Faith, Religion, and Winnie the Pooh

Hey, this is Dan Merrill again.

In my first post I didn't really mention anything about my own experiences with and views on religion, so I'd thought I'd take a few minutes to do that now with another informal post. 

I was raised Catholic. For most of my life, I was a very earnest and devoted Catholic. I'm also gay, so that created some conflict. I have an awful lot to say about this experience, but that can wait for another time. Long story short, I've learned the value of thinking for myself. 

Right now, I'm not really able to sort out what my religious views are. I don't want to slap an atheist/agnostic/Catholic/believer label on myself because I understand the merits of those different perspectives and the logic behind them, and I vacillate between them.

There are some things I'm not very fond of when it comes to the debates between the secular and the sacred. I hate when people lean too heavily on the Bible or any other religious text. I do not think the Bible is the word of God so much as it is a library of different books written for different reasons that has been horribly abused over the years by people who close their eyes and follow it blindly. Whoever it was that wrote "On the first day God made this, on the second day God made that," probably was more influenced by the need for poetic coherency than by some divine insight into the origins of the universe.

I also don't really like when atheists state that they'll believe anything, no matter how ridiculous, so long as they're presented with proof, and that they won't believe in God until he proves his existence. I don't think this is illogical, but I think it shows some ignorance of humankind's relationship with God and the nature of faith. If there is a God, I think it might be better for him not to provide us with proof of his existence. What would life be like if we knew with absolute certainty that God exists? 

Wouldn't we be a lot weaker? 

I think it's cool that Nick mentioned the Tao of Pooh, because I'm also going to use Pooh to explain a bit about religion. One of my favorite Disney movies as a kid was Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin. When I watched it again more recently, I noticed that the movie seemed to have religious overtones. One of the central themes of the story is faith, and the movie does a really neat job of showing its value. 

The movie begins by showing Pooh's complete love for and dependency on Christopher Robin. If you watch this song, "Forever and Ever," notice how it seems to reflect the relationship between a devout Christian and Christ. 

"I want to be with you, forever. I want you right here, beside me, forever."

 - Pooh

Christopher Robin asks Pooh what would happen if they were separated, and Pooh says he wouldn't be able to go on. Christopher Robin tells Pooh that he's braver than he believes, stronger than he seems, and smarter than he thinks. He says even when they're apart, they'll always be together, and the next day he disappears.

Pooh and his friends ask Owl to read the note Christopher left behind, but Owl misinterprets it, saying Christopher went to Skull instead of school. I think Owl's song, "Adventure is a Wonderful Thing," might be similar to what God would have to say if we could ask him why he left us alone in this life. 

"Perhaps you could join us?" 

"No, no, you go ahead."

 - Pooh and Owl

Rabbit believes with absolute certainty that the map Owl gave them is infallible and will guide them straight to Christopher Robin. This song, "If It Says So," is the movie's most obvious bit of allegory. I think it's a brilliant satire of people blindly following the Bible.

"Never trust that thing between your ears. Brains will get you nowhere fast, my dears. Haven't had a need for mine in years. On the page is where the truth appears."

 - Rabbit

The group ends up lost, and Pooh's faith wavers.

"I need you to come here and find me, cause without you I'm totally lost. I've hung a wish on every star. It hasn't done much good so far."

 - Pooh

Later, Pooh falls into a pit at the bottom of a cave and is trapped there alone. He talks to Christopher Robin, telling him how his friends were so brave, strong, and smart on their search for him. Then he remembers Christopher saying that they'd still be together, even if they were apart, and Pooh realizes that Christopher would always be a part of him.

The movie ends with Christopher Robin returning from school and finding the group. He talks about what it was like being separated from his friends and then tells Pooh that he'll have to leave again the next day.

There may or may not be a God, but if there is one, I think it might be wise for him to let us live apart from him (though my thoughts on the concept of eternal damnation are another issue). I don't think it's foolish for people to believe in him without proof.

My younger sister is handicapped with Rett Syndrome. She cannot walk or talk, and she has seizures regularly. We love her very much, but it takes a lot for my family to take care of her. It puts a lot of strain on my parents, and their faith is one of the reasons they're able to cope. Their religion is a tremendous source of strength.

