Intro to Religious Studies

Selected quotations from Adagia

2007-05-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

"Wine and Music are not good until afternoon. But poetry is like a prayer in that it is most effective in solitude and in the times of solitude as, for example, in the earliest morning."

"After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life’s redemption."

"The poet is a God or The young poet is a God. The old poet is a tramp."

I found the aforementioned quotes to be the most interesting from the ‘Adagia’ section of ‘Collected poetry and prose’ by Wallace Stevens because these three quotes share a common belief. In the first quote, poetry is compared to a prayer, whose full effects can only be felt in complete isolation and at certain times such as dawn. Therefore, poetry could be recited in a similar manner to religious texts after separating oneself completely from all social distractions, following an individual’s loss of faith in God. This establishes a link between the first and the second quotes, where Wallace also mentions that poetry can be used as a substitute for religious texts for disbelievers who seek to obtain redemption. The act of reciting a poem causes one to express his feelings or thoughts through interpretation. In this manner, poems can lead to salvation for individual and enable an individual to fulfill a religious feature, such as redemption, in a completely secular framework. In this secular framework the poet is comparable to God and this brings us nicely to the third quote mentioned above. After one’s loss of faith in God, poetry serves as a substitutes for religious texts in a secular setting where the poet’s words is similar to the scriptures found in religious texts that are believed to be God’s words.

In order to fully comprehend the intended meanings of the poet, the reader would have to separate himself from all distractions in the outside world and concentrate solely on the poetry. Hence, it is the reader’s responsibility to understand the metaphorical and allegorical connotations that serves as the deeper meaning behind each stanza of the poem. The poet is being compared to God because readers of poetry and religious texts share the same task of uncovering the true intended meaning behind the words stated. The old poet might be portrayed as a tramp because of his lack of creation of new works.

As mentioned in ‘Zohar’, only fools interpret the Torah literally “Fools of the world look only at that garment, the story of Torah;” (Zohar, Pg – 44) while the wise interpret the deeper inner meaning of Torah, as originally intended “The wise ones…look only at the souls, root of all, real Torah”. The pursuit of this knowledge and comprehending the metaphorical aspects of a poem would lead to a form of redemption for readers of poetry in a secular framework, without the association of any doctrines or religious connotations.

Sources: Stevens, Wallace. ‘Collected poetry and prose’

'Zohar'

Paradise

2007-05-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

‘Sunday Morning’ reflects Wallace Stevens’ point of view on nature and focuses on his spiritual connection with the world around him. Hence, themes of group cohesion and social fraternity are lost, which is a major reason why ‘Sunday Morning’ cannot be viewed as a religious poem. ‘Sunday Morning’ is an excellent poem that develops religious aspects within a secular framework.

The opening stanza of the poem is a contrast between the aspects of nature that a lady is enjoying on a sunny and colorful Sunday morning, instead of going to church, and the darker side brought forth by religion such as ancient sacrifices and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Next, the narrator argues over abandonment of enjoying the ephemeral world around us to concentrate on the concept of paradise in the afterlife. The narrator also argues that the Earth around us provides us enough to cherish such as “the pungent fruit and bright, green wings” (Part II) and divinizes emotions according to nature’s changing states. The lady has an inner yearning for an eternal paradise but the narrator explains that the Earth’s continuous transition allows us moments to enjoy and take pleasure in nature’s beauty because it is not eternal and lasts forever only in the memory. Death makes us appreciate aspects of nature that last for a very short amount of time and the appreciation for beauty might be lost if it was eternal, because there would not be bad times to compare and contrast nature’s beauty with. Hence, the narrator argues that since paradise is static it cannot be beautiful and the fact that the Earth is always changing make short experiences wonderful. In this sense, life should be her bliss and small instances of happiness should be appreciated because it is not imperishable.

The latter part of ‘Sunday Morning’ gives a poetic description of individual worship of reality, and fraternity and spiritual experiences that are devoid of any doctrines or social understanding. The metaphysical importance of the Tomb of Palestine is also ignored and it is considered solely as the grave of Jesus Christ. The poem concludes with an account of beautiful imagery of the ephemeral world around us that human beings should take pleasure in, without any religious connotations. The poet also points to many aspects of our nature that go unnoticed, indicating a lack of attention being paid to the real world, and if that is the case then there is no reason to pay so much attention to the abstract world.

‘Sunday Morning’ is a secular poem that points out the development of several religious features without any religious connections. Wallace Stevens offers his personal opinion and point of view through this poem and in no way attempts to promote religious ideas or beliefs. This poem is also similar to Kieslowski’s ‘Red’ because both works convey religious ideas in a secular framework, avoiding any direct association with organized, modern religions.

Source: Stevens, Wallace. "Sunday Morning"

Response to Cate's post

2007-05-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

I found Cate Frazier’s post titled ‘Red’ to be very interesting and would like to offer my thoughts on it. I want to contest Dave’s interpretation of the old judge, Joseph Kern, being portrayed as a God in ‘Red’. He only spied on his neighbor’s telephone calls to confirm his negative views on human relationships and in this regard at least he was not omniscient. Serving as a judge and passing the final verdict was instrumental in deciding people’s lives, as in the case of the sailor whom he had acquitted earlier, and is comparable to the control exerted by God on humans, by passing judgment upon us. I would also like to argue that the old judge was able to predict the end of Auguste’s relationship, by means of a betrayal from his girlfriend, because his personal experience at a younger age was frighteningly similar to Auguste’s experience. Additionally, his constant observance of the couple by monitoring their phone calls was a significant factor to foretell their future. However, his ability to predict Valentine’s future happiness through a meaningful relationship is rather baffling but could be attributed to the culmination of the coincidental incidences, where she and Auguste were at the same locations on several occasions but never met each other. I found the role played by the old judge, Joseph Kern, to be quite similar to the role played by the three witches in Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ in various aspects.

In ‘Macbeth’, the witches bear a heavy influence on Macbeth although his free will drives him towards reaching the witches’ predicted outcome in the play. In Macbeth’s first meeting with the witches, they predict that Macbeth would be the future Thane of Cawdor and the future King of Scotland “Second Witch: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to Thee, Thane of Cawdor! / Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (1.3, Lines 49 – 51). Macbeth’s trust in the witches’ is increased greatly when he is eventually declared the Thane of Cawdor. Then, Macbeth immediately contemplates the murder of King Duncan en route to becoming the next King, thereby fulfilling the witches’ third prophecy. The witches only predict that Macbeth will be the future King but Macbeth’s evil intentions leads him to a murderous course towards taking the crown. I also saw ‘Macbeth’ being performed by the APT at the PAC in my freshman year. In APT’s performance of Macbeth, the manner in which the witches set up the equipments in some of the scenes is very similar to the witches’ prediction of Macbeth’s future because the witches do not force Macbeth to commit murders but rather set up the stage for Macbeth to drive his free will, much like them setting up the stage equipment for the next scenes.

Although the witches bear an evil influence on ‘Macbeth’, their role is similar to the role played by the old judge in ‘Red’ because it is their actions that dictate what happens in Macbeth’s life. In ‘Red’, the old judge confesses his misdemeanors to court and sends out letters to his neighbors stating his surveillance of their telephone calls. His actions enable Auguste’s girlfriend to meet another man in court, whom she eventually has an affair, resulting in her separation from Auguste. The old judge plays no part in actually introducing them and it is left to their free will. His actions also prompt Valentine to visit him and plead her innocence. He confesses his crimes with the knowledge of Valentine’s subsequent visit but does not directly influence her to visit him. He also encourages Valentine to go to her desired destination by Ferry but he does not mention anything about meeting Auguste specifically. Previously, he had just mentioned that Valentine would be very happy in the next forty to fifty years, which Valentine believed readily. This is similar to the way the witches’ predict Macbeth’s rise to becoming the future King of Scotland but Macbeth contemplates murdering the King right away to achieve his objective. By the end, Macbeth places unbound faith in the witches’ predictions but he achieved his objectives without any direct assistance from the witches.

