(From Terry's closing comments)
Concept 1: "Action is a representation of belief"
Concept 2: "An us vs. them mentality is perpetuated through religious perspectives"
Question: What religious actions (or practices) perpetuate the "us vs. them" perspective?
(300-500 words)
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I have never, in the past, thought of it as “us vs. them.” But it does sort of seem that way. I don't want to group all church organizations together and say that they're all like that, because just like there is always the bad, there's also always good; but in my experience, it can really feel like you are separate from everyone else when you go to a new church for the first time.
ReplyDeleteThe way you dress, for instance, can have this big impact on how people react to you. You have to look the part of a Sunday Church Christian. For one thing, I can't help but think that Jesus loves me no matter what I'm wearing. Second, there's a large number of people who can't exactly afford clothes just for wearing on Sunday (especially if you can't wear the same thing every Sunday). But so much of what goes on on Sunday mornings is ritualistic, that you stand out if you're not cooperating. It's like, you pray, then you go to your Sunday morning “class,” then you come back and you “worship” (which means that you sing songs that you don't even necessarily like, but you will do this every Sunday whether you like them or not), and then you sit and listen to a standard-length sermon (which will not, of course, include any discussion or questions), and then you will all pray and go home. It's a never-changing ritual. Not to mention it's a strange feeling listening to a sermon and not really understanding what a pastor is talking about, because you've never read the Bible; but it's not an environment where you can raise your hand in the middle and ask questions. And how could I have forgotten the tithing step? You have to give an offering sometime between praying and singing before the sermon, because people are going to look at you disapprovingly if you try to slyly pass it on to the next person without giving.
Speaking of tithing, my younger brother and sister went to vacation bible school this year at the church they go to. Apparently, they group up into teams and whichever team raised the most money that night for the offering “won.” My sister put all of her money (which was only $12, because she's nine) into the offering, and came home upset because her team still didn't win. And this wouldn't upset me if my sister thought that she was giving her money up for a good cause, but that wasn't the case at all; my sister gave up all of her money because she wanted her group to “win,” whatever that means. It's this sort of thing that really makes me feel apart from the church, that almost makes me seethe, because these aren't the things I want instilled in my sister. I don't want her to think it's some sort of competition, something that you can “win” at if you give enough. And I think that this is just one of the many faces of the church that the public sees; just another institution that wants their share of your money. This might just be my bias, because it still upsets me a little bit when I think about it, but I really do think that this sort of thing can isolate children (or even adults) who come from a lower-income background. In other words, I tend to think of “church” as something for the middle classes and up – not a very unifying thought.
In general, I feel like the rigid structure of churches can drive newcomers away, just by being intimidating. I mean, to me at least, the church place can be a pretty intimidating environment, or at least not one that I feel comfortable in. It just reinforces the idea that it's us against them, because it's so hard to become a part of that sort of exclusive group.
Simply, I am not too sure that it is a religious aspect of life, simply that of human nature. I believe that it is the animalistic nature of us all that the "us vs them" aspect is derived, based off of the survival mentality that we all still possess.
ReplyDeleteBut I do believe that some Christian beliefs/practices do instigate or catalyze the “us vs. them” mentality. First off the set of rules that is taught within the church, or the Ten Commandments, start off the series of segregation. Whenever guidelines are set or broader than that whenever anything is said or any opinion is stated, there will a breaking point. There will never be an instant in which every single person on this planet will solely agree on the same matter. Everyone has different opinions or lifestyles that make that so. Based off of that belief, the fact that Christianity exists creates this feeling of “us vs. them.”
If you do not want to look at it that way, then there is a part in the bible that states that God is a jealous God and he won’t allow anyone who believes in a different God within the realm of heaven. This is definitely a red flag when addressing the issue of “us vs. them.” This pretty much cements the iron curtain to the ground with regards to any sort of religious tolerance for obvious reasons. If the Christian God won’t allow any sort of tolerance with another God, then there isn’t really any other way that the “us vs. them” mentality couldn’t exist.
On a personal note, I again agree with Ashley. I do believe that within the Christian realm the “us vs. them” aspect only comes into effect when you visit a different sect or church. As I had said before, my mom grew up southern Baptist and my dad grew up catholic. So whenever we do go to church, we go to my dad’s catholic church, it seems that they are a completely different religion. Obviously everything is still the same, with regards to the lessons, but the responses and the sayings and the kneeling. It was something that I was completely unaware of, and was taken back from it. I remember having the mindset that they seemed like they were in a cult or something like that. It made me incredibly uncomfortable because I didn’t know any of the verses or responses that were being said. But the more that I went, the easier it became and the more comfortable I felt.
Overall, the existence of humans pretty much creates the “us vs. them” mentality. Only with the aspect of religious belief amplifies that, no matter what religion that may be.
