Religious Intolerance in America, Research Paper Example

Amidst expectations placed upon the ways by which the American community treats the value of individualism, religious intolerance is an aspect of consideration that most become highly concerned with at present. America is noted for the democratic form of governance that it entails to lead as the country presents itself as ambassador of freedom. With this in mind, it is expected that the nation would be following a policy of tolerance especially in institutions that are dawned to create a more expansive effect on community-building and development. However, even though the country has tried so much to follow such trend of dealing with humans as individuals recognized by the kind of groups that they respond to, the nation is not set apart from issues of intolerance that the people of the country is noted for. Discrimination has always been a factor that builds up the American community. Some factors of discrimination that the nation battles with at present include racial division, cultural connection and the recognition of religious affiliations to which individuals belong to.

There are currently five factions of religious groups that are recognized to be residing in the American territories. These religious groups gain particular attention and affirmation from the members of the society depending on the concerns they basically give attention to. The concentration on how individuals respond to the basic principles pursued by the religions mentioned basically make a definite impact on how these people live their lives especially in consideration with the primary cultures that define their being apart from the others. Relatively, religion is one of the many factors that contribute to the diversity of the American society. How does the American community respond to this?

The range of recognizing the value of religion in the society has taken several different points of development through time in the country. It could be analyzed that the more diversified the communities expanding towards the different territories of America become, the more expansive the realization on religious intolerance becomes. This form of intolerance takes different pictures as such involving group-defined denials and individual response to religiously defined relationships especially crating chaotic mandates on personal connections that humans intend to engage with. To be able to present the problem in detail, a distinction of observation is to be given specific attention to based on the different religious affiliations that are present within basic American communities.

These religious factions include Islamic divisions, Christian affiliations, Judaism, Native American religious groups and other smaller groups which are noted as non-theists. The Islamic religion has long been receiving a directive form of discrimination from wherever they reside in. However, in the United States, considering that they have a distinct population specifically residing within concentrated regions in America, individuals belonging to the different factions of the Islamic religion are relatively treated differently especially after the 9/11 incident bombings of the twin towers and the pentagon. Among the reactions received by the members of this religion basically mandated a distinct attention placed upon how they deal with daily routines and specific chores that involve connection with social institutions. They are being looked at differently as if being secretly accused of having an internal agenda on everything they do. With the principles of their religion being opened for social scrutiny, assumptions over the real value of the Islamic religion and how they direct social culture of their members in consideration with how they relate to other individuals in the community who belong to a different form of religious affiliation. For this reason, members of the Islamic religion are often faced with the need to present a defense to protect the value of their belief and the way people respond to their thoughts and perceptions about modern living. Often resulting to arguments, these encounters are dubbed to be among the most stressful conversations that members of the religion are usually involved in.

The second largest group of affiliations in the country belongs to the Christian sector. Presenting themselves as followers of Christ, they are often the target of Islamic outbursts. Living within traditional means of accepting God’s guidance as part of their daily living, Christians are dubbed as the most religious yet also assumed as hypocrites in the community; saying and preaching good things, but doing otherwise. It depends on what faction of Christianity a person belongs to. The character and behavior of an individual is often defined to have a distinct impact on how he is living his life as a Christian. There are distinct expectations from such individuals; nevertheless, the recognition of such expectations is what usually puts them in the middle of a heated up conversation. Trying to present their ideas to others who do not share their own beliefs, Christians also receive distinct repercussions from the members of the community who do not have the same faith as they do.

At some point, some members of the same faction have different views on particular ethical issues concerning particular considerations on life and behavioral development among individuals. This includes family setups, divorce, same sex marriage and the condoning of polygamy. Relatively, with different base beliefs on these matters, even Christians themselves present a divided form of realizing the real foundation of their religion. True to its sense, the Christian churches have become among the most pressured religious affiliations in the US being dubbed to among the most corrupt religious division in the community.

