Title: Understanding the Truth Behind Americans “Hiding the Bad”
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the fact that there are groups of people that believe that we as Americans hide the bad to protect people.
Correlation: As a matter of fact, when you are younger from the ages of 10 to 13, your teachers as well as families generally try to protect our children from the travesties of society. Such as in class we have talked about how the eventual eviction of the Native Americans by the Pilgrims, was a much more violent episode than what is portrayed to our eyes till U.S History and such in high school. I recall dressing up as an Indian to give a speech in 2nd grade knowing nothing of slaughtering Indians, but what does teaching an extremely young child do to help them in life. Advance violence? The world we live in is not always the prettiest thing to encounter when you really take a magnifying glass and look at the hundreds of awful things to occur. Teaching young people that things are better than they are is in hope that in their future they will see the good in people, things, and life and try to change the world in a better way.
It is true that we as Americans tend to try to show the “good” in regard to these conditions, but over the past years media coverage tends to only show the negative, i.e. the bashing of George Bush, only saying the wrongs our military has done. For example, Hollywood hates anyone who is conservative, or leaning to right, such as last week the press gave more attention to Madonna trying to adopt a new foreign baby than Denzel Washington visited injured troops, and CUT A CHECK to buy them a new HOSPITAL, but because he helps the Military he gets no public media. In the end, it is unacceptable to say that we hide all the “bad” in America to protect ourselves.
Correlation: Typology is defined as the interpretation of Old Testament events, persons, and ceremonies as signs which prefigured Christ's fulfillment and new covenant with the apostolic church. Or simply, God showing spiritual things through natural events or things. Some people claim that Hurricane Katrina was God punishing New Orleans for all the homosexual people in that city. These people apply typology to natural events like these, not science. Instead of looking at a logical weather pattern as an explanation, they believe Hurricane Katrina was God punishing the city of New Orleans. Does this mean every single natural disaster in history is God punishing people, cities, or countries for sins? Do these same people apply typology to the tsunami that occurred in 2004? Was God punishing the 150,000+ people who were killed by it and the millions left homeless in 11 different countries for something? Or can it be explained as the earthquake was the result of the sliding of the portion of the Earth's crust known as the India plate under the section called the Burma plate. The process has been going on for millennia, one plate pushing against the other until something has to give, according to nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic also states that it was the largest magnitude earthquake in 40 years. Does typology also explain the tornado that took lives and damaged the town of Enterprise? Sometimes unfortunate events occur because of weather patterns or horrible earthquakes, not necessarily God punishing people for something.
Basic Passage: “Let he without sin cast the first stone” John 8:7
Correlation: In class the other day we started talking about how this lady in Pakistan got whipped for sleeping with a married man. The punishers whipped her in the middle of a street and it was videotaped. As most people would say, sleeping with a married individual is wrong, but is it up to other people who sin to punish this woman. Every single person in this world is a sinner. Some people murder, do drugs, are obese, alcohols, or say the Lord’s name in vain. It is known that no one is perfect, so if everyone went around punishing everyone this world would be in mad chaos all the time. For all the people who believe in Christianity, they should know that God says it’s wrong to judge and that he is the one who will have the final say at whom did what wrong and who is going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not fair to let certain people be the punishers and others not. It is one thing is someone is going around murdering people or doing something that can harm our society, but other than that the women who slept with the married man will ultimately have to answer to God one day herself. All people make mistakes and if it is not harming anyone else then other people should just worry about their own issues and bettering themselves. It is hard to say what is right and wrong, but if we all lived by the bible and took the words that Jesus told us to live by then most of the issues would never be in action. So who is really the right one and who is the wrong one?
The monthly sickness is back again, time for the doghouse.
Basic Passage: Sarah Vowell wrote about how the Native American women were literally isolated during their “monthly sickness.”
Correlation: On a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, I had learned about this menstruation hut. When these women were on their cycle they were by themselves in a small hut for almost a week with no contact with anyone, father, husband, children, no one. They make it sound as if these women were diseased. I’m sure they were mad at the world while it was going on. Sounds to me almost like a dog being kept outside in the cold. Might as well give them their own pregnant hut. Their singled out for something that cannot be controlled. Good thing this does not happen today. There would most likely be a revolution. Women today are not as easily separated. We went from being in a hut for a week every month to women’s rights in a few hundred years to becoming very individualized. Although, there are some women who do take their freedom too far. There are those women that will tell someone that a man sexual harassed her because he said that she was attractive. What bullshit. It’s those women that seem to always have their monthly sickness. They need to get over themselves because they are not singled out without communication every month. if we lived with the native American women, we would have a difficult time. I’m sure no man would want to be near a women for a long time because we would seem to always be mad at the world and we would want to rip their heads off. Of course, this is only hypothetically speaking we could travel back in time. Good thing we can’t.
B. In class we talked about religious missionaries and their endless attempts to get others to conform the their beliefs.
C. Throughout history many groups of people had to conform to new ideas and customs. Many of the new conformities come in the method of religion. Evidence of this can be shown in the case of the Native Americans in early America. For example, many of the Indians where forced to abide by the practices of the christian church. They were told to forget their own religion practices and beliefs and made to conform to a new set of guidelines set before them. In most of the conformities that have played out over the years, fear was the driving factor that the missionaries used to help comfort their new recruits. Rather it be fear of prosecution from others or the fear of going to “hell”, it was widely used to help smooth over the difficult task. Sarah Vowell refers to this in her book, as a “rape of the soul”. This is a good description of what it would feel like if someone made you conform to something in which you have no say in. Why was this even allowed in America? Where there not laws protecting every ones freedom to believe what they wanted to believe in? Why is this still happening today? Even today there are still groups desperately trying to convey their religious beliefs on other people. From billboards to brochures filled with ones own personal beliefs are now ending up in public places and seen by everyone. Some people even go door to door to talk to people about why you should join their religion and how their religion is better then their own. Is this not crossing the line in ones own right to freedom of religion?
Basic Passage: In class we discussed how a woman in Pakistan was beaten in public for having sexual relations with a married man which is breaking one of the commandments. Should public disdain for those breaking the 10 Commandments be reprimanded by others?
Correlate: First of all, it outrages me that a woman having an affair with a married man was publicly scorned, but the husband was not? Of course it is the Middle East and policies, treatment of woman, and a sense of morality are not present there. If we are to allow people to judge others for breaking the 10 Commandments established by God and passed on to Moses, then we should treat everyone the absolute same. So if the woman was publicly flogged, the man should be, too. Furthermore, we may not know all the details. He could have lied to her and said he was not married. Either way, the bottom line is it is not up to the human race to decide who deserves eternal damnation. It’s for God to decide.
Of course breaking the law is another story. If I robbed a bank or killed someone, I would be thrown in jail. However, whether or not the person repents is between God and that person. That is why I’m against the death penalty. For the person committing the crime, it is a one-way ticket out. It also puts “control” into human hands. We shouldn’t have a say on when human life ends. Killing a convict merely destroys a human soul. Sure, they burn in hell, but sitting in a jail cell for the rest of his life without parole allows them the chance to come back to God. Say, for instance, the man who threw his children over the Dauphin Island Bay Bridge. Indeed it was a horrible murder of four innocent children, but killing him will not prevent anything or teach him anything. Giving him the chance to repent is done by allowing him to think about what he did for the rest of his life. How could one live with himself? Obviously he wants to die because he doesn’t want to live with himself. While humans will always judge other humans, damnation and public scorn cannot be implemented because others believe so. After all, no one is perfect. As the New Testament passage says, “First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Jennifer Gray Title: Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Witness?
