After signing the executive order to impose “new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States”, Donald Trump said he would prioritize bringing in Christian refugees, over any other refugees. His argument is that Christian refugees have been “horribly treated” and that not enough of them are granted asylum compared to Muslim refugees. Simon Henshaw, of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, said that although Christians made up about 10 percent of Syria’s prewar population, they comprised only about 1 percent of those who have fled, which may explain as to why the percentage of admitted Christian refugees is lower than that of Muslim refugees. Additionally, Christian, Jewish, and other refugee-focused programs have actually condemned efforts to exclude Muslims or to prioritize members of one religion over another.
I was able to connect this article to McGuire’s chapter about Religion, Social Cohesion, and Conflict. McGuire makes the argument that those whose religions fit the dominant society’s “image” of a religious community will gain acceptance more readily than marginalized ethno-religious groups. I believe that is what we’re seeing here in Trump’s executive order. This is also fueled through a sense of nationalism which Trump is also promoting. With nationalism, there always has to be an enemy – in this case being “radical Islamic terrorists”. This also ties in with religious particularism because we are seeing Trump view Christianity refugees as more valuable to resettle into the country. It’s extremely problematic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-christian-refugees-syria_us_588bb872e4b0b065cbbbf26f

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rings-of-peace-canada-mosques_us_5894f9d1e4b040613137020f?section=us_religion

In Chapter 6 McGuire highlights  the different roles religion can play within a society. Two ways she proposed was that it helped to hold a society together through cohesion, while the other suggested religion tears a society a part. However, it is clear that religion can do both at the same time.

An article entitled ‘Ring of Peace’ Surround Canada’s Mosques in Wake of Deadly Attack  posted on The Huffington Post portrayed McGuire’s depictions well. In Toronto Canada a group of individuals from multiple religions stood in solidarity around the Islamic Center. Last week a gunman open fired in a Canadian Mosque. He killed six individuals and injured nineteen. In response to this, others held hands around their local Islamic Center protecting it and sending a message that despite their religion, they are humans.

Throughout recent years Islamophobia has become more prevalent. There have been religious extremists from different religions both aiding Islamophobia and trying to prevent it. I think this article is an example that while extremism and fear can tear a society a part by means of religion, religion can also bring people together to fight against this.

There have been many controversies surrounding the Catholic church and allegations of sexual abuse by prominent clergymen spanning across countries, many of them from decades earlier, so who is to say what has yet to be revealed. In an article for The Guardian on Monday February 6^th, Melissa Davey wrote on yet another instance of sexual abuse allegations, this time by an Australian cardinal, George Pell. Davey writes that Australian police “have been investigating allegations that Pell exposed himself to three young boys at Torquay life-saving club in Victoria in the summer of 1986-1987” (Davey, The Guardian, 2/6/17). Pell has continued to reject all allegations of sexual abuse brought against him, and has willingly participated in police interviews after they traveled to the Vatican to find him where Pell manages the Vatican’s finances. Additional allegations against Pell include him repeatedly touching former St. Alipius students’ genitals while swimming with them in Ballarat in 1978-1979. In chapter 6 of McGuire, she writes on some of the boundaries between members of an official religion and those deemed as “outsiders”. This boundary presents itself in many of the workings of the Catholic church, including these pedophilia and sexual assault controversies because by looking at the dates, one can interpret that there must have been at least an inkling of previous knowledge during these occurrences. But nothing was said until fairly recently, perhaps because of the generally clear boundaries that the Catholic church declared “their business”, and what should be told to outsiders. Until people started to come forward and break the previously set boundaries by the church, the public was ignorant to what was truly happening behind closed doors.

Currently, there is a legal separation of Church and State within America. Although religion (Christianity) and American culture are intertwined, there are still laws set in place keeping the United States a secular government. However, recently in the news, Trump wants to repeal one of the amendments made in 1954, which bans organizations (including charities and churches) from engaging in political activity, pertaining to campaigns. Not surprisingly, 60% of Republican believe that churches should be able to express political views, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center Poll. As we learned in class, conservative religion is on the rise in America compared to liberal religion, as many who are more liberal in their ideals tend to identity as “spiritual” or unaffiliated now. The religious right, a conservative Christian organization would benefit greatly from repealing this amendment, advancing anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ agendas. Allowing the conservative religious voice to be heard in elections and campaigns would greatly favor Trump and the republican party.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-johnson-amendment_us_5893984de4b0c1284f24ece4?section=us_religion

According to a news article by Libba Holland, a parent of a sixth-grade student at a school in Dorchester County, North Carolina complained about her child’s religious homework assignment. The assignment was about Islam and it also had questions regarding the students’ religious beliefs. Education officials in South Carolina say that it is important for students to get a feel for other religions, not just the ones that are presented to them at their homes. The goal for the district is to have teachers teach their students about religion without a bias or their opinions added. This way, the students can learn about the history of the religion and develop an appreciation and understanding of the world and our diverse society.

