In Wade Clark Roof's book, Spiritual Marketplace, he divides people into five catagories of religion:
Dogmatists
Mainstream believers
Born again Christians
Metaphysical believers and seekers
Secularists
He came up with these catagories during a study that he conducted that is very similar to ours. However, he focused on the "baby boomer" generation, while we are focusing on the generation after them (i.e. the kids of the baby boomers). Even though these divisions are in an older generation, it is possible that many of them can still apply to the age group we are studying. Before going into more detail with the groups themselves, we will take a brief look at a few of Roof's ideas of varying religion.
He starts out by giving two sets of statistics that surprised me when I read them. The first says that "Polls indicate that 94% of Americans believe in God and 90% report praying to God on a fairly regular basis" (Roof, 3). This contradicts the apparent decrease in religious people in America. Religion is being taken out of schools and is constantly railed on by the government. So why is it this happening when 94% of Americans report a belief in God?
Roof quickly answers this by providing a statistic showing that, while religion is decresing in public, it is still thriving and even increasing in people's private lives. "...65% of Americans believe that religon is losing its influence in public life... yet 62% claim that the influence of religion was increasing in their personal lives" (Roof, 7). Outwardly religion apears to be declining, but nearly the same percent feel that religion is growing inwardly. Now that we see that personal religion is actually growing, we must examine what that personal religion is.
Here are a few quotes from Roof that we thought well explained the growth and change of religion during the Baby Boomer generation:
"Spirituality is a very difficult word to define. An adequate definition would include reference to a relationship with something beyond myself... that is intangible but also real. It would recognize that spirituality is the source of one's values and meaning, a way of understanding the world, an awareness of my "inner self," and a means of integrating the various aspects of myself into a whole" (35).
"[The United States] is religiously pluralistic and lacks an established church... Organized religion can be experienced as distant and out-of-date; spiritually it can be dry" (36-37).
There is now a greater emphysis on self understanding and self reflexivity, which is a shift from the previous culture (Roof, 9).
"House churches, Catholic Eucharistic groups, Jewish havurot, Bible study, prayer groups, and other such groups are often invisable yet by all accounts are flourishing today" (Roof, 20). He later points out that, "One out of every four Americans are involved in small groups of one sort or another..." (Roof,39).
After seeing these small ways in which religion has changed, Roof showed interviews from a few people who fit into the different categories.
Sara Caughman: born again Christian, or a rediscovery of tradition
I think that Sara's story is similar to that of many people of her generation. She was raised in the church but dropped out when she reached her twenties. Years later (when she was in her 40's) something happened in her life to cause her to rediscover the religion she had once been a part of. Not only did Sara return to church, she became an active member and helped establish many groups in her church to further the knowledge and understanding of Christian values and teachings.
Not everyone who returns to their faith necessarily becomes super involved, but it can be commonly seen that people who have been away from the church tend to return when they have children of their own and want them to be raised in the church, or when some other big and life-changing thing happens to make them reflect back on their life and think about the future.
Vicki Feinstein: Eclectic Seeker
Vicki claimed to be not religious for most of her life, but said that she and some friends started to get involved with the religious movement occuring around her. She says she "cannot imagine herself belonging to any religious organization", so she struck out on her own. She looked into scientology and liked what she saw there about how the mind is shaped and the ways it helped her to know herself better, but wasn't satisfied and kept looking. She read everything she could about Buddhism and followed the religion's advise on self reflection and meditation. In addition to these, she mentioned liking Star Trek and asked if it could be considered a religion as well.
In this day people consider all sorts of things to be religions that never would have been given a second thought a hundred years ago. "New Age" teachings that combine religious ideas with things like yoga and other techniques to connect you to your body are becoming commonplace and Vicki is not alone in her blending of religions and other ideas to form her own "religious values".
Some people just don't want to be told what to do and what to believe, and would rather take the time to discover that themselves. This is echoed in several comments from our interviewees making statements like find quotes "should be your choice, your own personal beliefs, no one should make you believe anything, etc." That is why you find people, like Vicki, who can believe in Star Trek as a religion. That is how they experience spirituality on a personal level.
John McRae: Reawakenings (secular alternative to traditional faith)
John was born into a Presbyterian church but did not know if he was religious or not. He would refer to himself as a Presbyterian, but he had not been to church in about twenty years, claiming that he “got out of the habit of going and never went back”, and could not say that he even knew what Presbyterians believed.
His fiancé, who is Catholic and participates in small group study because they are not comfortable in church, influenced him and he started going to the small group as well. He said that he liked the group because even though they are Catholic, that does not matter, instead it is very open and they talk about their own lives and their own experiences. Through this group, John experienced the ability to address his feelings of doubt and uncertainty and think about his priorities.
Karen Potter: Feminist Journey
Karen was raised Southern Baptist and was very active until she began to desire to feel a spiritual movement through her own experiences, and through the feminist movement. She says, "I have come to find out that [the church] doesn't corner the market on spirituality. Still it's a tool for those that it works for. This church has helped me, but right now it doesn't have much to offer me" (Roof, 21). She became an active member of a women's group that helped her explore her own needs and empower her to reach deeper levels of feeling through activities like meditation. She claimed that she, "found God inside myself" through self help books.
According to Roof, this feminist movement is not uncommon in a society that has been male dominated in the past. Throughout history, women have separated into small groups to "bond" with other women and deepen the feminist unity in "gender-based alienation". In Karen's case, she did this through studying eastern religions, ancient goddesses, meditation, and spa treatments, to name a few.
This ties in with the common theme that Roof keeps reiterating of a gradual feeling of ambivolence toward the traditional faith in which they were raised and a growing spiritual hunger for self discovery.
Sam Wong: Evangelical Seeker
Sam was not raised in a religious household. When he was in college, he was exposed to Christianity and him and his wife became members of an evangelical christian organization. He was not an active member of one church until six years ago. Since then, the change was even aparent on his coffee mugs (Jesus is the reason for the season) and his WWJD bracelets. He described his church as a "seeker church" meaning they attract middle aged people who are "seeking" answers, and who often know very little about Christianity and enjoy a much more contemporary setting. This included being tied into a "Christian network" on the internet so he could talk in chat rooms to other Christians. Through this, his goal is to "win people over to Jesus" and "organize a worldwide evangelical campaign".
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Religion: A Cultural Influence
In today's world it is easy to go with the flow, to believe things because that's what society tells you to believe. In the United States, especially in the Bible Belt of the South, Christianity is the most common religion. But that's not the only one out there even though many people aren't aware of what's in their own backyard. Here, if a person grows up a Christian, they remain a Christian their whole life; maybe they will become a solid Christian who goes to church every week and prays often, or maybe they will be more of a nominal Christian who does not really participate in church, yet still considers themselves a part of the religion. It is a rarity to find an individual who seriously questions their faith and why they believe what they believe. One reason for the lack of questioning could be the general social acceptance of the faith. If someone walks into church and says they are questioning the teachings of the church and need to work out for themselves why they are a Christian (this is applicable for all religions, not just Christianity), their fellow laymen and the ministers will probably not jump for joy. You just don't do that.
However, I personally believe that a questioning and reasoning out of why you believe what you believe is necessary in order to be fully in your faith. Know why you believe will make you a stronger follower and enhance the religious experience.
Think about it from this point of view. If you are born in a country where the primary religion is Hindu, but your family is Christian, it would be much harder to keep the will to remain a Christian. It would be the easiest thing in the world to convert to Hinduism and do what the majority of the population is doing. In this situation it is necessary to make sure you really know why you believe what you do, because if you don't there's not much reason to believe it. You are not doing the easy thing, but the hard thing: not letting your surrounding culture affect what you believe to be right.
How do we get past this paradox?
