Intro to Religion Blog

Throughout this semester, I have learned a lot of new things regarding both my own religion and other religions. I have learned that out of Abraham came both Judaism/Christianity and Islam. I have found all of it interesting and some of it hard to understand. Some of the information has pushed me to think different ways and some of it has secured my own beliefs. It is always interesting to learn more about something I have only heard things about.

Because of this class, I feel like I have a solid definition of what a pilgrimage is and also how to consider something a religion. Prior to this class, I did not think anyone did pilgrimages anymore, and I learned that there is a pilgrimage for my own personal faith. I feel like I could explain to anyone what the Turner model represents and also what Eliade believed. This class has opened my eyes to other views and religions, and I plan to use this knowledge in years to come. I also plan to make a pilgrimage someday for my own faith, and now I will know what I need to do to make it a pilgrimage.

I am a junior and I have attended 3 different colleges, and I have never debated a rubric before! I found this rather interesting and it is kind of a good point. This is our education and we are paying a ton for it, so why shouldn’t we get a say in how we are graded. I also found it interesting that everybody had different ideas about what we should be graded on and how much everything should be worth. Our group decided on 50/50 for the project and the presentation, point wise. I feel like this concept, of debating criteria, should be included in all college courses. Our education is supposed to be a combined effort with our professors. The goal is not to regurgitate everything we had learned over our four years in college. Our goal is to be better intellectuals and individuals. I totally agree that we should have a say.

I digress…

In class on Tuesday we talked about Goddess Pilgrims. I had already blogged about it based off the reading and I found that I was rather misguided. I thought the article was a comparison of tourism and pilgrimage. Instead, it was how Goddess Pilgrimages are different. This article gave us some different definitions for religion and pilgrimages. It mentioned that a pilgrimage is a means or method for healing and that it was a spiritual rapture and a bodily pleasure. I like the idea of a pilgrimage being both spiritual rapture and bodily pleasure, because I don’t know if it would be as moving if you experienced one without the other on your trip. I also enjoyed this being from a woman’s point of view because we got a different perspective.

While reading the article Goddess Pilgrims, I became aware of a new connection I had never thought of before: between pilgrims and tourists. My husband and I were just in Mexico for our honeymoon so the idea of being a tourist is fresh in my mind. Early in this article it mentions that, “A tourist is half a pilgrim, if a pilgrim is half a tourist.” Could it be possible that I was on a pilgrimage… or that every time we travel we are on some kind of a pilgrimage?

I started to think about that fact that tourism could be the modern day version of a pilgrimage. The article mentions the connection that tourists often return home with relics/souvenirs. Both of these excerpts from the article support the connection:

“MacCannell (1999) has claimed that tourism functions as a surrogate religion in connection with modern mass leisure and Graburn(1989), also in the Durkheimian tradition, has demonstrated how the vacation acts as a symbolic time marker of ordinary (profane) time and non-ordinary (sacred) time, thus structuring the passage of modern lives”(478).

“Unlike the traditional religious pilgrim who typically journeyed to a single sacred center (‘out there,’ according to Turner 1973), the Goddess pilgrim’s itinerary like the tourist’s, frequently incorporates a number of sacred ‘attractions’ in a given area”(478).

Further into the article it starts to talk about the differences between being a pilgrim and being a tourist. When you are a tourist you are seeking pleasure and enjoyment and when you are a pilgrim you are seeking a religious experience.

The difference with the Goddess pilgrimages is that these women seek both, personal enjoyment and religious experiences. What these women (or any pilgrim about to travel) need to decide is what the sacred purpose is for their travels. One of the main reasons for a Goddess Pilgrimage is healing:

“Goddess pilgrims believe in the earth’s power to heal body, mind and spirit to create an uninterrupted and whole self “(486).

I think I want to make it a personal goal that every time I travel somewhere, I make it more a bigger priority to have a religious experience. It will vary from place to place but I think there is a lot of value in it.

We started talking about non-western religions in class on Tuesday.  I really don’t know much about them, other than the little I learned from the movie Eat, Pray, Love. The thing that fascinated me the most was how non-western religions are non-linear and believe in reincarnation. The Hindu gods were especially fascinating.

The Hindu gods are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is the creator god. Brahma has multiple faces and arms, and carries a spoon and a string of beads. He is the beginning of the circle of life for creation. The second is Vishnu. Vishnu is the god that preserves order and keeps chaos at bay. He carries objects like shells and halos to represent the circular order. He also is known to have avatars (incarnation of Vishnu). The last god in the Hindu Trinity is Shiva. Shiva is the god of death and destruction.  Shiva is normally seen with a ring of fire around him, which represents cremation. It is also said that Shiva is the god of sex. This represents procreation and the connection of the circle with Brahma.

