Reading Response - Assignment Example

Reading Response Part The article, sacred land discusses the importance of religion in societies. Religion is an integral cultural feature that influences people’s spiritual beliefs. Religion offers answers to some of the fundamental questions people ask about their origin and purposes in life. Additionally, religion influences the social and cultural values in societies thus influencing the nature of relationship among people in a society. The Americans Indians have faced intense criticism and disruptions as other settlers disrupted their sacred land destroying their religious setups.

Such is a portrayal of disregard to the innate beliefs of people that require the redrafting of the legislations that govern religion and freedom of worship in the country.Offering bodies for scientific studies is a personal decision that people make in order to foster science. However, forcing a particular group to offer their dead for scientific studies discriminative, human anatomy is similar and those compelling others should take the initiative of enhancing science by offering their own bodies.

The article calls for the review of laws that govern the remittance of bodies to museums and scientific institutions in order to grow science. The conflict between science and religion requires effective management in order to ensure that each enjoys relative space for growth. In cases where religion opposes specific scientific operations people must take special deliberations including revision of existing laws in order to limit the extent of the conflicts. Science offers practical answers and solutions to the social problems while religion offers spiritual answers.

Both are effective in their own way. The article therefore discusses the contention that arises when religion and science conflict. Offering human bodies for scientific studies remains contentious to most societies. In the United States, the arguments that American Indians should offer their ancestors’ bodies for scientific studies are rising amid opposition from different quarters. Part 2I agree with the ideas in the article. Religion is an instrumental cultural component that influences the lifestyles of people.

Religion influences the faith of an individual thus influencing their values. As such, religion remains an important aspect of life. The values and beliefs of people are intricate aspect of their lives that the society should respect and value. This underscores the need for changing the antiques act of 1906 and the archeological resource protection act of 1979 both of which stipulated ways of handling human remains especially those dedicated for science and research. Laws are tools used by the society in maintaining order.

In doing this, laws must represent the interests of the people. Changing the laws to represent the views and interests of the people is therefore appropriate given the dynamic nature of the society. Forcing the American Indians to offer their dead to museums and scientific institutions for scientific studies and research is retrogressive and contravenes the rights and freedoms of people. Forceful eviction of the tribes from their aboriginal homes disrupted their lifestyles a feature that changed their religious activities thus faith.

If changing the two acts will protect their interest then so, be it. Work citedDeldoria,Vine. For this land: writings on religion in America. New York: Routledge, 1999. Print.