Logically, I cannot understand how the followers of any religion can have such unwavering blind faith in religious texts and practices and not question any corruption or contradictions. It seems the majority of true believers trade their critical thinking skills for exchange of feeling of belonging to the group, becoming the metaphorical and literal sheep. One of my favorite quotes was on plaque in my high school junior year history class that read, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is my belief that religious people do not remember corrupt leadership of the past and keep repeating the same mistakes in following the same leadership style over and over, like sheep being lead to slaughter.
I believe organized religion may look good on paper but when humans get involved then manipulation is used to satisfy their religious leaders’ lust for greed and power which contradicts the very beliefs the religion was founded on. Many religious founders seemed to practice what they preached, however, once they die, the leadership that follows seems to travel the road of corruption in order to maintain or gain additional power (Armstrong, 2002). Historically, wars have been fought, assignations committed, persecution of other religions, land conquered, and even beliefs changed over time to fit the needs and wants of the current leader over the common good of that same leader’s own people (Esposito, 2011). These corruptions are not isolated to solely the Old Testament era; even current religious leaders abuse power. I can recall the headlines I have read in Yahoo News over the years about Christian televangelists who have stolen money from church donations or committed adultery, to Catholic priests sexually assa...
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... of that religion that relate to parts of me that I hold dear. If we all had that better understanding and connection to one another, then we would move closer to understanding and peace between all people, no matter their tribal affiliation.
References
Armstrong, Karen (2002) Islam: A Short History New York: Random
House, Inc., ISBN-13:978-0-812966-18-3;
Esposito, John L. (2011). What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, 2d. New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN-13: 978-1-60927-041-4
Robinson, B.A. (2008) Native American Spirituality. Beliefs of Native Americans,
from the Arctic to the southwest. Religious Tolerance.Org. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/nataspir3.htm on February 22, 2012.
White-Kaulaity, M. (2007). Reflections on Native American reading: A seed, a tool, and a weapon. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(7), 560-569.
Ansary, Mir Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. Print.
Pages one to sixty- nine in Indian From The Inside: Native American Philosophy and Cultural Renewal by Dennis McPherson and J. Douglas Rabb, provides the beginning of an in-depth analysis of Native American cultural philosophy. It also states the ways in which western perspective has played a role in our understanding of Native American culture and similarities between Western culture and Native American culture. The section of reading can be divided into three lenses. The first section focus is on the theoretical understanding of self in respect to the space around us. The second section provides a historical background into the relationship between Native Americans and British colonial power. The last section focus is on the affiliation of otherworldliness that exist between
Religion, by far, is one of the most dominant forces the human race has ever seen. It has influenced and continues to influence billions of people all over the world. It has driven some of the most beneficial cooperative humanitarian efforts and some of the most heinous acts of violence anybody can perpetuate on another human being. In his book, When Religion Becomes Evil, Dr. Charles Kimball explores the causes and slippery slopes that lead to these kinds of atrocious behaviors. Many of his points were incredibly well thought out and valid, but one repetitive phrase that Dr. Kimball used caught my attention: “authentic religion.” This one phrase contains so many troublesome presuppositions that it is impossible not to question.
Fakhry, M. 1997. Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism: A Short Introdu ction. Oxford: One World Publications.
As the United States government realized early on, Native American spirituality differs from Christian religious doctrine. For Christians, there is a distinct separation between religious practice and everyday activity. For Native Americans, however, no such clear-cut distinction exists because religion cannot be separated from everyday life. Even using the word "religion" to describe Native American spirituality is misguided, because it fails to take into consideration the inseparable connection between spirituality and culture. One cannot exist without the other. Native American spiritual observances are "guided by cycles, seasons and other natural related occurrences,” and these spiritual aspects are inextricably woven into the culture itself (Dill).
