All We Are Saying is Give Peace A Chance

It's been quite a while since my last post. Today I've decided to post twice. I've begun an online religion class under distance education to fulfill some credits. The 1st assignment was by no means difficult, but the same thing that happens on this blog happened on there. I meant to wright just a little, and wrote a whole lot! I've edited the post a bit for information purposes, but I hope you enjoy my thoughts none the less.

Here is the assignment:
Tell us a little about yourself in the description area. Why study religion? Who are you? What do you think about? Who is your family? Who are your loved ones? What are you studying? Why are Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians in conflict? Hindus battling Muslims? Buddhists battling Hindus? Muslims at war against Christians? Jews struggling with Muslims?

Below is my response:

My feeling is that I can not necessarily classify myself with a religion. While baptized and confirmed Catholic, my family no longer attends mass and we do not observe religious holidays (such as the Feast of St. Stephen, Ash Wednesday, etc.) or many traditions. I am very interested in studying other religions simply to understand why others feel the way they do. Our beliefs may differ, yet we all believe them for some reason that is important and dear to us as individuals. I am the person who has visited the Catholic cathedrals in Washington D.C. and Chartres, France. The person who has meditated at the Buddhist temples, and been blessed at the Shinto shrines in Kyoto & Osaka, Japan. Religion may give some direction in life, but not me. I am not religious, perhaps spiritual though. I would prefer to take a walk on the beach at sunset to enjoy the beauty, then sit in a service (of any belief system) and listen.

Now that I have already written well too much I will say that I do not mind responses of any kind to my posts. These posts are simply my own thoughts and feelings on a topic. This is the beauty of different beliefs, the fact that we do not all share the same opinion. The world would be a quite boring place if we all thought and felt the same way! I am not one to get upset or angry. When presented with a different side of a subject I try my best to understand why he/she may feel that way. Although I may not necessarily agree, it is always good to know why someone feels the way they do before jumping to rash conclusions.

The questions, oh the questions! I presume I should begin to answer some of them.

As previously stated, I study religion to gain a better understanding of the would around me from another's point of belief. But I suppose my family is quite open to such ideas. While we used to attend mass when I was young, we do no longer. Both parents work 7 days a week, 14-16 hours a day. We very rarely see each other, and meals together are a rare occurrence. Your loved ones however, do not necessarily have to be confined to your family. Dear friends and even those you do not know as well can be your loved ones. Those who are there for us in times of need, whether we ask assistance or no, can be our loved ones. These individuals can even be people we may have never met. They can even become a whole new kind of family, complete with love, support, trials & tribulations, disagreements, and inside jokes. These are people who will be there for you through the laughter, tears, and joys in life, whether by blood or choice.

As for the subject of conflict between various religions, can we ever truly pinpoint one specific reason for which they are at odds? Is it due to a difference in who/what is worshiped? Is it a specific practice of that system of faith? Is religion being used as an excuse for a deeper conflict, such of that as borders or wealth? Such disputes can be discussed until exhausted and no resolution may be found. Looking from the outside in, how can one ever truly understand who is "right" and who is "wrong", or be able to take a side without experiencing the conflict first hand. Much of that which we see in the media can be skewed or biased, telling only part or one side of the story.

Take for instance, The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The United States holds many more immigrants from the Republic of Ireland, then from Northern Ireland. For this reason, delving into U.S. media archives, you will find much more support for the IRA and the struggle to unite the island as one nation (Northern Ireland is part of the UK while the Republic is and independent country and part of the EU). This conflict is mostly known as a fight between Protestants who wanted NI to remain part of the UK, and Catholics who wanted the island united as one. There were people of both religions on each side of the conflict, one just happened to be more prominent than the other.
The Good Friday agreement was signed effectively ending the Troubles. However there is still fear of violence and a reoccurrence in the level of religiously fueled violence. As you are all aware I'm sure, we just had a shift in the balance of power within our government. Earlier this year, NI was prepping for much of a similar shift. Unlike the U.S. however, the lawmakers remained in closed chambers until the small hours of the morning when they could finally come to an agreement of how the country was to be run. This dedication was largely in fear of an outbreak of religiously fueled violence.

Many times when we think of such violence we think of poor or undeveloped countries. Yet here is a westernized society who have been squabbling for decades, centuries really if you wish to go that far back, over such a thing as religion. Why? That is the question we strive to understand. Part of this may have to do with the fact that we are simply human and no more. We like being told we are right and like to believe that we are right. We will tirelessly argue that we are right even if we eventually realize that we are not. Apologizing to someone, or admitting we are wrong is a very difficult thing to do in life.

Sadly, I know very little of any of the conflicts posed in the instructions for this board. This is one of the reasons this class captured my interest. To better understand that which is occurring in the rest of the world.

No matter the reason for such conflicts, the results for those involved and the residents of such torn areas is heartbreaking. One of my greatest passions is that of music. Music is universal. It can express things that we can not put into words. Recently I happened across an artist by the name of Mickey Coleman from Northern Ireland. On his newest album there is a song titled "Mother's Lullaby" which deals with what is happening on the Gaza strip. I wish to share this song with you. It is particularly powerful when coupled with imagery from Gaza itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2HzAhjn9ec
What the photographs capture are some very distressing images. If you do not wish to see as such, you can still hear the song here on his official MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/mickeycoleman1

If you have made it reading this far, thank you. I look forward to getting to hear everyone's views on the different topics we will be covering in this short span of time!

Peace,
Elina

This photo is from Belfast in County Antrim.