The more I think about religion, and the more I learn about religion, I realize that there is no way of ever being sure of anything, except for what you believe in. Religion does not, in my opinion, shape your beliefs, but rather the other way around. There are thousands of different religions in this world, and no matter what you believe in, you can find a religion that you can associate yourself with, or find the followers to create your own. With that said, I do believe that Christianity is the most successful religion, but not because I personally follow it, or I feel it is right or wrong, but rather because it is the most vague. Christianity has left itself the most gray area, and therefore is much easier for people to associate with, because they can bend the rules and interpret the Bible to mean pretty much anything they want.
An example of just creating a religion to bend to your own beliefs is seen in this video on Eddie Izzard’s take on religion:
Monday, April 20, 2009
Can Prayer Heal?
Last class reminded me of a very important part of religion. Can the power of prayer heal, or does it at all relate to a person's health? A lot of people think prayer can heal us from any illness, especially the people that have witnessed or experienced a miracle first hand. Just because we can't explain medically, what happens all the time, does that mean if you are magically healed it was because the power of prayer healed you?
There have been many studies on this question. Duke University associate professor of medicine Dr. Harold Koenig has been studying if prayer and/or religion plays a key role in a person's health, or if it somehow relates miracle healing.
How can these studies be explained? Is it just the fact that people who are religious live healthier lives than people who don't practice any religion? Or does the power of prayer have some affect on these people? Some people who become magically healed believe prayer and/or god had some role to play in it.
Robert, for example, believes people's prayers healed his condition. Nothing medically can explain how this happened, but does that mean prayer had anything to do with it? Personally I don't believe prayer can help heal somebody. Just because we don't understand how someone magically heals doesn't mean prayer had anything to do with it.
Studies have shown that people with religion live longer though, how do we explain this. Well according to these studies religious people stress out a lot less often than people who don't practice religion. Stress definitely has a big impact on our health. So maybe religion plays a role in our overall health, but I don't think that means religion can give us miracles. We just can't explain the real reasons for these miraculous healings.
After all if we could explain everything in our world, would religion even exist?
Works Cited
Davis, Jeanie L. "Can Prayer Heal?" 26 Mar. 2004. WebMD. 20 Apr. 2009.
There have been many studies on this question. Duke University associate professor of medicine Dr. Harold Koenig has been studying if prayer and/or religion plays a key role in a person's health, or if it somehow relates miracle healing.
"They're less likely to smoke, to drink, to drink and drive," he says. In fact, people who pray tend to get sick less often, as separate studies conducted at Duke, Dartmouth, and Yale universities show. Some statistics from these studies:
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Hospitalized people who never attended church have an average stay of three times longer than people who attended regularly.
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Heart patients were 14 times more likely to die following surgery if they did not participate in a religion.
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Elderly people who never or rarely attended church had a stroke rate double that of people who attended regularly.
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In Israel, religious people had a 40% lower death rate from cardiovascular disease and cancer."
How can these studies be explained? Is it just the fact that people who are religious live healthier lives than people who don't practice any religion? Or does the power of prayer have some affect on these people? Some people who become magically healed believe prayer and/or god had some role to play in it.
Robert, for example, believes people's prayers healed his condition. Nothing medically can explain how this happened, but does that mean prayer had anything to do with it? Personally I don't believe prayer can help heal somebody. Just because we don't understand how someone magically heals doesn't mean prayer had anything to do with it.
Studies have shown that people with religion live longer though, how do we explain this. Well according to these studies religious people stress out a lot less often than people who don't practice religion. Stress definitely has a big impact on our health. So maybe religion plays a role in our overall health, but I don't think that means religion can give us miracles. We just can't explain the real reasons for these miraculous healings.
After all if we could explain everything in our world, would religion even exist?
Works Cited
Davis, Jeanie L. "Can Prayer Heal?" 26 Mar. 2004. WebMD. 20 Apr. 2009
Is Religion Really A Bad Thing? A Response to "The Real Scandel of Religion"
Rather than simply commenting on Jasmine's blog post, I felt that what I had to say would be large enough to create a separate post entirely.