Basic Passage: In class we discussed whether or not witnessing should be more of a 1 on 1 experience rather than witnessing to mass groups of people at one time like the Billy Graham revivals for example.
Correlation: The Indians were innocent, so to say, when it come to sin. They knew nothing of things such as rape. They had to be educated in sin in order to be “saved” from their sins. To Williams, imposing Christianity on them was more like a rape of their souls. They were told that they could no longer paint their faces and that they must cut their hair because it was a sin to have long hair. Williams believed that witnessing should be more of a one on one moment and that there should be no more mass conversions. Today we have both one on one witnessing and mass conversions. There are those who go door to door witnessing to others about God and we also have evangelists like Billy Graham and his son who witness or preach to very large crowds and televise it also. If these people do not want to hear about God they should just simply not open the door, do not attend the revivals, and not watch it on television. I do not believe that mass witnessing is wrong. There are those people in the large crowds who are there for a reason and truly do come to accept Christ as their personal Savior. They may not have otherwise taken the step had it not been for the revival in their town. Some Christians are afraid to approach people on a one on one basis to witness. The girl in the park wearing the shirt with vulgarity on it was merely a test of Christian faith.
Title: Typology: Acts of God or Acts of Satan; or human reasoning?
Basic Passage: In class we talked about typology, about how when bad things happen people tend to blame it on God, saying that God was angry at you.
Correlation: Many people believe that disasters are "Acts of God" from birth defects or loss of babies, handicaps, disabilities, and violent deaths, to wars, hurricanes, floods, droughts, plagues and diseases of all sorts. In “Wordy Shipmates” an Indian man’s child dies and he hollers up to God asking whether or not He is mad at him or not. In a more modern perspective, people blame Hurricane Katrina on the sin of New Orleans. People say God was unhappy with how people were living in New Orleans, such as the homosexuals and drug and alcohol abuse. Well I’m a Christian and I know others who believe that God is All Powerful, Knowing, etc. Well don’t you think if God wanted New Orleans destroyed by Katrina he would have made it happen?
Suffering and death are natural results of sin and, therefore, are no more God's will than is sin. Instead of stating they are "acts of God," it would be better to say they are “acts of Satan”. “Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas, refused to sign a bill referring to tornados as 'acts of God'. I wonder had he been thinking about Job 1:19 which attributes a tragically destructive 'great wind' to the 'power' (v. 12) which God allowed Satan to exercise? Would the legislature change the wording to 'acts of Satan?' Some Evangelicals oppose his refusal. They think it is better to attribute good and bad things to God". So, are these natural disasters acts of God or Satan, or do God and Satan agree on disasters of time, place and extent? Or are this reasoning’s just stupid human theories?
Correlation: The Original Sin theory is based on the Christian belief that every person on earth is born with sin. This week in class we have talked about different topics but this one caught my interest. I have always wondered if God died for our sins why is it that we are still considered as having them? Most Christians have been taught that in order to go to heaven we must ask God for the forgiveness of our sins and if we do not we will go to Hell. The definition of Original sin is, according to a doctrine proposed in Christian theology, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. My opinion of that definition is that we have sins cast upon us because of what man has done defining that as what we have done in our life that has caused us to be disobedient to God. That is where the Ten Commandments come into play; they act as a set of laws. If we did not have those set of laws to help guide us from what God says is right or wrong we would then be sinners. The whole conception of everybody being born with sins is kind of pushing the whole fact that God died for our sins. I think people have stretched the whole going to Heaven of Hell idea, yes I very much understand that if one does not follow the Ten Commandments, God’s set of rules he has laid out for us then there will be consequences and we will have to answer to him, but the thing that confuses me the most is that one of the Ten commandments state “Thou shall not kill”. A person who goes to prison and is given the death penalty is set for death. The person or people who are willing and has taken that person’s life whether it was by lethal injection or electric chair has killed someone, so where in the bible or in the Christian belief says that they will automatically go to heaven if while they are about to kill a person for whatever crime they were accused of committing gets down on their knees and ask God for forgiveness for what they are about to do and who says that they can judge people and punish them if God is the absolute and final judge? I think the whole Christian belief has strayed away from actuality and what the bible really says. In my opinion no one really knows what the original words of God were because the bible has been rewritten so many times by man and by other religions. In the end God can only judge.
Passage: “interpret their own luck as messages from their deities.” -Vowell
Correlation: In Greek mythology or any polytheistic society, it seems logical that these ancient people would believe that lightning strikes during a bad storm could be sent from the heavens by an angry god. Of course, they didn’t understand the concept of electrical charge build up discharging to the ground while producing a deafening clap of thunder as the air expands from the intense heat (or something like that). The point is that they didn’t have modern science to “explain” why things happen the way they do, so they try to justify the phenomenon in some other way... The Gods. I suppose at a very basic level, we still do this. Outside of the physical world, where there is no scientific explanation, God has (or is) the answer. When we wonder where we came from- Mom and Dad- they from theirs- back to Adam and Eve, or monkeys, depending on you point of view. But eventually, we trace our existence to something unexplainable... Genisis; Big Bang- what about before that? Well, most seem to be content with God as the answer. I think it is essentially human nature to believe we came from something even if not totally explainable (God spot theory!). How else would you get billions of people to believe in something that is, by definition, imaginary. I suppose this is where typology comes in. If something physically happens as a “sign” form God, then I guess this could be the link between the physical world to the spiritual. Taking bible stories literally falls into typology. When a big flood wiped out everything and Noah had to build the arc, so on and so forth, may or may not have happened. But my theory is this: Consider an event like New Orleans getting flushed by Katrina- actually the negligence and instability of man made canal walls/levies. Anyway, if something like this happened a couple thousand years ago, I think the stories would be passed through the ages like Noah and the flood. First the area of NO might be the space someone might travel in a lifetime so that is their whole world. Next most are illiterate so stories are passed verbally- and probably embellished. Finally, without scientific satellite imagery to show a hurricane slamming the coast, they might justify the event as God being angry and someone there, even if not themselves, deserved the punishment.
Basic Passage: Freedom of religon is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching practice, worship and observance.
Correlation: There are different types of religions that are being acknowledged all over the world. Some religions have strict moral rules that one must abide by (whether it’s dressing a certain way, not eating certain kinds of food, or not celebrating holidays) even though we may not agree with the beliefs of that religion. For example, look at the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They express their religious beliefs by going door to door hoping that people will listen to what they have to say. Some people consider them to be a cult because they’re always trying to get others to share their religious beliefs but are not willing share others religious beliefs. We sometimes tend to say that one religion is better than the other(s) when it’s not. We are all serving the same God; it’s just that others choose to serve God in a different way. We sometimes can’t help who or what we are when it comes to our religion and its beliefs. You are either a part of that religion or you’re not. We all take great pride in our religion and its beliefs. When asking someone what religion they are, (whether it’s Catholic, Muslim or Jewish) we sometimes tend to frown as to why that person would be or want to be part of that particular religion. Sometimes it’s either because of their parents and how they were raise or because one decides to convert from their religion to another. Even though we may not agree with the beliefs of that religion, the fact remains that we must respect that religion no matter what.
