Throughout history most religions have been based around putting their God above all others, and showing love and acceptance, however in today’s society religion appears to be the fuel to a fire of hate. Religion as a whole has become the most controversial and the most violent cause behind some of the most world breaking news, from wars in the Middle East, to death threats to doctors in my home town. This mentality of religion first is demonstrated in the short story A Father by Bharati Mukherjee. In this short story the main character, Mr Bhowmick, creates a miserable life for himself based on what his religion says is acceptable. His family, however, lived life and cherished the freedoms of living in America by creating happiness and accomplishment in their lives. The jealousy of Mr. Bhowmick for a more joyful existence is demonstrated when his religion drives him to an act of violence out of anger and hate.
The problem with putting your faith above all else, is this can make you do irrational things, without thinking about the reprocushions that could occur. In the story Mr. Bhowmick marries a woman, not out of love, but in an arranged situation, all a custom of his religion. “He recited prayers in Sanskrit to Kali, the patron goddess of his family, the goddess of wrath and vengeance” (Mukherjee 364). This line shows that his religion, though not a traditional type seen in our country, is still an everyday ritual that he keeps sacred even though he has moved to America. This religion though does not give him peace, or provide him with a satisfaction in life. His wife, was “an agnostic, a believer in ambition, not grace, and she nagged his prayers were shutting her out of his life. There would be no peace in the...
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...and murdering innocent people, are the same people living their lives in the name of the “Lord”. If this is what religion is about now, it is no wonder why people are seeing the hate that is being spread by something that was created to bring people together, not rip worlds apart.
Works Cited
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Mukherjee, Bharati. “A Father.” Literature and the Writing Process. McMahan,
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Vendel, Christine. “Independence mom allegedly stabs sleeping son, blames God.” Wichita Eagle. Web 13 April 2011.
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Religion is a part of society that is so closely bound to the rest of one’s life it becomes hard to distinguish what part of religion is actually being portrayed through themselves, or what is being portrayed through their culture and the rest of their society. In Holy Terrors, Bruce Lincoln states that religion is used as a justifiable mean of supporting violence and war throughout time (Lincoln 2). This becomes truly visible in times such as the practice of Jihad, the Reformation, and 9/11. The purpose of this essay is to show that as long as religion is bound to a political and cultural aspect of a community, religious war and destruction will always occur throughout the world. A historical methodology will be deployed in order to gain
Moore does not devote much of his attention to religious ideas. Instead, he examines several different instances of the blending of the sacred and the profane in popular American culture. Moore narrates the direct and indirect effects of the public display of religion for both sacreds and seculars. History, lifestyle, work, education, government, music, sporting events, marketplace, literature, and womanhood influence people. He also brings up how religion can influence racial militancy and terrorism that threaten equality, domestic security, and national identity.
Patel introduces the concept of a “faith line” and its importance by describing two cases of young people’s education relating to religion. In the first, a young man was taught religious totalitarianism, a destructive and hateful
Martin Luther, Friendly Admonition to Peace , in Hans Hillerbrand (ed.), The Protestant Reformation (1968), pp. 99 (Henceforth Luther FP)
Sullivan, Andrew. “This Is a Religious War.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Oct. 2001,
―"Religion in “Brave New World“." Religion in Brave New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
Smith, Huston. World’s Religions: A Guide to our Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1994.
The meaning of religion can be different for everyone; some use it to justify events happening, while others use it to turn people against each other. As Kurt Vonnegut describes tragic events during World War II, unrealistic adventures in space and destructive scientific advances, he shares his unique perspective on life and religion. Although many of his works were set during 20th century, Vonnegut satirically addresses issues that are present in today’s society. Despite efforts to prevent wars, people have not found a solution to do it. And while mankind progresses toward scientific way of life, the destruction of life is inevitable. New machines are invented every day to make genocide easier and faster. So, in Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse
Hitchens, Christopher. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. New York: Twelve, 2007. Print.
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
King Martin Luther, “The Power of Non-violence”. www.teachingamericanhistory.org June 4, 1957. Web. December 26, 2010.
Throughout history most religions have been primarily based around putting their God above all others, and showing love and acceptance, however in today’s society religion appears to be the fuel to a fire of hate. Religion as a whole has become the most controversial and the most violent cause behind some of the most world breaking news, from wars in the Middle East, to death threats to doctors in my home town. This violent mentality of religion first is demonstrated in the short story A Father by Bharati Mukherjee. In this short story the main character, Mr Bhowmick, creates a miserable life for himself based on what his religion says is acceptable. His family, however, lived life and cherished the freedoms of living in America by creating happiness and accomplishment in their lives. The jealousy of Mr. Bhowmick for a more joyful existence is demonstrated when his religion drives him to an act of violence out of anger and hate.
In discussions of whether the world would be a more peaceful place without religions, one controversial issue has been placing blame on one’s own religion when wars or conflict ending in violence has occurred. The question is asked,. Does religion play a role in the violence going on around the world? On the one hand, many people may agree with this belief and argue that religion in a way has always played a role in the amount of violence in our society. On the other hand, the public contends that as humans we know what we are doing and our religion has nothing to do with the violence that we create.
Yet this discussion should not end by recalling the broad, if only tacit, role of religion in bringing about violence, but should recall the role of religious faith in promoting love between diverse peoples. Fundamental to the Church’s centuries-old teachings is the importance of humanity’s dignity a sons and daughters of the Creator. Violence, if even in part motivated by religion, contradicts what St. John taught us about God – “God is love” – a divine love that humanity is called to mirror and extend.
Nelson, Jack. Is religion killing us?violence in the Bible and the Quran / Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.. 2003 Print.