So, this whole year we’ve been talking about the major religions like Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Native American beliefs, Buddhism, Hinduism, and a bunch of other ones. But what about Googlism? The Invisible Pink Unicorn? And Pastafarianism? Some of you may be aware of these unheard “parody” religions, but I wanted to look into them a little closer. Most of the religions poke fun at the established religions today like Christianity, but surprisingly they have pretty good points and theories that are just as “correct/ridiculous” as the religions of today.
Googlism is one of my favorites because it outs a few things into perspective This is on the main web page of The Church of Google (which is not affiliated with the actual Google Company of course).
“We at the Church of Google believe the search engine Google is the closest humankind has ever come to directly experiencing an actual God (as typically defined). We believe there is much more evidence in favour of Google's divinity than there is for the divinity of other more traditional gods.”
I took a moment and thought about that quote. To me, that statement seems pretty accurate, especially in these modern times.I look more to google than to God to figure out my problems. I looked further into the website and found they created the “9 Proofs” that show how close Google is to a modern god. A few examples of them are “Google is all knowing, Google is everywhere, and Google answers prayers.” Sound familiar? This is just like the Christian's (or any other major religion's) God, just Google can’t smite you if you do something it doesn’t like. This actually sounds like a pretty good religion to me now that I think of it.
Another one I found pretty intriguing was the Invisible Pink unicorn. According to the belief as explained by Steve Eley:
"The Invisible Pink Unicorns is a being of great spiritual power. We know this because she is capable of being invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorn is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that she is pink; we logically know that she is invisible because we can't see her."
It looks silly what the above statement says, but that statement is pretty much based off of any religion out there today. You can’t see a god because he/she/it is invisible, but you can’t prove it doesn’t exist because it isn't visible. Of course these religions aren’t practiced as vigorously as modern religions (at least I don’t think) but they are there just to show that there are some foolish and silly ideas and beliefs of those religions.
Here are a few Parody religions/beliefs if you’re interested:
The Church of Google
The Invisible Pink Unicorn
Pastafarianism (Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster)
Last Thursdayism
Russels Teapot
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Media, Morality and Religion
A topic that I have focused a lot on this semester throughout the readings in this course and that of Capitalism and Democracy is that of the media and its similarities to religion and its corresponding role in affecting morality. Essentially, the technology change in the past decade alone has allowed for a huge increase in the availability of the media essentially-everywhere. We as a society are not so dependent on our cellphones and I-phones, I-pods and X-box's that maybe these new devices are the futures bible. Are our children going to grow up learning morals and ethics essentially handed down throughout generations of Christians in our nation from the bible like its been? I dont think so.
It is truly scary to think about the next generation and the advent affect technology and the media's increasing availability will have on them. I find myself as many of my peers would I believe in the middle, not too old that it takes me 5 min. to send a one word txt, not too young to be liking the crazy new video game systems and games that come with them now. I'm not saying I know exactly where I fit into the generation graph but I do know I'm in the middle of a serious change in how one generation to the next finds itself nurtured by the media. Personally, Im terrified...
Sacred and Secular, symbolic or stupid, satisfied or sadened. I think that one thing I have taken away from this class, and one thing I hope the next generation takes away from the media is that there are always in betweens, everything is always relative, no one is ever truly "right" or "wrong" in an ethical or moral stand point because no one can judge that. There will always be different ways to obtain common ethics and morals known as "good" to a society, and there will always be ways that are viewed as "bad". There will always be parts of the media that corrupt, and parts that triumph in doing good, sharing knowledge and spreading information. Whatever happens happens is the long run in the grand scheme of things, be here now. om.
It is truly scary to think about the next generation and the advent affect technology and the media's increasing availability will have on them. I find myself as many of my peers would I believe in the middle, not too old that it takes me 5 min. to send a one word txt, not too young to be liking the crazy new video game systems and games that come with them now. I'm not saying I know exactly where I fit into the generation graph but I do know I'm in the middle of a serious change in how one generation to the next finds itself nurtured by the media. Personally, Im terrified...
Sacred and Secular, symbolic or stupid, satisfied or sadened. I think that one thing I have taken away from this class, and one thing I hope the next generation takes away from the media is that there are always in betweens, everything is always relative, no one is ever truly "right" or "wrong" in an ethical or moral stand point because no one can judge that. There will always be different ways to obtain common ethics and morals known as "good" to a society, and there will always be ways that are viewed as "bad". There will always be parts of the media that corrupt, and parts that triumph in doing good, sharing knowledge and spreading information. Whatever happens happens is the long run in the grand scheme of things, be here now. om.
Religion and Moral Development
I wanted to share with all of you this theory I came up with while doing the most recent homework assignment (overview of each section of the course).