Passage: In class we discussed Williams experience with the indians, and the way of life the indians lived.
Correlation: When Reverend Roger Williams was excommunicated from the colony, he led his way to the indian colonies for a new life. All of the things Williams and the other colonists knew about the indians were not welcoming. They believed they could not trust the indians, they were ruthless, and they were savages. But the experience Williams had was on the contrary. Williams found himself completely surprised by how civil the indians were. They were very inviting and showed great hospitality. It seemed like their doors were always open. They would offer him services such as cooking him meals or giving him their bed when he needed a place to sleep. It baffles me the amount of hospitality that was shown to Williams. The indians didn't have any reason to show kindness to the reverend or to any other colonist for that matter. The indians were showing companionship to a group of people that were attempting to take their land, take all their resources, and trying to teach them a foreign religion (indians didn't know the meaning of the word at the time). All the indians knew were simple. Williams explained how the indians were not exposed to things like theft, rape, or murder. Their way of life did not include the same sinful, horrible actions that were included in colonial life. Their way of life was being threatened by these colonists and the message they brought. Yet the indians still showed compassion. Of course, if the indians knew the repercussions of the colonists future actions, it is my belief that this hospitality would not have been shown. They would have attacked the colonists indefinitely to preserve their way of life. But the hospitality was there. The indians took in a man who was cast out by a ruthless, threatening group of colonists for his beliefs and values. Sounds like Williams fit right in.
Basic Passage: In class discussion on Typology, and whether unfortunate situations are signs from God.
Correlation: Typology is a theological doctrine of theory of types and their antitypes found in Scripture. What is referred to as medieval allegory actually began in the Early Church as a method for synthesizing the seeming discontinuities between the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Christian Bible (New Testament). While both testaments were studied and seen as equally inspired by God, the Old Testament contained discontinuities for Christians, for example, the Jewish kosher laws. The Old Testament was therefore seen in places not as a literal account, but as an allegory, or foreshadowing, of the events of the New Testament, in particular how the events of the Old Testament related to the events of Christ's life. The events of the Old Testament were seen as part of the story, a prefiguration, with the events of Christ's life. The technical name for seeing the New Testament in the Old Testament is called Typology. The doctrine is stated most succinctly by Paul in Colossians 2:16-17 - "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
The Old Testament does some foreshadowing like in Isaiah chapter 7 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” The Bible obviously foreshadows events that did occur on a later date. But to say natural disasters or unlucky happenings is a sign from God is a bit ludicrous. I believe God or the Creator has a part in everything that happens, and what will happen. But there are billions of charged particles not only on earth but in our atmosphere and galaxy. Natural disasters are caused by certain circumstances in a particular region. Example, in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas there are a lot of tornadoes. Not because God is trying to teach those people a lesson, its caused by cold air coming down from the north, and warm moist air coming from the south. And we all know cold and hot air don’t sit well with each other
Basic Passage: In class we talked about native american women and how they were treated during their time of personal issues. Is there a reason why this was done to them, or was this just a way of letting them have a time of their own because they were to shy about what was happening to them.
Correlation: The native american women had it very hard during their time of menstruation. For one thing they were isolated, and they had their own monthly sickness. They had to be quarantined, which was not normal at all, because that would cause all sorts of problems. What if they had a child they had to look after or knowing a women they would probably go insane for being alone for so many days. What made it even worse to is how their husband or son could not even come near them, its like they thought they had a disease or something. They also made it irreligious to, whatever that means, I mean what these people did to native american women was not ethical and normal at all. Do you see this happening now in the world, no because everything is normal now and that is the way it should be. Also, what made it even worse for the woman is not only did they have to endure to pleasure of being quarantined of menstruation, they also had to work after that. Whether it be picking corn or childbirth. The native american women went through so much turmoil and pain that having a baby probably would not bother them.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the American Dream and what it means to us as Americans. We also tried to define it as our founding fathers help shape what it is today.
Correlation: People see the American Dream as a land where life should be better and full with prosperity for everyone, with the ability and opportunity for achievement. It also offers an opportunity for immigrants to prosper and exercise freedom of speech which is prohibited in most of their countries. There is a sense of hope with the future when talking about The American Dream. It gives children that are growing up today a chance to achieve things such as getting a good education that wasn’t really granted in the past. America also is a place where your class, ethnic group, or race doesn’t matter. The Dream, said by President Barack Obama in several of his campaign speeches, is a promise. The dream promises use as Americans a key to do whatever we want and to live free as Americans. Our founding fathers helped shape what we know of today as the American Dream. There are a lot of people that would be proud to say that they are Americans. I’m very proud to be an American. It gives me a sense of hope that I can have and be whatever I want in life. The National Anthem is sung before baseball games to show pride and patriotism to our country. It also shows much respect to the country. I always wondered as a kid why we said the pledge of allegiance before school, but as I got older I realized that it was to show and express our loyalty as Americans.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the example of the snake and the mouse and how many during the puritans time, interpret certain events as a punishment sent from god, which is also known as typology.
Correlation: The word typology basically means that bad events that occur in our world are due to the wrath of God. Although many refers these theology to the Christian doctrines such as the bible and the old testaments but typology also exist in many other faith as well. As a Muslim American I have heard my parents and others in my family referring certain bad events with the Quran and applying typology without thinking about the scientific explanation of the events. People in the western world do not apply typology as much as they used to but in many parts of the world, such as the Middle East, typology is quite common. For example, right after September elevens terrorists attacks, many were celebrating and were saying that God (ALLAH) has answered their prayers and punished the Great Satan (USA) because of their misdeeds. Then right after the hurricane Katrina, I remember watching CNN and there Osama bin Laden was praising god for cursing USA. It is quite funny how almost everything that can be explained by logic some people somewhere defines it as a curse from god. In reality, it is true that hurricane Katrina was in fact one of the deadliest and costliest natural disaster in American history but it is greatly due to increase global warming. Many scientists even predicted that it will happen in the future, and as for the terrorist attacks it was simply due to lack of effective security in America.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the Ten Commandments. The first commandment is so often looked over or not token into consideration when we praise material things that we have.
Correlation: The first commandment states that “thou shalt have none other gods before me. In modern day you see so many people worshiping their “earthly goods” then they do the God they proclaim to serve. I can often ride down the street going to church on Sunday’s seeing people washing their cars all day and worrying more about what they have on earth than God. I believe that God gives you the opportunity to have these things, but you shouldn’t worship these things, because they easily are taking away. You often see where high ranking officials or managers are put on a pedestal were the ones that are under them are forced to look up at them as if they are god. Like in the military you see were Admiral and Generals are looked at as if they are their gods and they have to serve them. I see it as if many of them are just brain- washed to think they out rank them, but in God’s eyes they are equal. These ranks and blind perception make me wonder if those that follow their orders and look up to them are considered to be serving another god. You often see where they put work, school, or personal pleasure before God. If they are putting these things before God then they are serving them instead of God.
