This is wild, it is 2020, and people are still being prosecuted for having different beliefs. Beliefs that make them peacefully study their Bibles and congregate with others that share their religion. This is being carried out by the government, their own authority is using their power to stop them from silently practicing what they believe. The article followed so many stories of people who’s doors were taken down, broken apart, men being arrested and charged for what Russian authorities deemed “extremist.” This is the broad title, the crime, that they tag on Jehovah’s Witnesses when they find them practicing in the religion that brings them tranquility. 

This is insane, we learned in class how the Jehovah’s Witnesses were of the few that actually spoke out against the persecution of the Jewish people. When Jews were being discredited and spoken wrongly about, the general public let it happen because of the promises that their supreme leader was making, and to them, keeping. The blame fell on them and no one dared help take it off; no one but the Jehovah’s witnesses that stuck to their beliefs and protested against the detainment and the persecution and the camps where the Jewish people being held. They put themselves in Jeopardy they put themselves in the line of fire because it was the right thing to do and they had no qualms about it, no mind to turn their backs to what they believed in, even if they themselves were being put into camps.

This is tragic, now that the tables have been turned; albeit just slightly as they have imprisoned themselves during that time, no one is helping them. Their lawyers are all but desperate to have law enforcement bring back those that were callously arrested both in their own home and in closed study sessions. These arrests were not triggered by something violent, they were not responding to “extremists” but in fact, “authorities conducted surveillance on suspects’ activities, conversations, and homes. The authorities secretly took photos and recorded videos during religious meetings or other gatherings, when members would discuss the Bible, sing, and the like.”

This is devastating, while most of the world prides itself on freedoms, religious freedoms being among the top ones listed, Russia is taking it upon themselves to suppress those who practice. It seems almost surreal to think about, I grew up in a very religious small town. The main religions were Mormons, Christians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses in that order. They were part of the community, my own high school friends would knock on my door on Saturday mornings to spread their message. I still hid from them, but that is not the point. The point is that this world has many things wrong with it, and just about all of them can be solved if those in power would just learn that distress should not be a way of life. Those people should not be watching over their shoulders just in case the person walking next to them is recording what they are doing to use as evidence in their trial. If Russian officials feel it necessary to suffocate the rights of their people and throw them in jail for nothing, then they should think twice about who the real traitor is.

“One nation under God,” has been the foundation of this country. Religious freedom and a united nation, that is why it is said every school day during the pledge, that is why it is written on our currency. However, the founding fathers were not Christian, they were not just thinking of the Christian perspective when writing the constitution; now it seems that most Americans view these statements as a reinforcement to impose the Bible into federal government regulations. 

The Pew Research Center conducted a survey that asked Americans how much influence the Bible should have over U.S laws. Surprisingly, almost half of Americans agreed to have the Bible influence our laws.  Some, Evangelical, Christian, and Protestant even went as far as to agree that if the time comes, “the Bible should take precedence over the will of the people.” This is not surprising, the most religious and at times conservative people tend to look to their faith as things around them start to fall apart. The Bible to them is clear instructions that lead to a better and more peaceful life. For them, having it be the law of the land would not change much in their everyday lives. 

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the country. Those that consider themselves Atheists, Agnostics, or Nones feel that having religion play such a big part in American politics will hinder their livelihoods. One point that is made is the measures that the religious community took in keeping same-sex marriage from being lawful. There is a history of politics following religious ideologies in the 1900s where rights were being taken away or not given at all. This kind of power should not lie within one party. “Roughly three-quarters in this group (78%) say the Bible should hold little to no sway,” Those who do not identify with religious politics are speaking out to ensure that they will not be put on trial for being non-believers, or have their lives be imposed upon by people who are “just following the law.”

I can see how having one set of standards seems like a good idea, those that agreed that the Bible should have precedence over the people’s will, are thinking only of their own values. I can guarantee that had this question would have had a different answer had it been any other religious text, but the mind is a selfish one. That is why I do not agree that the Bible should sway American politics. A large number of Americans would see little to no difference in their daily lives, however, this is not a majority rule constitution. To be fair and equal we have to take everyone’s values in mind, the way to do so was established in the constitution from the beginning, stating, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The First Amendment is important, though our country has had a long history with miscommunication and interpretation of what the Amendments are really saying, this one is as clear as it gets.  

