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NEWS: Prayer, Poetry, and the Sounds of Sacred Energy

Shawn David Young — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:00:29 +0000

Whether religious or non-religious, most Americans, according Krista Tippett, claim that they pray. Recently, many have rediscovered various contemplative traditions and even non-religious prayer. Anoushka Shankar, daughter of musician Ravi Shankar, recalls her own approach to Sanskrit chants and prayers in her music. She considers this a connection to nature, in contradistinction to Western theistic approaches. Sound, according to Shankar, is equally valuable. She points out that certain vibrations and sound-patterns are imbued with power and may affect or create meaning. Chanting helps one access the primordial, allowing the practitioner to transcend the mundane and experience universal sacred energy. Tippett also considers Stephen Mitchell’s approach to poetic, non-religious prayer and theologian Roberta Bondi’s considerations about potential theological misunderstandings about prayer—that we need not adopt a formula of structure. We simply need to show up and make an attempt. Listen here.

Related articles:

The Sanskrit Epics By John Brockington From The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism

Sound and American Religions By Isaac A. Weiner, University of North Carolina (Vol. 4, July 2009) Religion Compass

anusvāra From The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems

Poetry By HAROLD SCHWEIZER From Dictionary of Cultural and Critical Theory

Changing Status in India’s Marginal Music Communities By Zoe Sherinian, University of Oklahoma (Vol. 4, June 2009) Religion Compass

NEWS: The President’s Theology?

Shawn David Young — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:50:13 +0000

In Speaking of Faith Krista Tippett hosted a discussion where American political and cultural commentator David Brooks and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne considered American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr’s influence on American democracy, religion, and President Barack Obama’s interest in the theologian’s perspective on the politics of religion as applied to foreign and domestic policy. Obama has stated that Niebuhr was one of his favorite philosophers and is an “influence on his understanding of the world of religion and of politics.” Niebuhr has often been viewed as a neo-conservative and a liberal; many claim him as their own. He argued that humans are always prone to violence and excess. Brooks and Dionne considered the matter of human nature, outlined by Niebuhr, and applied it to the Obama administration’s economic stimulus package. Brooks considered the “tragic view” of life held by Niebuhr and suggested that institutions must “tame” individuals. Both journalists argued that Obama’s views on humanity and institutional responsibility are fundamentally Niebuhrian. Both see Obama is a kind of Niebuhrian Realist (Christian Realism). The comments created a climate where we must consider Obama’s core theology regarding human nature, the role of government, and the world’s destiny, whether divine or otherwise. Distinguishing between hope and optimism, Dionne clarified that for Obama hope never dismisses the tragic view of life held by Realists. Rather, the President is simply optimistic of what could be. According to Niebuhr, “we take, and must continue to take, morally hazardous actions to preserve our civilization. We must exercise our power. But we ought neither to believe that a nation is capable of perfect disinterestedness in its exercise, nor become complacent about particular degrees of interest and passion which corrupt the justice by which the exercise of power is legitimatized.” Both commentators considered this passage within the context of the war in Iraq, the torture of prisoners, and what is required of citizens faced with ambiguous situations drenched in irony, subjectivity, and cultural complexity. Both agreed that the beliefs of Niebuhr and Obama are grounded in a particular view of human nature: the potential for uncontrolled vanity, power, and self-centeredness. When considering Christian Realism and religious pluralism, Brooks expressed concern that theology is dying – that “soft-core” evangelism (a therapeutic faith) might not have found favor with Niebuhr. However, Dionne argued for a toleration of difference while remaining serious about one’s own faith, despite protestations which cite the dangers of humanity and unbridled pluralism. Tippett reminded the panel that Niebuhr would have contrasted the Religious Right of the 1980s. He “disdained discussion of personal beliefs in the public square” – it is better to consider politics and justice while motivated by faith and love. Obama has argued that in a democratic society, universal values should not be religion-specific, thus accessible to people of all faiths. Despite the fact that the panel agreed that President Obama has been influenced by Reinhold Niebuhr, it is difficult to reconcile Obama’s pluralism with the Realist position that life is “tragic;” any attempt at utopia is futile. Listen to the discussion here.

