Submitted by Ellen Lusby

Acceptance by all. Open mindedness of others. Tolerance of people’s differences. These ways of bringing diversity into our lives can be subsequent, but through actively taking part in learning about diversity our ideas and thoughts may be clearer. We can better understand why we think the way we do by understanding the ideas and values of others. Race. Age. Gender. Culture. Nationality. Ethnicity. Disability. And especially religion tends to draw a line and group people together based on their views. With the many religions made up of the United States, there is only one predominate one. Christianity is the religion seventy-five percent of North Americans associate themselves with (Religious Tolerance). And that is their choice, but what makes it wrong not to agree with the majority? Nothing. This makes me in the minority falling into about only two percent of the United States’ population (Religious Freedom). Judaism is my choice and that should not be a problem for anyone else. The main reason why most people would have a problem that goes against the majority is because it is different. But what is wrong with that?

Judaism is just one part of not fitting into the standard. And for people to learn to accept me, religious tolerance must play a major role in it. Listening to what others think is the first step in acceptance of others who may be ‘different.’ Diversity is a point of respect in which things are accepted to be different. Different means not the ordinary or custom, but being different doesn’t mean wrong. To me, religious tolerance is having and showing belief in God through practices and devotion, but accepting others’ beliefs and mannerisms to be different; allowance of variation (Dictionary.com). The first amendment of the US Constitution gives us just that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” Through religious freedom we need to come together as a country and “… form a more perfect union, establish justice, [and] insure domestic tranquility … (First Amendment)” It is our human right to choose the religion that best suits our thoughts and ideas. For me, being Jewish does just that.

Even though being Jewish is just a part of me, people tend to judge me based on just that and not for the person I am or who I have become. I was never the type of person to be upfront with my religion, and religion was never my choice of topic. My friends did not begin to accept me for who I was until they started asking questions. Finding out the history of Judaism and how it differs from Christianity was their way of coming to terms with me, realizing I was no different from them. That was in my hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Now I was off to college in Charlotte, North Carolina, otherwise known as the Bible-belt. The Bible-belt is a rural-southern area where everyone is already set in their ways. There is not much room there for diversity when considering religion. “You Jew,” was a common form of hello. That was supposed to be funny. It wasn’t. The first time I heard that ‘name’ spoken, I just thought someone was trying to get my attention by using something other than my actual name, later realizing it was a ‘common’ saying, like “Hey man” or “What’s up?” I felt as I was walking along the street with the word ‘Jewish’ on my forehead, yet it was not quite clear to people how to act. I went for months avoiding the subject of religion, thinking that if they knew my religion I would be looked at differently, maybe even looked down upon. Then the movie, “Passion of the Christ” came out in theatres.

I went to see the movie with all my friends, having to act as if I was really interested in what was happening. From going to church and Sunday school with friends, I knew roughly the storyline of the movie and how the sequence of events would play out. People asked me what I thought about the movie afterwards and I told them the norm, “The movie was breathtaking and it was amazing to see that everything that happened in the movie He did for us.” I even managed to cry during the movie, not because I wanted to but because it seemed like the right thing to do. The movie did touch me, but not to the extent as if I was a Christian. Afterwards, I had to come to terms with myself. People need to accept me for who I am, and if they are not going to then they were not my friends to begin with. The fact that we are all different makes us that much more the same. I began telling my friends one-by-one about my religion; I never said they had to agree with me, just accept me for who I was. I might have lost some of those who I considered to be friends prior to telling them under circumstances that I could not control, but in the end they were not worth my time to begin with. They asked questions, and I answered them. Despite me being Jewish, I have no problem learning about other religions. I’ve learned I need to be proud of who I am, no matter my roots, people are going to choose to accept me or not, but if they do not, it is their loss.

My faith in God is as strong as ever and I look to Him for advice. I learn to do what He tells me through my actions and the events that occur in my life. He has helped me through so many hard times and I do not know where I would be without Him by my side. He has taught me that it is alright to be myself. By understanding me, others can also help teach me about who I am as a person. By truly understanding others, those who we consider to be ‘different,’ word of mouth is one way of learning about diversity and bringing acceptance into our lives. Through reading books, attending different religious places, watching movies and television that directly help understand religion, are other ways of taking an active engagement in diversity. We all share the same feelings, emotions, thoughts, and mistakes. But not in the same way, which makes us different. But people are still judged, because they are too set in their lifestyles and see wrong in everyone else’s.

No matter the religion, “to build a city on a hill, to fulfill the dream of the Promised Land, to do good unto others, and so forth” is the mission of most Americans. The traditional American values are not the only distinct versions of the values of religious rights. Instead, the values and assumptions stated in most religious books (depending on your religion) take priority to the words ‘standard values,’ and serve to give entirely new definition to life (Dolbeare, Medcalf 138-142). And this is what makes it so difficult to have religious pluralism, and accept others as ‘different.’ Different does not always have to be bad. The diversity in others can help enrich our lives. We can understand the makeup of the world and the type of people that consume it. Accepting others to be different, allows one to feel more comfortable within ourselves. Diversity is the essence of our world today.

This quote defines the right of being ‘different,’ “American politics thus becomes a battle of ends and not means, a battle for the triumph of the Lord; there can be neither compromise nor accommodation with opponents” (Dolbeare, Medcalf 139). No compromise. Says who? Just because one religion might not agree with the words of another, doesn’t mean we have to be opponents. Opponents mean a rivalry, a fight or confrontation. But for these reasons, Christian rights tend to be more of a driving force than other religions, in the long term reconstruction of America. The basic assumption of most religions is that the origins of the United States were God given. And that is what is viewed publicly, being tolerated by all, whether the idea is liked or not. If the media is going to be the driving force of Christianity, there is not a way to escape what they want us to hear. We can’t shut off the rest of the world. But we can help tune others-in to show that Christianity is not the only religion that exists. One voice can change things and make a difference. That is why those in the public eye need to watch what they say, people feed on what they speak and tend to mimic their words. Maybe if those public figures, actors, priests, politicians, teachers, and others, learn to understand that more than one religion does exist, our world could come together. No lines draw to divide one group from another. Religions of others will never be completely understood by everyone, but at least if others learn to accept that there are ‘different’ people in this world, religious confrontation can cease.