I have decided to discuss the topic of Spirituality in Native Americans. To address this topic, I will first discuss what knowledge I have gained about Native Americans. Then I will discuss how this knowledge will inform my practice with Native Americans. To conclude, I will talk about ethical issues, and dilemmas that a Social Worker might face working with Native American people.
Though plenty of Muslim scholars have spoken out in favor of Sufism, the prevailing opinion among both Islamic legal scholars and Muslims as that Sufism is bid’ah, (an inauthentic innovation) that is not wholly Islamic, and therefore rejected as an acceptable way to practice Islam. Sufism has always been an ‘alternative’ discourse in the Islamic world “existing in tension with stricter, legalistic elements in the tradition, and there continue to be voices in Islam that would deny the legitimacy and the pervasiveness of Sufism in Islamic culture” (Miller 1995). In fact a fatwa (an Islamic legal opinion) was delivered by Shaykh 'Abd al-Halim Mahmud, a former Shaykh al-Azhar, the chief religious authority in Egypt against Sufism in the 1970s. His main objection to Sufism was the attempt of practitioners to take on the qualities of God, which was to compete with God instead of surrendering to him and serving him. Despite some disagreement as to the authenticity of Sufism, it continues to grow and thrive. Especially in the West (the home of many esoteric Organizations like the Free Masons, the Knights Templar and Order of the Golden Dawn) Sufism is growing in popularity alongside other mystical traditions like Kabbalah (the Jewish mystical tradition). Sufis have been “major transmitters of Islam far beyond the religion’s ‘Middle Eastern’ origin, especially in Africa, the Indian sub-continent, and the Maylay-Indonesian world” (Miller 1995).
Education has been a topic of controversy for many years now, and will continue to be for years to come. The modern American society is best defined by its education. A good part of the average person’s life is spent at school, going to school, and paying for school. However, even though education is so obviously very important, there are many groups in America that are getting shorted. The Native Americans are a key group that has struggled the most. The largest obstacle they face is lack of proper education. The standard educational practices being used for the instruction of Native American peoples are not effective. There are many pieces to this road-block, and many solutions. This can be rectified by having more culturally aware teachers and parents, and by teaching the general population more about the Native American cultures. The main solution here is to understand both precious cultures and modern society.
America is full and rich with diverse people, religions and values; they make America great. Just look at Riverside, California, there are over fifty churches of different denominations of Christianity, three synagogues, two temples, and one mosque; all coinciding peacefully in the city (Yellow Pages). Because Riverside is so diverse, religious pluralism and religious tolerance are two steps in making Riverside more connected. The first step is tolerance, a reflex that acknowledges a person will come across people of a different faith. The second step is pluralism, which is a better understanding of a person’s religion as well as the other religions around them. Many believe pluralism is the better of the two, because of the interaction involved and the creation of harmony, but pluralism’s faults are greater than the benefits. Currently religious pluralism is quality America should strive for, but America is not ready for pluralism yet, so religious tolerance is best for the diverse population of America today.
Robinson, B.A. (2002, October 14). Islam: Is it a religion of violence or of peace.
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.
Rippin A. 1990, Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Volume 1: The Formative Period, Routledge, London and New York.
Throughout the course of history, man has looked to religion for answers. Curiosity as to how we got here and why we are have driven people to seek out answers to these somewhat unanswerable questions. Over the past few thousand years, several varying religions have been established, some more prominent than others. Many of them share a similar story of a divine creator who has always been and will always be. In the case of Christianity, whether true or not, it has proven to be beneficial to society as a whole. The Bible set the standard for the moral compass that humans live their lives by to this day. The key fundamental problem with religion, although not the fault of religion, is that man has often used it as a gateway to power and prominence. In the case of the 18th century Gallican church, the French were abusing their religious powers, thus creating vast inequality throughout France, which eventually led to a rebellion against the church, and the eventual destruction of the church within France.
Ibrahim, I. A.. A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam . 2nd ed. Houston: Darussalam, 1997.
Kenneth Jost. 2005. “Understanding Islam.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.