Related articles:

What’s New in the History of Christianity? By Anne Thayer , Lancaster Theological Seminary (Vol. 2, January 2007) Religion Compass

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) By Matthew Berke From The Blackwell Companion to the Theologians

Teaching & Learning Guide for: The Social Ethic of Religiously Unaffiliated Spirituality By Siobhan Chandler, Wilfrid Laurier University (Religion Compass 2008, March 2008) Religion Compass

Political Persuasion By Richard M. Perloff, Edward Horowitz and Gary Pettey From The International Encyclopedia of Communication

Islam and Democracy: Is Modernization a Barrier? By John O. Voll , Georgetown University (Vol. 1, November 2006) Religion Compass

NEWS: Presidents, Evangelicals, and the End of Days

Shawn David Young — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:07:29 +0000

Conservative evangelical Christians have often been intrigued with various apocalyptic books of the Bible. From America’s inception (and before) many evangelicals have concerned themselves with deciphering biblical prophecies thought to foretell the “End of Days,” as well as the rise of the Antichrist (to include who he or she will be). Historian Matthew Avery Sutton has considered what was thought to be one of the dying “orthodoxies” of the Christian Right. While he acknowledges the continuing presence of moderate voices within Christendom he points to what might be growing evangelical suspicions of President Barack Obama. Sutton reminds us that the president is “dealing with a countercultural movement [evangelicals] that at its foundation is obsessed with the apocalypse.” Sutton argues that the culture wars are heating up again, fueled by Obama’s various positions on culture and his ecumenical attitude toward religious belief. Thus, according to Sutton, “a surge in apocalyptic rhetoric is imminent.” He argues that the majority of American evangelicals “interpret the most obscure books of the Bible (Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation) in a very narrow and particular way.” This narrow interpretation includes events such as the return of the Jews to Palestine, a perceived decline in morality, and “the consolidation of independent nations into one super-state led by a seemingly benevolent leader who is actually the Antichrist.” There is an historical precedent here, at least in the minds of many evangelicals. The New Deal and FDR’s dream to unify the world helped to form Christian perceptions of state power; they “threatened evangelicals’ sense of religious liberty and national independence,” according to Sutton. Furthermore, evangelical fears of state power were again realized as Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” fanned the flames of isolationism and millenarianism. These doomsday fears were captured in Hal Lindsey’s The Late, Great Planet Earth and Christian rocker Larry Norman’s song “I Wish We’d All Been Ready,” which warned about the coming rapture of Christians. During the 1990s the wide-selling Left Behind novels, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, seemed to come about as a reaction to the Clinton years, and a continuation of the Millenarian drama within American religious culture. Sutton concludes by suggesting that evangelicals “were well prepared then to view the terrorist attacks on 9/11 as evidence of God’s judgment for the Clinton years.” Despite his attempts to find a common ground with evangelicals, President Obama “is unlikely to be able to penetrate the apocalyptic fears that have characterized the evangelical movement since the Great Depression,” according to Sutton. Many conservative evangelicals believe the Antichrist will promise peace and prosperity. Thus Obama, according Sutton, is in a catch-22: “the more Obama accomplishes as president and the more he improves America’s image abroad, the more suspicious evangelicals will become; they don’t want to be duped by the devil.” Sutton challenges younger evangelicals to re-evaluate their theological and political positions, which have historically polarized Americans and demonized Presidents who seek the greater good. He concludes by suggesting that if this particular view of the “End of Days” is not re-visited, “the doomsayers will turn fears of Obama-as-Antichrist into big business.” Read the full article here.

Related articles:

Understanding Contemporary Millenarian Violence By John Walliss, Liverpool Hope University
(Vol. 2, June 2007) Religion Compass

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Religion in the Dead Sea Scrolls By Alex P. Jassen, University of Minnesota (Religion Compass 2008, August 2008) Religion Compass

Religious Environmentalism in the West. I: A Focus on Christianity By Steve Douglas, Australian National University (Vol. 4, June 2009) Religion Compass

Teaching & Learning Guide for: The Social Ethic of Religiously Unaffiliated Spirituality By Siobhan Chandler, Wilfrid Laurier University (Religion Compass, 2008, March 2008) Religion Compass

Theology and the Lure of the Practical: An Overview By Mary McClintock Fulkerson, Divinity School, Duke University (Vol. 2, February 2007) Religion Compass

Theology in its Spatial Turn: Space, Place and Built Environments Challenging and Changing the Images of God By Sigurd Bergmann, Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Vol. 2, April 2007) Religion Compass

Nine Reflections on the Book: Poststructuralism and the Hebrew Bible By Jennifer L. Koosed, Albright College (Vol. 3, June 2008) Religion Compass

NEWS: Music, Torture, and Empire

Shawn David Young — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:49:43 +0000

In the stunning article “Disco-Reggae at Abu Ghraib: Music, the Bible and Torture” Erin Runions reports on the treatment of Iraqi prisoners of war. Those interviewed reported being forced to listen to “constant repetitions of Psalm 137—in the jaunty, disco-reggae rendition of Boney M’s “Rivers of Babylon.” While this seems rather benign, Runions attempts to connect the reasons for various forms of torture: that military interrogators couch their methods in terms of empire, using biblical imagery to establish insiders and outsiders, good and evil, “linking Iraq and ancient Babylon.” The author suggests that the troubling part is that U.S. soldiers included the ending: “happy is the one who repays you for what you have done to us -the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.” Runions asks the question, “What does it mean when a country that likes to proclaim itself as beyond slavery plays a song about freedom to people it is torturing?” The use of biblical language to discuss freedom and national security is nothing new, according to this article. Runions points to other examples where religious authority is with mixed imperial power and divine purpose. This essay helps us consider that there may be conflicting depictions of those in captivity and those who are exercising a quite historical notion of dominion. The author’s most poignant statement hints at internal conflict, suffered by those doing the torturing: “A desire for righteous domination, rooted in allegorical biblical myth, legitimizes a stance that allows torture and condemns it, and that speaks out against torture without prosecuting those responsible.” Read the story here.

