(Sumblog 7) Ground Zero Mosque

In class we watched a video about a Muslim man who wanted to build a community center and mosque near Ground Zero. This caused a lot of anger and disruption throughout the entire nation. Some people felt as if it should be allowed and that it was part of their own religious freedom to build it there while others felt it was completely disrespectful to the individuals and families of those who passed away during the terrorist attacks. 

I can see where each group is coming from. The plan to build the mosque and community center was not an attempt to suggest that the Muslim people 'won' but rather to aim to promote positive interaction between the Muslim world and the West. I believe that this project was never meant to cause any harm or disrespect to the families of 9/11 but rather for the Muslim community to practice their faith and educate the community on the Muslim faith. It would be ignorant to affiliate the attacks of 9/11 to the entire Muslim community. The terrorists were a radical group, which many Muslims are aware of, and the majority of Muslims disagree with. Having a community center that would educate and tie the community together would be beneficial to this country. This would allow people to gain more knowledge on their faith and lose the stereotypes that do not actually apply to many Muslims.

On the other hand, I can see how people would be upset about a mosque being built so close to Ground Zero. The families of 9/11 may not all have negative views toward the Muslim community, rather it would just be a reminder of the events that took place that day. This could be a constant reminder of the pain. While the families may know that many Muslims are not radical and do not promote that violence, the mosque may still remind them of that radical group that was involved in the 9/11 attacks. They  may be okay with a mosque being built, but maybe a little further away then the current plans. 

It is important to look at an issue like this from all sides so that any personal biases can be eliminated. In my eyes, each party has a valid point which makes it difficult to decide what is best for the community.

(Sumblog 6) Cult

On March 26, 1997, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult had committed mass suicide, believing that their souls would be transported to a spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet. Heaven's Gate was a group led by a man who called himself 'Do' and believed he was a descendant of Jesus Christ. The founder of the cult, Marshall Applewhite, told his followers that the world was due to be 'wiped clean' by the alien founders and that they needed to leave the earth. This is a prime example of a cult. 

Some people may get confused with what a cult is. A cult can be distinguished by a few deciding factors. One thing that can distinguish a religion as a cult would be if there is no integration in society. This means that the beliefs of the religion are not accepted by a decent percentage of society. Another aspect is whether or not they have any relationship with the state. This also ties into the first aspect of acceptance or ties to society. A cult also has little or no ties to a dominant religion. This simply means that they did not branch off of a religion such as Catholicism. While all of these things play a large role in depicting whether a religion is cult or not, one of the most distinguishable characteristics of a cult is whether or not they have a charismatic leader. 

All of these traits can be linked to the Heaven's Gate cult. They were not accepted into society or even recognized as having a common belief system. Their faith had no ties to the state whatsoever and were not know as a dominant religion in society. Most of all, they had a charismatic leader. 'Do' led the group to believe in something to such a degree that they took their own lives. While it may not always be this simple to depict whether a religion is a cult or not, going through these different traits of cults can help distiguish where the faith falls. 

I posted a video that shows what a member of the Heaven's Gate cult believes and what her last statements were before the mass suicide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wNDvFdQvws

(Sumblog 5) Rational Choice Theory

I found the rational choice theory to be particularly interesting during class discussion. Rational choice theory is a way to explain religion and why an individual may gravitate toward or choose to be a part of a particular religion. This theory makes rational what could be irrational. If a person is contemplating what religion to join or what to believe, they may weigh out the pros and cons of the religion. We did an exercise like this during lecture where we stated what our religious orientation was and then wrote out the pros and cons that are tied with affiliating with that certain religion. This was very interesting to me since I never thought about considering the pros and cons. It made me realize how someone may be influenced by whether the affiliations will affect a person more positively or negatively. We also wrote down what the potential costs and benefits would be for identifying as a particular political orientation. This made me realize that the rational choice theory could apply to many aspects of life.

     However, the rational choice theory may not apply to everyone. Not everyone goes through the pros and cons before making decisions such as what religion to affiliate with or even what their political orientation should be. For some people, thinking through decisions in depth may be uncomfortable or unrealistic. Some people may think things through subconsciously but never fully test to see whether the benefits outweigh the costs or if the costs are too overwhelming.