Wail Hamid's Essay Outline

Thesis: In life, religion creates the base for our morals and values, however, when forced
upon others, it creates conflicts, portraying humans as soulless fiends.

Argument #1 -
Point: Different religions have different morals, and beliefs. When these morals clash, the
religions, and their beliefs conflict with each other.

Evidence: “'Mr. Klaasen,' the first cop said. 'Perhaps you don't understand, your son's action
saved the lives of dozens of students.' Reg looked at him. 'What I understand is that my son
experienced murder in his heart and chose not to rise above that impulse.'” (Coupland, 77)

Explanation: The conflict between Mr. Klaasen's belief that murder is a sin, no matter what
way you look at it, and the policeman's idea that murder, sometimes, is a necessary option.
This conflict in beliefs shows that it can drastically affect lives.

Argument #2 -
Point: When one's religion and beliefs are forced onto others, it can cause them to feel
threatened. Especially when one or more people in the conflict is in a position of power, or
authority.

Evidence: In the movie, “Saint Ralph”, Ralph goes against Father Fitzpatrick's beliefs that he
should not run in the Boston Marathon

Explanation: The fact that Father Fitzpatrick is in a position of authority and Ralph decides to
go against his beliefs creates conflicts between the two, because Father Fitzpatrick feels
threatened, and feels that he has to defend his beliefs. This could negatively impact Ralph in
the sense that he would be expelled from the school, leaving him to fend for himself.

Argument #3 -
Point: Religion being forced upon others creates a very narrow-minded way of solving issues.

Evidence: “'No. I don't think it would be possible for a clone to have a soul...'It would be a
monster'”

Explanation: If religion and beliefs were forced upon others, it would create a narrow-minded
approach to issues. This wouldn't necessarily create person versus person conflicts, but more
so societal conflicts. These societal conflicts can have a huge impact on how we live. A big
example of this is embryonic stem cell research, where some religions view it as a sin to kill,
while others view it as hope for cures.