Tikkun Olam is a Jewish concept which relates to helping the world through action, be it donating to a charity, working for a charitable organization, helping the environment or various other things. This is an important part of Judaism which everyone should participate in even if not for religious purposes, as it just helps to make the world a better place for everyone.
Assuming that I am given a tool with which I can edit the world in any way to change it for the better, the obvious choice for me is to remove hate from the world. This would be the ultimate Tikkun Olam- the best way to repair the world. Hate is the root of a lot of the world’s problems- war, crime, hunger, discrimination, etc and would resolve a lot of issues in today’s society (the tensions in the middle east, for example).
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Hate drives all war, especially those over religion, where the members of one religion hate another, which can result, and has resulted in, a lot of needless bloodshed.
The biggest example of this is of course the Holocaust, where Hitler killed 6 million Jews for no other reason than their faith, which he hated, and drove others to hate as well. There are countless other examples such as the Crusades, fought between Christians and Muslims, as well as the thirty years’ war, fought mainly between Catholics and Protestants. There are countless other examples.
Overall, hate is one of the worst problems that plagues the earth, and causes a lot of the problems we see today and have seen in the past. It is my choice for the best way to fix the world, or the ultimate ‘Tikkun Olam’. After all, it would be better if we could all just get
along. In Mark 5:3-12, he lists the nine Beatitudes in which a group usually known to be unfortunate is blessed. They are as followed: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven; blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted; blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled; blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy; blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God; blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God; blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Two that really stand out to me (or the two that I believe are the most important) are the third (blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth) and the sixth (blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God). The reason these two are important to me is because they are saying that strife in this life is rewarded in the next; those that are weak or feeble, or have a physical disability in this life will get mercy, and be recognized for their struggles according to the third beatitude. The sixth beatitude recognizes those who are genuinely good people with good hearts will be rewarded with being the closest to God in the afterlife and in their current lives. This is what a lot of the beatitudes are centred around. Jesus would probably disapprove of a lot of the corruption and crime today, as a lot of people and government officials are no longer ‘pure in heart’, and even though Jesus preached peace and love, there is a lot of war and hatred in the world today. What Jesus would be proud of however is how much more inclusion and love there is these days for minorities who wouldn’t have been shown much love in Jesus’ time (campaigns for gay rights, religious rights, political rights, rights for those of a different race, etc). Jesus would definitely want us to be more loving towards one another, especially with the conflicts in the middle east and in eastern Europe, and would probably want the spreading of fear by a lot of leaders to cease, and instead spread inclusion and comradery. Overall, Jesus would be unhappy about a lot of the controversies going on in today’s world, but proud of how inclusive we’ve gotten in some areas of the world. Islam in Western media is often poorly portrayed, with most media being directed towards ISIS and other terrorist groups, who are extremists and not representative of the spirit of their religion. Muslims believe in a single god, Allah, and that Muhammed was his prophet and creator of Islam. Muslims believe that their goal is to achieve Paradise, the Muslim version of Heaven, which can be achieved by having mainly good deeds on an account which is opened during adolescence. Most Muslims are not hateful despite what the media may say. Some qualities I admire about the Islamic faith are their beliefs in monotheism and the afterlife and eternal soul, and how they believe that anyone can be forgiven for worldly sins. Obviously, as a Christian, I believe in monotheism and the afterlife, which ties in with one’s eternal soul, and these are some of the basic beliefs of Christianity. However, one thing I do admire about Islam which is different from Christianity is that one is not condemned to hell for eternity. Allah will forgive and purify those after a certain length of punishment in hell based on their sin. Some deserve a longer period of punishment that others, but I believe nobody deserves eternal suffering. Qualities about Islam I find objectionable are some areas of the Quran where people are said to be condemned for qualities Allah is opposed to. While extremists can misconstrue these views, it is undeniable that at face value, the Quran does have some questionable (at best) passages which leave the door open to be misconstrued and turned into hatred, which they have been. A lot of my attitude towards Islam is based on television and the media, as these have been the prevalent sources of information, but I am hoping to learn more and change my opinion in the Islam unit of this course. I did not hold any hatred for the reasonable practisers of Islam prior to this, so my attitude towards them has not changed dramatically, apart from me being more informed about their religion. The most important things I have learned in this course are about the religions themselves. It has been very interesting