Master Status (Sumblog 3)

During this past week we discussed what it means to have a master status in today's society. Master status is a term used to describe something of great importance in a particular person's life. This can be based on may things, such as gender, ethnicity, skin tone, economic status, sexual orientation, religiosity or spirituality.

Master status is a type of label that may be given to you by other people, or it may be the status that you personally feel is most important. It could be a part of you that is first apparent to others when they meet you or it could even be subtle and unnoticeable at first. It shapes a person's life and can be both a positive or negative label and it could potentially change over time. 

One master status that is very prominent in the United States is the status of being Muslim. Identifying as Muslim can be a very dominant part of a person's life. After 911 many Americans had negative views about Muslims and were very biased on their opinions. If a person is openly Muslim, it may skew how certain people in society view them. They may never be able to see past that one aspect of their life. Below is a picture I found that shows a Muslim man and all the different stereotypes he may experience just from being labeled as Muslim.

In class we watched part of a video on a man who grew up Christian in a Catholic school and decided to become Muslim. He is faced with different kinds of stereotypes that he previously was not. This is a clear indicator that belonging to a certain faith, such as the Muslim faith, can influence how others view you. Many religions are linked to this master status. It is not only the Muslim faith but we also find religions such as Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Westboro Baptist Church, and many more live with the master status associated with their religion.

Religion in the US (Sumblog 2)

During lecture we talked about religion in the US and the roles it plays in individuals' lives. Many people report that they are religious. In fact, 80 percent of Americans identify themselves as being religious. However, even though so many people claim they are religious, only around 20 percent regularly attend church services. This could be due to the use of the word "church" since some religions may not have a "church" service that is important to their religion. Many people may even say that church attendance has nothing to do with being religous and it should not be a determining factor.
 
We also discussed how belonging, behaving, and believing relate to religion in America. A sense of belonging relates to how well a person feels connected to a certain religion. It can be either self-described or researcher described. Behavior is more so how a person acts in a particular religion. Behavior could include frequency of attendance, pray, reading sacred text, donations to the church whether time or money, volunteer work or missionizing, or other various religious activities. Some people may participate in these activities for intrinsic or extrinsic reasons, meaning whether they are doing it strictly for themselves or if they are doing it for status quo. Belief is the person's views in the religion. Things like the belief in a single God or many Gods,, the after life such as heaven or hell, the soul, and miracles. Other things could be beliefs in prophets, sin, or how sacred text is viewed.

Religion is a very important part of the American society. A large majority of the populations identify themselves as religious and plays a large role in how a person acts. While not everyone may think of religion the same way or agree on what it means to be religious, I believe it is important to study the effects it may have on individuals and society.

Sacred vs. Profane (Sumblog 1)

In class we talked about Durkheim’s view on religion. Dukheim connected religion to the idea of sacred and profane.  This is an interesting concept to me because he stated that an object that is sacred is “something added to and above the real” while profane is something viewed as normal or mundane.  Some things can be both sacred and profane, it simply depends on your view point. For example, a chair can be both sacred and profane. It is profane if it is just sitting in a class room and has no other purpose than a place to sit during class. A chair can be sacred if it is the throne of a king. It all depends on how we view the object and what meaning it possesses. Sacred can also change as society changes.  For example, the Super Bowl is sometimes viewed as sacred in our society.

The quote by Bob Schieffer about how the Super Bowl is so important in our society ties to what Durkheim talked about. Holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas are viewed as sacred in some parts of society, much like the Super Bowl. Our society has considered certain objects and days as different or superior from everyday life and that we should have rituals that go along with them. There are Super Bowl parties that have a similar feel as a party that a person would go to for Christmas or Thanksgiving.  They have become “sacred” because our society has defined them as being so.  Similar to religion, they are socially constructed.  The Super Bowl is something that we have been socialized to see as superior to ordinary life and according to Durkheim, sacred. If you were to look at society you would be able to see what is most influential in many people’s lives. The things that are sacred tend to be very important and influential. They have a meaning in their life. Other things that are viewed as sacred would include the cross, a wedding ring, a church building, etc. They are all everyday objects that are given meaning. If you pay attention, you will begin to see many object that could be profane that a society views as sacred.