Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God: "After viewing 'The Nativity Story', analyzing your chosen Christmas carol, and reading Philippians 2:1-7, reflect on the meaning of Christma..."


I chose the Christmas carol, “Joy to the World”. In the first stanza it is talking about how the world should be happy for the Lord, Jesus has come. “Let earth receive her King”, in this verse I think earth could have meant earth itself or Mary. It also suggests that every heart on earth should prepare him room. This implies the scene where Mary and Joseph find the manger. Then, it talks about how both the heaven and nature sings, which means they are all joyful for the lord, Jesus to come.
In the Philippians, it talks about Jesus’ attitude; how he never forces himself to think he was equal with God. Instead, he sacrificed himself for the nature.
Christmas is a time when God came down to earth in the form of flesh, as a human. He comes down to be the savior of his people.
In the Christmas carol Jesus is described as the “Lord” and “King”. The scriptures describe him as a human being who’s love comforts people, never forcing himself to think he was equal with God, and always put others first, while being humble.
The verse of “Joy to the World”, “Joy to the World, the Lord is come!” is the time when Mary feels the baby coming. The whole stanza is about the baby coming and the people preparing to have the baby born.
There were a few important characters that allowed Jesus to be born safety. First of all there is Mary, Jesus’s mother. Mary is definitely a necessary person because she was the virgin who was conceived with God’s baby. She is also part of the miracle, because Jesus had been born from a lady who was a virgin.
Then there is Joseph, who had taken special care of Mary while coming to Bethlehem from Nazareth by foot. Joseph like Jesus put others before him. He put Jesus and Mary before him.
The role of the Persian astrologists was very important because each of their gifts foreshadowed his life and roles he was to play later on. He was given gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold was given because he was to be a King of Kings. The frankincense was given because he was to be a priest of the priests. Finally myrrh, it was used to purify after death. This gift foreshadowed Jesus’ crucifixion, his sacrifice on the cross.
I think that an innocent, caring, humble God would come to earth as a baby. This God would also put others first no matter what.
God chose Jesus to come to earth as a baby because he is someone who is pure and doesn’t have a bit of evil in him. I think he also sent him as a baby because when babies are born they are subjects of love. And like babies, once Jesus was born many loved him and thought he was special. Another reason he might have been sent, as a baby is that God wants the people to know that even a humble, innocent baby can lead the people in the right direction.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives: "Find where Islamic religious beliefs intersect with current events. Research a Western news source on the story and summarize the article fr..."

We were to research about current events where Islamic religious beliefs intersect with current events. I found an article from CNN, which was published this May, 2010 about a Facebook page that caused some issues. It was a Facebook page created for illustrations of Prophet Mohammed to be published online on the “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”. This later made the Pakistani block the site. By Thursday morning the site reached over 7,300 “silly, crude, and intentionally offensive drawings (CNN)” of Prophet Mohammed. The creators of the page said that their intention was about freedom of speech (expression) and not going against Islam. However, despite their intentions, the page lead to strong backlash to those Muslims. It influenced society to create another group called, “AGAINST Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”. The whole situation was grown into bigger scale leaving the Facebook disappointed for the blocking of Facebook in Pakistan.

I then found an article from the Pakistan point of view. Most of the facts were identical. However, I found that they had included additional information on the event that was not to be found in the CNN article. The Express Tribune included a quote by Molly Norris, who had drawn a cartoon herself to protest against the US channel “Comedy Central” for canceling an episode of “South Park” which included the various depictions of the Prophet Mohammed. The Pakistan version of the article includes Molly Norris apologizing. It also includes a quote form a voice interview of so-called creator of the page, “Andy”. Like the CNN article it concludes by saying how Facebook was disappointed at the Pakistanis for blocking their site.

There were differences in the facts, the CNN had said there were 96,000 members in the opposing group. Whereas the Express Tribune said there were 106, 300 fans without stating the date recorded. Other than that the only difference was that the Express Tribune focused more on Molly Norris and “Andy”, whereas the CNN focused more on the numerical values and how society reacted to the event.

Islam played a very important role in these two articles. This is because the events were centered around the Islamic beliefs or what the Muslims believed in. The articles focused on a Facebook page that had violated a belief of Islam. The articles explain how “Everybody draw Mohammed Day” had violated the belief of the many Muslims who strictly forbid the depictions of their prophets to be offensive.

Sources:


CNN:
http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/20/facebookers-respond-to-draw-mohammed-day/?iref=allsearch


The Express Tribune:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/14939/us-cartoonist-disavows-draw-mohammed-facebook-page/

Modern Religious Experience: Personal Commemoration- Reflection #7

Modern Religious Experience: Personal Commemoration- Reflection #7: "Think of an event in your life- past, present or future. You are going to create a commemorative ritual for this event. First, describe the ..."

