One thing that jumped out to me from the beginning in this text was the first line. “Along with politics and sex, religion is often marked in U.S. American culture as one of the topics to be avoided in social conversation.” This is one of those things you don’t realize until you read it or someone tells you. Why don’t we talk about religion in public places? I for one never remember sitting at the lunch table with my friends in high school and saying, “Wow guys, I am so glad I am a Christian!” Although I can’t think of a perfect answer for this I believe that most people feel that it isn’t something that should be public. I have had friends though, that do talk about God and their religion daily, and that’s ok too. I feel that it’s the individual who decides how to act.
While some may not publically speak about it, our religion impacts our lives every day. One example that comes to me very quickly is, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. One example from my life happened just the other day. One of my friends needed help figuring out a math problem. I sat down with him and helped him finish it in about ten minutes. It’s just something that comes natural with your friends. If they are in need, you should help them just like they should help you. This logic come straight from my religion and I didn’t even know it until I sat down and typed this.
I wonder if I were from a different country and had a different religion I would still act this way. I believe that I would have different view on the world and act very differently, not that that is a bad thing.
Discussion Questions:
Why do you act the way you do? How does religion impact this?
Why isn’t religion talked about in public places as much as other topics?
I like your post! I don't know why religion isn't talked about more often because I often learn so much from others whether they are of the same faith as me or not. Maybe part of reason is that a lot of people in today's society do not feel as if they could defend their own faith. Also, looking at politics and religion, it usually isn't talked about much. However, President Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, seemed to do quite well despite his religious beliefs. It definitely a very interesting topic to ponder.
ReplyDeleteNico,
ReplyDeleteI believe that people don’t talk about religion in public because they are afraid to hurt someone’s feelings. There is always someone that listens to a part of your conversation and it would create some conflicts or make the situation awkward. In general, people worry about what others think about them, but at the same time they are constantly judging each other.
I agree with you when you say it’s easier to help a friend in need than a person you don’t know. I don’t think that it has something to do with religion. It is more about the way that a person is raised. Technically, people from the same religion should follow the same norms and values, but if we observe people in the street for instance we can see that it is not the case.
Nico I think that why people are less inclined to talk about religion casually is because it such a controversial topic. There are so many different religious branches and beliefs and viewpoints that completely agreeing on something is not very common even within people from the same religious group. Religion is also a hot topic for many and many feel very strongly about what is the "right" religious viewpoint and so people avoid the topic as most people do not like confrontation. However, I would not mind more talk of religion in daily discussion if people could do so civilized (which I think most could).
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