Typically, when I think of religion I think of it in the “traditional” sense, where one goes to church every week and engages in traditional aspects of worship. I think many Americans also view religion in the same way, as traditional, institutional religion seems to be the most accepted way to practice. Last week in class we watched a movie about two separate individuals, Glen and Susie, and how they incorporated religion into their lives. Both individuals engaged in the traditional aspect of religion, by attending church as their main form of worship, among other forms. Both individuals were considered to be very religious, and it makes me wonder if they didn’t attend church, and practicied “nonofficial” religion, they would still be considered religious? During the first week of class we learned about our classmates’ religious affiliations, and many described themselves as “distanced” from their parents’ religion, or not religious at all. I’d be interested to know if they described themselves as nonreligious because they simply don’t go to church, or because they don’t believe in the aspects of their respective religion. If they viewed themsleves as nonreligious simply because they don’t engage in official religious practices, I think that would be something very interesting to talk about in class. Those who don’t engage in official religious practices can still be religious, but it seems that American society today sort of stigmatized that concept and delegitimized religion that is not practiced in a traditional setting.
The Paranormal and Occult
Within chapter four of Religion the Social Context, McGuire talked a little of paranormal occurrences throughout the American population. McGuire reported several differing yet popular incidences with these supernatural events throughout the American people, “[a] 1994 Newsweek poll reported 13 percent of Americans have sensed the presence of an angel (Kantrowitz, 1994). Various U.S national surveys have found a sizable proportion of respondents felt they had experienced being really in touch with someone who had died…” (McGuire, 120), McGuire goes on to discuss similar instances with events such as déjà vu and ESP (extrasensory perception). Whilst reading this portion of chapter 4 I had a difficult time creating a sizable connection between these paranormal occurrences and nonofficial religion. Though some of what McGuire talked about (i.e. feeling the presence of an angel) did in fact have a distinct correlation with religion, yet some other quite common incidences such as déjà vu and feeling close to someone who has passed away do not strike me as necessarily religious. I say this because I personally have felt déjà vu several times and by no means attribute it to a religious experience, I think of it as something that is occurring in the brain which is most likely linked to a sort of error within one’s memory. And though I cannot directly speak for others, I have had friends and family members experiences these manifestations and feel no direct link between them and a religious experience. Another question I asked myself throughout this portion of the reading was how many people who experience these incidences explain them through science yet still legitimize the occurrence at hand? I’ll keep on thinking about that.
Spirituality at Standing Rock
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/01/us/standing-rock-sioux-sacred-land-dakota-pipeline/index.html
The recent presidential inauguration has left all news panels flooded with coverage on Trump and speculation on the future. That said, while treading through the mass of Trump-related articles, I came across a familiar topic: the Standing Rock resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). In it I found interesting commentary on both the content of religious experience and the role of the sociologist in producing knowledge.
The activist context is not free of religious expression. In fact, it is central to the work being done at the Standing Rock Reservation. The reports in this article indicate that that spirituality is intimately intertwined with the land. It would seem that for the Standing Rock Lakota, the divine is manifest in the earth itself. Rituals, prayers, and ceremonies have been commonplace throughout the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Individuals like a main interviewee in the article, Spotted Eagle, are pivotal in transferring spiritual knowledge to preceding generations. Just as narratives and imagery are used to preserve communal memory, individuals like Spotted Eagle, as well as shelters that are intentionally designed with symbolic resonance preserve that memory for the Lakota people.
The reservation also harbors a plurality of religious identities as demonstrated by signs like, “Muslims Standing with Standing Rock Sioux”.
The article additionally addresses the role of the university taught researcher. Spotted Eagle states, “Archaeologists come in who are taught from a colonial structure, and they have the audacity to interpret how our people are buried. How would they even know?”. The centrality of spirituality at Standing Rock fortifies resilience in the face of adversity. Another means of resistance as activists is the critique of conventional western knowledge. Indeed, historically, academic researchers like anthropologists studied other cultures to advance imperial agendas.
This article reminds us that the church or temple is not the only space that nurtures community spirituality. Spirituality manifests in sub zero degree weather and across distinct cultures. The article also implores us to, as sociologists of religion for two hours and forty minutes a week, approach this work with thoughtfulness. It also cautions us to realize the limits of our aptitude to explain social reality and to establish social facts.
choosing what to believe
Some people are religious. They go to the church. There people are not religious. They don’t go to church.
Obviously it’s not that simple. I felt that measuring religiosity is difficult as I was reading. As a research of official religions the book states some characteristics of religiosity, but I was more interested in individual religiosity. “the actual religion of the individual member may not correspond very closely to the official model”(104). What individual believe is from from who and what one was taught and what one choose to believe. For example people start to disagree on some moral issues such as birth control and homosexual behavior. Whatever one’s religion says, people should decide what to do. People can be religious without obeying teaching or going church every week.
I think believing religion is already individual decision, so one should decide what to believe according to what one needs and doesn’t need. In my opinion religion is something that people choose to believe in order to make their life easier, to find meaning in their life. But then at same time it sounds weird to me that you can be religious without obeying its own religion. If “religious” people are picking up what they want to believe, am I religious since I do pick up some ideas to believe and not from different religion?(well I don’t consider myself as religious anyway)
Struggle in Trusting Religion
In watching the movie we watched in class, I realized that religion is something that overcomes many people at all ages. To me, I think it’s a common misconception that people in their teen years or twentys that are usually the ones who struggle with religion and how they practice it. The film opened up my eyes that even adults, older in age, are still confused in their religion and still second guess it. Both sides of my family have always been so sure about God’s words, have never doubted him, and have never questioned why certain things happened. I thought that most adults thought this way as well, since that is what I’ve only known.
