I also had many close friends in high school who were devout Christians. One friend came up to me one day and invited me to her Church. I politely declined as I was busy that day. In the hopes of getting me to change my mind she said "But, we can save you!" That very phrase made me feel very confused and offended. What did she mean by this? What kind of imply was this to my religion? I felt very disrespected and as if she thought practicing Buddhism was a sin. As Buddhists, we believe in reincarnation. Based on the way you live your life, good or bad, your next lifetime would depend on these elements. I didn't understand why she said that when I had shown nothing but respect towards her religion, but I left it at that.
Chapter 46 is really interesting to me. When I read it I realized that I have almost none of those privileges in accordance with my own religion, maybe 1 or 2. I recreated a few items on the list in accordance to my own religious oppression to compare how different I am from that of a Christian.
1. There are no radio stations or TV programs devoted to Buddhism practices.
2. My holy days are not taken into account and businesses could careless.
3. School and work? You bet I'm expected to come in.
4. I could be financially successful and not have it blamed on my religion.
5. People of my religion are not a main part of history.
6. Most people are not familiar with which days I celebrate my religion.
7. I could not going around praising my religion and have people accepting it.
8. I couldn't travel and be sure there was going to be a place or worship.
When I read this over, it was kind of weird to feel a sense of religious oppression. But ultimately, it is what it is. I have never had a person harass me for my beliefs, but any kind of oppression leaves me feeling very restless. The portions on Antisemitism was stressful for me to read. I put myself the shoes of those who were treated so badly for what they believe in and I felt just very sad. It's like racism, but on a even more personal level.
The Somali workers situation is similar to what we see today. As immigrant come in from other countries, Americans claim "They are taking our jobs!" These "jobs" that are being taken were never wanted in the first, as they were low pay and in bad conditions. When you add time off for prayer and religion, it gets that much more complicated. I see where the companies are coming from when they refuse to give the workers extra time off for prayer and practices, but I and anyone else, could also see how important certain practices can be. From both perspectives both groups make sense. I think the hardest part of this situation is finding the middle ground and making compromises, but one that also looks out for the fairness of other workers.
Religion seems to be a complex web. One where its hard to understand where each person is coming from and accommodating each individual's religion is even more complicated.
You have experienced a lot of oppression because of your social identity. I was just thinking back on other blogs that you have written about how you were oppressed in other situations and I find it very interesting. I used to think that people could only be racially (usually if you were Black) and sexually oppressed but after taking this class and reading the chapter on religious oppression in the Adams test, my mind has changed. I admire you for your acceptance of others regardless of whether their beliefs and/or race doesn't match up to yours. I believe in America we are too focused on everyone trying to look and be the same and that's were inequality comes in because no one person will ever be the same as another, maybe similar, but not exactly the same. We are all different and we, as Americans, need to embrace all these differences.
ReplyDeleteThanh, thanks so much for sharing your own personal experiences as it relates to your religion and the beliefs of those around you. I love what you said about it being personal and something no one can ever take from you. Like you said, finding that middle ground seems so difficult. The God I believe in is one of unconditional grace-filled love...where and why does that so often get lost?
ReplyDeleteLike Julie, I want to thank you for sharing the experiences you have had regarding religious oppression. Having the opportunity to get personal through our writings is really what makes the aspect of class blogging beautiful, and it gives everyone a much greater insight to the diversity of the human experience.
ReplyDeleteYou said, "I didn't care what religion or God she believed in, as it wasn't my place for input", and Thanh, I think that statement is really powerful. I think that that's an understanding that not many people have, and if they did perhaps many of our global conflicts wouldn't be focused on religious differences. Religion is so much more than an institution and rule-following--it's personal, dynamic, and not easily understood. Unfortunately, though, people are trained to only look at it through one perspective, believing there is only one way towards truth. However, this has been going on for centuries. Will it ever cease?