As Religion Wanes, ‘Religious’ Hatred Grows

I found this article very interesting, it addresses the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh on Oct 27th in a new light. As a result of this tragic event, most reporters are choosing to focus simply on the news and details of the event, while this article looks deeper and offers a unique perspective. While not ignoring the severity and grief of this shooting, the author focuses on the fact that there were no young people injured in this horrific event, simply because they weren’t in attendance. While this can be seen as a blessing that no children were slain, the author found this concerning for the sake of the Jewish religion.

The author makes the statement: “Where were the millennials? They’re gone. From temple, from church. From the community of faith” (Graham 2). He describes this as more horrific than the hate crimes that exist against the Jewish community because it it may mean that the Jewish faith among others, is slowly dying due to lack of new young followers that can continue the practice of these religions. Graham argues that the rise in ‘nones’ (people with no religious affiliation) correlates to the presence and rise in religious hate crimes. According to the author, as many as 35% of people now identify as ‘nones’ (Graham 6). This concerns him because young people of today are responsible for continuing traditions and religion. He also addresses the presence of hate that is unfortunately becoming more common surrounding religious settings. I have to say I disagree with the point the author is making. While yes, the amount of people who identify as ‘unaffiliated’ may be on the rise, I do not think it is related to the amount of religion based hate crimes.

Reading this article about a religious hate crime made me think of the piece by Thomas Merton, and his claims that alienation leads to violence. These ideas didn’t seem to be too far away from Graham’s thoughts that religious ‘nones’ have something to do with the rise in religious hate crimes we see in the United States. Merton states “as long as we are not purified…by the union of pure sanctity, we will remain apart from one another, opposed to one another” (Merton 453). This idea of unification through religion mirrors the ideas that Graham writes about in his article. His ideas about religious nones lacking unity with communities of faith are very similar to the themes of love and hate found within Merton’s writing. Graham’s final statement is: ” Faith didn’t divide. It united. Is this a message about to be lost on an entire generation of millennials?”. He is referring to the unity that was created between various believers during the time following the shooting, and the fact that this community may eventually cease to exist if the rise of ‘nones’ is to continue and contribute to hateful events and crimes. This is related to Merton’s quote,”hatred tries to cure disunion by annihilating those who are not united with us” (Merton 545). Both authors find power in unity through religion.

 

Graham, Michael. “As Religion Wanes, ‘Religious’ Hatred Grows.” Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2018, http://www.bostonherald.com/opinion/op_ed/2018/10/as_religion_wanes_religious_hatred_grows.\

http://www.bostonherald.com/opinion/op_ed/2018/10/as_religion_wanes_religious_hatred_grows

Merton, Thomas. “From New Seeds of Contemplation.” American Religions: a Documentary History, by R. Marie Griffith, Oxford University Press, 2008, pp. 448–461.

Cory Booker influencing the “Religious Left”

Junior United States Senator Cory Booker is a former Newark mayor, who in a recent speech, people speculated that he may consider running for the 2020 presidential election. The most important factor that everyone is focusing on though, is his openness about his faith and religion, especially within politics and the Democratic party.

According to the article, “Cory Booker could be a candidate for the ‘religious left,’” by Jack Jenkins, Booker’s directness with his religion is uncommon within the Democratic party in Washington. According to the article “Religion and the Democratic Party: It’s complicated,” by Julie Bourbon, less than a third of Democrats do not associate with a religion. On the Democratic side, there are not many individuals that voice their religious values and views, if they affiliate with one, especially within politics. Many Democrats are edgy with politicians who use faith as their platform and inspiration. Booker’s beliefs have become central in his political identity as well because he thinks that politics and religion are not mutually exclusive.

Booker was raised in an African Methodist Episcopal church; however, he is now a member of a National Baptist church. The article states that Booker has studied many different religions, but what he values in life is directed by his belief in the Bible and Jesus. With his background, he became an influential leader within left-leaning religion and religious gatherings. Booker says that “religion is a way to reach across the aisle,” (Jenkins, 2018) and he is using it to try to push for civic grace.

