Just my thoughts...

American Feminist, Ernestine Rose, said "It is an interesting and demonstrable fact, that all children are atheists and were religion not inculcated into their minds, they would remain so." While I find this statement holds a great deal of merit, during a conversation I had in my Women in Spirituality class over the weekend, in mulling that over, I came to the conclusion that spirituality (not religion) is to some degree inherent. I'm not talking inherent across the biological landscape so much as I am in terms of one's personal development. I think that even in the case of a "wild child," a term assigned to children raised in the wild and not among civilization, as many tribes were in times past, due to the subjective experience of our conscience, we're in some ways lead to ponder about the nature of things - how things came to be and so forth.

In light of this, in reading about the "cultural encounters" of Islam and Christianity, specifically the Crusades and conquering people with the goal of conversion, I couldn't help but consider the damaging effects that our world's religions, built on much of the same ideology, have played across the human landscape. What's more, these same religions operate today.

I once sat in on a philosophy class in which the professor regarded patriotism as a poision upon the American people. While deeply troubling to me, given my background, I came to understand, and later appreciate, the basis for which he'd made such a proclamation.

In any event, in considering all of this, I began to draw many parallels between patriotism and religion. (Sidenote: I don't use the terms religion and spirituality interchangeably, as I see religion as more of a system of beliefs whereby spiritualilty I consider to be more of an individual relationship with...whatever, whomever, etc.). Getting back, patriotism is defined as "proud support for or in defense of one's country or way of life." It is my opinion that religion calls for the same type of adherence (maybe not of itself, but in it's followers). While neither expressly calls for supremacy (though I'm sure an argument can be made), nevertheless, we need to look no further than the Crusades, that came in succession beginning in 1095 or the conquests of either Imperial Rome or Persia.

As I'll be graduating college and hoping to move into a career whereby I'll make my mark upon this world, I'm left to wonder how I'll do so. As Gandhi remarked, "be that change you wish to see in the world." I'm wondering how exactly I'll do that.