Forgiveness

Context Think back to your last large family visit. What topics did everyone avoid? If you responded, “politics and religion,” you are not alone. Our society has grown to expect avoidance of such topics in family conversation, in part because such disagreements can become incredibly divisive. It is not uncommon for family members or friends to harbor long-lasting resentments over differing political or religious views.These very common experiences present rich opportunities for us to explore the complicated relationships between diversity, revenge, resentment, compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation. These complicated relationships will be the focus of this large paper.

Intention This large paper gives you the opportunity to learn about Interfaith work and the idea of pluralism, to explore relationships between diversity, revenge, resentment, compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and to learn about events and organizations in your local community that already facilitate interactions between individuals who identify around politics and religion differently.

Instructions Before beginning this paper, review the course topics and content, noting any past readings or films that you would like to pull in as resources for this particular assignment. Conduct a literature search using the Regis University Library to find related articles, and conduct an internet search to locate relevant organizations or institutions. Initially drawing from the talk this week by Patel, The Case for Pluralism in a Divided Democracy, write a 12-page paper in which you:

Part 1 (approx. 6 pages)

discuss diversity, revenge, resentment, compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation, as they relate to each other within a pluralistic society
define “pluralism”
Part 2 (approx. 3 pages)
describe your history of avoidance of and engagement with these topics within your own family and friend circles (use specific examples of both);
Part 3 (approx. 3 pages)
provide a testament to how you want to engage with these topics in the future; include references to existing organizations, role models, or public figures who model the type of activity you seek in yourself.

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