Santos, Maria Farina Kim L.

IV AB International Studies

December 9, 2011

A Reflection Paper on an article entitled, Religion By: Suruchi Thapar-Bjorkert and Laura J. Sheperd

When I was still a little child, I was always reminded that I am a child of God. I grew up in a belief that my parents are only my earthly parents and that God is my heavenly parent. I was always reminded that I should act in accordance to God - to his will, to his commands, and to his words. Growing up in a conservative catholic family, as well as attending a catholic school until college, I was somewhat molded to be a God-fearing and God-loving person. My aunt, a nun for about 30 years now, have always and is still visiting us every now and then to read us bible stories every night, pray the rosary every night, and afterwards, to sleep together in one bedroom. It will always be that way. I was always submissive to bible stories and the teachings of the church, until I enrolled myself in International Studies in Miriam College. International Studies did not really deviate me away from God, but it did open my mind very widely, very expansively that I became an understanding, encompassing, and unbiased catholic woman. I began to identify myself with other people, race, gender, ethnicity, cultures, class, and nationality. I became more aware of the fact that it is not only my religion that is morally correct. I began to appreciate those who are others and not of my own, that although religion sparks traditional conflict and political misunderstandings, still, it can be both a powerful unifying and divisive force. Religion is one of the prevailing reasons for cultural disparities and misconceptions. It is a factor of discrimination, oppression, and violence within and outside the territorial borders of every country. The infamous West vs East as depicted in the very first parts of the reading, is I think, less of a fight of political ideologies, but more of a fight between honed cultures embedded in

teachings of what the people believe in. In terms of the author, it is the fight between the civilized European vs the imperiled Muslim Woman and the dangerous Muslim Man. Personally, I found this clash not really surprising but deeply entrenched in the conflicting teachings of every religion. It makes me think deeply and curiously about how did the world, the only planet that human beings are living in, grew to have different sets of faith and belief that can be a serious reason of contention and dissension. Answering my question and logically speaking, I can assume, and only assume that this resulting differences in religion emanates from the earth not having one supercontinent that all people can fit into. Earth is made of up different territories, scattered across its surface, separated by big bodies of water and massive land formations. Therefore, it also creates scattered group of people with different beliefs. The West had always view the East, particularly the Muslims, as opponents, as demonic religion of apostasy, blasphemy, and obscurity just because they do not submit to the West and still struggle to not be under their rule .The East in return, views the West as a destroyer of their faith, as bringers of destruction to their beloved kingdom of God. But I think, there are still issues far deeper and more serious than the West vs the East it is the role of Religion as a catalyst in Political misunderstandings and the hostilities of the perception of a woman ingrained in their being either a Muslim or a European. Culture and Religion have always been intrinsically linked. Together, they shaped the mind of people about their roles, their place in society, and how to act. Together, they became a vehicle for stereotyping and a means of oppression and discrimination, therefore resulting to the cultural violence. Going back to my own experiences as a child, I was always thought to be loving and be gentle because I am girl; a little girl who will be a good wife and a loving mother. I should be the one, alongside with my mother, to hold my family together. While my nun aunt have always brought me to masses, to volunteering works, and to care for others, she lectures my brothers about how they should protect me and my mother, how they should stand up for the family, and be manly all the time.

Comparing this situation to a much larger context, I think instilling in people that they should do this and not do that, is grooming these people to meet the expectations of the society and of other people. With this, I began connect culture and religion in the sense that culture norms traditional ways are always justified by religion. Justifying actions in the name of religion that will eventually lead to suppression of real identity is an irony. For me, religion should be a means of emancipation, not a tool of labeling and typecasting. Religion should free people, but others have used it as a vehicle to suppress humanity. Religion has become an irony in itself. I remember reading in an article years ago about Pope Benedicts speech about homosexuality. I quote, saving humanity from homosexual behavior is as important as saving the rainforest from destruction. During those years, I did not really care about it. In fact, I dont even know why the analogy fits. But today, it means a lot to me, it even means everything. Homosexuality, I dont know what other people think, but for me, it is an expression of humanity, it is what it means to have faith to be liberated, to be emancipated from stereotypical norms. I think that when people start to shun everything that is not of their own kind, it will mark the advent of true religion. In the same light, and as I have mentioned earlier, religion can be a catalyst of Political misunderstandings. This is really evident in not just of todays time but also of the earlier generations where religions are purported as reasons for waging wars in honor of kings, queens, and thrones. Today, religion and politics have become more linked than ever. Together, they support racial slaughtering. Together, they perform ethnic cleansing. Together, they do the most thrilling and conniving secrecies in the world. And I thought all along that there should be an absolute separation of the state and the church. But evidently speaking, be it in the Philippines, or in other countries, religion and politics have always been tied together - worst, have even made steps together towards world domination.