Source: Kieslowski, Krzysztof. 'Red'

Shakespeare, William. 'Macbeth'

Religion & Art

2007-05-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

I found the class discussion on Wednesday regarding religion and art to be quite interesting. I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and found it amazing, which is pretty remarkable considering I don’t take a keen interest in art. I spent my time mostly looking at Egyptian art, particularly sculptures depicting burial rituals, and South Asian art, namely religious statues and carvings. The painstaking details of carvings on sarcophaguses and how burial rituals were carried out were marvelous. Every piece of art had its own story and there were passages connecting each room within the section that enriched my experience immensely. The South Asian section of the museum was dominated by religious images from the great periods of South Asian sculpture, between the second century B.C and about A.D 1500. Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain deities are depicted in ideal human forms to symbolize their transcendent and divine natures. The styles and forms are heavily influenced by the culture in which the art is made. For example, there is a heavy Buddhist influence in the Hindu god Shiva’s sculpture because Shiva takes up the posture commonly seen in the sculptures of Buddha, in a very peaceful meditating form, surrounded by attendants, very similar to Buddha being attended upon by the Bodhisattvas. The base that he sits on is decorated in details and this representation of Shiva is comparable to the “Seated Buddha from Gandhara”.

Modern art, however, differs very much from ancient artwork because the secular movement in modern art attempts to bypass the ‘package’ or social aspect of religion, while tying into more universally human characteristics. Mr. Smith also mentioned that while Pollock does not give his viewers a complete package of religion through his paintings, he gives us some aspects of the ‘big picture’ religion. His painting ‘Guardian of the secret’ can be interpreted in several ways by different people. I interpreted it as six figures surrounding a fallen body holding what could be the secret referred to in the title. The other work of art shown in class, whose name escapes me, was the kind of painting he is famous for, drip paintings. It seemed that the red paint and white paint was dripped over something elaborately drawn in the background in black paint, with the all the three colors seemingly converging together. Although much of older art has not been preserved and religious artifacts mainly survive, particularly in South Asian culture, modern art has largely shifted away from particular religious subjects and concentrates on particular features drawn out of ‘big picture religion’.

‘Trois couleurs: Rouge’

2007-05-21T21:53:00.001-07:00

‘Trois couleurs: Rouge’, by Krzysztof Kieslowski, is the final installment of the trilogy that also includes blue and white. These three colors of the French flag blue, white and red represent liberty, equality and fraternity respectively; the three French revolutionary ideals. ‘Red’ depicts barriers to fraternity, which is illustrated when the old judge, Joseph Kern, spies on his neighbors by eavesdropping on their telephone calls and also in the scene where Valentine and Kern are separated by a car window when they attempt to hold each other’s hand. The relationship between Kern and Valentine is portrayed as being very intimate, although not romantic. In ‘Red’, Kieslowski brilliantly conveys ideas such as hope, love, fraternity, coincidences and inevitability in secular terms, without any direct connection to modern religions or God.

Kieslowski provides hope in ‘Red’ through the character of Joseph Kern. Kern had been betrayed by his lover and had isolated himself from other human beings. He became cynical and spied on people’s phone calls to strengthen his negative views on human relationships. However, by the conclusion of the movie he had established a strong bond with Valentine. Although, there are several barriers to fraternity in this movie such as communicating through telephones, long distance relationships and the aforementioned window acting as a barrier, Kern’s transformation for seclusion to establishing an intimate friendship with Valentine offers hope for fraternity among humans. The meeting of Auguste, a young judge whose life bears an uncanny resemblance to Kern’s at a younger age, and Valentine at the very end suggests the beginning of a meaningful relationship between them, enabling Valentine to escape her current long distance relationship with a jealous, suspicious boyfriend. Coincidence plays a major role in the movie since Auguste and Valentine never cross each other’s paths although they are neighbors and are shown as being in the same location numerous times, such as the bowling alley and the music store. They also meet each other coincidentally on the ferry when they were among the seven survivors following the tragedy on the English Channel. Kern rues not having such a coincidental encounter with a lady like Valentine at a younger age because that might have discouraged from isolating himself from all personal relationships after the woman he had originally loved passed away. There is also a sense of inevitability about their meeting after missing each other on so many occasions. The old judge also mentions that it was inevitable for his neighbor to commit suicide when his family eventually found out that he had an extra-marital affair with another man.

Fate and destiny could be used interchangeably with coincidence and inevitability, respectively, apart from the religious connotations that the former words entail. Kieslowski remarkably separates the ideas presented in his movie from any connection to religion. I believe this adds to the movie’s brilliance because he poses a very important question through ‘Red’, one that concerns the possibility to live without any religion, in a completely secular manner.

Source: Kieslowski, Krzysztof. ‘Trois couleurs: Rouge’.

Response to Caro's Post

2007-05-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

I agree with the message conveyed by Caro in her post ‘Jane Addams’. The Hull house was built as a secular establishment without any affiliation to a form of organized, modern religion. Jane Addams’ goal was to help other women escape the poverty that engulfed their lives. Her background of coming from a Quaker household might have resulted in the active role she assumed as a woman in the progressive socialist movement but her purpose of establishing a settlement was to promote equality between the different classes in society. This can be seen in the ‘Historical Narrative’ section of the website. Louise deKoven Bowen, a personal friend of Jane Addams and a major financial backer of Hull House mentioned that "Hull-House takes no part whatever in any religious activities" against charges of radicalism. Although, the majority of the members of the Hull house came from a Christian background and celebrated events such as Christmas, she argued that such events were viewed in a ‘non-creedal’ manner by the “leaders of the establishment”. While Hull house remained as an independent secular institution, Jane Addams established the settlement from her own personal beliefs, which comprised of humanity and equality.

Jane Addams encouraged the education of women and organized social activities to provide a platform for poor women to escape from living in the poverty stricken rural areas and establish themselves in society. In the latter stages of her life, Jane Addams became increasingly influential in political affairs and then led a “growing international movement for peace and justice and organizes women to protest World War I”. Her efforts for promoting global peace received international recognition and she was the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. The website mentions that “her advocacy of children's rights and her efforts to provide healthy, spiritually uplifting, and educationally stimulating environments in which all children have a chance to prosper is a real legacy”. Her actions portray an underlying belief in humanity and equality among all people, regardless of race, religion and class.

Source: http://moodle.lawrence.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=10314

The Ultimate Framework of Religion

2007-05-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

It was mentioned in class that religion is formed in human cognitive building blocks and is not separate from many aspects of our lives. Nationalism and other ‘cult’ like groups might possess similar attributes such as meaning creation, cohesion, identity and some form of spiritual connection but on a much smaller scale than religion. Science may also be thought of as a rival to religion because scientific texts offer different interpretations compared to religious texts on similar issues such as the origin of mankind. However, religion is the ultimate framework that people revert back to because it is all encompassing.

The most fundamental difference between religion and science is the capacity for allegorical interpretation. It is very difficult to interpret scientific texts allegorically whereas most of the literature in religious texts has an allegorical meaning attached to it. The opening section of ‘Zohar’ has multiple meanings and mentions that only a fool would take the words of the ‘Torah’ literally while the wise would find the deeper allegorical meaning conveyed behind the stories. The concept of Jihad in the Quran also has multiple interpretations. While it may be taken literally to mean waging a war against infidels, also known as the ‘lesser’ Jihad, the allegorical interpretation behind the words is the concept of a ‘greater’ Jihad, which is waging war against one’s sinfulness. The scientific framework lacks this attribute and consequentially leads to a limited ‘scale’ when compared with religion. As much as science attempts to explain everyday phenomena connected with our lives, the importance of allegory is greatly highlighted in religion through religious texts and many religious texts, such as the ‘Torah’, place a greater importance on its intended allegorical interpretation rather than the literal interpretation.