I had never heard of any of these but for some reason they fascinate me. I was trying to think of someway to relate this to Christianity, which is my personal faith, but I couldn’t. This non-linear pattern completely sets them apart.

My thoughts were corrected on Tuesday as well about karma. I thought karma was if you did something bad, something bad would eventually happen to you. What goes around, comes around. I learned that karma is actually how all things are connected and the belief that when I do something wrong, it doesn’t effect just me, it effects everything in the universe.

I enjoyed class last Thursday when we preformed the Hajj. I learn best when I can experience something because then I have something to relate to when trying to remember it. Here is a review of what we did and why we did it.

First we started with the purification when we cleansed our hands with water. Second we circum ambulated seven times counterclockwise around our homemade Ka’aba. This is supposed to bring a sense of community and the Ka’aba is the direction of prayer. Third we ran between two hills in order to remember the story of Hagar and how she searched the desert for water after Sarah casted her out. She ran between two hills, Al-Safa and Al-Marwah. Hagar was trying to find water for her son Ishmael and the story is that after she ran around, the well of Zamzam appeared and supplied her water. Fourth we stood on a hill and in Mecca this is done on Mount Arafat. This is to reflect on Judgment day when we make our way to heaven. Fifth we threw ping pong balls at a sculpture on campus to imitate how they throw stones at three pillars seven times (total of 21) to stone the devil. Sixth we circum ambulated again seven times counterclockwise. Last we preformed an Eid, which is the sacrifice of a lamb by Halal.

I think this is a really cool thing about the Islam religion. All year Muslims pray facing Mecca, which is where the Hajj takes place. It must be a really cool feeling getting to experience actually being there. As mentioned on class last Thursday, the day spent on Mount Arafat is the one people consider the most moving. Rarely do we just stand in one place and do nothing but meditate, pray, or think. We are always so busy and our lives are full of movement, I am pretty sure that if I were to experience the Hajj, this day would be the one that would effect me the most.

Before class on Tuesday, I did not know much about the Islam religion. It was new information to me last week that they praise the same God as Christians. I very much so respect their religion now that I know more about it. I wouldn’t say that I ever disrespected it; I just didn’t know anything about it. I admire that their faith is rooted in peace and submission to God. I think this is similar to Christianity in the fact that both religions put God in control. God is the center and He is all knowing. Another thing I admire is Muhammed, the prophet. One of God’s angles came and spoke to Muhammed and because he submitted to God, he eventually wrote the Koran. The Koran is God’s words to Muhammed and is valued immensely by Muslims. I think the last three misconceptions are important for everyone to hear. I think there is a lot of fear behind America’s feelings. Nevertheless, feelings don’t necessary mean truth. The Koran doesn’t promote violence or oppression of women, Islam is not a religion of terror, and not all Muslims are Arabs.

The other thing that sparked a thought for me was the Shahada. The Shahada is the creed that one would need to say to become a Muslim. I would say that this is the sinner’s prayer in Christianity. You just have to profess your faith, and mean it, and you are now a part of the religion.

One last thing I admire about the Islam religion is their Salot (prayer). They pray five times a day facing Mecca. That means they have to put down everything they are doing at the designated prayer times and pray. I think this is wonderful because it is a way to stop and refocus on God. It also brings a feeling of community because everyone in the world is facing the center point or axis mundi.

I am glad I am learning about other religions besides my own because it allows me to have a deep respect for what others believe.

In class on Tuesday we talked about Judaism. Christianity stems from Judaism and even shares some of the same texts. A good part of this I learned at USF in some theology classes but some of the information was new. I had learned that Abraham was married to Sarah and Hagar was just their servant. In Genesis 16:1-3 it say:

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her”. (NIV)

It was interesting to hear that Abraham was actually married to her and that out of Abraham’s two wives came a huge debate thousands of years later over land. Out of Sarah and Isaac came Christianity and out of Hagar and Ishmael came Islam.

Another interesting fact was about Noah’s animals. In Genesis 16:19-20 it reads:

You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. (NIV)

Later on in Genesis it explains where the number 7 comes from:

Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. (Genesis 7:2-3, NIV)

I think it is interesting that details in the stories we tell our children are not fully accurate, when it explains it clearly in scripture.

Do these details really matter, or are they key in understanding our past? How big of a deal should we make of little details? I have to guess that I am not the only one who, for the first time, heard about there being 7 instead of 2 of each kind of animal. I was told Bible stories when I was little and I have been studying theology for 2 years and I have never heard the number 7 when referring to Noah’s Arc.

