The New Feminist Within Islam

With the recent news about Islam and the terrorist attacks throughout the world I found this positive article on Islamic women and how they are fighting for their rights through their faith.

In the last twenty years of our world changing their are more women from the Islamic faith who have chose to use their faith in an effort to have more freedoms as well as to confront laws that have oppressed them as Islamic women.  “The Sisters of Islam” is an organization that supports and advocate for women’s rights within the Islamic culture.

They have learned to turn to their faith in effort’s to advocate for justice.  For example when Islamic women don’t feel they have a right to turn down their husband sexually or to request a condom when having sexual relations because of the Aids epidemic in the Islamic culture.

“Around the world, Musawah’s members uphold its mission by producing educational materials, fighting for legal provisions and advocating for women’s rights alongside local NGOs. Their work relies on two main tools: progressive interpretations of the Koran and international human rights standards. Musawah’s approach is modeled on a Malaysian organization called Sisters in Islam, which works with Islamic scholars to produce workshops and books that explain that Islam does not mandate injustice. Zainah Anwar, one of Musawah’s key architects, founded Sisters in Islam in 1988 and has made it an important political and religious force in Malaysia. According to Anwar, many Muslim women spend their entire lives believing that their oppression is justified by Islamic teachings, such as the concept of a husband’s authority over his wife. For years, she has gone into rural towns to show women that Islam supports gender equality” Retrieved from Elizabeth Segran,2016, http://www.thenation.com/article/rise-islamic-feminists.

Women who have made progress with the Islamic Feminist movement have helped other realize through faith that they are women who don’t have to be mistreated.  Men are more accepting today of women wanting to live respected by the Islamic law vs. Women who just want to fight or leave their marriage due to domestic abuse.

Women who migrate to the United States get mixed messages on how to express their faith through feminism.  A majority of the Islamic women find freedom’s to express their feminism but it does not always go along with the Western Culture.

Women who come from countries such as Afghanistan or Pakistan have to be walked through the streets covered by cloth to protect their beauty by a male relative to a culture in which women can walk down the street in a swim suit without fear to express their feminism.

So when they come into America they have to learn the laws that govern and protect them as women but also respect the Islamic faith that also governs them. This can be divisive within the Islamic culture and how they express their faith while coming from the Middle East and migrating to the Western Culture.

Sources: Retrieved from, 2016, Elizabeth Segran,2016, http://www.thenation.com/article/rise-islamic-feminists.http://Retrieved from, 2016, foxnews.com/story/2009/03/28/muslim-women-in-us-struggle-to-balance-western-freedoms-and-islamic-culture.html

 

 

Three Steps To Reform The Vatican

Three Steps to Reform The Vatican:

“There are at least three things necessary to successfully reform an institution: changing its culture, appointing key people who support the reform, and putting in place structures, policies, and procedures to concretize the reform. Changing the culture of an institution is probably the most difficult and the most important. It is not enough to send out memos mandating new policies or to move boxes around in the organizational chart. The attitudes and values of the people in an institution make it what it is, especially if those values are not just talked about but incarnated at the top”; Retrieved from Thomas Reese, February 26th, 2014 http:/steps-reform-Vatican.

The Catholic Church and reform in the Vatican is a huge change within in the Christian Culture. During my years growing up from childhood to adulthood, The Vatican and Pope, have had a huge influence on my faith and the Christian Culture around me, how I see the Catholic Church and other religions. The fact that they want to reform their church is a dramatic change in history.

I recently re-read the article from our class readings, On the Vatican II, Opening Speech from 1962 and in the speech, the Catholic church is spoke about by Pope John XXIII as sac rid from centuries in the past and that the church could not change do to their values and to reform the church would be messing with “God” and “Mother Mary”. For example, A Priest getting married, or staying celibate, This is one of the discussions they have recently had in reference to reforming the Catholic Church. Same sex marriage, adoption and the sin of homosexuality.

The traditional church is changing along with the family in 2016 and I believe whatever decision the Pope makes it will have a negative or positive influence in history around the World because of culture beliefs and society pressures to change.

A recently poll from Pew Research, 2016, states that 77 percent of Catholic’s who were raised Catholic as a religion would not return to the Catholic Church who have left their faith because of the strict moral beliefs on families and what is considered sin.

“Despite those disagreements between U.S. Catholics and church teaching, the poll does not indicate that a change in that teaching would lead more Catholics to “revert” to their faith than do already”, Retrieved from 2016/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-

I believe with all the scandals of the Catholic Church and their leadership has caused Pope Francis to be more open in wanting to reform the Church, however I don’t believe that there will be dramatic changes soon to the church because of the Catholic Church’s influence in the world and all the different values they represent as a Church body.