to learn about religions I previously knew little about, such as ancient religions, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, and even a little more about Christianity. I learned a lot more about Hinduism; their millions of Gods, their methods of prayer (puja), and their ‘salvation’, called Moksha, as well as a lot more. I also learned about Buddhism, most notably the story of Siddhartha Guatama, their ‘Trippitakas’ (three baskets, one containing a code of conduct, one containing the Buddha’s teachings and the other containing Buddhist beliefs on law, nature and mind), the three jewels, three marks of existence, noble eightfold path, and their two different groups (Theravada and Mahayana). Finally, it was also interesting to explore Sikhism which included the story of the divine Guru Nanak. He helped establish the Guru Granth Sahib and the Gurdwara. I also didn’t know about the five symbols of baptism prior to this unit, and it was good to learn about Sikhism and all of the world’s religions. A lot of people might say that protesting would be the best way to stand up against the religious injustices of today. However, in many countries with some kind of religious injustice, protesting is not an option because so many people do not have basic rights, such as free speech (see the Egyptian revolution in 2011). The best way one could stand up against a religious injustice would be to spread awareness for the cause, and file a petition (or some kind of motion) for one’s country or the UN to do something about the injustices which the country’s own people can do nothing about. A protest in this country or the one suffering injustices will not do much of anything. One of the biggest challenges of living a religious life in today’s society is the temptation not to live a religious life. Today, it’s not considered ‘cool’ to be religious, and this is the main problem. Youth aren’t encouraged enough to be religious and to be involved in the religious community. In addition, youth are frightened and discouraged to participate in religion because of extremist groups such as ISIS and the Westboro Baptist Church. Hate groups such as these lead people away from religion and make it more difficult to be religious in today’s society.
Andrew Sullivan suggests the origins of hate to be evolutionary in his article, “What’s So Bad about Hate?” If hate really is “hard wired,” then that would mean all of the hubbub about obliterating hate is just about as useless as trying to obliterate opposable thumbs. Sullivan’s statement carries so much meaning because it illustrates such a nasty concept with an air of tolerance that is rarely ever considered. He proposes that instead of fighting hate, we accept hate for what it is: an integral part of the human experience. Instead of fighting, we should focus our energy on tolerating hate, and through toleration we can achieve much more than we ever did by trying to combat our very nature.
Generally, war results from arguments between nations over things like land, power, money, or religion. War over religion contradicts religion itself. In the passage titled “On War”, James Boswell states, “That amiable religion which “proclaims peace on earth,” hath not as yet made war to cease.” If religion proclaims peace on earth, then war goes against those morals.
Individual free will allows for a variety of different beliefs to be cultivated. Unfortunately, people do not always accept a variety of ideas. One area in the human experience that has long been disputed is religion. Religion is such a controversial topic that it has been the cause of many wars such as the Crusades and the Thirty Years’ War. The people involved in these wars felt a responsibility to uphold and preserve their faith. In England, the Anglican Church and the Puritans in the first half of the 17th century are another example of peoples with religious problems. Although religion did not directly lead to a physical war, religious conflicts caused a good deal of frustration. Under James I, Charles I, and the Anglican Church, Puritans did not have complete religious autonomy because their beliefs often conflicted with those of the Anglican Church. Consequently, the Puritans felt a responsibility to uphold their practices.
Religion is closely tied to events like the Protestant Reformation and other religious movements. The Protestant Reformation of the 1500’s started a decade long battle over religion. During this conflict, religious balance transferred between Protestantism and Catholicism. Spain and Ireland were dominantly Catholic. England was Protestant. The discord between religious beliefs led to confiscation of land and developed hatred between leaders which carried over into the development of America (Kennedy Cohen, 2013).
people, but also leading to religious tolerance, believing that other religions are based on their
Religion is one of the many factors that define an individual. So, any threat to a person’s beliefs is a threat to his or hers’ very being. The clash between Muslims and Christians is just one of the many groups with distinct differences and beliefs. Therefore, these differences in religion often influence political rivalries as well. Throughout history, someone observing world affairs may note that religion is a contentious issue; however, political tension emerges from this very issue in recent times. Doing so has labeled politics as the core of many conflicts worldwide. These battles between religions also inhibit agitation by one group against another, for gaining reputable land, wealth, and political power. Thus, politics is the primary
The Dhammapada is a Pali version of one of the most popular text of the Buddhist canon. The Dhammapada, or “sayings of the Buddha”, is a collection of 423 verses that tell about the ideals and teachings of the Buddha. When taken together, these verses provide a structured form of teaching within the Buddhist religion. These verses are a kind of guiding voice to the path of true enlightenment.
