Religious Intercultural Introduction

I have viewed this culture from the outside for the last 22 years, and finally will get the chance, and the motivation to explore it in depth. I was raised without a religion, and have never gone to church save for a few funerals, weddings, and concerts. Because of my upbringing, I have never really been informed in a completely unbiased way about one of the cultural majorities of our community: the Christian culture. I know many Christians, but I have never made an effort to experience their culture until today.

                Religious identities often conflict with racial and ethnic identities, and must therefore be examined dialectically. Religious differences have led to many modern conflicts, often times when the religious beliefs are imposed onto people that do not share the same beliefs. These conflicts can sometimes shed religious identities and religious cultures in a bad light (Martin & Nakayama, 2009).

                It is my goal to examine the Christian culture, how it influences modern society, and how it effects and is affected by other cultures. Specifically I’ll look into how one’s Christian identity affects different aspects of their life: their life goals as well as personal and political goals. I will also examine how racial and ethnic identities tie into religious culture and the Christian identities and histories. I plan on exploring religious meetings and immersing myself in an intercultural environment. One of my goals in reporting on this culture is to be as unbiased as possible, hopefully to study not the ideals of Christianity but more how the ideals influence the culture, and the way people live.

                Christianity does affect many people’s view on life and more specifically society. “We imagine a Church that can play the role of an international umpire, upholding justice and settling disputes between secular powers” (Drury, 2004). This kind of ideal is apparent to an outsider as to how a Christian views the Christian culture and I plan on looking more into this and exploring other aspects of the Christian culture.

Reference:

BBC. (2012). Religion: Christianity. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/

Drury, S. (2004). Terror and civilization: Christianity, politics, and the western psyche. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2009). Intercultural Communication in Contexts. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.