Let's think for just a minute about the major religions of the world. Besides the ones most people have heard of (Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam), there are innumerable other religions. The East Asian Religions like Confucianism is just one example. Even within a religion there are divisions and sects. These religions are present everywhere, not just the country of origin. For example, in Spartanburg alone there are Christian churches of at least 5 denominations that I can name off the top of my head, a Hindu temple, synagogues, a mosque, and a Buddhist population.
In her book A New Religious America, Diana Eck describes the new religious setting of America, one in which religions that have never had much contact are now interacting on a daily basis. In this new religious era, many people are unaware of the beliefs of Sikhs or Muslims and many have never visited a mosque or Hindu or Buddhist temple. Yet despite are extreme lack of knowledge, we are willing to say that "Muslims" (as a collective term) are extremists who will resort to anything have their message heard, when in actuality that couldn't be farther from the truth. Our society has developed a set of stereotypes that have spread from the secular world into the religious world- it is these stereotypes that we intend to identify and set straight.
Eck goes on to point out that the diversity in America gives us the opportunity to study the dynamics of various faiths. Whereas in years past study of Buddhism would have only been possible through books and firsthand knowledge through traveling to the areas of the world where it originated, the playing field is in our backyard. It is easier now than ever before to walk down the street and experience something completely different than anything we are used to. This is an opportunity that people should take advantage of.
Religion (no matter how hard the government may try to fight it) is a big part of our culture and helps shapes us and the world around us whether we're aware of it or not. The study of world religions allows us to understand what's going on around us- the situation with the Dalai Lama in Tibet, wars between Pakistan and Israel, and wars between the Shia and Sunni Muslims, and countless other disputes. I think it's as necessary a topic as science or math- it's just a matter of time before people realize that.
However, I personally believe that a questioning and reasoning out of why you believe what you believe is necessary in order to be fully in your faith. Know why you believe will make you a stronger follower and enhance the religious experience.
Think about it from this point of view. If you are born in a country where the primary religion is Hindu, but your family is Christian, it would be much harder to keep the will to remain a Christian. It would be the easiest thing in the world to convert to Hinduism and do what the majority of the population is doing. In this situation it is necessary to make sure you really know why you believe what you do, because if you don't there's not much reason to believe it. You are not doing the easy thing, but the hard thing: not letting your surrounding culture affect what you believe to be right.
Every person we have interviewed thus far have said that they believe the culture and the environment that a person grew up in is one of the, if not the deciding factor for a person's religious beliefs. In the opinion of the interviewees, if someone is born here in the southern "Bible belt", and their parents are typical Christians, then they will be Christian regardless of any other factor. They will be born into a Christian home, environment, and culture, and they have basically no other choice but to be Christian. I have probed this farther with several people and asked whether they believed that just applied to the United States, or whether that was world-wide. The general consensus has been that it is world wide.
So, for example, if someone is born in India, then they will most likely be Hindu. If someone is born in the middle east, they will most likely be Muslim. But what happens if someone is born where there is no outside religious influence? The two common answers have been, "I don't know" and "then is depends on what the family of that person believes". Does that mean that religion is not a personal decision? If that is the case, then the entire last post is null because it wouldn't matter if someone shared their religion with others because that is not the influencing factor. On the other hand, every person we have interviewed has expressed the need for religion to be a personal decision, not influenced by any other factors than individual choice.
How do we get past this paradox?
Let's think for just a minute about the major religions of the world. Besides the ones most people have heard of (Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam), there are innumerable other religions. The East Asian Religions like Confucianism is just one example. Even within a religion there are divisions and sects. These religions are present everywhere, not just the country of origin. For example, in Spartanburg alone there are Christian churches of at least 5 denominations that I can name off the top of my head, a Hindu temple, synagogues, a mosque, and a Buddhist population.
In her book A New Religious America, Diana Eck describes the new religious setting of America, one in which religions that have never had much contact are now interacting on a daily basis. In this new religious era, many people are unaware of the beliefs of Sikhs or Muslims and many have never visited a mosque or Hindu or Buddhist temple. Yet despite are extreme lack of knowledge, we are willing to say that "Muslims" (as a collective term) are extremists who will resort to anything have their message heard, when in actuality that couldn't be farther from the truth. Our society has developed a set of stereotypes that have spread from the secular world into the religious world- it is these stereotypes that we intend to identify and set straight.
Eck goes on to point out that the diversity in America gives us the opportunity to study the dynamics of various faiths. Whereas in years past study of Buddhism would have only been possible through books and firsthand knowledge through traveling to the areas of the world where it originated, the playing field is in our backyard. It is easier now than ever before to walk down the street and experience something completely different than anything we are used to. This is an opportunity that people should take advantage of.
Religion (no matter how hard the government may try to fight it) is a big part of our culture and helps shapes us and the world around us whether we're aware of it or not. The study of world religions allows us to understand what's going on around us- the situation with the Dalai Lama in Tibet, wars between Pakistan and Israel, and wars between the Shia and Sunni Muslims, and countless other disputes. I think it's as necessary a topic as science or math- it's just a matter of time before people realize that.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Proselytization
First of all, most of ya'll are probably thinking 'what the heck does that mean?', because we sure did. (Not comparing your intelligence to ours, but we are pretty smart, Wofford education and all, but we knew where to look to find the answer to our wonderings). Straight from dictionary.com, proselytization means:
to convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte (Don't you just LOVE when dictionaries use the word IN the definition); recruit.
v. intr.
To induce someone to convert to one's own religious faith.
v. tr.
To convert (a person) from one belief, doctrine, cause, or faith to another.
(In other words, EVANGELISM!!) But we didn't want to use that terminology because it does have a Christian connotation, and we are not just talking about Christians. We are talking about faith and religion in general and of all types and beliefs.
In totality (thus far, granted it has not been very long since we started this project), we have interview seven people of all different religious backgrounds and beliefs consisting of three Christians, two Jewish students, one Hindu student, and one Muslim student. In looking back on these interviews, we began to see some common threads (among many differences) between what everyone said regarding this idea of proselytization. Here are the responses for you to check out before we get into more detail:
Rachel, Christian
I think you should demonstrate your beliefs through your actions because in some cases, yes, if they have never heard of Jesus then it is okay to explain it to them, but in other cases people have been exposed to it all their life so they are hardened against it. So a better approach to those people is to give them an example from your own life. I don’t believe in running up to someone and saying “you’re going to hell, believe what I believe now.” (If someone did that to me) I would feel bad for them because I would feel they were missing the whole idea of Christianity. They are going to someone and telling them what they should and shouldn't do instead of showing love and caring for them and actually wanting the best for them. Because the whole idea of Christianity is love. I have a problem with judgmental Christians because it is opposite of what Jesus taught. (This takes away from Christianity and) It misrepresents Christians. It just ties stereotypes to Christianity, like Baptist hell-raising, if you don’t do this you are going to hell. It is more like a liberal Christian non-denominational view. I don’t believe any people should be excluded. Everyone’s path to Jesus is different. it is not your right to tell them they should or shouldn’t do, you just guide them.
Anjum, Muslim
I think it should be a natural thing, I should not have to go to someone and talk to them about religion, I want them to come to me and ask me questions that they have. Religion is very important in my life and I want to share that with people. I am all for it. The Koran says that (what the prophets say) a person that sits in a room and worships alone all day and night and a person who goes out and shares their knowledge will be judged differently on the day of judgement because you are supposed to spread your knowledge. Spreading religion is something that I want to do... Religion is a beautiful feeling and you should be able to feel that on your own and realize that on your own and if you are not ready or don't believe in it than that is your own thing. I respect everyone's religion and I expect them to respect mine. I try to impact as many people as I can through my religion, it is not hounding them with the Koran or preaching them but it is through my actions that I am doing this. My best friend knows that I am not going to sit around and tell people that I am Muslim, you figure that out after you get to know me because of the way I act.