When parting church and state the public school system did not become a non-religious setting until the 1960s when people such as Madelyn Murray O’Hair brought up issues with prayer in school. Since that time, many religious households have taken to homeschooling where they can uphold their religious values and control the information that their children are learning. Some may choose to omit what they find to be adverse to their children. Due to the lack of regulation of the homeschooling qualifications many are noticing that the room for error is large.

One of those noticing is Harvard Professor Elizabeth Bartholet. With several polls backing her view, she voices her opinion on what she believes are the dangers of homeschooling. Her main concern is the power balance that is instituted once the parents take on the role of educators. Putting themselves in a role of absolute power whilst leaving the minor with one mindset to follow and no one else to turn to. This is a problem mainly because the amount of dependency would hinder the students` ability to learn other perspectives, therefore broadening their views and allowing them to make their own mind up about who they want to be. Professor Bartholet labels this power as “authoritarian” questioning the morals behind allowing someone to control a sentient being for 18 years. In any other case, it would be wrong for someone to dictate everything about someone else without the other person having much of a say. 

Alternatively, there are families who disagree with what they call a “one-sided portrayal of homeschooling.” Kerry McDonald, a Harvard graduate, and homeschooler wrote back and accused the professor of spreading an image which has been outdated and now only serves as “misinformation.” She raises the point that the alternative to entrusting all this power to families would be to give that power away to the government who cannot have the same amount of care for her child as a family member would. We also have to remember that school does not constitute just the education, there is also the other children and the interactions that ensue. They are in the hands of bullies and mistreatment, their religious values are at risk every day with peer pressure and public education. Education that Kerry McDonald calls harmful. 

Growing up in a religious household, I can see how parents are concerned with the education that the schools are offering, as some conflicts with what the gospel dictates to be the truth. Whenever I would come home and ask my mother about a subject I learned which I thought conflicted with what we believed, she would take the time to explain the ties between the two ideas and connect them. No homeschooling is needed when the parenting is done right. This brings to mind the parents from “Jesus Camp” who would tell their children that science was just an opinion and the history and biology books should not be taken as truth. Not only is this dangerous for them at a young age, but once they grow up they will spread the beliefs that they learned as children. They will grow to be clueless to the world and its mechanics. This is not something that should be imposed on any child yet I do not think that banning the home school system is the only answer. 

Admittedly I enjoyed my time in public school as much as I enjoyed going to Sunday school, even so, the two should not be one. Children learn and unlearn what they can make sense of, if a parent needs to take them out of school for valid reasons then they should be able to. What they should not be able to do is manipulate them by giving them only one source of information until they go out and discover that there is more and they have believed an opinion their entire life. 

The division is seen around every corner. Many have tried to gain equality and have managed to achieve a level of rights that, on paper, are equal to everyone else. However, the law is not the only aspect of this country that alienates its citizens. There are those that believe their heritage makes them more “American” than others. With a mindset that has been institutionalized for centuries, it is clear that there are those who find it displeasing to accept those that do not look like them as being equal to them. This is not to say that they are hateful or violent toward those that they deem as different, but it is important to acknowledge that there are some people who are. 

One of those people was depicted in Nihal Khan’s article describing his encounter with a man who accosted him, when he [Nihal] was a fourteen-year-old boy, believing that he had the right to do so. A right that was only further emphasized by the other passengers on the bus. No one said anything when the man asked, “is there a bomb under there?” No one said anything when he followed the young boy and sat next to him though there was an abundance of seats open, no one said anything when he brought up 9/11 as an excuse to burn down the child’s mosque if anything similar were to happen again as if Nihal Khan was to be held personally accountable. 

Accountability that countless Muslims in America have been burdened with following 9/11. As we learned in class the dynamic between the Muslim community and those that live around them changed and made them feel like walking on eggshells was their new way of life. A life that has roots in America and had been lived in peace.  Even now, Muslims are “otherized” and treated as foreigners, even though more than 40% of Muslims are born in the states, according to the article. With the diversity in the Muslim community and the absolute certainty I have that those who act in such ignorant ways do not make any kind of effort to research what they are so afraid of, it is easy to understand how the divide keeps growing. 

If this goes on any longer we will find ourselves on the wrong side of history once again. In his travels, Khan speaks about his learnings and how he connected the genocides that have long been documented, as well as the intentions and actions that lead to them, to what is happening now in his own community. Fear drives people to act in demented ways, but silence allows it to continue. The silence that he received as a child when anyone could have spoken up and defended him, is the same silence that now follows and echoes through our street. With every side glance, unjust arrest, profiling, and eventual untimely death, we grow increasingly desensitized to the pain of others and the human connection we share. All due to the fact that they pray differently, they look different, or maybe that we are too scared to be the only ones to say something. 

