Submitted by Nigel Alexander Edwards

When I think about the world, the first thing that comes to my mind is the people who inhabit it. Today, billions of people live the world. One of the primary factors that dictate how people conduct their lives is religion. Due to the large population and size of the world, many different religions exist. Despite the many positive consequences of religion, many negative consequences have surfaced throughout history. The most prominent problem has always been prejudice against other religions. This problem is difficult to solve; however, through religious pluralism, a solution can be found. But religious pluralism in itself is an extensive term. And to achieve it, we must realize that religious pluralism is not mere tolerance of others. It requires constructive and active engagement with those who are "different," recognizing that diversity can enrich our lives.

When I hear the word religion, a series of unique feelings come to mind. I myself have always had a broad view when it comes to this topic. Unlike traditional families, my family has never established a religion for its members to follow. My parents were raised as Christians; it is for this reason that we say grace prior to family meals together. But we never attend church, and I cannot honestly remember ever having a serious family conversation pertaining to religion. With this being said, I have never developed any biased towards any religion. Unfortunately, many others around the world do not share this same unbiased. This is true when speaking about some of my friends. When some of my friends jokingly insult me, I am able to laugh it off and go about my business. However, when a few friends of mine speak about a religion in a negative way, I cannot ignore it.

To better understand why these particular friends of mine make these comments, I have to take into consideration several factors. These friends of mine who make these comments have always been Christians. They have been taught that their religion is the “right” religion. All other religions are “wrong” and irregular. Do these friends of mine practice tolerance? Yes, they do practice tolerance. But tolerance is a very misleading term. Many have branded it as a positive term; that if practiced will eliminate prejudice. When I first heard the term in elementary school, it did not strike me as the solution to all problems. To me, tolerance is just like a babysitter putting up with an obnoxious child. Tolerance is hardly the word that I would use to describe how people should interact with each other. So when my friends are around people who practice other religions, they abstain from making offensive comments. Sure, they are being polite. But they do not realize that their bias feelings have no positive affect on society. I also must take into consideration the people these particular friends of mine associate themselves with. With the exception of me, all of their friends are Caucasian. With the exception of me, all of their friends are Christians. Very rarely do they associate themselves with people who are “different” from them. As a result, their feelings concerning people of other religions are slightly tainted with prejudice. Their lack of diversity proves to be detrimental.

This problem is far from irregular. At first it seems impossible that people living in the United States cannot experience diversity. After all, we live in perhaps the most diverse country in the world. Hundreds of different religions exists and are practiced in our country. Our country was established giving everyone the right to worship any religion they please. But experiencing religious diversity requires a lot more than just the existence of a diverse group of people. It requires active engagement between people who are “different.” Active engagement is not characterized by two people ridding on the same bus, going to the same school, or even learning in the same class room. Active engagement can be achieved through open conversation in which ideas and values are shared and compared. When achieved, all parties engaged receive new insight about those who they have spoken with. They come to realize that people who practice other religions are not so “different” after all. They begin to realize all the similarities and how much they have in common. Ultimately, people realize how much they can accomplish together.

So what is it that stops people from doing this? All the opportunities are present. No where in the constitution does it prohibit people of different religions from talking to each other. I believe that people refrain from doing so for three reasons. Hereditary prejudice, lack of knowledge and understanding, and fear keep people from realizing their similarities.

Prejudices of all types have existed for thousands of years. Prejudices still exist today because people have passed it down through many generations. Religious conflicts have long existed in all around the world as a result of hereditary prejudice. A few extreme examples include the conflicts of Northern Ireland, India and Pakistan, and Israel and Palestine. Why do these groups of people hate each other? Whenever I try to think of an answer, my mind draws a blank. However, the adversaries of these conflicts do not have any logical answers. The reasons for fighting are based on hate. This hate has been passed down for generations. It will be passed down for many more generations. The true origins of these conflicts are rather obscure. In Northern Ireland, the Catholics and Protestants have been fighting for so long that they do not even realized that despite their differences, they are all Christians. Indians and Pakistani fail to realize that both Hindus and Muslims worked together to achieve independence from the British Empire. Palestinians and Israelis have forgotten that prior to the establishment of Israel, Jews and practitioners of Islam had lived together in peace for hundreds of years. But hate is virtually indelible when incorporated with religious pride.

False understanding is another factor keeping people from achieving religious pluralism. During a conversation with a Christian friend, I brought up the fact that there are many connections between Islam and Christianity. He disagreed, saying that Islam is a very violent religion. Even though I do not affiliate myself with any religion, I still took offense to the remark; I have several Muslim friends and regularly spend time with them. My friend stated that he was correct because he had read parts of the Koran. He also had “proof” in that many of the world’s terrorists are Muslim. I asked if he had any Muslim friends. He said no. He did make an effort to learn more about another religion. I must say though, his method of doing so was inconclusive.

Without a doubt, the Koran he read was translated into English. But he failed to factor in a couple variables upon drawing up his conclusion. First, he was raised as a Christian. This made it difficult for him to interpret Islamic principles that may prove to be difficult for a Christian mind to comprehend. After reading the Koran, he hardly took into consideration the fact that he wasn’t the least bit objective when evaluating his findings. Second, he failed to factor in discrepancies between what he read in English, and what the Koran says in Arabic. Linguistically speaking, translations are often far from impeccable. For example, there are countless terms and sayings that we have in English that cannot be translated into other languages. Religious ideas and ideologies are no exception to the rule.

While reading the Koran was a good idea, he never took the extra step to learn more about the Islamic religion. My school has many students who are Muslim. After reading the Koran, he should have befriended a Muslim. Upon doing so, he would have asked questions and learned more about the world’s fastest growing religion. Even though he may have read parts of the Koran, his new friend would have been more instrumental in his studies. Actively engaging with a practitioner of Islam would have also taught him another important lesson. Not every Muslim is a terrorist; and the actions of a few extremist do not dictate the true beliefs of the entire Islamic world. Overall, prejudice can attribute much of its durability to the lack of diversity exhibited by individuals who contain it.

Fear is another factor of religious prejudice. In many ways it goes together with the lack of knowledge. People have long feared things that are unknown and not understood. Their fear is shown in many ways. Fear from things that are different causes people stick close to things that are familiar. Fear has also kept humankind from achieving its full potential. Whenever fear is conquered, good is the result. Humankind has achieved many great things during its existence on earth. All the world’s individual groups have each contributed things to our society to make it a wonderful place to live. However, it is through diverse collaboration that we have created the world’s greatest innovations. Full pluralism has yet to be achieved. But as we get closer to our goal, our lives become more and more enriched.