Dwayne, Christian
All Christians are suppose to be evangelists but some are better at it than others. Everyone is (an evangelist) in their own way, through songs, preaching on the corner, but the point is that people have to see Jesus in me because you might be the only Bible they ever see. You should be able to see a Christian and know they are one without even talking to them. A kind word or a kind gesture. Would you rather live your life believing there was a God and find out there wasn’t one, or live your life believing there was no God and find out there was?
Kelsey, Jew
A long time ago our Christian neighbor said that she knew we were going to Hell in her heart because we didn't believe in Jesus, but that she still wanted to be our friend. I get aggravated a lot of times by Christians, especially back in Myrtle Beach, because most of the Christians I saw were the stereotypical southern Baptist, fire and brimstone and all of that. Since I have come to Wofford, I have found out that not all Christians are bad. Some are hypocritical, like they are so religious and then go out and get trashed at a party. But I know a group of Christians here that don’t do bad things and they are just really good Christians, and they don’t damn me to Hell and they don’t really try to convert me. They have tried to get me to go to FCA and tell me that Jesus wants to talk to me, but I tell them that I don’t want to. It bothers me (when someone tries to change my beliefs), especially when the same person keeps doing it. It is kind of annoying. Christianity is everywhere, like we would have small meals and the prayer would be in Jesus’ name and I would get offended and tell them that I don’t accept that. They can pray silently and do whatever they want, but if you are going to say it out loud, don’t say it is Jesus’ name because I am not comfortable with that. Things are changing here though. Like, last year the honor code signing was right after the morning service so we had to go, and they had a nondenominational Christian service and I felt very uncomfortable, so I talked to Ron Robinson and told them, so this year the signing was later that night and we didn’t have to go to the service. No one should be pressured into anything they don’t feel comfortable doing. I hate to say it, but I think that (Christians) are mostly hypocritical. There is the small minority that are very real and honest with themselves and they that they are a good person that does not do bad things and they care about their religion, but the majority I see say they are Christians and they are good people, but they are not. But if someone was trying to force their beliefs on someone else I am not ok with it. Mission trips are great in that they get people to see the world, but I don’t agree with their purpose. I don’t think it is good to go out and convert people. They will go and bring people food and shelter, but I don’t know about the aspect of “be Christian”. When people are giving you so much, you are going to listen to them even if you do or don’t want to believe it, so I don’t like that idea. We don’t proselytize in the Jewish religion. We accept people if they want to convert, but we don’t go out to do that even though we are a dying religion, like 0.2% of the population of the world, which is kind of depressing that we have been slowly exterminated over our entire history. Pretty much every version of a Jewish holiday is, “they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat”.
Yakov, Jew
No one tries to convert others to Judaism and it is wrong to do so because people should make their own decisions about what they want to do, especially with religion. And it is fine that you think you are saving someone but they obviously don't think that, so you should leave them alone about it.
Emily, Christian
(Evangelism is) Frightening but necessary. Our goal as Christians is to preach the gospel to all the world. To quote St. Francis, "preach the gospel and if necessary use words". It is not affective to walk up to someone and tell them they're going to hell. Most people who're completely against Christianity have that view because of Christians who have done that in the past.
Hilna, Hindu
I think someone should want to know about Hinduism and want to experience it. It should not be forced they should want to. I have had an experience where someone came and gave me a bible, but I didn’t take offense to it, it is someones holy book so I kept it, you should appreciate and learn about every religion but they should not have forced it on anyone. There are people out there that tell you that you are going to go to hell because you don’t believe in Christianity, but what are you going to do?
Each of the Christians interviewed expressed a need for proselytization, but to different degrees. Emily seems to be an advocate for approaching people and showing them God whether through words or actions no matter how scary it is. Dwayne also thought it was necessary to evangelize, but that the method was different for each person. He says that "you should be able to see a Christian and know they are one without even talking to them". (I have a feeling this may be a common view among Christians.) This does not mean that talking is not necessary at some point as he goes on to say that a Christian may be the only Bible or Jesus that other people ever see. Rachel was the most liberal view in saying that if someone approached her, she would talk to them, but that she was not going to go out and evangelize. Everyone agreed that it was not right to force your religious views on another person, ultimately agreeing that it was their choice what religion they believed.
Along those same lines, Emily and Rachel made a point to say that it was wrong to force Christianity, but in contrast, the students of religions other than Christianity felt that Christianity had been forced on them at one point, and they had been told they were "going to Hell". This is an interesting paradox. The Christians we talked to acknowledged that there are Christians who stand on street corners and yell to everyone who passes.
(Actually, even other Christians are not immune to the "you're going to hell" speeches. Just a few days ago I was walking down the street when several people began to follow me, pressing pamphlets into my hands and telling me I needed to know Jesus. Even being a Christian I felt very uncomfortable with this, followed by feeling of guilt about knowing what people of other religions would feel if they had this encounter. Or even what I would feel if someone from another religion tried to convert me to theirs. I would feel offended!! How could they think that their religion was superior to mine? I believe mine for a reason and they are condemning me without knowing what I believe at all. There's a difference between willingly learning other faiths and having it forced upon you. Who in their right mind would ever feel lead to believe a religion where the followers judge you at all and that tell you that you are condemned to an eternity of pain and punishment? And when you get right down to it, many of these Christians (I'm NOT saying all) can be hypocritical and will go out and do the very things they preach against.)
So what is the truth? Do the majority of Christians force their beliefs on others, and we were just lucky to interview a few from the minority? Or is it that the forceful ones are just the louder ones, so they are what everyone thinks of when they hear "Christian"? Personally, we think they are just loud. But what type of image are they creating for the entire religion of Christianity if every other religion only sees that side? We'll have to wait and see what the rest of our interviewees say.
However, the reactions of students differed. One said she was greatly offended by what had happened while the other was not offended and even kept the Bible that was given to her because she could not through away a Holy book, even one of another religion. By comparison, Judaism does not believe in spreading the faith at all, even though numbers are dropping. They are willing to take anyone who wants to convert, but don't go looking for converts.
We are going to wait until we have more views of Islam and Hinduism before we make any -clusive (in- or con-) statements. Stay tuned.
to convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte (Don't you just LOVE when dictionaries use the word IN the definition); recruit.
v. intr.
To induce someone to convert to one's own religious faith.
v. tr.
To convert (a person) from one belief, doctrine, cause, or faith to another.
(In other words, EVANGELISM!!) But we didn't want to use that terminology because it does have a Christian connotation, and we are not just talking about Christians. We are talking about faith and religion in general and of all types and beliefs.
In totality (thus far, granted it has not been very long since we started this project), we have interview seven people of all different religious backgrounds and beliefs consisting of three Christians, two Jewish students, one Hindu student, and one Muslim student. In looking back on these interviews, we began to see some common threads (among many differences) between what everyone said regarding this idea of proselytization. Here are the responses for you to check out before we get into more detail:
Rachel, Christian
I think you should demonstrate your beliefs through your actions because in some cases, yes, if they have never heard of Jesus then it is okay to explain it to them, but in other cases people have been exposed to it all their life so they are hardened against it. So a better approach to those people is to give them an example from your own life. I don’t believe in running up to someone and saying “you’re going to hell, believe what I believe now.” (If someone did that to me) I would feel bad for them because I would feel they were missing the whole idea of Christianity. They are going to someone and telling them what they should and shouldn't do instead of showing love and caring for them and actually wanting the best for them. Because the whole idea of Christianity is love. I have a problem with judgmental Christians because it is opposite of what Jesus taught. (This takes away from Christianity and) It misrepresents Christians. It just ties stereotypes to Christianity, like Baptist hell-raising, if you don’t do this you are going to hell. It is more like a liberal Christian non-denominational view. I don’t believe any people should be excluded. Everyone’s path to Jesus is different. it is not your right to tell them they should or shouldn’t do, you just guide them.