When Pooh is separated from Christopher Robin, he learns that he is braver than he believes, stronger than he seems, and smarter than he thinks. He wouldn't have learned that if he didn't have to spend some time alone.

intro

So I'm a little late, but hey I'm Clara. I have high hopes for this class, I have taken a couple religion classes before and it is always interesting to learn the differing faiths and viewpoints in the classroom. As for my own faith, I don't really have any. I enjoy the mystery surrounding creation, birth, and death. I figure we will all find out when we die, and if we don't we won't know the difference...because we'll be dead.

Informal Introduction

Hello, my name is Nick Wright. I am not exactly sure of my religious beliefs. They are always changing. I was not a churchgoer at youth and was never interesting in sitting down for extended periods of times. However, my buddies introduced me to a Christian "youth group". It was some of the best times of my life. We would eat pizza, play games as a group, and talk together about stories of the bible and of moral values.

One day at youth group, the leader told me how to alleviate my sins. He said all that I had to do was accept Jesus as my savior. I did. I was happy.

Then I started to hear about the corrupt things certain religious people were doing. Two examples on the top of my list were the Catholic priest molestation ordeal and the rising prejudice I saw between religious groups after 9/11. This scared me. I lost faith in organized religion. I was atheist.

After this I started to think atheism was too cynical and a grim way to live life. My friend gave me a wonderful book called the Tao of Pooh, and I read it. I loved it and became a Taoist, which is basically like a more chill version of a Buddhist. I got bored of that too eventually. I didn't really no what I thought. So, I became Agnostic.

Over time, though, I got sick of not knowing, or knowing, or wondering, or worrying about my religious beliefs. I consider this apathy to be realism, so that must make me a Realist. That is what I consider myself now. I don't care about where I came from or where I'm going. I'm happy to have this chance to live. But of course, I am taking the Sacred and the Secular, so I must reevaluate yet again...

Intro blog post

hellloo, Im Cal. A little introduction; I am from Vermont, born and raised. Monkton to be exact, (da` boro) anyway, I am a digital film major and hope to incorporate what is going on in the world around us into that through this class. Although I am not a religious person, in a stereotypical sense, I am spiritual. I believe that everyone is connected and apart of something bigger than simple themselves. take it or leave it. Im interested in having some good discussions and hearing alternatives opinions. Yup, thats about it for now.

Cal

Symbols and their Negative Connotations?

As we have explored the first chapter of Material Christianity and delved into McDannell's view of symbols and how "the scrambling of the sacred and the profane is common in American Christianity", I've noticed that the majority of our discussions have been placed upon symbols that are hopeful, or inspirational, or patriotic. In truth, we view just as many symbols daily that are given negative connotations as we do symbols that give positive ideals/feelings. While looking for an article to fit in with my point for this blog, I came across a news article that discusses a current trial occurring in Sioux City for a double homicide.
Lawerence Douglas Harris Sr. is being charged with two counts of first degree murder for the death of his two step-daughters, age 8 and 10. Harris' defense is that "the girls had died when a spell he was casting 'had gone bad'" (Sioux City Journal). Harris was a known to practice witchcraft, and was a selfproclaimed Wiccan, and due to the inverted pentagram found on the floor of his basement and the various books found within Harris' home (including The Satanic Bible), both Satanism and Wicca have been dragged into the trial. The prosecution is claiming that "Harris was practicing satanism and carefully planned the killings as part of a spell or ritual from "The Satanic Bible", throwing various religious groups up in arms. Expert witnesses had to be called in to explain to the jury that pentagrams were not part of the Wiccan religion, and that one of the laws of Satanism is that children are to never be harmed.
As I read the article, I found myself amazed at how misunderstood and misrepresented both the pentagram and the religions that use it as a symbol are. I find it unfair that experts in these religions have to get up and protect themselves in our courts when people try to use their beliefs as excuses for committing horrible crimes. Although we all realize that many religious symbols are misunderstood or simplified, such as the Jesus fish example we had in our previous class, it is important to remember that many religions and people suffer from this misunderstanding as well as some people use that misunderstanding to their advantage.

Symbols

We've discussed symbolism many times already in the two weeks we've had class. Symbols can mean different things to different people. I see the "Jesus fish" as a symbol for Christianity and I see the historical context of it while someone else may not see it the way I do. This can be said for things from religion to flags to simple colors.

In "Material Christianity," religious takes on pop culture symbols are shown on page 250 (McDannell). These show one persons view and that person has something in mind to convey to his audience. The problems is that not all people will get the same message. This can be seen very well in different cultures. Colors are an easy way for people to convey a message. Emotions can be seen easily: red for anger, light blue for calm. Or even things we never think twice about like pink for female and blue for male. For Americans, these things seem common place and natural, but other cultures see these colors in a different light. We use green as a symbol for money and luck, but in Islamic cultures green is a symbol for Heaven. More about this can be read here.

