week 5, post 2

I was reading an article today about China's persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual sect. The practices of Falun Gong are peaceful and have a lot to do with meditation-their main, founding principles are truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

Despite this, the Falun Gong have been treated mercilessly over the past 20 years- banned and labelled an "evil cult," it's members have been arrested, tortured, and died in custody, their lawyers have been beaten for helping them, and many have gone into self-exile for their own safety.

This seems strange, but if you think about how powerful an organizing force religion and spirituality can be, the Chinese government's response has some twisted logic. The extremity of it's persecution of the sect started when 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners nonviolently protested in Beijing 10 years ago. The dedication and unity of this many people, even to a cause not directly related to the government, seemed cause for worry.

week 5, post 1

This is Moses. Sometimes his horns are depicted more ram-like than these cute little bunny-ears, but they are present either way in many early statues and paintings.

It seems exceedingly strange that the great leader who lead his people out of slavery in Egypt is portrayed with horns, of all things. But many people, on literal interpretation of their Bibles, felt that this was the most accurate way to do so. Horns was a mistranslation, in the place of the beams of light that are actually described as emanating from the great man's head.

Augustine discusses a similar phenomenon of mistranslation when he indignantly writes that "calves are not rooted to the earth, but walk over it with their feet!" Like "horns" and "beams of light," "calves" and "plants" are confusingly similar words to those translating the Testaments. As are "quick" and "sharp."

Translation difficulties present a challenge for those trying to make the scriptures legible in many languages. Augustine describes this dilemma as that of "unknown signs or ambiguous signs." In his opinion, "a sign is a thing that makes some other thing come to mind," and words are kind of the ultimate signs. And, since "spoken words cease to exist as soon as they come into contact with the air," the written word has tremendous significance.

When you look at the Psalms, which set the religious guidelines of good, bad, and any repercussions in the form of collective songs, the idea of a word as a sign is very interesting. Despite being clear and permanent(ish) signs, words are easy to mistranslate (like above), and their meaning can change depending on the style of writing they are translated into (see previous blog about Psalm 2). Words more open to interpretation and misinterpretation than animal tracks, though I suppose it depends on how deep you want to go. You can tell from the track, maybe, that it's a cougar, but you don't know who that particular animal was, or what it was doing on the path that day.

And, this has absolutely nothing to do with ANYTHING, but while looking for a picture of Moses with horns I stumbled across this link, and I thought some of you might find it funny: 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m175/Mbabalon/moses_with_horns.jpg&imgrefurl=http://synkronos23.vox.com/library/post/popeye-the-sailor-man-meets-the-solar-phallic-gods.html&usg=__T-nEcBsdVxkSIbJpqEHZDg7CP04=&h=600&w=407&sz=58&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=9wS61945CGyahM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmoses%2Bwith%2Bhorns%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Week 4, post 1

The God presented in Psalm 18 is a powerful and mighty creature, a warrior, described rather like a volcano even. He steps in to save the speaker in the midst of battle, leading him to victory. The idea that the speaker presents, of God dealing with each person by their merit (granting good things to the faithful and pure, and ills to the sacreligious) is nothing new- however this psalm seems to take it an extra step further. The God of this psalm doesn't merely save the speaker from death in battle, nor does He create some otherworldly miracle to end the war itself. Rather, He takes the speaker's side above that of his enemies, and leads him to crush them.

This idea, God as a warrior who takes clear sides in battle, is definitely problematic. The God of this psalm is not a benevolent all-powerful being, taking all of his beings' needs and desires into consideration- he is placing one group of greater importance than the other. I suppose if each and every one of the speaker's enemies were horrible people who like ate babies for fun or something and cursed God's name, then maybe it would make sense for him to be mad and put the speaker in complete power over their lives after leading him to win over them in battle. But even if God wanted to punish some of them, shouldn't he take each person into account, rather than making them all "cringe?" (Then again, I'm not sure I'm being particularly consistent at all... The God of the Hebrew bible did all kinds of not-very-pleasant things to the enemies of his chosen people, even when those "enemies" were innocent in and of themselves- ie: the slaying of the first born sons in the Passover story).

Also, if this person won the battle by having a strong faith in God and praying a whole lot, what happens if both sides are praying to the same God for victory?

Week 3, Post 2

...This completely doesn't have to do with anything, but this morning I put tea in my eyes, and it made me think of the impact of religious or magical beliefs and how they relate to people's practical lives. 

I know that putting tea in my eyes sounds odd or maybe a little bit gross, but it's actually a very effective and soothing folk remedy, which my great-uncle taught me about that when I visited him in Ireland a few years ago. My uncle is a healer- now in his 80s, he is more or less retired, but he is able to cure many ailments. Some of the things he practices- like tea for eyes (or apples for warts, his son's specialty- many members of the family have healing talents)- could easily have a component that could probably be understood by modern medicine, others less so. He is a diviner- using his pendulum, he diagnoses allergies, finds underground water sources, and even finds missing people.

Very often the things religion is concerned with (immortal souls or such) seem very remote and distant from our lives on the average day. Other things (such as faith-healing or unexplainable powers) are much more directly intertwined with day-to-day life.

Psalm 2, "The Book of Psalms," 2007-

Why are the nations aroused,

and the peoples murmur vain things?

Kings of the earth take their stand,

and princes conspire together

against the LORD and against His anointed.

"Let us tear off their fetters,

let us fling away their bonds!"

He who dwells in the heavens will laugh,

the Master derides them.