Discussing separation of religion and state brought up religion in today’s society. When comparing religious and moral values of today’s society with those of the puritans it is not difficult to see that there are incredible differences. Church attendance is down, teen pregnancy is up, crime is up, morals and values have plummeted and everyone wants to know how these issues are related. Religion instills morals and values that everyday non-church goers do not always have. That means extra boundaries to help motivate people to do what’s right. Attending church is more than worshiping a higher power. It’s about community, caring, and keeping the peace. It’s additionally a positive activity that keeps individuals out of trouble. This is coming from someone who does not attend church. I do not believe that EVERYONE who doesn’t attend church is bad. I just feel that people who attend church are potentially better off than the average person who chooses not to participate in organized religion. Does it make me a bad person to think that? No. Only an individual who is well rounded can look at something and see it for what it is, what it has been, what it can be, and accept it whether it affects them directly or not. Bringing up the idea that people who do not practice morals, values and ethics of organized religion may be negatively affecting our society offended some people. Is it because they are afraid they are or may become a value in that statistic? Because if you know you aren’t counted in the statistic, then it’s easier to accept the idea but if you fear that you may become it or are already a part of it, then I can see how one may be offended. Half empty or half full? You decide.
Basic Passage: Manitou isn’t a god per se. It’s more of a supernatural force that animates certain people or things. He writes, “There is a general custom amongst them, at the apprehension of any excellency in men, women, birds, beasts, fish, etc.
Correlation: The way Americans assimilated Indian cultures and then redecoraed them as symbols of our nation’s pride is almost as if we turned them into trophies on a mantel. The systematic killing of Native Americans allowed us to use their likenesses, like Tecumseh’s face, to sell cigarettes to “real” Americans, which ironically appear to be Indian. We separated the once mighty and distinct races of Indians into Chiefs, Indians, Redskins and Braves for our personal amusement. How long would it take for us to find a way to sell what the Native Americans believe to be indescribable and magnificent? Not long at all. Manitou for them was the name for the splendid awe you could find only in a minute of complete and pure glory. It could be described as the moment when you were completely captivating by something’s beauty or splendor. We took the moments that couldn’t be anticipated and found a way to bottle and mass produce it. Now, every time you buy a bottle of herbal essences or open a can of Sprite, merchandising companies are promising you’ll experience a feeling that rivals that of your first kiss, first love or possibly even first breath. And Herbal Essences smells so good that I can be lifted from the warmth of my shower and into the cool, refreshing scent of a waterfall mixed with lilies or I’d be sent to a field of flowers while a storm falls sweeping me up into the scent of roses and rain water. Congratulations are in order. We not only found a way to take their names and livelihoods from Native Americans, we found a way to make a billion dollar business from an almost god-like ideal that shouldn’t even be comprehended.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the Ten Commandments, and how important they were to the Puritans.
Correlation: In class we talked about the Ten Commandments. I thought about them, and noticed that they are broken so freely. Long years ago those were the laws to live by. You didn't break them because you knew the consequences. Not many people these days look at the Ten Commandments the same way the Puritans did. In commandment one it says Thou shalt have none other gods before me. I feel this means you only serve the one true God. This goes back a long ways. There have been false gods. This commandment was broken in the past, and is still being broken. The second commandment says, Thou shalt not make thee any graven image. Anything that you put before God can be a graven image. For example, if you start spending all your time on a new car you just purchased, and fade away from spending time with the Lord; this is having a graven image. The third commandment is Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. This is done so often. I learned in church that if you say God's name in a swearing way that is in vain. People use his name in this way all of the time. Some people don't even think twice about it. The fourth commandment is keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it. This one is hard to do, because some people have to work on the Sabbath. I believe this commandment means you need to rest at least one day a week. God himself rested on day when he created the heavens and earth. I know if I don't take one day to rest, I feel badly through out the week. This is my opinion, and what I got out of reading these first four commandments. Reading these commandments make me think how easily and often they are broken. When we lose the Ten Commandments we are going to lose freedom, love, kindness, and so many other precious gifts from the Lord.
The idea of manitou seems a litte "out there" at first thought. After we discussed this topic in class, I began to wonder all day what exactly they considered to be "manitou". I ran the word through a search engine and found this,"Everything has its own manitou—every plant, every stone, even machines. In the shamanistic traditions the manitous are connected to achieve a desired effect, like plant manitous for healing or the buffalo manitou for a good hunt." This outlook on life can really be beneficial our society today. Further reading showed that the natives believed that everything has its own being and its own vibration. Whether it is the beating of the heart, communication through speech,or walking on the earth. All of this vibration contributes to the way our lives are lived. With the rushing around today,technolog,y and money taking top priority in our lives we tend to forget the simple things that affect us from day to day. The Native American's idea of "manitou" is something I think we all should apply to our lives.It really makes you appreciate and respect every little aspect of our universe. As some Christians use the phrase " look at the glory of God", for say a mountain range,sunset, or even man-made sensations, manitou just acknowledges the fact that a great force is out there and we are all apart of "it."
Correlation: We discussed in class about the Native Americans and their ostracizing the women who were menstruating. Being that I have never personally been through anything like this I am unable to relate. However, I have been around women who complained and were in obvious discomfort due to this occurrence. Also, we as men have never been able to completely cope with women and their physical pain. We are unable to be comfort them, usually because they know we have no idea how it feels. Child birth, menstruation and other painful occurrences that women go through are obvious speed bumps, but today women are a lot more accepted during these times. In those days women did not have the technology and medications that women these days use. However, it is pretty safe to say that they had some sort of way of coping with the discomfort. Herbs and plants were probably used to ease the pain. As for isolating them from everyone, this practice is obviously not around anymore. Women walk the streets today during their cycle or 8 and half months pregnant like there is nothing wrong at all. The women of today are too distracted with modern day life and too busy to have time to struggle through the day. Lucky for men today, women are able to handle these distractions and pains quietly. We as men should thank God everyday that we don’t have to go through these discomforts that women go through all the time.
Passage: In class we discussed how the pilgrims stole to survive and did bad things to the Indians. The idea of do unto others as you would have done unto you was called into question during this small debate.
Correlation: The pilgrims came to the new world with great hopes of wealth, power, and spreading the word of God. Upon their arrival however they encountered much larger hardships than they planned on. One major obstacle was the ability to feed themselves and not starve to death. In order to accomplish this they ended up stealing from the local native population so they would survive. This is where the whole golden rule comes into play. If we were living here and some new people came to our land and didn’t know how to survive would we take care of them? Would we rather them take from us or end up starving to death and dieing? The pilgrims possibly could have thought that if they were in the Indians position that they would not care if they took the food because they would return the favor if they were in their hard position. This also comes down to other things with contradicting morals. God says that it is wrong to steal, but most Christians also believe that you should do everything in your power to live (not killing but you know what I mean) because life is the ultimate gift given to us by God. With that idea in mind, stealing some food from a people that know how to survive and have a firm civilization established would not seem that morally wrong. I know that if I were in their position I would have done the same thing. Stealing in order to live is very different from stealing because you don’t want to pay or just simply are to lazy to get the item yourself.
25 comments:
Brian Strong
Title: Understanding the Truth Behind Americans “Hiding the Bad”
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the fact that there are groups of people that believe that we as Americans hide the bad to protect people.
Correlation: As a matter of fact, when you are younger from the ages of 10 to 13, your teachers as well as families generally try to protect our children from the travesties of society. Such as in class we have talked about how the eventual eviction of the Native Americans by the Pilgrims, was a much more violent episode than what is portrayed to our eyes till U.S History and such in high school. I recall dressing up as an Indian to give a speech in 2nd grade knowing nothing of slaughtering Indians, but what does teaching an extremely young child do to help them in life. Advance violence? The world we live in is not always the prettiest thing to encounter when you really take a magnifying glass and look at the hundreds of awful things to occur. Teaching young people that things are better than they are is in hope that in their future they will see the good in people, things, and life and try to change the world in a better way.
