Question 1
The world today is plagued with many problems, some of which are connected with religion. A few examples of this are: Christianity and the LGBT community, Islamic extremists groups and a hatred for Islam, and Christianity and abortion. But while some of these problems may be caused by religion that doesn’t meant that religion can’t help inter-group and international understanding.
As I mentioned previously one problem that has arisen in modern society is that of the Christianity and the LGBT community, specifically in the United States. In recent years, 2015, a law was passed in the Supreme Court that legalized gay marriage in all 50 states. This law has been met with backlash from the Christian community, who are against gay marriage. This fight for gay rights between the LGBT and Christian community has been a long one. But one way that religion could help form an understanding between the two groups would be by having the LGBT community consider the religious reasons why Christians are opposed to gay marriage. One of which is the idea of Christian egalitarianism, which explores the roles that men and women should adhere to spiritually and in society.
Moving on, another problem facing the world is a hatred for Islam, most of which is caused by Islamic extremist groups such as ISIS. These terrorist groups have been the perpetrators of many terror attacks that have occurred in recent years, specifically in Europe and the United States. These terror attacks and groups have created a following of people that are against Islam due to them now perceiving Islam as a religion of violence, and even going as far as to mockingly call it a religion of peace. This backlash against Islam can be seen as recently as this year with President Trump’s travel ban which targeted predominantly Muslim countries. But this hatred could perhaps be remedied by religion if many of the people against Islam were to learn deeply about the Islamic faith and its teachings or principles. This could allow those opposed to Islam to judge the religion based on the majority not on its outliers (i.e. terrorist groups).
Lastly, the problem of abortion within the Christian community is a problem in the world today, again this problem will be focused in the United States. This debate between pro-choice and pro-life has been a long one in America. In the last century, there has been a shift towards disenchantment, or the act of siding with the rationalization of science instead religious belief. With this shift in ideology comes one of the causes of the different stances on abortion. One of areas where both groups are divided on the issue is the question of “When does the fetus become a human or person?” Pro-lifers may argue at conception while those who are pro-choice argue from a scientific standpoint causing. But because of this shift and division among the groups there comes the questioning of legitimization due to ever changing cultural and social norms. Religion can help inter-group understanding by providing those who are pro-choice a look into the religious practices and beliefs that cause pro-lifers to be against abortion, such as the idea of a fetus being a human/person at contraception.
Question C
I would expect a person of profound spirituality to be someone of a calm nature and sees no need to defend their religion to others, as they are secure in their religious beliefs. I am not personally aware of anyone who represents these characteristics.
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