Touched By His Noodly Appendage

During introduction to religious studies we have studied and scrutinized different religions and the traditions that follow them. In one of my prior post I commented on the reasoning behind taking this course. I wanted to examine religious beliefs in order to contemplate whether there really is or was such thing as a god. Some points that have slowly penetrated my mind have been

Religion as a backup- In which people use religion to explain the world through stories that are sometimes not rationally true.

When these stories begin to gain momentum among populations these religions and beliefs create stories that accommodate the followers in ways that are advantageous for them.

Some ways for scholars to study certain religions are by using the Historical- critical method or by analyzing the system of symbols. When using the historical critical method scholars may want to examine the historical context of the religious scriptures and try to apply it to the society of that time period. This application could reveal how the beliefs correlate from the origins of the religion to what has become of it.

The system of symbols is fairly simple to understand. It is researching certain key symbols that relate to a religion or belief and to elaborate on their meaning towards that particular faith.

My view on religion is now plagued with what I believe to be false faiths that are created to only help a certain group of people in society. This has led me to elaborate on a faith called Pastafarianism. 

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster otherwise known as pastafarianism was first introduced in 2005 by Bobby Henderson. Henderson is known to be the prophet of pastafarianism. This belief was introduced in a letter by Henderson that protested the decision of Kansas state board of education to allow the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to teaching evolution. Henderson argued in this letter that if the school board wanted to teach science as intelligent design then it should be taught as “one third time for intelligent design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism(Pastafarianism), and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence”. Since the beginning of this faith in 2005 it seems that slowly but surely new evidence arises that holds the belief to be true, per say. This belief was created to thwart the attempt of allowing creationism to be taught in schools and since its creations many people have become followers.

Pastafarianism seems to be a direct attack on creationism, which tries to show that the earth and everything that inhabits it has to have come from some sort of supernatural being. In most cases many people view creationism to have one overall deity or God, which happens to come from Christian teaching and belief. The fact that creationism only applies to the Christian God saying that everything that is has come from him has sparked controversy.  School boards have now been trying to teach this theory in science courses. Henderson Believes that this idea is biased and favors Christianity, therefore he created what he believes is the original religion, pastafarianism.

I believe Henderson and the Pastafarian movement want to show society that religions can sometimes be misconstrued in order to benefit some and not others. Henderson reaffirms this notion in his “comment on the open letter” where he writes “future goals for the church include becoming recognized as a legitimate religious organization with all the inherit benefits *and tax  loopholes* that mainstream religions enjoy”. He wants to show that certain religions claim beliefs only to benefit the few who started it.

http://www.venganza.org/about/open-letter/

Since the creation of the Pastafarian movement Henderson has come out with “The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster”, in which he explains in detail the creation of the earth and how the flying Spaghetti monster created everything. When reading through the Pastafarian official website they continuously remind readers and followers that this is a real religion although many protesters of the religion try to call it a satire on belief. The most important part about this religion is that there are no rigorous traditions to follow and that ever person who follows the faith has a say in what it should become. 

When trying to examine this faith in a historical- critical style it is almost impossible. I say this because it is believed that the flying spaghetti monster is God and this God has the ability to change whatever he feels necessary. The gospel reaffirms that the world is not billions of years old rather only thousands and that when scientist try to perform experiments that validate the old world the flying spaghetti monster is there tampering with the data. The belief has found ways or loop holes that keep historians and scientist from trying to denounce its religious backing. Here even the system of symbols becomes hard to employ. In the picture below-

We can see certain aspects of the Rastafarian religion due to the color in the background. These colors indicate that in many aspects both religions want to be freed from persecution and ultimately want to gain freedom. The difference is that Pastafarianism sees freedom as religious freedom. The fish itself is very important. The eye patch it is wearing resembles that of a pirate. Pirates are known to be the original pastafarians, hence they are depicted in most of the beliefs propaganda. Pastafarians believe that global warming is a direct effect of the dwindling number of pirates left on the earth.

The religion itself  allows its followers to create their own vision of what they should believe and how to follow it. Niko Alm pictured below is a devout follower and believed that the head garment he should wear to show his religion in his license was a spaghetti strainer to show his faith. It took three years for the Austrian government to pass the identification card. Alm’s argument was that the sieve was a requirement of his faith. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14135523

This topic in religion interested me because I feel as if it applies to the religions we have learned. This religion has been based on the same premises of prior religions but because it is so absurd many people feel as if it does not warrant the approval of being called a religion.  Maybe they should scrutinize their own religion before casting doubts on others.