It is true that we as Americans tend to try to show the “good” in regard to these conditions, but over the past years media coverage tends to only show the negative, i.e. the bashing of George Bush, only saying the wrongs our military has done. For example, Hollywood hates anyone who is conservative, or leaning to right, such as last week the press gave more attention to Madonna trying to adopt a new foreign baby than Denzel Washington visited injured troops, and CUT A CHECK to buy them a new HOSPITAL, but because he helps the Military he gets no public media. In the end, it is unacceptable to say that we hide all the “bad” in America to protect ourselves.
Alicia Vance
Is God punishing us?
Basic Passage: Typology
Correlation: Typology is defined as the interpretation of Old Testament events, persons, and ceremonies as signs which prefigured Christ's fulfillment and new covenant with the apostolic church. Or simply, God showing spiritual things through natural events or things. Some people claim that Hurricane Katrina was God punishing New Orleans for all the homosexual people in that city. These people apply typology to natural events like these, not science. Instead of looking at a logical weather pattern as an explanation, they believe Hurricane Katrina was God punishing the city of New Orleans. Does this mean every single natural disaster in history is God punishing people, cities, or countries for sins? Do these same people apply typology to the tsunami that occurred in 2004? Was God punishing the 150,000+ people who were killed by it and the millions left homeless in 11 different countries for something? Or can it be explained as the earthquake was the result of the sliding of the portion of the Earth's crust known as the India plate under the section called the Burma plate. The process has been going on for millennia, one plate pushing against the other until something has to give, according to nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic also states that it was the largest magnitude earthquake in 40 years. Does typology also explain the tornado that took lives and damaged the town of Enterprise? Sometimes unfortunate events occur because of weather patterns or horrible earthquakes, not necessarily God punishing people for something.
Hannah Mims
Title: Do not judge, or you too will be judged
Basic Passage: “Let he without sin cast the first stone” John 8:7
Correlation: In class the other day we started talking about how this lady in Pakistan got whipped for sleeping with a married man. The punishers whipped her in the middle of a street and it was videotaped. As most people would say, sleeping with a married individual is wrong, but is it up to other people who sin to punish this woman. Every single person in this world is a sinner. Some people murder, do drugs, are obese, alcohols, or say the Lord’s name in vain. It is known that no one is perfect, so if everyone went around punishing everyone this world would be in mad chaos all the time. For all the people who believe in Christianity, they should know that God says it’s wrong to judge and that he is the one who will have the final say at whom did what wrong and who is going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not fair to let certain people be the punishers and others not. It is one thing is someone is going around murdering people or doing something that can harm our society, but other than that the women who slept with the married man will ultimately have to answer to God one day herself. All people make mistakes and if it is not harming anyone else then other people should just worry about their own issues and bettering themselves. It is hard to say what is right and wrong, but if we all lived by the bible and took the words that Jesus told us to live by then most of the issues would never be in action. So who is really the right one and who is the wrong one?
Penelope Humenansky
The monthly sickness is back again, time for the doghouse.
Basic Passage:
Sarah Vowell wrote about how the Native American women were literally isolated during their “monthly sickness.”
Correlation:
On a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, I had learned about this menstruation hut. When these women were on their cycle they were by themselves in a small hut for almost a week with no contact with anyone, father, husband, children, no one. They make it sound as if these women were diseased. I’m sure they were mad at the world while it was going on. Sounds to me almost like a dog being kept outside in the cold. Might as well give them their own pregnant hut. Their singled out for something that cannot be controlled. Good thing this does not happen today. There would most likely be a revolution. Women today are not as easily separated. We went from being in a hut for a week every month to women’s rights in a few hundred years to becoming very individualized. Although, there are some women who do take their freedom too far. There are those women that will tell someone that a man sexual harassed her because he said that she was attractive. What bullshit. It’s those women that seem to always have their monthly sickness. They need to get over themselves because they are not singled out without communication every month. if we lived with the native American women, we would have a difficult time. I’m sure no man would want to be near a women for a long time because we would seem to always be mad at the world and we would want to rip their heads off. Of course, this is only hypothetically speaking we could travel back in time. Good thing we can’t.
A. Conforming to Religion
Eric Richardson
B. In class we talked about religious missionaries and their endless attempts to get others to conform the their beliefs.
C. Throughout history many groups of people had to conform to new ideas and customs. Many of the new conformities come in the method of religion. Evidence of this can be shown in the case of the Native Americans in early America. For example, many of the Indians where forced to abide by the practices of the christian church. They were told to forget their own religion practices and beliefs and made to conform to a new set of guidelines set before them. In most of the conformities that have played out over the years, fear was the driving factor that the missionaries used to help comfort their new recruits. Rather it be fear of prosecution from others or the fear of going to “hell”, it was widely used to help smooth over the difficult task.
Sarah Vowell refers to this in her book, as a “rape of the soul”. This is a good description of what it would feel like if someone made you conform to something in which you have no say in. Why was this even allowed in America? Where there not laws protecting every ones freedom to believe what they wanted to believe in? Why is this still happening today? Even today there are still groups desperately trying to convey their religious beliefs on other people. From billboards to brochures filled with ones own personal beliefs are now ending up in public places and seen by everyone. Some people even go door to door to talk to people about why you should join their religion and how their religion is better then their own. Is this not crossing the line in ones own right to freedom of religion?
Chrisitna McCarty
Leave the Damnation to God
Basic Passage: In class we discussed how a woman in Pakistan was beaten in public for having sexual relations with a married man which is breaking one of the commandments. Should public disdain for those breaking the 10 Commandments be reprimanded by others?
Correlate: First of all, it outrages me that a woman having an affair with a married man was publicly scorned, but the husband was not? Of course it is the Middle East and policies, treatment of woman, and a sense of morality are not present there. If we are to allow people to judge others for breaking the 10 Commandments established by God and passed on to Moses, then we should treat everyone the absolute same. So if the woman was publicly flogged, the man should be, too. Furthermore, we may not know all the details. He could have lied to her and said he was not married. Either way, the bottom line is it is not up to the human race to decide who deserves eternal damnation. It’s for God to decide.
Of course breaking the law is another story. If I robbed a bank or killed someone, I would be thrown in jail. However, whether or not the person repents is between God and that person. That is why I’m against the death penalty. For the person committing the crime, it is a one-way ticket out. It also puts “control” into human hands. We shouldn’t have a say on when human life ends. Killing a convict merely destroys a human soul. Sure, they burn in hell, but sitting in a jail cell for the rest of his life without parole allows them the chance to come back to God. Say, for instance, the man who threw his children over the Dauphin Island Bay Bridge. Indeed it was a horrible murder of four innocent children, but killing him will not prevent anything or teach him anything. Giving him the chance to repent is done by allowing him to think about what he did for the rest of his life. How could one live with himself? Obviously he wants to die because he doesn’t want to live with himself. While humans will always judge other humans, damnation and public scorn cannot be implemented because others believe so. After all, no one is perfect. As the New Testament passage says, “First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Jennifer Gray
Title: Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Witness?