This simple site, while it doesn't cover everything, shows in basic terms that not everyone thinks the same. We each have different views of life. We each have our own minds, our own experiences, and these things contribute to the way be see things and the inferences we make. In order to see what people truly mean we must understand their backgrounds and see things through their eyes.

Religion vs. Gays

Hey Everyone,

In class we've been talking about symbols and now as we all know symbols can be misinterpreted. Different people might view the same symbol is very different ways. The symbol might be hope to one person and offensive to another. Just take a look at all the different symbols in McDannel's Material Christianity.

Well Just as symbols can be misinterpreted the bible too can be misinterpreted. Everyone is unique in the views of religion. I personally believe that people that translate a document word for word, instead of gathering the general purpose, have the potential to be the most harmful people in society. So....

I just wanted to show you a video I saw that offended me when I came across it. Its a music video that a man by the name of Donnie Davies some cracked out religious nut. So here is the video.....




You can check out his website which is even more ridiculous by clicking here

The simple minds

For last two classes we have been talking about religion. How religion influences people lives and make them believe in anything that they hear or see. I came from a different country and i have a different way of looking at things especially when it comes to religion. Personally i believe in God, but i don't go all crazy like some people do. Through out my life i meat a lot of people, some were very religious and some didn't even believe in it.

Persons' mind is very powerful thing, but it can be manipulated so easy by the outside influence. The funny part about this is that you might not even know that you have been manipulated by someone or something until you stop and think about.

Religion can be looked as a "powerful tool" that is used by churches to obtain control over people. The good example would be Iraq. Young boys get brain washed with religion to sacrifice their life, so they can be with "40 virgins" when they die. The sad part is that their getting trained to kill innocent people for no particular reason. In some countries kids as young as three years old already learning about God and religion. I think that's a little too much. Religion is important, but it shouldn't be forced upon people especially young kids.

To make things a little less stressful i found this video that talks about religion. It's a funny video with some points about religion that actually makes sense. Hope you enjoy it.



Comments are welcome.

Thank you for reading

-Andrei

Is gay the new black?

After watching Geoff's Keith Olbermann's post and reflecting on yesterday's inauguration (including invocation by Rick Warren), I thought perhaps it was worth revisiting this question. It seemed to circulate particularly vigorously after last November's election (especially in regards to the vote on California's Proposition 8 which essentially overturned legal gay marriage by amending the State Constitution to prohibit it). I recommend This story, by Michael Joseph Gross, which ran in The Advocate on November 16th. It explains some interesting similarities and differences between the civil rights fight of African Americans and gay people.

But once we start talking about marriage (straight, gay or otherwise), we venture in the territory of the secular and the sacred in numerous ways. How do we define and explain the institution of marriage in contemporary American culture? Is it a social contract, a spiritual contract, a personally defined contract, or something else? Why can the same Scripture be applied to these questions, yet result in such divergent answers? As we explore questions such as these during the semester, I suggest we all read this piece entitled "Our Mutual Joy" by Lisa Miller, which appeared in the December 15, 2008 issue of Newsweek. Meanwhile, I encourage you to think about and comment on your views regarding marriage today--and how you see the face of marriage in the future . . .

Test Post

I am very excited about taking this class, religion is an interesting subject with much to talk about and debate.


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qB8fPJ6zds8

Informal Post

Hello everyone!

My name is Michael Guerin. As a young child I was raised Catholic. My whole family is very Catholic, especially on my mother's side. The first fifteen or so years of my life I went to church on a weekly basis. Now I only go to church on Christmas and Easter. My family still goes to church just about every week, but ever since I hit high school me and my brother stopped going to church. The reason for this was because my parents stopped making me go to Church. I never liked going to church, and I never saw the point in it because I would just zone out for the hour I was there. Not to mention I don't believe in what they tell me and this is why I don't consider myself religious at all. I don't follow any religions. I do believe there is a god who created everything, I just don't believe a lot of what religion tells me. The reason I still go to church on those two days is that it is very important to my family. I plan on still going to church on those days with my family, but I won't go any other time, let alone every Sunday.

Mike Guerin

Informal Post

Hi!