Anjum, Muslim
I think it should be a natural thing, I should not have to go to someone and talk to them about religion, I want them to come to me and ask me questions that they have. Religion is very important in my life and I want to share that with people. I am all for it. The Koran says that (what the prophets say) a person that sits in a room and worships alone all day and night and a person who goes out and shares their knowledge will be judged differently on the day of judgement because you are supposed to spread your knowledge. Spreading religion is something that I want to do... Religion is a beautiful feeling and you should be able to feel that on your own and realize that on your own and if you are not ready or don't believe in it than that is your own thing. I respect everyone's religion and I expect them to respect mine. I try to impact as many people as I can through my religion, it is not hounding them with the Koran or preaching them but it is through my actions that I am doing this. My best friend knows that I am not going to sit around and tell people that I am Muslim, you figure that out after you get to know me because of the way I act.
Dwayne, Christian
All Christians are suppose to be evangelists but some are better at it than others. Everyone is (an evangelist) in their own way, through songs, preaching on the corner, but the point is that people have to see Jesus in me because you might be the only Bible they ever see. You should be able to see a Christian and know they are one without even talking to them. A kind word or a kind gesture. Would you rather live your life believing there was a God and find out there wasn’t one, or live your life believing there was no God and find out there was?
Kelsey, Jew
A long time ago our Christian neighbor said that she knew we were going to Hell in her heart because we didn't believe in Jesus, but that she still wanted to be our friend. I get aggravated a lot of times by Christians, especially back in Myrtle Beach, because most of the Christians I saw were the stereotypical southern Baptist, fire and brimstone and all of that. Since I have come to Wofford, I have found out that not all Christians are bad. Some are hypocritical, like they are so religious and then go out and get trashed at a party. But I know a group of Christians here that don’t do bad things and they are just really good Christians, and they don’t damn me to Hell and they don’t really try to convert me. They have tried to get me to go to FCA and tell me that Jesus wants to talk to me, but I tell them that I don’t want to. It bothers me (when someone tries to change my beliefs), especially when the same person keeps doing it. It is kind of annoying. Christianity is everywhere, like we would have small meals and the prayer would be in Jesus’ name and I would get offended and tell them that I don’t accept that. They can pray silently and do whatever they want, but if you are going to say it out loud, don’t say it is Jesus’ name because I am not comfortable with that. Things are changing here though. Like, last year the honor code signing was right after the morning service so we had to go, and they had a nondenominational Christian service and I felt very uncomfortable, so I talked to Ron Robinson and told them, so this year the signing was later that night and we didn’t have to go to the service. No one should be pressured into anything they don’t feel comfortable doing. I hate to say it, but I think that (Christians) are mostly hypocritical. There is the small minority that are very real and honest with themselves and they that they are a good person that does not do bad things and they care about their religion, but the majority I see say they are Christians and they are good people, but they are not. But if someone was trying to force their beliefs on someone else I am not ok with it. Mission trips are great in that they get people to see the world, but I don’t agree with their purpose. I don’t think it is good to go out and convert people. They will go and bring people food and shelter, but I don’t know about the aspect of “be Christian”. When people are giving you so much, you are going to listen to them even if you do or don’t want to believe it, so I don’t like that idea. We don’t proselytize in the Jewish religion. We accept people if they want to convert, but we don’t go out to do that even though we are a dying religion, like 0.2% of the population of the world, which is kind of depressing that we have been slowly exterminated over our entire history. Pretty much every version of a Jewish holiday is, “they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat”.
Yakov, Jew
No one tries to convert others to Judaism and it is wrong to do so because people should make their own decisions about what they want to do, especially with religion. And it is fine that you think you are saving someone but they obviously don't think that, so you should leave them alone about it.
Emily, Christian
(Evangelism is) Frightening but necessary. Our goal as Christians is to preach the gospel to all the world. To quote St. Francis, "preach the gospel and if necessary use words". It is not affective to walk up to someone and tell them they're going to hell. Most people who're completely against Christianity have that view because of Christians who have done that in the past.
Hilna, Hindu
I think someone should want to know about Hinduism and want to experience it. It should not be forced they should want to. I have had an experience where someone came and gave me a bible, but I didn’t take offense to it, it is someones holy book so I kept it, you should appreciate and learn about every religion but they should not have forced it on anyone. There are people out there that tell you that you are going to go to hell because you don’t believe in Christianity, but what are you going to do?
Each of the Christians interviewed expressed a need for proselytization, but to different degrees. Emily seems to be an advocate for approaching people and showing them God whether through words or actions no matter how scary it is. Dwayne also thought it was necessary to evangelize, but that the method was different for each person. He says that "you should be able to see a Christian and know they are one without even talking to them". (I have a feeling this may be a common view among Christians.) This does not mean that talking is not necessary at some point as he goes on to say that a Christian may be the only Bible or Jesus that other people ever see. Rachel was the most liberal view in saying that if someone approached her, she would talk to them, but that she was not going to go out and evangelize. Everyone agreed that it was not right to force your religious views on another person, ultimately agreeing that it was their choice what religion they believed.
Along those same lines, Emily and Rachel made a point to say that it was wrong to force Christianity, but in contrast, the students of religions other than Christianity felt that Christianity had been forced on them at one point, and they had been told they were "going to Hell". This is an interesting paradox. The Christians we talked to acknowledged that there are Christians who stand on street corners and yell to everyone who passes.
(Actually, even other Christians are not immune to the "you're going to hell" speeches. Just a few days ago I was walking down the street when several people began to follow me, pressing pamphlets into my hands and telling me I needed to know Jesus. Even being a Christian I felt very uncomfortable with this, followed by feeling of guilt about knowing what people of other religions would feel if they had this encounter. Or even what I would feel if someone from another religion tried to convert me to theirs. I would feel offended!! How could they think that their religion was superior to mine? I believe mine for a reason and they are condemning me without knowing what I believe at all. There's a difference between willingly learning other faiths and having it forced upon you. Who in their right mind would ever feel lead to believe a religion where the followers judge you at all and that tell you that you are condemned to an eternity of pain and punishment? And when you get right down to it, many of these Christians (I'm NOT saying all) can be hypocritical and will go out and do the very things they preach against.)
So what is the truth? Do the majority of Christians force their beliefs on others, and we were just lucky to interview a few from the minority? Or is it that the forceful ones are just the louder ones, so they are what everyone thinks of when they hear "Christian"? Personally, we think they are just loud. But what type of image are they creating for the entire religion of Christianity if every other religion only sees that side? We'll have to wait and see what the rest of our interviewees say.
However, the reactions of students differed. One said she was greatly offended by what had happened while the other was not offended and even kept the Bible that was given to her because she could not through away a Holy book, even one of another religion. By comparison, Judaism does not believe in spreading the faith at all, even though numbers are dropping. They are willing to take anyone who wants to convert, but don't go looking for converts.
We are going to wait until we have more views of Islam and Hinduism before we make any -clusive (in- or con-) statements. Stay tuned.
Ode to the Religion Department
We love thee, O department of religion,
With your many diverse course offerings.
It started with Byron's New Testament,
the beginnings of a long lasting relationship.
We sat across the room and
learned about Duke Divinity School,
studied in British accents around pools of lava,
discussing apocalyptic eschatology
(but we still can't spell it)
This first class together was the start of an era,
and next to come was Religions of the World.