Basic Passage: In class we discussed whether or not witnessing should be more of a 1 on 1 experience rather than witnessing to mass groups of people at one time like the Billy Graham revivals for example.
Correlation: The Indians were innocent, so to say, when it come to sin. They knew nothing of things such as rape. They had to be educated in sin in order to be “saved” from their sins. To Williams, imposing Christianity on them was more like a rape of their souls. They were told that they could no longer paint their faces and that they must cut their hair because it was a sin to have long hair. Williams believed that witnessing should be more of a one on one moment and that there should be no more mass conversions.
Today we have both one on one witnessing and mass conversions. There are those who go door to door witnessing to others about God and we also have evangelists like Billy Graham and his son who witness or preach to very large crowds and televise it also. If these people do not want to hear about God they should just simply not open the door, do not attend the revivals, and not watch it on television. I do not believe that mass witnessing is wrong. There are those people in the large crowds who are there for a reason and truly do come to accept Christ as their personal Savior. They may not have otherwise taken the step had it not been for the revival in their town. Some Christians are afraid to approach people on a one on one basis to witness. The girl in the park wearing the shirt with vulgarity on it was merely a test of Christian faith.
Harrison Bullock
Title: Typology: Acts of God or Acts of Satan; or human reasoning?
Basic Passage: In class we talked about typology, about how when bad things happen people tend to blame it on God, saying that God was angry at you.
Correlation: Many people believe that disasters are "Acts of God" from birth defects or loss of babies, handicaps, disabilities, and violent deaths, to wars, hurricanes, floods, droughts, plagues and diseases of all sorts. In “Wordy Shipmates” an Indian man’s child dies and he hollers up to God asking whether or not He is mad at him or not. In a more modern perspective, people blame Hurricane Katrina on the sin of New Orleans. People say God was unhappy with how people were living in New Orleans, such as the homosexuals and drug and alcohol abuse. Well I’m a Christian and I know others who believe that God is All Powerful, Knowing, etc. Well don’t you think if God wanted New Orleans destroyed by Katrina he would have made it happen?
Suffering and death are natural results of sin and, therefore, are no more God's will than is sin. Instead of stating they are "acts of God," it would be better to say they are “acts of Satan”. “Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas, refused to sign a bill referring to tornados as 'acts of God'. I wonder had he been thinking about Job 1:19 which attributes a tragically destructive 'great wind' to the 'power' (v. 12) which God allowed Satan to exercise? Would the legislature change the wording to 'acts of Satan?' Some Evangelicals oppose his refusal. They think it is better to attribute good and bad things to God". So, are these natural disasters acts of God or Satan, or do God and Satan agree on disasters of time, place and extent? Or are this reasoning’s just stupid human theories?
http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/musings/hurrican.php#sata
Shareca Hawthorne
“Original Sin”
Basic Passage: God can only Judge
Correlation: The Original Sin theory is based on the Christian belief that every person on earth is born with sin. This week in class we have talked about different topics but this one caught my interest. I have always wondered if God died for our sins why is it that we are still considered as having them? Most Christians have been taught that in order to go to heaven we must ask God for the forgiveness of our sins and if we do not we will go to Hell. The definition of Original sin is, according to a doctrine proposed in Christian theology, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. My opinion of that definition is that we have sins cast upon us because of what man has done defining that as what we have done in our life that has caused us to be disobedient to God. That is where the Ten Commandments come into play; they act as a set of laws. If we did not have those set of laws to help guide us from what God says is right or wrong we would then be sinners. The whole conception of everybody being born with sins is kind of pushing the whole fact that God died for our sins. I think people have stretched the whole going to Heaven of Hell idea, yes I very much understand that if one does not follow the Ten Commandments, God’s set of rules he has laid out for us then there will be consequences and we will have to answer to him, but the thing that confuses me the most is that one of the Ten commandments state “Thou shall not kill”. A person who goes to prison and is given the death penalty is set for death. The person or people who are willing and has taken that person’s life whether it was by lethal injection or electric chair has killed someone, so where in the bible or in the Christian belief says that they will automatically go to heaven if while they are about to kill a person for whatever crime they were accused of committing gets down on their knees and ask God for forgiveness for what they are about to do and who says that they can judge people and punish them if God is the absolute and final judge? I think the whole Christian belief has strayed away from actuality and what the bible really says. In my opinion no one really knows what the original words of God were because the bible has been rewritten so many times by man and by other religions. In the end God can only judge.
Title: Before science, typology?
Passage: “interpret their own luck as messages from their deities.” -Vowell
Correlation:
In Greek mythology or any polytheistic society, it seems logical that these ancient people would believe that lightning strikes during a bad storm could be sent from the heavens by an angry god. Of course, they didn’t understand the concept of electrical charge build up discharging to the ground while producing a deafening clap of thunder as the air expands from the intense heat (or something like that). The point is that they didn’t have modern science to “explain” why things happen the way they do, so they try to justify the phenomenon in some other way... The Gods. I suppose at a very basic level, we still do this. Outside of the physical world, where there is no scientific explanation, God has (or is) the answer. When we wonder where we came from- Mom and Dad- they from theirs- back to Adam and Eve, or monkeys, depending on you point of view. But eventually, we trace our existence to something unexplainable... Genisis; Big Bang- what about before that? Well, most seem to be content with God as the answer. I think it is essentially human nature to believe we came from something even if not totally explainable (God spot theory!). How else would you get billions of people to believe in something that is, by definition, imaginary. I suppose this is where typology comes in. If something physically happens as a “sign” form God, then I guess this could be the link between the physical world to the spiritual.
Taking bible stories literally falls into typology. When a big flood wiped out everything and Noah had to build the arc, so on and so forth, may or may not have happened. But my theory is this: Consider an event like New Orleans getting flushed by Katrina- actually the negligence and instability of man made canal walls/levies. Anyway, if something like this happened a couple thousand years ago, I think the stories would be passed through the ages like Noah and the flood. First the area of NO might be the space someone might travel in a lifetime so that is their whole world. Next most are illiterate so stories are passed verbally- and probably embellished. Finally, without scientific satellite imagery to show a hurricane slamming the coast, they might justify the event as God being angry and someone there, even if not themselves, deserved the punishment.
Title: Freedom of Religion
Basic Passage: Freedom of religon is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching practice, worship and observance.
Correlation: There are different types of religions that are being acknowledged all over the world. Some religions have strict moral rules that one must abide by (whether it’s dressing a certain way, not eating certain kinds of food, or not celebrating holidays) even though we may not agree with the beliefs of that religion. For example, look at the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They express their religious beliefs by going door to door hoping that people will listen to what they have to say. Some people consider them to be a cult because they’re always trying to get others to share their religious beliefs but are not willing share others religious beliefs. We sometimes tend to say that one religion is better than the other(s) when it’s not. We are all serving the same God; it’s just that others choose to serve God in a different way. We sometimes can’t help who or what we are when it comes to our religion and its beliefs. You are either a part of that religion or you’re not. We all take great pride in our religion and its beliefs.
When asking someone what religion they are, (whether it’s Catholic, Muslim or Jewish) we sometimes tend to frown as to why that person would be or want to be part of that particular religion. Sometimes it’s either because of their parents and how they were raise or because one decides to convert from their religion to another. Even though we may not agree with the beliefs of that religion, the fact remains that we must respect that religion no matter what.