I'm Matthew Milewski and I grew up Christian. I went to Sunday School pretty much every Sunday until some point in high-school. I also attended a Youth Group every Friday and participated in weekend trips. As I became older I started to realize a lot of things about religion that were not very apparent to me in previous years.  Things my parents turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to so they could continue their faith with no questions asked. For me the concept of religion is not troubling, it the faces that sit behind it. Our world needs religion, however religion has become such a lifestyle to many that life without it, or lived without the practice of a particular religion, seems very odd to many. When it becomes a scenario like that of a high school cafeteria where everyone is sitting within there own identified cliques talking smack about people at other tables that's when the food fight starts. When things get ridiculous in real life, people get mocked, shunned, peer pressured, and even killed over something as controversial as who's God really exists. I'm not saying there is no God or believing in God is not viable. When people act like idiots because something going on in the world contradicts their beliefs that are written in some ancient text that who really knows who wrote it. I believe religion is a way to pacify the masses, and that's not a bad thing. I guess it just depends on whether or not you believe. 

I'm neither for or against it, I guess I'm a sort of skeptic.  

I think there is some sort of a higher being or knowledge, I just don't think he's very happy that his son has become a marketing ploy for religious faith. 

Matt         

Informal post

Hello, my name is Cory Tefft. I was raised protestant as a kid but never really followed the religion to a great extent. Throughout different times and difficulties my faith has had its ups and downs. I'm unsure how much I understand my own faith and what I truely believe. The one thing I am sure of is that I like to believe there is some greater power watching over us and I hope there is a heaven of some sort after death. I believe that religion around the world has caused violence and death when practiced to an unreasonable extent. I look forward to this class and the ideas that will be discussed.

Cory Tefft

Informal post

I found the Madonna videos to be extremely interesting and tell you a lot about our society.  I think that these videos prove how things can be looked at and seen so differently.  When Madonna made her own music video, I am sure she did not think it was going to be so controversial and end up terminating her contract with Pepsi.  This reminds me of the PSP ad we looked at in Aesthetic Expressions last semester and the different views people had on the ad and how the ad was seen.  I think things in the media like this show a lot about our culture and our views and I have realized they are pretty important things to pay close attention to.

First Post: Religion and its Negativity

The exposure to religion I've received throughout my life is what I've seen in the world, and what my parents have exposed to me at a young age. My father was born Jewish, his family followed adamantly to the religion, however he considers himself an atheist. My mother was adopted as an infant into a semi-strict catholic family. My father practiced his religion when he was younger as requested by his parents, just as my mother practiced catholicism when she was younger, however they both strayed away from their religions as they got older and continued in their family and professional lives, eventually meeting someday. Infrequently my mother would think in a catholic mindset, around the religious holidays or during a time of loss. While my father still stands on a void of religious faith.
As I've grown, I thought I was religious, but I never really was. I found out later I was just going along with what I thought my parents believed in; and that was my mothers religion. I thought I should believe the same because I celebrated Christmas, and was baptized too. I thought I had it all figured out. But then, I'm not sure when, sometime during high school when I developed a brain perhaps, I created my own personal views on religion. Which coincides with my fathers, simply remaining agnostic/atheistic.
This life-long new belief stemmed from all the negativity associated with religious practice around the world, which I detest. The violence, killings, disputes, arguments, wars, swayed beliefs, and any other ways to describe the negatives from the religious realm captivates my distaste of it. It's hard to believe in my mind that so many people apply their lives and beliefs to a circle, that to me doesn't seem worthy. It could be that my mind perceives life and the world in a highly logical and scientific viewpoint, and therefore cannot accept religion as a means of thought. I consider myself to spiritual at times, but not religious as I don't practice any segment of it, nor profess any devotion or commitment to any other exterior realm outside of my own mind and perception. I just think this way because my brain thinks this way, logically, and because I was brought up to think what I want for myself. Also mainly because the negative impacts that religion inflicts on the world as a whole, which to me is not worth nor equate the good it inflicts. Spirituality, friends/family, and one's own mindset, thoughts, and beliefs can suffice for me at least, the position for religion.
I don't hate on any religious supporter, if that's something that works for you, and is something thats beneficial in your life, then by all means do what you need to do. It just doesn't prove to be anything positive or necessary in my life, as I also see it as creating more harm than good in the world anyway.

