Oppression Of Religion In Society

Our country abides by the separation of church and state, but this interrelationship in our society creates oppression for underprivileged religions. Just like the other –ism’s we have discussed; religious oppression is also structural and systemic. The privileged religion in our society is Christianity; a religion that has become the “normative” in America. Christian hegemony refers to the everyday incorporation of Christianity through “U.S schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces” (228). Christian privilege allows religious holidays to be respected under the federal calendar, Christian images and architectures to be seen as “normal” and freedom of safety to express worship without mockery. To be Christian in our society is a privilege; because its “beliefs, language, practices do not require any special effort to be recognized” (228). People of other religions have to explain their religions and …show more content…
On a Saturday afternoon three teenagers walked into our store with headscarves that covered their hair. As they were shopping they asked me if they could pray in our fitting room. Surprised at this request, I said yes. Although it made my coworker a bit uncomfortable and made her question their actions, I began to explain that in the Muslim religion they pray at least five times a day. I had learned this from my theology class so I respected and understood their request to pray. I then realized that when one is unaware of religious traditions and beliefs other than their own, they begin to express fear and hatred. It is crucial that public places create spaces in which religions can freely express their religion without being discriminated or mocked. If I hadn’t taught my coworker about the young girl’s tradition, she would have assumed their intentions were bad. It is important that as a society we “build a community that celebrates differences” rather than fear the