I am currently reading Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. I am still finishing the book, but describing it - it is based on a true story of an economic hitman that works for a seemingly dangerous game of foreign aid and manipulation, far more dangerous than a simple conspiracy. Nonetheless, in that book, the great disparity between the underdeveloped countries and the developed countries can be seen. It is always the developing countries that give aid to the underdeveloped countries. But far more intriguing is the connivance of religion and politics at play. There is no direct mentioning of a catholic church, or of any famous catholic symbols, but the word play suggests otherwise. When I said that religion can be a catalyst of political misunderstandings, I do not only limit the meaning to violence and such. I also mean discrepancy and gap in understanding the different class and ethnicity in the world. The great link between religion and political agendas is best described in the book in the situation where the U.S.A. gives aid to those underdeveloped countries like Indonesia simply because their religion are not consistent with the dominant religion of the U.S. Hence, they view Indonesia as others and with this, they can exploit this country even more through political and economic means. Giving Indonesia foreign aid is a sign of social contract where it labels that the U.S. is far more superior and modern than Indonesia, and therefore can ask favors and many other things. Going back to the topic, religion had not only performed unholy alliances between politics and honing of cultural identity, it has also made its way in the most mysterious and intrinsic web of personality and character of an individual. The belief of a certain community became a standard of what behavior and traits to follow as a child, teenager, girl, boy, woman, and man. But most especially, religion has undermined womens role starting from the earliest times until now. In most societies, women are seen as vulnerable and gentle, mostly because they are stereotyped as submissive and weak. They always suffer the multiple burdens of working at the house, in the productive sphere, and making time for the family. A woman is always equated with someone being protected. I always notice how a country is always referred to as the Mother Nation and how our

environment is always coined as Mother Nature or Mother Earth; yet God, the most powerful being, is always referred to as a He. Isnt it pitifully understandable when environmental campaigns raise posters and slogans with texts Man should protect Mother Nature or God has given us Mother Earth. I may be over-reading between the lines but I came to interpret those set of words as a patent of symbolism of the superiority of man over the inferiority of the woman. Another thing that comes to mind when I read the article is the over-arching but unnoticed display of the link between religion and behavior in childrens literatures, childrens songs, and childrens actions. They say that being a child is the most crucial stage of developing personality because it is where you pick-up important values that you will adopt later in your life. But children literatures are full of gender-bias issues and other discriminatory aspect. One very popular song with the children is Mary had a little lamb. Marys job is to protect the lambs, it can be seen as the stereotyped expectation that a woman should only tend and look after children. On literature, fairy tales are always depicted with a young martyr, self-sufficient, and depressed female lead, like Cinderella and Snow White, waiting for a handsome, glorious, and brave young prince to save them. It is manifestation of how children are planted with notions of what should be followed, and how they should act. As children, they have to carry on and live with these traits as they grow up. I was raised to be that way, but I grew out of it. I learned that reading literatures when you grow up is a way of neutralizing what was implanted to you when you were a child. Reading articles like these made me realize that the world is not really what you it is, but rather, there is always some mysteries in the world than can only be solved when you take some time and read about it. Religion, they say, is a way of shedding light to your life, it is a practical way to justify actions. Today, I do not stand in favor of organized and biased religions, but I do believe in God, a God that is both a mother and father, black, and white, classless, and ever so loving.