First Post- Steve Craig

Hey everyone,

I want to start off by saying I have never been a huge fan of religion. Nothing frustrates me more than the history of religion and how many questions it leaves unanswered, but despite all of that my parents brought me up as a congregationalist. Although I have been going to church my entire life, I stopped once I reached college because I just didn't know what I believed. Since then, the church my family has been going to for generations has closed, and now my parents are Unitarian Universalists, which if nothing else as reinforced my beliefs that you just never know for sure what you believe in, and are never too old to change your views on the world.

I look forward to this class, and I feel that there will be a lot of interesting discussions, and I hope we watch Dogma at some point.

first blog post

Growing up my parents were very religious, they raised my brother and I Jewish and made us go to hebrew school twice a week plus Sunday services. I had a bar mitzvah in 6^th grade and continued to go to Hebrew school until my junior year in high school. Since I grew up with religion constantly in my life I still do follow the Jewish religion today. Religion is not the most important thing in my life but does play a role in who, I am as a person. I am interested to learn about other religions besides Judaism and finding similarities and differences between other religions. 

Reevaluating My Own Faith

In my own life I have experienced both a religious overtone and secular ones as well. From the young age of three I was put into a catholic school (pre-k at that point) and for the next nine years of my life I was educated in a religious setting.

Then came middle school.

I was surrounded by the idea of a public school system where religion was considered a taboo subject unless all religions were given equal time and none were forced on anyone else in any remote way. There was swearing, bad behavior, and sub par standards in academics. This atmosphere did not improve much as I continued through high school.

I attended CCD instructions with the public school kids who said that I "should be in religion excel". The CCD classes were boring. I had learned all of the values they were teaching along with all the excersises in 3rd or 4th grade. At the time, I seemed to have a better sense of morals than the rest of my fellow classmates.

After I was confirmed, I continued going to church every week with my family. But I felt more and more distant each week that went by. I was becoming more secular in my thinking. I realized that there were other ideas of morals and beliefs that were legitimate. By the time I was in college, I had stopped going to church altogether.

At this point in my life I was confused about where I should go with my beliefs. So, I started to reevaluate my morals. I ended up revising a large chunk of beliefs that I have that my church may not.

Recently, I have returned to church. This time I am giving myself a way to feel more connected to it. I sing in the choir. I have felt as though my emotional and spiritual being is more attentive and is rewared during the masses I sing in.

Overall, I feel that my experience in both public and private schooling has provided me with a balence in my spiritual and worldly sides of myself. Due to this balence, I have been able to form my own moral code to live by and have a real genuine faith in.

Feel free to leave any and all comments!

First Post - Tyler Glaude

Hey everyone,

My name is Tyler Glaude. The course seems interesting to me personally after going to a private catholic school for my entire high school career. I was raised by my parents to be catholic, going to chuch and ccd class every sunday. But the more I learned throughout high school the less I felt connected to it. Oh well hope to learn some interesting things this semester. Look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Peace,
Tyler

Hey everyone it's Brian Kleiber,

My mother tried to raise me to grow up having a strong Catholic faith. Fortunately for me, I would say she failed about 90% with the remaining 10% going to me getting confirmed in 8th grade. I never really payed too much attention in CCD class and was more excited to eat the teacher's candy. I wouldn't call myself a Catholic today, but I still attend church on Christmas. Karma's always been my thing even before I knew what it was; you gotta give respect to get respect. Even though I spaced my way through religion class, I'd still say I absorbed a bit of knowledge along the way that I can hopefully contribute to this course. 

Bye

Dogma

Hello everyone, for those of you who don’t know me my name is Zack Morse. For my first post I was hoping to share a pop culture representation of the secular and the sacred. One of my favorite representations of both the secular and the sacred is the film Dogma. Written and directed by Kevin Smith this film takes a controversial look at religion, specifically the Catholic Church, and several other religious institutions. I was raised as a catholic like some others in our class and that meant going to church every Sunday and then going to Sunday school for the rest of the day. I stopped going to church sometime during middle school. The only time that I seem to go to church anymore is for a wedding and a funeral. Maybe my opinion will change after taking this course and maybe not; the only thing that I wish to gain is a greater understanding of organized religion.
Dogma. Dir. Kevin Smith. Perf. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Mewes, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek. Lions Gates Films. 1999.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jd_0ZChHmY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cKTmsBbE20

Informal Post - Evan Burrill

Hey guys, this is Evan Burrill,
I'm pretty interested in where this course is going to go. I was raised Catholic which meant going to church and CCD every Sunday as a kid. Even though I'm not that religious anymore, i still have a little knowledge about the Christian religion that i could apply to course work or discussions. But hopefully we'll be learning about different religions , I was never really educated about any of the other ones and want to know more about them.

