Religious Pluralism

7 Pages 1836 Words

Religious Pluralism
America is home to countless religions and faiths. From the days of the first colonies, America was seen as a refuge for different religious sects who were persecuted in their own countries. Puritans came to Plymouth Rock in order to escape persecution by Catholics in Europe. Years later, many people have found sanctuary on the shores of the United States, both as people fleeing persecution due to religious differences and as people fleeing persecution due to political differences. Today, more than thirty religious faiths co-exist in the United States.
With so many different faiths, one is sometimes forced to wonder, so which one is the right one? Conflicts in the Middle East, issues history of conflict between Christians and Muslims in places like Albania and Turkey, or even the persecution of Protestants by Catholics in England are representative of a long history of war and turmoil in an attempt to answer that very question. Oftentimes, people become so engrossed in their religious doctrines that they become unable to view the world from any other light. Terrorist jihad bombers in Israel are one such example of this. They sacrifice both their own lives and the lives of innocents in pursuit of what they consider a religious duty.
Further, many of today’s religions are connected to each other through their religious doctrines. Protestantism is a derivative of Catholicism. Catholicism and Christianity are derivatives of Judaism. Islam is a derivative of both Christianity and Judaism. Santeria is a derivative of Christianity and West African culture brought to the Caribbean by slaves. Also, some religions contain aspects of their religion which are very similar. Zoroastrianism believes in a duality, a constant battle between good and evil which is reflected again in Christian beliefs of Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil, in addition to many Shintoist belief of the necessary balance between good and evil exemplif...