This article links to a speech by Booker and the main focus of the speech was on faithfulness and grace, specifically civic grace, which is one of his main focuses. Within this same speech, Booker cited a verse from the book of Amos to close with. Booker doesn’t just put his faith out in the open, but he also pulls ideas from his religion to help support his stances.

The problem that people may see with Booker is that he is not a usual Democrat; however, he is representing the religious left. With this, the religious left could gain more attention and power within politics, which could influence change within the party itself. The only problem with this is trying to shape the religious left into an “organized political force” (Jenkins, 2018). If he were to run during the presidential election, he would be one of the first Democratic candidates “to actively cultivate support form religious progressives” (Jenkins, 2018). With his religious background and being so open about his faith, he may also be able to get voters from the other side of the spectrum: Conservatives.

Relating to our discussion about Christian Reconstructionism, having someone in high power within the government, who is known for their religious beliefs, make some people unsteady. This is because that individual can change or influence other’s ideas, which can lead to deeper change within the government. People may feel this way about Cory Booker because if he were to run for president and get elected, he would continue to use his faith within his new title. His faith could become highly influential within the government, as well as within society.

 

Jenkins, J. (2018, October 24). Cory Booker could be a candidate for the ‘religious left’. Retrieved from https://religionnews.com/2018/10/24/cory-booker-fashions-himself-as-a-candidate-for-the-religious-left/

Bourbon, J. (2018, June 20). Religion and the Democratic Party: It’s complicated. Retrieved from https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/religion-and-democratic-party-its-complicated

 

 

 

How the US is dealing with Muslim Internment Camps in China

Throughout history there have been occurrences where a people are scared of the threat that another may pose. This has been seen in recent history, as well as the present day. Currently in China, there are internment camps that have been set up for Muslims. There is estimated to be 1 million Muslims being detained in the Xinjiang region. Recently a Kazakh man named Omir Bekali was asked to come and speak to congress on his experiences in one of these Chinese camps but has been denied a visa to the US. Most people have remained silent about their experiences in the camps due to fear of prosecution by the Chinese government or their own. Bekali has said that he is afraid for his and his family’s safety, “’They kept going back and forth. Why did they invite me and then reject my visa?’” (Kang). He is desperate to get his family away from China’s grasp and is looking find safety in the US or Europe.

Bekali has had problems traveling, trying to get his family to safety last month his family was detained for three days in Turkey as he fled the town of Almaty, Kazakhstan after he spoke out. He is now reunited with his family but says he needs to be in a country that can actually stand up to China. Many countries and Muslim communities have been silenced or are afraid to speak against the injustices that China is committing. Most of these countries are afraid of China’s Economic power that they will use against anyone who chooses to condemn them. Bekali describes that all other countries are too afraid of what China might do to them to act, he has lost faith in them and now looks only to the countries that have the ability to condemn them (Kang). That is why he and so many others are looking to the United States. “‘In China, the government is engaged in the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities that is straight out of George Orwell,’ outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in a speech on Monday. ‘It is the largest internment of civilians in the world today’” (Kang). And despite this, Bekali still cannot get his visa.

What is currently happing in China reminds me of what the US was doing to Japanese citizens during WWII. As we discussed in class these people are being detained because they are associated with a threat because of their race or religion. I think as a country we need to show that we are not afraid of people because of how their religion associates them with a radical violent version. We need to not restrict access to our immigration based on religion and if our government is actually serious about helping these people who are being wrongfully detained, they need to make sure this man’s visa is approved so his family and him can have their safety and he can give a testimony of his accounts.

 

Article:

Kang, Dake. “Former Chinese Internment Camp Detainee Denied US Visa.” Religion News Service, Religion News Service, 23 Oct. 2018, religionnews.com/2018/10/21/former-chinese-internment-camp-detainee-denied-us-visa/.

Latter-day Saints, NAACP Collaborating on Inner-City Initiative

Earlier this year, the LDS church hosted a “unity luncheon” in Salt Lake City for NAACP board members. This luncheon was the beginning of collaboration between the two groups. Following this event was a speech given by a top LDS leader at the civil rights organization’s annual meeting, and NAACP board members traveling to attend part of the Mormon biannual conference.  The association between these two groups is focused on creating plans for fostering education and economic empowerment in urban centers across the country.  

