I finished reading the Book of Ezra, a rather short book, this week. The book focuses upon Ezra, the eponymous prophet who was commissioned by Cyrus the King of Persia to lead the Jewish exiles in Babylon back to Jerusalem to reestablish a temple there and return worship to God in the region. Among the most prominent things Ezra accomplished, according to the book, was a purge of mixed marriages among the people of Jerusalem. Apparently, God was displeased by such unions, though, of course, it appeared to be only men marrying “foreign wives.” It did not explain what happened to the foreign women and children after Ezra had completed his “investigation” of them and their husbands, simply stating “and they pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense” (Ezra 10:19). Why was this seen to be such a problem?
The most interesting aspect of the Book of Ezra for me, however, was its prominent usage of the first person perspective. I don’t remember any other time previously in the Bible where the first person was used so intensively. In addition to recording the letters and decrees of Persian nobles, such as King Darius in Chapter 6 and Artaxerxes in Chapter 7, Ezra himself narrates much of Chapters 8, 9, and 10. This provides a much different perspective than the normal third person narration of other books, one which seems much more personal than others. In a way, it actually allows a much more interesting view of the events in the Book, one in which a actual person was present and performing actions. Why was this perspective used so much in the Book of Ezra when it was used so rarely before? Will it be a common literary device elsewhere, later in the Bible? I will definitely be keeping my eye open for more uses of the first person perspective, to analyze when or why this device is chosen, or if it is a unique aspect of the Book of Ezra. Next, the Book of Nehemiah, another rather short section which I believe is connected to the Book of Ezra. Will this narration theme continue as well?
By the way, happy St. Swithin’s Day!
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/stswithun.html
I am in the process of studying a collection of academic books concerning European (particularly Scandinavian) immigration to America in the late nineteenth century to prepare for writing my thesis early next year. I will need to be knowledgeable about the background in historic study of the areas I will be writing about, which is how the Kensington Runestone became such an icon of Norwegian Americans and what forces continue to keep it popular in Minnesota and the rest of the Upper Midwest. Currently, I’m reading “The Minds of the West” by Jon Gjerde. There are a lot of interesting information in this book about the place that religion held for immigrants in this country and how it changed the culture for both them and “native” Americans as well. Here are a few quick, poorly thought out responses I have to some of the things I’ve been reading about.
I have been absorbing much interesting information about the evolution of ethnic subcultures in the Midwest, including fears by many “Yankee” Americans that these Germans, Irish, Scandinavians and others (with particular fear of Catholicism, of course) were plotting to take over “the West” which was bound to have a transformative effect upon the country as a whole. These fears greatly echo much of what is argued by modern day opponents to immigration, right down to the insistence that English be declared the country’s official language.
Religion, however, has been a great theme running through many of these accounts, as immigrants brought their religions with them and tried to recreate them in their new homes in the Midwest, from German and Irish Catholics to German and Scandinavian Lutherans, the church remained a major aspect of ethnic identity in America. That these churches often became embroiled in many theological debates that often split them into new groups illustrate some of the power that American freedom of religion had on religions formerly bound by the state in Europe. These debates also pitted more “conservative” religious beliefs against the too “liberal” secular society of American government. I was surprised and struck at how exactly similar these arguments to those currently raging today (often expressed in newspapers editorials, no less). I actually found it humorous how similar an Irish authority in his 1880s diatribe in an Iowa paper against “young Americans” who were instructed by “godless education and well read in dime novels” are destroying the traditional society of their parents, is with similar arguments today, only replacing “dime novels” with “video games/rap music/Harry Potter, etc.”
Arguments in newspapers against the suffrage of women in the 1880s and ’90s seem to have been copied, word for word by opponents of GLBT rights in today’s world, that it represents a “concerted attack by godless government against the natural rights of the family” and would weaken the morality of all in the United States. Women were finally given the right to vote in 1920 in spite of these attacks, and I hope (and believe) that same sex marriage well also be written into law soon as well (hopefully before 2020).
So, I would say that such arguments have always been part of the American culture, and no doubt will continue into the future while secular society continues to evolve and change. It is a result, I think, of the fact that we have freedom of religion in this country, and I don’t think I would have it any other way. As long as the separation of church and state is maintained, there is room for nearly any interpretation of religion as the incorporation of these many immigrant societies in mainstream American culture over the last century or so shows.
