For July, our correspondents hit the streets across the United States, to ask “When was the last time you talked to someone who held different religious beliefs than you?”

Host: Jessica Eturralde

Overview:

In this episode of LYNC SQUARE, host Jessica Eturralde and Love Your Neighbor Community correspondents explore public perceptions of religious freedom across the United States. The team hits the streets to ask people, "When was the last time you talked to someone with different religious beliefs than you?" and delve into deeper questions about the meaning and importance of religious freedom.

Key Segments:

• [0:00] Introduction:
• Jessica Eturralde introduces the episode, emphasizing that the opinions shared do not reflect the views of Love Your Neighbor Community but offer a glimpse into societal thoughts on religious freedom.
• [2:05] Defining Religious Freedom:
• Participants share their interpretations of religious freedom, with responses ranging from the right to worship freely to broader concepts of societal tolerance.
• Key Quote: "The ability to worship wherever you want, whenever you want."
• [6:20] Importance of Religious Freedom:
• Respondents discuss why religious freedom matters, touching on themes of personal salvation, societal stability, and the historical significance of religion in successful societies.
• Key Quote: "Religion has always been the semblance of successful societies."
• [10:35] Improving Religious Understanding:
• The conversation shifts to how society can foster better religious understanding and cohesion. Suggestions include increasing tolerance, avoiding judgment, and promoting open, respectful dialogue.
• Key Quote: "Respect across the board for all people's religions...not necessarily agreement, but respect."
• [15:45] Public Conversations:
• The correspondents share diverse experiences of when participants last engaged with someone of different religious beliefs, highlighting the challenges and rewards of such interactions.
• Key Quote: "We just were curious to understand what the other person believed."
• [25:00] Conclusion:
• Jessica wraps up the episode, encouraging listeners to join future discussions and highlighting the importance of continuing these conversations to promote religious freedom and social cohesion.

Special Thanks:

• Correspondents: Rachel Coyle, Marcy Seither, Elizabeth Schenk
• Technical Support: Dmyitri Degtiaro

Call to Action:

• Subscribe to LYNC SQUARE for more insightful episodes.
• Reach out if you or someone you know would like to participate in future discussions.

Contact Information:

• Email: jessica@lyncommunity.org

[00:01:02] Society, I guess, to be free to have your own religion and your own beliefs.

[00:01:22] It's kind of complex, you know what I mean, because people don't believe sometimes and some people judge it. Most of the time, you judge people's religion, which I think is wrong because you believe what you want, you know. It's your choice to believe in whatever you want to believe in.

[00:01:47] I feel this is the country, like, you are free to believe everything, like, and make you happy. If you got something, like, make your heart feel complete, or if you got faith in something that's helpful for you on those moments when your heart is, like, broken.

[00:02:16] With whoever, whenever, and just being able to like someone who might be Catholic discuss with somebody who might be Baptist or somebody who might be Muslim discuss with a Baptist and just having like an open conversation and be able to like, no judgment, no hate, just Learning about each other's religion and where everybody's coming from.

[00:02:57] I think freedom is so important and being able to [00:03:00] express your ideas and express how you live life and see the world is really important. And most people do that through some sort of religion.

[00:03:16] You know, different societies, if you will, that have adhered to religious principles and beliefs. Anytime you deviate from that, it starts this cascading effect where the communities, the countries, the societies start to decline. Religion has always been the semblance of successful societies.

[00:03:52] It's like a basic human right, that a person has the right to believe what they want to believe, but there's a lot of different [00:04:00] arguments about how you can exercise that and how that impacts other people.

[00:04:52] There should be no guilt assigned to it. You shouldn't be judged by your religious freedom.

[00:05:11] Leave people alone. Let them believe in what they want to believe in.

[00:05:24] Christianity, it's a very kind of, can be villainized and can be, like people will make fun of that religion and it's like, haha, it's a joke. But if someone was to make the same jokes about religions like Islam or Buddhas, it would be, right, like that is a sacred thing, we can't be doing that.

[00:06:04] I always tell my children that they should listen to what other people have to say. Now, if it gets to a point where it's getting in the realm of absurdity, then, you know, they have to either cut it off, decide to change gears, change topics, whatever, or just walk away. But, um, you know, I think That you learn from other people.

[00:06:32] I think with the perspective of wanting to understand before you're wanting to be understood.

[00:06:44] Cause I definitely was for a little bit of time. Find a way maybe that makes people feel more comfortable to ask a question. And make it feel open, and there's no stupid question in this aspect, like No matter how small you may think it is, ask it, because it could be [00:07:00] important to somebody else, or somebody might ask you, you might get the answer, somebody might ask you the next day, and now you have an answer to that question.

Meanwhile, if you or someone you know would like to participate in our discussions, let us know by sending a quick email to jessica@lyncommunity.org

[00:08:15] I would say very rarely have I gotten into conversations that have gotten to the point of where I'm discussing where I believe versus what they believe.

[00:08:33] So when you go to church, you talk to people with different beliefs?

[00:08:45] I do it all the time. But, you know. The, the sad part about part of this societal change is that people, they stay in their own echo chambers. They, they, you know, they congregate or migrate around people that feel and believe and think the same way they do.

[00:09:24] On Friday, in the airport, I had a conversation with two Messianic Jews, a Catholic and me. It was very interesting.

[00:09:34] Uh, yeah, so, they were talking originally, and I was hearing him talk about priesthood, and so I asked him, are you Mormon, and he said, no, I'm Catholic.

[00:09:57] We just were curious to understand what the other person believed. Um, so I don't think there was any hostility, it was pretty, Open conversation. Uh, I think it was good for everyone because we were trying to explain ourself to someone of a different standpoint.

[00:10:34] Uh, actually yesterday, my best friend. Um, she was an atheist, um, and I talked to her yesterday.

[00:10:59] [00:11:00] Honestly, I think it would have been maybe about a year ago at an internship I was at. Uh, there was a woman there, she was a Muslim background, and we talked a little bit. Not long, because, you know, different departments kind of just interacted, but we just talked for a little bit. And we kind of just talked a little bit about where she came from, where I came from, and just the different growing up.

We're a small production team seeking to do big things for religious freedom and social cohesion, one conversation at a time. If you like what you heard today and want to hear more, be sure to subscribe to LYNC SQUARE for updates.