The talk of collaboration continued when President Russell M. Nelson, top church officials, and NAACP officials joined together to call for “greater civility, racial and ethnic harmony and mutual respect.” They continued speaking about the joint effort at the 64th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education when NAACP President Derrick Johnson stated that, “all peoples can work together in harmony and should collaborate more on areas of common interest.” The collaboration efforts are expected to begin next year and involve making materials and manuals appropriate for people of all faiths and no faith.  

Early in October 2018, the LDS church and NAACP members met in Salt Lake City to continue making plans for an “education and employment initiative.” The topics that they hope to cover include personal finance and entrepreneurial advice. They plan on implementing these initiatives all over the country. The hope is that African-Americans will primarily attend the programs. Rev. Amos Brown, chair of the NAACP’s interreligious relations committee, made it clear by stating the LDS church does not have a hidden agenda of increasing its membership, but rather has a mission to foster better education and employment opportunities.  

In Albert Raboteau’s “Thomas Merton and Racial Reconciliation,” he explains how Merton agreed with white liberals that passing the Civil Rights legislation was needed, but that there was more that was needed than just passing a law. Raboteau explains, “…even if the law ‘were perfectly enforced it would still not be able to meet critical problems that were more strictly economic and sociological (jobs, housing, delinquency, irresponsible violence)’” (Raboteau 17). Merton’s explanation of the problems, beyond just enforcing the law, parallels what the LDS church and the NAACP are trying to do with their new collaboration and initiatives. Merton continues his statement by arguing that many African Americans consider the battle won after the Civil Rights legislation was passed, but he thinks that the Civil Rights legislation was only the beginning of more critical conflict.  

The collaboration between the LDS church and the NAACP has a mission of fostering education and economic empowerment in urban centers across the country. They hope to change the lives of African Americans who do not have easy access to resources and classes by giving them the skills they need to attain better education and employment. This initiative is the kind of affirmative action that African Americans have been seeking since the Civil Rights Movement, and the NAACP along with the LDS church plan to make it a success starting next year. 

 

Banks, Adelle M. “Latter-Day Saints, NAACP Collaborating on Inner-City Initiative.” Religion  

News Service, 15 Oct. 2018, religionnews.com/2018/10/15/latter-day-saints-naacp-collaborating-on-inner-city-initiative/. 

Raboteau, Albert. “Thomas Merton and Racial Reconciliation.” 

An Increase in UCC and UUA Clergywomen

Recently, it has come to the attention of both the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the United Church of Christ (UCC) that their clergywomen ranks are reaching levels equal to or greater than men. This is an interesting occurrence for women in churches across America, given that there isn’t always equal representation for women in higher church positions in other denominations. Even though there is a growing representation for these women in UUA and UCC, there isn’t an equal representation for women amongst pastors in these denominations.

According to an article from the website religionnews.com titled “Clergywomen numbers increased significantly in two decades, sometimes equaling men” women in UCC and UUA clergies total 50% and 57% of all clergy members respectively (Banks, 2018). These percentages have nearly doubled since the mid-90s and are continuing to grow. These leaps and bounds can be attributed to the recommendations of the UUA general assembly back in the 1970s, when a call to action was issued that recommended more women enter minister and policymaking roles (Banks, 2018). The UUA clergy has increased its number of total women ever since then, and there is currently a female minister elected to the UUA presidency position. There aren’t only increases in female clergy within the UUA and UCC, however. Along with these denominations, there are recorded numbers showing that the representation has tripled within Assemblies of God, Lutheran Churches, and Episcopalian churches (Banks, 2018).

This rise of representation for females across denominations is quite striking, given the traditionalist beliefs of many Christian denominations. As the article states women in the southern Baptist convention and the Roman Catholic church (the two largest churches in America) are still barred from church pastoral positions (Banks, 2018). Moreover, the rise of reform Christianity in America acts to stifle progress toward equality of clergymen and women. One of the goals of reform Christianity is to have men exercise dominion over women, and in a church environment where men are dominant over women it would be impossible for any kind of equality to form.

