Alexandra Reynolds
Blog Post 1
Hello everyone,
The article to be read for Monday’s class on 12/5, is
Some key points to keep in mind while reading this article is how you think religion can help bring people together. Although this article doesn’t exactly discuss African Americans in religion I think this is an important article to read about religion in general. Most religions declare a spiritual equality before their supreme deity and it’s important to understand the relationship between spiritual equality and social equality. There are many important historical women who have used religion to inspire them to do their brave acts such as Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. Women in African American religion have been given more invisible roles than the men had. However, African American women have been known to be more religious than men. While the United States is considered a highly religious nation, African Americans are more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S population. Some of the measures include attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer, and religious importance in life. This can be seen through social media that a lot more African Americans are religious than other citizens in the United States. Some questions I will be discussing in class are:
- African Americans stand out as the most religiously committed racial group in the nation. Why do you believe this is?
- What do you think the difference between spiritual equality and social equality is? And why do you think it’s important?
- How have you seen religion in general bring people together in your own community?
Update (12/5/16)
Alexandra Reynolds
Blog Post 2
12/5/16
As I discussed in class, understanding the difference between spiritual equality and social equality is very important. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28) This is the quote that I started my presentation with and I think it relates to African Americans in general because God won’t judge a person based on things such as their skin color. If we connected social equality with spiritual equality, there would be a lot less oppressed groups, for we are all equal in His eyes. I mentioned four women that have specifically used religion as a means to improve society. Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Maria Miller Stewart all were motivated by religion.
As I also mentioned during the presentation I would be providing the website that I used to find all of my statistics. http://www.pewforum.org/2009/01/30/a-religious-portrait-of-african-americans/ This website does a great job explaining many different factors of African Americans and religion. My questions will not be based on this website but feel free to check it out because it is very interesting.
Stephen D. Glazier is an American anthropologist. He is a Research Anthropologist at the Human Relations Area Files at Yale University. He has done fieldwork in Trinidad focusing on Caribbean religions, which I found interesting. He is interested in Religious Conversion across Cultures, Transcultural Psychiatry, Religion and Ecology, and Caribbean archaeology. He has written many books and articles, one of them being “If ‘Old Heads’ Could Talk.” in 2012.
A couple discussion questions to think about are:
- Discuss a time that religion has played a crucial role in a decision you’ve made pertaining to work, school, friends, etc.
- Why do you think religion is very important to African Americans especially?
- What is the difference between spiritual equality and social equality?
- Why did many African American socialists use religion as a means of motivation?
Interviewee Patel's question "How can we create a religiously healthy diverse democracy?" struck me as odd. As it seems to discount almost immediately people that do not practice religion, or are not normatively spiritual if they lack an organized sect of practice.
ReplyDelete"African Americans stand out as the most religiously committed racial group in the nation" is a very disputable and even contentious statement as "African American" is an arbitrary term; Although, the stripping of African culture from slaves and indoctrination of Christianity in both practice and even language has led to pockets of black communities and maybe even a larger grouping of individuals to be forced into a lineage of belief in "Christ" and further rape of their freedom.
The difference between spiritual equality and social equality is null if you are castigated into either hierarchy. If one believes that they are socially subjected to inequality but they are spiritually equal they will retreat themself or their close ones to that spiritual practice as they do not control the social system. We see this particularly with 'African-Americans' as currently if one was to ponder the medical institutions, or judicial system, and who controls it, it is almost exclusively white powers-- that being said, we have already established the increased importance of religion of many black American lives.
From this one may deduce "lacking social equality is means increased religious practice to reinforce spiritual equality." Although if one is disadvantaged socially-- social rights including safety of religious practice-- they cannot be free spiritually.
And yet, would they be free if still defined by a particular system of religion?
A time when religion played a crucial role in a decision I made pertaining work, friends, or school is when my parents would always say "treat others the way you would want to be treated". This is a statement that I have heard since I was a young child, but it clearly emphasizes an ideal that is taught through religion. When I was in 3rd grade, I distinctly remember a situation where a girl was talking about one of my other friends and I was put in a weird position. She was saying things that would be considered "mean" and I knew, from what my mom and dad had told me, that I wouldn't want people saying things about me, thus I kept my mouth shut.
ReplyDeleteAs brought up in class, I agree that religion is very important to African Americans specifically because cultures that are oppressed turn to religion as an outlet. Religion is seen as something that will save us-- the more we feel we need saving, the more we will turn to religion (praying, going to church, etc.).
Spiritual equality is the idea that there is no difference between the "souls" of men and women. They are both equal. No sex is more connected spiritually than the other sex. This goes into social equality (someone's soul is a part of the social world). Social equality is that there is no difference between men and women socially; all men and women were created equally--spiritually and in social means.
Ghandi and Bahá'í speak about spiritual equality in greater depths. They say "Woman is the companion of man gifted with equal mental capacities. She has the right to participate in the minutest detail of the activities of man, and she has the same right of freedom and liberty as he". Here's the website:
http://bahai-library.com/books/gandhi/node46.html
When I was younger I was also taught the saying "treat others as you would want to be treated" I think this followed through with me because I still tell myself this as I'm 20 years old and in college. I think being taught this at a young age is very important. I agree that cultures who are oppressed tend to use religion as an outlet, including African Americans. I like the idea of spiritual equality because yes, as you said it's that our "souls" are equal and it doesn't matter what you look like, how much money you make ect. Thanks for the website and your input!