Judaism-connected discrimination could be dated long before the emergence of massive immigration into the country. Being noted as the traditional group of individuals following the olden-time guidelines of religious affiliations even much farther than the time of establishment that Christianity has passed through, the Jewish groups have long been receiving harsh response from the community. It has been observed through history that the campaign of anti-Semitism further increases the chances of Jews being set aside and viewed differently by the American community. As for a fact, some 80% of the overall religious fights recorded in several states across America are accounted to be naturally anti-Jewish. The traditional and more specific forms of religions principles that the Jews follow often sets them apart from other affiliations fully. They are often assumed to judge others belonging to a different religious group to be less acceptable compared to themselves. Noted as hypocrites, the Jewish community is often subjected to speculative assumptions that make it easier for them to undergo social stratification and secularization.

Native Americans on the other hand have experienced religious intolerance longer than any other group in the American society. With individuals from this group being drawn out from their ancestral lands, they, being the primary residents of the American nation, have been set aside and considered less than their real worth as members of the society. In history, as the European settlers enter the American scene, the Native Americans were dubbed to be the hindrance to development up to the point when a campaign against them have been defined stating the following lines: “Kill the Indian and save the man”; relatively, this calls for the distinct dissolution of the Native American culture and religion while the European thoughts and religions are being introduced into the society. The Native American nature of belief has not been completely removed from history and neither is it completely annihilated from the current society. The truth is, there is still a relative percentage of the American society dedicated to the Native American culture and beliefs. Nevertheless, the tribes following the trend of living that the Native Americans follow are being regulated by the government; at some point, they are the usual ones to lose access to sacred service locations to which they have already presented their case to the UN agencies dedicated to protecting religious freedom as part of the basic backbone of human rights.

Non-theists on the other hand have specifically affected the American society as the loss of trust on churches has developed during the early 20^th century. Considered to be reformists, they offer a new set of faith and belief that challenges the overall vision of a supreme being. Although they have long been existing in the community, it is only during this time that they are already being recognized and their works are already being criticized accordingly. Relatively, violence against them spur from religious misunderstandings that basically invoke a sense of control on how they intend to view life and their connection with a god that they do not believe to exist.

Through historical notes, it could be realized that the religious conflicts often come from the most basic forms of not agreeing on a particular social thought to not being able to accept a person based on his religion [especially in consideration with marriage and family setups]. There is a distinct sense of control [especially among older members of the churches and other religious affiliations] when it comes to keeping themselves apart from the others who do not share their beliefs. When individuals from two different religions come together in marriage, it is most often than not that conflicts are sure to arise not only between the two individuals involved in the contract of marriage but also amongst their family-members. Constructively, some other divided families have survived specific challenges, but with much struggles along the way.

It is seen through time that the real source of conflict among these religious affiliations spur from the distinct realization of power and superiority as part of the social definition that the American society depends upon. Each religious group implies that they are much better than the others; while some may say they respect others’ thoughts and perceptions in life, the turning point is actually determined by the ways on how each individual envisions himself in par with the respect that he has in relation to what others are thinking and believing accordingly. The ways by which they see themselves at a much superior level than the others creates sure conflict among members especially when it comes to measuring moral and ethical values that serve as the foundation of the current norms in the society that the American community believes to be essential in making a prosperous nation.

The division that religious intolerance has created in the American society did more than just set the people apart from each other; it did create a deadly pattern of living that subjects each individual to a vulnerable stance of being judged according to the religious belief that he is affiliated with. In a way, without any actions coming from him, he is already labeled by the community, hence, is treated according to such form of social identification. Practically, this has caused more problems of division in the American community compared to the problems created by political, social or racial diversity in the nation.

Works Cited

Smithsonian Online Magazine. America’s True History of Religious Tolerance. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-true-history-of-religious-tolerance-61312684/?c=y%3Fno-ist. (Retrieved on December 8, 2015).

Examples of religious intolerance, in the U.S., Canada, and the rest of the world. http://www.religioustolerance.org/relintol.htm. (Retrieved on December 8, 2015).