All posts by Anna

Trump Vows To ‘Destroy’ The Law That Bands Churches From Endorsing Candidates

News Item

Currently, there is a legal separation of Church and State within America. Although religion (Christianity) and American culture are intertwined, there are still laws set in place keeping the United States a secular government. However, recently in the news, Trump wants to repeal one of the amendments made in 1954, which bans organizations (including charities and churches) from engaging in political activity, pertaining to campaigns. Not surprisingly, 60% of Republican believe that churches should be able to express political views, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center Poll. As we learned in class, conservative religion is on the rise in America compared to liberal religion, as many who are more liberal in their ideals tend to identity as “spiritual” or unaffiliated now. The religious right, a conservative Christian organization would benefit greatly from repealing this amendment, advancing anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ agendas. Allowing the conservative religious voice to be heard in elections and campaigns would greatly favor Trump and the republican party.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-johnson-amendment_us_5893984de4b0c1284f24ece4?section=us_religion

Born Again

Reflection, Uncategorized

This was my second time watching the film Born Again. What I enjoyed about this viewing was being able to look at the film from a different perspective as we did in the Visual Ethnography class. With a greater understanding of what “sectarian” means, I was better able to understand the implications of this baptist community and their views on society. I found the congregation’s views on the “outside world” fascinating. The extent in which parents took to shelter their children from society stood out to me, like the use of private schooling. The pastor in the film also stood out to me more this time watching than before, in the sense he was very involved in his congregation’s lives. For myself, I would be very uncomfortable with a pastor that involved in my own life. This makes me wonder if this same phenomenon happens in other fundamentalist congregations around the country. I would also like to note how the ethnographer was able to film such personal and intimate moments of the congregation, like when the man’s brother broke down and eventually became a born again Christian. I would also be interested to see a fundamentalist group in todays time, and their views on the current political scene. While I can imagine that fundamentalist groups support a more conservative side of politics, it would be interesting to see if they agree with all policies platforms of conservative politics. Personally, I have not been exposed to the personal lives of a fundamentalist congregation, and this film was very eye-opening to a life much different than my own.

Trump ban: ‘Everyone matters to God,’ religious groups say

News Item

One of the hot topics in news recently has been Donald Trumps travel ban from seven countries within the Middle East. Whether this ban is targeting Muslims or not is up for debate, but there has been a serious outcry from many secular and religious organizations protesting this ban. This article has two polarizing opinions; one being that Christian religious organizations do not want to accept Muslim refugees from Syria, as they find them a threat to Western society. The second opinion being that other Christian organizations are opening their doors the Muslim, Christian and other minority religious refugees within Syria and surrounding areas . Often, the Christian organizations that are refusing to accept Muslim, Syrian refugees are denouncing Islam all together. This article made me think of McGuire’s typology of religion. For example, the Christian faiths that tend to be more conservative would have “tension with society” and only see “one way” of religion. While this may be an exaggeration, as there may be other instances where these groups consider themselves “responsible for society”, in this case they are not taking responsibility for all people involved. On the other hand, the Christian organizations that are welcoming all refugees regardless of faith would be seen in the “responsible for society” category and “many ways” of religion. A phenomenon like this is also seen in chapter seven of Chavez, when he mentions the main “fault line that runs between religion is the divide between liberals and conservatives” (Chavez 82). Although both of the opposing sides in this debate are Christian, it is interesting to see the various political and humanitarian views that preside in one religion.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38819813

Unofficial vs. Official Religion

Uncategorized

I thought that this topic of official and unofficial religion was quite interesting. I had never thought of something like a home alter, or alter on a freeway in honor of someone passing as “unofficial religion”. It’s interesting that these two ideas can coexist, meaning someone can go to church one day, but also have an alter in their home. These two entities can also be separate,  as someone can just prescribe to official or unofficial religion. As McGuire says in Chapter 4, “…asking a respondent’s ‘religious affiliation’ may tell a researcher little or nothing about members’ actual religious beliefs, practices, commitments, or experiences” (McGuire, 103). McGuire also mentions that researching official religion is easier than researching unofficial religion. I wonder what are effective ways of researching unofficial religion? Is it possible to get substantial and meaningful data, especially because with unofficial religion, respondent have their own definition of terms. I think it is interesting though, as mentioned in class, that “popular” religion was seen as superstition in medieval Europe and was considered illegal. The change from official religion to unofficial religion in the West and Europe is interesting to study, and also to see how cultural influences changed the religious landscape of a given place an time period.

