(Answered)-Cultural Relativism in America Name: Institution Affiliation: - (2025 Updated Original AI-Free Solution
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Cultural Relativism in America
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Cultural Relativism in America
Across the globe, most of the cultural grounds in the society are based on the religion that the society have. Beliefs and attitudes in the minds of the people in the American society draw their direction of the population in the community. In America, the large population is believed to belong to the Christianity beliefs. The majority of the Americans were considered to base their faith on the Christianity grounds compared to the Americans who had their faith in the Islamic religion. These beliefs have remained the primary distinction of the Americans in terms of attitudes and the way of life. Additionally, the difference between the two religious groups make it difficult for the two groups of people to have a common faith in the way they conduct their way of life.
According to the census done in 2001, 73% of Americans belonged to the Christianity faith. Compared to the Muslims as well as other religions in the American society, the Christianity believers have taken the drive of the culture of people of the Americans. Despite the division of Christianity religion, the denominations have taken the significant portion of the American population though the statistics indicate that the population has declined over time. The 2001 census showed that the Christianity in 1990 83% of the people were Christians with decline up to 73% in 2001. The paper is to determine the reason the why Christianity is active in the American Society. It is also intended to enhance a better understanding of my culture as a Christianity and the Islamic motive of the terror attack against the Christians. The rival between the two religious groups has made the American culture to be based on the religious grounds (Boyer, 2001).
Christianity was introduced to America as well as other countries through the colonial ruling that was led by the European countries as the main colonial mothers. In America, the Christianity culture grew wide compared to other religions as most of the colonial visitors had embraced the Christianity faith. Comparing to the spread of Islamic faith in America to the Christianity faith, the faith was, more acceptable to the American people especially the slaves who accepted the faith to be the consolation for the pain and suffering they faced. Moreover, the whites also accepted the faith as the civilized way to worship (Boyer, 2001). The extent to which the Christianity grew was more than the expected rate in the American land. However, the growth rate of the Christianity belief had been declining with time especially with modernization and diversity in education matters.
Christianity in America has remained strong in making the way of life for the Americans improved. The education system has increased the awareness of the religion in the country. The religious has been introduced in the education system. It has made the religion to impact on the way of life for the young generation. Additionally, the majority of the American have grown in the Christian faith that makes them believe and offer them the spiritual consolation to the believers. Development of religious institutions that offer religious studies on Christianity has also made the religion to grow enormously in the past as well as the present. Though the modern faith is quite low, the church has made it simpler and interesting for the believers to remain in the church (Boyer, 2001).
Though the Christianity belief has divided into several beliefs such as Roman Catholic, mainline Protestants, and the evangelicals, the division have made the churches reach more people in America. The American evangelists have identified better ways of strengthening the religion by developing better ways to serve the believers spiritual challenges and other ordinal life challenges. The pastors and evangelists have taken it to be their responsibility to assist the followers with their critical personal problems facing them in their lives. The use of prosperity gospel in their sermons has made it interesting to their followers. Additionally, it has enabled the believers to strengthen faith in the religion (Boyer, 2001). More so, the relationship between the believers and the church leaders has made the relationship between them to improve. These strategies have made the Christianity faith spread further among the Americans from the ancient founding parents to the young generation in the American society.
Notably, the media and the press have also contributed to the strong effect of the Christianity religion in the country. The use of the press by the religious organization to print the religious materials has made many people access the religious materials. The importance of these press and media channels is to ensure the majority of the people to access religious materials especially the Christianity materials. Moreover, the radio and television programs ensure that people have spiritual feeding anytime they listen to the media. Establishment of religion base television and radio facilities has also led to the great spread of the religion. To lay emphasis on the program further, the press and media usage to spread the gospel to many has made the people establish good grounds on the American culture. In addition to meeting the spiritual goal of the believers, the prosperity gospel has made the religion business grow faster in the country. Notably, the Protestants has led the prosperity in religious business in America and across the globe (Boyer, 2001).
According to Boyer, 2001, one of the major drawbacks to the Christianity growth in the American Society and the World as well is the nature of education in the society. Currently, the nature of democracy taught in the American soil has made the nature and the strength of the Christianity beliefs to decline over time. Secularism have also overtaken the new generation breaking the strong religious grounds established by ancient fathers and mothers. More so, the young parents have adopted the secularism way of life, unlike the older parents who based their way of life in the religion. Despite the increased secularism in the way people live in the America, a large group of people has remained strong in their Christianity faith.
Contrary to the increased spread of Christianity religion in America, the rival faith in terms of size and faith, Islam, has posed a greater challenge to the faith and the believers. The decision made by the Islamic religion groups have increased the terror attacks on the Christianity believers. The superiority rivalry between the two faiths has led to the increased terror threat against the Christian believers. The terror attackers are believed to use the religious grounds to attack the counter religion, Christianity. According to Atran, 2003 the suicide bombers were thought to be fighting with the opposers of the religion. It was believed to be the holy war that would enable the Islamic faith to spread across the world. Though the spread of the religion has increased without much antagonism from other religions, the religion failed to meet the spread extent of the Christianity faith.
The religion illiteracy among the suicide bombers is the primary factor that made them take their actions. According to Atran, 2003, the suicide bombers were considered to be wealthy and well educate people from not only the Arabic world but also from other countries and racial distinctions. Notably, the religion illiteracy has made the believers in the Islamic faith to be used in suicide bombing without their clear consent on the matter. The superiority of the two religion has led the Islamic faith and groups to initiate the holy war as it is termed to facilitate the spread of the faith. Conversely, the actions are termed as terror actions by the Christians in America as well as other people across the globe. Additionally, the poverty level and little knowledge on the religion matters have made the young people martyr themselves in the name of the Islamic religion. However, a better understanding of the Islamic religion to define the reason the young, educated and economically well-off men and women offer their lives for the ungrounded beliefs in the religion (Atran, 2003).
To sum up with, the religious grounds are the basic grounds of the American culture. Basing its roots in the colonial history Christianity has established its roots in the American soil more than expected. Though the statistics indicate there has been a decline in the number of believers, Christianity has remained the dominant religion in America. The education system, media, and evangelistic promotion have been the gearing forces for the spread of Christianity in the country. However, the superiority antagonism of the Christianity and Islamic has made it increase the number of suicide bombers in America and across the globe. The motive of the suicide bombers has remained the question among the Americans and other religions in the world.
References
Atran, S. (2003). Genesis of suicide terrorism. Science, 299(5612), 1534-1539. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
Boyer, P. (2001). Two Centuries of Christianity in America: An Overview. Church History, 70(3), 544