Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God: "After viewing 'The Nativity Story', analyzing your chosen Christmas carol, and reading Philippians 2:1-7, reflect on the meaning of Christma..."

     After watching “The Nativity Story,” reading Philippians 2:1-7, and discussing the true meaning of Christmas in class, I’ve gained a newfound perspective of Jesus through the way he is portrayed. In both the movie and the Bible, Jesus is described to be the Messiah, the Son of God, the King, or the savior of the Jews. The only reason Jesus is called such names is because God chose him to send His message out to the world. Which is why God decided to introduce Jesus to the world using such an impossible-like method: a virgin birth. Being an utterly unbelievable event, everyone knew Jesus was God’s personal creation right away.

     The following verse is from the Christmas carol I chose to analyze - “O, Come All Ye Faithful.”

The highest, most holy,

Light of light eternal,

Born of a virgin,

A mortal He comes;

Son of the Father

Now in flesh appearing!

Oh, come, let us adore Him,

Oh, come, let us adore Him,

Oh, come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

     This verse primarily emphasizes the implausible factor of Jesus’ birth – Jesus was born of a virgin. This verse also describes Jesus to be the highest, most holy, eternal, a mortal, Son of the Father, and Christ the Lord. Singing such praises, it is evident that His people revered Jesus with the utmost respect from the moment he was born.

     Throughout the duration of Mary’s pregnancy all the way to Jesus’ birth, many things were asked of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the Persian astrologers. But most importantly, they were all required to simply believe and have faith in God. Mary and Joseph were also forced to deal with the fact that although they weren’t able to conceive their own child, they were about to be the parents of a newborn King. The shepherds were asked by the angels to entrust the sheep with them and go be the first people to see Jesus. The Persian astrologers played a big role in Jesus’ birth because they were able to predict its whereabouts and present Jesus with the three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives: "Find where Islamic religious beliefs intersect with current events. Research a Western news source on the story and summarize the article fr..."

One of the most notorious current events that dealt with conflicting Islam religious beliefs occurred throughout the July and September of 2010. During these several months, there was much controversy surrounding Terry Jones’ announcement of hosting an “International Burn a Qur’an Day” from 6 P.M to 9 P.M on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. A Christian pastor from the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, Jones hoped this day would remember the 9/11 victims and present a stand against Muslims. Deeming Islam as “a religion of the devil,” Jones, his family, his followers, and their families were determined to execute this day in protest against Islam. By creating a Facebook page, launching a YouTube channel, and selling mugs and t-shirts with the phrase, “Islam is of the Devil,” the Dove World Outreach Center wanted to promote the burning and invite other Christians.
Article link: http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-29/us/florida.burn.quran.day_1_american-muslims-religion-cair-spokesman-ibrahim-hooper?_s=PM:US

On the other half of the world, hundreds of Afghan Muslims gathered to torch the United States’ flag as they chanted, “Death to the Christians!” in Afghanistan. With a total of 500-700 Muslims in protest to Jones’ plans of burning the Qu’ran, demonstrators at this event held up signs that read, “If Qu’ran is burned it would be beginning of destruction of America.” Likewise, many religious and political leaders from both hemispheres of the world such as Hilary Clinton and Manouchehr Mottaki have been constantly warning Jones of possible repercussions that may severely harm relations between the United States and other Islamic countries. However, Jones has remained firm on his decision.
Article link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100909/ap_on_re_as/quran_burning_reaction

Reading articles from both perspectives, I see many differences and just one similarity between the Western and Eastern views. To the Christians in America, Islam represents the Devil and is a deceptive and violent religion and burning the Qu’ran will rid the world of Islam. To the Muslims in Afghanistan, Islam is their religion and Jones is crazy to be burning such a holy and sacred document. What these two points of view have in common is the intensity and drive both Christians and Muslims have to take the other down. Despite the fact that Jones ended up cancelling his plans, I think this conflict will present more problems in the future between the two opposing sides.

Personal Commemoration- Reflection #7

Ever since I was young, I would go to Central Park in New York every summer while visiting my sisters. Central Park is undeniably my favorite place in the whole world. I think simply strolling through the park and taking in New York’s eccentric sights is an event that is commemorative of me. If there were to be such a commemorative ritual, it would be any day during July, the hottest month of the year in the city. Although the actions people would have to do during this commemoration would only last a few minutes, they can stay as long as they want afterwards.

During this commemoration, one would take a walk around the whole park, climb up to the very top of the rocks, and just enjoy the views of the children playing in the playground, girls tanning on the grass, a friendly baseball game, families relishing a picnic for lunch, street musicians playing harmonious music, vendors selling hot dogs and ice cream, etc. At this “ritual,” I would like everyone there to recite, “What a wonderful life this truly is.” Because this commemoration is so casual, there is no specific attire or food necessary. I would just like people to take a couple of minutes out of their busy days to merely take a walk through the beautiful Central Park and clear their heads.

