Answer for: Why do you generalize religion?
#10 Strong, powerful groups tend to get generalized.
by philip098123 1 year ago
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5 Comments
E.g:
- The rich and the poor.
- Republicans and Democrats.
- Conservatives and Liberals.
- Americans and Canadians.
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If all religions were strong and powerful groups, I would agree with you, but they are not. Some religions have only a single follower. Some have 10, while others have millions.
Religious groups, separated, are not that influential. But put together they are. When Republicans promise to ban abortion and gay marriage they get many religious groups organized politically. If that is what one sees as necessary to gets Republican voted in to office, more power goes to those religious groups.
Some influential groups are religious and some religious groups are influential - I'm all with you there. But, there's no 1:1 relationship.
I understand that religious groups in the US are associated with political power, and the frustration that may follow.
What I'm against is the chain of thought that goes like this: "This person believes there is a God, therefore he is religious, therefore he is to blame for old wars and he's also to blame for the religious right in the US not accepting evolution".
The first step in this erroneous chain of thought is to generalize religion.
There is no 1:1 relationship.
All I can say is that generalizations make stereotypes, and stereotypes are hardly ever fairly assigned.
http://www.grupthink.com/answer/34371
http://www.grupthink.com/topic/11067