Listen to it on The Spiritual Edge’s website. Religion creates both unity and division. Hi Jim thankyou very much for the blog. I guess it depends on what you call “religion.” Limiting religion to thoughts of God and holy books seems to miss a big chunk of what religion actually does. The following is an excerpt of an article by Nalika Gajaweera published in the Journal of Global Buddhism. Jpeg, PNG or GIF accepted, 1MB maximum. No ads. We never talked about religion; Catholicism was just something that happened to us. am at the initial stages of drafting the call. Since religion deals in “ultimate” matters, it helps people make sense of their lives, as well as their role in their families and in their communities. Thanks to them and their care in keeping church distinct from government, America has avoided the balkanization of places like – well, the Balkans. Specifically, I think religion contributes to strong communities in three fundamental ways. I spent some time thinking about that church and my feelings there. In their aim to unite us around truth and goodness, some movements drive people apart. For this reason, I don’t worry much that “identity politics” will prevent people from working together for the common good. After my father died, when I was five years old, the church was my extended family. There are many religions that a person can choose, whether it's Christianity, Buddhism, or even Judaism. I don’t see that as a guarantee of success. Robert Putnam’s new book provides tantalizing evidence that people with strong commitments to particular religious communities are also good neighbors and good citizens. I visited Yangon for the first time in January 2020, and from the airport tarmac into its downtown, the city had been signposted with billboards of Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s face. Researchers believe that this might be due to the community support that has been made available by organized religion. No partisan hacks. And if you’re going to be joining the festivities, don’t forget to dress brightly! Why We’re Still Reckoning With Japanese American Internment, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation, Revolutionary Spirits: The Enlightened Faith of America’s Founding Fathers. Believers might huddle together, anticipating martyrdom. For me, this kind of non-committed religious life failed to stick. She has to be much more thoughtful because she is the first to bring a new ritual practice from her religion into the political arena. Since religion deals in “ultimate” matters, it helps people make sense of their lives, as well as their role in their families and in their communities. On some level, even as a Muslim, I was Catholic during the ceremony. The question of what is behind the tangling of the church/state screen concerns hosts of historians, theologians, political scientists, and psychologists, and will keep them busy for a long time -- e.g. –Gary Kowalski currently serves as interim minister to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe, New Mexico. For all of these reasons, I believe that religion has the potential to provide an alternative universe to that of political rancor and division. In a certain sense, too much emphasis on another’s religion can be a cause for friction. Having a religion can help bring a vast community of people together. The U.S. military is remarkably diverse religiously, accommodating Christians, atheists, Hindus, Muslims, Wiccans (there really is a chaplain’s handbook for the Wiccan faith). Many religions address problems that can become negative epidemics in a society including drug use, divorce, alcoholism, adultery, murder and greed. I have been Muslim for over 16 years now, but last week I was back home for a family wedding and had to return to the same family church that had hosted all of our baptisms, weddings, and funerals. For centuries, humankind has sought to understand and explain the “meaning of life.” Many philosophers believe this contemplation and the desire to understand our place in the universe are what differentiate humankind from other species. All photos courtesy the contributors. Christianity provides a special case in point. I have now watched my cousin’s baptism and her wedding in the same room, which was also where we said goodbye to our grandparents. Specifically, I think religion contributes to strong communities in three fundamental ways. In the United States, the First Amendment ensures that faith communities are not dependent on political authority, and this has often given them leverage to challenge public injustice. –Mitch Horowitz is the author of Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation and a frequent commentator on the history and impact of alternative spirituality. I wouldn’t have devoted my life to building strong faith communities if I didn’t believe they could keep our fractured lives afloat. Religion has been dividing human society for 2,000 years, say scientists. Those factors, more than the absence or presence of faith, make a community the kind of place that people want to dwell in and stay in. From my perspective, religion is not particularly important in building communities – but mutual respect for religion, or for nonobservance, is. But with the religion, they can. (Optional) Attach an image to your letter. As political scientist Robert Putnam explains in his American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, religious Americans are less tolerant of dissent, but religious communities were crucial to the movements for women’s and civil rights. The Arts Don’t Need New Audiences. As such, it has an enormous impact on how those individuals and religious groups conceive of how they should act in the world. It is why so many local faith communities have chosen women ministers who found their pastoral voices through feminist consciousness-raising. The term "religion" translates as "to bind, to connect". If we look at the fascinating journey of human evolution, we understand that human beings do not … First, religion provides spiritual, social, psychological and often material support for individuals and families. A religion can help build community even when people don’t believe in a word of it. To see religion die because our generation choses to be closed minded would be hypocritical. Ideas journalism with a head and a heart. Religion is beautiful. I grew up in a nominally Catholic family, the kind in which we only went to church for baptisms, weddings, and funerals. I see the practices that build up particular identities as a form of religion. Anxiety, Defiance, and Refuge in Immigrant Los Angeles. Living several hours from my relatives, I don’t get to see them much, but I at least go home for Christmas. Many have found that being part of an organized faith may offer community and emotional stability to a family, helping the members support one another in difficult times and giving the parents guidance about their marriage and parental responsibilities. As I looked around at my relatives, who I’ve seen through the years in those pews, the church became more about us than any doctrines about the supernatural; our visits to this place marked the changes in our lives and our continued journeys together. 6 Ways Religion Does More Bad Than Good ... to be trusted. Instead, we’ve enjoyed relative harmony among Jews and Christians, Muslims and infidels, making ours the most spiritually diverse nation in the world. As much as religious conflict dominates our public conversations, religion has long been a force for unity. For some, without religion, they would not be able to bear the burden of life. It provides moral direction and guidance for people. Introduction[1] By extolling freedom of religion in the schools, President Bill Clinton has raised the level of debate on the importance of religion to American life. If religion did not have this effect, it would not be religion. Overall, having more communities with a religious base or theme is necessary for community growth and spreading awareness and respect of various religions. It’s is found to boost happiness and evolve a person's overall well-being. This radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. 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