Nationalism is also limited when compared to religion as a rival because it offers a much smaller range of explanations, while devout followers consider religion as encompassing all possible explanations. As I mentioned in my previous post, Sam Harris is an advocate of nationalism over religion and believes that the existence of religion is not an absolute necessity for existence. The role of religion might be hampered in areas of extreme poverty but it offers hope for a better future through people’s beliefs in higher power. Therefore, religion provides a broader spectrum to people when compared to Nationalism, which is deeply rooted in matters concerning our practical life.

Source: Zohar

Harris, Sam. "The End of Faith"

The Other Half of Society

2007-05-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

The photographs shown in class on Monday, taken by Jacob Riis, depict the inferior living conditions of the poverty stricken working class people in certain neighborhoods. The photographs convey an alarming message to many of the wealthier members of society at the time, and could have been intended to instigate the social reform efforts that were carried out by Jane Addams. Riis minimized the presence of human beings in most photographs and focused on the dirty environment in which the poor people lived, and the partially ruined buildings where they resided. The pictures even depict unsanitary living conditions such as people having solitary meals in a coal cellar, where the table cloth is covered in black soot from the coal. There was an image of a woman standing on the rooftop with her children. Most of the photos depict ‘immorality’ and ‘disorder’, which Riis strongly opposed, and contradicted the “Victorian notion of home and mothers and children”. Riis’ efforts to show the substandard living conditions and lifestyle of the working class and immigrants were intended to appeal to the “Victorian desire for cleanliness and social order”. He helped begin reform attempts by using his photography as a means of reaching out to the ethics and qualms of the wealthier member of societies.

Jane Addams originally came from a Quaker household and had both religious and nationalistic values instilled in her, owing to her veneration of her father and Abraham Lincoln. She developed the belief of equality amongst individuals, regardless of their social class, as exemplified in the passage where her father tells her to wear her old cloak, which would keep her as warm as her ‘new, gorgeous cloak’ “with the added advantage of not making the other little girls feel badly” (Addams, Page 13) although she didn’t derive much pleasure from self sacrifice at the time. The photographs coupled with Jane Addams' eagerness led to a progressive socialist movement, aimed at promoting equality amongst the poorer and wealthier class of society. Eventually, she believed in establishing a global religion, where people would follow a single religion worldwide, while pertaining to their own distinct traditions. However, religion would face severe problems in reaching out to the poverty-stricken people depicted in Riis’ photographs. The lack of religious texts in the photographs was a source of concern, especially because the working class people were under such severe financial constraints that they could ill afford to buy one. There was also a time constraint because the picture depicts most men too busy with their work, while the women were shown as taking care of the family. Nevertheless, in such a state of despair and hopelessness religion can comfort people and offer hope for a better future.

Source: Addams, Jane. "Twenty years at Hull House"

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/davis/photography/slideshows/slideshows.html

Margaret Fell vs. Sam Harris

2007-05-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

Margaret Fell is referred to as the ‘Mother’ of Quakers because of pressing for more liberal values that are socially progressive, while at the same time maintaining a conservative viewpoint as far as religion was concerned. She promoted the role of women in both religious aspects and social aspects, and encouraged the emulation of the examples set by other women speakers. She provided evidence from the Bible and believed in the equality of men and women. Although it can be argued that the selectivity of certain passages from the Bible can lead to numerous interpretations, her methodology in presenting her argument makes it seem very plausible. She develops a model through which she offers her argument and selects specific Biblical passages in a subtle manner, and goes to great lengths to support her findings by providing detailed explanations of how the passages related to her principles. She believed that only women with limited knowledge, and not all women affiliated with a religious organization, should remain silent. Her efforts resulted in the Quakers becoming the largest group of women publishing during the 17th century. Sam Harris is very different from her because he launches a relentless attack on Muslims. Margaret Fell uses quotes from the Bible in a subtle manner and provides a context through which each argument is developed, while Sam Harris provides about five pages worth of ‘selected’ quotations from the Quran to support his view of the threat posed by Muslims. He does not make any further use of the quotes in his argument and even mentions ‘This is all desperately tedious, of course’, which begs the question of putting the quotes in his argument in the first place

Margaret Fell presented an ever-present theme in the Bible regarding the role of women and selected passages that supported her argument, providing allegorical as well as literal interpretation while responding to opposing passages. In this respect, Sam Harris completely fails to acknowledge the allegorical aspect of certain theological aspects in Islam. He mentions that the inner or ‘greater’ Jihad involves waging war against one’s sinfulness but overlooks it. Instead, he chooses to argue that the outer or ‘lesser’ Jihad, waging war against infidels, is ‘a central feature of the faith’ (The End of Faith, 111). He also fails to compare the parallel between violence in Islam and violence in early Christianity, although Islam is a relatively young religion compared to Christianity. While this is not an excuse for the terrorist attacks perpetrated by extremist Muslim groups, a distinct lack of mentioning violence in other religions is an indication of shirking away from opposing circumstances, an issue that Margaret Fell addresses in her arguments.

Margaret Fell aspired to elevate the role of women in religion and society, and worked towards the goal of establishing Quakerism. I read an interview conducted with Sam Harris, where he advocates Nationalism and argues against the necessity of the existence of any form of religion. This highlights a very important difference because Margaret Fell aimed to promote Quakerism, while Sam Harris dismissed the importance of religion in modern society. The argument put forth by Margaret Fell plausible not only because it proposes the equality of men and women, but also the presentation and development of the argument are critical aspects of the credibility of her reasoning.

Source: Harris, Sam. ‘The End of Faith’
Fell, Margaret

Religion as a Package

2007-05-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

During class on Monday, the discussion on how Religious Studies differs from theology really interested me. As Professor Smith mentioned, the impression of this area of study to the general public might reflect the theological aspects pertaining to certain religions or what particular religious groups believe. Theology is defined as the study of the nature of God and religious truth. The theological aspects of all religions differ in many respects. Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God and follow the Bible as their sacred text, while Muslims believe God as the One and Only, i.e. He does not have any relations, and follow the Holy Quran as their sacred text. These are just a couple of differences in the theological aspects of two religions so one can imagine the difficulty associated with comparing the theological aspects of all the major religions around the world. I believe it is more important to understand the basic underlying structure or framework that is common in the establishment of several religions. The features that make up the ‘package’ of religion are very similar in nature, while the theology associated with each religion might be thought of as the different patterns on the wrapping paper used to cover the package.

Factors that contribute to the establishment of religions are quite similar across a variety of religions but the doctrines or dogmas are unique attributes developed by specific religions differ greatly. The questions of why or how religion is established can be explained by looking at the contents of the ‘package’ of religion. Some common features that are vital to the founding of religions are the historical background, symbols, rituals and beliefs. The different patterns on the wrapping paper used to cover the “package” are the theological aspects developed by each religion to provide an explanation for the abstract. Essentially, the different patterns on the wrapping paper provide a different perspective on what individual religious groups believe. It is important not to get too focused on the outside of the “package” by looking too closely at the theology associated with different religions. Instead, one can obtain a better understanding of the “big picture” religion by carefully examining the contents of the package.

Bob Marley and the Rastafari Movement

2007-05-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

Music is a great method of freedom of expression and a brilliant tool to convey feelings and messages to the outside world. Bob Marley used reggae music and his worldwide fame to preach Rastafari devoutly through his lyrics and songs, and by using several features common to Rasta such as Rastafarian chanting and the incorporation of nyabinghi. As Wikipedia states ‘By 2000, there were more than one million Rastafari faithful worldwide’ and a large portion of the followers were inspired by the reggae music and Bob Marley is accredited with much of the success. Rastas believe Haile Selassie 1, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate (Jah) and embraced Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican publicist and organizer, as their prophet.