Hey everyone Dan Chrobak,
I grew up in private schools, some of which were Catholic. This has allowed me to study many different religions over the course of my High School career, although not into much depth. I am very interested to jump into this course and learn more about religion and how it's affected our Western traditions.

Take it easy,

Dan

Dan Porter First Blog

Hello everyone,
I thought I'd start off my first post with a taste of what's to come. Before I launch into any controversial discussion I thought it necessary that everyone know a little of my background.

I was raised without religion although both of my parents were raised Christian. We had many traditions like Christmas and Easter that were religious in origin, but secular in their practice.

I have never prayed.

I went to elementary and middle school in an area that could be described as "white suburbia." about 80% of my class could be described as "white protestant" and many of them went to the same Church. During this period I experienced much prejudice at the hands of the faithful, although this may well be held to the fact that middle-school kids are notoriously vicious when it comes to difference. As a result, I was bitterly against religion for most of high school until I gained several close friends who were devoutly religious and convinced me that not all Christians were as narrow-minded as my schoolyard tormentors.

Towards the end of high school and beginning of college I began to look more critically at the idea of religion and its influences. I proclaimed myself agnostic with the following reasoning:
1) There is no sufficient proof or disproof for God.
2) There is no sufficient indication of God. (Something that has been proven to occur and is proven to be unexplainable by science or any other school of thought)
3) Since there are thousands of theological views and no proof to indicate that one or more is true (or even more accurate than another), I cannot reasonably think or act on any religious teaching or belief.
4) Barring the "sacred," I have since turned to a wholly secular morality. Essentially a more complex view of the golden rule, I try not to engage in actions that do harm to others (I may elaborate more on this form of morality later, as it may require several pages to fully explain).

Because the stability of society requires one to follow rules (even if one does not believe them to be "right"), I have not engaged in many of the activities I might in a void of Judeo-Christian law (on which our society is founded). Despite behaving in a way that is by most standards totally acceptable in our society, my beliefs in what is right and wrong would be considered radical by many.

To prepare the class for the types of commentary I might engage in later in the semester, I thought it necessary to explain that nothing is wrong in my morality unless there is a secular basis for it. That is to say that no religious or societal tradition has bearing on what I believe is right or wrong. This is not to say that I do not practice societal tradition, just that I don't believe that all of our laws and values have an objective moral basis (if such a thing even exists).

Here are some examples of my beliefs, however radical, within the realm of what might be considered "wrong" or "deviant" sexual actions (I chose the topic of sexuality since Geoff posted on Homosexual rights and because within the realm of psychology, sexual behavior is highly influenced by societal and religious influences):
1) Consensual sex is never wrong unless one party is not in the mental state to make a proper decision (by virtue of intoxication, age, developmental handicap, insanity, disease, or otherwise). As long as neither party was harmed (physically or mentally) in the encounter (or in the case of S&M, neither party was hurt physically more than they so desired), no form of sex, including homosexuality is wrong.
2) Polygamy is not morally wrong, provided that all parties are in consent. Some may argue with this on the basis that in many instances in history, this practice was only used when women were considered property or as a sign of status. This argument is fallacious in the same way that citing Russian communism to disprove Marxist ideals is false. While in the past polygamy has been practiced in ways that are degrading or socially harmful to women, there is no reason why it could not be practiced as a means of offering romantic or sexual freedom to those that would otherwise be "tied" to a single person. In my opinion it is possible to love two spouses equally the same way it is possible to love two parents or several children equally (although the type of love is different).
3) Along the same vein as the above, the concept of "cheating" on a spouse or lover is not inherently wrong unless doing so would conflict with a previously stated agreement not to have relations outside the couple. "Cheating" only does harm if there was a pre-existing expectation of a monogamous relationship; what we might have called "going steady" in grade school. However, in our society, this expectation is the rule, not the exception. Thus, in order for a person in a relationship to seek romance outside of the pair, they must first clear it with their partner. If both parties understand the ground rules, there is nothing inherently wrong with an open relationship.

I believe that the concepts outlined above are only considered wrong in our society because of its religious tradition. In other cultures, these ideas might not seem at all radical. For instance homosexuality was much more acceptable in ancient Rome, polygamy is accepted in many tribal cultures, and open yet still long-term relationships can still exist healthily (for example exploratory wife-swapping among close friends).