Today, I noticed an article on MinnPost about Minnesotan’s blogging about religion and was surprised at how much I could emphasize with the thoughts expressed in the discussion. Here is the link: http://www.minnpost.com/mnblogcabin/2009/06/09/9384/religion_taboo_topic_not_in_blogosphere
I do feel that Minnesotans in general take a non confrontational, keep it to yourself style when it comes to religious discussion in public, and I am definitely an example of this. Coupled with my natural shyness, I don't want to make an issue of my beliefs (or lack there of) with other people in case they may be offended so I rarely discuss religion with others, despite my deep interest in the subject. However, as the article cites, 84% of Minnesotans hold religion to be at least "somewhat important," and I would consider myself among them so there must be much interest in a discussion, which was a main reason for me to begin my project exploring the religions of the world. Since I discuss these interests only little among my family and peer groups, this blog offers me an outlet to formulate my thoughts on matters of faith. I also find a lot to think about in reading other religious blogs, whether agnostic, atheist, or religious and it is interesting to see that many other Minnesotans also feel this way. I'll have to look around at some of the other takes that people around the state are putting forward
I got back from my trip to North and South Carolina earlier this week, and have been mulling over what I should write about. I think I will discuss my Bible readings in another entry and instead record some of my thoughts on my trip, through the “Bible Belt.” While my time there was short and I had little time to truly understand the people and places, I did have some interesting impressions.
My family and I drove across the country to visit my great Aunt and her husband in the town of Sanford, North Carolina, and we planned to travel around and see other places as well, making this a vacation to explore an area of the U.S. none of us had ever visited before. We explored Raleigh before heading to the coast where we spent some time in Wilmington, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina before making our way back to Minnesota. As a disclaimer, I have to admit that we generally didn’t spend more than a day or two in any location, but attempted to see as much of the areas as possible. So my impressions are only cursory and superficial.
I imagined that in the “Bible Belt,” as evident from its nickname, statements of religious beliefs and policies owing to Protestant Christian thought and, of course, the Bible would be common, or at least much more common than my experiences at home. I was planning what I would say if or when I was asked what church I went to (a common question I remember from my time in Oklahoma as a kid). I was interested to see if anything that I had read of the Bible so far would be reflected in public monuments or other places.
My first impressions of the Bible Belt proved different than I expected. Protestant Christianity was not as immediately evident as I had thought, no more than home, at least. I did not see a preponderance of hostile messages on church billboards or signs of obvious religious dominance in the area. I guess the stereotypical Christian domination was not as open as I had believed. I spent much of my time, however, in populated urban areas such as Raleigh and Charleston where perhaps such populations are less evident. In fact, in a book I read during the trip, “Confederates in the Attic” (which I am really enjoying so far and which provided much insight for me) a Charlestonian was recorded as complaining about the policies of the South Carolina state capitol of Columbia, which he described as “the Bible Belt,” as if he felt that coastal Charleston was not. I did not travel too far off the highway when we traveled more rural areas, unfortunately. Would we have found things different there? Also, none of the cities we visited seemed to be the headquarters for any major Christian or religious organization.
There were definitely signs of the Christian faith of the population, however. Everywhere we went there were Evangelical television, and especially radio stations, something which I had not noticed as much in Minnesota (though I am sure that they are there). It seemed that at any time, turning on the radio to a random station as we traveled through the region would guarantee an Evangelical message. Finally, the most obvious experience was at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, a very nice collection of aquatic life representing the natural world of South Carolina from the mountains to the Atlantic. Most exhibits and displays differed little from other aquariums and science museums I have visited across the country, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to the Lake Superior Aquarium, emphasizing environmental concerns and the ecosystem of its animals. This made it especially strange when an aquarium volunteer working at the touch tank showed us a horseshoe crab and emphasized that strange sea creature had not changed since the dinosaurs and therefore disproved the “Laws of Darwin,” as it showed that “God had created the little guy exactly as it was.” Nodding our heads, my sister and I moved along, not sure how to respond to this woman and the creature she held. I was not expecting her to say anything like that, and I’m under the impression that such a statement would be frowned upon for a volunteer at the Minnesota Zoo or Science Museum of Minnesota. As a child, I spent much time studying such living fossils and their relationship to evolutionary theory but I certainly did not want to debate my support of evolution with someone who was only trying to help (though I think I will devote a later entry to this discussion).
One other interesting thing that we did that relates to my project is participate in several ghost tours, one in Wilmington, NC and the other in Charleston, both coastal cities with centuries of turbulent, tragic history. Despite my alleged skepticism, I find ghosts to be a fascinating topic, if only for the interesting stories that are behind the legends that haunt old and interesting places. Both were very interesting, full of stirring tales but the guide in Charleston began by asking the participants if they believed in ghosts, the guide giving no answer himself. It seemed that the consensus was maybe, and that was the answer I gave as well to go along with my agnostic system. Ghosts, I think go along very well with discussions of religion as people of any faith (or even agnostics) may profess belief in them, but often through very different lenses. Stories of ghosts represent very different things to people, affirming as well as frightening, whether they simply be unexplained scientific phenomenon ignored by mainstream science or signs that the afterlife in some form truly exists. This is another topic that deserves more discussion later, I think.