Is religion a major cause of war or/and a major cause of the conflict between people? A holy war is justified in the name of “God”. In Europe, during the 16th and 17th centuries, there were numerous wars caused by religious beliefs. For example, the Spanish Reconquista or the Christian Crusades are instances of religious warfare. The Crusades were wars that began with Christianity against the conquest impelled by the Muslims and their religious expansion. Religion has caused suffering and much immense pain. Friedrich Nietzsche believed Christianity is evil for the world. Bitterness, or ressentiment, is when one has repressed feelings and emotions. Our values play a big role. It reflects the way of life of each individual. Nietzsche, in reference to the slave morality, developed the concept of ressentiment. In the past, “nobles” determined “morality”. Then there was a revolt against these “morals”, where now the “common” determine morality. Nietzsche, states that we each live within our own perspective and that the goal of life is self-overcoming.
At its core, religion and history are intrinsically intertwined. Religion is often humanity’s driving force while history is the record of what they do with it. However, different belief systems are a diverse as the people who believe them. When these different religions come into contact with each other, there’s bound to be conflict. Prominent examples of these conflicts are causing warfare, division within a single belief system, and societal issues. Religion has been a major dividing force throughout history and it still is today.
The battle to prove whose religion is the best and whose gods are superior has had an impact on almost every city, state, country, and continent. No civilization has ever created a god that has escaped the wrath of the scrutiny of other civilizations. None the less, civilizations continue to create intricate stories of their gods and goddesses and are prepared to stand their ground and fight the war on behalf of their gods. Their are many famous ancient civilizations that are culpable of this action. Although their were many wars fought because of religion it did not stop countries from finding peace in another religion. An example of this is an American finding peace in the Muslim relgion or vice versa. The war also did not stop people from taking ideas from the same religion that might have started the collision in the first place, but just becasue civilizations have differences does not mean they can not get along. The Greek and Roman civilizations had complex mythologies with both similarities and
The world is full of interesting, counterintuitive dualities.Some of these are physical, others more emotional. Light and dark, beginning and end, love and hate. But that last duality, love and hate, is a bit confusing, because not only do they rely on each other to exist, but they always exist hand in hand. Or do they? I argue that they only exist side by side when hate is present. But that is not the only component of hate. Hate is a mix of love and fear, with just a hint of anger mixed in. Romeo and Juliet has many cases of a variety of hate related instances.
We all have our differences and sometimes don’t like one another but that doesn’t mean that we can’t all show kindness to one another. Some people in the day and age don’t like other people because of their; race, religion, belief, or even how they look. Some people just don’t understand family and that’s what we all are is a family. I have a thesis that one all mankind will have to come together as one and defeat the evil that’s out there lurking in the shadows.
Prejudice against religions has existed since the day religion was created. Since then, conflicts like the Holocaust and other genocides have arisen and caused major lasting effects on the world. These lasting effects have changed the way society today views the difference of religion. Unfortunately, there is and always will be serious political, economic, and social conflicts in the world that the human race cannot just stop. One ancient example of these conflicts is the Bosnian Genocide of 1995. As the Bosnian Civil War expanded its battle front, so did the hatred of each ethnic group towards one another. This hatred fueled the start of the Bosnian Genocide, the murder of thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats by Bosnian Serbs in which conclusively
You get the impression that religion is peaceful and each religion should respect each other but this is rarely the case. One example is a church shooting that occurred on Jul 27, 2008 when a christian man walked into a church during a children's play and opened fire on them, killing two and injuring seven others. He did this simply because he did not believe in the church's teachings and that they should be killed.
Some of the wars caused by religion are Israelite conquest of Canaan, Islamic expansion, the Crusades, the Thirty Year’s War, the French Revolution, the Taiping Rebellion, Holocaust, Lords Resistance Army, Lebanese civil war and Iranian revolution. Yes, this is history and we have become to think barriers between people have vanished. Currently it is 2014, we have overcome many conflicts to resolve the issues of having equal rights for everyone, such as racism and slavery. Although, we have not completely vanished the barriers among people caused by religion. For example the recent publicized racism occur on the Fox News Channel in July 2013. A Muslim scholar named Reza Aslan wrote many books about religions. His book under the name of “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth well” became prominent in United St...