Given the importance of this weekend (Friday, March 30th to Sunday, April 2nd) to the Christian faith and the coming week to the Jewish faith (Passover, Friday, March 30th to Saturday, April 7th) I felt today was I good day to post about religion.
Religion is a sometimes-touchy subject. But it is something that differentiates people and it is worth keeping in mind. It may be worth noting that Gen Z (young people born between 1999 and 2015) are more likely than their predecessors to identify as atheists. Citing political issues for their turning away (Atheism doubles among Generation Z, 2018). There is a school of thought that there is a difference between religious and spiritual. Austin Cline wrote Religion vs Spirituality – What’s the Difference? in 2017 it raises some interesting points on both sides. I will leave it up to you to decide where you stand.
Nicole Sweeney presents a series on topics from a sociological perspective for YouTube channel CrashCourse. Her presentation attempts to remove the passion and God from the situation and look at religion’s role in society. CrashCourse (like vlogbrothers) is aimed at a younger audience so it can be useful for a simpler perspective while still being educational and engaging. No single religion is singled out, it is about how they influence society, their impact on equality and what is a religion (with helpful definitions).
The vlogborthers have a video On Religion too, John Green this time rather than Hank. It’s not as funny as some of their others though it does raise a good point as to why people don’t talk about their own religious beliefs.
It can be difficult to talk about religion without bringing your own prejudices into it. Many of the videos I looked at including on this post were prejudicial against religion, considering it quaint, out of date, out of touch or dangerous. That is not a message I agree with or will promote (hence no references to the videos). It is a good start if you are working in a situation where it may become a topic of public discussion or if you are regularly exposed to different religions to examine where your prejudices lie and why they are so. Be conscious of them. If you are in a position where you can have input into collection development try to encourage an inclusive collection with a variety of religious views in both fiction and non-fiction. Allowing people some introduction into the lives of people with a different view or an introduction to a specific religion if that is what they want. This is another form of diversity where respect is key, understanding of yourself helps the process.
References
Atheism doubles among Generation Z. (2018). In Barna Group. Retrieved March 29, 2018, from https://www.barna.com/research/atheism-doubles-among-generation-z/
Cline, A. (2017). Religion vs spirituality: What's the difference? In ThoughtCo. Retrieved March 29, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/religion-vs-spirituality-whats-the-difference-250713
CrashCourse. (2018, January 8). Religion: Crash course sociology #39. [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgb-3e8CWA
vlogbrothers. (2011, June 20). On religion. [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXlI8Wn8J3Q
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