When Malcolm is in prison, the Nation of Islam comes to his aid, and helps him to become a better person. This is an interesting concept, about the healing power of religion. The Nation of Islam, as well as many other religions, were extremely successful at reforming convicts. This shows the power that religion has. This relates to my life as well. Whenever something goes wrong, I can turn to my religion, and know that someone is always watching out for me, and someone always has my back. Malcolm has finally found something that he can believe in, which stopped the downward spiral of his life.
Here is an interesting news article about religion in prisons:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2005-05-31-court-religion_x.htm
This article shows how important religion is. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that religion has to be allowed in prisons, even though the inmates who had sued were practicing non-traditional religions. This decision shows that any religion, even ones which may be considered irregular can be healing influences on those who are in need of a reform.
For me, religion plays a huge part in my life. As a part of a congregation, and a community, I know I have a group of people that I can turn to if I ever need help. This gives me a peace of mind, and helps me to realize what is important in my life. Religion helps me to realize that some of the small and trivial things are a lot less important than the big occasions, so I have learned not to worry about them as much. Although religion has not helped me heal from a specific event, it has helped me to mature into an adult. When I was studying for my Bar-Mitzvah, learning many of the more in-depth customs of my religion, I began to have a greater understanding of the world around me, and this helped me to mature into the person I am today.
2 comments:
Josh--Your ideas are always great starting points. Here, as in other entries of yours, you do not really ask questions or wonder about why things are they way they are. Your connection to the religious aspects of Malcolm and the book is very weak--how/why do you turn to your religion? Explain, specifically.
I agree with what you said. While I don't really have a religion I turn to when I need help, I can see how it would be a comfort when life is hard. Especially in prison, where it would be easy to lose hope and start to think negatively, believing that a higher power has a plan for you would make it a lot easier to accept bad circumstances. I think religion in prison should be encouraged, since it discourages violence and drugs which are problems in jail.
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