Things Fall Apart Essay

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Recommended: Religion influence on society

Religion has the ability to bring people together as well as separate them in conflict. Every religion differs, and when religions come into contact, there will unquestionably be disagreements that lead to this conflict. Followers of a religion are called to accept things without question, and this can lead to intolerance towards other beliefs. If is very easy for religion to create conflict and cause evil, though it is possible to use religion for good. Religion has the ability to do good, as it can influence and learn from other beliefs through interfaith dialogue, eventually creating respect and understanding for other faiths.

In order to create respect and understanding for other beliefs, religions must come in contact through interfaith dialogue. Interfaith dialogue is the interaction between people of various religions and beliefs. In Things Fall Apart, there is potential interfaith dialogue takes place between a Mr. Brown, a white missionary, and the Umuofia clan leader Akunna. When Mr. Brown came to the village, he “spent long hours with Akunna in his obi talking … about religion” (Achebe 124). Both tried converting the other, and were unsuccessful, but they learned more about their different beliefs. This is the aim of interfaith dialogue, because learning about one another’s beliefs can lead to understanding, rather than forcing beliefs leading to conflict. …show more content…

In Chapter 16, Nwoye had been attracted to Protestant Christianity, because it had answered questions that his own African religion couldn’t answer, such as “the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna who was killed” (Achebe 104). Nwoye was interested in Protestant Christianity because of the things he could learn from it. Religion can teach others, answering their questions and opening their minds to new

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