"God in America" Concept Map

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Reflection

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• Do you believe America is more of a secular or a religious country? Why?

America is a religious country. We have the moto” In God We Trust”. The reason we travelled here was to gain religious freedom. The country was established with religious means. For politicians to be voted for, Americans needs to know that they hold the same religious values. Many of our documentation for the country, such as the Declaration of Independence, involves religious freedom. Another habit through history, is that if someone were to have a different religion they go through percussion because of the religious stance of the country until they have completed fighting for their freedom.  There is also the fact that our car licenses can say in God we Trust, so perceptively we are looking at Christian signs on cars when we drive. During the course, my view of America being a Christian religion did not change. I knew how America had been founded and that many things involve the belief in God.

• What do you believe is a responsible relationship between religion and American culture? Explain.

I think that there will always be a relationship between religion and America. Granted we believe that there should be a separation, however, I think that a complete separation would be not possible. America votes on their beliefs and if they believe in religion it will be important for their values and morals for the country to reflect the beliefs that they share with their religion. There should be freedom for other choices to be available, but with politicians being voted for based on their religious beliefs also makes it difficult. American culture does deal with religion in many ways. It impacts who we are friends with and how someone might interact with us. I do feel that through the diversity of American, we are becoming more open to other views.

• How have you become more aware of your religious landscape?

I feel as though I am very aware of the religious landscape that we have here in America. Most people that you will run into are Christian or in Utah, LDS. There are hardly any churches that seem to be around in small rural areas of other faiths than the LDS faith in Utah. Catholic can be found more in the Salt Lake area. Also, by name it is hard to determine which the church is associated with which religion. I have met many people who used to be LDS but turned away from it. In the world around us, the means of finding another church or faith are hardly looked at. People in LDS are raised to believe that it is the only true church like I am sure many are. It almost becomes habit that you would not try to look for another church because you don’t believe that church to be true, but you can’t let go of the idea that you were told that it was the only true church. It can put a stop to openness. Over the course, I was surprised by some of the diversity that we do have in Utah. It is still dominated by LDS, but there are other religions that have been started out here like Summum. Many gatherings are offered to allow people to view the diverse cultures that surround them. They just have about a one percent showing up in the state. The class course opens you up to more opportunities to learn more about other cultures and religions that may not have passed your spectrum yet.

• In what ways do you believe our religious minorities are impacting the “public square”?

I feel like minorities religions are impacting the public square by allowing people more avenues of belief. They are able to choose a religion that resonates with them and fits in their schedule. Many times, church is overlooked because life does not allow the time it can take to sit through church. Being able to choose one that you are passionate about allows you to feel more inclined to find the time. People are also more likely to shop around for religions. They might pick one and still believe another because of the beliefs in both. Some may believe more in mediation and other practice religion rites within a family. People can also find religions for things that they loved when they were a child like the religion of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text or Jedism.

• How is this course connected to other courses you have taken and/or to your everyday life?

This course relates to other courses that focus on the medical field and patient care. To better care for patient, you need to know their beliefs and where they are coming from. Sometimes they need prayers or rites to be served before or after surgeries, and death. Depending on the religion they may not allow certain tools to be used, Care needs to allow to go around the patients schedule especially if its for prayer for example. Other religions may avoid care due to observing the sabbath day. Depending on the religion, there may be communication barriers that would come into play and how you can respect their beliefs. Some patients may come in and depending on the situation and their beliefs there may be nothing that you can do to assist because it would be against their beliefs. Some religions don’t believe in medical care and assisting would go against their wishes.