DeleteMembers of the African American community are statistically more religious than other racial demographics partially because of the sense of empowerment their religion provides them. Since churches were segregated until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed (and some may have stayed de facto segregated after that time), black churches became a source of identity for their congregants. Church provides a sense of community and belonging. Moreover, attending church can be a therapeutic experience. In a society that does not treat African Americans with the respect they deserve, an outlet is needed for the many African Americans who are oppressed. The podcast Minority Korner discusses church as a means of therapy in the black community in the episode “Explicit to the Maxx!!!” (http://www.maximumfun.org/minority-korner/minority-korner-51-explicit-maxx-luke-cage-basket-deplorable-black-folks-mental-heal) In the episode, the hosts, James and Nnekay, speak about their personal views on therapy, as well as general views on therapy within the black community. They discuss how many African Americans find comfort and relief in their religious communities, and how many people in their parents’ generation attended church or spoke with religious officials to gain the clarity and comfort one often seeks therapy for.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that African Americans use religion as a sense of empowerment. I also think that churches bring a sense of community and belonging within the African American community. I like the term you used "outlet" this term explains what religion is to African Americans very well. Thanks for the video, I'll be sure to watch it!
DeleteHi Alexandra,
ReplyDeleteThank you for leading a discussion which was very thought provoking and powerful.
Religion has always played a crucial role in almost every decision I have ever made. Not particularly because of strong beliefs, but rather because of how I was raised. I was raised in a religious household, and only went to a Jewish school my entire life- up until college. It is because of this that all my friends are Jewish, I have always worked in Jewish environments and up until recently have always lived in a Jewish community. There are of course many positive aspects to it, one of them being like we discussed in class, of how it brings people together. I have lived in France, Australia, England, and America, but have always lived in a Jewish community, and in certain ways, you are automatically a part of the community. When you need help or services you know that it’s the community that you can rely on.
African Americans were kidnapped from their land and brought to America against their will. Not only were they divided from their families, everything that was worth something was taken from them- their names and even their religion. Christianity was the new religion that they learned here in America and it is what brought them together as one. Religion very often brings people together (like I stated above)- it is for this reason I believe it is extremely powerful, and has helped thousands of African American’s create a new self-identity, a sense of a larger family and deep roots. Religion gives them the opportunity in a unique way to come together in Churches and support one another.
Thanks again for your presentation,
Myriam Kind
It is very interesting that you have lived in so many different areas but I think it's very powerful that you have lived in a Jewish community in all of them. I agree with you completely that religion gives a sense of community. I have gone to a Christian church ever since I was little and I have always felt welcomed by the people and the elders of the church. I also agree that within the African American community, they had everything stripped and they looked to faith and religion as a means of bringing them together. Thanks for your input!!
DeleteAlexandra,
ReplyDeleteMy household has been pretty religious, but as we got older I feel like we lost our faith a little bit. We stopped going to church every Sunday. I think that when my mother got sick we all turned to religion again. We started praying more often and just "talking to god". Which is interesting because it was like everything was going well and then when you find yourself in a tough situation, everything changes. I think it effected us greatly. I don't think I have made a decision due to my religion.But, my mother really forced us to believe in god. She raised us under that belief but as we got older, it was really up to my siblings and I to continue our faith.
I think religion was very important to African Americans because of what they have been through. They have been through so much, like you mentioned in the above comment. They turned to faith and religion to not only bring them together but also keep faith that things were going to change for them. That they would stop being discriminated against. The difference between spiritual equality and social equality, is that you can't really see the spiritual equality but you can see the social equality. Religion kept them motivated and kept united them all as one. I think many African American socialists used religion because it helped them unify everyone. Faith brought them together and now they can help each other continue being motivated.
I also was very religious growing up but when I graduated high school and began working I found it a lot more difficult to go to church every Sunday. But like you did, when things seem to be turning for the worse I also look to religion to help me. African Americans did this as well and continue to do this even today. Thanks for your input!
DeleteAlexandra,
ReplyDeleteI attended Catholic school for nine years and the lessons, teachings, and beliefs that I followed and were taught during my time at Catholic school, have stayed with me and remained the same now that I am an adult. Although I went to a public high school and have never attended a private college, there have been no influences and factors that have forced me to change my Religious beliefs in any way. However, the only obstacle or decision that I had to face that has played a crucial role in my life occurred when I first met my boyfriend. Upon telling him that I attended Catholic school and still attend church on Holy Days of Obligation, holidays, and almost every Sunday, he assured me that he is also Catholic and use to attend Church on Sundays with his great Grandfather, but he does not anymore. I understood that as he got older, life changed, and customs or traditions he use to partake in as a child, he may no longer partake in anymore. Moving forward in conversations as well as in our relationship, the conversation of Sacraments came up. My boyfriend told me that he had never been Baptized, never made his Communion, and had never made his Confirmation. At this point in time I realized that there was a major hurdle that we would have to jump over in the future if our relationship was going to last. When planning to get married in the Catholic Church, it is crucial that both people have made all of their Sacraments. Although we were still early into our relationship when the conversation came up, it made me think twice about the barrier we would have to break if we were to get married in the future. My boyfriend and I are still together and will worry about these Religious differences when the time comes. However, in some Religions and families, if both people have not completed their sacraments at the time they were supposed to, they are unable to get married in the Catholic Church. Also, when one person has to complete their Sacraments as an adult before getting married, it can cause a delay on the marriage and a lot of strain on both parties for many different reasons. Thankfully, I have not had to make any other decisions based on Religion in the workplace, at school, or with friendships. Although, once a decision does occur, it is not until then that you realize how many factors and influences come into play.
I didn't know that in order to get married in the Catholic Church both people had to have made all of their sacraments but that's very interesting! Religion can definitely affect many people in different ways and on different levels. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete