All posts by Karina

Donald Trump Says He Would Prioritize Resettling Christians Over Other Refugees

After signing the executive order to impose “new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States”, Donald Trump said he would prioritize bringing in Christian refugees, over any other refugees. His argument is that Christian refugees have been “horribly treated” and that not enough of them are granted asylum compared to Muslim refugees. Simon Henshaw, of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, said that although Christians made up about 10 percent of Syria’s prewar population, they comprised only about 1 percent of those who have fled, which may explain as to why the percentage of admitted Christian refugees is lower than that of Muslim refugees. Additionally, Christian, Jewish, and other refugee-focused programs have actually condemned efforts to exclude Muslims or to prioritize members of one religion over another.
I was able to connect this article to McGuire’s chapter about Religion, Social Cohesion, and Conflict. McGuire makes the argument that those whose religions fit the dominant society’s “image” of a religious community will gain acceptance more readily than marginalized ethno-religious groups. I believe that is what we’re seeing here in Trump’s executive order. This is also fueled through a sense of nationalism which Trump is also promoting. With nationalism, there always has to be an enemy – in this case being “radical Islamic terrorists”. This also ties in with religious particularism because we are seeing Trump view Christianity refugees as more valuable to resettle into the country. It’s extremely problematic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-christian-refugees-syria_us_588bb872e4b0b065cbbbf26f

“Born Again” in relation to “The Social Context”

I have not had much experience in interacting with people from sectarian faiths because I grew up in a more denominational community. In high school, I learned that people who were fundamentalists and believed in the literal truth of the Bible were unintelligent and stuck in old, traditional values. I always viewed people with conservative ideologies because of their religion as people who were opposed to social change. I now understand because of classes like this religion and sociology class and cultural anthropology classes that there are reasons for certain faiths and religious organizations. Rather than to judge the way these people live, it is more interesting to observe how and why they live and believe in the way they do.

In “Born Again”, the daughter of the pastor describes her Christian school as very close-knit and “everybody knows your business”. In the “Social Context”, McGuire explains that this primary relationship is important part of the sectarian orientation because is supports the believer in the face of real or perceived opposition (183). Similarly, many people often criticize Baptist churches for their belief in creationism rather than evolution. This church criticized public schools that taught evolution. It depicts what McGuire calls “cognitive minority” – a group of people whose worldview differs from that of the dement society. Close-knit relationships provide a structure within which the believers’ distinctive worldview  is plausible, whereas outside the group that worldview is disconfirmed (183).

It is easy to criticize certain religions for having values that might not line up with that of your own. However, as a sociologist it is important to recognize that there are explanations to this and the reasons for people believing in certain things says a lot about society as a whole.

Some of the U.S.’s most important Catholic leaders are condemning Trump’s travel ban

Although Trump won the majority of Catholic votes, he is facing strong opposition from Catholic leaders around the country who are condemning his executive order against refugees. Many Catholic leaders are opposed to Trump’s actions because for many it directly goes against what the Bible teaches about helping those in need and welcoming others rather than turning them away. Many leaders also made statements reminding the public that there was once a time where Catholics faced discrimination and hostility because of their religion. As a result, the Catholic Church has had a long history of helping refugees settle in the United States. Eighty three Catholic dioceses out of 196 in the country are involved in resettling refugees in some way.

Pope Francis has even made a statement in which he says “It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help.” In his book, “American Religion”, Chaves reports that the number of people with a great deal of confidence in religious leaders has declined to under 25 percent. My hope is that more religious leaders in the country as well as globally will begin to speak out more against Trump’s orders because it could unite Catholic conservatives with Catholic liberals. It could give religious leaders more influence in a positive way to create social change.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/01/30/some-of-the-u-s-s-most-important-catholic-leaders-are-condemning-trumps-travel-ban/?utm_term=.58d2561e24cc

Finding my place in religion as a woman

I was raised in a traditional Catholic household and attended Catholic school from 1st grade till my high school graduation. During puberty is when my mother started explaining to me the clear differences between women and men because of religion. She would tell me that the Bible taught that women had to be subordinate to men and that I could not be a sexual being like a man because my worth came from my virginity, and my husband AND God would be disappointed in me if I was not virgin on our honeymoon. These ideas did not coincide well with who I believed to be, because I felt that my sexuality should not determine my relationship with God. I realize now that my mom did not mean to hurt me, but that she was raised on these traditional beliefs.
In “The Social Context”, McGuire speaks about the history as to why women sexuality has been demonized to be seen as something evil. As a result, it does not necessarily make women happy or give them a positive identity. I think that’s why I strived away from religion, because I did not identify with those beliefs. This is when I began to become more of a “spiritual” person. I believe more women would want to be religious again, if these traditional ideals were no longer in place. The idea that women’s sexuality is evil is a historical construct, but it does not mean that it must remain permanent. Getting rid of some traditional beliefs and adapting to modern times could be away for religion to gain popularity from those people who have turned against it.