These things are accepted by some in our society and frowned upon by others. Some people who I have debated these things with over the years have made comments like "I don't know why, but its just wrong" by which I conclude that the Judeo-Christian tradition is so entrenched in our society that even the non-religious still uphold a similar value system.

I open the debate for people to discuss this:
Which, if any, parts of your morality are secular but may have sprung from the Judeo-Christian tradition?

Cheers,
-Dan

First Blog - Shrine Making

Hey all - Heather here!
The first thought that came to my mind when I signed up for this core class was the fact that I know very little about religion. I grew up in a non-practicing Christian household, but from my early teen years and especially after my parents divorce, my dad worked to instill in me Native American beliefs he was raised on, so my view of spirituality is pretty different than most. That being said, I'm most looking forward to the shrine project we are going to have, and although we haven't gotten the assignment yet, I've already been struggling with what to do for mine.

While perusing the internet, I happened across this neat site on shrine making. (http://gomakesomething.com/ht/shrines/shrine-making/) I thought I'd post it in case other people struggle with the prokect. For those who don't have the time to read it, the most interesting notion I pulled from it was:

"a shrine is a self-contained expression of a single thought or theme".

Hopefully it will be useful for some during our project!

~Heather Ryder~

The Creation Museum

Hey everyone, this is Dan Merrill. 

The Economist article In God's Name wrote, "from a secularist point of view, the wrong sorts of religion are flourishing, and in the wrong places. In general, it is the tougher versions of religion that are doing best--the sort that claim Adam and Eve met 6,003 years ago" (See Course Readings).

In the light of that statement, I thought I'd include this video of a group of atheists visiting the Creation Museum in Kentucky:

SAIU trip to the Creation Museum from Secular Alliance on Vimeo.

If you're interested in seeing more, here's a collection of a hundred photos from inside the museum, along with snarky commentary.

Creationist John Morris has praised the museum, saying it will validate the concerns and doubts many people have about science and evolution. "Americans just aren't gullible enough to believe that they came from a fish," he said, according to the Associated Press. It's much more rational to believe that humans used to live alongside dragons and dinosaurs, apparently.

The Creation Museum is a wonderful example of why it's dangerous to believe in the infallibility of something, whether it's a book of scripture or a revered leader. If you start with the premise that everything in the Bible is perfectly true, and that the Biblical God is perfect in every way, you tend to refrain from thinking critically about the material that's presented to you. Instead you resort to spinning and skewing facts and logic and reason to conform to what comes from the infallible source. And you end up explaining why it was okay to fornicate with your sister back in the day and seeing nothing morally questionable about a God who would send a tidal wave to wipe out incurably wicked people like these young girls. And if you take it far enough, you may end up reaching these sorts of conclusions.

Formal Blog Post Instructions

For your formal blog posts, you will be responsible for writing about the two specific weeks that you signed up for, plus a third week of your choosing. To do this, reflect on the week’s discussions and readings and think about what interests you or matters to you most. Then, create a post that will lead the class into a related conversation. In some respects, this assignment is pretty open. You have a lot of freedom to write about what you like. Feel free to bring in ideas from Core 240, last year’s Core courses, your professional studies, etc. What I do expect is that you show me well-explained complex connections that reveal how you see content presented in this class connecting to other people, events, and ideas.

Because this is both a blog post and an academic exercise, the following elements are REQUIRED and will be ASSESSED:

1. You must specifically spell out your own thinking about the course content and its connections to your post in clear language that can be understood by a public audience
2. You must refer to and cite course readings in your post, using at minimum the author’s last name.
3. You must include a link to the Course Readings post in our class blog so that outside readers can access the full citations in MLA format.
4. You must find and include link(s) to external web-based content (articles, web pages, blogs, videos, music, etc.) that illustrates and/or illuminates your ideas and fuels further conversation. In my experience, some of the best conversation starters come in the form of an embedded YouTube video.
5. You must provide a citation/description of your linked outside content and clearly explain how it connects to your ideas from class.
6. The writing in your post should be free from spelling and grammatical errors.

So, first off, hey there, name's Geoff.  I would like to bring two things to your attention today.  The first, is a video of Keith Olbermann speaking out on the passing of Prop. 8 in California.  Then, the second, is just a little something I found the other day, discuss.  Enjoy.