It is perhaps due to the lingering dregs of sexism in church environments that there isn’t equal representation for women in ministry positions. According to the article, pastors (other than Unitarian Universalists) represent only 38% of clergywomen within the UCC (Banks, 2018). Most women throughout the UCC take up roles in lesser leadership positions, some being professors, chaplains and nonprofit staffers. The likelihood that a woman will be a pastor within the UCC is likely slightly reduced because of a lack of a more direct call to action by UCC organizations. A more direct call to action to incorporate female pastors specifically would aid in the race toward equal representation in the UCC.

Despite some of the setbacks, women are becoming more important in UCC and UUA churches in a variety of ways, some are even becoming “tall-steeple” pulpits, meaning many are attaining pastoral positions in very large and influential congregations (Banks, 2018). Perhaps other churches will use UUA and UCC as an example for progressive Christianity.

Citation:

Clergywomen Numbers Increased Significantly in Two Decades, Sometimes Equaling Men.” Religion News Service, 18 Oct. 2018,

Clergywomen numbers increased significantly in two decades, sometimes equaling men

 

Religious Freedom In America

Charles Haynes is one of the most prominent advocators of religious freedom in America. He is known to serve as a resource to many schools regarding how to preserve the religious liberties of those who have faith, and those who do not. Haynes is on the verge of retirement and reflects on his opinions concerning where religious freedom in America is headed.

Hayne’s outlook on religious freedom as outlined by the principles our country was founded on. Haynes states, “It’s grounded in the Constitution with its First Amendments. So no religious test for office in the Constitution itself, then no establishment and guarantee of free exercise.” Hayne’s believes this allows us to live freely amongst each other, even if we have starkly different religious convictions.  Hayne’s uses this framework to aid his process in bridging the divide of religious liberty in public schools, which he has been devoted to for the last 30 years.  Hayne’s admits that schools have come to a “common ground”, rather than a “battleground” in the last few decades. However, there are still school districts that have not implemented policies on how to deal with conflict regarding the religious liberties of their students. Haynes believes that not only school districts but communities need to take a proactive approach in implementing guidelines to combat religious liberties in the future.

Concerning the state of religious freedom in America, Haynes believes that it is a time to be worrisome. He states that if Americans don’t feel safe wearing their religious garb or practicing religion in their own communities, there is no religious freedom present. Hayne’s believes we cannot fall back on lawyers and court decisions to uphold the precedent of religious freedom, we have to turn to the local community to be advocates in protecting the rights of all. In the current Trump era, Haynes is hopeful that the administration supports the United States’  deep-rooted obligation to maintaining religious freedom for all. He believes that the different perspectives and beliefs of the State Departments represent, “a genuine effort for a nonpartisan commitment to international religious freedom.” Domestically, Haynes has observed that the administration has not helped the civil discourse regarding religious freedom. He believes that the religious liberty task force, for example, has stigmatized the issue and “poisoned the well” for those who want to advocate for religious freedom, but don’t want to be involved with the weaponization of the issues. Haynes says that the current task force is focused on only a handful of issues such as, LGBTQA versus religious claims, which focuses the public on just one issue.

Haynes has seen the tides of religious freedom shift throughout the country for decades.  He has seen success in religious freedom in more institutionalized sectors such as public schools but sees discourse in the present regarding religious liberties at a federal level. He still believes that the administration is trying to respect the core framework of religious freedom that America is rooted in, and sees our foreign policy headed in the right direction with that in mind. Overall, he believes a large indicator of gauging the success of religious freedom in this country comes down to if people feel safe expressing their beliefs anywhere and everywhere.

Banks, Adelle M. “Religious Freedom Advocate Charles Haynes: ‘It’s Not a Choice’.” Religion News Service, Religion News Service, 19 Oct. 2018, religionnews.com/2018/10/19/religious-freedom-advocate-charles-haynes-its-not-a-choice/.