Related articles:

Priestly Sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible: A Summary of Recent Scholarship and a Narrative Reading By David Janzen, North Central College (November 2007) Religion Compass

Modern Qur’anic Hermeneutics By Erik Ohlander, Indiana University–Purdue University, Fort Wayne (May 2009) Religion Compass

The Tabernacle and the Temple in Ancient Israel By Michael M. Homan, Xavier University of Louisiana (Vol. 1, October 2006) Religion Compass

READ RELIGION COMPASS EXCHANGES!

NEWS: The Significance of Fleshly Encounters

Shawn David Young — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:09:56 +0000

In Touch and American Religions, historian Candy Gunther Brown explores the importance of human touch in practice, whether defined by traditional religion or alternative therapeutic movements. She points to the rather lengthy history of the Western tendency to create a hierarchy of senses – how they are valued and perceived. She suggests that the Christian tradition has been “bolstered by Cartesian mind-body dualism” which “devalued the body and its senses as dangerous to the soul.” Brown demonstrates the lineage inherited by the West; Plato thought all senses, “especially touch,” were deceiving. Aristotle “…hierarchically arranges the senses, positioning vision at the top and touch at the bottom.” Despite the devaluing of touch (and experience/emotion) throughout history, various practices — whether traditional, non-traditional, religious, or secular — all tend to value touch in some significant manner. Ritual, pain and the “alleviation [of pain] through divine and alternative healing” can be found in Christianity, Buddhism, and other traditions. Furthermore, Brown points out that scholars have found compelling evidence linking touch to ethics, empathy, and compassion, thus promoting “the good and alleviat[ing] the suffering of others….” There is thus an association, says Brown of “women and people of color with touch and emotion” which can be used “to subvert gender and racial hierarchies by linking tactility with ethical behavior.” She goes on to remind us that religious ritual has often involved “tactile practices,” whether through hand-signs, blessings, prayers postures, etc. Moreover, religious practice has equally focused on signs of divine favor, judgment, or personal satisfaction: these moments are measured by expressions of touch – sexuality, pain, and healing. These may be divinely orchestrated, the product of Eastern methods of transcendence, or natural cures involving self-help. Despite the history of pain and mind-body dualism which seem to pepper multiple religious landscapes, Brown emphasizes the growing significance of healing as a moral imperative: “Two cultural movements that have gained significant popular followings over the past 150 years, divine healing and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), are founded upon the assumptions that feeling is believing and that which is effective in relieving pain is morally good.” While touch specifically, and human emotion generally, has often been relegated to a position structured by the Western hierarchical mind-body split, Brown concludes with this challenge: “…religion is as much about what people experience through their bodies as what they believe…” Read here.

Related articles:

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Interpreting Magic and Divination in the Ancient Near East and Magic and Divination in Ancient Israel By By Ann Jeffers, Heythrop College, University of London (August 2008) Religion Compass

Mesopotamian Medicine and Religion: Current Debates, New Perspectives By Eleanor Robson, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge (June 2008) Religion Compass

Spirituality and the Body in Late Modernity By Agata Dziuban, Jagiellonian University, Poland (June 2007) Religion Compass

READ RELIGION COMPASS EXCHANGES!

NEWS: Riverside Church: Progressive or Fundamentalist?

Shawn David Young — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:06:07 +0000

Americans have had a lengthy love-hate relationship with the tensions indicative of religion and liberal democracy. While we are often titillated by controversy surrounding clergy living within the public eye, some of the fiercest battles have been fought over matters involving civil liberties, social issues, and theological and scientific “truth.” Members of Manhattan’s Riverside Church called for the resignation of the “self professed ‘progressive evangelical’” Rev. Dr. Brad R. Braxton. The fear was that Dr. Braxton was leading the congregation toward a more fundamentalist version of Christianity. Rev. Peter Laarman, executive director of Progressive Christians Uniting and Dr. Jonathan Walton, assistant professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, discussed this development. They considered the context of the American liberal Protestant tradition and the weakness of labels. That is, terms such as “fundamentalist” and “evangelical” mean different things to different people. We often confuse each term with particular expressions of the radical Right. According to Jonathan Walton “some have suggested that Dr. Braxton’s commitment to the scriptural text rendered him a biblical fundamentalist and a poor fit for Riverside.” The article reminds us of the haziness of theological distinctions. Walton points out that “the religious right and conservative Christians have co-opted the terms ‘bible-believing’ and ‘evangelical’ in such a way that they have become politically-based monikers from which many liberal Protestants quickly flee.” Walton and Laarman conclude the conversation by suggesting that the decision of Riverside Church congregants may be rooted more in the historic struggles of race and class, rather than theological particulars. The question remains: what must progressive Christians do to overcome “this sort of class and culture contestation?” Read the full story here.