The event I chose to commemorate was the first Squash League I had attended. This league was a small local league that was private. It was only open to the members of our gym. This league was in April of the year 2009. This event was very important to me because it was from this point I found enjoyment in Squash. It was also the point at which I increased the amount of accurate advanced shots like the kill shot in my game plays. It was an event where I learnt or improved after I had performed.


The commemoration of the tournament shall last 2 to 4 hours on a Saturday in April. This is mainly because the Squash league was held during this time in April. Most importantly, the commemoration should be held at a Squash court for it is to commemorate a Squash league.


At the beginning, I would have my teacher or the organizer of the commemoration to announce a speech.
The speech would be, "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards (Vernon Saunders Law). Like this phrase, I hope all of you improve after this experience. But before all the worries let us all enjoy this moment, and Squash forever."


The physical aspects of the ritual include both clothes, drinks, and, actions to follow. To fully participate in the ritual it would be best to come dressed in comfortable clothes and proper shoes for Squash. A Squash racquet may come in handy as well. Following the clothing is the drinks. During the commemoration, I will drink sports beverages like Powerade or Gatorade in the breaks between the games. This is mainly because I drank these beverages at the actual tournament. Last of all, I will be playing Squash on the day of the commemoration like I did on the first league I attended. The commemoration ritual would be 2-4 hours worth of Squash and drinking sports beverages.

Reflection #6: The Morality of Greek Myths

Cupid and Psyche: Part 1 

Cupid was ordered by his mother, Venus to wound Psyche who was radiantly beautiful. As Venus' plans go wrong, Cupid and Psyche become husband and wife. However, Psyche not being able to resist the suspicion, Psyche decides to take the advice of her sisters to break the trust and kill Cupid to gain his wealth and riches. So amazes at his beauty, she wakes him, and ends up losing Cupid because he was betrayed by the love he had given to her. The moral of the Greek Myth, Cupid and Psyche would be things may not go as planned. We can see this moral in this myth because Venus' plans of punishing Psyche for her beauty didn't go as planned. For Cupid was stunned by Psyche's beauty, not allowing him to practice his mother's orders. I think this myth tries to answer the life mystery of what happens to you if you do not keep a promise or break the trust someone has given you. This may vary in situations, however, it is most likely that you would have serious consequences following. In this myth, it answers this mystery by saying you will have consequences following. In Cupid and Psyche, you can see Psyche who lost everything, including her husband because she broke the trust given to her and she had failed to keep the promise. By reading this Greek myth, we can assume that the Greeks value trust, and expect the other to trust them back. People reading this myth should realize that it is normally right to trust somebody, however, in some situations it is also right to be suspicious. Although, some people in life might use trust in a negative way, I think all the readers should learn or realize that it is right to return trust that is given to you.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk: "After visiting the Zen Buddhist Temple, Bongwonsa and attempting to see nature as a Taoist, answer this question: What is it about creation,..."

It is the mystery of life that makes people rely on religions. All the people who depend on religions follow it because they want to find out the mysteries of life, and truth of the beginning of nature. I think it is the mystery and the uncertain fact of nature and creation interests people to seek answers for. Some of these matters can be had to understand. So I think that people turn towards religions, which answer some of these questions. The Hindu law of Karma tell us that people are reborn into a lower or higher level of goodness. This partially explains where we go after death. I think people are willing to spend their time worshipping creations, like the Buddhist temples because they know by meditation they are clearing their minds. The Buddhists would worship their creations, the Buddha halls and the statue of the Bodhisattva so they could learn that they actually impact their lives. Like the monk in the temple told us, some people cured their cancer by praying to the Buddha. The worshiping of the creations would be for reaching Nirvana, and for worshipping the Buddha that would help you achieve your desires.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation: "Spend 20 mintues in a silent meditation; a place you won't be disturbed, your own 'fig tree' as was Buddha's inspiration. In those 20 mintue..."

I practiced the silent meditation when everyone was asleep in the morning. I started meditating in my room, my own ‘fig tree’. While I was meditating, I kept my posture in a cross-legged form with my hands resting above my knees. There was nothing going on outside, because everyone was asleep. At first it was easy to concentrate because my room was silent. It felt as though my mind was like a black chalkboard. I could see nothing. I could only hear the sound of my steady breathing. After I started to hear the cars below on the streets,  I honestly started to think of concentrating, 'Tetris', completing the online portfolio, my shoulders and back hurting, Hagwon, and homework. It was harder to clear my mind once something entered it. This was because one thought lead to another continuously. When my ‘fig tree’ had complete silence, I could keep my mind blank from the world. I was able to clear my mind. But as a distraction reached me I would immediately turn my attention or thoughts to that particular subject. The meditation itself inspired me to calm myself down, play ‘Tetris’, complete my MRE homework, and to concentrate on one thing at a time. I’m guessing I attained right thoughts because I didn’t think of negative things, but the things that helped me in life. Right concentration was with me only for the first half of the meditation. However, the meditation inspired me to stay focused and concentrated. While meditating I was able to be aware of what I heard, for example the environment around me and birds tweeting. I think I was able to get a little of the right mindfulness. It’s true that I was able to realize the right thoughts, mindfulness, and concentration. But even though I could empty my mind at one point I couldn’t do it so that I could seek life’s truth. My mind was empty but there was no life’s truth in it. Although meditation was a hard process, I do believe it helps you achieve right thoughts, mindfulness, and concentration.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist: "In class, your small groups went over movie questions about the content in Gandhi. You should know who each of the main characters are and t..."