At the women’s march, the religious left resists Trump

This past Saturday the Women’s March took place in DC, as well as the rest of the 50 states, and several other countries. Not only was it a march for women’s rights, but signs depicted other current issues such as abortion rights, immigrants, native american rights, Black Lives Matter, climate change, and of course in protest of the newly inaugurated President Donald Trump. All these issues drew thousands of people to march, but many also felt compelled to participate because of their faith.

Many religious groups felt frustrated that the only political voices for their faiths have been conservative groups courted by Trump. But most of those who study religion say more left-leaning people of faith, who now have a clear foe in the White House, may be motivated to better organize and become leaders for social change.

It’s important to realize the significance of this march in our modern time. We’ve learned in McGuire’s Official and Nonofficial Religion chapter, that historically, religion has been one of the most significant sources of cultural definitions of gender roles. Thus, official religious institutions have historically reinforced the structural and ideological suppression of women. Additionally, religion has generally excluded the poor, various minorities, indigenous peoples in colonized lands, and other powerless groups. Many of these issues that are being brought up stemmed from religious constructs and are now being resisted by a large number of people, including people of faith. If we continue to organize together, people with religious affiliation and non religious people, we can bring about real change in an era where all hope feels lost.

Religion – a historical construct

What I found particularly interesting in this weeks reading of “The Social Context” was the part of women’s religion and gender roles. In my Anthropology classes as well as in my Gender studies classes we’ve learned that binary gender is a social construct that has occurred through socialization. It slipped my mind that gender roles have been established through religion as well, and McGuire explains this in her chapter about Official and Nonofficial Religion.

Gender as we know is a major factor in social stratification. Official religious institutions have historically exemplified the structural and ideological suppression of women. As a result, it becomes part of the woman’s self-definition. The most frustrating part for me is that culture’s certain use of words imply qualities that some people attribute to women and for which there are no male equivalents. This language in return embodies the different standards of the society for men’s and women’s roles. Additionally, in most historical religions women have had less power than men to establish social definitions of gender roles. McGuire tells us that those who posses religious power in a social group often attempt to control the use of sexual power because they view it as a threat to their power base.

Religion has legitimated gender distinctions in work roles, home responsibilities, child-care responsibilities, etc. It’s important to acknowledge this because in this modern time, thousands of women are fighting for equal pay and equality in general. By recognizing how these gender roles have been placed, we can then dismantle them through the institutions that have created them.

Pope Francis Reaffirms Ban on Women as Priests

While Pope Francis was traveling from Rome from Sweden, he met with Lutheran Archbishop Antje Jackelen of Uppsala, a woman and the primate of the Church of Sweden.

On the plane, a Swedish journalist referenced the archbishop and asked the pope whether women might be able to serve as Catholic priests in coming decades. “On the ordination of women in the Catholic church, the last word is clear,” Francis said, citing Pope John Paul II’s 1994 letter banning women from the priesthood. “It was given by St. John Paul II and this remains.” Francis had made a statement before in 2013 declaring that women could never become priests.

For some traditional Catholics, these statements are likely a relief, yet 6 in 10 American Catholics think the church should allow women to become priests, according to a 2015 Pew Survey. This came to me as no surprise after reading Chaves’ book “American Religion.” In it, he describes that there is a decline of belief in the Bible’s literal truth. He also says that no traditional religious belief or practice has increased in recent decades. The belief that all priests must be men is a very traditional and literal view of Christianity, yet more people now a days believe in the “modern” view that women are capable of being priests.

 

Sociology & Religion

Having grown up with religion as a major part of my early life, I never looked at it from a sociological standpoint until now. Because I had grown distant from religion I wondered what made people so devoted to it.

In McGuire’s Ch. 1 text, she opens with a discussion of San Antonio’s religious landscape. She brings up the question in this chapter about if we are living in an age where religion and organization are become separate. This was interesting to me because religion has a lot to do with the organizational aspect about it – the followers with certain beliefs who perform rituals or prayers to emphasize those beliefs. However, we are coming into an era where more people are striving away from those traditional beliefs and the “organization of religion” and rather becoming more of an individual with a spiritual life. That’s what I felt had happened to me.

Ch. 2 was very fascinating in that it explained “meaning systems” within religion and why religion brings meaning into people’s lives. Meaning refers to the interpretation of situations and events in terms of some broader frame or reference. Most historical religions are comprehensive meaning systems that explains a social group’s worldview. It’s important to keep in mind as well that meaning systems are not simply abstract, but are created and help by people. By understanding how meaning-giving processes work, it makes it easier to understand some of the ways religion links the individual with the larger social group. After reading these chapters, I can understand why religion actually helps keep social order and gives meaning and explanation for many people’s lives.