That one was OK.
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism,
and assorted East Asian Religions,
we discussed them all.
The Problem of Evil was never solved,
but we learned about the pits of Dante's hell
through the Christian Faith.
Dr. Anderson guided us every day...
for an entire semester.
Nietzsche(after 5 min of searching old papers to figure out how to spell this, I finally tell Weath to look on the internet, and she adamantly tells me she is not on the internet, while typing this online blog...), Dostoyevsky, John Hick, and PJP II,
all names we came to know and love.
Many papers later we found ourselves on Lindsey's futon,
typing our final paper with our reading sprawled around us
With your many diverse course offerings.
It started with Byron's New Testament,
the beginnings of a long lasting relationship.
We sat across the room and
learned about Duke Divinity School,
studied in British accents around pools of lava,
discussing apocalyptic eschatology
(but we still can't spell it)
This first class together was the start of an era,
and next to come was Religions of the World.
That one was OK.
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism,
and assorted East Asian Religions,
we discussed them all.
The Problem of Evil was never solved,
but we learned about the pits of Dante's hell
through the Christian Faith.
Dr. Anderson guided us every day...
for an entire semester.
Nietzsche(after 5 min of searching old papers to figure out how to spell this, I finally tell Weath to look on the internet, and she adamantly tells me she is not on the internet, while typing this online blog...), Dostoyevsky, John Hick, and PJP II,
all names we came to know and love.
Many papers later we found ourselves on Lindsey's futon,
typing our final paper with our reading sprawled around us
(please see profile picture).
The trend continued with Buddhism and Dr. Jones,
she put our thinking caps on us
and questioned the very reality of our existence.
(I still don't think I'm here).
This semester was the first time
we didn't have a class together.
Lindsey was in two classes,
Weatherly was in none.
Depression quickly ensued,
so we compromised and created another one.
We still love our faculty,
and all the professors we've had.
(which is, in fact, all of them!)
So thanks for being awesome
but next time don't make the schedule so bad.
The trend continued with Buddhism and Dr. Jones,
she put our thinking caps on us
and questioned the very reality of our existence.
(I still don't think I'm here).
This semester was the first time
we didn't have a class together.
Lindsey was in two classes,
Weatherly was in none.
Depression quickly ensued,
so we compromised and created another one.
We still love our faculty,
and all the professors we've had.
(which is, in fact, all of them!)
So thanks for being awesome
but next time don't make the schedule so bad.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Let the Interviews begin!
So the interviews have started... WOOT!!
The first victim (I mean, interviewee? Is that a word?) was my roommate, Rachel. I figured, hey, why not? I have to interview a lot of different people and I want to practice interviewing before I go and make a total fool of myself in front of a complete stranger. Naturally. So I got out my trusty microcassette tape recorder (the one for my ipod has not come in the mail yet... DON'T get me started...) and we headed to the Campus Life building for lunch. As I said in the last post, the questions are more like guidelines than actually rules to follow, so I tended to stray with her a bit and get more in-depth depending on what her answers were. The interview lasted for about 2 hours, and was full of really interesting stuff. A little background first...
She is a senior psychology major from South Carolina, and a Christian.
Ok, happy Weath? I said a little and there you go. Yes, thank you. fast learner! If I posted the whole interview, it would be massive and I don't think anyone would actually read it... SO I am going to post sections of the interview that I feel are really interesting and comment on them. (In green, of course.)
Me: Do you think you know a lot about other religions?
Rachel: No! That's why I am taking religions of the world! I realized I know nothing.
This is just a hunch, but I feel like this will be a common answer, especially for Christians that we interview. I hypothesize that other religions will know more. There is something about Christianity that tends to deter the learning of other religions, especially in the south, saying that they are wrong or bad. So even if you know the basics, you have a distorted view of what other religions believe, not knowing that your neighbor might follow that religion. You could just ask them about it next time you are going over to borrow an egg, if that's what you need for a good chocolate cake. Something to think about...
Me: What’s your understanding about the divine?
Rachel: The divine is a higher being that we cannot fully comprehend that has all power and is kind of like magical.
Me: Can you have a relationship with this divine power?
Rachel: Normally when there is an overarching divine power, he is represented in a man, such as Jesus in Christianity. In Hinduism I started learning about how that divine power is represented in each of their gods even though they have like 330 thousand or something. Or it becomes a relationship with Jesus so you can talk to Him and comprehend it and not be intimidated.
Me: So a relationship not directly with “god” creator, divine, supernatural being, but more his embodiment?
Rachel: Kind of. It also depends on what you are more comfortable with. Because they are kind of the same person it just depends on your preference, if you would rather pray and commune with the higher being or Jesus. I guess it depends on your past. Like, if you had trouble with a father figure and so you would not be comfortable with god the father, so you feel more comfortable with Jesus or maybe the other way around.
This was an interesting answer to me in that it presents the opportunity to believe in whatever embodiment you want, because they are the same. This might be an idea that people struggle with, because of the whole monotheism vs. polytheism vs. trinity thing. Do you consider Hindus to be monotheists if they believe in one god? But what about all the deities? What about Christianity? The trinity is definitely three parts, but one God, so is that poly or mono? Tricky theological questions lead to differing answers among the same religion... hmmm... I am excited to ask more people this question. I can't wait to ask this question or maybe clarify with someone of this Hindu faith. A few years ago I asked a Hindu man how the gods of their faith are interconnected. The explanation he gave was very similar to how Christians explain God in three persons: a man has a different relationship with different people, for example he is a father, brother, son, uncle, and friend. I don't want to get into this too much right now, but we will come back to it later.
That was not the only that part of Rachel's response here that was interesting, but also how she tied psychology into her religion. I wonder if people do choose to pray to one aspect of their god based on something like that, I have never really thought of it. Maybe that's why Catholics like Mary so much.
Me: What do you think is the purpose of life?
Rachel: Well, what I want out of life is to serve God by serving others. I would like a family and be a great wife and a great mother, and teach my children right and wrong, and about God, so they can help the world and make a difference. I just don’t want to be a little speck.
Each person's idea of the purpose of their life is going to be interesting to compare. I am anxious to see that.
Me: What about an afterlife? Do you believe in that?
Rachel: Yep. I believe if you pray to Jesus and ask Him to forgive your sins and you give your life to him and you actually believe that… I have issues with the whole right before you die all the sudden you pray to Jesus. I know it works and everything but I think you really do have to feel it and really do believe it; it can’t just be something you say right before you die because you hear your whole life you should repent and if you repent you go to heaven. I don’t believe in hell, per say, I believe everyone has their own personal hell that they go to. Not a huge big flaming fiery pit that everyone goes to together.
I feel that this answer is going to be different than the majority of Christians. Fundamental Christian belief is that the second you say the words and ask Jesus for forgiveness, everything is okay, even if it is right before you die. She is more oriented in the relationship and no as much in faith; that even if you say you believe but you don't have a relationship with God that is not enough. I wonder if the idea of hell that she is referring to stems off of Dante's inferno.
Me: What about good and evil?
Rachel: I don’t believe a person is fully good, maybe they can be mostly evil, but no one can be completely good, except Jesus of course, because everyone has selfish thoughts. As a little kid you can see it. They are so like, “me, me, me, me, me!!” and then you grow up and develop and start to understand that you help people. It seems like some people are more good than others, but it could all be a front, you never really know.
Again, psychology oriented. This idea is also common among Christians, the idea that people are mostly bad and that God makes everything better. Slightly pessimistic view of humanity though.
Me: What are your beliefs on your creation of the world?
