By Allison Dean
3 Controversies with Purely Religious Roots
Controversial issues in the U.S. are the subjects for which we go to the voting polls. Everyone has an opinion and they want that opinion to be heard. One of the primary reasons this country was founded was religious in nature. Protestants wanted the freedom to practice their religion and they were being prosecuted in England for it. Many of the controversial issues in the U.S. today have religion firmly planted at their roots. Ironically, much of the religion behind the movements involved in the controversies would force the dominant religion’s beliefs on those with differing religious views. On the right is a break-down of the U.S.’s religious demographics. The Catholic/Christian religion in dominate. Those religions categorized as “other,” include such religions as Muslim, Jewish, Pagan, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. Those religions categorized as “non-religious,” include those with Humanistic, Agnostic, Atheistic, and no religious beliefs.
A Women’s Right to Abortion
Abortion has always been a controversial issue. What the controversy boils down to is that those that oppose it generally condemn abortion as the murder of an innocent child. And because the majority of the U.S. is faithful to the Christian/Catholic religion, a major opponent to abortion, this condemnation is at the brunt of the controversy. However, even non-dominant religions in the U.S. condemn abortion, e.g. the Muslim religion. Though abortion has been legal since the early 1970s, the issue still rages today and finds state governments making the process for women to get abortions either more or less difficult depending on the state’s political party affiliation.
Gay Citizens’ Right to Marriage
Currently, same-sex marriage has been legalized in only 12 states and the federal government does not recognize it. As of 1996, the federal government passed the Defense of Marriage act, which officially defined marriage as only that between a man and a woman. The base of the same sex marriage issue is purely religious. The Catholic Church as well as various Christian denominations and non-dominant religions condemn same-sex marriage. And the definition passed by the federal government for marriage was also obviously influenced by religion. Whether or not anyone will admit it, who/what else defines marriage, a human created social institution, as between a man and woman other than religion?
Teenage Sex Education
Teenage pregnancy is a big problem in the U.S. In 2009 alone, over 400,000 children were born to girls between the ages of 15 and 19; this does not include births to those younger than 15. As a result of the problem, the topic of sex education in schools has been controversial. Proponents believe that through education, less teens will either engage in sexual activity and those that do will be less likely to become pregnant. Opponents, whose arguments have religious foundations, argue that sex education encourages sex by giving children and teenagers information on something they wouldn’t know about otherwise; their denunciation of sex education is ultimately a condemnation of pre-marital sex, which they believe will happen more frequently with sex education.
These are only three issues in which religion plays a major role in a U.S. controversy. And again what is truly ironic about the role religion plays in these controversies is that if successful, as in the case of same-sex marriage, religious views are ultimately being forced on those who do not share them despite our country being founded in the hopes of a religiously free nation.
Allison Dean is a writer bringing to us examples of how religion is rooted at the majority of controversial issues in the U.S.
Allison also writes about Medical Malpractice Lawyers.
