Religion and Faith Essay -- essays research papers

Religion/Faith Over the last several decades America has been evolving towards many significant changes. One of these changes has posed a question, whether or not America has become secular. Although we may be uncertain of many of these changes and how they will affect our future, the answer to our secularity is quite obvious. America has indeed become secular. I think that in a society where being successful is everything, our religious beliefs tend to get lost in the "survival of the fittest" lifestyle that we lead everyday. Of course we all have certain standards in which we believe and live by. A good example of the standard behavior that makes us so secular is in Wil Herbergs essay This American Way Of Life. Herbergs says so well , "the American way of life is a symbol by which Americans define themselves and establish their unity." The author means to imply that unity is something we all strive for. To be American is to be part a huge family, no matter what gender, color, or background. We stick together. We fight together, we laugh together, we grieve together as Americans. Terms like democracy, individuality, self-reliance are all words we relate to as Americans. We teach our kids that we should be grateful everyday to be Americans. In this country we can choose our own destination. We can be whatever we want. I think that being a s...

Respect for Tradition

Respect for tradition Cultural differences In order to respect the tradition of India, Union Carbide should have done an investigation of Indian cultural values (Robertson and Fadil, 1998). It is possible that firms even within the same industry develop different values and traditions and the analysis of cultural differences permit to decrease the number of misunderstanding (Donaldson, 1989). One of the most important traits of Indian culture is the fatalism. The Indian population is very spiritual with the notions of karma, fate or destiny. According to them, everything happen for a reason and this way of thinking is significant in decision making in their personal life or within an organisation (Elder, 1966). Fatalism has an impact on two Hofstede’s dimensions. Power distance is defined as a degree of inequality among people of the community (Thomas, 2008). Hofstede (2009) found that India is a country with a high power distance which means that they accept unequal power and wealth. Indians think that people on the top were destined to be on the top so they accepted their decisions due to the fatalism philosophy. However, the power distance in United States is relatively low (Hofstede, 2009). Uncertainty avoidance represents the extent to which people are frustrated by unstructured and unpredictable situations (Thomas, 2008). India has low uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2009). In fact, they prefer few rules as possible and less structures activities. In addition, they are not scared of the unknown and want to take risks. Fatalism emphasises the belief that people do not have the control of every situations (Elder, 1966). United States is also low in uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede, 2009). According to Hofstede research, both India and the U. S are masculine which means that the society accepts values like assertiveness, performance, success and competition (Thomas, 2008). Individualism/ collectivism is defined as the degree to which people in a country prefer to act as individuals rather than members of groups (Thomas, 2008). India tends to be collectivist while United States are highly individualistic (Hofstede, 2009). After analysing Hofstede cultural dimensions between India and U. S, it is worth noting that there exist differences between the two countries. Union Carbide would have examined the Indian cultural values before doing business in the country. This could have avoided the Bhopal’s disastrous. According to Donaldson, it is important for communities to self-define the aspect of their business morality and in this case, Union Carbide would have been aware and accepted it in order to respect the Indian tradition. This is called the moral free space. Usually, business communities develop ethical norms which represent a collective viewpoint concerning deals and the right behaviour to adopt when making them (Donaldson, 1999). The respect of tradition could be in contrast with core human values Donaldson considers that companies have to respect traditions of country where they work; nevertheless, sometimes these traditions could be in contrast with the core human values. As already mentioned, India is a country with high power distance. For example, in Bhopal, the municipal authorities were against the continued use of the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant at its original location (Shrivastava, 1987). The plant site was for commercial or light industrial use but not for hazardous industries. However, as UCIL was a powerful company in India, the central and state government authorities rejected the city’s objection and authorised the company to stay at its location (Bennett et al. 2005). Everybody accepted it and this decision was final. Even if the hierarchical system is accepted in India, Union Carbide could not have respected this tradition because it is in contradiction with the respect of individual’s basic rights. The government did not protect the individual’s rights because the plant was about two miles from the Bhopal railway station, local commercial activities and two slum colonies were located across the street from the Union Carbide plant (Shrivastava, 1987). So, in order to support and protect the Indian’s right, Union Carbide could not have respected this tradition. Uncertainty avoidance is relatively low in India and it is worth explaining its consequences on the Bhopal plant. The working environment of the plant tolerated negligence and a lack of safety consciousness among workers and managers (Shrivastava, 1987). This behaviour is not only in contrast with the respect of human dignity concept but also with the individual basic rights. In fact, the employees’ low morale jeopardised the population’s health and safety.