Rachel: It could not have happened by chance so there had to have been some divine hand in it, because so many things could have gone wrong, and it couldn’t have worked. We are so complicated and nature is so complicated. So I don’t believe God’s concept of time is the same as ours so when the Bible says that earth was created in 7 days, that is a lot longer, it is billions of years. I know that there is common decent because there is undeniable evidence in DNA. I think God orchestrated that too.
Me: So how do you explain in Genesis the whole each day creating something different and on the last day creating man; how do you process and explain what you read in the Bible vs. what you know to be scientifically proven? How do you make comparisons between the two and make that okay in your religious beliefs?
Rachel: So you have the earth and one celled microorganism that evolves into all the animals. Then cavemen and our type won out and that was how God meant it to be when he means “creating man”. So basically, it was God who made evolution, and each step in the story is the next evolutionary line. I don’t believe Adam and Eve have to be taken literally, but are more symbolic.
This might be considered intelligent design with a twist? A good combination of science and religion, and probably much different than the typical Christian idea. MAYBE we should introduce this idea into the schools...
I LOVE this last question. It is one of those topics that you can debate on for hours, but never really come to a conclusion. I believe that the theory that Rachel describes is called theistic evolution, but I will check on that.
Me: What is your version of the Gospel story? (This is my favorite question because I really wonder what differences we are going to get as far as the focus in the story)
Rachel: Once there was Mary and fiancé who did not get her pregnant. An angel came and said that God was going to impregnate you and you are going to have a baby. Everyone will think that you are sketchy but you are really not. Then the little baby Jesus came and was born in hay, which made him common and more like man. Then Jesus grew up and was smart and never did anything wrong. Then Jesus started teaching on his own and got disciples and started establishing Christian beliefs and healing people. Depending on which story you read either tells or does not tell that he was the son of God, but from the very beginning, from his very first teaching, he says exactly what he is going to do and he carried it all through and he did it. He was stoned, whipped, crucified, hung up there and came back from the dead and went up to Heaven with God. That’s my children’s story version.
I feel like Rachel might have gotten this story out of The Message Bible, or something (haha, joking!) but if you take this apart, you see that her primary focus is on the birth and not so much the death and resurrection of Jesus (and actually a lot about Mary). This could be correlated with society's cultural influence with Christmas being a much bigger holiday than Easter. Just a thought. I also want to point out how she added in her own theology interpretation into the story when she mentions why Jesus was born in the hay. Interesting reading though.
Me: What are your views on evangelism?
Rachel: I think you should demonstrate your beliefs through your actions because in some cases, yes, if they have never heard of Jesus then it is okay to explain it to them, but in other cases people have been exposed to it all their life so they are hardened against it. So a better approach to those people is to give them an example from your own life. I don’t believe in running up to someone and saying “you’re going to hell, believe what I believe now.” Intense!
Me: How would you feel if someone did that to you?
Rachel: I would feel bad for them because I would feel they were missing the whole idea of Christianity. They are going to someone and telling them what they should and shouldn’t do instead of showing love and caring for them and actually wanting the best for them. Because the whole idea of Christianity is love. I have a problem with judgmental Christians because it is opposite of what Jesus taught.
Me: Do you think that is a big problem in society now?
Rachel: It just ties stereotypes to Christianity, like Baptist hell-raising, if you don’t do this you are going to hell. It should be more like a liberal Christian non-denominational view. I don’t believe any people should be excluded. Everyone’s path to Jesus is different. It is not your right to tell them they should or shouldn’t do, you just guide them.
I hope that I interview someone who is a Southern Baptist and see what they have to say about this. :)
The first victim (I mean, interviewee? Is that a word?) was my roommate, Rachel. I figured, hey, why not? I have to interview a lot of different people and I want to practice interviewing before I go and make a total fool of myself in front of a complete stranger. Naturally. So I got out my trusty microcassette tape recorder (the one for my ipod has not come in the mail yet... DON'T get me started...) and we headed to the Campus Life building for lunch. As I said in the last post, the questions are more like guidelines than actually rules to follow, so I tended to stray with her a bit and get more in-depth depending on what her answers were. The interview lasted for about 2 hours, and was full of really interesting stuff. A little background first...
She is a senior psychology major from South Carolina, and a Christian.
Ok, happy Weath? I said a little and there you go. Yes, thank you. fast learner! If I posted the whole interview, it would be massive and I don't think anyone would actually read it... SO I am going to post sections of the interview that I feel are really interesting and comment on them. (In green, of course.)
Me: Do you think you know a lot about other religions?
Rachel: No! That's why I am taking religions of the world! I realized I know nothing.
This is just a hunch, but I feel like this will be a common answer, especially for Christians that we interview. I hypothesize that other religions will know more. There is something about Christianity that tends to deter the learning of other religions, especially in the south, saying that they are wrong or bad. So even if you know the basics, you have a distorted view of what other religions believe, not knowing that your neighbor might follow that religion. You could just ask them about it next time you are going over to borrow an egg, if that's what you need for a good chocolate cake. Something to think about...
Me: What’s your understanding about the divine?
Rachel: The divine is a higher being that we cannot fully comprehend that has all power and is kind of like magical.
Me: Can you have a relationship with this divine power?
Rachel: Normally when there is an overarching divine power, he is represented in a man, such as Jesus in Christianity. In Hinduism I started learning about how that divine power is represented in each of their gods even though they have like 330 thousand or something. Or it becomes a relationship with Jesus so you can talk to Him and comprehend it and not be intimidated.
Me: So a relationship not directly with “god” creator, divine, supernatural being, but more his embodiment?
Rachel: Kind of. It also depends on what you are more comfortable with. Because they are kind of the same person it just depends on your preference, if you would rather pray and commune with the higher being or Jesus. I guess it depends on your past. Like, if you had trouble with a father figure and so you would not be comfortable with god the father, so you feel more comfortable with Jesus or maybe the other way around.
This was an interesting answer to me in that it presents the opportunity to believe in whatever embodiment you want, because they are the same. This might be an idea that people struggle with, because of the whole monotheism vs. polytheism vs. trinity thing. Do you consider Hindus to be monotheists if they believe in one god? But what about all the deities? What about Christianity? The trinity is definitely three parts, but one God, so is that poly or mono? Tricky theological questions lead to differing answers among the same religion... hmmm... I am excited to ask more people this question. I can't wait to ask this question or maybe clarify with someone of this Hindu faith. A few years ago I asked a Hindu man how the gods of their faith are interconnected. The explanation he gave was very similar to how Christians explain God in three persons: a man has a different relationship with different people, for example he is a father, brother, son, uncle, and friend. I don't want to get into this too much right now, but we will come back to it later.
That was not the only that part of Rachel's response here that was interesting, but also how she tied psychology into her religion. I wonder if people do choose to pray to one aspect of their god based on something like that, I have never really thought of it. Maybe that's why Catholics like Mary so much.
Me: What do you think is the purpose of life?
Rachel: Well, what I want out of life is to serve God by serving others. I would like a family and be a great wife and a great mother, and teach my children right and wrong, and about God, so they can help the world and make a difference. I just don’t want to be a little speck.
Each person's idea of the purpose of their life is going to be interesting to compare. I am anxious to see that.
Me: What about an afterlife? Do you believe in that?
Rachel: Yep. I believe if you pray to Jesus and ask Him to forgive your sins and you give your life to him and you actually believe that… I have issues with the whole right before you die all the sudden you pray to Jesus. I know it works and everything but I think you really do have to feel it and really do believe it; it can’t just be something you say right before you die because you hear your whole life you should repent and if you repent you go to heaven. I don’t believe in hell, per say, I believe everyone has their own personal hell that they go to. Not a huge big flaming fiery pit that everyone goes to together.
