Identifying yourself

So, I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has been looking for who they are. I grew up with many identities and religion was not one of them.

People have created "religion tests" and tried to help people, like me, identify ourselves. I don't think they work because I took one of the tests and questions they asked strictly stuck to Christian doctrine...maybe I'm mistaken but I don't think that's fair. My result was Reformed Judaism. I don't have anything against their beliefs but I definitely do not identify myself as 'Reformed Judaism.'

Why is there all this discussion to identify yourself using religion? I know it plays a role in people's lives but it also doesn't play a role in others. You can live a perfectly normal life and not believe in a god or some divine being. There are athiests out there who don't believe. It's very critical to people to try and find something that they follow. And even if we did know, why should we tell others? I feel like it's very personal and if people want it could be very private. It just doesn't make sense on why people must find the need to identify you.

Baha'u'llah

There are many things that go into defining a religion. One of the biggest factors is having a belief. Yea, there could be many symbols that help you identify what you follow but the symbols are meaningless unless you have something that you believe in. The Baha'i were criticized and shunned upon because their culture was something that was different and hard to identify with but the reason why, I feel, that they are able to be recognized as a religion now is because they stuck with their belief and were able to express it in a way that stayed true to their personal beliefs.

Unity, I think is a big factor as well. There are many things that happen to new cultures just because they are different but because of their ability to believe in something uniform they are able to express their message a little bit more. There is a part in the book that says something about how they Baha'i stuck together, they suffered together and accepted their punishment. I know that makes a big statement to me and allows me to see the Baha'i as more than just 'some thing that people believe.'

Commercializing Religion

As I was doing some research for my final project, I came across this video that reminded me of a discussion we had in class. I'm not sure who it was that brought up something like, "Commercializing religion to relate to a broader audience." But if you watch this video it is very prominent in it. There's the advertisements, the "infomercial" kind of feel to it. If you listen to what this guy is saying, he is actually trying to talk about defining religion and it's all hidden beneath all of the commercial aspect of it all.

Boboshanti

I definitely had a different vibe from the video. I think that the Rastafari are portrayed as this group that listens to reggae and smoke ganja in their free time. But after watching the video I felt that it was definitely a legitimate group because they had rituals they had others who were interested or not interested in their group.

There were some confirmations made by the video for example: the dreadlock and the turbin. It kind of intertwined the Rastafari culture but it seemed to trace back to the Ethiopian culture as well. Another thing I remember reading about was the communities of Rastafari who live close to each other to express their beliefs in a welcoming community and if you look closely in the video you can see the houses near other houses and they talk about people who cooperate with each other. One thing about the housing that I found particularly interesting was the color of the house, red, green and yellow/gold. It helped to express their beliefs.

This video was very informational to me because it told me that there are expectations that arise but in reality it isn't that different from things that we are already familiar with. I think that the Rastafari may have been viewed in the "commercial" light that makes it more appealing to others who have been exposed to it.

Rastafari...

Alright, so what is Rastafari and why do so many people find it interesting? I think one of the biggest influences is that they know Bob Marley had a huge role in spreading word around this. I'm not trying to question the belief itself but I'm trying to point out the role that 'celebrities' have in religion. It may not seem like much but really. Think about it.

What about Madonna and her whole Kabbalah deal? I mean when people saw her expressing her religion by wearing the red bracelet then everyone started to do it. They didn't quite understand why at first but then they followed. Now more and more celebrities are doing so and it's very eerie to me.

Another example is Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and their scientology belief. I don't particularly know the detail so their belief but I know there was controversy about whether or not it was legitimate at first. But regardless, they follow it. And others and followed in their footsteps because they are this high profile couple who seem to know what they are doing.

My point that I'm trying to make is simply that all of these religions that no one really understands is something that is blown out of proportion because of all the celebrities. And I don't think it's quite fair to the religion itself, but, I suppose that's how it has to work.

Kebra Negast

I didn't know much about Ethiopia before class on Monday and after listening and learning about some of it I was really surprised to know that there were really that many people who had different beliefs. I was especially surprised to know that Ethiopia has a prominant Christian background. Reading about King Soloman and Queen of Sheba really emphasized that to me.

The story allows the people of Ethiopia to really connect with "the God of Israel" and the God that King Soloman followed. To me it helps Ethiopians to really connect with their past. And because the Queen of Sheba had Soloman's son it also feels like there is that familial bond that allows people to connect in another way besides spiritually.

This story also reminds me of a lot of contempory stories where a child finds out who his or her real father is and goes to claim that title. The title that says, "I-am-part-of-you-so-you-must-accept-me." And to me, it's not just one child claiming that now, it's a lot of Ethiopians who feel that way. I'm not trying to say that its a bad thing but its another way to look at it...

Conceptual Blending and Analogy

I think the idea of using metaphors to interprete religious texts is very helpful.

We have talked in class about how it is easier to understand a text by relating it to your own life and I think that that is conceptual blending. You are thinking about two different situations or events and finding the similar qualities. You know in your mind that it isn't the same but somehow you are able to think they are just for the benefit of understanding. Or, when we try to interprete the historical context in the reading and even though we weren't there to understand what it is that was going on we are at least able to make an eduational guess by taking into account all of the different circumstances and why people acted the way they did.

The study of religion is very interesting because you learn about different cultures and religions while you are trying to grasp other ideas at the same time. When you learn about something different if you don't understand it at first its easier if you can relate it to something that you do understand. It makes studying easier and able to listen and grasp concepts easier.

I think that this kind of thinking is thinking IN and OUT of the box because, you fully engage yourself in someone's beliefs by listening and trying to understand but at the same time you are out of the box because you relate what you listen and learn to something completely different.

I was really happy with the discussion we had in class today about different ways of interpreting a religious text. Throughout time there has definitely been different medians to express the different interpretations. Think about it: photos, words, videos, music, story-telling. All of the different ways to express the different interpretations is something that makes religion interesting to learn about. Although I don't agree with certain religious views, I can definitely appreciate the expressed interpretations.

I found this video by a group of students who had to make a video based on a song and it was really nice because they used music, photos, and well a video site to express their interpretation of the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tyofGCVbho

Check it out, it's not bad.