Religion in Medicine

Throughout recorded history, medicine and religion have been closely related. Many treatments that have been provided by healers have connections that intertwine with the boundaries of spiritual traditions and religion. However, Western medicine has taken a turn away from religion and has tried to create a separation between the two. This separation has created controversy within the practice of medicine as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable religiously when treating patients. (Yasgur, 2018)

In recent years, there has been a growing number of physicians and ethicists who think that religion does not have to be entirely split off from modern day medicine. However, there are many opponents to this idea who believe that no religion or spiritual traditions should enter into medical practices. Benjamin Frush and Rob Poole are two physicians who were interviewed on this topic and each of them were asked how religion plays a role in the patient physician relationship. Benjamin Frush believes that religion and medicine should be incorporated while Ron Poole believes that religion should never be present in medicine. (Yasgur, 2018)

Benjamin Frush studied medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was also a member at the Theology, Medicine, and Culture fellowship at Duke Divinity School and received a masters in Christian Studies. Throughout his education, Frush focused on shared attributes between medicine, faith, and philosophy and how these attributes can provide a more informed approach to interactions with his patients. Frush explains how he does not let his own religious beliefs get in the way of treating his patients. Not only is this because of his medical ethic, but his religion also supports treating everyone the same especially when they are not physically well. Frush sees it as his job to provide “care and compassion” to those who are in need regardless of their beliefs. (Yasgur, 2018) Frush also explains that if the patient asked him to do something that went against his beliefs, he must respect the patient and their decision. The biggest overall factor for any instance where a patient’s beliefs challenge their physician’s beliefs is the “physician’s commitment to the health of the patient and not necessarily the unqualified protection of the physician’s religious beliefs.” (Yasgur, 2018) Although it may seem like religion could cause controversy between physician and patient, Frush explains that the patient’s physical wellbeing is more important than differing viewpoints. Frush believes that religion and medicine can not be separate because religion is a “fundamental orientation to the world” and that religion can be integrated into medicine since it is the “physician’s sacred obligation to alleviate suffering and foster the patient’s health.” (Yasgur, 2018)

Rob Poole is a professor of social psychiatry at Bangor University. He was raised as an atheist and believes that even though religious beliefs a an important part of who people are and that can not be completely eliminated, it is a physician’s job to not let religion have an effect on the treatment of patients. Poole believes that people should be respectful and tolerant of other’s beliefs, however, they should not contribute to the physician-patient relationship. Poole argues that beliefs have many different kinds of impacts and that those impacts can lead to discrepancy between patients. Poole also discusses how some patient’s religious beliefs can cause them to ask for an altercation in treatment that would end up being harmful to them. Distinguishing between “authentic religion” and mental illness is difficult in these instances. (Yasgur, 2018) He recalls one time a woman was brought to him because her friends thought she was too vulnerable to live out on the streets. The woman argued that God wanted her to live a simple lifestyle with no money or shelter. After discussing with a friend with religious background, they let the woman leave but kept an eye on her. A couple of days later she “became psychotic” and was admitted into the hospital. (Yasgur, 2018)  Based off of his experiences, Poole surmises that decisions made based of off religion should be respected bu they should not get in the way of a person’s health or well being.

Through both physicians stances on the issue, it is evident that there is no clear solution to whether religion should play a role in medicine or not. Fear of being treated differently as a result of religion is evident here as it has been throughout the ages. People have been constantly trying to overcome religious prejudices that have been placed upon their belief system in order to escape unequal treatment. This issue also demonstrates how religion is intertwined with almost every discipline in the modern world. Trying to disconnect religion entirely proves to be difficult considering how influential and controversial religion has been throughout history. This ongoing argument about whether or not religion has a role in medicine proves that religion continues to be influential and controversial in almost all aspects of our lives. 

 

 

Works Cited

Yasgur, Batya Swift. “Opinion: Does Religion Have a Place in Medicine?” MPR, Haymarket   Media, 11 Oct. 2018, http://www.empr.com/features/religion-in-medicine-christianity-atheism-god-faith-prayer-medical-treatment/article/804268/4/.

Recent State Investigation of Catholic Priest Child Abuse in Pennsylvania Goes Federal

Thursday, October 18, 2018 the United States Department of Justice became involved in the investigation of the child abuse allegations against Catholic priests in Pennsylvania (Jenkins). A previous state investigation found over 1000 cases of child sexual abuse by 301 Catholic priests within the last several decades (Associated Press). This state report found that church leaders had systematically protected and relocated priests who had been accused of child sexual abuse.