I feel that this answer is going to be different than the majority of Christians. Fundamental Christian belief is that the second you say the words and ask Jesus for forgiveness, everything is okay, even if it is right before you die. She is more oriented in the relationship and no as much in faith; that even if you say you believe but you don't have a relationship with God that is not enough. I wonder if the idea of hell that she is referring to stems off of Dante's inferno.
Me: What about good and evil?
Rachel: I don’t believe a person is fully good, maybe they can be mostly evil, but no one can be completely good, except Jesus of course, because everyone has selfish thoughts. As a little kid you can see it. They are so like, “me, me, me, me, me!!” and then you grow up and develop and start to understand that you help people. It seems like some people are more good than others, but it could all be a front, you never really know.
Again, psychology oriented. This idea is also common among Christians, the idea that people are mostly bad and that God makes everything better. Slightly pessimistic view of humanity though.
Me: What are your beliefs on your creation of the world?
Rachel: It could not have happened by chance so there had to have been some divine hand in it, because so many things could have gone wrong, and it couldn’t have worked. We are so complicated and nature is so complicated. So I don’t believe God’s concept of time is the same as ours so when the Bible says that earth was created in 7 days, that is a lot longer, it is billions of years. I know that there is common decent because there is undeniable evidence in DNA. I think God orchestrated that too.
Me: So how do you explain in Genesis the whole each day creating something different and on the last day creating man; how do you process and explain what you read in the Bible vs. what you know to be scientifically proven? How do you make comparisons between the two and make that okay in your religious beliefs?
Rachel: So you have the earth and one celled microorganism that evolves into all the animals. Then cavemen and our type won out and that was how God meant it to be when he means “creating man”. So basically, it was God who made evolution, and each step in the story is the next evolutionary line. I don’t believe Adam and Eve have to be taken literally, but are more symbolic.
This might be considered intelligent design with a twist? A good combination of science and religion, and probably much different than the typical Christian idea. MAYBE we should introduce this idea into the schools...
I LOVE this last question. It is one of those topics that you can debate on for hours, but never really come to a conclusion. I believe that the theory that Rachel describes is called theistic evolution, but I will check on that.
Me: What is your version of the Gospel story? (This is my favorite question because I really wonder what differences we are going to get as far as the focus in the story)
Rachel: Once there was Mary and fiancé who did not get her pregnant. An angel came and said that God was going to impregnate you and you are going to have a baby. Everyone will think that you are sketchy but you are really not. Then the little baby Jesus came and was born in hay, which made him common and more like man. Then Jesus grew up and was smart and never did anything wrong. Then Jesus started teaching on his own and got disciples and started establishing Christian beliefs and healing people. Depending on which story you read either tells or does not tell that he was the son of God, but from the very beginning, from his very first teaching, he says exactly what he is going to do and he carried it all through and he did it. He was stoned, whipped, crucified, hung up there and came back from the dead and went up to Heaven with God. That’s my children’s story version.
I feel like Rachel might have gotten this story out of The Message Bible, or something (haha, joking!) but if you take this apart, you see that her primary focus is on the birth and not so much the death and resurrection of Jesus (and actually a lot about Mary). This could be correlated with society's cultural influence with Christmas being a much bigger holiday than Easter. Just a thought. I also want to point out how she added in her own theology interpretation into the story when she mentions why Jesus was born in the hay. Interesting reading though.
Me: What are your views on evangelism?
Rachel: I think you should demonstrate your beliefs through your actions because in some cases, yes, if they have never heard of Jesus then it is okay to explain it to them, but in other cases people have been exposed to it all their life so they are hardened against it. So a better approach to those people is to give them an example from your own life. I don’t believe in running up to someone and saying “you’re going to hell, believe what I believe now.” Intense!
Me: How would you feel if someone did that to you?
Rachel: I would feel bad for them because I would feel they were missing the whole idea of Christianity. They are going to someone and telling them what they should and shouldn’t do instead of showing love and caring for them and actually wanting the best for them. Because the whole idea of Christianity is love. I have a problem with judgmental Christians because it is opposite of what Jesus taught.
Me: Do you think that is a big problem in society now?
Rachel: It just ties stereotypes to Christianity, like Baptist hell-raising, if you don’t do this you are going to hell. It should be more like a liberal Christian non-denominational view. I don’t believe any people should be excluded. Everyone’s path to Jesus is different. It is not your right to tell them they should or shouldn’t do, you just guide them.
I hope that I interview someone who is a Southern Baptist and see what they have to say about this. :)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Why religious diversity?
This blog is to be a window into a semester long study of religious diversity on Wofford College's campus and beyond. Before we dive into this study we'd like for you to know a little about ourselves and why we're doing it.
My name is Lindsey Lane and I will be typing in green. (hello Lindsey. From: Weath) I am a senior (scary!) biology major, religion minor at Wofford College. I am from metro-Atlanta, GA. I consider myself to be a Christian, though my views are somewhat contrary to those of typical "Bible belt" Christians. One of my favorite aspects of religious studies, and the reason I focused half of my studies at Wofford on religion, is that it ties everyone together (even if they don't want to admit it). Even someone who claims to have no beliefs, whether athiest or agnostic, still believes in nothing or chooses not to know. Just like biology, this is the language of everyone and it is something that we all have in common. I love to challenge things, expecially when people are very set in what they believe, so I play devil's advocate in every class where religion vs. biology is discussed. In the biology classroom, I bring the religious point of view to the table, and in the religion classroom, I bring the biology point of view. Needless to say, one department probably thinks I am an athiest, while the other thinks I am a religious fanatic! But I like it that way... All of that to say, that this semester, with my partner in crime, we will examine real life religious diversity; the diversity that no one thinks is really around us, but we are all a part of.
My name is Weatherly Meadors, blue obviously, and I am a junior biology major and religion minor. I am from Charleston, SC and love long walks on the beach, especially in the moonlight. Seriously though, I love the outdoors and spend as much time as possible on the water or hiking in the mountains. I have been interested in religion and the ways in which it affects people for some time now, since the mandatory religion classes we had to take each year at my Catholic high school. Upon coming to Wofford I took a new testament class my freshman year and found that I enjoyed looking at the Bible in that type of academic mindset. I took religions of the world the next semester and realized that I really didn't know anything about the major religions besides my own. The religion classes I have taken have enabled me to look at many things, including science, in a different light- when sitting in a genetics classroom I look at the topics not only as a scientist but also in terms of religion, God, and what it means for humanity. The opposite is also true in the religion classroom. This semester Lindsey and I wanted to take a class in which we could apply some of the things we have learned over the past few years and have a chance to go out into the community and talk with people about their beliefs. As this is often a touchy subject, this study is the perfect way to learn about faith with a slightly scientific approach. This study should be fun so keep reading to learn about diversity and all the adventures we will undoubtably have along the way! (We seem to attrach adventures of all kinds- usually the crazier the better!)
We wanted everyone to be as aware of what is going on as we are (which really is not that much but run with it...) so here is a brief description of what we will be doing throughout this semester. YOU are super lucky, because you get to read about it!! (GET EXCITED!)
After much conversation, turmoil, and debate, the Wofford Wonder Twins concluded that the courses offered in the Religion Department at Wofford College were sub par compared to what they could envision (except Dan of course). As a result, they met with the star religion professor known as “Dan”, and together they devised an amazing, extraordinary, groundbreaking, and quintessential study of religious diversity unlike anything done before. They knew that religious diversity existed, but to what extent?
Frequently, religious diversity is thought of in terms of official, organizational lines: Buddhism vs. Hinduism vs. Christianity, etc. Other times religious diversity is thought of in terms of the demographics of a particular religious group – for example, the racial diversity of a particular congregation. Rarely, however, is religious diversity considered from the perspective of individual, idiosyncratic conceptualizations of the divine or religious experience. The basic assumption of this independent study is that there is a myriad of ways that everyday people enact and experience religion, regardless of whether they have official religious affiliations or not.