Something I thought was interesting in Chapter four of “Religion: The Social Context”, was how gender roles come into play with religion. He speaks how religions make it seem like men and women are supposed to have certain roles and carry out certain jobs or tasks. I think this gives people the wrong idea of how to live their life and that might be a reason why people turn away from their religion. Especially in this generation, when they are so many types of people that want to make their own decisions and live the way they want to. These ideas clash with their religion and make it difficult for them. I think Susie, from the movie, struggled with what was “expected” from her and began to feel overwhelmed with her religion.
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.
Why is God a man?
Before reading chapter four of McGuire’s “Religion The Social Context” I was never aware of the segregation influenced on our society because of religion. McGuire discusses several instances of religious inequality between men and woman. Growing Catholic I never understood why it was that woman could not hold any position of power. Now as I think about all the injustices the one question that comes to mind is, how can men decide and speak on behalf of a god who we are told treats everyone equally? Throughout the chapter McGuire goes on explaining that it’s just not the Catholic church that holds different standards but many other religions including Buddhism and Islam. On page 134 she then gives her opinion as to whether or not things will change in the quote “Groups that emphasize orthodoxy to literally interpreted religious traditions are resistant to any kind of change”. If a religion interprets everything in a literal sense than the changes in context between when the text was written and now, is lost and old ways of thinking are going to be implemented on a forward thinking society.
In the documentary we saw both character’s showed some aspect of gender roles established by religion. Susie was forced to be a stay-home mom like many of her church friends and Glenn was a male bible studies teacher. From the outside they both seemed content with their gender roles receiving their communities respect. Susie behind doors heavily questioned her lifestyle and faith.
Reflecting on week two
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first three chapters in Mark Chaves’ American Religion this past week. The Table showing the continuity in American Religion was one of the aspects of the chapter I was most intrigued by, because I find the idea of compiling data about religion so complex. I believe that it is very hard to establish a meaning to certain beliefs. Belief in God, Heaven, Hell, Faith, Prayer, each one of these aspects expresses a different definition and meaning depending upon the person whom is in question. In class you mentioned that a situation occurred, in which a census asked two very similar questions. The phrasing was different and both received about 30% of people saying they believe in it, but those groupings were completely different people who seemed to hold different beliefs. A simple change in phrase can result in a person unfollowing you and thinking that you are crazy. Religion draws lines that are not very neat and crossing over into someone’s line will cause them to quarrel with you.
Chapter four in Religion: The Social Context by McGuire, discussed the roles that woman play in religion. The ideas of the power complexity in allowing women too much power was connected to the idea that their sexuality is something men fear. Certain religions have given woman more leeway in playing bigger roles, because it doesn’t go against their strict traditions. Most of my close family members are part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and I see first hand, the restrictions of what a woman is allowed to do in the church. Women are not allowed in certain meetings and are not allowed to be pastors. The idea of controlling a woman can result in turning so many women off about religion.
Both of these authors have offered new concepts to my way of thinking. It is interesting to understand how different each religious establishment is and it also makes you wonder how similar each organizations are.
Structured Unity
After watching the film on Monday, I began to question the benefits of belonging to a religious community. Some people use religious organizations as a way to find familiarity in new places and others use them to find their new identities. Personally, my biggest obstacle with religion is trying to figure out whether or not I want to attend church and belong to a set community. While I think I would enjoy the support and feeling of togetherness that comes with attending weekly church services, I also like to keep my relationship with God on a personal level. In chapter 3 of “Religion: The Social Context”, McGuire writes that the meaning of being religious, “changes in different periods of life, and the place of religion in the individual’s life also changes” (McGuire 53). This has remained true in my own progressing religious journey. As a child I went to a Catholic church and being religious was just a part of my Wednesday night and Sunday morning routine, but today, I do not have a physical location and my connection with God is more genuine than it has ever been before. I fully support people who need or prefer to to have a structured religion, but I am in the process of trying to figure out what I believe, so I need room to move around and grow. I believe that churches benefit those who seek the unity, but I think they could also hold us back from uniting with the other religions that surround them.
Norms within Religion
When reading chapter four of McGuire’s “Religion: The Social Context”, something that struck me straight away was how ethics and morality tie in with religion. I’m curious about the “ethical and moral norms” that “official religions” have. How are these norms and expectations established? How are they different within different religions?
When thinking about the film that we watched, I found it interesting to see how Glenn and Susie would be treated differently within their respective religious community if they were to go against the ethical and moral norms prescribed to them. If Susie were to wear something “inappropriate” or go against what is the norm for her gender and household role, she would probably be looked down upon by her community members. If Glenn were to go against his own preaching and go against his role in the church, he would not be accepted by his community. The rules and regulations set by “official religions” may seem restricting but it is a way to set boundaries within their community. How do the separate expectations for women and men within the church differ between religious groups, and how does it affect the dynamic in the space? Additionally, the moral norms within the church set different standards for men and women, creating a sort of inequality within the community.
After watching the film, reading the text, and participating in the class discussion, I want to continue exploring norms within religious groups. I find it interesting to see how different communities want their members to behave.