Then will He speak to them in His wrath,

in His burning anger dismay them:

"And I- I appointed My king

on Zion, My holy mountain."

Let me tell all is due of the Lord.

He said to me: "You are My son/

I Myself did today beget you.

Ask of me, and I shall give nations as your estate,

and your holdings, the ends of the earth.

You will smash them with a rod of iron,

like a potter's jar you will dash them."

And now, O you kings, pay mind,

be chastened, you rulers of the earth.

Worship the LORD in fear,

and exult in trembling.

With purity be armed,

lest He rage and you be lost on the way.

For His wrath in a moment flares up.

Happy, all who shelter in Him.

Psalm 2, "The Bay Psalm Book," 1640-

Why rage the Heathen furiously?

muse vaine things people do;

Kings of the earth doe set themselves,

Princes consult also:

with one consent against the Lord,

and his anoynted one.

Let us asunder break their bands,

their cords bee from us throwne.

Who sits in heav'n shall laugh; the lord

will mock them; then will he

Speak to them in his ire, and wrath:

and vex them suddenlie.

But I annoynted have my King

upon my holy hill

of Zion: The established

counsell declare I will.

God spake to me, thou art my Son:

this day I thee begot.

Aske thou of me, and I will give

the Heaven for thy lot:

and of the earth thou shalt possesse

the utmost coasts abroad,

thou shalt them break as Potters sherds

and crush with yron rod.

And now yee Kings be wise, be learn'd

yee ludges of th'earth (Heare)

Serve yee the lord with reverence,

rejoyce in him with feare.

Kisse yee the Sonne, lest he be wroth,

and yee fall in the way,

when his wrath quickly burnes, oh bless'd are..."

I suppose, given that they were translated and published nearly 400 years apart, these two versions of Psalm 2 bear a pretty good resemblance to each other. But it certainly is interesting to see how the time of translation, with its prevailing cultural and educational norms, can influence the style or even content of a poem (a poem that was actually written many centuries previously).

For one thing, the style is completely different. While the more recent translation is written in what is seen as more classical "Biblical" language (for lack of a better word), the second is much more colloquial (particularly with lines like "yee ludges of th'earth" instead of "you rulers of the earth.") Words like "Heathen" instead of "nations" or "people" make the standpoint very clear- also in relation to the political or social opinions of those reading the little psalm book- that those who do not share their belief are heathens. The more recent translation is also more careful about the Hebrew poetic format. 

Week 2, post 2

One of the most fascinating things about the Indian Mounds of Wisconsin is just how well they fit in with the natural world. While they are outlined for easier viewing today, at the time of their creation the mounds would have simply risen up as part of the landscape. What is even more remarkable is the fact that, despite the amount of dirt used in their making, no evidence was found of giant holes to obtain such materials- it seems most likely that the mounds' creators took a little bit here, a little bit there, in a sustainable fashion that would not harm any one area.

It is almost inconceivable to think of this kind of care being taken today. Our current society does not worry much about living in balance with the natural world- at this point, we have created a system where there is very little of the natural world left that has not very deeply felt the effects of human civilization. Even our most mundane "monuments-" buildings, parking lots, (even our customary graveyards require the clearing and extensive manicuring of the land), end up pushing nature away rather than trying to live alongside it.

One thing that I thought of in relation to these ideas is Robert Jetson's environmental art piece, "Spiral Jetty." 1500 feet long and 15 feet wide, this spiral coil in the middle of Utah's Great Salt Lake was intended as a statement for environmental protection and against an increasingly consumeristic art world. The rocks used were all native to the area, but certainly some direct changing of the landscape (and hardcore use of dumptrucks) was necessary for the piece's creation. On the other hand, in recent years, the presence of "Spiral Jetty" has prevented oil drilling in the lake that would otherwise damage it's delicate ecosystems.

Week 2, post 1

According to several of the possible interpretations of Wisconsin's effigy mounds, they fit into Geertz's definition of religion. Geertz describes a system of symbols: with the thunderbird, bear, and water-panther representing the elemental states of air, earth, and water, respectively, this seems to be the case. There is also some debate about whether these beings symbolized clan affiliation as well, given the fact that most were concentrated in particular areas, though generally with an opposing effigy for balance. In this way, they do seem to "formulate conceptions of a general order of existence" by their symbolism, location, and balance towards one another.

Week 2, post 2

One thing that was discussed in class this week that really stuck out to me was the relationship between religion and hierarchy. It is certainly true that a social hierarchy can be an integral component of a religion- with a shaman or priest carrying a lot of power as the intermediary between the lay-people and the divine being, though usually seen as possessing less power than the divine being itself. These hierarchies are seen in many religions, and may be simple or vastly complicated, such as those seen in the Catholic Church. What is interesting about these hierarchies is whether they are a necessary product of religion, or if they are imposed on religion by certain cultures or societies. In fact, it seems like strict hierarchy may be a relatively modern component of religion- something coming from the time and place the religion is practiced, rather than by the religion itself. This relates to an idea described in depth by Rupert Ross in his book, "Returning to the Teachings: Exploring Aboriginal Justice." Ross describes how the original religion and culture of the Ojibway was based on a system of dependencies, rather than hierarchy. Things were important in their relationship to one another, which meant that all things were equally important, though in different ways. Their society was organized in a similar fashion. When Europeans settlers met these people, they were perplexed at this method of organization, and insisted that the people pick a leader for them to converse with. As the Europeans came to power, the hierarchy became more enforced. Ross credits the imposition of a forced hierarchy with the destruction of many Native American cultures.