Jo the con artist

In class we have been reading the Book of Mormon. This week we were made to read the book of Abraham which was translated once again by Joseph Smith. When reading through the text it increasingly becomes very related to the text of the Book of Nephi. A correlation that I made while reading through the book of Abraham was that the old Egyptian text happened to sound remarkably similar to that of the original Book of Mormon although those text came from tablets that no one has ever seen. It seems that Joseph Smith was a con artist but was a great writer. In his original translations of the Book of Mormon it seems as if he tried to give Americans an excuse for the genocide of Native Americans. In the Book of Abraham it seemed as if he were writing it to give an excuse for why slavery should be okay. Joseph Smith translated ancient works and lied in the process to profit his own lifestyle.

Jo Shmoe

In religious studies class this past Monday we spoke about the Book of Mormon and how to understand it. This religion I believe seems like others that we have studied in the past. It is a religion that was established to answer questions for a certain group of people. These answers help the group of people to understand the world in a view that all can agree with. In this case, I believe that the book of Mormon speaks out to Americans in the New World. The answer that it gave, through a system of symbols, was a suitable explanation for why Americans should have taken the New World and done away with the residents that were there before hand.

In the Third Book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon it affirms the coming of Jesus Christ and the word that he spread onto the house of Israel and most importantly to the people of Nephi. In the twenty second chapter it portrays and gives Jesus ‘explanation for why there would be Gentiles in the new world. This account was written so that it would seem to have been written at the time, however it mysteriously seems to facilitate an understanding for why Americans, who are Mormon, have been placed in the New World. A part of the Third Book of Nephi that stood out to me was,

“For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.”

The reason that this excerpt stood out to me was because it pertains, to what I believe, is the beginning of Mormonism in the New World. Joseph Smith is known as the official translator of the tablets that were found in upstate New York. It seems all to conventional that this segment would have been said by Jesus. This excerpt helps justify Joseph Smith in his translations and findings. So when the Book of Mormon was received by Americans it allowed reasoning for why the tablets would be found in the New World and also secured Joseph Smith in the hands of Jesus. Maybe I’m looking to into the whole excerpt but its seems kind of peculiar.

Can't We All Have A Peace?

In religious studies we are reading Baha’u’llah: A Short Biography. Throughout this biography we get to understand Baha’u’llah’s faith and why he believes in it. The Baha’i is the religion or faith that was established and pushed forth by Baha’u’llah. This faith is based on unity and compassion. It is the faith of unifying but having religions excel and move forward. What strikes me interesting about this religion is that Baha’u’llah believes in a reoccurring system of faith. He believes that god has spoken to not only him but other messengers of the faith. He is not trying push religious ideology onto people however stating that religion evolves or that faith evolves. Religious faith has different eras. If this is so then the system of symbols must be all over the place. It incorporates different faiths and the symbols of those religions. This is why their churches have symbols of different religions reflecting the unity that should be perpetuated by the faith. Faith should be what one believes in, whether that be a god, idle, toy, or comic book character, people should follow what is in their heart while understanding that there should be peace among all.

Fundamental Compassion

Karen Armstrong’s short video on compassion named, Charter for Compassion, Begins with this sentence, “A militant kind of aggressive religiosity sometimes called fundamentalism has grown up in every single one of the major world traditions as a rebellion against this imbalanced world, a rebellion against humiliation, powerless”, evoking the sentiment that has grown around the world and more importantly around religion. The idea or theory of fundamentalism began with the protestant church in the 20^th century. This idea may have been expressed and written down then, however I do believe that this idea has been a cyclical and monotonous motif throughout time.

                The idea of adhering to a specific theology and believing that the rest of the world should also do the same has been part of history as we know it. It has been the root cause of many disputes and conflicts. This reasoning pushes forth the idea of compassion within religion and also the world. This compassion is the idea that religions should be able to overcome intolerance and unite human beings under the umbrella of peace. Karen Armstrong believes in this idea as so I believe Baha'u'llah also did. His faith as reflected in his biography seems to correspond with that of Armstrong’s. He tried to spread the word of religious tolerance in an era that had horrible communication networks. He sent letters to world leaders stating that he was the one promised in the scriptures but more importantly that he wanted to establish the conditions for peace around the world. This initiative I believe was motivated by not only his faith but his understanding that faith should be seen in a positive light no matter which faith you follow or believe in. It is the will of people that can illuminate a path to justice, righteousness, and peace but we need many to understand and believe in the faith of all religions.

