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Catholicism

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Catholicism
Religious discrimination remains a critical issue in America although its magnitude and scope has significantly reduced over time. Religious discrimination results when people fail to tolerate those who hold different or contradicting religious beliefs and consequently subject such people to harsh judgment. While discrimination on religious grounds has been expressed outwardly by individuals in the past, there seems to be a shift in this form of discrimination as people seek to justify their religious beliefs as an indirect way of dismissing the beliefs of other groups.
Another form taken by modern religious discrimination is where an isolated case of irresponsibility is used to judge a whole religion. An example can be given of the child abuse scandal committed by catholic priests that was used to express disapproval of the entire Catholic Church and its teachings (Taylor 1). This case demonstrated that despite the tremendous efforts made by both the government and the various religious groups in the country, religious discrimination remains prevalent and there is need for increased efforts to sensitize people on the implications this form of discrimination has on the peaceful coexistence of communities.
Although I have not experienced discrimination because of my religious beliefs, there remains a possibility of it happening. However, I plan to use the chance positively and sensitize the other party on the importance of accommodating the beliefs of others even when those beliefs contradict with ours. It is only through continuous education that sustainable interventions on eradicating religious discrimination will be achieved.

Works Cited
Taylor, Pamela. Catholics More Likely to Face Ethnic Bias than Religious Discrimination. Onfaith, 16 March 2007. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. < http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2007/03/16/catholics-more-likely-to-face/3253>

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