Now, the federal government is investigating the charges and has issued subpoenas to Pennsylvania’s eight dioceses demanding information or evidence, if any, that children had been taken across state lines for illicit purposes, if any sexual images were exchanged electronically, or if any means were taken to cover up or hush previous child abuse incidents (AP). Additionally, the subpoenas call for information about the church’s confidential, secret, and historical files including financial, disciplinary action, and insurance coverage (AP). (For clarification, a diocese is a Catholic district which is supervised by a Catholic Bishop. Also, a subpoena is essentially a summoning to court or an order for information/documentation.) Many of the Bishops have agreed to cooperate by providing the documentation asked of them.

What does this investigation mean for these Pennsylvania priests and bishops? According to the Associated Press, “Legal experts said that if federal prosecutors can show that church leaders systematically covered up for child-molesting priests in the past five years, dioceses could be charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, the federal law originally passed to bring down the Mafia.” Penalties under this act include up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 (RICO Law). More importantly, what do these allegations and investigations mean for other dioceses in America? Already, eleven states have begun investigations similar to those conducted in Pennsylvania. Child abuse investigations have the potential to spread throughout the nation accompanied by lengthy court cases; possible diocese bankruptcy if the church is required to assume a portion of the fine for the crimes committed by its clergy; loss of Catholic Church members due to unfavorable views of their leadership; and increased anxiety toward male church leaders of all religions.

This Pennsylvanian investigation is groundbreaking and marks an even finer line between church and state. For years, these allegations have been kept quiet. Only within the last seven years have cases against a church official for the cover-up of child molestation been taken to court (AP). Time will tell how this federal investigation and other state investigations will affect government involvement and restriction within religion. Already, the Pennsylvanian state legislature has pushed for laws governing allegations against church officials, proposing that child-abuse victims be given “a two year window to sue the church in cases otherwise too old to pursue” (AP).

At this point, the future for the Catholic church, and all other minority religious groups, in America is uncertain. How will the U.S. congress respond to the issues surrounding child sexual abuse have surfaced rather rapidly? How will the Catholic Church handle the cases brought against its clergy? And how will decisions made concerning this investigation, and other church leadership sexual abuse cases, affect other religious groups in America?

What are your thoughts? Please comment below.

 

Works Cited

Associated Press, et al. “Federal Prosecutors Open Clergy Abuse Probe in Pennsylvania.” LEX18.Com, 18 Oct. 2018, 3:28pm, lex18.com/ap-national-news/2018/10/18/federal-prosecutors-open-clergy-abuse-probe-in-pennsylvania/.

Jenkins, Jack. “Federal Government Launches Investigation into Pennsylvania Dioceses.” Religion News Service, Federal government launches investigation into Pennsylvania dioceses.

“RICO Law.” Hg.org, http://www.hg.org/rico-law.html.

 

 

Sexual Abuse Within Kingdom Halls

It seems all too common today to hear about sexual abuse within religious organizations when the news is turned on. Recently, sexual abuse cases within the Jehovah’s Witness have been brought to light and legal action has been taken against the community. One particular case is that of Moriah Smith, who decided to leave the faith when the elders of the church turned her back on her after she reported sexual abuse of another church member. Others have spoke out as well, telling their stories and displaying how the manner that the organization deals with these problems reveals a disturbing pattern.

Moriah Smith was fourteen when it happened. When Elihu Rodriguez a twenty-five year old man from within her congregation, had sex with her in her own home. A home that was also the house of her father, who was a respected elder. This and more sex abuse followed for the next three months. She struggled with panic attacks along with being ashamed and confused about what was happening, and did not tell anyone what was going on. “’I didn’t understand anything about sex’” said Smith, saying she was also afraid of disappointing god and being shunned (Chuck).