Losing my Balance

So as my religious studies class progresses I have noticed that I have began to study myself and what I believe in. I don’t believe that I am examining my religion per say but I do believe that I have had more introspective thoughts on my core values and morals. We have been researching and examining the Rastafari way of life and culture. This culture has really made me think deeper about the society I live in versus those that I might have, once in my life thought down upon. During class we watched a video on  Bob Marley and why he smokes ganja. What he said really had an impact on me. It wasn’t the part about ganja that really inspired me rather it was his statement on why he gets upset when other people and other societies do not let him live his life in peace. The small subtly of wanting to restrict ganja opened up a door for why should any other culture of societal influence be allowed to enforce provisions or laws that prohibit another cultures attitudes. So with that said it made realize certain aspects of my life have been determined for me before I could even judge whether I like the consequences of the prior. It made me want to think outside of the bubble whether that be the Lawrence bubble, or the social constructions that have been imposed on society due to what I would call a media revolution. Think about it and start making your own decisions and not the ones that would be deemed as normal if that’s not your thang. Peace and love.

Life, Liberty, and DANCE baby!!!

In religious studies we have begun to discuss and thus learn about the Rastafarian culture. Through analyzing two different sources, “Rastafari: From Outcast to Culture Bearers” written by Ennis Barrington Edmonds and a brief documentary titled “Orden Boboshanti- Creecias Rastas”. Both of these sources help shed light on the Rastafarian way of life and culture. These sources show us how group organization and routines lead to a feeling of legitimization within the culture. Like we discussed in class the logic behind the religious culture of the Rastafari stem from

1)      Ideas- Where oppression and social stratification allow for a disruption in society

2)      Charismatic leader- A leader or prophet who can persuade a division within society to believe and stand under one understanding and way of life

This leads to institutionalization or routinization where, eventually the charisma of the leader becomes imbedded within the fabric of that new society.   Thus the culture becomes tradition and society deems it rational and begins to follow its structure and authority. The Rastafarian religion failed to become established, however the ideals of it were so imbedded in society that many people believed Rastafari created a promise land, Ethiopia, and deemed Jamaica as Babylon.

                In both of the above mentioned sources we can see a clear system of symbols that,  in many respects, creates order within the society. In the documentary the Rastafari society that livesin that remote village call themselves the Boboshanti. A key symbol that they participate in is within the use of their reggae. The Boboshanti prey five times daily. In each prayer they use reggae and dance to demonstrate their efforts in the fight for a better society. Reggae becomes this routine that they can unite themselves under and helps  to  illustrate their struggles and how to  overcome them. In the monograph mentioned above it states that reggae is a medium of sorts in which society may be restored and regain self awareness it is also a way in which people learn what they believe to be the truth within society. We can clearly see that the Boboshanti wish to do this through reggae in seconds 49 and minute 2:32 within the documentary.

The All Time Diva... Queen Sheba Body Like Beyonce and a Voice like Riba, huh?

           This week for our religious studies class we had to analyze the Kebra Negast reading. It was titled “The Queen of Sheba and her only Son Menyelek”. We can clearly see that this reading was going to be related to King Solomon and Ethiopia. The reading basically shows the connection between Queen Sheba and her relation to the Israelites and to Christianity. One of the themes that I noticed has been a motif throughout the course of the class and was also most certainly part of the reading was how religious articles and readings may be taken as propaganda. This may be a different form of propaganda than what is usually seen as propaganda. In this case it deals with the Kebra Negast reading as a vehicle of nationalistic unity by using a very literal way of translating the bible to fit Ethiopia and its belief in being the “new Israel”. Many may say that this is a farfetched assumption and that we should take the Kebra Negast reading for what it is, However using the article “ The Role of Religion in Constructing National Unity”, we can clearly see that religion can be used to propagate a sense of national unity throughout a nation. https://lumail.lawrence.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=7b79f7ea20b248599e42d083a30c4f5e&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.landofsixpeoples.com%2fnews401%2fnc40119.htm. The article states, “ In developing national unity, a nations fundamental values need to be considered as well. Although modern nations aim for religious neutrality, the religious values embraced by the majority are central to the life of the entire society. People often find in religion the answers to essential questions regarding life, death, human values, and the meaning of living together”, showing that nations use religion to feel unity and to believe in the same moral values. It is important to note that the propaganda behind the reading only tries to unite Ethiopia under one sense of ideals.
 

