Spirituality and religious oppression are subjects that have brought about great tension worldwide since the beginning of humanity. To bring some of the conflicts that arise from religion and its many different forms, Daniel Tomé held a dialogue session on October 25th in the Arts & Sciences building. This was part of a series of sessions that Tomé has held, and will continue to have over the course of the semester.
During this dialogue, the group present watched several video clips relating to current tensions and quarrels being held over spirituality and religion. These included clips from the Daily Show commenting on Islam vs. Christianity vs. Judaism and one on Mormonism vs. Christianity. Other clips included a short interview of a Muslim American’s reaction to 9-11, and yet another, the controversial television show Sister Wives. All of these clips showed the tension that lies between just a few of the many religions that are present in our country alone, and the problems that ensue as a result. After viewing the short video clips, the group answered several questions about their own religions. The questions were on a yes and no basis, and students answered yes by stepping into a circle that was formed by the group members. The answers included whether one went to church or temple, if one needed to eat specially prepared food, if one felt he/she was the minority or majority in their K-12th grade school systems, etc.
After this set of questions was answered, a discussion was held to see what each person felt about the videos that were viewed in the beginning of the session. Many points and valid opinions were brought up. These included how religion and its conflicts are often taken as a joke, how each religion can feel it is the absolute truth, how arguments are often held over minute differences while similarities are ignored, how common ground is often found only on the basis of hating a third party, and many other important observations.
What all of this focused on was the fact the hatred between different religions seems to be amplified rather than quelled on a regular basis. The only way different religions and spiritual practices can hope to coexist is to first stop searching for the differences in others and try to find similarities that can unite different groups. This does not mean that a utopian world is around the corner, but that there is always a better direction to head in.