Janna-

Sources: Retrieved from 2016, Thomas Reese, February 26th, 2014 http:/Steps Reform Vatican.  Retrieved from 2016/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-2016/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-

 

Japanese Buddhism’s Adaptation

In any form of religion adaptation is key to survival and success in our society.  A religion that fails to evolve over time is almost certain to fail or disappear over the years. Currently, this is a problem for Buddhism in Japan. Japanese priest are working on ways to keep their religion alive.

Buddhist temples are a very important part of this religion. These temples are open to the public and they welcome outsiders to come and learn about their teachings. Some of the temples even host some activities like public talks, meditation courses, retreats, and a variety of others. Even though Buddhist temples are open to everyone there has become a lack of interest in the Japanese communities.

There is a crisis facing Japanese Buddhism and their temples today, it is expected that 27,000 out of their 77,000 temples are expected to close over the next twenty-five years. Many of these temples are located in rural areas and generally supported by their communities, and a lot of rural community members, especially young women, are starting to move away. The Japan Policy Council warned that if the large departure of rural community members continues, these places of religious worship will not last. Most of the temples located in rural areas are barely making enough to stay open, and a lot of the priest are having to take on a second job to provide for themselves. Due to this prediction something is going to have to change for these temples and even the Buddhist religion to survive.

Currently, some Japanese Buddhist priest are looking for ways to keep their religion from completely disappearing in the future. As of now, Buddhism has an image of mostly being associated to funerals and funeral services, but there is much more to this religion than that. Priest are looking for ways to reverse this recent image that is associated with Buddhism. Shibata, who is a trainer, says, “Buddhism must start dismantling the wall it has built around itself, before it is too late.” They believe that they need to adapt with this current day in age, and one way they are going to do this is to appoint about fifty percent of priest from outside the traditional succession route. Some of the potential candidates for this position are retired people in the communities, they have a life’s worth of wisdom and would be perfect candidates for this position. A handful of retirees have even started training for their priesthood and a couple are even running their own temples. Priest are hoping that doing this will make it easier for the new priest to connect with their community and raise interest in Buddhism.

In this day and age, religions have to adapt with society or they are sure to disappear. Japanese Buddhism almost got caught in this situation due to their respect for tradition. Hopefully the changes that some of the priest have made will keep this religion afloat and successful in the years to come.

 

• Jessica Guynes

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/06/zen-no-more-japan-shuns-its-buddhist-traditions-as-temples-close

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b_faqs.htm

Hindu Tradition and East/West Blending

Following class on 21 March, I was extremely interested in learning more about the traditions, culture, and reasoning behind Hindu beliefs. I went online and found two articles, both in Huffpost Religion, that gave me some perspective on Hindu beliefs as well why a type of Eastern/Western blend of a religion can occur.

The first article I found was on another Hindu practice, the celebration of Maha Shivaratri (or Shivratri). This is a festival celebrated by Hindu’s worldwide, in which the god Shiva (commonly held to be the lord of cosmic destruction and dance) is glorified and worshiped. Night vigils, fasting, special prayers, and other forms of worship are done and many symbols of religious tradition are erected. The most value to me, as a man uneducated in the background of many Hindu beliefs, was a section that described why the celebration was occurring and how it was so important to those who partook in it. I highly recommend you read the article, and do some additional background research on Shivratri; it really is fascinating and I don’t regret spending time learning about it.

In the sidebar of this article was another suggested read: “Harvard Launches Free Online Class to Promote Religious Literacy”. Interested, I clicked on this article and learned that this course is designed to counter religious stereotypes and promote and understanding of religious traditions and the importance they play on the lives of the religion’s followers. Essentially, this course focuses on the “Why” behind religious traditions but in a way that is comprehendable to a student unfamiliar with the culture or root traditions.

Reading this article brought me back to our class discussion of American Hinduism, and how religion plays a key role in determining the lifestyle of many Americans. We discussed in class that it is very possible that “Eastern” religions can become “more Western” because of American culture, and how a type of blending can occur. This blending can occur because of a variety of reasons; one reason is so that those who already have lived in the West or who are “Americanized” can, with greater ease, understand the “why” behind religions traditions.

