There is no truly correct answer in religion.

A devout Catholic, Jew, Muslim and atheist, for example, will all tell you they are right and their belief is the correct one. Although there is no substantial proof as to whether all these theories are right, people still continue to blindly hold tight and defend their beliefs. Isn’t that why it’s called faith?

We are so lucky to live in a country where we have the freedom to practice any religion we want, and the government cannot tell us we are wrong or try to stop us. In turn, our assured freedom creates a collection of all different kinds of religious beliefs in one nation -— types of religious beliefs that are seemingly different from our own, but we probably do not know much about.

However, it is imperative that we learn to show respect for each other’s individual beliefs, no matter how different they are from our own. We are no longer “one nation under God,” but a nation made up of all different gods and higher powers.

Some of the largest religions in the world, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, all have different head figures or gods. Christianity has its God, Muslims have the same god but call him Allah, and Buddhists worship many different Buddhas. Clearly this “one God” that we have been referring to is not the only one making all the magic happen down here on earth. Although we recite these words in the pledge and read them on our dollar bills, they are no longer as literal as they may have once been. Because of the multiple religions that are practiced in America, “one God” has turned into more of “whichever God you see fit.”

If years of repetitive and boring history classes have taught me anything, it is that diversity is often a hard pill for our nation to swallow. We fear the unknown, make assumptions and stereotype the things that are different from what we are used to. Although this has most often been seen with cultural battles, religion has always been just as problematic. People have their own religious beliefs. It is understandable why they would not want to take the time to go out and learn someone else’s.

We cannot afford to think like that anymore. At the very least, we need to learn to accept that people are entitled to their own religious beliefs. If we don’t learn to respect that, the future won’t be so bright.

The recent protests turned fatal in Libya, Sudan and other countries are being fueled by anger toward the anti-Islam video that mocks the Muslim prophet. The video was a low budget movie that went practically unnoticed here in the United States until now. Anyone would be enraged if his or her strong beliefs were challenged and mocked. The response from these protesters is not justified at all, but it was caused by a lack of respect for another’s beliefs.

Even here at MU, we see different religious practices every day.

Just this past summer, my roommate and I got a knock on our door. Expecting it to be our neighbors, we were surprised to open the door to find two college-aged men dressed in crisp white button-up shirts, dress pants and suit jackets. They were Mormon missionaries going door-to-door to spread their word. We had a conversation about their religion, discussing the extreme differences as well as similarities to my own Methodist religion.

I have never known much about the Mormon religion, aside from how seemingly strict it is. However, these two men were able to explain to me why they do things I considered “weird” and worship the way they do without trying to force feed their beliefs down my throat. I appreciated that.

Religion is huge. It’s everywhere and we know it. Before we pass judgments on the things we don’t know, we should at least try to understand it. You don’t have to embrace it or believe what these different religions preach, but show some respect whenever you encounter them.

This topic is so controversial because it is something that anchors deep within us. People stay close to their own religions for personal reasons, but whether you are Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or whatever, the least you can do is take the time to try to understand what you don’t know.

To continue to be a successful nation, we must believe in something together. There will never be uniformity in who is “right” when it comes to religion. Instead, we should consider taking our hopes for the nation out of God’s hands and putting it into each other’s.