G

think about this, a genuine $1 bill is made by the U.S. Mint, and can't be made by anyone, or anything else.  God, in theory, could make an atom-for-atom copy of a one dollar bill, but it wouldn't be genuine being that it isn't made by the U.S. Mint.  Therefore, God is NOT omnipotent

First Blog Yarg

Hello everybody, my name is Jasmin and this is my first blog! Since this is just a kind of test I didn't want to make it long. I want to mention that I am from Bosnia, and that one of my parents is Muslim and the other is Orthodox. So i have an interesting perspective on religion. I never really choose between the two, but I've learned something from both. Thats all for now!

Madonna Pepsi Commercial

In 1989, Pepsi unveiled this advertisement, but only showed it once in the United States because Madonna's MTV video version was too controversial. Watching this led to some interesting discussion about the sacred and the secular in marketing decisions.

Labels

For the purposes of this class, it is critical and required that you use the "labels" feature to identify each post as your own. This will help the instructor quickly find your posts for assessment purposes. To do this, after typing in the post itself, add YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME to the labels box that appears just below the text box.

You should also use labels to add key words which will help other readers find your post if it relates to a topic they are interested in. Separate each label with a comma. When finished, go ahead and publish your post, but be sure to view your published work to be sure your full name appears in the right location on the blog. Notice that when viewing the blog, you can see a list of labels in alphabetical order on the right side of the screen. You can click on any label item (which might be an individual author's name) to pull up all the posts that have been so tagged.

Here is an example of what to type in the label box: Cyndi Brandenburg, instructions, labels, key words

Check out this post's labels to see how it looks.

Course Texts

Armstrong, Karen. A History of God. New York: Ballantine Books, 1994.

Brooks, Michael. "Born believers: How Your Brain creates God." New Scientist. February 4, 2009.

Davies, Norman. Europe: A History. New York: HarperPerennial, 1998.

Deresiewicz, William. "The End of Solitude." The Chronicle Review. January 30, 2009.

Fischer, David Hackett. Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Herbert, Wray. "Is Fraud Contagious?" Newseek Web Exclusive. March 12, 2009.

"In God's Name." The Economist. London: November 3, 2007.

Lewis, Anthony. "A New National Scripture." The New York Times. January 18, 2009.

Lilla, Mark. The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West. New York: Vintage Books, 2008.

Linden, David J. The Accidental Mind. Cambridge, MA: Belknap, 2007.

Mahler, Jonathan. "The Soul of the New Exurb." The New York Times. March 17, 2005.

McDannell, Colleen. Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.

Miller, Lisa. "Our Mutual Joy." Newsweek. December 15, 2008.

Smith, Kevin, Dir. Dogma. Perf. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. 1999. DVD.

"Stop in the Name . . ." The Economist. London: Novermber 3, 2007.

The Western World Philosophy. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008.

Wolfe, Alan. "Pew in the Pews." The Chronicle of Higher Education. Washington: March 21, 2008.

Wolfe, Alan. The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith. New York: Free Press, 2003.

Quick Help Links

If you need help posting, blogger can offer plenty of assistance. The general help page is found here. Information on how to post is located here. You can also find details on adding links or videos, and even directions on how to post a video from YouTube.

Welcome to the 2009 Class Blog for COR 230-05

Throughout this semester, our class studying the Secular and the Sacred will create blog posts that elaborate upon course content and connect to other materials through links to outside sources such as articles and videos. We will use these posts weekly as a launching point for in class discussions, so it is important that you create posts that you think are interesting and relevant.

Your blogging contribution will consist of a minimum of 3 formal posts (each worth 5%of your total class grade). You will sign up in class to post for two specific weeks during the semester. Your third post will occur whenever you decide, as long as it is completed prior to course week 13. Detailed instructions and requirements for the formal blog posts can be found here. Of course, you are welcome and encouraged to blog more frequently if you wish!

You will also be graded on your blog participation--this means the frequency and thoughtfulness with which you respond to other students' posts (using the comments feature) as well as completion of occasional informal assigned posts (such as your introduction post, which was due on Tuesday, January 20th). Your active participation in the blog is worth an additional 5% of your total class grade.


Although it is a required course component, I hope you will approach this blog as an opportunity to show your unique perspective on the material we read and discuss, to be creative, and to personalize what we are doing in class in a way that interests and excites you. Have fun, and remember, you are literally writing for the whole world to read!