“Commentary” Response
“Commentary” is an article written and presented by Ben Stein, a comedian who doubles as a political and cultural activist. This article was written specifically to discuss the issues in today’s Western culture concerning religion and the way it is perceived by the general population. Stein seeks to defend religion in the face of an endless torrent of unacceptance and blame from society, and tries his best to convey his message for change to the audience.
Ever since the beginning of recorded history, humans have shown a natural instinct to learn. Our very nature dictates that our curiosity must always be satisfied, and that for every answered question two more must rise to take its place. As a result, it is inevitable …show more content…
Ben Stein questions why the concept of religion is seen to be so socially unacceptable in our Western culture, yet at the same time it is deemed perfectly normal to spend our time seemingly worshipping such pointless and trivial affairs as those formerly mentioned. The article challenges the existing conventions that religion must be at odds with itself and the common public, and questions as to why we all just can’t get along together. There is a very heavy and obvious criticism of the media overall, especially concerning how it bashes religious teachings in the name of “free speech and equality” despite them being nothing else than wise words to live by, and then goes into the public and tells them what to do simply because they have the power to push their own agenda. Stein defends religion and how it always seems to be the scapegoat for all of our problems that were really caused by our …show more content…
It has caused war, disagreement, and separation for millennia, and has essentially shaped the map of the world as it is today through these factors. However, at the same time, it has enriched the lives of countless individuals and collectively has given humanity a purpose to live and die for throughout the history civilization as we know it. It could be even argued that the question of the benefit of religion is irrelevant completely, as without it there would be no purpose to good or bad in life at all. As such, it is quite difficult to simply classify the concept of religion with a single word given its vast variance. In the past, it has not only led to countless wars between factions all over the world, including several prominent religious genocides, but also likely set technology back hundreds of years, with incidents such as anti-Darwinism and the rejection of Galileo’s work. Religion was generally a very important and sacred thing in life to most who practised it, assuming of course that you weren’t going to be persecuted for your beliefs. Today, we have mostly cleaned up religious discrimination and opened up free thinking, but ironically, or perhaps as a result of that fact, many people today choose not to exercise their right to religion and do not accept in spiritually as a part of their lives. Wars and disputes over religion still happen such as the situation in the Middle East,
“Commentary” is an article written and presented by Ben Stein, a comedian who doubles as a political and cultural activist. This article was written specifically to discuss the issues in today’s Western culture concerning religion and the way it is perceived by the general population. Stein seeks to defend religion in the face of an endless torrent of unacceptance and blame from society, and tries his best to convey his message for change to the audience.
Ever since the beginning of recorded history, humans have shown a natural instinct to learn. Our very nature dictates that our curiosity must always be satisfied, and that for every answered question two more must rise to take its place. As a result, it is inevitable …show more content…
Ben Stein questions why the concept of religion is seen to be so socially unacceptable in our Western culture, yet at the same time it is deemed perfectly normal to spend our time seemingly worshipping such pointless and trivial affairs as those formerly mentioned. The article challenges the existing conventions that religion must be at odds with itself and the common public, and questions as to why we all just can’t get along together. There is a very heavy and obvious criticism of the media overall, especially concerning how it bashes religious teachings in the name of “free speech and equality” despite them being nothing else than wise words to live by, and then goes into the public and tells them what to do simply because they have the power to push their own agenda. Stein defends religion and how it always seems to be the scapegoat for all of our problems that were really caused by our …show more content…
It has caused war, disagreement, and separation for millennia, and has essentially shaped the map of the world as it is today through these factors. However, at the same time, it has enriched the lives of countless individuals and collectively has given humanity a purpose to live and die for throughout the history civilization as we know it. It could be even argued that the question of the benefit of religion is irrelevant completely, as without it there would be no purpose to good or bad in life at all. As such, it is quite difficult to simply classify the concept of religion with a single word given its vast variance. In the past, it has not only led to countless wars between factions all over the world, including several prominent religious genocides, but also likely set technology back hundreds of years, with incidents such as anti-Darwinism and the rejection of Galileo’s work. Religion was generally a very important and sacred thing in life to most who practised it, assuming of course that you weren’t going to be persecuted for your beliefs. Today, we have mostly cleaned up religious discrimination and opened up free thinking, but ironically, or perhaps as a result of that fact, many people today choose not to exercise their right to religion and do not accept in spiritually as a part of their lives. Wars and disputes over religion still happen such as the situation in the Middle East,