If religions hold societies together, why would it be a problem for students to learn about the different religions in their country? The parent of the student in North Carolina seems to have an “exclusivist” view of the society, meaning that they are aware of religion and what it does but they only want it done their way. I think it is important, however, to educate people about different religions present in our society in order to prevent fear from ignorance.

http://counton2.com/2017/02/07/parent-concerned-over-students-religion-assignment/

In the small town of Rienzi, Mississippi, tensions have started to boil over between religious and non-religious groups. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) Members of the town have held rallies and protests after their mayor was forced to take down the Christen flag that flew over one of the town’s parks. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) This happened because the atheist organization, Freedom from Religion Foundation, threatened to sue the city for $500,000 if the mayor did not remove the flag. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) The mayor felt he had no choice since it’s such a small town and they can’t afford such a huge lawsuit. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) The town’s people however, are mainly Christian, and they felt this was wrong. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) Since then, they’ve been holding these rallies in support of flying the Christian flag in this public area. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) Meanwhile, at the next town board meeting, there will be a discussion on what further action should be taken. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) This situation is like an elaborate game of tug-a-war; trying to satisfy both the atheists and the Christians. This demonstrates how religion can, in some ways, both bring people together and tear people apart. This situation has brought all the Christian people together to fight for the same cause. At the same time, this situation has divided religious and non-religious people. It really poses an interesting problem. This Christian flag and Christianity really seem to be a part of this town’s identity and to have an outside group come in and tell them it’s not allowed, it’s kind of understandable why the town’s people would be so upset. In the end though, only time will tell how this scenario will end.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has proven to be just as timeless as it is troublesome. Today, the Israeli government passed a bill into law that allows Israel to seize private Palestinian land for the use of Jewish settlements. This bill serves to protect Jewish homes that were built on Palestinian land, and thus were threatened for destruction. This bill, in theory, will protect those Jewish settlements from being destroyed. However, this protection may be temporary, as the law is extremely controversial and likely to be challenged in higher courts. The bill passed 60 to 52, and thus clearly has strong support. Israel’s Prime Minister and world leader Netanyahu is excited by the bill and believes that it will be invaluably helpful to Israeli settlers. The bill does not, however, escape criticism. Many people, both Jewish and otherwise, are worried that this legislation will turn the world against Israel, and is robbing Palestinian land. Some critics are also worried that the bill is illegal, and subjects the Middle East to more violence. Sean Spicer, from the Trump Administration, worries that this bill “may not be helpful” in means of achieving peace.

This current events provides an example for Mcguire’s argument that religion can both bring people together and pull them apart. The Israeli-Palestine Conflict is a classic example of just that– conflict. For those countries, religion is very much an appendage of their culture, and thus arguments over history and property rights cause rift, even if it means religious values are compromised in the process. This new bill is another component of a very complicated and deep rooted conflict between religious practices in the Middle East.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/israel-passes-bill-to-seize-private-palestinian-land-for-jewish-settlements/2017/02/06/b6d14220-ec90-11e6-a100-fdaaf400369a_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-world%3Ahomepage%2Fcard&utm_term=.3a80071c1ae3

There are many reasons why a person wouldn’t get a job, but is their name part of the equation? A study done by BBC found that if you have a name like Mohamed, compared to Adam, you are three times less likely to get an interview for a job. This study was conducted by sending out two resumes with the exact same qualifications and skills to 100 different job opportunities. The only difference was the same they placed at the top; one was Adam Henton and the other was Mohamed Allam. Adam was offered 12 interviews, while Mohamed was offered four. This is a relatively small sample size but it does aline with larger academic studies that have been done.  According to research by the Research Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol “Muslim men are 76% less likely to be employed than their white Christian counterparts.”  One man Yogesh Khrishna Davé recalls when he first enter the job market and sent in his resume with his name on it, and another exact one that had the John Smith. He then states, “John Smith got the interview. I got rejected for the interview.” This shows the employment bias due to ones name. In much of our society, people have scapegoated muslims as “less then” due to the extremists in their religion. So they throw out anyone they consider to be muslim simply because of their name, making life extremely more difficult for them on an everyday basis.

Adesina, Zack, and Oana Marocico. “Is It Easier to Get a Job If You’re Adam or Mohamed?” BBC News. BBC, 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

As the presence of religion in politics remains relevant in today’s America, hot button issues such as abortion are still hotly debated by many religious right activists. In chapter 8 Chaves writes on the polarization of political parties in response to more extreme religious ideologies felt by the Republican party. The polarization and the presence of the religious right remains extremely relevant today, especially with decades old issues still being fought over. With the knowledge that these issues will continue to be fought over, the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and whomever fills that seat will have great influence over whether conservative Republican party will stand strong with their power in a Drumpf society. It has been announced that Drumpf nominated Neil M. Gorsuch as his pick to fill the late Scalia’s seat. In David G. Savage’s piece, In Mold of Scalia, His Hero for the L.A. Times, he states, “The conservative jurist is best known for upholding religious liberty rights in the legal battles over Obamacare.”. Knowing his stances on protecting religious freedoms in the past gives us insight to his priorites, such as The Little Sisters of the Poor v. Burwell, a case that granted The Little Sisters their religious liberty in abstaining from providing birth control as according the Obamacare regulations, makes . It will be interesting to see how his reputation for protecting religious freedoms and liberties unfold, especially considering the restrictions brought against Muslims from Drumpf’s newly employed Muslim ban. Will Gorsuch stand by his reputation of protecting religious freedoms, or does that only occur when offenses against his own faith or present?