Eric Dobbs
Title: Hospitality
Passage: In class we discussed Williams experience with the indians, and the way of life the indians lived.
Correlation: When Reverend Roger Williams was excommunicated from the colony, he led his way to the indian colonies for a new life. All of the things Williams and the other colonists knew about the indians were not welcoming. They believed they could not trust the indians, they were ruthless, and they were savages. But the experience Williams had was on the contrary. Williams found himself completely surprised by how civil the indians were. They were very inviting and showed great hospitality. It seemed like their doors were always open. They would offer him services such as cooking him meals or giving him their bed when he needed a place to sleep. It baffles me the amount of hospitality that was shown to Williams. The indians didn't have any reason to show kindness to the reverend or to any other colonist for that matter. The indians were showing companionship to a group of people that were attempting to take their land, take all their resources, and trying to teach them a foreign religion (indians didn't know the meaning of the word at the time). All the indians knew were simple. Williams explained how the indians were not exposed to things like theft, rape, or murder. Their way of life did not include the same sinful, horrible actions that were included in colonial life. Their way of life was being threatened by these colonists and the message they brought. Yet the indians still showed compassion. Of course, if the indians knew the repercussions of the colonists future actions, it is my belief that this hospitality would not have been shown. They would have attacked the colonists indefinitely to preserve their way of life. But the hospitality was there. The indians took in a man who was cast out by a ruthless, threatening group of colonists for his beliefs and values. Sounds like Williams fit right in.
Devin Lochridge
Title: Science not Typology
Basic Passage: In class discussion on Typology, and whether unfortunate situations are signs from God.
Correlation: Typology is a theological doctrine of theory of types and their antitypes found in Scripture. What is referred to as medieval allegory actually began in the Early Church as a method for synthesizing the seeming discontinuities between the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Christian Bible (New Testament). While both testaments were studied and seen as equally inspired by God, the Old Testament contained discontinuities for Christians, for example, the Jewish kosher laws. The Old Testament was therefore seen in places not as a literal account, but as an allegory, or foreshadowing, of the events of the New Testament, in particular how the events of the Old Testament related to the events of Christ's life. The events of the Old Testament were seen as part of the story, a prefiguration, with the events of Christ's life. The technical name for seeing the New Testament in the Old Testament is called Typology. The doctrine is stated most succinctly by Paul in Colossians 2:16-17 - "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
The Old Testament does some foreshadowing like in Isaiah chapter 7 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” The Bible obviously foreshadows events that did occur on a later date. But to say natural disasters or unlucky happenings is a sign from God is a bit ludicrous. I believe God or the Creator has a part in everything that happens, and what will happen. But there are billions of charged particles not only on earth but in our atmosphere and galaxy. Natural disasters are caused by certain circumstances in a particular region. Example, in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas there are a lot of tornadoes. Not because God is trying to teach those people a lesson, its caused by cold air coming down from the north, and warm moist air coming from the south. And we all know cold and hot air don’t sit well with each other
Orin Eleuterius
Title: Native American Women
Basic Passage: In class we talked about native american women and how they were treated during their time of personal issues. Is there a reason why this was done to them, or was this just a way of letting them have a time of their own because they were to shy about what was happening to them.
Correlation: The native american women had it very hard during their time of menstruation. For one thing they were isolated, and they had their own monthly sickness. They had to be quarantined, which was not normal at all, because that would cause all sorts of problems. What if they had a child they had to look after or knowing a women they would probably go insane for being alone for so many days. What made it even worse to is how their husband or son could not even come near them, its like they thought they had a disease or something. They also made it irreligious to, whatever that means, I mean what these people did to native american women was not ethical and normal at all. Do you see this happening now in the world, no because everything is normal now and that is the way it should be. Also, what made it even worse for the woman is not only did they have to endure to pleasure of being quarantined of menstruation, they also had to work after that. Whether it be picking corn or childbirth. The native american women went through so much turmoil and pain that having a baby probably would not bother them.
Shaun Kyles
“A Real American Dream”
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the American Dream and what it means to us as Americans. We also tried to define it as our founding fathers help shape what it is today.
Correlation: People see the American Dream as a land where life should be better and full with prosperity for everyone, with the ability and opportunity for achievement. It also offers an opportunity for immigrants to prosper and exercise freedom of speech which is prohibited in most of their countries. There is a sense of hope with the future when talking about The American Dream. It gives children that are growing up today a chance to achieve things such as getting a good education that wasn’t really granted in the past. America also is a place where your class, ethnic group, or race doesn’t matter. The Dream, said by President Barack Obama in several of his campaign speeches, is a promise. The dream promises use as Americans a key to do whatever we want and to live free as Americans. Our founding fathers helped shape what we know of today as the American Dream. There are a lot of people that would be proud to say that they are Americans. I’m very proud to be an American. It gives me a sense of hope that I can have and be whatever I want in life. The National Anthem is sung before baseball games to show pride and patriotism to our country. It also shows much respect to the country. I always wondered as a kid why we said the pledge of allegiance before school, but as I got older I realized that it was to show and express our loyalty as Americans.
Farhan Mahmood
Title – Wrath of God?
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the example of the snake and the mouse and how many during the puritans time, interpret certain events as a punishment sent from god, which is also known as typology.
Correlation: The word typology basically means that bad events that occur in our world are due to the wrath of God. Although many refers these theology to the Christian doctrines such as the bible and the old testaments but typology also exist in many other faith as well. As a Muslim American I have heard my parents and others in my family referring certain bad events with the Quran and applying typology without thinking about the scientific explanation of the events. People in the western world do not apply typology as much as they used to but in many parts of the world, such as the Middle East, typology is quite common. For example, right after September elevens terrorists attacks, many were celebrating and were saying that God (ALLAH) has answered their prayers and punished the Great Satan (USA) because of their misdeeds. Then right after the hurricane Katrina, I remember watching CNN and there Osama bin Laden was praising god for cursing USA. It is quite funny how almost everything that can be explained by logic some people somewhere defines it as a curse from god. In reality, it is true that hurricane Katrina was in fact one of the deadliest and costliest natural disaster in American history but it is greatly due to increase global warming. Many scientists even predicted that it will happen in the future, and as for the terrorist attacks it was simply due to lack of effective security in America.
David Broadnax
Title: God first
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the Ten Commandments. The first commandment is so often looked over or not token into consideration when we praise material things that we have.
Correlation: The first commandment states that “thou shalt have none other gods before me. In modern day you see so many people worshiping their “earthly goods” then they do the God they proclaim to serve. I can often ride down the street going to church on Sunday’s seeing people washing their cars all day and worrying more about what they have on earth than God. I believe that God gives you the opportunity to have these things, but you shouldn’t worship these things, because they easily are taking away. You often see where high ranking officials or managers are put on a pedestal were the ones that are under them are forced to look up at them as if they are god. Like in the military you see were Admiral and Generals are looked at as if they are their gods and they have to serve them. I see it as if many of them are just brain- washed to think they out rank them, but in God’s eyes they are equal. These ranks and blind perception make me wonder if those that follow their orders and look up to them are considered to be serving another god. You often see where they put work, school, or personal pleasure before God. If they are putting these things before God then they are serving them instead of God.
Susan Howard
Religion to take back seat?
