Religion And Diversity In The Works Of Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, an author, columnist, essayist, orator, religious and literary critic, social critic, and journalist, said “Religion is part of the human make-up. It's also part of our cultural and intellectual history. Religion was our first attempt at literature, the texts, our first attempt at cosmology, making sense of where we are in the universe, our first attempt at health care, believing in faith healing, our first attempt at philosophy.” If we were to really examine this, we would see that this is very true. Religion is a staple in modern day society, whether people like it or not. It affects our decisions, dictates social norms, and does many other things. Religion is pivotal in society, and naturally should have an effect

on American society. Religion should play a small, yet important role in American society because it is a privilege of living in America to be able to worship freely (see: 1st Amendment), Religious diversity is key to success in america, and it can have various positive effects on society in general.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”. The first amendment directly deals with religion and its boundaries within government and society. This is a privilege of living in America; in many other countries there are harsh and strict rules about how and if you can worship certain cultures (see: North Korea). It is also important to remember that you don’t have to worship or participate in religion, it is just an option that America gives you, which is pretty cool. It is a luxury that not many countries have and I think that we should appreciate that. For example, according to Mariam Rahmani, “This fall, French public school students will experience their second year under the law that bans all religious symbols in schools. This law has aroused immense controversy because it forbids female Muslims to wear a hijab--hence its nickname, “the veil law.”.” As you can see, even in large countries like France, not everyone has the right to express their religion like you can in America, and I think it is definitely an important facet of our society.

Diversity is key for all different things in life.

It offers variety, new opinions, new lifestyles, and it brings people together. Religious diversity also works the same way. America is like a melting pot, and it is great to have a plethora of varying religions in our country. As shown by this quote in the crucible, “Their fathers had, of course, been persecuted in England. So now they and their church found it necessary to deny any other sect its freedom; lest their New Jerusalem be defiled and corrupted by wrong ways and deceitful ideas,” it shows the appeal of coming to America to seek freedom from oppression in other countries. Although, even though there are a large majority of Americans who practice some sect of Christianity, we have to remember that there are also those who choose not to participate in religion. So it makes sense that when issues like ‘the war on christmas’ come up, that it can cause heated debates nationally. For example, in Melanie Springer Mock’s, “The misguided war on Christmas”, she leaves the readers with an interesting thought: “After all, if Christians about “the reason for the season,” that seems like evangelism, an act in which the government should play no role. After all, if Christians were a minor faith-- as my Mennonite ancestors were in Europe several centuries ago--I imagine they would not wish to be evangelized by those in the majority, be they Muslims or Jews or Hare Krishnas.” Which is interesting to think about because it provides

Christians something to think about and possibly change their views on the war on christmas and general acceptance of the fact that they aren’t the only religion in America.

Last but not least, I will be addressing the various positive effects that religion has on society.

I know. Bold statement, right? I don’t mean to disparage anyone who does not practice religion or anything like that, but just to appreciate the positive effects that it can have on those who do. For example, in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, it said “They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world. We have inherited this belief, and it has helped and hurt us. It helped them with the discipline it gave them.” This shows how even though in tough times [the witch hunt] that they were able to stay together and keep hope alive because of their faith. Even now people can feel this way; the only thing that keeps them going is their religion. Another way that religion can positively affect someone is by giving people something to believe in, even when they don’t know what is going to happen in their life or after [death]. This issue is sort of addressed in the article, An Ideal of Service to our Fellow Man, in which Albert Einstein states “I cannot imagine a god who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, or has a will of the kind we experience in ourselves.” And even though there are observable upsides and positives to religion playing a role in American society, there are still some who doubt that it should play a role at

all.

Many people believe that religion can influence many people on certain issues and in certain ways that it should not. For example, in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, to paraphrase, Salem’s government (I use the term ‘government’ loosely) allowed their religious views to entirely affect how they governed the town, for example they conducted a series of hangings just because of the suspicion that some people in the town did not worship. They also were very strict in general on any type of religion other than what they accepted. And while some may say this, I would have to counter with the fact that religion and government don’t have to interfere. Both can co-exist and not have problems with interference from the other. Crazy, right?

Taking everything into account, this is a very complex topic with many different opinions and ideas on what is correct. Personally, I believe that religion should play a role in American society, that is not too big, but definitely has somewhat of an impact on society because worshiping freely is considered a privilege that we are given, Religious diversity is pivotal to success in America, and it can have a general positive effect on society. If we are all tolerant of one another and are generally more considerate of other human beings, this is definitely possible. Why couldn’t it be?