How Martin Luther has shaped Germany for half a millennium

Uncategorized

This article, written in January of 2017, says that the 500th anniversary of  Luther’s 95 Theses is this year. I thought this article was timely because of our class discussion on Luther and the beginning of the Protestant reformation. This historic year is recognized in Germany, as the Protestant reformation has shaped modern German culture. While Germany is primarily a secular country, Luther’s influence today can be seen in the aesthetics of Germany, love for books,  language, and frugalness with money. For instance, only 30% of Germany is either Protestant or Catholic, while in America about 70% of the population is Christian. Something interesting to note is that the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, is considered Lutheran as well. However, Luther had some negative attributes as well like his anti-semitic views. It is even said that Luther blamed Jews for the illness that eventually killed him. While Germany does not identify as just a Christian country anymore, it has drastically changed since the Protestant reformation, as the increase of the Muslim population has created a new religious pluralism.

http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21713843-500th-anniversary-95-theses-finds-country-moralistic-ever-how-martin-luther-has?zid=315&ah=ee087c5cc3198fc82970cd65083f5281

Nonofficial vs. Official Religion

Reflection

McGuire’s chapter 4 brings up the differences between nonofficial religion and official religion. As some one who has identified with both of these categories at one point or another in my life, it is interesting to see the actual breakdown of each of the categories. For instance, the chapter discusses “religious syncretism” where there is a “blending of diverse cultural elements into one religion” (McGuire 113). Religion is just another aspect of one’s own culture. However, in today’s America, I feel that religion is becoming more and more separated from people’s everyday lives. For many, church is what you do on Sunday, and that’s it. But for so many cultures around the world, “religion” is intertwined with their way of life. From Hinduism in the Indian culture, to Buddhism in China, and Islam in the middle east, religion is part of the culture and everyday life. While America is one of the “most religious countries”, culturally I would have to disagree.

However, one aspect from the last class (1/18) that I found particularly interesting was the map comparison of the “importance of religion” in states versus the electoral college map after this current election. The two maps show an evident correlation between being non or less religious and voting for Clinton, and more religious voting for Trump. For me, this map shows me that there are religious values in America that also align with politically conservative views as well, showing that religion does play a part in who one may vote, or not vote for in an election in America.

The religious landscape in America is difficult to completely understand, as nonofficial religion is on the rise. As McGuire points out, nonofficial religion is difficult to track and categorize as it does not follow a formal institution and is constantly changing and evolving.

Blaming Policy, Not Islam, For Belgium’s Radicalized Youth

News Item

The article, Blaming Policy, Not Islam, For Belgium’s Radicalized Youth by Steven Erlanger was  published by the New York Times in April of 2016. Much of news today consists of blaming “radicalized Islam” for the terrorist attacks around the world. However, this article gives a refreshing view, stating that it is the social and urban policies that are affecting a radicalized population of youth, and not Islam. Erlanger attributes the “radicalization” to  lack of diversity in the ghettos where immigrant populations are resettled in, in Belgium. The immigrant Muslim population has replaced the Jewish population in these ghettos, and it is effecting the diversity, education, and exposure to different cultures that Muslim immigrant youth need in order to thrive. Mr. Goldstein, the chief of staff for the minister-president of the Brussels Capital Region ends the article with the quote, “our society gives these youth a bad idea of who and what they are”. Instead of blaming Islamic ideology for “radicalized youth”, poor urban structures and planning need to be changed to create an equal opportunity to the Islamic youth of Belgium.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/world/europe/belgium-brussels-islam-radicalization.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0

Religion versus Spirituality

Reflection, Uncategorized

Growing up, my brother has always been a strong atheist. We would often get into arguments surrounding the survival and importance of religion in a technologically changing world. He was convinced that religion was doomed to disappear within the next hundred years or so. However, listening to the discussion in class and through McGuire’s reading, I have come to see that religion as an institution may be dwindling, but spirituality is on the rise. Many students in our class identified with the fact that they grew up with institutionalized religion, then drifted to a more personal and spiritual practice. As McGuire points out in the first two chapters of her book, religion is inherent in human nature and practice. People need religion is explain the unexplainable and give them meaning and reason in an often complex world. Religion is also a tool for socialization, which groups use to develop a standard for culture, rules, and beliefs. While for some religion may seem outdated, it is going through a transition of evolving to a new generation of people.