Rodriguez 1

Christina Rodriguez
John Kubler
English 115
9 December 2014
Religion Brings Unity
In our present day society, religion and culture play a huge role in most peoples lives. Our
world is so diverse with many different beliefs and opinions about everything. It is only natural that
there are so many opposing views in the world, and some are so strong that they end up causing
mass conflict. For example, the Thirty Years War which began because of a conflict between
Protestants and Catholics. But the devotion that people feel and show towards their own beliefs,
show just how much of an impact religion and culture have on people. It is these different sets of
beliefs that bring different people together. They allow people to feel included, like they are a part
of something bigger, even if the group they are a part of is one with no religion, it is still a group
where these people do not feel alone. If everyone were to see religion this way and be able to
respect one anothers beliefs, our world would be accepting and thus minimizing conflict. It is when
we start to believe that our beliefs are superior than others that a true conflict arises. People begin to
believe that everyone should follow their faith because it is better or more valid than others, but if
we can begin to show that we respect all of the different religions and cultures, then maybe we can
finally stop, or at least limit, the conflict that arise between people of diverse backgrounds.
There are multiple situations where the respect of anothers religion could have avoided
conflict. In both court cases, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and Elane Photography v. Willock, there is a
group of people of one faith that is in conflict with people with different views. In the Hobby Lobby
case, the owners of the Hobby Lobby craft stores, the Green family, are trying to deny the right to
certain contraceptives to their female employees. The Green family stated that providing those 4
contraceptives would create a burden to their religion because they believe that in abortion, a human

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life is being terminated and they do not want to be contributors to this. While it is obvious that the
Greens beliefs should be respected, the rights and faith of their female employees should not be
pushed aside. As Justice Ginsburg argued in the dissent, I would conclude that the connection
between the families religious objections and the contraceptive coverage requirement is too
attenuated to rank as substantial. The requirement carries no command that Hobby Lobby or
Conestoga purchase or provide the contraceptives they find objectionable (Ginsburg 23). Basically,
Ginsburg is trying to explain that providing the coverage for the contraceptives for the women
would not cause a burden to the Green family because they are not the ones directly purchasing the
contraceptives and handing them to the women, instead they are merely providing money to the
health plans that are the ones that provide the actual contraceptives. Likewise in the Elane
Photography case, where a lesbian couple was denied services because the marriage went against
the religion of the photographer, it was argued that, Second, we conclude that the [New Mexico
Human Rights Act] does not violate free speech guarantees because the NMHRA does not compel
Elane Photography to either speak a government-mandated message or to publish the speech of
another (Elane Photography 3-4). In other words, the photographer from Elane Photography is not
burdened in any way to provide the services to the same-sex couple because she is not told to
change her views or to publically state that she agrees with same-sex marriage, even though she
does not. In fact, as it was clarified in the case, They may, for example, post a disclaimer on their
website or in their studio advertising that they oppose same-sex marriage but that they comply with
applicable antidiscrimination laws, this means that they can inform their customers about their
beliefs, but must still provide the service and not create any discrimination (Elane Photography 4).
Both cases provide examples of how not being able to respect each others views can create
conflict. Especially in the Elane Photography case, it is clearly shown how having respect for both
sides can create middle ground for the two opposing sides. The photographer can still state his/her
views just as the same-sex couple can have their own. As for the Hobby Lobby Case, the Green

