Imagine parents too afraid to send their children to school because of threats imposed on them due to their religion. Or a mass of people actively forced to leave their home, with no other alternative, as a result of their faith. Religious oppression always seems to reveal its ugly head as a routine habit of society. Seeming to emanate from the beginning of time, history tells horrendous tales of hate crimes and genocide. Groups of people abandoned of any natural rights merely because of their faith. Due to government actions, mainstream media, and persecution, religious oppression evokes fear and hardship into societies. Religious persecution leaves a gargantuan, angry red mark on the world 's historical timeline. In accordance with The …show more content…
According to professor Roger Finke, abuse and displacement of a group occurs as a result of physical detestation emanating from other more dominant groups (Finke, 2013). Pertaining to the desire of total control, authoritarian governments of countries overflowing with persecution may feel the need to emit control over religious practice and thought as an outlet to control all “aspects of political and civic life” (Open Doors, 2018). Ridding nations of religious freedom assists governments in yielding full control over their …show more content…
Professor Roger Finke of Pennsylvania State University explains, through his research, the sociology of the effect religious restrictions place on societies. In Origins and Consequences of Religious Restrictions: A Global Overview, Finke describes the consequences overwhelming nations who inhabit religious persecution. According to his research, Finke “found that religious restrictions remain a powerful predictor of violence… The most notable being that social restrictions on religion, rather than government restrictions, now hold the most direct and powerful relationship with conflict and violence” (Finke, 2013). Due to one religious faction receiving higher privilege than the minority bodies, a perfect breeding ground for hostility and dramatic conflict creates room for itself. The progression of cruel treatment of Jewish peoples and other minorities during the Holocaust showcases a prime example. As the privilege and higher regard for other religions rose, the discrimination and prejudice towards minorities followed until it reached genocide, killing millions of
Many of us might think that such barbarous acts such as the witch trials have long been forgotten on the practices of man, but such an assertion if believed would plainly ignore the reality of many events since the trials ended. Of the many events that have occurred one that is most recent to us would be the on going persecution and/or discrimination against people of the Islamic faith known more commonly as muslims. Now while these two instances may have many differences such as reasoning, methodology, are even varying in how much damage has been committed the persecution of muslims and the witch hunts share great similarities. Aforementioned similarities include attitudes of distrust when around the targeted group, the spreading of lies and
For this reason, an increasing amount of conflict arises and shapes a person’s prejudice. Religion constructs its follower’s ideology which puts
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692, a dark period in American history, resulted in the death of "two-hundred Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony" and the persecution of many more (Loock 528). This witchcraft crisis was sparked by religious intolerance and these wrongful actions were justified by the fact that they were purging the town of anything that went against their belief system. Frederick Douglass, a self-educated slave, could point out that people tend to fall back on religious belief in order to justify their cruel actions. The Salem Witch Trials prove that Douglass's assertion that men use religion to justify cruelty was not a new theory brought about by slavery. There becomes a point where people's morals become distorted and they
Persecution is the hostile and ill treatment of people, usually based on religion, political beliefs, ethnic or racial origin, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Witches and wizards, men and women creating evil and harm, were persecuted. These women and men supported different religious beliefs, and dabbled in magic. Alleged witches were victimized for their infliction of evil. The Salem Witch Trials resulted in a series of hangings of accused witches, due to their witchcraft and magic.
Persecution can be defined in this statement, “They often use euphemisms to cloak their intentions, such as referring to their goals as “ethnic cleansing,” “purification,” or “counter-terrorism.” They build armies, buy weapons, and train their troops and militias. They indoctrinate the populace with fear of the victim group. Leaders often claim that “if we don’t kill them, they will kill us. (The Ten Stages of Genocide, Gregory H. Stanton)”
To begin, the foundation of every government’s power has always been fear. Governments depend on public fear to secure societal position. Tracing back to thousands of years ago, governments relied primarily on conquests. The research author Robert Higgs argues, “Losers who were not slain in the conquest itself had to endure the consequent rape and pillage and in the long term to acquiesce in the continuing payment of tribute to the insistent rulers.” In other words, Higgs’s point emphasizes that the government violently conquested lands and hence attacked people living there in the old times.
It was very bad to see people persecuted just for their religious beliefs even though today people are still
In this interview, it illustrates how power may ignite cultures to have a division based on their cultural group. It may cause a nation to become captivated by misleading mistakes and false representation of a political group. Although, segregation exists, individuals felt the need to react in ways that became unjustifiable causing destruction affecting beliefs, values, and other perspectives amongst other cultures, religions, and beliefs differently than their own. By taking the lives of innocent individuals and shaping and conforming lives according to their biases alters how children may shape their own human world views based on exceptionalism, power and segregation, and improving history and evolution through integration.
Study of the Holocaust has helped many people confront their own prejudices. This is the first step in combating discrimination,” (Tarnar Wacks 14). Whether you agree or not you can’t argue with the past. What has happened has happened and all we can do is learn from our mistakes and strive to prevent
"If Muslims get less happy with their place in the world, more resentful of their treatment by the West, support for radical Islam will grow, so things will get worse for the West," wrote Sewall Wright in his book Evolution. In my opinion, this shows a how grouping people into classes can make many very unhappy, causing them to go to extremes to find a way out. These people are put into classes based on their religion, even though everyone deserves to practice their beliefs
All throughout History, Millions of innocent people have been unjustly persecuted. The Holocaust was one of the most famous genocides known to man in the early 1940’s. Also the hangings during the Witch Hunts in Salem, Massachusetts were another prime instance of people being wrongfully and unjustly accused and punished. Both of the time periods show how many people died horrific and terrible deaths, and in the events of the Holocaust and the Witch Trials power was used to instill fear and hysteria into the people around them. The amount of similarities is appalling.
Religion has caused major world catastrophes. A huge example of this is the Fall of Rome. Under the ruling of Constantine, Christianity
Religious Tolerance/Intolerance during the Age of Enlightenment Based On the Views of Voltaire and Diderot In history, religion was one of the factors that can unite or separate men. It has a way of creating principles perceived as moral or immoral depending on a religious group’s teachings. It is so powerful that it created wars, separated families, and set territorial boundaries. The Age of Enlightenment, which was a philosophical movement, was the time of religious reforms in Europe -- to end warfare associated with religious intolerance.
Example: In ancient times, so-called “dark ages”, the religion was forced to people in cruel way declared as “holy wars”. Though, the reasons for conquer of the lands were to broaden the boundaries, possess the agriculture territories and trading centers. Neusner, J. & Chilton, B. (2008). Religious Tolerance in World Religions | Templeton Press. Templetonpress.org.
In the book Beyond Tractability it says religion serves as a way for people to distinguish themselves from others. Just like the way people use ethnic groups and race to distinguish themselves from others. Religion now serves the same purpose [2]. So now just like the way we have racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination, there is religious discrimination. NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION ON SOCIETY