Religious Beliefs Affecting American Life

Religion has censored the American culture on a daily basis for centuries. Everything from our nation’s constitution to what Americans define as the norm is based on religious values. Children and teenagers have been raised to pledge “One nation under God….” since 1954, and it was only recently removed (Geisert, 2004). Society has tried to differentiate between religion and daily life, but most American beliefs are based on religious principles that affect holidays, the banning of books, and the ongoing conflict with abortion.
Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all religious holidays that are celebrated in America. Easter is a Judeo -Christian and Pagan belief: celebrating the resurrection of Christ (Robinson 2007). Catholics and Christians in the United States prepare for this holiday in many ways. For example, Lent is celebrated during the Easter holiday. Lent is when Catholics give up something for 40 days to represent Christ’s struggle for mankind for 40 days. Another religious holiday is Thanksgiving. This elaborate holiday was developed by the Puritans after learning to grow crops for survival. Once they were ready to have a feast, they gave grace to God for answering their prayers for good crops. Thanksgiving Day has become a tradition in America during which families still sit at dinner, eat turkey, and give grace to God for what He has given us. This holiday affects all Americans in the sense that all grocery stores close for this event and anyone who works during this holiday by law has to be paid time and a half. Christmas is one of the most popular holiday in America. It is known as Hanukkah in Jewish cultures. Christmas and Hanukkah shares the main focus of celebrating the nativity of Christ. During this time children don’t attend school for two weeks, and on Christmas Day all public places are closed. These holidays affect all Americans, including non believers, because their daily lifestyles are changed to convenience those who practice religion.
Religion has also played a large role in the banning of books in schools and public institutions. The book Of Mice and Men has been a challenged banned book in public schools because of racial slurs and the use of God’s name in vain (The New York Times Company, 2007). Believers want to shelter their children from anything that may cause them to question their beliefs. Of Mice and Men has won many awards and has been turned into a film, yet, remains one of the most frequently challenged books to ban. The Harry Potter Series is highly controversial as well, because one of the characters is portrayed as a homosexual. People don’t want their children to be introduced to fantasy and homosexuality to avoid confusion of both reality and sexual orientation. We live in a society that practices very diverse lifestyles, yet we still try to hide these facts from children.
“Should abortion be legal?” seems to be an ongoing question in the United States today; abortion is legal, yet it’s looked down upon by Christians. It is an issue that President George W. Bush, a well know Christian, is involved in. He has hired an anti -birth control activist by the name of Eric Keroack to lead family planning programs and “has waged a tireless war on women's reproductive rights” (NARAL Pro-Choice America, 2007). He has allowed his beliefs to lead his decisions on abortion rather than attempt to continue giving women the right to
choose over their own bodies. Bush, however, is not the only person against abortion; there are many fellow Christians who stand and protest outside of abortion clinics, and they protest frequently. Contrary to the United States, there are countries such as Sweden where abortion is already accepted. Women are allowed to perform abortions until their 20th week of pregnancy, and free abortions are provided upon request (Population Policy Data Bank). Our country has allowed religion to influence what is right and wrong, but has forgotten that not everyone believes in the same things.
The United States is known as a country that is extremely diverse, but we constantly act as a walking contradiction. We have based many of our rules and practices on religion, which engages us in conflicts. 87% percent of Americans have religion based views, and it shows in the way the United States is run: we have a Christian President and have never had an atheist for a President, and that in itself shows how crucial religion is. Holidays, banned books, and conflict about abortion are mainly derived from the religious values instilled in our society. Americans don’t all practice a religious belief, but because the majority of the country does religion impacts the whole nation.