Is religion insensitive to culture?

Question

1. If so, how so? If not, why not? Please give specific examples.

2. Also, how can you find a balance between the ways of a certain culture and religious obligations/restrictions/codes of conduct?

James O: any/all religions, but i would like to hear each person's individual perspective according to their own religion.

Answer 1

Which religion?
Some religious groups so identify their religion with a particular cultural expression that acculturation is impossible.
Some religions are 'iconoclastic' and are opposed to any religious art ,dance,processions and ritual or even any dance or musical instrumentation of any sort.
Religious expression has also been at the heart of cultural and artistic development.
Can there be real art and culture without "soul" and spirituality?

Answer 2

Religion should be a way of life.

2) Yes you can find a "balance" if you want to call it that. I will go from the point of view of Islam. Follow the Quran and Sunnah but if there is something in the culture that doesn't go against it you can by all means take part in it. For example, in Islam you cannot eat pork but that doesn't mean you can not eat pot roast or spaghetti and meatballs or any other ethnic or cultural food.

Answer 3

In a manner of speaking, yes. In a culture such as we have in America where there are many different ethnicities, each one has it's own take on God, the Bible, even down to paintings of what they think Christ looked like. For years, Christ was depicted in paintings as a white man with long hair. Some black congregations have Him depicted as black. I was once in a Spanish church and, you guessed it, Christ was depicted as being Spanish.
It's interesting that so many people lay special claim to Christ in their own IMAGE. Thought it was the other way around. Hmm.


Could explain ALOT of the racial tension on this level, yes?