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family can voice what they believe to their employees, but should still provide all the contraceptives
and let their employees make their own choices based on their own beliefs or circumstances.
As it was mentioned earlier, we start to create conflict when we begin to believe that what our
own faith teaches us is what is right. Multiple examples of this are illustrated in the book Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi. Right away at the start of the book, we read that The Islamic Revolution took
place 1979 and only a year later in 1980, Satrapi has to go to school with all girls and wear a veil
around her head. Many people did not like this, as Satrapi said, everywhere in the streets there
were demonstrations for and against the veil (Satrapi 5). The veil was forced on the women and
those who did not agree with it were obviously angered which caused a conflict among those who
believed in the veil and those who did not, which then creates the conflict of whether the people
who wear the veils are superior to those who dont or vice versa. If we could learn to respect each
other, these people could have lived fine together, those who agree with the veil would wear it and
those who disagree with it can go around without it. My point is not that people should be able to
bend the rules or disobey the law, but if it is something that does not obstruct someone elses
everyday life, such as wearing a veil or not, it should be a decision for the individual to make. As
Madeleine Albright emphasizes in her essay Faith and Diplomacy, In any conflict, reconciliation
becomes possible when the antagonists cease dehumanizing each other and begin instead to see a bit
of themselves in their enemy (Albright 39). Our conflicts with each other could be solved if only
we could see the similarities in each others beliefs instead of the differences. Such as in the case of
the veil, both opposing views want to live in peace without feeling like they are being forced to do
or wear something which they do not believe in. The two groups should focus on that part of the
matter, but instead they focus on the differing aspects of their beliefs, which is what creates the
conflict.
Another part in the book that sticks out is when the Iraqis bombed Tehran. After the event,
Satrapi goes on to rant as to why she dislikes the Iraqis so much arguing that, the Arabs never liked

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the Persians. Everyone knows that. They attacked us 1,400 years ago. They forced their religion on
us (Satrapi 81). The reason that Satrapi does not like the Iraqis is because they forced their religion
on them. This is an example of when someone feels their religion is superior to others. They
believed their own religion was better therefore they had to make sure everyone believed in the
same things. This creates mass conflict because, as I had mentioned before, everyone is different,
therefore, their beliefs would differ as well, so forcing a religion on someone would not be taken
lightly because it demonstrates ignorance and disrespect towards different beliefs. It is perfectly fine
to have your own opinions and beliefs, but keep them to yourself or within a group of the same faith
where you can freely practice whatever you believe in.
While I fully believe that religion is a positive thing that can actually solve conflicts instead
of create them, I realize that some might have a view opposing mine. Some might argue as John
Lennon did in his famous song Imagine when he writes, Imagine theres no heaven/ Its easy if
you try/ No hell below us/ Above us only sky/ Imagine all the people/ Living for today (Lennon 1).
Basically, John Lennon tries to argue that a world without religion would be best because religion
only causes conflict. I do agree that religion causes conflict, but that is because of the ignorance that
most of the world has towards other beliefs and any person who may be different than they are.
Furthermore, as Madeleine Albright expressed in her essay, The fault in such logic is that,
although we know what a globe plagued by religious strife is like, we do not know what it would be
like to live in a world where religious faith is absent (Albright 35). In other words, we do not know
of a world where religion does not exist, so how can we really know that it would truly be a better
world? When I think about a world where religion is absent, I see a world with nothing to live for
and nothing to believe in, like a world without meaning. We would not have faith, no heaven or
hell, no sin, and the world would be even more corrupt than it is now. It is natural to be different
and have different feelings about things, not everyones morals agree with the same ideas. John

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Lennon writes as if religion separates people, but in reality is it meant to bring people together who
have the same beliefs and give them a place where they can feel that they fit in.
The world could really be a better place if we could only learn to understand one another. It
has been said that communication is important in relationships, so if we want to have positive
relationships with other countries, we need to learn to communicate well and show that we
understand and respect their culture and religion. There is only conflict between religion because we
cant respect others and because we start to believe that we are better than them, but if we can
educate ourselves on all religions, we can learn why people do what they do, and we can also learn
how to prevent any further conflict with these people. I realize it is not an easy task to achieve
because of the simple fact of human nature. We are stubborn and do not want to see things in
others eyes because we are afraid that we might see something that may change our way of
thinking, but how can you truly decide what you believe in if you are not aware of all of the
different points of view in the world? It is not something simple to understand and accept someone
elses views when they are different than yours, but with time anything can change.

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Works Cited
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores. 35. Supreme Court of the United States. 30 June 2014. Print.
Elane Photography v. Vanessa Willock. 30. Supreme Court of the State of New Mexico. 22 Aug.
2013. Print.
Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2004. Print.
Albright, Madeleine Korbel., and William Woodward. "Faith and Diplomacy." The Mighty and the
Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. 3542. Print.
Lennon, John. Imagine. Imagine. Apple Records, 1971.