There are numerous examples of religious actions and practices that lead one to develop a belief system of “us vs. them”. The first thought that comes to mind is that most religions have their own accepted beliefs and dogmas that each person affiliated must follow without question. This belief which is held by many religions can lead to a whole host of issues. One dilemma created by this is the idea of elitism within religious groups. They believe that they are right and that everyone else is wrong which ultimately leads to the mentality of good vs. evil. This way of perceiving others can lead to many forms of extremism. One could ultimately use selective religious texts and actions to generate hatred and dehumanize the ones they call “them”. On the other hand conflict can arise when one religious group tries to impose their beliefs onto another. Much resentment and violence often occurs in these situations because both groups consider what they believe as absolute truth. Many tribulations around the world are the result of societies trying to impede their beliefs onto others. Another factor that leads to an “us vs. them” mentality is religious nationalism. Religious nationalists tend to tie their religious traditions to their nation or their land. If one threats their nation or their land they threaten their existence. The events of 911 are examples of religious nationalism. Militias, such as Al-Qaeda, felt that the west was impeding on their beliefs and their land so they developed violent resistance. They claimed to kill in the name of Islam which made their actions justifiable because they were killing “them”. Historical grievances also perpetuate the “us vs. them” mindset which can be the cause of past and current hostiles between groups. An example of this is the crucifixion of Jesus which has created an on-going hostility of Christians towards Jews. Another problem is when religions take actions that show religious intolerance such as, attempted burnings of the Quran and debates about the building of mosques. These actions only create more divisions and hostiles between religious groups. When Christians in Murfessboro, TN fight against an Islamic center because they don’t want “them” to be there they are only perpetuating the situation on both sides. Lastly, actions such as communion, religious holidays, and religious affiliated schools only create further divisions between religious organizations and ultimately lead to more feelings of “us vs. them”.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never really considered the presence of an “us and them (or us vs. them)” mentality in religion. I had noticed that religion is worldwide, powerful, constructive, and destructive. There is power behind the utterance of “god” (maybe not divine, but power). What follows is a myriad of consequences both positive and negative. Religious belief has inspired men and women throughout history to live sacrificially, to alleviate suffering, and to provide hope to many who had none. The flip side being the not so pretty consequences of religion: jihad, prejudice, genocide, imperialism, racism, and the list goes on. Not all of which are direct correlations to religion, for example compassion or genocide haven’t always been directly related to religion, but it is hard to miss the presence of religion all throughout the best and worst of history.
ReplyDeleteReligion has always seemed good at heart, but has also caused much division. Unfortunately this paradox is often tied directly to the nature of specific religious beliefs and practices that perpetuate a certain “us and them (or us vs. them)” mentality. Doctrines, pastors, rituals, imams, songs, priests, texts, prayers, temples, mosques, and churches all over provide their faithful adherents with the power that accompanies the utterance of “god.” These articles or instruments of faith have a two-fold nature, out of which come ideas like salvation, condemnation, eternal justice, eternal wrath, orthodoxy, heresy, and more.
Religious practices, the true extensions (or consequences) of such religious beliefs, often make no excuses for being exclusive in nature. Christian mission work aimed at saving souls is driven by the idea that the lost need salvation. Throughout all of Christianity, while sometimes subtle (and sometimes not) there is a built in element of “us vs. them.” From the exclusive nature of communion to the blatant message of “turn or burn,” division can often seems foundational to Christian belief and practice.
Religious beliefs and practices perpetuate the “us vs. them” mentality in a variety of ways. In my mind, the most relevant example of this is the self-proclaimed authoritative attitude adopted by the people practicing each of the world’s largest religions. I think that stems from human nature; people who are strongly invested in their religious life want to feel that without a doubt they are doing the right thing. How do they guarantee that? By calling everyone else wrong, of course! I am not saying that all Christians or Muslims or Jews believe that their god is the God… many of us are highly intellectual people who cannot adhere to a notion of one supreme truth… but unfortunately what you hear coming from the pulpit on Sunday morning is a message of righteousness so absolute it leaves no room for other explanations. There is no room for a thought of humanity under one love and spirit. In order for someone to be good, someone has to be bad, right? The easy target for religious people is other religious people. “If you don’t believe in my book and worship the same way that I do, you must be doing it wrong.” I could see someone of any faith saying that if they were so inclined.
ReplyDeleteMany churches are steeped in tradition and practices that become habits to followers. These habits are the actions that pit different religions against each other. If someone challenges their way of worship with something new and different, (or old and different) people resist the change. Christians do not feel a need to pray five times a day and Muslims do not feel a need to be baptized in Jesus’ name… they both already have their paths to salvation. And since these paths are somewhat different, people think they have to say one is right and the other is wrong. The way someone interprets their religious narrative has a lot to do with it. When some read John 14:6-9… “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”… they may find the authoritative message they are looking for- something to prove they are right. Others may interpret it differently.
I guess what I am trying to say is that organized religion is a creation of human beings and therefore must succumb to human nature. And by perpetuating a narrative of good and evil in the world people naturally separate against each other. And religion feeds off the notion of evil... because it needs evil in the world to have a relevant message.