My vacation was full of interesting things, places, and people and left me with much to think about, in spite of its rather short duration. I would definitely enjoy more time to explore the Southeast but it was a good introduction and I am glad to be at home for the moment. Returning from a journey leaves me in a bit of a haze for a week or two after getting back, but I think it also helps me to recharge my creative batteries and I hope to write more entries regarding my project soon.
It is definitely beyond time that I wrote, I’m really overdue on bringing my project up to date. Unfortunately, I have not been reading as much as I would like during the past few weeks; several research papers, cataloging, preparing for a trip, and other life events have interfered in my reading of the Bible. I haven’t even gotten past Genesis yet, and I want to keep things fresh on my mind. Later this week, I will post some first reflections on my readings. Also, the copy of the New Standard American edition was due back at the library. Just a few days ago, though, I came across another copy, but I’ll go into that story later. Anyway, spring is always busy for me, I think.
The past month or so has been, despite the busyness, one of my favorite times of the year as well; spring library booksale season in Hennepin County. Nothing is better than searching through piles of books, each priced at a dollar or less, picking up the odd treasure or unexpected book of interest. Not only is it a great deal, but the proceeds help to fund programs to benefit the public! With my project, I have been scouring the religion section, and struck a few pieces of luck in the last few sales. Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich, the Tao Te Ching, and some Zen classics are a few that I was able to find to help my project. It is amazing the things that can be discovered, though my bookshelves are beginning to bend in the middles. Library booksales have certainly helped influence this project, since I have collected some interesting religious texts through them.
Things have calmed down a bit as the summer begins (I can’t believe how quickly spring has come to Minnesota) so hopefully I’ll be writing more frequently for the near future, after I return from my trip to North Carolina next week, at least.
I thought it appropriate for me to begin reading the Bible on Easter, the most holy day in Christian belief. Oftentimes, while in Sunday morning services with my family, I would note the Bibles placed in each pew, wondering what exactly they said. Now, I hope to find out. However, as I was looking for Bibles, I was struck by how many differing versions there were. The old King James Version, the Oxford Annotated Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and many, many others, not to mention the old “Good News Bible” of my old Confirmation group. Which ones should I use? What purposes do each serve? What groups prefer one to another? And why? After doing a little research, I opted for the New American Standard Bible (as recommended to me by my friend Lacey). It seems to be a good choice to understand what contemporary Christians are reading, while still remaining an accurate translation of the Aramaic. I was also considering the Oxford Annotated Bible due to its more literary approach to the translations as well as illuminating footnotes. On the other hand, while I am greatly interested in the Bible as literature, for this project I would be more concerned with understanding what the main background tenants of the faith are, particularly in the modern context. I will be recording some of my initial responses soon.
Recently, I also found a few good online resources for my project as well. I think this would be the most interesting as provides a great list of the sacred texts of various religions in the world in a digital format; http://www.sacred-texts.com/ While I don’t really enjoy reading books on the computer, I still seems to be a very good collection of ideas, and I can use it as inspiration for acquiring print books as I move from religion to religion.
Also, this is an old website but a good website. I remember checking it out not too long after I began using the Internet regularly. http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx
It’s always fun to take an online quiz, and this one seems to be fairly accurate and balanced in its definitions of the major religions. Perhaps I should check out this Unitarian group, since I seem to share 90% of their belief system (at least according to the quiz!)
Throughout my education, I found myself captivated by the many things I was learning. To me, each class I took brought me more food for thought. My first semester of higher education I took diverse classes introductory classes, from American Literature to World History, Beginning Tai Chi to Anthropology (yeah, I was a liberal arts major). I was struck by how these many topics flowed together, how each brought different insights into the same business of human existence. Among the major themes running through them was religion; this was made particularly clear when I took the “Introduction to World Religion” class as an elective. Learning a little more about many of the world’s systems of beliefs made me ponder why so many people look to the spiritual in their views of the world. Like all other aspects of the human condition, this could lead to both beauty and fear. As I proceeded through my education, I began to look more to religion as I studied history; “the Age of St. Augustine” was particularly interesting. A generalist in my classes, I rarely took a course on the same time or place, and it seemed that whatever I studied, I studied religion as well. Among the many spiritual groups at the University I began too to formulate my own philosophies, and it was at this time I began to identify as agnostic. The more I learned the more I realized I really knew very little about the world and I applied this to the spiritual as well. Still, I had a great interest in knowing more; to understand the human experience, in history, art, even scientific advancement it is necessary to look at how people view the universe through religion. Even as an agnostic, taking no religion as truth I wanted to know more; what better way than to read the world’s sacred texts, coming to my own conclusions about what they said?