" 'It is very difficult to understand how those who worship a man on a cross could help to drive the bloody nails themselves.' - Copyright 2009, Washington Post Writers Group
The article basically talks about how many religious people are able to commit terrible murders, and yet they are people of god. And it doesn’t just talk about terrible crimes like what Hitler did; it also talks about how religious people do things like save themselves instead of helping others."
There is one major flaw that I see in the argument that it is difficult to understand why religious people commit such violent acts and are still people of God. If you remember Dan Merrill's post about the myth of pure evil, you should see that it's obvious that these religious fanatics are not seeing their acts as unjustified. They see their acts as the right thing to do. They are deluded into thinking they are acting for the greater good.
"Moral Idealism
- Good vs. Evil (your violence is a means to a moral end)
- The ends justify the means"
Now you may be thinking, "so religion is the cause of these people thinking this way and acting violently" to which I say that there are always people who take something good and twist it around. Medicine is a good example. Take the technology that is being used to treat patients. Drugs. These drugs that are good in the right cases can be misused. Governments can use the chemicals during wars as attacks on enemy soldiers or civilians.
"I realize that most people that do commit crimes or murder people are religious to begin with. It also makes me wonder, is religion really necessary on this planet? I’m sure we could live without it."
Religion has caused some people to commit acts of violence, this is true. Hindsight is twenty-twenty as the saying goes. But don't let the violence get in the way of looking at the good things religion has done. It has given countless people new directions in their lives when their current paths may have led to destruction or violence. So before you go and say your sure that we could live without religion, think about the good things religion has done. Not only that, think about human nature and the way the brain usually works.
The brain makes up stories. Many believe this is the reason why man has created a God or gods and other spiritual stories. Would it really make sense to try and fight the natural tendency of the brain to come up with explanations? There are many stories of religion giving people hope to live or peace with the idea of passing on. Would you think to take away a pleasant thought from a dying man or woman? I believe that religion is not only necessary in this world, but I think that it is only human nature to want to believe in something bigger than we are. Think about it. If you were bedridden in a hospital bed and the doctor came in and gave you 2 months to live due to an incurable disease, what would be more comforting. The idea that you are about to die...and that's it? Or the idea that you are about to die, but you at least have something to look forward to? Not all is lost.
I guess the question that I have this week is: Would rather know that you'll be dead in the ground, or believe that there may be some kind of existence after death?
" 'It is very difficult to understand how those who worship a man on a cross could help to drive the bloody nails themselves.' - Copyright 2009, Washington Post Writers Group
The article basically talks about how many religious people are able to commit terrible murders, and yet they are people of god. And it doesn’t just talk about terrible crimes like what Hitler did; it also talks about how religious people do things like save themselves instead of helping others."
There is one major flaw that I see in the argument that it is difficult to understand why religious people commit such violent acts and are still people of God. If you remember Dan Merrill's post about the myth of pure evil, you should see that it's obvious that these religious fanatics are not seeing their acts as unjustified. They see their acts as the right thing to do. They are deluded into thinking they are acting for the greater good.
"Moral Idealism
- Good vs. Evil (your violence is a means to a moral end)
- The ends justify the means"
Now you may be thinking, "so religion is the cause of these people thinking this way and acting violently" to which I say that there are always people who take something good and twist it around. Medicine is a good example. Take the technology that is being used to treat patients. Drugs. These drugs that are good in the right cases can be misused. Governments can use the chemicals during wars as attacks on enemy soldiers or civilians.
"I realize that most people that do commit crimes or murder people are religious to begin with. It also makes me wonder, is religion really necessary on this planet? I’m sure we could live without it."
Religion has caused some people to commit acts of violence, this is true. Hindsight is twenty-twenty as the saying goes. But don't let the violence get in the way of looking at the good things religion has done. It has given countless people new directions in their lives when their current paths may have led to destruction or violence. So before you go and say your sure that we could live without religion, think about the good things religion has done. Not only that, think about human nature and the way the brain usually works.