This course is an independent study designed to explore the ways that religion is thought about and enacted by “normal,” everyday people who may or may not belong to different religions and/or denominations. We will start at Wofford College and will explore the contradictory and complementary ways that different Wofford students conceptualize religion. We will be asking generalized questions to various Wofford students – ones who attend religious services regularly, ones who do so infrequently, and ones who rarely do or do not at all. We will ask all of them about their central ideas about religion, about the divine, about religious practices and so forth. Based on what we find, and after receiving their permission, we will attend religious services with some of those with whom we have spoken. We will speak with other, non-Wofford people who attend those same services as well, asking them similar questions. We will explore with everyone their ideas about why they attend these services, what the worship experience consists of and what it accomplishes in their lives.
The basic goal of the project is to get a sense of the diverse ways that people think about religion. Because we will speak with people representing different religious traditions (Hindu, Jewish, Christian, etc), with people from different “denominations” within those traditions, and with those who are not religiously affiliated at all, we will have opportunity to compare ideas about the religious experience across a broad spectrum. All activities and discoveries will be recorded in this blog.
When Lindsey said "brief" discription, what she really meant was brief in terms of it not being research paper length. But thanks for sticking it out and reading it. I hope you will get to know each of us throughout this semester (being why we are writing in different colors)... I am the smart one. Or so you think... and we apologize in advance for all the times we will steal the computer from each other and do things like, well, this.
OH~ one more thing... you probably want to know what the general questions are for the interviews! (I knew you were on the edge of your seats!!) but remember... the questions are like the pirate's code... like guidelines matey! (Arrrr!!) (We like Pirates, esp. Capt. Jack... he's pretty much our bff)
What is your understanding of the religious experience?
What is your understanding about the divine?
What happens during religious worship?
What is the purpose of life?
What are your beliefs on the creation of the world?
Do you believe in the afterlife? If so, describe your beliefs.
How do you view the ideas of good and evil?
What are your views about proselytization?
Tell your version of the Gospel story. (for Christians only)
How much do you know about other world religions?
If anyone gets really into this and wants to know more, we've also listed the three books we will be reading under our profile section, along with our email address. Questions and comments are welcome!
My name is Lindsey Lane and I will be typing in green. (hello Lindsey. From: Weath) I am a senior (scary!) biology major, religion minor at Wofford College. I am from metro-Atlanta, GA. I consider myself to be a Christian, though my views are somewhat contrary to those of typical "Bible belt" Christians. One of my favorite aspects of religious studies, and the reason I focused half of my studies at Wofford on religion, is that it ties everyone together (even if they don't want to admit it). Even someone who claims to have no beliefs, whether athiest or agnostic, still believes in nothing or chooses not to know. Just like biology, this is the language of everyone and it is something that we all have in common. I love to challenge things, expecially when people are very set in what they believe, so I play devil's advocate in every class where religion vs. biology is discussed. In the biology classroom, I bring the religious point of view to the table, and in the religion classroom, I bring the biology point of view. Needless to say, one department probably thinks I am an athiest, while the other thinks I am a religious fanatic! But I like it that way... All of that to say, that this semester, with my partner in crime, we will examine real life religious diversity; the diversity that no one thinks is really around us, but we are all a part of.
My name is Weatherly Meadors, blue obviously, and I am a junior biology major and religion minor. I am from Charleston, SC and love long walks on the beach, especially in the moonlight. Seriously though, I love the outdoors and spend as much time as possible on the water or hiking in the mountains. I have been interested in religion and the ways in which it affects people for some time now, since the mandatory religion classes we had to take each year at my Catholic high school. Upon coming to Wofford I took a new testament class my freshman year and found that I enjoyed looking at the Bible in that type of academic mindset. I took religions of the world the next semester and realized that I really didn't know anything about the major religions besides my own. The religion classes I have taken have enabled me to look at many things, including science, in a different light- when sitting in a genetics classroom I look at the topics not only as a scientist but also in terms of religion, God, and what it means for humanity. The opposite is also true in the religion classroom. This semester Lindsey and I wanted to take a class in which we could apply some of the things we have learned over the past few years and have a chance to go out into the community and talk with people about their beliefs. As this is often a touchy subject, this study is the perfect way to learn about faith with a slightly scientific approach. This study should be fun so keep reading to learn about diversity and all the adventures we will undoubtably have along the way! (We seem to attrach adventures of all kinds- usually the crazier the better!)
We wanted everyone to be as aware of what is going on as we are (which really is not that much but run with it...) so here is a brief description of what we will be doing throughout this semester. YOU are super lucky, because you get to read about it!! (GET EXCITED!)
After much conversation, turmoil, and debate, the Wofford Wonder Twins concluded that the courses offered in the Religion Department at Wofford College were sub par compared to what they could envision (except Dan of course). As a result, they met with the star religion professor known as “Dan”, and together they devised an amazing, extraordinary, groundbreaking, and quintessential study of religious diversity unlike anything done before. They knew that religious diversity existed, but to what extent?
Frequently, religious diversity is thought of in terms of official, organizational lines: Buddhism vs. Hinduism vs. Christianity, etc. Other times religious diversity is thought of in terms of the demographics of a particular religious group – for example, the racial diversity of a particular congregation. Rarely, however, is religious diversity considered from the perspective of individual, idiosyncratic conceptualizations of the divine or religious experience. The basic assumption of this independent study is that there is a myriad of ways that everyday people enact and experience religion, regardless of whether they have official religious affiliations or not.
This course is an independent study designed to explore the ways that religion is thought about and enacted by “normal,” everyday people who may or may not belong to different religions and/or denominations. We will start at Wofford College and will explore the contradictory and complementary ways that different Wofford students conceptualize religion. We will be asking generalized questions to various Wofford students – ones who attend religious services regularly, ones who do so infrequently, and ones who rarely do or do not at all. We will ask all of them about their central ideas about religion, about the divine, about religious practices and so forth. Based on what we find, and after receiving their permission, we will attend religious services with some of those with whom we have spoken. We will speak with other, non-Wofford people who attend those same services as well, asking them similar questions. We will explore with everyone their ideas about why they attend these services, what the worship experience consists of and what it accomplishes in their lives.
The basic goal of the project is to get a sense of the diverse ways that people think about religion. Because we will speak with people representing different religious traditions (Hindu, Jewish, Christian, etc), with people from different “denominations” within those traditions, and with those who are not religiously affiliated at all, we will have opportunity to compare ideas about the religious experience across a broad spectrum. All activities and discoveries will be recorded in this blog.
When Lindsey said "brief" discription, what she really meant was brief in terms of it not being research paper length. But thanks for sticking it out and reading it. I hope you will get to know each of us throughout this semester (being why we are writing in different colors)... I am the smart one. Or so you think... and we apologize in advance for all the times we will steal the computer from each other and do things like, well, this.
OH~ one more thing... you probably want to know what the general questions are for the interviews! (I knew you were on the edge of your seats!!) but remember... the questions are like the pirate's code... like guidelines matey! (Arrrr!!) (We like Pirates, esp. Capt. Jack... he's pretty much our bff)
What is your understanding of the religious experience?
What is your understanding about the divine?
What happens during religious worship?
What is the purpose of life?
What are your beliefs on the creation of the world?
Do you believe in the afterlife? If so, describe your beliefs.
How do you view the ideas of good and evil?
What are your views about proselytization?
Tell your version of the Gospel story. (for Christians only)
How much do you know about other world religions?
If anyone gets really into this and wants to know more, we've also listed the three books we will be reading under our profile section, along with our email address. Questions and comments are welcome!
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