An amalgam of religions

Francis Espiritu

ENGL 48B
March 10 2011

Whitman Journal (Song of myself)

Author quote: "I do not despise you priests, all time, the world over,
My faith is the greatest of faiths and the least of faiths,

Enclosing worship ancient and modern and all between ancient and modern," (Whitman 66. Section 43)

Internet Quote: "To Whitman, the self is both individual and universal. Man has an individual self, whereas the world, or cosmos, has a universal or cosmic self." (Analysis of Song of Myself. Cliffsnotes.com)

Summary: Whitman pretty much states that he does not hate Catholicism, Buddhism, or Islam. For that matter, he accepts all religions, and eventually the religion he founds hopes to be an amalgamation of all religions, ranging from the beginning of time up until modern times.

Personal Opinion: I think that Whitman truly wanted to not necessarily have a religion where all religions are fused together into one following. For that matter, I think that he just wanted people of different faiths to get along. Throughout time Jews were persecuted, Christians, and Muslims. As great as it sounds to be unified under one religion, I think that what Whitman wanted for people was to be able to practice their own religion without having the fear of being persecuted or attacked. It's possible that he painted this perfect world where everyone could get a long and possibly live together without war. If anything, Whitman's words could serve as a foundation for the future of world peace? The idea of world peace today seems like a "child's dream" but if we can just understand what Whitman was possibly thinking when he wrote this, then just maybe the idea of World Peace is not impossible? A unified religion could be nice, but for people of different races, religions, and creeds to be able to live together peacefully is truly amazing.