Love Rule Number 36

It seems that the concept of love is important to Saint Augustine. He was an avid proposer of self love. This is the idea that one should love themselves as they do their neighbor. He also believed in what is known as the eternal principle. This is the belief that one should have love for god and love for oneself. He also believed in the concept that there is no such thing as disordered love. He believes that when reading the bible and scriptures love is the overarching theme that the individual should use in their interpretation of the bible. I can come to terms with his understanding but in all respects love is not always a positive feeling or emotion. I feel as if love has been in many regards a reason for many negative emotions and actions that have taken place in my life. These actions that were direct results of the feeling of love has led me to, what I personally believe is sinning. Love has lead myself and probably many others to sin. The extent of that sin varies from one to another, nevertheless, a sin no doubt. If love is supposed to be this image that we should perpetuate throughout the bible why does it bring society so much chaos and anarchy. I believe that love and interpreting scripture through love is just bologna. When interpreting aspects of life or those that pertain to religion should we not try to steer free from love and rather interpret scripture free of all bias and especially that of love.  

I Say, You Say, Who Said?

                In this blog I will be discussing and comparing two intellectuals, Saint Augustine and J. Todd Billings, and their works, “On Christian Teaching” and “How to Read the Bible.” Both works deal with the Bible and how to interpret it. It is simple to note the main idea found in both works, which is, that society should do more than just read the bible. They should try to grasp and understand the historical context within the scriptures while also questioning certain interpretations. I believe that both intellectuals want religious believers to do more than just understand scriptures; they want them to be scrutinized. It’s one thing to read the bible but it is another to truly understand the meaning behind the scriptures and the meanings behind interpreting them.
                Saint Augustine, using the theme of numbers as signs, believes that people should not take any sign for what it is worth in society at the moment but to break it down and realize the meaning behind it. He believed that it was one thing to know what the number nine was but why is it nine or who created that and for what reason. I believe that he wanted society to really dive into the bible and realize that some interpretations of scriptures have been used as forms of manipulation while others have been used to define Christianity. Interpretation of the scriptures should be scrutinized but left to the individual to define for themselves.

                J. Todd Billings also believes that society should read scriptures and the bible. I do believe that he agrees with Saint Augustine in the sense that he believes that society should scrutinize interpretations of the bible but it seems as if Billings feels that interpretation of scriptures no longer mean anything. I think he believes that society has lost track of the Christian beliefs in the scriptures and have only used them and interpreted them for  certain aspects in life and not for its full worth, at least in the eyes of the creator. I believe that both intellectuals see the bible in a positive light, however they seem to be disappointed with how society has bended it to fit every aspect of life and not that of Christianity.

I- Living

In class we briefly spoke about Steve Jobs and his legacy. An important theme that I picked up from this conversation in class and the article “ Apple is a new religion, and Steve Jobs  was its high priest”, found athttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/apple-is-a-new-religion-and-steve-jobs-was-its-high-priest/2011/10/07/gIQAjYlgTL_story.html,  was the relationship between religion and culture. Throughout this conversation Professor Smith had said  “Don’t fall into someone’s religion but create your own” while he was elaborating on the products made by Steve Jobs and the Apple corporation. This quote has stayed with me and really helped me understand religion. I am slowly beginning to understand religion as a belief and way of life that somebody follows in order to feel some sort of accomplishment with life or to help facilitate a person’s life. A mesh and blur with reality, culture, and religion may be in many aspects the way of life for many people. Why do people follow religions that were established years ago when the culture of those times were nowhere near that of today’s culture. Are people using religion to find purpose in life, are they using it to define themselves, or are they just lost and want to understand themselves? It seems that the idea and principles of religions have been lost in translation and throughout time. I feel that creating your own religion or creating your own path and principles to govern your life is what people should consider as religion. Why would you follow in someone else’s footsteps or rules to govern your life when you can easily appease your cravings by applying certain codes and regulations, made up by and for you,  to your own life. Religions may simply be theories of how to live and prosper but why not make up your own theory so that you can dance to the beat of your own drum. Steve Jobs and his products have helped many individuals to customize their life the way they want to. By allowing individuals to create their own lives with these products it allowed for a sort of personal spirituality. 