Bob Marley symbolized what the Rastafarian movement stood for in a number of ways. Firstly, he was often clad in green, gold and red, which were the colors of the Ethiopian flag. Secondly, Bob Marley also had dreadlocks, which is seen as a symbol of the Rastafarian movement because ‘Rastafari associate dreadlocks with a spiritual journey that one takes in the process of locking their hair (growing dreadlocks). It is taught that patience is the key to growing dreadlocks, a journey of the mind, soul and spirituality. Its spiritual pattern is aligned with the Rastafari religion’(Wikipedia). Thirdly, Bob Marley, by smoking Ganja himself, was a role model for Rastas world wide ‘For many Rastas, smoking cannabis is a spiritual act, often accompanied by Bible study; they consider it a sacrament that cleans the body and mind, exalts the consciousness, facilitates peacefulness, and brings them closer to Jah’ (Wikipedia). He even refused to write a will when he was on the brink of death because he believed it would be a sign of submission to death and would go against his strong belief in physical immortality. He might be even thought of the ‘perfect’ Rasta, if there is such a thing.

The greatest influence exerted by Bob Marley on Rastas around the globe was through his music. If his physical appearance represented the ideal Rasta, then his music embodied the very essence of the Rastafarian movement. One of the most notable aspects of his music is the use of language from the Rastafarian vocabulary, such as ‘i-n-i’ in ‘So many things to say’ from ‘exodus’. Similarly influential in his lyrical content is the repetition of certain phrases like chants. This is a feature of almost every one of his songs such as the repetition of ‘Exodus!’ and ‘Movement of jah people’ in the song ‘Exodus’. His music also makes explicit reference to subjects such as the oppression of people (‘Guiltiness’) and Religious matters (Jesus Christ being crucified in ‘So many things to say’). The most prominent references in his music are made to Jah and the Rastafarian movement in general. His music also conveys a sense of hope and comfort that is illustrated in ‘Three Little Birds’ when he repeats the phrase ‘every little thing gonna be alright’. As we have already read previously in ‘Lamentation’, an important aspect of Religion is offering hope and reassurance to its followers when they need it the most. Bob Marley conveys this notion of reassurance through his music.

Sources: Wikipedia article on Rastafari Movement
'Exodus'. Bob Marley

The Cyclical Relationship between Religion and Culture in Ethiopia

2007-05-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

While discussing ‘Some Records of Ethiopia’ during class last Friday, I felt that the most fascinating aspect of the discussion was the cyclical relationship between a text, such as a holy book that is revered by most people within a region, and the cultural system of that region. For the past week, the readings on Kebra Negast highlighted existing aspects of the Ethiopian culture and society, and spun stories off them. The Kebra Negast was building on the underlying cultural structure of Ethiopia at that time. The interplay between the Kebra Negast and the Ethiopian culture is also remarkable because Ethiopians point to the text to justify their behavior and social conduct in modern culture. This is the cyclical relationship between the Ethiopian culture and the Kebra Negast.

‘Some Records of Ethiopia’ discusses the cultural aspects of Ethiopia and deeply concentrates on the ethnography, while talking about religious aspects connected with Ethiopia The author describes details such as the wines, weddings, circumcisions and burials in a laborious manner, with no firm idea or conclusion at the end of the discussions. He is quite condescending towards the Christian culture adopted by Ethiopia and provides a biased point of view because it differs a great deal with Christianity in his own homeland. He also draws upon many negative aspects of their society such Ethiopians frequently breaking promises and agreements, and settling infidelity in a financial manner. The Religion in Ethiopia was drawn out of cultural practices such as weddings, burial and the garments worn by the people at that time. The Ethiopian culture developed as time progressed and the people used the same Religious texts that were drawn from cultural practices to define and explain their actions. This could be seen by the King having multiple wives, which is similar to King Solomon having 400 wives.

However, the Kebra Negast serves an important purpose of giving the Ethiopians identity. This was also seen by the photographs in class, with several women tattooing crosses on their forehead to display their faith. I don’t think the views of the author provide a fair reflection on Ethiopian culture. He compares the Christian culture in Ethiopia to the Christianity in his own country, and looks down on the Ethiopians because of certain aspects that they differ in when compared to Christianity in other regions of the world. It would be unfair to say that he completely disregards the cultural influence on the development of Christianity in Ethiopia, but it seems that he does not give the interplay between Religion and culture in Ethiopia sufficient importance. Otherwise, the author’s views would be much more unbiased and objective.

Sources: Kebra Negast Pt. I & 11

'Some records of Ethiopia'

Response to Caro's Post

2007-04-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is a response to Caro Leach’s post titled ‘Ethiopia’. The pictures of women with crosses tattooed on their foreheads do not necessarily indicate the level of their devotion to Christianity and I also disagree with the statement ‘In our culture, religion is a completely separate part of life than any thing else but in Ethiopia religion becomes part of everything these women do’.

Firstly, the photographs of women with tattooed crosses could be more due to the culture and traditions rather than their degree of their devotion towards Christianity. While I do not dispute that they were indeed very devoted Christians, the tattooed crosses could be a consequences of their evolving culture, or as Richard Dawkins would describe it, social ‘memes’. I believe that ‘memes’, much like language, physical appearances and nationalism, rival Religion as a form of identity. The crosses on their foreheads, although successfully displaying their identity as Christians, might be a cultural norm for all Christians in that region, rather than a sign of devotion towards their Religion.

Secondly, I don’t necessarily believe that Religion and culture are completely separate facets of life in USA. I agree with Thomas Beneke’s response because a display of faith in one’s Religion is a part of people’s life. Cultural influences have separated the various ways in which people’s devotions towards their Religion is expressed. Many Christians everywhere wear crosses on their necks everyday, several Jews wear a yarmulke or kippa (Jewish hat) and curl their payots (side burns), and many Muslims can be seen as having long beards. Such things can be seen as a sign of people’s faith in their different Religions. Although none are similar to having a cross tattooed on one’s forehead, the difference could simply arise because of cultural differences without any separation of Religion from other aspects of everyday life. Other simple happenings such as saying grace before eating and ‘God bless you’ after sneezing, or thanking God for one’s good fortune is so deeply ingrained in our everyday life that we do these things unconsciously and don’t recognize it.

Religious Interpretation of Metropolis

2007-04-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

I would describe ‘Metropolis’ by Fritz Lang as a brilliant science fiction movie, targeted towards the richer people of society. ‘Metropolis’ uses stunning imagery, often religious, to convey the idea of the consequences of oppression on the lower class people, which is all the more important considering it is a silent movie. I think Fritz Lang reached out to the higher class people using a religious context to portray the political and economic background because they would be able to identify quite easily with Religion.

I interpreted ‘Metropolis’ in a completely religious context. Joh Fredersen could also be thought of a representation of God in the movie because he is the sole master of the city of Metropolis, much like God is the sole ruler of our world. His son, Freder, was shown as a benevolent figure in the movie and could be a portrayal of Jesus Christ, the son of God. This was particularly apparent to me when he descended down below the surface into the worker’s city, much like Jesus Christ is believed to have descended down, and is portrayed as a savior when he rescues the workers’ children from drowning by the end of the movie. Him changing into the worker’s clothes to be accepted and ‘endured’ in the world below reminded me of the opening section of ‘Zohar’, which mentions that the ‘Zohar’ is actually the ‘garment’ of Torah, where the words and stories are referred to as the ‘garment’ that cover the true sublime meaning behind the words, so that it could be ‘endured’ in this world. Whether such a reference was intended by Fritz Lang is highly doubtful, but I found it interesting nonetheless.

The division of the upper city, where the wealthy resided and which contained the Eternal Garden, and the lower level, where the workers lived in poor living conditions could also be compared to the belief of Heaven above and Hell below according to many religions. Maria is represented in the movie as a saint figure and the religious imagery in the scene where Maria stands in front of tall crosses giving the workers a speech about a mediator who would come and rescue them from their oppression is the most obvious reference to religion. Another clear religious reference can be seen in the scene that mentions and depicts the Tower of Babel.

