Since I came to New Mexico, I recently started thinking about what was the foundation of this world. I have thought about a lot of other stuff and how it affects me, but never have I, literally, spent hours thinking about everything we have talked during English class. There’s so much to learn about the history of the earth, discover the undiscovered, explore the unexplored, uncover the truth of the of the questionable aspects of life; but do people open their eyes and see how amazing it will be to be the first to find something about the world that no one else seemed to care about? Obviously, we are lacking those curiosity minds that can make the human mind more intellectual.
I, however, always thought about why things happened, but because of my lazy self, I don’t get up or stop what I’m doing to research about it. I’m glad that this English class talks about the things I want to learn about. Having these questions, these assignments as homework, actually gives me time to read about and research the topics.
Now, what is the foundation of the earth? Never in my right mind did I suspect it to be religion. The start of it all in the western civilization was Judeo-Christianity. Jewish and Christianity is the mix of this religion, obviously, but it is, also, the start of the separation of beliefs. People started to realize and questioning themselves if that is what they believe too. It was the start of denominations, like Pentecostal, Jehovah-witnesses, Baptists, etc. People chose what they believed, so given these denominations, so were people divided. Whether people are African American, Caucasian, Mexicans or Natives, they are all divided into each religion.
People, however, are discriminate towards people. Because people chose a different religion, a religion that they do not practice, they think their religion is wrong. They start hating and pushing them aside, even if their God tells them to love their neighbors. They become selfish and forget about the real reason of being a part of their religion. People have become blinded from their own judgment and by the way they think other people should live their life.
Like for example, the KKK. Since the Civil War ended and the South lost, the black slaves were set free. The South were angered because, the black people, to them were like dogs or like pots and pans or tools; they were used to fix things and when they weren’t needed anymore they were sold or thrown away. Now that the white people have to see black people having the same rights as they do, they became vexed and that provoked them to start a clan; a religion that was propagated from governmental decisions, the Klu Klux Klan. Supposedly, this new religion is a Christian religion. The KKK’s main reason for creating this clan was to terrorize free black people for no reason, because they did not want to treat them as anything other than “white property.” When the slaves became free after the Civil war, it became “open season” for this clan. The KKK would lynch black people every weekend for their entertainment. They would call this a picnic. As crazy as it seems we think that picnics are just a family gathering held up for food and fun, but in reality, picnic means “pic a nigga.” They blame African Americans and illegal non-white immigrants for threatening white Americans.
The United States of America has been described as the most religiously diverse country in the world because of “freedom of religion,” the first amendment. This is one of the reasons why everyone around the world comes to the United States, to express their religion, free from government interruptions.
Another example is, since 9/11, the terrorist attack, white evangelical Christians and political conservatives hold more negative thoughts and views against Islamic people. The Muslim people, who hijacked the planes, believed that by obeying their God and killing the American citizens would be a way to get to heaven. This belief really shook the country. Now, an increasing number of Americans have come to a conclusion that Islam, as a religion, encourages violence.
A lot of times it amazes me when something disastrous happens, everyone, including the government and religions, come together in order to help comfort people and find solutions to solve the situation; this is why people think that churches should express their political views in politics. Many people are not inadequate that presidents can summon their faith and rely on their religious belief to make political decisions. Like our fore fathers and other government officials based their decisions on biblical principles and prayers. Using religious beliefs the U.S constitution was born and it impacted and shaped politics of America.
The Enlightenment from the 17th and 18th century was a big turnaround for a lot of cultures. It brought the “new thinking about once unquestioned truths” and, eventually, new actions arose from the people. This movement is marked by the awakening of the human reasons, keen interest in science, religious tolerance, and the desire to construct governments that are free from tyrants. The Age of Enlightenment was also known as the age of reason, the turning point of the human curiosity mind. People started to establish the ways of living, how the planet works which is science. They wanted to develop a system of ethics, government and most importantly, religion. Because of the curiosity for the study of science, that brought a decline in the church. They questioned their religion. The Enlightenment had huge consequences waiting for the economy. The movement declined the church, increased the growth of secular humanism and political and economic deregulation.
Religion shapes our world. Religion is the base of this earth. The diversity of people in America makes this country a special place to be in. Appreciate how different everyone is because we can learn a lot about others and still see how much we have in common.
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