                    Throughout the movie, “Gandhi”, Gandhi’s idea or definition of Hinduism was mostly focused around self sacrifice and not taking sides. Although he shows the other aspects of Hinduism, for example, being a spiritual leader, guru, for all the Hindus and Muslims. But then his main ideas of Hinduism were self sacrifice. Self sacrifice was seen many times during the movie. Gandhi had sacrificed his marriage with his wife. Although they did not divorce or separate, he took a vow of chastity. For his religion, he demands his wife to clean out the toilets because it is a job for everyone. However, as his wife rebels against the demand saying it is a job for the untouchables, he takes her out of the house. This particular event shows that religion is before personal relationships. Gandhi also sacrificed his relationship with his son. This was known to be Mohandas Gandhi’s greatest failure. Beyond the sacrifices in his relationships, he also gave up his personal health by fasting for long periods of time, and by creating his own clothes with the wheel. This process was to rebel against the British. By wearing his own clothes, he was saying ‘I shall not wear the clothes of the country I am fighting for’. Not taking sides, or being unbiased was another one of his ideas. He was a man who did not take sides. He tried his best by staying in the middle with peace. We can see this idea by recalling the scene wear his Muslim friend tries to tell him that the Muslim-Hindu relationship won’t work. Although the friend tries to say that it’s either going to be Pakistan alone from India or a civil war. The Muslims wanted freedom from the Indian Hindu’s but they didn’t want the Hindu’s to rule over them. Gandhi said that he would let his Muslim friend run the government with Muslim traditions over the whole of India. So, by this act he was sort of taking the Muslim’s side, however, he wanted both the Muslims and the Hindus to be one.

                    The quote that summarizes how Gandhi had lived his life is “A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.” While watching Gandhi throughout the movie, I thought that Gandhi was both innocent and sacrificing. This directly relates to the quote because it says that a man is a innocent and is a sacrifice for the goods of others. This is true, because Gandhi sacrificed a lot for the independence of India. He also sacrifices for the good of his enemies by risking his religion and people to find the freedom for the Muslims. Although they weren’t really enemies he was still sacrificing for them. He was also doing this for the British, as well as he was finding the independence for the Indians he wanted to remain friends with the British. And by his grateful acts he became the sky for the Indians. His acts made the Indians think that he was going to go through the state of Nirvana, ending the endless cycle of reincarnation, because he had accomplished so much for the Indians. Gandhi lived his life worthy enough for the fellow Indians to make him think he was capable of Nirvana.

Sacred Poem

Hanuman, Our God

In the midst of the Hanuman temple,

We stand to worship the almighty, 

The avatar of Lord Shiva, 

Hanuman, Our God.

Oh Hanuman, Our Monkey-God,

Give our people your strength,

Perseverance and devotion.

For us to stay healthy, survive, and live.

Hero,

We fast in honor of you,

We give offerings to you,

We chant in name of you.

Our God, Hanuman,

Our Hero, we worship you.

Information:

http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordhanuman/a/hanuman.htm

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1: "According to Mircea Eliade religion has 'not vanished without a trace; [it] has contributed toward making us what we are today and so, after..." In what ways has religion contributed toward your personal history?

Religion is what shaped me into what I am right now. It was the monotheistic religion, Christianity which introduced my family and I to the world we know. We all believe a belief of a spiritual-force like the prehistoric people, but for us it would be God. No one knows who I would be for if I had not met God earlier in my life. Who would I be?

All I know is that Christianity made our family believe in the values we do. This is one way religion contributed to me. My religion helped me find my values, which are honesty, integrety, love, hope, peers, and putting God first. I think it was also my religion that created taboos, the restrictions for me. The things I can't do and I can do, they all have to do with christianity. Some of them would be ending my own life and disobeying laws. I think religion makes my family morally connected. It was also religion that forgave me for my sins. I was able to pray at our place of worship, which is the church, to ask for foriveness in the wrong I had committed. For example, regretting something awful I had said to my friend and wanting a peaceful relationship with her again.