The conformity amongst the workers, in terms of their faith in Maria, is highly noticeable. In ‘Metropolis’ all the workers are shown as wearing the same clothes and moving in step with one another when they work. Additionally, the workers display some sort of blind faith in Maria. They are prepared to wait for the arrival of the mediator upon hearing the words of the real Maria while they turn into an angry mob set on destroying the heart machine at the whims of Maria’s robot double, even forgetting the doomed fate of their children. The evil Maria is also referred to as the whore of Babylon.

In ‘Metropolis’, Fritz Lang cleverly uses Religion to appeal to the wealthy members of society and show them the dire consequences of oppressing the working class, and the possible destruction of the future, which is portrayed when all the little children are left to drown in the flood that engulfed the workers’ city, until they are saved by Freder.

Sources: Lang, Fritz. 'Metropolis'

'Zohar'

Religion in the Hands of Human Beings

2007-04-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

The class discussion on Friday brought up a very interesting fact that is often overlooked about all Religions, not just Islam. Every religion faces stern obstacles in the course of time, in the form of opposition and developments. Therefore, faithful followers might manipulate the basic foundations of the religion and interpret words in a different context, which fits better with the demands of the current situation. In an excerpt of ‘Globalized Islam’, Oliver Roy talks about the ill-effects of changes in Islam and states, “These preachers, as well as social workers, know that the disappearance of traditional values lays the groundwork for re-Islamization, not the continuance of traditional structures.” Throughout history, when human beings have been unable to explain modern changes with existing interpretations of their Religion, they have viewed Religion as malleable into a social or cultural context in order to better explain recent developments. Human beings see a change in Religious context by reinterpreting same structures differently in different time periods and this is similar to a Sculptor creating different works of art by transforming the same lump of clay into different objects.

Imagine a lump of clay in the hands of a Sculptor. Essentially, the Sculptor can use the same lump of clay to construct a wide variety of objects, but uses the clay to create the object that best fits his needs or wants. The purpose of stating this is that the adaptability of religion is comparable to the malleability of the lump of clay. The clay serves as the foundation for the Sculptors’ creation and the same clay can be transformed into separate items. The traditional structures of religions have been the foundation for changes in interpretation. Over the course of time, the basics of religion have been transformed numerous times to explain modern changes, which take away from its traditional context. I believe Religion is comparable to the clay and the Sculptor represents all the devout followers of the Religion. Also, the final shape that the Sculptor creates using the clay is similar to the new interpretations attached to tradtional religious structures by human beings. In the hands of people, the same basic traditional structures of Religion can be transformed and interpreted in several manners, according to the demands of the time, much like the clay can be transformed from its original state to create a number of things in the Sculptor’s hands.

Source: Roy, Oliver. ‘Globalized Islam’

Response to Cate's post

2007-04-19T23:44:00.000-07:00

I originally intended to write a post in response regarding ‘The Problem with Islam’ from The End of Faith by Sam Harris. After reading, I can honestly say I am appalled and disgusted by his seemingly relentless verbal attacks on Islam and Muslims in general around the world, a large portion of which lack evidence. However, Sarah’s post, titled "You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" and David Skogen’s “Sam Harris’ End of Faith” combined to say about what I wanted to and I fully agree with both of their evaluation of Sam Harris and his work.

Therefore, I would like to respond to Cate Frazier’s post titled “Crow Indians”. She raises some interesting points and I would like to give my opinions on it. In my first post for the week, I pointed out the some of the differences in the hope expressed in ‘The Book of Lamentations’ and the ‘radical hope’ of the Crow tribe. I don’t feel that the main purpose of the article titled ‘A Different Kind of Courage’ was to shake its finger at the US government for destroying the culture of the Crow tribe. I believe the main focus of this article was the example set by chief Plenty coups and the Crow tribe. The survival of the Crow tribe by adapting to their new way of life is a great example of what can be achieved through hope and courage. Placing hope in their future survival without prior knowledge of what their new lives would be like, and adapting to their new lives by becoming farmers instead of warriors, while educating younger tribe members were key elements to their survival. By cooperating with the US authority and settling down to ensure the future survival of his tribe rather than fighting against them, chief Plenty coups showed courage in the practical sense. If they engaged in violence, the US authorities would overwhelm his tribe in numbers and military equipment, and the only solace that the Crow tribe would be able to take in such circumstances would be the fact they went down fighting. Instead, facing the challenges that lay ahead of them and conquering the obstacles that life put forth were far more courageous in my view.

I agree with her when she says “but to say that there is hope for the Crow Indians to regain their culture and religion is impossible” because there was no hope of restoring their culture. However, I don’t think that the members of the Crow tribe had any hopes of rebuilding their culture after it was taken away from them by US authorities because they had realized that their previous culture and traditions would never be restored, which is why the ‘radical hope’ that the Crow tribe believed in required adjusting to a new way of life. The hope was ‘radical’ because they had no definite knowledge about their future lifestyle although they knew they would survive.

I would like to elaborate on the courage and bravery that Cate mentions in her post. While cooperation with the US authorities might be seen as a form of cowardice, I agree with Lear when he mentions the bravery that is demonstrated by chief Plenty Coup and his Crow Tribe. I believe it took the entire Crow tribe a lot of courage to adapt to a world that was largely unknown to them; courage that is not shown by battling for supremacy over territory, but by the sheer ability to survive through adversity. The Crow tribe’s search for new methods in a relatively unknown society, and rediscovery of established traditional values in various aspects of modern life, with different meanings attached, is the ‘different kind of courage’ that Mr. Taylor talks about in his article. “Lear sees the avoidance of despair as the indispensable condition in which a community can respond creatively to the plight of culture death” (Taylor, Pg – 6). Plenty Coups had a clear plan of action for his Crow tribe that did not involve the type of courage one associates with overwhelming emotions, but entailed embracing their new culture by engaging in agriculture and educating young tribe members. It could have been much simpler for the Crow tribe to concede defeat and sink in a sea of despair after the only way of life that they knew, which largely involved hunting and war, was taken away from them. By having a clear, practical plan for the Crow tribe, chief Plenty Coups attempted to ensure that his tribe could defend against US dominance in the future.

The hope in Lamentations and the ‘radical hope’ of the Crow tribe are distinctly different. While the hope in Lamentations is directed towards God to supply the resources necessary for re-building Jerusalem, the ‘radical hope’ is not directed towards one identifiable source and is based on the Crow tribe adapting to an unknown future lifestyle and not for restoration of their previous way of life.

Source: The Book of Lamentations

Gaze deep into the soul

2007-04-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

The beginning section of Zohar, “How to look at Torah”, really fascinated me as it is extremely well-written. Closer reading reveals multiple interpretations of this section, which add to the beauty of its written structure. I believe the writings of Jorge Louis Borges are very similar to Zohar because both works have common themes such as mysticism and multiple interpretations of each passage.

The seemingly obvious metaphor being conveyed in “How to look at Torah” is that it is merely a story or as the author states ‘the garment’ of the real Torah. An individual lacking knowledge would merely read the stories and interpret the words literally. As the author puts it, only fools interpret the Torah literally “Fools of the world look only at that garment, the story of Torah;” (Zohar, Pg – 44) while the wise interpret the deeper inner meaning of Torah, as originally intended “The wise ones…look only at the souls, root of all, real Torah”. The author also compares interpreting the Torah literally to people who are simply brand or judge people by looking at the clothes they wear. I guess this is the reason for the all too overused clichés ‘clothes make the man’ or ‘dress for success’. However, by stating “But the essence of the garment is the body; the essence of the body is soul!” (Zohar, Pg – 44), the author contradicts such statements, thereby pointing out basic flaws of social perception by human beings. I believe this analogy greatly enhances his point of insisting people to take a much closer look at the ‘sublime’ words of the Torah to understand its true, intended meaning. In addition, the ‘garment’ that is talked about in this section of the Zohar may also be an allusion to the fact that the actual Torah is enclosed in a garment. Hence, a reading of the Torah would firstly require unwrapping the garment in order to look at the ‘body’, and for the wiser, the ‘soul’ of the Torah.

