Religion has been debated throughout history, with groups always fighting for freedom and other persecuting them. Through history, many people have tried to escape persecution, including those that came to Rhode Island in fear of persecution, and even today, when Muslims are being persecuted for their beliefs. They were fought for the right to build a mosque by the twin towers after they fell, and they still feel persecuted. Even though George Washington tried to promote religious freedom all those years ago, they are still being persecuted (Koenig). The Muslims are being persecuted as they try to live in America, and it is not changing. “These days, just 27 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Muslims, down from 35 percent in 2010” (Bayoumi, P. 1). This is changing in some places. In New York, the mayor banned discriminatory profiling and stopped some horrors, however, it has not changed for the people. “Institutionalized Islamophobia”, or the organized fear of Muslims still exists and until we change that, we will not change society (Bayoumi).
However, we can change that. Our beliefs influence our behavior and thinking without us even knowing it. Having others invalidate our beliefs can drive us insane, without the safety in our beliefs, we fear. This has caused the Doctrine of Exclusivity, or the belief that only one idea is right. We must change that to have conflict resolution. “Being loved seems to be the so-called bottom line of most religions” (Pemberton P. 5) and we must use that to come together and accept that a variety of beliefs may be true. If we believe that multiple can be true, we can take a hard look at our own beliefs and through that, we will not be afraid of invalidating our own beliefs (Pemberton).
One way we can change that is through critical literacy. If students take away their own prejudices and then learn about new ways to think about those texts, they will be able to think about the same thing from multiple perspectives. This can lead to social action that change society for future generations (Clarke). But this can only be done if children engage in the reading and actively question and answer each other. If children are able to decide for themselves the topics they wanted to broach, they actively get to critical literacy conclusions, while having a heightened commitment to the discussion (Simpson)
Historically, religion was tabooed in children’s literature. As it has started to come back to society, it is not about giving students answers. Many of these books have to do with a crisis of faith, or social norms that religions enforce, that children are questioning. They also do not always give answers to personal quests, only make them easier for the children going through them (Trousdale). This illustrates the other way books portray religion, through multiple perspectives on religion. There is a shift in the idea of the singular notion of religion, to the idea of religious pluralism, where many religions can be right in a diverse society. There are still those in literature that believe their god is the best, but today, those people are the discriminators, who prevent those who want to question their beliefs from doing so (Sanders).
These books alone cannot change society, however, and there are some who have implemented strategies to promote diversity. One college had an undergraduate world religions program that sought to promote this diversity. These students gained a lot from this class, which taught students about the similarities between religions rather than the differences. The students went from “an exclusivist, then transformed into an inclusivist, and finally ended [their] journey as a pluralist” (Locklin, P. 170). Rather than believing that all religions are important and have a belief to be correct, these students found they could believe in multiple aspect of different religions, and see new perspectives on these religions (Locklin). Another program that did not work as successfully, but is easier to implement was created by a school in California who created a course on world religions. It was created by multiple religious groups, and taught understanding of religion. It sought to bring peace to the society through understand and a reduced fear (Lester).
One way that seemed to implement these ideals without a classroom. Schools that are more diverse, with many different religions and cultures mixed in the school seem to create this atmosphere without much additional effort. In one school 90% are of minority background, and the school is known for its recognition and accommodation of cultural and religious diversity. The students have very diverse experiences, including one who claims “in my group I’m the only white person but that doesn’t bother me at all” (Keddie P.87). These students are able to “actively take up, reject and try out particular religious identities” (Keddie P. 91). This allows them to be comfortable with other religions, and actively tolerate and even switch religions based on their beliefs, rather than societies (Keddie). This will allow them to go into society without many prejudices and create a society free of discrimination.
Note: All references are listed under the references tab.
However, we can change that. Our beliefs influence our behavior and thinking without us even knowing it. Having others invalidate our beliefs can drive us insane, without the safety in our beliefs, we fear. This has caused the Doctrine of Exclusivity, or the belief that only one idea is right. We must change that to have conflict resolution. “Being loved seems to be the so-called bottom line of most religions” (Pemberton P. 5) and we must use that to come together and accept that a variety of beliefs may be true. If we believe that multiple can be true, we can take a hard look at our own beliefs and through that, we will not be afraid of invalidating our own beliefs (Pemberton).
One way we can change that is through critical literacy. If students take away their own prejudices and then learn about new ways to think about those texts, they will be able to think about the same thing from multiple perspectives. This can lead to social action that change society for future generations (Clarke). But this can only be done if children engage in the reading and actively question and answer each other. If children are able to decide for themselves the topics they wanted to broach, they actively get to critical literacy conclusions, while having a heightened commitment to the discussion (Simpson)
Historically, religion was tabooed in children’s literature. As it has started to come back to society, it is not about giving students answers. Many of these books have to do with a crisis of faith, or social norms that religions enforce, that children are questioning. They also do not always give answers to personal quests, only make them easier for the children going through them (Trousdale). This illustrates the other way books portray religion, through multiple perspectives on religion. There is a shift in the idea of the singular notion of religion, to the idea of religious pluralism, where many religions can be right in a diverse society. There are still those in literature that believe their god is the best, but today, those people are the discriminators, who prevent those who want to question their beliefs from doing so (Sanders).
These books alone cannot change society, however, and there are some who have implemented strategies to promote diversity. One college had an undergraduate world religions program that sought to promote this diversity. These students gained a lot from this class, which taught students about the similarities between religions rather than the differences. The students went from “an exclusivist, then transformed into an inclusivist, and finally ended [their] journey as a pluralist” (Locklin, P. 170). Rather than believing that all religions are important and have a belief to be correct, these students found they could believe in multiple aspect of different religions, and see new perspectives on these religions (Locklin). Another program that did not work as successfully, but is easier to implement was created by a school in California who created a course on world religions. It was created by multiple religious groups, and taught understanding of religion. It sought to bring peace to the society through understand and a reduced fear (Lester).
One way that seemed to implement these ideals without a classroom. Schools that are more diverse, with many different religions and cultures mixed in the school seem to create this atmosphere without much additional effort. In one school 90% are of minority background, and the school is known for its recognition and accommodation of cultural and religious diversity. The students have very diverse experiences, including one who claims “in my group I’m the only white person but that doesn’t bother me at all” (Keddie P.87). These students are able to “actively take up, reject and try out particular religious identities” (Keddie P. 91). This allows them to be comfortable with other religions, and actively tolerate and even switch religions based on their beliefs, rather than societies (Keddie). This will allow them to go into society without many prejudices and create a society free of discrimination.
Note: All references are listed under the references tab.
The video to the right does not have to do directly with religious tolerance, however, it illustrates the point I am making. Intolerance suffocates and does not help anyone. We need to be more tolerant. |
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