Jason Lund Religious Diversity Synthesis Assignment May 5, 2013

Take the Time to Listen

There are so many different religions on Earth and they often share much of the same core messages. Follow the word of God, treat others as you would like to be treated and help the less fortunate. Yet, so much of what people take from religion is very different. If someone is from a different religion than your own they are often looked at with suspicion. If a younger generation is starting to look at religion in a new light, they are condemned for not picking a single religion and sticking to its teachings. For a millennia, there has been a fight against new religions. The Greeks, Romans, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Catholics, Mormons, Buddhists and many others are always very eager to tell anyone that will listen why their way is best. Its rare for one group to sit and learn about another group just for learning sake. If people took the time to listen and learn about others, I think we would find that we all have much more in common than previously thought. In my media reviews, I found myself focusing on the rise of the Nones meaning those that claim they are spiritual but not religious. I was surprised how much people were opposed to a group of individuals claiming to be spiritual, but at the same time declining to attend a brick and mortar church. Because the Nones didnt have a set of spiritual guidelines they strictly follow, they somehow cant atone for sin or have a personal relationship with God. An article called, Im Spiritual not religious is a cop-out by Alan Miller, links the spiritual but not

religious crowd with the me generation. He says they just want to feel good or experience nice things without the work or commitment that church membership requires. I think that if more doubters of the Nones took the time to learn about what was important to them they would find both groups had very similar values. Instead, the Nones are often disregarded because they dont claim a religious affiliation. My favorite article I read was called Thinking Is an Act of Worship by Imam Abdullah Antepli. I felt like this fit into the overall view of what I was learning about the Nones. The Imam writes, Reflection is a vital step in becoming aware of what is going on around us and drawing helpful conclusions from them. Although the article Imam Antepli wrote was intended for Muslims, many other people of varied faith could find something of value in it. So much of what people do today is mindless worship. Yes, they go to church and participate. Yes, they read the Bible or Koran but they put minimal thought into it. If people took more time to add deep thought to their time of worship, they might find much deeper meaning and understanding. The Prophet Muhammad said, True reflection an hour is better or more meritorious than one whole year of voluntary physical worship. In my neighborhood without doing any significant research, I know there is a Muslim family, several Greek Orthodox families, a few Catholics and many Mormons. Often you will hear one group gossip about the other without anyone taking the time to learn anything about the other. This causes distrust between neighbors when there is no reason for it. When I hear one group gossip about the other, it brings back memories of my childhood. On the way home from school there was a house where a witch was rumored to live. Everyone was terrified of the house. There were lots of rumors, but no one knew exactly why we should be scared. All it

would take is a minimal amount of outreach and people willing to learn about their neighbors to overcome these kind of situations. Although someones faith might be different from anothers, I think people could find much common ground given the chance. Today the world is filled with conflict. But most of that is because no one takes the time to listen and understand one another. One of the earliest lessons my father taught me is to never judge someone until you have walked a mile in someone elses shoes. You can never be sure what someone else might think or feel about something until you have tried to put yourself in their position. If more people took the time to learn about others instead of just passing judgment, you might find you have much more in common with that person or group. If these different groups in a community got together to discuss what they have in common rather than argue over their differences, it could bring everyone much closer. Although there are many different cultures that make up America, when distilled down to the finer points, people are very much alike despite their religious affiliations.

Sources: Christianity Without Arrogance by Mark Osler (www.huffingtonpost.com) My Take: Im Spiritual not religious is a cop-out by Alan Miller (www.religion.blogs.cnn.com) Wheres the respect for religion on TV? by Jim Bennett (deseretnews.com) Thinking Is an Act of Worship by Imam Abdullah Antepli (huffingtonpost.com)