Jorge Louis Borges might be greatly influenced by the Torah because there are dual meanings attached to various sections of his short stories. Borges frequently uses mysticism to illustrate the intended meaning of the stories. I particularly remember his story ‘Borges and I’, in which he refers to the arch of an entryway and its inner door as two separate forms of himself. The entryway represents the Borges who has become popular through his writing style and exists in his works and the inner door represents the author Borges who used to enjoy writing literature but now exists only through words in his stories. I find his way of writing very similar to the way Zohar is written because at first glance it is quite difficult to understand the inner meaning of his literature.

Borges said that reading is a creative task and multiple readings of the same story are equivalent to several different stories. I believe this to be true for the Torah as well because readers will be unable to gauge the true meaning of the Torah, located behind its ‘sublime’ words, in the preliminary readings. It might only be after several readings that readers will be able to comprehend the depth of the stories and understand the enormous significance connected to seemingly normal words.

Source: Zohar

Borges, Jorge Louis. "Borges and I"

Radical Hope

2007-04-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

‘The Book of Lamentations’ describes the destruction and devastation caused by the Babylonians on Jerusalem at that time. The traditional author, Prophet Jeremiah, provides a religious interpretation of the Babylonians’ captivity of Jerusalem, citing collective people’s sins as the reason for God’s chastisement, and hopes that God’s punishment would serve as the basis for a better future (Lamentations 2: 24). The hope that Prophet Jeremiah mentions in Lamentations reflects the strong religious beliefs held by the Jews, who saw God as being compassionated and merciful, and shows their dependence upon God for restoration (Lamentations 5: 21). ‘A Different Kind of Courage’ by Charles Taylor, mentions the courage portrayed by the Crow tribe in embracing and adapting to a new way of life, and reinventing their tradition by drawing ‘new meanings from old definitions’ (Taylor, Pg – 5) by believing in a radical hope. The hope maintained by the Jews as seen in ‘The Book of Lamentations’ was very different from the ‘radical hope’ that the Crow tribe believed in. While the Jewish hoped that God would provide the resources by which they could rebuild their already established framework of Judaism, the Crow tribe had their basic foundations (their way of life) taken away from them by US authorities. So they not only needed the resource for rebuilding but also for redefining their existence by attaching modern aspects to traditional values.

The Crow tribe not only lost several members but also their culture and social life, by which they defined themselves. “It is no longer…but worse, you can no longer even try them.” (Taylor, Pg – 2). Although the Babylonians were able to destroy temples and kill many Jews, the basic structure of Judaism remained largely unscathed. The surviving Jews had the foundations to rebuild their culture and way of life, but hoped that God would provide them with the resources needed for reestablishment. In contrast, the ‘radical hope’ exhibited by the Crow tribe was very different. Their hope was ‘radical’ because of the uncertainty associated with what their new life would bring forth. By learning to watch and observe like the Chickadee (Taylor, Pg – 5), the Crow Tribe adjusted to the demands of their new culture. They believed they were under God’s protection but unlike Lamentations, which specifically points to God as a source of hope, their ‘radical hope’ could not be attributed to a single, identifiable source and could be maintained without any form of religious belief.

Jerusalem was left so devoid of resources that the Jews could only depend on God to restore their normal way of life. Prophet Jeremiah believed it was the people’s own sins that caused God’s wrath, and that God would forgive them for their misdeeds, giving them the hope for a better future. The Crow tribe, however, realized that their normal way of life could never be restored and kept faith in a ‘radical hope’ that depended on the way they would be able to adapt to their new lifestyle. The ‘radical hope’ only indicated their future survival but it was up to them had to adjust to their new surroundings and establish a new meaning to their existence, for themselves and future generations. They embraced their new culture by partaking in agriculture and encouraging tribe members to obtain higher education so that they could have the same knowledge and not be exploited.

Sources: The Book of Lamentations
Taylor, Charles. "A Different Kind of Courage"

Response to Heidi's post

2007-04-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

I really liked Heidi’s post on Lamentations, especially the ‘parent-child relationship’ between Jews and God, and would like to elaborate on it.

God chastising Jerusalem for their wrongful ways is really similar to children being punished by their parents for a very wrong deed. While enduring the punishment, the child might feel that the severity of his parents’ actions were largely undeserved, but after it’s all said and done, when he reflects back on his actions he would understand his mistakes and learn from it, and seek forgiveness from his parents.

I think ‘The Book of Lamentations’ shows the extent to which Religion was essential to the lives of Jewish people. Their actions could be compared to a child neglecting and rebelling against his parents. Prophet Jeremiah acknowledges that God chastises Jerusalem because of Judah’s continued idolatry, which is the perhaps the reason why Solomon’s Temple was burned down to the ground when the Babylonians besieged and destroyed Jerusalem. Jerusalem’s downfall was also attributed to the collective sin of the people as a whole. “The Lord has become like an enemy” (Lamentations 2: 05), where the key word is ‘like’ because Prophet Jeremiah admits that He was right in chastising the people of Jerusalem for their rebellion (Lamentations 1: 18), which is similar to the child’s realization of his mistake. God’s punishment of Jerusalem is seen as an outpour of His anger that has been caused by their sins. Although Prophet Jeremiah portrays God as being responsible for the destruction and grief brought to Jerusalem, He offers hope (Lamentations 3: 24) and is depicted as merciful and compassionate (Lamentations 3: 32). God’s punishment of Jerusalem is seen to be for the good of the people, in the hope that a better day in the future. Of course, no matter how strictly a child is reprimanded, it is supposedly always for his own benefit in the future. Prophet Jeremiah points to the sins of the people as the root of the destruction and pleads for the restoration of Jerusalem to God because they had learned from their mistakes.

Source: The Book of Lamentations

Lamentations vs.9/11

2007-04-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

While I will not straight away dismiss any similarities between the 9/11 attacks perpetrated on the US by Osama Bin Laden and his group of Muslim extremists,and Lamentations, I will argue that it is extremely difficult to compare them in terms of the overall picture. The 9/11 attacks can be termed as a desperate act of vengeance, which was the rationale behind the attack of many terrorists for the unfair treatment and oppression they might have experienced throughout history. It could also be taken as a warning to the US and the rest of the world, and a demonstration of power on the behalf of the Muslim extremists. However, the Babylonians’ captivity of Jerusalem, as depicted in ‘The Book of Lamentations’ is quite different. Firstly, the account of the destruction and devastation wrought by the Babylonians in Jerusalem is completely interpreted in a religious context because Religion was central to the Jews’ way of life, and Jerusalem’s captivity was a form of punishment from God towards the Jews because of the sins they had committed previously. But God is always portrayed as giving hope to the people and being merciful and compassionate (Lamentations 3: 32). The traditional author of ‘Lamentations’, Prophet Jeremiah, acknowledges that the chastisement they had experienced is for the good of the Jews because it will lead to a better future. But what good came out of the terrorist attacks?

Many people inside the World Trade Center at that time were Muslims, and their deaths ruled out any possibilities, in my opinion, of any religious motive to ‘punish’ Christians or Jews at the time. Moreover, it led to a small period of recession in the US economy. The effects of Globalization have spread far and wide by the 21st century and weakening of an economic powerhouse such as the US had disastrous impact on the economy of several other countries, who were dependent on the US for trading goods and, in the case of many developing nations, foreign aid. Furthermore, 9/11 promoted future terrorist attacks such as 7/7 in 2006 in the UK, where extremists bombed the subway stations and caused the deaths of many people from different races, religion and culture. Small, local terrorist groups seem to be inspired by such bombings and as recently as last year over 600 bombs exploded simultaneously all over Bangladesh. All these attacks did, was create fear in the lives of regular people, and not offer an iota of hope for a better future.