At some point in the discussion we have mentioned whether or not religion promotes morality or not. As Wolfe claims, "Both morality and religion are far too dynamic for any one-to-one relationship between them to remain stable for any long period of time" (Wolfe 128).
I believe that religion does serve a purpose in spreading morality. Specifically, religion gives a motivation for people who are not yet developed enough to do good for the sake of doing good. This is not to say that religion is only for such people, but that it does provide alternative motivations for obeying moral law. My justification for this stance is as follows:
Lawrence Kohlberg outlined six stages of moral development (check this link):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development
Basically broken down into:
Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)
1. Obedience and punishment orientation
(How can I avoid punishment?)
2. Self-interest orientation
(What's in it for me?)
Level 2 (Conventional)
3. Interpersonal accord and conformity
(Social norms)
(The good boy/good girl attitude)
4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation
(Law and order morality)
Level 3 (Post-Conventional)
5. Social contract orientation
6. Universal ethical principles
(Principled conscience)
A person with stage 4,5, or 6 morality will attempt to seek morality in order to maintain social order, maintain a social contract, or because their sense of universal morality guides them to (respectively). Obviously, nothing about religion is prohibitive of these stages and there is nothing about reaching these stages that would inherently drive a person away from religion.
However, for those majority of the populous who fall into stages 1, 2, or 3 of moral development, religion offers reasons to act within a set of moral boundaries that a person with that level of morality would be unlikely to develop autonomously.
For those at stage 1: "Do what is right or God(s) will punish you!" There is no escaping His (or their) judgement, so the "its only wrong if I get caught" mentality of the Stage 1 person does not apply.
For those at stage 2: "What's in it for you? Salvation! When you die (which is inevitable) you will go to a wonderful place as long as you follow all of the rules right now."
For those at stage 3: "Why should you do it? Because everyone else in the community/society do also." Even if you are on the lower end of the moral totem pole you can still hold yourself up by mimic-ing the superior moral behavior outlined by a figurehead such as Christ, Buddha, or other religious figure.
Thus, I believe that religion can serve as a powerful motivating force for the portions of the population that have not yet developed higher level morality.
Once again I must stress that this does not indicate that religious people are somehow lagged in moral development or anything of the sort. I just wanted to provide a potential explanation for how religion can assist in spreading morality to those who might not otherwise have found it.
For course readings click here:http://secularsacred05.blogspot.com/search/label/course%20texts
At some point in the discussion we have mentioned whether or not religion promotes morality or not. As Wolfe claims, "Both morality and religion are far too dynamic for any one-to-one relationship between them to remain stable for any long period of time" (Wolfe 128).
I believe that religion does serve a purpose in spreading morality. Specifically, religion gives a motivation for people who are not yet developed enough to do good for the sake of doing good. This is not to say that religion is only for such people, but that it does provide alternative motivations for obeying moral law. My justification for this stance is as follows:
Lawrence Kohlberg outlined six stages of moral development (check this link):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development
Basically broken down into:
Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)
1. Obedience and punishment orientation
(How can I avoid punishment?)
2. Self-interest orientation
(What's in it for me?)
Level 2 (Conventional)
3. Interpersonal accord and conformity
(Social norms)
(The good boy/good girl attitude)
4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation
(Law and order morality)
Level 3 (Post-Conventional)
5. Social contract orientation
6. Universal ethical principles
(Principled conscience)
A person with stage 4,5, or 6 morality will attempt to seek morality in order to maintain social order, maintain a social contract, or because their sense of universal morality guides them to (respectively). Obviously, nothing about religion is prohibitive of these stages and there is nothing about reaching these stages that would inherently drive a person away from religion.
However, for those majority of the populous who fall into stages 1, 2, or 3 of moral development, religion offers reasons to act within a set of moral boundaries that a person with that level of morality would be unlikely to develop autonomously.
For those at stage 1: "Do what is right or God(s) will punish you!" There is no escaping His (or their) judgement, so the "its only wrong if I get caught" mentality of the Stage 1 person does not apply.
For those at stage 2: "What's in it for you? Salvation! When you die (which is inevitable) you will go to a wonderful place as long as you follow all of the rules right now."
For those at stage 3: "Why should you do it? Because everyone else in the community/society do also." Even if you are on the lower end of the moral totem pole you can still hold yourself up by mimic-ing the superior moral behavior outlined by a figurehead such as Christ, Buddha, or other religious figure.
Thus, I believe that religion can serve as a powerful motivating force for the portions of the population that have not yet developed higher level morality.
Once again I must stress that this does not indicate that religious people are somehow lagged in moral development or anything of the sort. I just wanted to provide a potential explanation for how religion can assist in spreading morality to those who might not otherwise have found it.
