2014
Our religious beliefs are very personal, yet they have a huge public impact. We are told never to talk about religion (or politics) at parties or when first meeting someone. It can "rub people the wrong way." Too often when we think of people expressing religion publicly we think of fringe groups, like Islamic terrorists, or the Westboro Baptist Church. Personal religious views are what keep women in most countries oppressed.
We forget to mention in our crucifixion of religion the work that Mother Teresa and her group of religious fanatics did in Calcutta. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his cult following making leaps and bounds in the civil rights movement. Radical Pope Frances, saying priests who abuse power should be punished, and women should share pastoral duties with men (though we are still far from being equal, its a step). I am even going to include the Orange County, Florida school district in this list. After allowing a christian group to distribute Bibles to students, they were forced to allow a Satanic group to distribute literature. For me this opens the door for discussions, exposure to new ideas, and invites every faith to step in and truly educate people on all religions. I envision the Comparative World Religions class in that district will be quite comprehensive. Religious beliefs are the most personal, most political. But if we were more willing to talk about it we would be able to educate ourselves in another way of thinking.