral order.

- Rituals, merit-making ceremonies, and teachings on karma, impermanence, and compassion helped people process unimaginable loss and reduce feelings of guilt or cosmic injustice.

- The Sangha provided education, orphan care, and community leadership in a country whose institutions had been obliterated.

- Even today, many Cambodians describe Buddhist practice (meditation, precepts, almsgiving) as essential for calming the mind and preventing the return of hatred or violence.

Far from being an instrument of control, Buddhism in post-genocide Cambodia has functioned as a grassroots source of resilience, reconciliation, and meaning-making. Numerous psychological and anthropological studies (e.g., work by scholars like Judy Ledgerwood, John Marston, and the Documentation Center of Cambodia) document how Buddhist frameworks have helped survivors and younger generations cope with transgenerational trauma.

In short, religion – in this case Theravāda Buddhism – has repeatedly proven itself capable of liberating and healing people rather than merely oppressing them. The historical and contemporary record in Southeast Asia strongly challenges the reductive claim that its primary purpose is social control.