I'd like to apologize to anyone that might have been offended by my comments in class the other day regarding religion. I actually felt like offering this apology in class but thought it would be akward so opted for this cowardly version instead. Those comments should not have been made in a situation where a proper discusion could not be had so that all my thoughts could be properly elaborated upon.
Just to clarify, I'm not the anti-Christ, I come from family with many devout muslims, and I myself am a semi-practicing muslim. I have the utmost respect for anyone who has devout religious beliefs, it has just been my experience that all too often those beliefs are impossed upon others. I am of Iranian nationality and if your familiar with the history of my country, you would realize the horrors that religious indoctrination can bring, least of which being children hanging keys to unlock the gates of heaven as they walk into mine fields to clear the way for tanks.
I understand all the beautiful and positive aspects of spirituality but I'm of the opinion that we no longer need to derive our morals from documents written thousands of years ago. Our society has advanced to the point that it realizes their can't be such a thing as the "choosen people of god" and if there is a god he would not punish us for being born in a certain region whose culture does not include him.
Finally, I deeply apologize for using the world irrational in refering to people with religous sentiment. I make this mistake often, I really don't mean it as an insult. I think the pursuit of science is a purely rational endeavor attempting to attain truth, while religion is an inherently irrational endeavor based on the tenets of faith. So I don't think something based on faith can be rational, not to say that one is better or more correct than the other, but simply an observation regarding the thought proccesses involved.
Regardless, there is no excuse for making devisive comments such as the one's I made and I'll take much greater care not to do so in the future.
About Me
- Payam
- I'm a student at the USC School of Public Health. I'm writing this blog in order to fulfill a requirment for Dr. Gurinder Shahi's class on Emerging Trends in Global Health at USC but also so I can begin setting the path for my future in the field of Global Health.
10 comments:
Hi Payam, I actually didn't even hear your comment about "irrational" people and religion. Or maybe I did, and it didn't phase me. On any note, I think it is very professional of you to attempt to make amends with anyone who may have felt offended by your comment. I don't think your method of apology is cowardly by any means. Yet, I have to say, whatever your feelings about the religious, positive or indifferent, they are your opinions and I respect them.
i also totally missed you being the "anti-christ" maybe i was thinking "payam is being payam" anyways, thanks for posting an apology.
Payam,
I don't think you need to apologize to the class for your comments. In fact you don't need to apologize to anyone. I was bothered more by the fact that you may be reaching out to others with circumstances very different from yours and you will need to approach them with understanding in order to help them address their needs. My comments were not meant as an attack on you, but rather as a reminder to all of us that we all have biases and prejudices that may or may not be based on facts. In fact, we might not even recognize that we have them, and they can hinder our progress in developing strategies and programs for those we are trying to help.
I wish you all the success possible in the future.
Rosie
hey payam, whatever your beliefs/opinions are, i totally agree with your thoughts on governments imposing beliefs on people. faith is a personal choice and i think we have enough examples of the adverse effects (whether it's war, public health or even just being stuck in the past) of governments trying to force religion on citizens.
Hi Payam, I posted a message on Rosies Blog already, so you can check that out. But I believe open discussions need all kinds of input in order for us to discover real solutions. We need everyone to say whatever is on his or her mind so that we can really debate in a healthy manner. I don't condone insulting or offending of our peers, and I know we run out of time in most situations because of packed agendas, but I like it when we turn up the heat in class, and force ourselves to face the difficult issues.
Payam,
I appreciate your candor. While my religious convictions are different than yours, I understand & respect your perspective. I was raised in a quasi-atheist/quasi-agnostic home and became a Christian on my own in high school.
With a gay brother, I have seen firsthand how 'religious indoctrination,' as you put it, can be antagonistic. Indeed, I agree with you on this.
When you made the comment in class, I was inclined to respond, but as the conversation shifted, I decided against it.
One thing to consider: our convictions are powerful motivating forces for providing assistance to the underserved. This kind of conversation is important to understand one another's motivations and intentions for helping others.
An issue that I have with both the secular and faith-based organizations is assistance for financial (secular) or evangelical (faith-based) purposes. For me - as it seems is the case for you - my primary intention for helping others is because they are in need and I am able to help; not primarily for financial or spiritual purposes.
While your motivations for pursuing public health appear different than mine, it is encouraging to know that our intentions appear the same.
Again, thanks for your candor.
Payam, I did not think your comment was out of place, actually, I mention before something about religion but becouse I faced in my own country barriers with health issues, specially reproductive healht, and I was sorprised that the articule did not mention nathing about this.
I agere with your comment that we need to be open and respectful with other but also as a public health professional sometimes it is important to put everyones heatlh as a priority.
I was actually real glad you made that comment about religion, but I guess its because I have spoken to you before and I knew exactly what you meant. And I feel the same way about religious institutions. I actually just had a discussion with my cousin about religion, and I argued that one can be spiritual and not be religious. I think that religion offers some people a form of spirituality which I believe is important for a well balanced life, but I agree that religious institutions have hindered our spiritual growth, and sometimes makes people act in "irrational" behavior. ITs 3 o'clock in the morning so I hope I'm making sense...
Hi Payam, I missed your comment as well! I think you are a very considerate person and we should all respect each others backgrounds as you mentioned.
It is out of our hands the fact that where we are coming from and what religions our ancestors had.
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