Source: The Book of Lamentations

Crossing the Line

2007-04-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

I found it most interesting that a major function of Religion was to build a cognitive line between humans and animals, which separates humans from animals. In “Grizzly Man” we observe Timothy Treadwell’s attempt in exploring the relationship between humans and nature through his association with grizzly bears. I believe that Tim’s life differed greatly from the life led by the Paleolithic people because they held different ideologies; while the Paleolithic people hunted animals for subsistence, without any evidence of spiritual connection, Tim felt a strong spiritual connection with the grizzly bears, crossing the cognitive ‘line’ and invading their territory.

Paleolithic people hunted large mammals for subsistence and venerated animals such as horses, stags and aurochs by painting their images on cave walls and ceilings, as found in the Cave of Lascaux. Several images were discovered elsewhere that portrayed Paleolithic people hunting those large mammals with weapon in hand. This is incredibly different to Tim’s attitude of understanding the lifestyle of grizzly bears, wanting to protect them and trying to become one with them. An old lady in the documentary said that she had a note from Tim saying he wanted to mutate into a wild animal, in the sense of connecting so deeply with them that it is similar to a religious experience. I find it difficult to consider that Paleolithic people shared a spiritual bond with the very animals that they hunted because it was the source of their food supply. Tim may have experienced a spiritual connection with grizzly bears but Paleolithic people did not display such conceptual bonding.

In his endeavors, Tim crossed the ‘line’ that separates humans from animals. In Genesis 1: 26, God says, “…and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea…..and over all the wild animals of the earth.” This clearly implies that God intended human beings to be his most superior creation, with dominance over all other creations. The first thing that comes out when we open the ‘package’ of Religion might be the cognitive line separating humans from animals. Although Paleolithic people might have lived at the same location as grizzly bears, it is hardly plausible that they were interested in learning their ways. It is more probable that they did not cross the proverbial ‘line’ and only hunted large mammals for survival, thus pointing out the difference in ideologies held by the Paleolithic people in relation to Tim.. I would even speculate as far as to say that we can also see part of human nature in the documentary at the beginning when the narrator states, “Bears must believe you are more powerful, if we are to survive” and Tim says in a joking manner that he will be their master, and also when he orders the old bear to back off, just 10 days before his death. Others may believe that Tim wanted to establish himself as the alpha-male among grizzly bears, by being the most dominant bear, but I believe these comments point out instances of dominance that make us superior to animals. The cognitive ‘line’ dividing humans and animals is a vital part of Religion and Tim’s attempts of crossing that ‘line’ to the animal world is seen by many, including the Native American curator at the museum, as breaking a barrier that had been established for over 7,000 years, and disrespecting the grizzly bears by invading their territory.

Response to J. B.'s post

2007-04-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

I was reading through J. B. Sivanich’s post about the tour of the cave of Lascaux and I could understand where he was coming from. I would like to make an attempt to answer the question he posed at the end of his blog ‘So the real question remains that if it is not directly related to survival but also not pure entertainment what is it?’

I think there is a great degree of truth to what he is saying. I don’t think that religion is a basic necessity for survival like food, shelter and clothing. I was raised as a Muslim and I come from a Muslim background, so I would strongly disagree with even comparing ‘entertainment’ to religion. I also agree with him when he talks about Neanderthals and other creatures not needing any form of religion to survive because I think religion is a very human concept. I would like to speculate that pre-historic forms of religion were more focused on surrounding beings, especially animals such as horses, stags or bison, which were hunted for subsistence by human beings. However, the form of religion that most people can identify with today was established during the Holocene period. People at that time concentrated in specialization, so hunting was not the only form of subsistence because there was also dependence on agriculture. Religion was established when people could not explain events with objects from their surroundings. For example, rain, which is such a vital part of growing crops, could not be explained by what they saw around them. So they looked for explanation elsewhere, in the form of a higher power, to which they attributed the responsibility of all things that could not be explained otherwise. This is carried on further into future time periods as Indians expressed their gratitude towards God by holding ceremonies for a good harvest or a good hunt.

As times change and science and technology explain much of what seemed like a mystery 9,000 years ago, the need for Religion has still not disappeared. Maybe, this is because it has been such a prominent part of our culture for the last several thousand years. Whatever the reason may be, I still believe religion plays and will continue to play a big part in a believer’s life. Although it is not an absolute basic necessity for survival, religion is something that people seek comfort in and attempt to explain unexplained phenomenon in several matters of everyday life. I hope my attempt to answer the question at the start of my blog is a somewhat plausible argument to explain how religion affects people who believe in it, whichever kind of religion it may be.

Religion as a Chain

2007-04-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

The part of the discussion about religion on Wednesday that interested me the most was when Mr. Smith mentioned that religion is a package, in the sense that it is a culmination of several things, which are being added to it over time. Then he went on to say that religion, as we recognize it, was identified during the Holocene period. I will briefly state the characteristics of people in different time periods and how it developed over time, and how they might contribute to religion as we can identify with presently.
The Neanderthals were not like modern human beings and lacked the “hardware” (the mental capacity) to comprehend metaphors and establish any form of religion. So, we have no concrete evidence about the existence of any religion. Some aspects of modern day religion such as Christianity that Neanderthals would be able to identify with are the singing and aesthetic aspects in church, and the community safety from being part of a large religious organization.

The Paleolithic period came next and the human beings in this period were just like modern human beings in terms of “hardware”. They also carried over characteristics of Neanderthals and added their own characteristics to society. A plausible argument can be made that a naturalistic religion existed during this time period, which was focused on respecting and venerating the animals they hunted for subsistence, and is also indicated by the “The Scene of the Dead Man” at the Cave of Lascaux, which might point to the burial of an important person in the depths of the cave.

The Holocene period came next and with it the advances in human behavior such as formation of groups, group identity and conformity, which were much more important factors in establishing Religion as we know it today. Groups might have possibly used symbols to be unique and separated from one another, where each group identity was determined by the thoughts, actions and beliefs that people held. There was also a tendency of conformity among people in the same group. “In tribal society, most individuals learn to conform, learn not to stand out, so as to be privileged to compete within the protection and good graces of the tribe” (Morris and Levitas 1987). People were also more interested in explaining things or happenings that were beyond their control and could not be explained by their surroundings. All the characteristics displayed by Neanderthals and people from the Paleolithic era were also present in the Holocene period, and the new developments supplemented the previous traits, thereby establishing a Religion that modern human beings can identify.

I think of religion as a chain, where each different characteristic of people and society over time forms a separate link in the whole chain. The reason why I listed the different characteristics of Neanderthals, humans in the Paleolithic period and the Holocene period is to show how different links are being added to the chain over time due to developments in human beings and culture. The Holocene period added the final missing links that enabled the separate links, established in previous time periods, to form a complete chain.

Enter the Cave of Lascaux

2007-04-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

The introduction of symbolic thought in Paleolithic Art raises hope of locating the origin of religion. There can certainly be a debate as to whether Paleolithic Art indicates belief in some form of religion or whether the art just focuses on subject matters in their everyday life, because of the lack of a tabulated version of morals and ethics, a conceptualized image of God, explanation of the unknown and religious symbols. The primitive mind lacked conceptual thought and therefore was unable to consider theism and the existence of a higher power in the form of God. However, one has to keep in mind that prehistoric religion was very different from modern, organized religion. I believe that Paleolithic Art consisted of images of animals that were venerated by people at that time to maintain the uncertain food supply on which their survival depended, to pay homage to the to the large animals for providing them with food and perhaps also as mystical symbolism that gave hunters good fortune.

The cave of Lascaux further confirms my thoughts of a form of prehistoric religion found in Paleolithic art. There are approximately 600 images of animals in the cave, dominated by horses and followed by about the same number of stags and aurochs, ibex and bison. The depiction of the animals on the cave walls indicates that these animals were revered as their main source of food. Such animals were more frequently hunted for food than other vicious wildlife because of the lower danger in hunting them for subsistence. My theory is also supported by the fact that several paintings are located a mile inside the mouth of the cave, which might lead one to believe that the paintings were a part of ‘ritual’ activities and the cave was a sanctuary, as written on the website of the cave of Lascaux.

Chapter 1 of ‘The Nature of Paleolithic Art’ by Guthrie introduces Breuil’s theory of ‘mystical symbolism’. “Breuil proposed that such art was used as sympathetic magic to give hunters skill and luck” (Page – 8). I largely agree with this theory because images discovered showing large mammals being speared by humans were presumably drawn in superstition for wishing hunters good luck in future hunts. Also, the burial rituals of people at that time indicate a belief in some form of religion. I think both the aforementioned subjects are incredibly well captured by ‘The Scene of the Dead Man’ in Lascaux cave. The portrayal of a human being in the artwork suggests that he was of a great deal of importance because drawings of human figures are relatively scarce in Paleolithic Art.. However, the first thing that crosses my mind is the reason that it is located in the most secluded recess of the Lascaux cave, about 7.5 meters below the level of the floor. I would like to speculate that ‘The Scene of the Dead Man’ was dedicated to a hunter (presumably the leader or someone of high power) who died while hunting a bison and that the reason the artwork is located in such an isolated area of the cave is because the deceased hunter was buried there. Such a burial ritual would then indicate belief in a form of religion. I believe that if a religion did exist among people at that time it is more likely to be based on reality and elements that people noticed in their everyday lives (such as the animals) rather than conceptuality, such as worshipping a higher power in the form of God.

Sources: ‘The Nature of Paleolithic Art’ by R. Dale Guthrie

http://moodle.lawrence.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=10288

'Hmmmm' and Religion: Response to Brad’s Post

2007-03-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

I found Brad Hoh’s post on Neanderthals to be extremely interesting. I have to admit I struggled a bit to find religious connections in Chapter 15 of the Singing Neanderthals too. Neanderthals lack the mental capacity of forming and comprehending metaphors, and this, coupled with their absence of symbolic language raises severe doubts whether they were in fact followers of any religion.

While Neanderthals might have had a larger brain than modern humans, their brain functioned in an entirely different manner. I don’t mean to imply that Neanderthals were unintelligent creatures but their inability to link information and form metaphors can impede the progression of establishing a religion among them. In my previous article, I had mentioned that perhaps the only connection to a possible religion I could find was their burial of the dead and the aiding of injured associates during hunting. Brad’s point about the ‘Hmmmm’ and how it is similar to singing in a Church and in rituals such as Baptism brought another interesting link to religion. Having been a Muslim all my life, my lack of knowledge about Catholic practices might well be forgiven. However, I’m still skeptical about how their singing and dancing could be part of a religious ritual given their lack of mental capacity. I’m not saying that it is entirely implausible, but just speculating because of the lack of evidence to support either side of the argument. While their use of ‘Hmmmm’ as a method of communication for over 200,000 years is truly amazing, I don’t necessarily think there are religious implications attached to it.

Neanderthals

2007-03-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Neanderthals are thought to have evolved 250,000 years ago in Europe and became extinct approximately 30,000 years ago. On historical evidence there are vast differences between Neanderthals and modern human beings, not only in physical structures but also in their primitive ways. The Neanderthals are thought to have survived over 200,000 years without any evidence of language and symbolic thought, while lacking technological advancements and intelligence. This is remarkable simply considering their continued existence through the Ice Age. What I found the most fascinating about Neanderthals are certain aspects of their everyday life, which led to their survival over such a long period. For instance, although they lacked a language, their creative use of the word ‘Hmmmmm’ to express different emotions and sometimes detailed descriptions are nothing short of amazing. They also constructed complex stone artifacts, which is quite extraordinary in itself. Neanderthals also exhibited exceptional hunting skills and a belief in life after death, through their burial ritual.

I believe their greatest traits were displayed in hunting and in the burial of the dead. They demonstrated excellent strategy and organizational skills during hunting, and their burial rituals indicated belief in life after death. While hunting they moved in small groups in order to hunt large game because of their lack of tools. Their only possible weapon might have been a wooden spear, which resembles a javelin more than a spear. There are many juvenile rhinoceros bones in a cave at Krapina in Croatia, which show how the hunters concentrated on very large, dangerous animals. By hunting such big animals, they did not have to compete with other predators and got maximum rewards for their efforts. However, hunting large animals in close proximity with wooden lances consequentially led to traumatic injuries as discovered on their fossil remains. Another great characteristic of Neanderthals were aiding injured associates during hunts and burying the dead in tombs with valuable items. Although there is no evidence of Neanderthals belonging to any religion, these customs and habits might lead one to conclude that their burial ceremonies were carried out in the belief of an afterlife where the deceased can be reunited with their most prized possessions.

Nowadays, in colloquial terms Neanderthal is used as an insult to someone who lacks intelligence, displays brutish strength and perhaps somewhat old-fashioned mentality. GEICO, an American auto insurance company, markets their product on television using Neanderthal cavemen in their commercials. Their slogan is “using geico.com is so easy a caveman could do it." I find such references to Homo neanderthalensis or Neanderthals to be quite offensive because it completely overlooks their achievements over the 200,000 years of survival, not only in terms of social activities but perhaps laying the basis for the evolution of many religions that believe in afterlife.

Sources: Chapter 15 of Singing Neanderthals by Steven Mithen
Wikipedia entry on Neanderthals
http://www.ecotao.com/holism/hu_neand.html

Humans - A Moral Reflection of God

2007-03-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

The thing that captured my attention most while reading the Genesis was when God creates humankind in his ‘image’. I believe this sets the tone for what follows in the Genesis, especially when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It illustrates the mistakes human beings are liable to make when they have freedom, and represents religion as a way to wash away our sins and return to being purely good, as we were at birth.

As Genesis 1 unfolds sequentially with God creating the Earth and Heaven, and other matter such as the sky, the seas, sun, moon, stars, and other beings, God finally creates humankind (1: 26). Humans are considered to be God’s most powerful beings because of their ability to dominate over all other God’s creations. However, when God states that humankind is made in his image, it raises a number of questions. Were human beings created as a physical reflection of God? It certainly is a possibility based on how the word ‘image’ is interpreted, but perhaps not the right one. I interpret ‘image’ in this context as God’s characteristics or attributes, instead of a physical replica. But this raises another important question: are all human beings born with certain attributes of God in them? If so, the in-class discussion that all human beings are born with the same inherent features and that religion is a method to get back to being divine is somewhat of a sound conclusion.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is also something that mystified me. I couldn’t find any other reason for placing the tree of knowledge in the Garden other than purposely setting it there to test Adam and Eve’s obedience and loyalty to God under their free will. This explanation is fairly good considering that it seems to be consistent with the idea that human beings are born as ‘images’ of God and religion is used to return to that same reflection by the end of our life. Every religion has its own unique beliefs and ways. While Islam is dedicated to worshipping God as the Almighty and without any relations, Christianity believes that Jesus Christ was the son of God. Hinduism consists of various idols worshipped as gods and goddesses such as Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha and Krishna to name a few, and also belief in reincarnation. Religion, in the end, whichever one it may be, is a way to get back to being purely good like we were at birth. A friend of mine once referred to the various religions as different airlines flying to the same destination. It is the choices we make in our lifetime under our free will that makes us stray from our originally intended path, and religion may just be a way for redemption.

Source: Genesis 1- 4