It took me a while to comprehend Shivratri because of several reasons: 1) I wasn’t born and raised in a culture that would teach me the reasonings behind the tradition, 2) I have less understanding in the root reasonings behind the “why” of Hindu traditions (for example, many articles I found say that Shiva is often worshiped as a Lingham, but fail to explain what it is or why it in particular represents Shiva) and 3) I’ve never experienced such a festival for myself and thus have no real-world knowledge beyond what I research. I can only imagine if I was born and raised in the U.S., and then attended Shivratri without any prior knowledge. That’s where I believe the blending of East/West comes into play; it gives people living in the West a taste of the traditions and culture of Hinduism, without being confusing to the point of turning them away.  Furthermore, it’ll come as less of a culture shock and slowly integrate a new devotee into the fold of the religion, giving them more time to fully understand the context behind traditions, festivals, religious texts, etc.

I’m far from an expert on why a blending of East/West occurs in the U.S., but from what I’ve read and what we discussed in class, this appears to me as being a primary reason for the blending and its effect on new worshipers living in the U.S.

V/R,

Colton McCoy

Shivratri: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/maha-shivaratri-2016-the-great-night-of-lord-shiva_us_56ddcdfae4b03a4056795bf1?utm_hp_ref=religion

Harvard: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/harvard-world-religions-online-class_us_56c76b55e4b041136f16dd0a?utm_hp_ref=hinduism

 

 

And They Brought Beer

In the town of Umbria Italy, a group of Benedictine monks are bringing back the ancient art of brewing beer that was started back in the middle ages. This confuses most people with most of them believing that they could not drink this during fasting periods but it is a sustenance giving beverage during these times and has been consumed more this length of time.This group of mostly american born monks are brewing a beer called Nursia and are beginning to sell it in the US in order to keep their monastery afloat. They say that more than just keeping them afloat the brewing acts as a link between them and the community that they live in stating that, “In a world where most people are afraid of the church, religion, afraid of a priest, afraid of a  monk but they are more than happy to talk about beer”. It’s all made by them between their eight daily prayers.

The idea of using the idea of brewing beer to connect with groups of people that may be hesitant to trust the church or anything related to it but they would definitely trust the idea of getting a beer from them especially in a culture like ours. The idea of going and grabbing a beer whether it be to reconnect with an old friend, make new friends or smooth over issues that may have come up between a group is deeply understood in the states by most people to be a sign of good faith and neutral ground. The idea that these monks are using this idea in order to connect the bridge of peace as it were between the people that may be hesitant to join the church with a section of its body. In the number of ways that could have been used, for some people this would be the best way for them because of this idea of what beer could do.

Paul Short

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/birra-nursia-brewed-american-monks-italy-hits-u-s-shelves-n520071

Will Utah’s Mormons Board the Trump Train?

 

On Tuesday, March 22, Republicans in Utah will make their voice heard as to who they support to be the Republican nominee for President. The Utah Republican Caucus offers a total of 40 delegates to the National convention and are allocated on a hybrid system. If a single candidate earns 50% of the vote, they take all 40 delegates, but if no candidate reaches that threshold, they are divided proportionately among the delegates that obtain at least 15% of the vote.

Utah is important to the Republican nomination process for a number of reasons, First, Utah is one of the first major states to vote after the exit of Marco Rubio from the race, and how his support is divided between the remaining candidates will be important to the rest of the nominating cycle. Also unknown is the effect of John Kasich’s continued campaign on Ted Cruz’s ability to compete with Donald Trump. The most important factor in determining Trump’s performance is how the Mormon population of the state, which represents a majority, will respond to him.

Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that the 2012 Republican Nominee Mitt Romney is a Mormon, serving in a way, the role that John F. Kennedy played for Catholics in 1960. Romney carried the state by very large margins both in the 2008 and 2012 primaries, as well as the national election in 2012. Romney has been one of the most outspoken critics of Donald Trump, calling him a bully and criticizing his policies. One has to wonder if the opinion of such an apparently popular figure in Utah can hold sway with the Mormon majority.

Leadership in the Mormon church also has in the past spoken out against Trump on the issue of banning Muslim immigrants from the United States, and saying that it violated the idea of religious liberty. One reason for this apparent disagreement in policy is a history that the Mormon church has of being discriminated against. During the 19^th century, Mormon practitioners were essentially forced to leave the United States and settle in what would become Utah. While Utah, and the Mormon population were eventually integrated into the United States, it was only after a military expedition, and the changing of several parts of their doctrine. This history may be responsible for this sympathy and support that the church is offering to the Muslim community. Corey Barnett, from World Religion News also points out that Trump lost the primaries of the states with the second and third largest Mormon populations, Idaho and Wyoming respectively.

While this evidence would suggest a disappointing night for Trump, he has defied expectations in the past by performing well with evangelical Christians, which were predicted to go for Ted Cruz.