Related articles:

What Every Beginning Student Needs to Know about Nineteenth-Century Protestant Theology By Paul E. Capetz, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (October 2008) Religion Compass

‘The Rise of the Historical Consciousness’ By Johannes C. Wolfart, Carleton University (January 2009) Religion Compass

The Changing Significance of Race: African-Americans and the Hebrew Bible By Stephen Reid, Bethany Seminary (June 2008) Religion Compass

READ RELIGION COMPASS EXCHANGES!

NEWS: The Death of Immortality?: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett

Shawn David Young — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:56:05 +0000

Historian Anthea Butler takes on the task of considering Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson’s iconic status, while considering the fan as someone who ascribes an almost divine status; each icon contains the very essence of a decade. Her article, “When The Gods Die: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett Take the ’70s With Them,” frames each celebrity within the context of devotion and a legacy now immortal. Of course, when icons die we often find ourselves considering our own mortality. She suggests that fans (perhaps subconsciously) do not believe an icon can die – we tend to immortalize the person. Fawcett “transcended her looks” becoming a talented actress. Jackson, according to Butler, “became a god.” This article suggests that in songs such as “We are the World,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Another Part of Me” all represent a desire for utopia – that there is a focus on a “quasi-religious, humanistic vision of all peoples loving each other.” Despite his rather complicated life, various allegations, and legal problems, Jackson “reached more people than the average religious figure.” Butler discusses the pop icon’s childhood religion as a Jehovah’s Witness, his later conversion to the Nation of Islam, and his final decision to become a Muslim, thus showing, according to Butler, an “interior struggle…to find the peace he so often sang about.” She argues that while he will never be considered a theologian, he could be considered a sort of “pop theologian” as he struggled with his humanity as “half man, half child.” The article brings Jackson down to earth as Butler focuses even on Jackson’s dancing, suggesting that in dance “he became transcendent, divine.” The article concludes by pointing us to the larger-than-life legacies of both Jackson and Fawcett, reminding us that a celebrity icon (their cultural impact) never truly dies. Read the article here.

Related articles:

Islam in the Age of Globalization By Bruce Lawrence, Duke University (May 2008)

Popular Culture (Islam, Early and Middle Periods) By Yehoshua Frenkel, University of Haifa (January 2008)

READ RELIGION COMPASS EXCHANGES!

NEWS: How Do We Raise Our Children to be Spiritual?

Shawn David Young — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:55:02 +0000

In NPR’s Speaking of Faith, Krista Tippett interviews Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso in an interview piece titled “The Spirituality of Parenting.” When considering religious uncertainty and the pluralism of American culture, coupled with the importance of providing our children with a spiritual foundation, Rabbi Sasso asks the question “how do we teach their souls?” She suggests that children are “little theologians,” asking big questions — something rather unexpected for parents unprepared to provide answers. According to Rabbi Sasso, children are actually comfortable without a clear answer, and tend to accept the mysteries of life. She suggests that children have ideas about God by age five, born with an innate sense of spirituality. The challenge for parents is straightforward: children do not always have a sense of language to give voice to what they are thinking or feeling. Rabbi Sasso considers what “language” ought to be used when children learn to express deeper spiritual questions. She discusses various “containers” of religion, moments to make concrete what is abstract. The spiritual nurturing of children is of primary concern in this interview. But while spiritual, the kind of nurturing tends toward the practical. That is, Rabbi Sasso suggests that familial responses, tradition, and ritual all serve to teach children significant life-lessons about human connectedness, helping them to learn the importance of questions rather than answers. Listen to the interview here

Ethics and Religion By G. Scott Davis, University of Richmond (Vol. 3, October 2008)

Religion Compass

Phenomenology of Religion By Thomas Ryba (Vol. 4, March 2009) Religion Compass

Psychology of Religion: An Overview of its History and Current Status By Roderick Main, University of Essex (Vol. 3, June 2008) Religion Compass

The Comparative Method By Paul Roscoe, University of Maine University (Vol. 3, July 2008) Religion Compass

READ RELIGION COMPASS EXCHANGES!

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Shawn David Young — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:38:23 +0000

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