For course readings click here:http://secularsacred05.blogspot.com/search/label/course%20texts
Religion & Christian Capitalism in the US
In light of my previous post, looking at religious spikes in times of woe, and a way to tie these two core courses together here at the end of the semester, the role of capitalism and religion together was on my mind. It's a funny thought that when times are tough, people generally flock to religion when the money goes. However ironically, religion in modern America is deeply ingrained within the capitalist system, focusing a great attention on spending tremendous amounts of money on mainstream material religion, on worthless products for the masses. This consumerist segment of religion stems from commercialism and material culture.
Religion in America alone is greatly part of material culture, marketing products and unfortunately beliefs. Religion is a large profit source in this country, serving to be greatly entwined within the capitalist framework we base our country on. They both work together with this notion of religion and capitalism comprising hand in hand. Also this country bases huge values on religion, and bases its economic foundation on a capitalist system, therefore two huge entities running a country side by side, coincide together to create one material American culture of religious capitalists, to speak very generally.
To further describe this notion that religion integrates well with a capitalist society, Colleen Mcdannell in her text, "Material Christianity" highlights the close interrelation between the two. She states,
"Christian retailing - the selling of Christian goods and services to a buyer for personal or household use - is a significant aspect of contemporary religious life in America. During the early 1990s, the sales of Christian products in bookstores exceeded $3 billion annually!"
The success of the Christian retailing market is undeniable, as religion is fueled by capitalism's framework. Using Christian retailing specifically material Christianity, religion creates a specific culture in America. This culture is a result of the capitalistic system in place governing and working with religion, allowing a place for it. If $3 billion a year doesn't correlate a religious money making market within a strong capitalist structure than I don't know what would!
McDannell continues, "By buying and displaying Christian art in their homes, giving gifts with biblical sayings, or wearing T-shirts, conservative Protestants translate their beliefs into visible messages." This transformation of belief to material items, creates a religious culture based on buying and selling, within a capital driven political system. This notion clearly links the two realms of religion and capitalism, finding a common place between the two in our American society.
For some external input, I found another blog from about.com relating to someones strong atheistic views on materialism in religion, specifically in Christianity in regards to Christmas and other commercialism. The blog is quoted,
"...inherent tension between the evangelical right and the corporate right, both of whom try to live together within the GOP. Pure market capitalism does not respect traditions or religion. Capitalism doesn't care. The market doesn't care. All that matters is how to make the best profit possible from selling to the public" (Cline).
With this is mind, pure capitalism feeds of markets, and the massive market that religion offers is able to provide the economic framework a lot of revenue. Capitalism in our country thrives with religion's markets, and religion thrives more so with the help of a profit driven economic system behind it. Separation of church and state doesn't matter when money is involved, especially when its benefiting the system itself.
Works Cited:
Cline, Austin. "Material Excesses of Christmas are a Moral Problem: Objecting to the Extreme Spending, Borrowing, Materialism." Agnosticism / Atheism - Free Inquiry, Skepticism, Atheism, Religious Philosophy. 25 Apr. 2009.
McDannell, Colleen. Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
Religion in America alone is greatly part of material culture, marketing products and unfortunately beliefs. Religion is a large profit source in this country, serving to be greatly entwined within the capitalist framework we base our country on. They both work together with this notion of religion and capitalism comprising hand in hand. Also this country bases huge values on religion, and bases its economic foundation on a capitalist system, therefore two huge entities running a country side by side, coincide together to create one material American culture of religious capitalists, to speak very generally.
To further describe this notion that religion integrates well with a capitalist society, Colleen Mcdannell in her text, "Material Christianity" highlights the close interrelation between the two. She states,
"Christian retailing - the selling of Christian goods and services to a buyer for personal or household use - is a significant aspect of contemporary religious life in America. During the early 1990s, the sales of Christian products in bookstores exceeded $3 billion annually!"
The success of the Christian retailing market is undeniable, as religion is fueled by capitalism's framework. Using Christian retailing specifically material Christianity, religion creates a specific culture in America. This culture is a result of the capitalistic system in place governing and working with religion, allowing a place for it. If $3 billion a year doesn't correlate a religious money making market within a strong capitalist structure than I don't know what would!
McDannell continues, "By buying and displaying Christian art in their homes, giving gifts with biblical sayings, or wearing T-shirts, conservative Protestants translate their beliefs into visible messages." This transformation of belief to material items, creates a religious culture based on buying and selling, within a capital driven political system. This notion clearly links the two realms of religion and capitalism, finding a common place between the two in our American society.
For some external input, I found another blog from about.com relating to someones strong atheistic views on materialism in religion, specifically in Christianity in regards to Christmas and other commercialism. The blog is quoted,
"...inherent tension between the evangelical right and the corporate right, both of whom try to live together within the GOP. Pure market capitalism does not respect traditions or religion. Capitalism doesn't care. The market doesn't care. All that matters is how to make the best profit possible from selling to the public" (Cline).
