Author: Pamela

My research topic I have chosen today is “Why is changing religious teachings and adapting them to the changing moral and societal norms of the present day have such a negative impact?”. Religion was always a part of my life. At first it was something I believed in because of my parents but now it is something I find comfort in. However recently as I have been attending church more and with the changing society norms I have come to realize i do not agree with all the church teachings nor understand why others have not come to terms with the uprising change and failed to embrace those changes. For example with the inclusiveness of the LGBTQ+ community and the rights of a woman’s body to have an abortion.It is something i do not understand and have personal experience with. Not all churches/religions are the same but do follow similar beliefs. Like my church who teaches abortions are a sin and frowned upon but at the same time they teach that a woman’s body is her temple and she must protect it. One contradicting the other but they also don’t take into consideration the cruel world we live in. Not being able to support the child financially or if it was against their will. Another encounter i have came across is the acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community they also say i is a sin and frowned upon and yet again the bible says all people are gods kids but they refuse to acknowledge anyone part of that community. I hope to find answers as to why they contradict their own beliefs or find it so negative. I belive I am going to find that it is the older generation who is still stuck with those beliefs. I think I am going to find this because most of the younger generation is more open minded and understanding of these things. 

Religion was one of those things my mother said not to question but to rather go along with, and with time I would understand. However I am now almost 18 years old and still don’t quite understand but have created a relationship with. I have yet to get any answers to my questions. Why are there so many religions?Who created them?How do we know if any of the bible stories are true? These are all questions I had as a kid. When we would go to church I would sit there and listen to the bible verses and stories our priest would tell. I would start to wonder how any of this could be true. Sometimes there would be deacons who would answer our questions but of course with more bible verses or stories it, naturally as kids we would just keep asking “why?” until he would hush us away because he had ran out of answers and explanations to give us. My mother, who is very religious and a found believer, liked that I took an “interest” in religion but didn’t like all the questions I was asking. She would tell me “those are things you do not ask but leave to them to answer”. Who is “them”? Why “them”? This would naturally spark my interest more but out of respect to my mother I stopped asking so many questions. Nonetheless these questions would remain in the back of my mind. I vividly remember this one history teacher I had in 6th grade was very verbal about conspiracy theories along with other things. She would be the one to have an answer/explanation to my questions. She would give me her belief the scientifical belief and why others believe. In the end she would leave it up to us to formulate our own answers to our questions if there even was a clear answer to them. She was jewish but showed respect and insight about hers and other religions. She told students no question was dumb as long as we were willing to listen and think with an open mind. In my years of being in school I have only truly encountered two teachers who truly made me think of the bigger “why?”. Both being good encounters and great teachers changing my way of seeing and thinking about things.

 

After reading “A talk to the teachers” it made me think more deeply about what type of society we live in. What I think he is trying to say is that there is much more to the reality of this world than what they tell us. He mentions if those truths were to be taught exactly how they are we would be in chaos and things would be different. From my understanding James Baldwin is trying to tell us the education system teaches us what they want us to believe to keep us from questioning and almost for them to keep us under control. I believe the education system isn’t something that was made up entirely to help us but rather restrain us from learning about the real world. In my opinion we should have the “necessity” to question everything and everyone. The way I think of it, especially after seeing James Baldwin’s POV is you can’t rely on others(teachers) to tell you the truth about history and this world if they weren’t there to experience it. The education system is holding back on things that should be obligated for kids to learn. For example how to file taxes, how to set up a bank account, the first steps to live on your own different career paths and job options. There are some optional classes that offer these things however kids don’t know they should be learning these things if they were never mentioned in school. Some will argue it is a parents responsibility to teach their kids these types of things. However I disagree we go to school to learn how to read, write and learn about the world’s history of why it is the way it is, then why are any of these topics any different? If they are things we learn to use in the real world. Like James Baldwin mentions in the end of the the article if he was a teacher he would teach them to “he must never make his peace with it.’’ meaning it is up to them to use their energy and find their own answers not so much depend on the teachers.