Help me...

[cynder]

So for my English final, we have to do a speech in front of the class about any controversial topic. Since my teacher banned all my favorite ones like animal rights and global warming, I picked using God and religion to justify wars, or make them "holy". I don't think it should be done, because there is no religion I know of that is built on a basis of hate, and moreover, most of them are built on a foundation of love and peace. However, I'm having trouble finding sources to back up my point, and I'm doomed if I can't site any sources. I'm starting to think I should have chosen a different topic, but I have to stick with this one because I'm presenting on Wednesday.

I'm researching the "big three" religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Can anyone point me in the right direction, or have any ideas as to evidence I can use to back up my point?

[koneill08]

Originally Posted by cynder

So for my English final, we have to do a speech in front of the class about any controversial topic. Since my teacher banned all my favorite ones like animal rights and global warming, I picked using God and religion to justify wars, or make them "holy". I don't think it should be done, because there is no religion I know of that is built on a basis of hate, and moreover, most of them are built on a foundation of love and peace. However, I'm having trouble finding sources to back up my point, and I'm doomed if I can't site any sources. I'm starting to think I should have chosen a different topic, but I have to stick with this one because I'm presenting on Wednesday.

I'm researching the "big three" religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Can anyone point me in the right direction, or have any ideas as to evidence I can use to back up my point?

Well from the judaic and christian view, the bible would be a good source. It's been used to justify wars, and it's been used to justify pacifism.

[bnmoore]

Pick any war and look beneath the surface justification. It's there. Or pick any battle within a war. They usually start with a prayer. You can even use the US Civil War if you like. Being of Irish Ancestry and Northern Ireland in particular I could point to Belfast. That could be really confusing. Which side is more Christian? Does God like Catholics or Protestants best? I've seen little evidence that either believes God is Love.

[stav]

Originally Posted by cynder

So for my English final, we have to do a speech in front of the class about any controversial topic. Since my teacher banned all my favorite ones like animal rights and global warming, I picked using God and religion to justify wars, or make them "holy". I don't think it should be done, because there is no religion I know of that is built on a basis of hate, and moreover, most of them are built on a foundation of love and peace. However, I'm having trouble finding sources to back up my point, and I'm doomed if I can't site any sources. I'm starting to think I should have chosen a different topic, but I have to stick with this one because I'm presenting on Wednesday.

I'm researching the "big three" religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Can anyone point me in the right direction, or have any ideas as to evidence I can use to back up my point?

That's a great topic! Should be really easy to find appropriate materials.

It's a very easy topic to develop. Start with this--global news. Consider the conflict in the Middle East, the propagation of hate through the creation of fundamentalism in religion.

It's not 'religion' per se, but how certain sectors interpret biblical and other scriptures to justify killing. You could apply an 'exegetical method' by going back to the scriptures and infering what was and was not being meant, at the time, in the various chapters of the bible.

In particular, St Paul's presence is particularly controversial. He strikes furious debates from opposing poles, everywhere.

For example, the recent gay-hate laws in Uganda were to be put to parliament to be voted on. Those were going to justify the death penalty for homosexual acts. There was 3 years mandatory incarceration for people who did not report same-sex contact in 48 hours to the authorities. The inception of laws was caused by biblical literalists' narrow interpretation of certain chapters and verses in the Bible. St Paul and Corinthians, case in point, and likewise for Romans, and Timothy. Those laws were put to rest--not voted on, through the combined global outcry that included a petition signed by millions (I was on that Good Shepherd's list he he).

If I were doing the essay, I would be arguing that biblical literalists interpret certain scripts in isolation, taking those as 'god's word'.

To widen the argument away from homosexuality, the delicate issue of the Martyr (in the Eastern scriptures--do I need to be more obvious. Just being delicate here online). Those people who kill themselves in the name of 'god' and take out others with them.

It's pretty easy to

i) argue how the martyr is being immoderate, clinging on to tiny pieces of scripture, in isolation and
ii) using that to justify killing.

To deepen the analysis, one can talk about how those events come into being. For example, families scarred by abuse, imperialism from outside nations--deaths in war, causes terrible terrible rifts in communities. People grow up hating the 'other' the 'outsider' whose 'religion is not my own'. They lose sight of the big picture - that your 'God' is our 'God' but you worship your God the way you know, through what your culture teaches you, and through the propagation of ritual and tradition. You grow to recognise only 'my world and my religion' as valid, and are taught to fear and hate 'your' (the other's) religion.

The tragic tragic irony is that the three biggest religions in this world (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) share a common origin in the Father Abraham! So - all three trace their genesis to Abraham - and at some point in time, the three religions diverged. Local pockets of culture interpreted 'God' differently from that time forwards. They squabble over Jesus's role in the unfolding of monotheism (monotheism means 'one ruling God'. Polytheism is an older religion like the ancient Greek pantheon of many gods). In the Islamic tradition, Jesus was important--a prophet--like Mohamed, but Jesus was not singularly 'the' most important prophet. In Judaism, Jesus plays a secondary role--there are other tenets of that religion that emerge as central and significant.

So--why don't you sketch out an essay/speak structure--just the skeleton points. Then post in here, and we'll help you organise it into something coherent.

As for references--it's very very easy to cite those, for your essay structure. You would just need a few key search terms (and I have given you several ideas upstream--but to elaborate--'exegesis', 'monotheism', 'biblical literalism', 'fundamentalism', 'martyrs' and how martyrs are made. 'generational trauma', 'generational war trauma', 'imperialism in the name of God', 'killing in the name of God'.

Try looking up Westboro as well (have I got that spelling right). There would be like heaps and heaps of ways you could use that stuff.

Any questions?