To be of the people, by the people, and for the people, often sounds acceptable, on paper. When officials are in the process of getting elected they take every opportunity to be on the side of those who hold the vote. This is seen many times in the speeches that are given, the quick witty expression, this is to get the voter to keep them in their minds and later recall the candidate. This is not, in any form, a sign of leadership; and should not be taken as the sole reason to vote an official into office. The problem with statements such as these comes when the populist candidate, a majority in U.S politics, is afraid to act in a way that would seem too forward. In other words, leadership gets tricky when the best choice to make is one that may not get them elected to the following term.

Clearly, and sadly, this is now coming to light in the form of delayed decisions that have resulted in dire consequences. These consequences are a product of the virus that blindsided the population, and those that lead it. However, in contrast to the leaders in Vietnam, Columbia and Isreal have been, “moving quickly to impose travel restrictions and push for social distancing and mandatory quarantining,” populist countries such as America keep promising that the country will” open up soon,” without any indication that our situation is getting better. This is a side effect of what we discussed in class. The populist ideals are to be there for the people, but in times of need, as we are currently experiencing, being there is not enough. Having dreams and ideals of a time when this is over is not enough. 

I understand that having high morale is important. The image of riots (or protests) would actively discourage the general public from obeying shelter in place orders. But to open up the cities without clear and sustainable indication that it is safe to do so is not the answer. Quarantine is getting to everyone, I would love to go out again and live my mediocre life with the freedom to do anything I want, but I know this is the safest action. I used to go home every weekend to visit my mother, sister, and nephew, even though I have an off-campus apartment, I missed my family during the week. I have not seen them for close to three months, my mother is immunocompromised and I live in a highly-populated area, the risk is there and not worth it. A call every day and I begin to miss them and even the hour drive twice a week. This is not to say that the thought of a future where this time is just a memory is not a nice idea. I would much rather have effective leadership that makes it a reality. 

The reality right now is that no one truly knows how to handle this pandemic. Precautions have been implemented and though they may lead to the public getting a bit agitated, it is for everyone’s benefit to listen to the experts. 

To be apart from the world is the solace that the Amish have been seeking for generations, keeping their own traditions in the community that they trust. This is something that is valued, this is something that is being taken away. Though no one’s fault, the modern world has become infected with a virus that has been proven fatal. While the rest of society has received updates on this situation from multiple news outlets and has acted accordingly to what regulations have been placed, the Amish have had a different experience. They have received the news through word of mouth and letters from the Office of Rural Health. The news was as surprising to them as it was to the rest of the world, the difference lies in what ‘community’ means respectively. 

Yes, we are all part of a ‘community’ in one way or another; be it religious, urban, or suburban. By comparison to the way of the Amish community, we are simply gathered. That is to say, their way of life revolves around their community, revolves around helping each other and taking care of what they have built as a whole. We learned in class how they lived, we watched the ‘True Amish Story’ which showed the order in which everything falls. With 80-90 percent of the youth returning to the community after being allowed the freedoms of the outside world, it is understandable why they would be so upset that what they value is now being threatened by what they deem to be “the outside world impacting their livelihood.” 

An impact that has now disrupted the routine that is at the foundation of their very identity. Home church services have now been canceled and with them the comradery that they shared both before the service and after. Gatherings such as weddings, fundraisers along with daily associations have been restricted for their sake and for those elders that have a statistically high chance of living with them. Being apolitical leaves them with little to no voice in important regulations, not that a voice would do anything in this case, as it is for health reasons that gathering restrictions have been put in place. It is a storm that everyone must weather through in the same way, by staying far apart and maintaining hygienic practices. 

However, due to the unceremonious intrusion of the virus in the lives of the Amish, staying far apart or ‘social distancing’ is a task proven more difficult than imagined. The largely religious body is soon to arrive at their spring communion which is a sacred time of consecration and fellowship. Though their regular service has been canceled this event may just be too important for them to overlook. My own church has postponed our communion this year, though not everyone one participates, those of us who do will be left without the one time a year when we feel truly fulfilled by the choices we have made. By staying true to our beliefs we are able to take our place and connect in a way that has no comparison.   Odd as it may seem for the outside world, this populace has been brought up to be humble, simple, and obedient. Though their obedience lies within their traditions, and now they believe they are being forced into following the ways of the world.