Religion and Culture

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- moi
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Religion and Culture
OP - September 02, 2014, 08:12 AM

Would someone kindly explain what they are and how they are different? BBC News just had someone on about a certain subject saying it isn't a religious matter but a cultural one.

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A.A. Milne,

"We cannot slaughter each other out of the human impasse"
- yeezevee
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Reply #1 - September 02, 2014, 08:27 AM

Quote from: moi on September 02, 2014, 08:12 AM
Would someone kindly explain what they are and how they are different? BBC News just had someone on about a certain subject saying it isn't a religious matter but a cultural one.

well that is very simple moi.. Culture is social structure of group of human beings that can be questioned and can be changed by proving them that their culture is not good for them and for the progress human race. Culture will not invokes GOD'S COMMANDS FROM SOME SILLY BOOKS ., Where as religions.. They have rules and regulations based upon gods/goddesses/allah/voodoo dolls and alter egos/ rules made by some cave dwelling MALE SPECIES for one reason or other reason for the purpose of their surroundings and their time.

Do not let silence become your legacy.. Question everything
I renounced my faith to become a kafir,
the beloved betrayed me and turned in to a Muslim
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Reply #2 - September 02, 2014, 11:05 AM

Religion is a system which involves faith and worship, often regarding the supernatural. Cultures are more human orientated, they are the product of social customs, arts etc. They often overlap - cultures influence religious manifestations and vice versa.

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God." - Epicurus
- Stephen
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Reply #3 - September 03, 2014, 05:49 AM

In the end, all religion is just an extension of cultural tradition, and no one religious group holds a monopoly on gross injustice or stupidity.
The same is true when you consider nationality or ethnic origin, with no one country or race of people who can legitimately claim the moral high ground.
The sexual urges of young people are difficult to manage in the best of circumstances, but are made far more difficult for members of a stifling and puritanical religious group.
Repressed sexuality often manifests itself in quite inappropriate sexual behaviour, as has been more than adequately demonstrated by Roman Catholic Priests.
I must clearly state my belief that, on balance, religion has done far more harm than good in this world of ours, and I look forward to the day when people finally realise that their comfortable traditions are destructively divisive and entirely ridiculous.

Stephen.
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Reply #4 - September 03, 2014, 06:14 AM

Yes to all of the above, but when you hear someone saying that nowadays, I find they're typically talking about Islam, and usually trying to consider culture as people's wrongdoings and religion as what ought to be done.

A thing I did very often during my apologist phase was to make arguments like that. When someone told me that Islam was behind violence/oppression of women in certain Muslim communities, I'd stick to the most innocuous interpretations of the Quran and say that anything above and beyond that is symptomatic of a cultural issue. I'd point to communities that were not Muslim majorities that had those same human rights violations, and then cheaply gesture at Muslim communities in the West, the kind of Muslim I was and that I associated myself with as proof that the religion can stay, and the cultural ills can go.

I do think there's still some truth to that, but I wasn't really being as fair as I thought I was. Like Stephen said, the culture spawns the religion, and now we're tasked with trying to make it look like the religion is an objective code that rises above that culture and is applicable worldwide. Being a Muslim doesn't mean you're going to be oppressive or abusive, but if you're in the market for excuses to be, or if you're in a culture where such behavior is taught and you know that it is reinforced by the word of God and you are content with your position, then there's some good news for you. Islam's texts are excellent tools to start that fire and keep it burning.
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Reply #5 - September 03, 2014, 08:14 AM

Clash between Culture and religion_Islamic prospective that is a very good story often occurs in Islamic families so read and enjoy lua .. it s relevant

Do not let silence become your legacy.. Question everything
I renounced my faith to become a kafir,
the beloved betrayed me and turned in to a Muslim
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Reply #6 - September 03, 2014, 08:28 AM

Just read that link. Those examples are amazing. Everything is culture, except some things are asserted not to be because they are to do with Islam!

I assume sociology and post modernism are not studied much in some places!

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A.A. Milne,

"We cannot slaughter each other out of the human impasse"
- lua
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Reply #7 - September 03, 2014, 09:50 AM

Quote from: yeezevee on September 03, 2014, 08:14 AM
Clash between Culture and religion_Islamic prospective that is a very good story often occurs in Islamic families so read and enjoy lua .. it s relevant

I would kill for a research partner like you, Yeezevee. Thanks for the link!
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Reply #8 - September 03, 2014, 06:43 PM

As I have clearly stated, no single religious group, race or country holds a monopoly on poor behaviour.
The problem that Islam has, at least in the UK, is that little effort has been made to integrate socially.
Some Mosque and Church leaders have held joint services, their congregations visiting each others place of worship but, with less than 20% of the British population going to Church on a regular basis, the vast majority of white British people will rarely have the opportunity to speak to a Muslim in informal surroundings.
The recent murder of Lee Rigby and the horrific events in Rotherham are bound to attract widespread and heartfelt anger. Viewed in conjunction with the insular nature of Muslim communities, and you have a recipe for mistrust and intolerance.
There are plenty of nasty, violent and dishonest white people in the country, and I passionately detest them. In terms of criminal justice and punishment, I would not treat one group any differently to another. The colour of a man's skin or his religious beliefs mean nothing to me, and I would never differentiate between criminals on that basis.
That said, I do believe that there is currently a crisis in the Muslim community, and I am open to suggestions as to how it may be resolved.
Kind Regards,
Stephen.
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