The Morality of Greek Myths- Reflection #6

Hermes - the messenger god

The skit that my group performed in class was a portrayal of the Greek myth Seasons. The story revolves around Hades, the god of the Underworld, kidnapping Persephone, the goddess of flowers, after falling in love with her. This causes Demeter, mother of Persephone and the goddess of harvest, to wreak havoc among her responsibilities and duties of overlooking the growth and prosperity of all living things. As all of nature slowly withers away, Zeus refuses to simply stand by, so he sends Hermes, the messenger god, to bring Persephone back from the Underworld. Although Persephone returns safely, she is forced to go back to the Underworld for seven months each year because she ate seven pomegranate seeds. So during the seven months Persephone is gone each year, Demeter returns to her mourning and doesn’t let nature flourish.

I believe that the moral of this story is to never give up on something or someone that you love. By forcing Zeus to use his authority to retrieve Persephone through curtailing her own responsibilities, Demeter didn’t stop fighting for her daughter. This moral is something that readers can take away or learn from this story. The seven-month intervals of Persephone’s stay on Earth are perceived to be the answer to an enigma that has been questioned for a long time. How were the seasons created? Although not completely answered even today, this Greek myth is a potential answer for all of us wondering how winter, summer, spring, and fall came to be. Through this story, readers can tell that the virtue of motherly love is important to the Greeks. The unconditional love a mother has for her child can be seen through the relationship between Demeter and Persephone.

Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk: "After visiting the Zen Buddhist Temple, Bongwonsa and attempting to see nature as a Taoist, answer this question: What is it about creation,..."

Although I spent most of the hike up the mountain socializing with people from our classes, I took some time out every few minutes to just look around and appreciate Mother Nature’s creations. It dawned on me that nature prompts people to seek out religion because we can see it live and die, thus arousing a curiosity in us wondering about the fate of our own lives. Being the one thing that isn’t man-made, driven by technology, or simply fake, nature remains as the only exemplar of life besides humanity. Walking to and through the Zen Buddhist Temple and Bongwonsa, some of the questions I had regarding the Eastern religions we’ve been studying in class were answered. Like myself, everyone has inquiries concerning the idea of religion as a whole. To me, I believe that people spend their lives seeking out religious truth, nurturing faith, or worshipping creation because they hope that the answers to their questions lie in the hands of certain religions. The reason is because life entails mysteries and enigmas that we are forced to confront, but certainly cannot confront on our own. Whether Taoists worship nature, Shintoists follow their four steps to worship, or Buddhists commit their lives to reaching Nirvana, people turn to religion in hopes of finding the answers to their questions and the true meaning of life.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation: "Spend 20 mintues in a silent meditation; a place you won't be disturbed, your own 'fig tree' as was Buddha's inspiration. In those 20 mintue..."

Meditating for 20 whole minutes was probably one of the hardest assignments I've received. Being a person that can't sit in one position for too long, I was already having trouble staying still in my cross-legged position after just a few minutes. Additionally, I was already exhausted from school so I was worried that I might accidentally doze off. First, I tried to focus on my breathing and make sure that it was going at a steady pace. I closed my eyes and tried to find peace amidst the crazy day I was having. Although I knew I was supposed to empty my mind and immerse myself in "right thoughts", "right mindfulness", and "right concentration", I couldn't stop thinking about the huge test I have tomorrow. "How am I going to cram a unit's worth of information tonight? How late am I going to stay up? I should go get some coffee." Irrelevant thoughts like these took over my brain and prevented me from trying to think about anything else or receive inspiration. Any inspiration in relation to meditation, that is. And quite frankly, it made me sad that I couldn't simply relax for a mere 20 minutes without thinking about everything in my life I'm worried or stressed about. The fact that Buddhists perform meditations every day awes me. Their ability to concentrate seems so hard to attain. But hopefully, I will be able to find a time in the future when I don't have such a load on my shoulders to just be able to relax and focus on my inner thoughts.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist: "In class, your small groups went over movie questions about the content in Gandhi. You should know who each of the main characters are and t..."

Mahatma Ghandi was a man that changed the world of Hinduism. He was a spiritual leader who went out of his way to make a statement for the world to hear. Being a Hindu himself, Ghandi believed in achieving peace without violence and acceptance of anyone and everyone. The biographical movie that we watched in class depicted many defining moments in the history of Hinduism through Ghandi’s life. By watching this film, we were able to identify with Ghandi’s mission. One example that supports my position is when Ghandi was beaten by the policemen in the beginning of the movie. Watching him get clubbed with a bat proved how painful the beating must have been. Nonetheless, Ghandi maintained his composure and did not retaliate. Another example is when Ghandi chose to fast during India’s civil war as a message to the people that starving to death is what he would do if the war had continued. These examples are just two of the many more that epitomize the lengths Ghandi had gone to prove a point about Hinduism.

Every word that Ghandi spoke was about his strong faith towards Hinduism. His teachings influenced millions to strive to be at most half the man he was. In my opinion, I think that this quote: “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind,” is the best example of the majority of what Ghandi spent his life preaching. This quote means that if everyone in the world were to take revenge on others for each petty little conflict, people would lose sight of the big picture. The reason why I think this is the best quote is because the foundation of all of Ghandi’s principles lied on nonviolence. Like mentioned in the previous paragraph, Ghandi himself experienced violence upon him but always maintained calmness and never chose to fight back.