There are other inspirations to my project as well; I enjoy listening to Speaking of Faith on NPR whenever I can, for instance (always very interesting discussions). Now, I simply need to gather the works that are most essential to studying the major religions. That will be difficult in itself, I think.
Today I was in Winona with my family, accompanying my Grandmother to her Sunday service. It is only about three or four times a year I attend church service, usually with my grandparents and often during special times during the Christian year, Easter, Christmas. This particular Sunday was interesting in that it was no particular holy day, just halfway through the period of Lent, and it was the first religious ceremony I attended since beginning my project. It brings us some thoughtful questions for me. Sitting through the service, listening to the pastor’s message about how Lutherans pride themselves on being “saved by grace from faith alone,” not “good works” and also asked how many people came in this morning thinking about where they are going to spend eternity. While then explaining that God cares more about what we do with our time on Earth, or “this fallen world,” I still came to question these ideas. I recall feeling similarly in many previous sermons throughout my childhood, when I was able to pay attention. A lot of the time I did feel engaged, or was even bored by the time I spent with my family at our own church. I later got the idea, I think, that Lutheranism in general was a bland religion filled with people who only went to church out of obligation and a sense of ingrained routine. No one questioned what was being preached, the sermons kept to a non-confrontational tone. I became disillusioned by what I perceived as the banality of it all. Could this be a symptom of the drift of people from moderate to liberal religions into either atheism or fundamentalism? Sitting through the sermon today, I certainly hoped that such tolerant, peaceful spiritual groups remain strong, as the parishioners prayed for world peace and an end inequality, though the great majority of them were elderly. While I may not agree with all of what was said, I can certainly agree with much of the tone of the sermon, that life here on Earth is important and people should do what good that they can. However, even with this ambivalent view towards the practice of religion of my youth, I still was very interested in the religious beliefs of the world. Beginning even before my stint in the youth ministry I was deeply interested in the beliefs of my religion and others, even if I was less inspired by the practice. In my next entry, I will discuss how these interests were heightened and I started to formulate my project.
I should first mention my own personal beliefs and background when it comes to faith and religion. Currently, I tend to label myself an Agnostic, someone who claims no knowledge of God or any other supernatural matter. I usually give the excuse that humans know so little that it is impossible to say anything about the nature of the universe beyond the senses but I am also extremely interested in the things that are beyond the senses. There is so much out there in the universe that we don’t know, I like to keep an open mind about everything. On the other hand, I have no personal experiences to go on, and at the same time, I try to be skeptical. I am, I think, a bit indecisive, but I think that that is the main accusation leveled against agnostics. I think that agnostics are generally looked down upon in philosophical debates; we’re either atheists too afraid of hurting people’s feelings or too indecisive to make up our minds. There may be some truth to that, but I prefer to say that I just do not know. Who knows, I might discover something new during the course of this project!
I grew up in a moderately devout Lutheran household, going to church on a regular basis. I actually found a lot of the things that we learned about in Sunday school and Confirmation to be interesting, but I always had a questioning nature and spent a lot of my time in internal debates about religious topics. I had a great interest in the natural world, particularly dinosaurs and paleontology so the discussion about the compatibility of religion and science was probably the biggest for me as a child. As I remember, the Lutherans at my church generally held to the “evolution is part of God’s plan” position and I tended to agree. In general, though I believe I remained more or a less a “theist” at least until I had nearly completed college. In high school, I was even part of the youth ministry. However, I was always a doubter, I think and always suspicious of “extreme” types of religion.
My own evolution to agnosticism I think was mainly a greater understanding of what my own beliefs were as time passed. A lot my philosophies were close to agnosticism in the past, and as I began to search more into religion, I found that the term of agnosticism fit me best. My major disagreements with the majority of organized religions, including Christianity, I think is mainly what I perceive as hostility to the “world.” I’ve noticed in Christianity and Buddhism specifically a notion that everything in this world is simply at best either a test or at worst, evil in itself. This is difficult for me to understand as this is the only world that we truly know and while bad things do happen, a lot of good happens as well. Also, the notion that one group is “right” in their beliefs while another group is “wrong,” and that a variety of spiritual punishments are meted out on those who did not have the good luck to find out about the “right” way is something that I have a lot of problems with. However, one of the things I hope to find out through this project is perhaps more about what other philosophies the various religions have and what I may find to agree with more. In the end, I just want to keep an open mind. We are all searching for meaning in the world, after all.