The brain makes up stories. Many believe this is the reason why man has created a God or gods and other spiritual stories. Would it really make sense to try and fight the natural tendency of the brain to come up with explanations? There are many stories of religion giving people hope to live or peace with the idea of passing on. Would you think to take away a pleasant thought from a dying man or woman? I believe that religion is not only necessary in this world, but I think that it is only human nature to want to believe in something bigger than we are. Think about it. If you were bedridden in a hospital bed and the doctor came in and gave you 2 months to live due to an incurable disease, what would be more comforting. The idea that you are about to die...and that's it? Or the idea that you are about to die, but you at least have something to look forward to? Not all is lost.
I guess the question that I have this week is: Would rather know that you'll be dead in the ground, or believe that there may be some kind of existence after death?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Rise in Divorce Rates
For my third and final blog post I decided to talk about my powerpoint project and the topic of Divorce. This topic relates to a lot of what we have been talking about throughout the entire semester. We have been discussing how religion has become less and less important to our society and how it is viewed differently now than it was in the past. Divorce falls into the same category. From my research, I discovered that divorce was unheard of 100 years ago and it was something that hardly anyone ever did. During this time period religion played an important role in people's lives. In one article titled, "Catholic Conceptions of Faith: A Generational Analysis" the author discusses how children during this time grew up being taught that the Catholic Church was the "one true church".
These children were raised in Catholic schools with priests and nuns who taught them by the bible. The bible states, . Divorce is prohibited if the husband accuses his wife of not being a virgin (Deuteronomy 22: 13-15), Divorce is treacherous behavior (Melachi 2:14), God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). As well as, Separation is allowed but not divorce (Matthew 19:9), and No divorce on any grounds (Luke 16:18). Which is why the divorce rates were so low during that time.
Now, divorce rates are the highest ever and one study shows that 50% of marriages will end in divorce. "One of the reasons why the material dimension of American religious life is not taken seriously is because of how we describe the nature of religion. A dichotomy has been established between the sacred and the profane, spirit and matter, piety and commerce that constrains our ability to understand how religion works in the real world" (McDannell). A lot of the reasons for the rise in divorce rates is because of the lack of religious values. Our society has stopped putting such an emphasis on religion and religious values.
Works Cited
McDannell, Colleen. Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
Robinson, B. "Divorce and Remarriage." Religious Tolerance. 5 Feb. 2006. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 7 Apr. 2009.
Williams, Andrea. "Catholic Conceptions of Faith: A Generational Analysis." Sociology of Religion 57 (1996): 273-89. JSTOR. Champlain College, Burlington. 5 Apr. 2009.
These children were raised in Catholic schools with priests and nuns who taught them by the bible. The bible states, . Divorce is prohibited if the husband accuses his wife of not being a virgin (Deuteronomy 22: 13-15), Divorce is treacherous behavior (Melachi 2:14), God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). As well as, Separation is allowed but not divorce (Matthew 19:9), and No divorce on any grounds (Luke 16:18). Which is why the divorce rates were so low during that time.
Now, divorce rates are the highest ever and one study shows that 50% of marriages will end in divorce. "One of the reasons why the material dimension of American religious life is not taken seriously is because of how we describe the nature of religion. A dichotomy has been established between the sacred and the profane, spirit and matter, piety and commerce that constrains our ability to understand how religion works in the real world" (McDannell). A lot of the reasons for the rise in divorce rates is because of the lack of religious values. Our society has stopped putting such an emphasis on religion and religious values.