Later Gater

When reading my peers blogs some of their free post elaborate on themselves and why they are taking the course. I will like to explain why I am in this course in this blog. I decided to participate in this course due to the passing of my father this summer. Since that moment I have yet to view life in the way I did before the incident. With that said I have not viewed religion in the same light as well. I have contemplated whether or not there is a God or if religion as a staple of my life was worth even the slightest of my time. I took this class so I could hopefully figure out whether I should believe in a nonexistent idea or if I should follow what is known as religion. I do not believe that the idea of religions should be a way of life for certain people nor do I believe in a lot if the gibber jabber that is found in text that support that religion but what I do believe in is the idea of an afterlife. While reading through the Psalms I realized that they deal with broad concepts that could be interpreted many different ways to suit many different people. So personally the Psalms are really more of a historical piece than one of religion. However, I do believe in the existence of an afterlife. This is in no part due to the Psalms but in many regards to my own accounts. See many people don’t and will never believe in a spiritual world, one in which deceased may contact the living. I personally believe in the spiritual world because of a run in I had with my father’s spirit. Call me crazy or something but I believe that my father reached across to me from the spiritual world. I had a conversation with him for two hours in my room. Many ideas and words were exchanged and that was the last of that. I thought for a second that somebody had slipped acid or something in my water. This was not the case though. Hopefully as the class rolls on I may find that religion in many regards should be worth the time but for now I believe in some sort of spiritual world but that doesn’t mean that I have to follow any one in order to believe in it. 

Cross listing

Throughout the study of history and many other fields of study it is important to note the bias behind any piece of work prepared in regards to that discipline. Many products that have been placed in the hands of society have been stained with the opinions of other so that the creation may prosper in a better light depending on the situation that the piece is introduced in. The beginning point of one design is usually altered in many respects by the end point of the operation. With this said it is important to scrutinize many products that have been reiterated and reproduced throughout time. In this blog I will use the “Book of Psalms”, translated by Robert Alter, and the “Bay Psalm Book”, translated by Stephen Daye, in order to show how reproductions and translations of the beginning products can be manipulated to profit the social context of one time period.

                Using two texts from each of the Psalm translations I will show the difference between translations and how these differences play a role in understanding the psalms. The second psalm in both translations deals with God and how anyone who opposes his rule and religion will be smited while those who follow may reap benefits that come with the religion or way of life. A line that stands out in the text of both translations is verse eleven. In the Bay of Psalms book it is translated as so:

         In the Book of Psalms it is translated like this: “Worship the Lord in fear, and exult in trembling”. The first translation it seems as if the translator is trying to show that if a follower truly follows and serves God then there is nothing to fear. However, if you do not serve the lord then one must expect to fear the consequences. The second translation explains, at least to me, something quite different. It reveals what I believe as the opposite. This translation makes the Lord seem darker and more intimidating. This translation states that you must worship the Lord in fear and be scared indefinitely for fear of doing something wrong. Verse five in both translations deals with David telling the lord to exile all who do not follow him and the Lords wishes. Verse eleven in the first translation is as such:. In the second translation it is seen as such: “ Let them fall by their counsels for their many sins. Cast them off, for they have rebelled against you”. In the first translation it seems as if sins is more directly for the lord and in the second translation the word sin is not used. Instead it is made to seem more of stopping the rebels from rebelling against David and not the Lord himself. Translations in either text will help to serve one party over another as is in many different products that range from religion to simple theories.

  

Just a Bunch of Bull and Bias

In my religious studies course Prof. Smith argued that religion and beliefs help to create a story that may sometimes be advantageous for one society and culture. I agree with this notion a hundred percent. Keeping this reasoning in mind while I read “Indian Mounds of Wisconsin” , I noticed that some scholars may propose certain theories that are advantageous for his own society and culture rather than that of the actual society one is studying. The theory by James Scherz, a professor of civil engineering, was the one that stood out to me as the most bias and repulsive.

                James Scherz, as noted in Indian Mounds of Wisconsin, brought together his interest in ancient engineering principles and his belief in pre-Columbian contacts between peoples of the Old and New World. This theory and house of thought is meant to shed more light on “sacred” geometric patterns and help to preserve mounds. Using his theory he has come to the conclusion that Old World societies must have come into contact with New world societies because the geometric patterns used in effigy mounds were to challenging for Ancient Native civilizations to even fathom. Schertz hypothesizes that either Hindu scholars or free masons made contact with these Ancient Natives about two thousand years before the actual arrival of Old World society. I believe that Schertz is arguing that Natives were not capable of building these effigy mounds. He then says that Old World societies are responsible for the engineering of the time. His bias seems to be against the Natives who must have been toooo unintelligent to conceive such mounds. I believe that Schertz used this theory to help his society of choice seem more advantageous than that of the Native societies that once roamed this land. Am I wrong in questioning this theory? 

WHAT THE EFFIGY!!!