I personal like the Turner model of pilgrimage the best. I also feel like I can best relate to that model. One of the biggest pilgrimages I made was from Winona State University to University of Sioux Falls. WSU is a state school in Minnesota and USF is a private college in South Dakota.

My world of convention consisted of parties, boys, and huge classes. I didn’t go to church and I lived with 4 other girls in a house and they loved to party. My weekends were the same almost every time; they included drinking, swearing, boys, and late nights. The college I was attending was a big school and my smallest class was probably 50. The rest of them were 300 student lectures and it didn’t matter if I was in class or not.

I chose to leave WSU because I wasn’t content with who I was or where I was going. I decided to move 5 hours from home (in Wisconsin) and attend a new school. The limin for me was when my parents came and helped me pack everything I owned at my house in Winona, and we drove 5 hours to Sioux Falls and unpacked. When they left I was completely on my own. I knew nobody and I had no job. It was a huge leap of faith.

The anti-structure was the smaller classes. It felt like I was in high school again. Campus was much smaller and everybody knew everybody. I also wasn’t used to prayer before classes, let alone hearing “God” come out of my professors mouths.

I got plugged into a ministry called YoungLife. They became my home away from home and I could lean on them. They were my support team and my family. I also got a job at a natural smoothie shop called Juice Stop, where I met more girls my age. I also became a frequent goer to a church called Falls Church. I sang a couple times with the worship band and I felt extremely welcomed by the families at the church.

I think my metaphorical death happened out of order. I felt like something was different when I decided to move. It was unlike something I would have done and as I drove away from Winona, I felt like I was moving on and leaving the old behind me.

The only piece I don’t have according to Turner is a return. I haven’t gone back to Winona but I did transfer again… to Morningside. Morningside is different from USF. It is even a little bit like WSU.

If I were using Eliade’s method, my axis mundi would be my faith. That is the one thing my life revolves around and keeps me centered. I found it in church and through ministry and I carry it with me. My relic is prayer and it is a big part of my life.

In class on Tuesday we talked about the article Sacred Space by Mircea Eliade. Some of the main things we talked about were axis mundi, sacred space, chaos, heaven, earth, and hell. We also talked about why people go on Pilgrimage.

We decided that one of the reasons people go on pilgrimages is because they are trying to find sacred space; a space that’s pure and real. The closer we get to sacred (or real) space, they further away we get from chaos.

I have done a lot of pilgrimages these past couple of years. I have moved a total of 5 times in the past 2 years. I started in Wisconsin, then to Minnesota, off to South Dakota, now in Iowa, and soon to be in Nebraska (South Sioux). As I reflect on my moves and the intentions I had, I would consider it a pilgrimage. I was looking to change some aspects in my life. I transferred so I could get a degree in ministry and religion. I also moved to be closer to my fiancé. I was looking for a place to call home and a purpose in life.

Brenton (my fiancé) and I have decided how we would like to run our household when we get married in a month. We have God at the center. If He is not at the center, we have already learned the hard way that there will be chaos. It is a sense of balance and purpose for the both of us to have God as our axis mundi. From there we continue to build from the center, out in our relationship.

I think it is important for everyone to find their axis mundi – the hinge that his or her life revolves on. Without some sense of direction, we get lost in the chaos.

Out of the four theories we have studied, I agree most with Durkheim. His definition was a unified system of beliefs and practices (ceremonies and rituals) relative to sacred things, things forbidden. This is how I view Christianity. My faith is very important to me and Durkheim’s view is the most parallel. There are two different practices that Durkheim is talking about. Rites and rituals. Rites happen one time and rituals happen multiple times. In my faith, there are many of both. A rite would be baptism and rituals could be holidays or communion. Out of the four theories, Durkheim is the only one who acknowledged sacred things. That is the biggest part to Christianity: acknowledging there is a God and believing in Him.

I don’t agree with Frazer because I think there is too much faith in science. I think he is missing a step and it is truly hard for me to believe that someday, humanity will just abandoned religion for science. Science still cannot explain everything. Therefor, humans are going to need something to believe in.

Freud believed religion was superstition and that it was created to absolve Oedipal guilt. I disagree with Freud the most. I personally think his logic of a woman having penis envy or a man wanting to kill his dad and sleep with his mom is absurdity. (I’m sure if we were engaging in conversation, he we would firmly disagree). I agree that humans may be driven by sex, but I think he might have been slightly off track.

Marx believed religion is a “belief system whose chief purpose is simply to provide reasons for keeping things in society just the way the oppressors like them.” I don’t agree with this one because he says nothing about internal faith. Religion is not solely about rules and societal norms.

I give credit to all of them for expanding in depth on religion and society, but I have to agree with Durkheim and his definition of religion.