The Jehovah’s Witness church has always been considered at moderately closed community that can often see outsiders as suspicious. So, when it comes to these types of situations, they often try to handle them internally. Accusations within the church require two witnesses to prove guilt of someone along with other literal interpretations of the bible. The Jehovah’s Witnesses official guidelines for dealing with these huge issues is, to contact the branch office, and ensure child abuse law is upheld. “’Even if the elders have no legal duty to report an accusation to the authorities, the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses will instruct the elders to report the matter if a minor is still in danger of abuse or there is some other valid reason’” (Chuck).

When Smith eventually worked up the courage to tell someone what had happened to her, her and her family had moved to a different community. She approached three elders and explained what had gone on at her previous congregation. Instead of following any of the guidelines, they accused her of not putting the faith first and quietly took away certain privileges. She described the elders using the Bible to shame her for what she had done, and the church never took action against Elihu. On top of this her fears of being shunned came true. After her parents found out, they cut off contact with her to avoid threatening their own faith.

There are other victims’ stories that parallel what happened to Smith. In many cases try to cover it up. As for the ones that do take action, even though they are supposed to report it, there are no set guidelines for scenarios like this. The people in charge decide what to do as they go so they can’t be held to a standard.  Since these events took place, Smith has left the faith and is currently taking legal action in hopes that she can help protect children in the future. Cases like this are tragic and it seems like more and more of them are being brought to light recently. We are sad to hear about them, but it is good we are hearing about them, because the only way to help end these horrible occurrences is brave women like Smith, who ignore the people who want to keep their stories quiet and bring them into the light.

 

Work Cited

Chuck, Elizabeth. “Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘use the Bible to victim-shame,’ sex abuse survivor says”. NBC News. Oct. 7. 2018. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jehovah-s-witnesses-use-bible-victim-shame-sex-abuse-survivor-n916326

Mormons and the Legalization of Marijuana

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as Mormons, are one of the most influential religious and conservative groups in the State of Utah. Yet, recently, an announcement has been made that the Church is backing a piece of legislature called Proposition 2 that would legalize medical marijuana in the state, but not without some stipulations that regulate the still Federally illegal drug. While available medically, there will not be edibles available that might appeal to children, and the growth of marijuana will be more heavily regulated.

The Mormon Church has historically been a stronghold of very conservative values, and this has put them in the national spotlight multiple times. But one of the major tenements of the religion is the abstinence from caffeine in drinks like coffee and tea, as well as alcohol and any kind of illicit drugs. So why the change? It comes as no surprise when states with a more liberal population like California or Colorado voted to legalize the drug, but for Utah it means a great deal to be the first highly conservative state to do so. For the legislation to have the backing of a major conservative religious group is even more surprising.

However, as surprising as it seems in the short-term, this shift in religious ideology to more effectively conform to culture is something that has been going on in America since the 20th century and perhaps even earlier. Will Herberg wrote an article on this phenomena back in the mid 1900s called Protestant-Catholic-Jew and described the way that American secular culture and the religious cultures of the time both had profound effect on each other. He talks about the way that religion had come to pervade almost every aspect of America from the individual to the fact that elected officials were seen as more credible if they claimed to be affiliated with a major religious group. Yet the reverse was also true. Secular culture began to invade organized religion by merging itself to common themes such as generosity, loving one’s neighbor, and individual success. Because of this, a quasi-religious popular culture called “The American Way of Life” began to form and embodied what Americans wanted from religion and culture at the same time. Churches became affected by the public’s new style of “cherry-picking” only the values, theology, and other religious aspects that appealed to the individual while leaving the rest behind.

What this means is that while it seems surprising that a major conservative religious group would take on an unusual stance towards a secular issue, this has been going on for years and is just another result of the way America appears to like its culture to have religion and its religion to keep up with the culture. As shown by the way American culture is still vastly religious according to self-identification surveys, this trend is unlikely to slow down. In fact, The U.S. is much more likely to see church and common culture continue to merge until one is hardly indistinguishable from the other. There will be hold-outs, of course, but mainstream religion has become about catering to what the public wants, not about creating its own systems.

The article can be found here.

Supplementary information:

Herberg, Will. “Protestant-Catholic-Jew.” American Religions: A Documentary History. Ed. R. Marie Griffith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. 518-533.