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Sound Writing

Subsection 6.2.7 Language Toward Religious Inclusivity

The majority of people in the world identify with a religion, and most religions spans huge swaths of the globe and encompass very diverse groups of people. Additionally, religions are often interpreted and practiced very differently depending on the cultural context, and people may identify with a religion religiously, culturally and/or ethnically. All of these factors make it complicated to write about religion inclusively and without over-generalization.
Despite this complexity, it is important to take the time to learn about the nuances of religion in order to avoid perpetuating stereotypes and spreading misinformation that contributes to religious discrimination or persecution. Both religious discrimination (the treatment of a person or group differently because of their religion) and religious persecution (the systematic mistreatment or discrimination of an individual or group because of their religion) have long and persisting histories. From the forced conversion of Native Americans to Christianity by European Americans in the late 19th century, to the murder of millions of Jewish people during the Holocaust, to modern U.S. immigration policies that disproportionately affect Muslim people, the histories of systematic religious oppression are extensive. More subtle forms of discrimination are also ongoing: Jewish Student Union members described in an interview how campus members continue to make assumptions about them, such as that they eat kosher, speak Hebrew, attend a synagogue, or are good with money, because of their Jewish identity. As writers and people, we all have a sphere of influence in which we can bring awareness about the complexity of religious identity in order to foster a culture of religious inclusivity. Writing about a religion without being informed about it can unknowingly fuel religious discrimination. Therefore, although complex, it’s is vital to take the steps to learn about the nuances of religion before writing about it.

Student Perspective 6.2.20. Anti-Semitism Beyond the Holocaust.

It’s important if people are going to be writing about anti-Semitism that they don’t refer to the Holocaust as the only example, or place it in a historical vacuum and say that it doesn’t exist anymore. Generalizing and historicizing anti-Semitism is another form of anti-Semitism that erases anti-Semitic acts happening in the world right now.
―Members of the Jewish Student Union
University of Puget Sound
May 2018

Student Perspective 6.2.21. Broad Generalizations in Writing.

Liberal writing on Islam tends to sometimes follow an imperial line such as “Muslim women need saving” or just employs a kind of rhetoric that justifies, in the end, imperial behavior and thinking. This is an example of the overt generalizations that people make. Again, bear in mind that you’re talking about a billion people, that’s an eighth of the globe. Like if you had eight people in a room one is Muslim. I don’t think any of the people at UPS really conceptualize what that means, if they’ve ever even met a Muslim person.
―Member of the Muslim Student Union
University of Puget Sound
May 2018
A common misconception about religious communities is that there is a single experience shared by everyone in the community, and that there is agreement about how the religion should be practiced or interpreted. In reality, there is a lot of disagreement within most faith communities about religious beliefs, practices, interpretations, and even about who belongs to the community. For example, as a member of the Jewish Student Union emphasizes, there is not a united stance on Israel that is shared by all Jewish people. Individuals within a religious community have experiences, beliefs, and practices as diverse as the individuals themselves. Individuals’ and groups’ religious practices are informed by their cultural context as well as their other identities (for more on how identities interact see Subsection 6.2.1). For instance, as a member of the University of Puget Sound Muslim Student Union points out, a Sunni Muslim, upper-middle class, merchant family from Damascus, Syria will likely have very different perspectives and practices than a Muslim farmer from Sinai, Egypt, despite their shared Muslim identity. For this reason, it is important not to oversimplify the experiences, beliefs and practices of individuals and religious communities. When writing about a religion, take care to be precise about what specific sects you are referencing, and don’t generalize one group or individual’s experience as representative of others just because they fall under the same umbrella religious term.

Student Perspective 6.2.22. Nuanced Identities and Specificity.

Christianity is certainly a dominant identity, but that doesn’t mean that it should be written about as though it is an inherently oppressive identity. Christianity has often been used oppressively by various regimes including the U.S., but what tends to be ignored is that Christianity has also been used to work against oppression. Many of the social organizations and activist movements we know and love today began within Christianity, for example the environmentalist movement, the labor movement, and the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s began in churches. Writing about Christianity as if it was just one oppressive, dominant entity erases a lot of history and complexity. At its core, Christianity is just another human identity and should therefore be written about with nuance.
―Member of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
University of Puget Sound
May 2018
Another intricacy about religious identity is that people don’t always identify with a religion religiously; they may also identify with it culturally and/or ethnically. For example, someone who is raised Catholic but identifies as atheist may identify as culturally Catholic. While they may not share the same religious beliefs and practices as the Catholic community they were raised in, their worldview was nevertheless shaped by growing up in a Catholic community. For instance, their familiarity with the practice of celebrating Christmas and Easter and participating in Catholic practices such as Confirmation and Lent gives them a different cultural context than would growing up, for example, in a Hindu community.

Student Perspective 6.2.23. Cultural, Ethnic, and Religious Identity.

With Judaism, you may identify with the religious aspect or the cultural aspect or more of your ethnicity, so in that sense it’s intersectional but also you can be Jewish and part of the LGBTQ community or you can be Jewish and a person of color. . .[And] within Judaism there’s so many different styles and approaches depending on the various different Jewish communities throughout the world. So it’s important to recognize that it’s hard to be universally representative of Judaism, per se.
―Members of the Jewish Student Union
University of Puget Sound
May 2018
Each of our fundamental worldviews are as intricate as the various identities, experiences, relationships, and cultural contexts that shape them. Because of this, making comparisons between a worldview you hold and that of a religion you are learning about, although comfortable, may be wildly misleading. A member of the University of Puget Sound Muslim Student Union gives the example of equating Sunnis and Shiites with Catholics and Protestants, the Mosque with the Church, and Muslim forms of prayer with Christian forms. In these cases, although someone who is religiously or culturally Christian may think it is helpful to compare what they are learning about Islam to what they know about Christianity, such associations impose a Christian worldview onto Islam, prohibiting the Christian from accurately understanding these aspects of Islam. Making false equivalencies frequently leads people to make inaccurate interpretations and assumptions about religions. In order to avoid making false equivalencies, be wary of making direct comparisons between your religious perspective and that of one you are less familiar with, and be aware that your worldview may inhibit you from interpreting a religious text, practice, or belief in the same way someone with a different worldview would. Also, when learning about a religion, read sources that are written by people who identify with that religion, rather than texts exclusively by people interpreting it through different religious perspectives.

Student Perspective 6.2.24. Identity and Authorship of Sources.

If [students] are reading about Islam, [they should be reading the work of] Muslim scholars. . . .people always want to go to a Western, quote unquote objective source, or somebody that’s white or that’s an atheist or an ex-Muslim, without realizing the power dynamics of why somebody who’s ex-Muslim would be published [over] somebody who’s Muslim.. . . Recognize that you have to actively seek sources other than what’s presented to you.
―Member of the Muslim Student Union
University of Puget Sound
May 2018
Please consider this section as a starting point rather than a comprehensive guide, and please continue to grow your awareness in your life and education outside this book! Taking courses in Religious Studies would be a good way to continue learning, as would getting involved in programs and clubs through your school’s student diversity center.