With this is mind, pure capitalism feeds of markets, and the massive market that religion offers is able to provide the economic framework a lot of revenue. Capitalism in our country thrives with religion's markets, and religion thrives more so with the help of a profit driven economic system behind it. Separation of church and state doesn't matter when money is involved, especially when its benefiting the system itself.
Works Cited:
Cline, Austin. "Material Excesses of Christmas are a Moral Problem: Objecting to the Extreme Spending, Borrowing, Materialism." Agnosticism / Atheism - Free Inquiry, Skepticism, Atheism, Religious Philosophy. 25 Apr. 2009
McDannell, Colleen. Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
Religion and State
The idea of religion has been around as long as humans have been walking this earth. The definition of religion is the worship of any superhuman controlling power, often a personal God or gods. What makes religion interesting is how everyone has their own idea what religion means to them. Across the United States, there are people who dedicate every day of their lives to worship and there are people who worship nothing. Because of how diverse our country is, state and religion should never be paired together. A good example of a conflict caused by this can be found in any Amish Commune.
The problem with religion and state is where the state draws the line as to where religion is involved. Children are required to attend school until they're 16. But in Amish communities, it is believed that the youth needs no further schooling beyond 8th grade. As you can see, this can cause many conflicts between the state, the first amendment, and citizens right to freedom of worship.
The problem with religion and state is where the state draws the line as to where religion is involved. Children are required to attend school until they're 16. But in Amish communities, it is believed that the youth needs no further schooling beyond 8th grade. As you can see, this can cause many conflicts between the state, the first amendment, and citizens right to freedom of worship.
Technology v. Solitude
After giving a group presentation in different forms or religion and practice, I’ve spent a little more time thinking about meditation and solitude. As I’ve said in my previous post, I was raised Catholic and quickly lost interest once high school came around. Religion was never really something that made me feel better or put me in touch with myself. Often times it was quite the chore to even get out of bed and attend mass. The thing that’s always been important to me is time for myself. Being able to have an hour or two each day where I can relax, day dream, listen to music, and reflect on my day/week really helps me feel grounded. It also helps control the stress a bit too.
While I work pretty hard to make sure I have this time each day, I feel that our society (specifically Gen Y) is having a lot less alone time as a whole. Technology here is what’s to blame. Everyday I walk around campus and everyone is either on their laptops, PDAs, cell phones, texting, or actually interacting with others. Don’t get me wrong because I definitely participate in all of the above while on campus, but with these technologies it’s becoming harder to actually get away and truly be alone when all someone has to do is send you a text or IM. I really enjoy technology and how much easier it makes life. For example, I’m writing this right now away from my apartment on my laptop while simultaneously texting a friend. Technology allows me to keep my friends and family only a few buttons away no matter where I go. But this constant connectivity makes it hard to really be alone. I found an interesting video on Youtube by Dina Rudick and Scott Helman-
While I work pretty hard to make sure I have this time each day, I feel that our society (specifically Gen Y) is having a lot less alone time as a whole. Technology here is what’s to blame. Everyday I walk around campus and everyone is either on their laptops, PDAs, cell phones, texting, or actually interacting with others. Don’t get me wrong because I definitely participate in all of the above while on campus, but with these technologies it’s becoming harder to actually get away and truly be alone when all someone has to do is send you a text or IM. I really enjoy technology and how much easier it makes life. For example, I’m writing this right now away from my apartment on my laptop while simultaneously texting a friend. Technology allows me to keep my friends and family only a few buttons away no matter where I go. But this constant connectivity makes it hard to really be alone. I found an interesting video on Youtube by Dina Rudick and Scott Helman-
Religious Tolerance
As we are nearing the end of this course, the questions of religion have just began flowing. If religion is supposed to be something that works as a guideline of how people to live good and decent lives, why is there so much hostility and hatred in the world? With all of these different religions, it is almost impossible for people to agree on their beliefs. I grew up in private catholic schools and have frequently felt like religion was being forced upon me. In no way should this ever happen, your beliefs should be brought about by your own experiences and interpretations of events that have happened. Going back to what Kant said, people should not rely on others for their beliefs and virtues.
I feel if people relied less on religion to tell them what to do, there would not be as much religious intolerance from their beliefs telling them others' are wrong. Religious tolerance is something that should be worked upon much harder globally. Why spend so much time looking at the differences when you should be focusing on the similarities?
have a nice summer
I feel if people relied less on religion to tell them what to do, there would not be as much religious intolerance from their beliefs telling them others' are wrong. Religious tolerance is something that should be worked upon much harder globally. Why spend so much time looking at the differences when you should be focusing on the similarities?
have a nice summer
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