Historians and archeologist have worked endlessly in the pursuit of understanding and explaining effigy earth mounds in the North American region of the western hemisphere. In trying to understand these mounds it has came to scholarly importance that these earthen mounds have a correlation to the Native Indians who were here before Europeans colonized the New World. These mounds have overtime become of great intrigue to scholars in the field of Native American studies due to their ability to interpret previous civilizations that roamed this magnificent world. Many of these mounds have been destroyed beginning with the emergence of an American society. Social development and the increasing numbers in population led to supplementary agricultural areas and urban development. This as well as ordinary people have unintentionally destroyed many of these mounds. In order to preserve the mounds that are still throughout, congress passed the burial sites preservation law of 1985.

Scholars now more intrigued by the notion of old civilizations have tried to recount historical Native tribes, their traditions, and practices by examining the remains in the effigy mounds.  Clifford Geertz, a symbolic archeologist uses his theory of a “system of symbols” in defining religion. Geertz argues and defines his system of symbols as stated, “A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.”  Using the concept described above one can study the effigy mounds and their contents in terms of symbols and how these symbols could relate to the existence of earlier societies. This concept works great in trying to figure out some sort of aspect of their society, however it should not be used a theory or hypothesis in trying to figure out the religion of these past regions and civilizations.

In the process of excavating certain mounds scholars and archeologist have found many different artifacts. These artifacts help in understanding previous civilizations by means of symbols that appear more often than not. These symbols help us to understand the cosmology of these civilizations and in doing so help scholars in translating ancient traditions and social structures. These symbols help scholars deciphers old world beliefs, which only reinforce our understanding of these civilizations further. Effigy mounds have been considered burial grounds for old world populations which shed light on beliefs held by these people. Although scholars have used these symbols to help perpetuate the beliefs that have already been held in depicting Old World cultures one should not speculate on only theoretical assumption what old world civilization life was like. Yes speculation happens in scholarly fields, however should these beliefs that are now held by scholars not be scrutinized more heavily due to the lack of source material we have on that era?

Scientology: Just a Big Bluff

After writing my first blog on whether or not religion should be ditched I came across the video of Tom Cruise talking about scientology. While I was watching the video I realized that he never described what scientology was. After doing a little bit of research I came to the conclusion that Scientology as a religion suggests that humans in nature are perpetual in being. It suggests that humans have lost contact with nature and their true self. In trying to find one’s self it believes that one should turn to spiritual rehabilitation or in other words, auditing, which tries to find certain aspects of a followers previous accounts in life and finds the moments that have traumatized that person. In doing so the believer can be set free from his/her restraints on life. I mean there’s probably more but I really can’t stand to read any more on it. Putting both what I found out about scientology and watching the Tom Cruise video clip I came to the conclusion that scientologist have ditched religion, by religion I mean the pure form of believing in a god or deity and the duties he has bestowed upon mankind. Yes they have turned to a set of beliefs that help the believers understand their life and purpose on this earth more effectively but it has no major backing of what I would like to think of as original religions. Scientology is merely a cover up religion that is really the study of science in form of psychology to treat its patients or in this case follower. So simply put scientology as a religion has actually ditched religion and its farfetched beliefs for a concrete science. 

Religious Dictation

In the article “Why Do We Believe” the theoretical problem and question that arises throughout is whether or not science and religion can play hand in hand with each other. In the CNN clip featuring Sam Harris the main argument being made is to have secularism play a more dominant role in society. These arguments both play a task in realizing whether religion as sets of beliefs and moral codes should be ditched when presented next to problems that exist in a reality that is far from these once held customs. When it comes to religion and science it seems that one cannot survive without the other. The creation of the world has been “approved” by both parties. One suggests Adam and Eve while the other suggests evolutionary components. I cannot consider myself an atheist but consider it farfetched to believe in Adam and Eve as the original inhabitants of the planet. I do believe that evolution has played an integral role in the shaping of our world and human beings. However, this does not mean that I would ditch the very beliefs and morals that were instilled in me with the justification that they were handed down from a divine being. These beliefs are not just beliefs rather they become culture and tradition through the cementing of ideas through time. 

        When dealing with Harris’s argument, yes, I believe that secularism should be adopted or at least practiced in governments. This is how our government should work but I believe that our politicians aren’t trying to keep secularism out of politics rather its media and social popularity of religion that drives many of our politicians to fall back on their religion, which as I mentioned before can be seen more as a culture and tradition than a religion today. I believe that religion should be a school of thought and not a way of life. It should be studied and broken down but it should not dictate the life of any one human being.