Same Sex Marriage Is Not The Law Of The Land - 1510 Words

Decarrio Turner Professor Lee Comp Rhetoric 2 20 October 2014 Same-Sex Marriage According to Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, If traditional marriage is not the law of the land, the institution of the family will cease to exist. Traditional marriage is a legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. Inside the court rooms and outside, citizens of the United States battle out their differences between heterosexual and homosexual marriage; one reason for this is because the frequency of relationships involving same-sex couples in our society is constantly growing. In America, citizens fight for equality every day and homosexual couples fight hard for the same rights as heterosexual couples when it comes to marriage. Should there be equal rights between the two heterosexual and homosexual couples? I believe that citizens of the same sex that are able to wed should not have the same rights as citizens that undergo heterosexual marriage; because it doesn t correlate with my religious beliefs, it s more beneficial for children to be brought up w ith both the father and mother in their lives, and also, letting gay couples get married will lead to a weak institution of marriage. Homosexual couples are fighting for justice within the courtrooms. The Gay Rights Movement has been around for a while now, and through it, homosexuals have been promoting and fighting for equality and equal rights for marriage within the courtrooms. The visual I chose toShow MoreRelatedThe Laws Of Our Society980 Words   |  4 Pages The laws of our society at its best do not depict equality to every substantial entity that graces the land of the United States of America. The turmoil that is documented and/or reported that flourish our different media outlets, struggles in people day to day lives, or the great strain against indivisibility or a simple liberty or justice for all. Everyone will not always agree if ever. Some may choose to be belligerent with their voice—where others may bid for peace. Perhaps is it greener onRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Respected1123 Words   |  5 Pagessociety, same-sex marriage should be respected at the same level as traditional opposite-sex marriage. â€Å"Marriage is the ultimate affirmation of a sexual relationship. Marriage is the institution in which we not only tolerate people having sex and housing children, but we encourage it and celebrate it as a society† (Foust 3). Most states attempted to avoid the same-sex marriage issue by defining marriage between man and woman, but that soon became an unexpected controversial issue (â€Å"Same-Sex MarriageRead MoreSame Sex Marriage990 Words   |  4 PagesSupporters of gay marriage argue around the concept of equality in America. Our country is said to be found on the principle that all men are created equal, so that make it hypocritical to deny the rights of homosexuals, as it was hypocritical to deny freedom to African Americans or to prohibit women s suffrage. Supporters also believe that Gays should be allows the same benefits as regular married couples. For instance, only through marriage do same sex couples have the rights to their partnerRead MoreHow United States Are Not Regulating Same Sex Marriage Law1476 Words   |  6 PagesSection I This paper will examine problem on how states are not regulating same sex marriage law passed in the United States. I will explains certain areas in the united states where the government has yet to fully enforced the law for legalization of same sex marriage since its official decision on June 26, 2015 while in fact many states have done everything in their power to prevent homosexuals from expressing their new constitutional right. In the following I will talk about certain a state andRead MoreInadequate Same Sex Marriage Laws in the United States Essay example714 Words   |  3 PagesInadequate Same Sex Marriage Laws in the United States The institution of marriage has been around for many years. Times have changed and society has grown as a whole. The United States has laws that prohibit same-sex marriages or do not grant them the same privileges as traditional marriages. You will see how behind this great nation has remained. As many countries around the world explore less traditional ways of life, the United States has been left in the dust. In the United StatesRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Granted1473 Words   |  6 Pages If you search the definition of the word marriage, this is what comes up: â€Å"The formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife.† Myself, and many other people have a problem with this definition. Same sex marriage is outlawed in 33 states, and the reasonings for that just aren’t good enough for the large majority to except. Homosexual couples should be granted the right to marry. Something as miniscule as who you’re sexually attractedRead MoreEssay about Same Sex Marriage993 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Constitution? What if you were treated as a second-class citizen because of what you believe to be fair? That is the case that all homosexuals in the United States are facing. Many Americans feel that Gays should not and cannot be granted the same rights that they have for morality reasons. Homosexuals are n ot only discriminated and treated badly but they are also denied the rights that should lawfully be theirs. Many Americans see no reason why Gays should be granted the right to marryRead MoreHomosexuals Have Every Right to Marry686 Words   |  3 Pageshave every right to marry. Marriage is a basic human right, if straights can marry in all states then so should gays. Gay rights of all kinds are starting to become increasingly protected. â€Å"In every courthouse, in every proceeding and in every place where a member of the department of justice, stands on behalf of the United States, they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, protections and rights as opposite-sex marriages, under federal law.† -Attorney General EricRead MoreThe Problem With The United States Constitution1209 Words   |  5 Pagesbeings, whatever their nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. Humans all equally entitled to human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interd ependent and indivisible.† The fight to protect human rights has been ongoing since the creation of law. The question of what constitutes as a human right has been raised time and time again to redefine laws in order to accommodate groups who have had their rightsRead MoreGay Marriage: Pros and Cons1152 Words   |  5 PagesMarriage Is Not Equal For All Gay Marriages Mikaela Acosta â€Æ' Gay marriage has been subject to taboo because our society has this conformed and learned version of marriage; marriage is only held between a man and a woman. Although this is more common today to hear of gay couples, in the first couple centuries in America this was almost unacceptable to general society. Beginning in 2001 was when gay marriage began to become much more widespread starting in Canada, Norway, Belgium, Argentina