Why Should I Care? I'm Not Religious
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| Jehovah Witnesses Preaching. jw.org |
First things first, according to E. Brooks Holifield, an American religious historian, “Sixty percent of Americans say that religion is ‘very important’ to them.” Of course, this only included whether they are religious and not necessarily what type of religion they follow. However, it still shows that more than half of American population is dedicated to their religious affiliations. And then there is the 40% of American who believe religion is not important to them. But which religion is the most followed in America? In a 2007 Pew Survey on Religion and Public Life, “about 83% of Americans expressed a religious preference, 61% were official members of a local house of worship, and 39% attended religious services at least weekly.” Out of these percentages, slightly more than half of Americans say their religious preference is Protestant, while about 24% call themselves Catholic.
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| Source: Data from Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. (2008). U.S. religious landscape survey. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. |
Because more than half of American are ignorant to religion, it can make sense as to why many do not understand why Jehovah witnesses or Mormons bother going door to door trying to get the word of God passed on to as many people as possible. As stated on the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jesus would send out his followers to make disciples of people of all nations and told them to go to the homes of people. After Jesus’ death, the generations following continued to spread their message by going door-to-door. The same ideas are carried in the Mormon church as well. However, because of many people's ignorance of their ideas and beliefs, many of them are treated rudely and simply ignored because they attempt to spread their religion or try to convert them.
A simple search on Google on how to stop Jehovah witnesses or Mormons from coming to one's door brings up many forums of people complaining about how they are constantly 'harassed' by them and ask ways in which they can be stopped. Many people respond by saying to just slam the door in their face or try to challenge their beliefs. Others responded by placing no trespassing signs and threatening to call the police on them. Because many of them are unaware of the reason Jehovah witnesses or Mormons go door-to-door, they resort to treating them rudely. Many people do not like being told what to believe in or what they should be doing, so they resort to treating them rudely.
With more and more religions being brought into American Culture, many Americans can become ignorant to those who attempt to convert them or to those religions that are not a part of the main known religions practiced. Of course, it is never too late to become knowledgeable of different religions to become less ignorant of those who try to spread the word of God.
This is a really timely post; my family is not religious but we were invited to a neighbor's family's church for an Easter play. Now, I did grow up Catholic, though, so I'm not unaware of proper comportment in a church. But my daughter thinks they're only places people go when they die (she's been to quite a few funerals). What you try to do here is exactly the Believing Game in action. You try to understand why those groups go door-to-door. You explain that it's part of many Christian's beliefs to missionize and spread the word. Understanding that position makes knowing how we manage our interactions in the future with a bit more finesse (even if we still say "no"!). That knowledge can go a long way toward community building.
ReplyDeleteI was really interested in your post's topic as it has a lot of personal meaning. Growing up, my family would go to church, but as we got older, other tasks and events took priority. That in itself shows my family's value on religion. It's not that we don't value it at all, it's just not number one on the list. As for myself, as I grew, I aligned more with the side of science. Certain things that religion will talk about, science will dispute. So, while I like to believe in a something greater, I don't align myself with any title. Now for your post, I really liked how you used the data. Your first data set was the "sixty percent" of Americans who feel religion is important. You then went on to dissect that, which was awesome. Overall, great post!
ReplyDeleteLike Troy, I was also intrigued by your topic and your title of this post. I read through this thinking you would talk about why people weren't religious, but it turned out to be a lot more than that! I respect that you spoke on the different types of religions and conversion, which I've experienced quite a lot of. My immediate family only attends church but once a year, and is somewhat religious: Methodist, although my mom was baptized Catholic (I think this is how it works). Me and my sister however, tend to not believe in any higher power; we grasp to the belief of science and that everything happens because of a reasonable explanation. I would like to believe in reincarnation, that we get to live again, but personally I don't know if there is a soul /to/ pass on, since I'm a firm believer of reasonable bodily functions and that there isn't a pocket in one's body for a shiny, glowing soul. This is why I personally am afraid of death-- I don't know what happens after.
ReplyDeleteI see where religious people come from: their beliefs are comforting to them, and help them through life. I understand it, but I can't get behind it; just like some people don't like mustard, I don't belong to a religion. It's, simply, just not for some people.
I think you hit it right on the head by saying many people do not like being told what to do. I think that shows how we treats others. Some people end up taking their annoyance on Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons while others try to be as polite as they can. I feel like if you feel like you can’t be respectful that day they knock on the door, you shouldn’t open the door then. It always good to educate yourself on things even if you might not agree with it. Great blog post!
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