-Trevor Alm

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/18/politics/donald-trump-mormon-mitt-romney-utah/

http://fox13now.com/2015/12/08/lds-church-issues-statement-in-response-to-donald-trumps-comments-on-muslims/

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/us/politics/mitt-romney-speech.html?_r=0

http://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/christianity/why-mormons-do-not-like-trump

The Changing Face of Religion

Like most everything, religion must adapt and change with the times in order to survive. Religion today looks much different than it did even a hundred years ago. Millennial specifically have grown up in a time dramatically different than previous generations. With the increase in technology of phones, computers, and the media, millennials have been called the most connected generation yet, while also being the most isolated of physical community. These massive changes in communication have led to religion evolving rather quickly, with social media playing a large role.

Previous generations were more limited by location and technology. In order to get educated, you had to go to school. To be religious, you went to church or your religious meeting place. Now you can go to school or find religious teachings online without ever leaving the house. This allows you to shape your ideals to better fit yourself as an individual. Many young adults are starting to call themselves spiritual instead of religious, allowing themselves to keep ties to religion while being independent from organized religion, but what has made organized religion so unappealing?

Millennials tend to be focused on individualism, and it’s not hard to see why. With the advances in media and technology, young adults are exposed to a myriad of ideas, beliefs, music, fashion, lifestyles, and more. Having a unique blend of these things can be what makes you you! This can make prescribing to a strict organized religion conflict with young adults desire for individuality. Previous generations would find community at their church or particular religion, but social media has given this generation a massive community with different ideas and beliefs at the touch of a button. Being exposed to so many different beliefs can also make it harder to believe that an organized religion really has all the right answers.

When you cut ties to organized religion, certain barriers come down such as sexuality, homosexuality, abortion, and even politics. The percentage of millenials that believe homosexual relations and abortion is wrong is decreasing every year, making a religion against these things unappealing. Some churches have begun to adapt to this by allowing homosexual pastors and leaders. They have also begun to focus on education instead of conviction to try to appeal to the younger generation. By discussing what’s going on in the media and the world while being respectful to different beliefs, they are allowing young adults to make informed opinions about important life choices.

While in general millenials are moving away from organized religion, some have actually been increasing such as evangelical mega churches. Other churches and religions have begun to adapt by changing what they have previously condemned and making a more accepting environment to different viewpoints. Either way, the advances in technology have created an online community that is starting to take the place of physical communities such as the church.

Source:

http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/millennials-reshaping-the-face-of-religion/article_ae956086-e2fb-11e5-9dc9-775c9511ef1d.html

A Presidential Candidate with an Unfamiliar Religion: Sound Familiar?

One of 2016’s presidential candidates have opened up about their religious beliefs. Bernie Sanders is Jewish and if elected president, he will be the first Jewish president. In today’s society, does this matter? Is Sanders’ religion going to sway the elections?

In the article by Alison Lesley on World Religion News, it states that Bernie Sanders explained that his religious beliefs are part of his identity. “I am very proud to be Jewish,” says Sanders. He also described his family’s misfortune during the Holocaust, and how it further encouraged his religious views.

We recently read a speech in class given by John F. Kennedy about his religion as one of the presidential candidates in 1960. Kennedy avoided the topic of his religious beliefs because he did not believe his religion (Catholicism) should affect the election. He believed his religion to be personal- between him and God. Kennedy states, “I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair.”

Although Bernie Sanders was passive about his religion at the beginning of his campaigning according to the article, he did not avoid letting America know in a recent debate that his Jewish beliefs are an important part of who he is. This is similar to John F. Kennedy’s situation, but Sanders is more willing to tell the country about his religion. According to the article, it seems that more than likely, Sanders may be influenced by his religion if he is elected president. When Kennedy was campaigning, whether or not Catholicism would influence him as president, was an important topic that people thought should be brought up. In today’s society, the presidential candidates’ religious views are discussed, but they are not as big of a deal as they used to be.

Religion is an institution with several different aspects and variations. It is something that can be discussed for important situations, especially when it comes to things such as the presidential election. In the past, religion was a major factor that directed people’s decisions and morals. In today’s society, it seems as if religion has a smaller effect on people and their choices. When Kennedy was campaigning for presidency, it was a big deal for the public that he was a Catholic, and they were unsure of if they wanted a Catholic president. According to Alison Lesley, the topic of Bernie Sanders’ religion has been widely discussed on social media, however it is not mentioned that it will or will not affect the elections. This shows that if Bernie Sanders is elected president, it may not be important that he is the first Jewish president. Religion is still important in this society, but it is changing and adapting to fit the modern world.