Discussing separation of religion and state brought up religion in today’s society. When comparing religious and moral values of today’s society with those of the puritans it is not difficult to see that there are incredible differences. Church attendance is down, teen pregnancy is up, crime is up, morals and values have plummeted and everyone wants to know how these issues are related. Religion instills morals and values that everyday non-church goers do not always have. That means extra boundaries to help motivate people to do what’s right. Attending church is more than worshiping a higher power. It’s about community, caring, and keeping the peace. It’s additionally a positive activity that keeps individuals out of trouble. This is coming from someone who does not attend church. I do not believe that EVERYONE who doesn’t attend church is bad. I just feel that people who attend church are potentially better off than the average person who chooses not to participate in organized religion. Does it make me a bad person to think that? No. Only an individual who is well rounded can look at something and see it for what it is, what it has been, what it can be, and accept it whether it affects them directly or not. Bringing up the idea that people who do not practice morals, values and ethics of organized religion may be negatively affecting our society offended some people. Is it because they are afraid they are or may become a value in that statistic? Because if you know you aren’t counted in the statistic, then it’s easier to accept the idea but if you fear that you may become it or are already a part of it, then I can see how one may be offended. Half empty or half full? You decide.
Brett Williams
Title: Now Selling New & Improved Manitou
Basic Passage: Manitou isn’t a god per se. It’s more of a supernatural force that animates certain people or things. He writes, “There is a general custom amongst them, at the apprehension of any excellency in men, women, birds, beasts, fish, etc.
Correlation: The way Americans assimilated Indian cultures and then redecoraed them as symbols of our nation’s pride is almost as if we turned them into trophies on a mantel. The systematic killing of Native Americans allowed us to use their likenesses, like Tecumseh’s face, to sell cigarettes to “real” Americans, which ironically appear to be Indian. We separated the once mighty and distinct races of Indians into Chiefs, Indians, Redskins and Braves for our personal amusement. How long would it take for us to find a way to sell what the Native Americans believe to be indescribable and magnificent? Not long at all.
Manitou for them was the name for the splendid awe you could find only in a minute of complete and pure glory. It could be described as the moment when you were completely captivating by something’s beauty or splendor. We took the moments that couldn’t be anticipated and found a way to bottle and mass produce it.
Now, every time you buy a bottle of herbal essences or open a can of Sprite, merchandising companies are promising you’ll experience a feeling that rivals that of your first kiss, first love or possibly even first breath. And Herbal Essences smells so good that I can be lifted from the warmth of my shower and into the cool, refreshing scent of a waterfall mixed with lilies or I’d be sent to a field of flowers while a storm falls sweeping me up into the scent of roses and rain water.
Congratulations are in order. We not only found a way to take their names and livelihoods from Native Americans, we found a way to make a billion dollar business from an almost god-like ideal that shouldn’t even be comprehended.
Title: Ten Commandments
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the Ten Commandments, and how important they were to the Puritans.
Correlation: In class we talked about the Ten Commandments. I thought about them, and noticed that they are broken so freely. Long years ago those were the laws to live by. You didn't break them because you knew the consequences. Not many people these days look at the Ten Commandments the same way the Puritans did. In commandment one it says Thou shalt have none other gods before me. I feel this means you only serve the one true God. This goes back a long ways. There have been false gods. This commandment was broken in the past, and is still being broken.
The second commandment says, Thou shalt not make thee any graven image. Anything that you put before God can be a graven image. For example, if you start spending all your time on a new car you just purchased, and fade away from spending time with the Lord; this is having a graven image.
The third commandment is Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. This is done so often. I learned in church that if you say God's name in a swearing way that is in vain. People use his name in this way all of the time. Some people don't even think twice about it.
The fourth commandment is keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it. This one is hard to do, because some people have to work on the Sabbath. I believe this commandment means you need to rest at least one day a week. God himself rested on day when he created the heavens and earth. I know if I don't take one day to rest, I feel badly through out the week. This is my opinion, and what I got out of reading these first four commandments. Reading these commandments make me think how easily and often they are broken. When we lose the Ten Commandments we are going to lose freedom, love, kindness, and so many other precious gifts from the Lord.
Title: Manitouism
Passage: In class we discussed manitou.
Correlation:
The idea of manitou seems a litte "out there" at first thought. After we discussed this topic in class, I began to wonder all day what exactly they considered to be "manitou". I ran the word through a search engine and found this,"Everything has its own manitou—every plant, every stone, even machines. In the shamanistic traditions the manitous are connected to achieve a desired effect, like plant manitous for healing or the buffalo manitou for a good hunt." This outlook on life can really be beneficial our society today. Further reading showed that the natives believed that everything has its own being and its own vibration. Whether it is the beating of the heart, communication through speech,or walking on the earth. All of this vibration contributes to the way our lives are lived. With the rushing around today,technolog,y and money taking top priority in our lives we tend to forget the simple things that affect us from day to day. The Native American's idea of "manitou" is something I think we all should apply to our lives.It really makes you appreciate and respect every little aspect of our universe. As some Christians use the phrase " look at the glory of God", for say a mountain range,sunset, or even man-made sensations, manitou just acknowledges the fact that a great force is out there and we are all apart of "it."
Stuart Lang
Title: Native Americans
Correlation: We discussed in class about the Native Americans and their ostracizing the women who were menstruating. Being that I have never personally been through anything like this I am unable to relate. However, I have been around women who complained and were in obvious discomfort due to this occurrence. Also, we as men have never been able to completely cope with women and their physical pain. We are unable to be comfort them, usually because they know we have no idea how it feels. Child birth, menstruation and other painful occurrences that women go through are obvious speed bumps, but today women are a lot more accepted during these times.
In those days women did not have the technology and medications that women these days use. However, it is pretty safe to say that they had some sort of way of coping with the discomfort. Herbs and plants were probably used to ease the pain. As for isolating them from everyone, this practice is obviously not around anymore. Women walk the streets today during their cycle or 8 and half months pregnant like there is nothing wrong at all. The women of today are too distracted with modern day life and too busy to have time to struggle through the day. Lucky for men today, women are able to handle these distractions and pains quietly. We as men should thank God everyday that we don’t have to go through these discomforts that women go through all the time.
A.J. Paschall
Title: Golden Rule
Passage: In class we discussed how the pilgrims stole to survive and did bad things to the Indians. The idea of do unto others as you would have done unto you was called into question during this small debate.
Correlation: The pilgrims came to the new world with great hopes of wealth, power, and spreading the word of God. Upon their arrival however they encountered much larger hardships than they planned on. One major obstacle was the ability to feed themselves and not starve to death. In order to accomplish this they ended up stealing from the local native population so they would survive. This is where the whole golden rule comes into play. If we were living here and some new people came to our land and didn’t know how to survive would we take care of them? Would we rather them take from us or end up starving to death and dieing? The pilgrims possibly could have thought that if they were in the Indians position that they would not care if they took the food because they would return the favor if they were in their hard position. This also comes down to other things with contradicting morals. God says that it is wrong to steal, but most Christians also believe that you should do everything in your power to live (not killing but you know what I mean) because life is the ultimate gift given to us by God. With that idea in mind, stealing some food from a people that know how to survive and have a firm civilization established would not seem that morally wrong. I know that if I were in their position I would have done the same thing. Stealing in order to live is very different from stealing because you don’t want to pay or just simply are to lazy to get the item yourself.
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