(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.

 

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.