Religion and communication

Running head: RELIGION AND COMMUNICATION 1

Communication between People of Different Religions

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Communication between People of Different Religions

The beliefs in particular systems of worship and faith vary from one community to another. People from the various communities have distinct religious beliefs that are adored and respected. The religious views differ and converge at some point between people of different cultures (Paulston, Kiesling, & Rangel, 2012). However, religion can hinder or enhance communication between individuals. People earn a religious identity according to the faith they believe in. Historically, religion is known as a source of conflict among people due to the different views from such systems of worship.

From time to time, one may feel uncomfortable communicating with people from other religions. Religions shape one’s thinking, and this can be a cause of differences in opinions between people. Religious stereotypes inhibit communication between people. Individuals may hold assumptions about the characteristics of another religion (Patel, Li, & Sooknanan, 2011). Many stereotypes are negative, and this can affect communication between people of different cultures negatively.

Beliefs in one faith can make an individual feel superior to others of a different religion. In such cases, people tend to judge others according to the standards and views of their faith at the expense of the other religion (Patel et al., 2011). In this case, communication can be hindered if one person feels that their religion is more superior than others. The feeling of being superior can be reflected in cases of making opinions. A sense of being superior by belonging to a particular faith can hinder communication.

The communication barriers caused by religious differences can be overcome through embracing diversity and also keeping in check religious identity whenever communicating with people from different religions (Paulston et al., 2012). For instance, in the US, there exist different faiths like Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism among others. Belonging to a particular religion that seems prevalent in the community does not make one more superior or right than others from other faiths (Patel et al., 2011). Additionally, people can do away with stereotypes when communicating. Issues like associating people who believe in a particular religion with violence are wrong. For instance, it is incorrect to say that Muslims are associated with violence. Such perceptions can hinder any meaningful communication.

References

Patel, F., Li, M., & Sooknanan, P. (2011). Intercultural communication. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.

Paulston, C., Kiesling, S., & Rangel, E. (2012). The handbook of intercultural discourse and communication. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.