Chimpanzee Church

Throughout my own experience studying and practicing religion, I’ve noticed that religion is pretty much exclusively talked about as a human practice. And for good reason perhaps, as most of us have not witnessed any birds with their wings folded in prayer or sea creatures paying homage to their patron spirits. However, an article posted in The Independent detailed recent findings that scientists published after observing video recordings of wild chimpanzees. While not conclusive at all, the researchers suggested that the behavior they documented may be evidence of kind of ritual like behavior.

The article begins with a video of some short clips if the footage that the original researchers had filmed. The video shows chimps in a forested area approaching a tree with a hole in its trunk and either taking a stone from the hole and throwing it back in, or throwing a stone of their own into the hole.  It is well known that apes will often use stones as tools, specifically nutcrackers, but researchers say this instance is unique because there does not seem to be any foraging benefit to this behavior.

Image from Tech Times 

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/138740/20160305/do-chimpanzees-believe-in-god-mysterious-chimp-behavior-could-be-a-form-of-sacred-ritual.htm

 

//players.brightcove.net/624246174001/82f79524-152c-485f-bcb0-09197a216c87_default/index.html?videoId=4785892585001

In fact, the article draws a parallel to early human practices of placing stones in cashes and piles, often for ritual purposes. In the abstract of the original study, researchers saw similarities with this behavior and the practices of certain people groups in West Africa of collecting stones at sacred trees, and the article noted that a similar type of practice is found among other human societies.

Of course, there is no compelling evidence to show that these chimpanzees are actually practicing a religion. For all we know at this point, it could be some sort of game or rudimentary record keeping system. Most of the language put forth by the researchers has been speculatory at best.

However, because there is so much we do not know about this newly observed behavior, there is really nothing that can be ruled out. Perhaps this is the formation of ritual practice among non-human animals. If that is the case, one could only dream of the implications. If humans do not have a monopoly over religious practice, how will this change the way we see the nature of religion itself? I don’t have an answer for that question myself, but I am extremely excited to see what more research in this area shows. I’d love to try going to church with some chimps someday.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Aid in Fiji after Cyclone Winston

Cyclone Winston, the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, struck Fiji on February 20, 2016. The cyclone caused wind speeds of 175 miles per hour and caused hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage to Fiji. The cyclone left 44 people dead and injured at least 122. Many people’s homes were completely destroyed and their belongings scattered about.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, more commonly known as LDS or Mormons, helped to shelter over 1,000 members, and non-members, in 12 different LDS meetinghouses before, during, and after the cyclone. Following the storm church leaders in Fiji traveled across villages to check on individuals and families. Church leader Alipate Tagidugu said the church’s first priorities are shelter and food for those affected by the storm. Aid from the LDS church in times of natural disasters and other emergencies is not uncommon. The LDS church has protocol for how to react locally and provide relief in times of need. Food and clean water were provided to families through the church’s fast offering program. Once a month members of the church are asked to fast for one day and donate to the fast offering program in order to help those in need. The fast offering program of the church is one way to provide local aid in times of emergency or times of need. Church members in Suva Fiji put together and distributed 600 hygiene kits to parts Fiji affected by the cyclone.

Helping those in need is not a rare occurrence for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, along with the fast offering program the LDS church also has various charities to help those in need. The Humanitarian Program is one of the church’s main charities designed to people in need; especially those who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Humanitarian programs of the church include Emergency Response, Clean Water, Maternal and Newborn Care, Vision Care, Wheelchairs, Food Production, and Immunizations. These programs are funded by donations from church members, as well as others. These programs follow the church’s teachings of helping those in need and providing charity to all of God’s children.

Many religious groups teach similar things as the LDS church and are involved in helping those in need and providing the elements of basic human needs. Religions across the board often teach of charity and several religious groups have avenues in which they help people in need. This can be seen in contemporary religious leaders like Dorothy Day who was involved in the Catholic Worker movement. During her life Dorothy Day was adamant about feeding the hungry and helping the needy. The idea of religious groups helping those in need was not just a thing of Day’s time, it is something we still see today. Some of the top religious organizations providing relief in disasters today are the Catholic Charities USA, Episcopal Relief & Development, Lutheran Disaster Response, National Association of Jewish Chaplains, Latter-Day Saint Charities, Mennonite Disaster Service, and many more. Despite the differences between religious groups a common theme amongst many is helping those in need .

~Lisa Zezas

https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-organizes-to-help-fiji-heal-after-cyclone-winston?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/church/news/members-in-fiji-begin-rebuilding-after-cyclone-winston?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/topics/humanitarian-service/church?lang=eng

Cyclone Winston damage in Fiji runs to $476m, says disaster office