Works Cited
McDannell, Colleen. Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
Robinson, B. "Divorce and Remarriage." Religious Tolerance. 5 Feb. 2006. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 7 Apr. 2009
Williams, Andrea. "Catholic Conceptions of Faith: A Generational Analysis." Sociology of Religion 57 (1996): 273-89. JSTOR. Champlain College, Burlington. 5 Apr. 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Golf and God
Golf has been an enormous part of my life; it has helped make me the person who I am today. Over the years I have learned many life lessons and other valuable pieces of information while on the course. Growing up my parents raised me to be Jewish; we went to temple twice a week until I was a junior in high school and had a bar mitzvah. My parents really pushed religion on both my brother and I, if we did anything wrong my mom would say it’s because we’re not religious enough. Events like these pushed me away from religion and my belief in god, until I step on the golf course.
Many golfers pray to a higher being or the “golf gods” for wisdom and guidance on the course. The majority like myself is not super religious off the course, but there’s something about the game of golf that drives people crazy enough to pray and worship the gods. In the Michael Brooks article Born Believers: How your brain creates god, he discusses why people believe in god. After looking at his article I thought of myself on the golf course and thought about why certain events take place. I can remember countless times where I have hit perfect shots but something out of the ordinary will occur like a ball ending up hitting a shovel that was left behind or having an animal come move a ball or even just how the wind will pick up whiel my ball is in the air.
Over the years the connection between golf and religion has been made and many people have commented over the situation:
"The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course." - Billy Graham (Guru)
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, and some on the golf course." - Adlai Stevenson (Guru)
"If you're caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightening, hold up a one iron. Not even God can hit a one-iron." - Lee Trevino (Guru)
"If I'm on the golf course and lightening starts, I get inside fast. If God wants to play through, I let him." - Bob Hope (Guru)
"I never pray to God to make a putt. I pray to God to help me react good if I miss a putt." - Chi Chi Rodriguez (Guru)
"If you call on God to improve the results of a shot while it is still in motion, you are using an 'outside agency' and subject to appropriate penalties under the rules of golf." - Henry Longhurst(Guru)
Works Cited:
Guru, The Golf. "Golf and Religion: Quotes on God and Golf." HubPages. 14 Apr. 2009
Brooks, Michael. "Born believers: How Your Brain creates God."New Scientist. February 4, 2009.
Teens and Religion
While I was reading through the last chapter of Material Christianity I was caught by one small section that talked about teens and their faith.
"Teenagers can wear T-shirts to witness to Christianity's importance in their lives even if they can only awkwardly articulate their feelings."
This caught me because I was one of those teens not too long ago. I can remember participating in church, sunday school classes, and youth groups with the church. I was a heavily committed in the Christian faith, I knew that for some reason it was important for me to follow the religion. I guess you could say that the promise of eternal life, free donuts after service, and happy parents played a large role in why I continued to follow God. It seems that I was not the only one just trying to please my parents, according to the National Study of Youth and Religion ,"religion really does matter to teens". In a study 71% of teens in a telephone survey said that they were in some degree close to god. One thing I can remember is Soul Fest. Its a Contemporary Christian music festival that spans over 4 or 5 days. Hundreds of people flock to this event annually every summer. The music spans just about any genre you can think of. The popularization of this music is what kept helped me keep my faith, even some of my non-Christian friends thought the music was enjoyable. By this point I was so into the religion that my faith was mostly built out of the faith of others. I was only 15 years old and I didn't want to pick up the bible and structure my faith out of words I could barely understand, I could just go on with my parents knowledge, my popular Christian music, and my friends at church who barely conversed amongst one another about anything religious. It was easy to be Christian, wait, it was easy to be labeled a Christian and provide no explaination. And even easier if you had a "Jesus is My Homeboy" t-shirt. My question to you is, if religion wasn't stressed by older generations to the youth do you think its popular culture would exist?
Works Cited
McDannell, Colleen. Material Christianity Religion and Popular Culture in America. New York: Yale UP, 1998.
"Study: Teens serious about religion - U.S. news- msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- msnbc.com. 17 Apr. 2009 .
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Religion and the Economy a la Steve Colbert
Here is an interesting and entertaining clip that highlights some of the connections between the Secular and the Sacred and Capitalism and Democracy.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Turning to Religion - Jim Martin | ||||
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