PHILOSOPHY
Respond to the following paragraph. You can either agree or disagree with it. response, should be 150 words
The article "Judging Religion" by Sullivan was quite interesting. In her text, we can appreciate how she develops the constant conflict there is between religion and government. In one-way or another, the government takes decisions upon what we can do and what we cannot, no matter what religion we choose.
One example that she mentions in her article, that supports the statement above, was Sasnett v. Sullivan in which the right of prisoners was in debate. "The Wisconsin state correctional system" had the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which challenged the use of wearing religious jewelry, and limited the religious publications that prisoners could keep in their cells.
In the article by Sullivan, she mentioned the feeling of different prisoners in regards to how they felt about not being able to have their cross.
The different people that shared their comments in regards to their feelings, they all demonstrated one way or another that their cross, was an item of value to them because it either brings them close to God, it is a point of reference that they have changed their personality and now they are a ‘new' individual, or that they believe having their cross around their neck is like having God with them.
All the testimonies demonstrated that their cross was not a way to show their religion or to use it as a weapon, much rather they all showed that the cross they possessed was an "anchor" that kept them going and gave them strength to fulfill their sentence in jail or if they have death sentence to be able to make the best of their time left and change their ways of living.
Sullivan claims in her article that "What makes America work is the democratic conversation, not a uniform commitment to shared symbols and values." I believe that this statement means that America works through the use conversation and trying their best to resolve conflicts.
I agree with the following words, "In his testimony the common ground is not rules that are uniformly applied but a process which can make prison work, a process of negotiation and adaptability..." America is a country where there is a lot of diversity and therefore, one must try to negotiate and adapt with each other's religious beliefs, culture, and have respect for each other.
Therefore, once again, I agree with the following words, "This flexibility is not cynical but comes out of a real respect for the individual and for cultural difference..." America is a country that has respect for the diversity of the different individuals that exists in our society.