Sara Boyd

You remember what those first few days of college were like. From learning how to start your whole social life over to worries about roommate feuds to getting used to class, we all had our concerns, and we all dealt with them in different ways. In my case, I spent a lot of my time meeting as many different people as possible so that somehow, at the very least, I wouldn’t get lost in the shuffle.

After a few weeks of seeing what the campus had to offer, I decided there was a division between two basic groups of people: those who drank and those who thought drinking alcohol was wrong, often based on religious conviction. There were people who didn’t drink and considered it a personal choice, but they didn’t create any rifts, and they seemed rare within religious groups.

And so I watched my friendships with people in Christian groups needlessly deteriorate, drink by drink.

The people who considered drinking to be immoral, whatever their specific reasoning was, began to act differently if they knew I was partying, sometimes treating me like I wasn’t as mature or as intelligent as they were.

Pretty soon, my other friends and I felt unfairly judged and began to avoid “religious” people, even though the fact that they were religious wasn’t a problem so much as the way they treated us because of it. It was almost like they treated us as inferior so they could reassure themselves that good, intelligent people would never act like we did.

It was in this polarized environment that I first observed a trend I believe taints the general effect of religion on society as a whole – the tendency of some outwardly religious people to adopt a narrow line of thought, leading them to subconsciously judge the actions and beliefs of others.

Though I’d never describe myself as a “religious” person, I have felt a definite inner conflict since noticing this trend, since I grew up in a Christian home and do have my beliefs. But the more I have thought about the role religion sometimes plays in society, the more I have realized that erasing the divisions some people create with their “us vs. them” mentality is nearly impossible.

Regardless of your position on abortion, for example, there is no denying the debate surrounding the issue has left the public polarized, with those opposite the “religious right” feeling excluded and judged.

Now I’m not saying people of any faith are necessarily wrong to feel the way they do about abortion. I was adopted at three months old and am obviously pretty grateful my birth mother opted to go through with the pregnancy.

But the rants of extreme preachers and bitter riots often smother the altruistic message the pro-life movement espouses. While the people who cause this division are a vocal minority, it’s difficult for others not to assume their offensive arguments also dwell in the minds of all people who ascribe closely to a given faith.

Opposition to allowing homosexuals to get married, and in some cases to enter civil unions, meanwhile, creates an even more damaging atmosphere. I do think that everyone is entitled to their own personal beliefs on the issue. But the argument that “marriage” is a sacred religious institution the government should uphold is irrational and dangerous.

For one thing, it raises questions about translating religious principles into law. It also suggests that homosexuals are second-class citizens, undeserving of equal rights. This directly contradicts the beliefs that all people, as well as their sins, are equal in the eyes of God.

These problems don’t just surface on a single-issue basis. I’ve met people who make arbitrary connections between their social conservatism and other issues, leading them to support the war in Iraq, for example, simply out of a desire to support their “moral” president unconditionally.

That sort of rationale is ignorant and hypocritical – how can someone who is pro-life also support the war? If I have a different view on the war that might be more in line with “liberals,” does that make me immoral?

I understand that not everyone who considers themselves religious falls into the category I’ve described. I also understand that it’s possible to cite scattered passages in the Bible and other holy books that justify narrow religious views. But religion of any kind, to me, is more about basic doctrinal beliefs and how people treat one another.

That means treating someone as inferior, for whatever reason, should never be a byproduct of religious conviction.

All I’m saying is sometimes outwardly religious people fail to account for the possibility that others have a right to form different views on social issues, and that doing so doesn’t necessarily compromise their right to respect or acceptance.

Those people who don’t recognize that possibility aren’t just splitting moral hairs, they’re splitting society.