Reflection #9 - The Incarnation of God

     In the movie, my christmas carol, and in the Bible, Jesus is described as a humble being that has come to Earth to save us from our sins.  They all say that he is the son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The First Noel (Verse 4):

This star drew nigh to the northwest

O'er Bethlehem it took its rest

And there it did both Pause and stay

Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.

     This verse of "The First Noel"represents the part in which the star is shining brightly directly above the place where Jesus was born.  This star was used by the shepherds and the three kings to lead them to Jesus, the son of God.

     Mary was important in the story of the birth of Jesus because she was the mother of Jesus.  Perhaps even more significant is that she was a virgin, yet she conceived Jesus.  That, in itself, is a miracle.  Joseph was important to the story of the birth of Jesus because he was the father of Jesus.  He was crucial in helping Mary to travel all the way to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.  The shepherds were important in witnessing the birth of Jesus because they represented the lowest people of the social ladder.  The Persian astrologers were important in the birth of Jesus because they represented the highest of the social ladder.  Since they all bowed down to Jesus, they realized his greatness, which represented that someday, all people, rich and poor, would bow down to God.

     God coming to Earth as a baby is definitely a humbling experience.  To be an omnipotent God, and to choose to come to Earth, which was created by him, as a baby is symbolic of the fact that he has chosen to come to earth as the lowest of lows.  He chose to give up the glory that he had and become a "servant" (Philippians 2:7) of all.

Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives

Islamic Viewpoint:
Christian woman gets death sentence for 'blasphemy'

Under the immense pressure from Muslim mobs outside, the court sentenced Aasya Bibi, a Pakistani Christian, to death for committing blasphemy against Allah and the prophet Muhammad.  Furthermore, a Rs300,000 fine was imposed on her.  Upon becoming sentenced, Bibi and her lawyer filed an appeal for the Lahore High Court for a repeal of the lower court's decision

Western Viewpoint:
Official: Pakistani Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy

After a preliminary investigation into the case of Aasya Bibi, investigators have declared Bibi innocent and should be pardoned by the president.  The investigators found that the accusations were baseless, and Bibi says that the accusations were fabricated by a group of older women that don't like her.  Her death sentence has also enraged human rights activists around the world, who heavily criticize Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Compare and Contrast

The Islamic people seemed to view the situation as outrageous and seemed to jump to unjustifiable conclusions.  They realized the holiness of Allah and his prophet Muhammad, and were quick to condemn anyone who defiled them.  Since Bibi is a Christian, I believe Muslims were especially quick to judge and berate her.  I also noticed that Muslims viewed the blasphemy law as a necessary step to secure their religion from any criticisms or any other form of attack.  From the Western point of view, Bibi was seen as a Christian who unintentionally criticized Islam and their ways.  They also believe that she was falsely accused on 'baseless' claims.  Bibi also added that a group of women that didn't like her made up these claims.  The Islamic point of view did not even mention Bibi's opinion or her side of the story.  Finally, Westerners believe that the blasphemy law should be repealed by the government.  Indications in the comments below the story and in the actual CNN story point out that the blasphemy law has been used unjustly and is an unreasonable law with an uncalled for penalty, death.

Personal Commemoration - APAC Swimming

An event that is significant in my life is APAC Swimming during my freshman school year (January 27-31 2010).  This experience was both humbling and an enjoyable experience.  It was particularly humbling because it was the very first time that I saw a swimmer swim as fast as they did.  This also made it an exciting trip because I had the chance to compete against them in the pool.

         I chose to make the commemoration three days because, although the trip was five days long, the actual swimming tournament was three days long.  During this commemoration ceremony, I will recite the following haiku:

I will not lie down

No matter how fast they are

I will not give in

After reading this haiku I will swim each of my events that I swam at APAC at race pace.  This means that I will sprint each one, or perform each race to the best of my abilities.  This signifies each event that I swam at APAC that I raced against other competitors.  While swimming these events, I will wear the same suit that I wore at APAC.  I will also go swim at a 25-meter pool, the same type of pool that I swam in at APAC.  As a commemorative food, I will eat a Powerbar, a typical swimmer’s snack and a snack that I ate at APAC.

The Spinning Contest

Nymph

     Arachne, a young arrogant maiden from Greece, was deeply talented in weaving.  So arrogant that she believed she no god, not even the goddess Athena, could beat her.  Hearing this, Athena comes down to Earth and challenges Arachne to a weaving contest, which Athena loses.  Filled with wrath, Athena changes Arachne into a spider, something that would weave for the rest of its life.

     Perhaps the most important moral of this story for humans is to not challenge, or not even compare yourself to the gods and goddesses.  This becomes apparent when Arachne compares herself with the goddess Athena, saying that she is much better than the goddess.  After hearing this, Athena, to show her displeasure, turned Arachne into a spider.  This moral was important in Greek culture because it allowed the gods to be seen as omnipotent beings, much better than the humans.

     This Greek myth attempts to answer the life mystery of spiders, or arachnids.  It tells us where the word arachnid comes from, and why spiders weave.  It shows us that spiders were created as a punishment of Arachne.  Thus, her name is forever embedded in our English language (Arachnid is from the Greek word "Arachne" which means 'spider').

     An important virtue that Greeks treasure is to stop being arrogant, or to be modest.  The tale tells that we must not be overconfident in our talents, that we have received as gifts from the gods.  The story 'commands' us to be humble and reminds us that others could be better in one way or another, or else you can end up receiving punishment.  When Arachne is asked whether she has learned her craft from Athena, she declines and says that Athena could learn a lot from her.  Although the nymphs and Athena herself continually try to persuade Arachne to pray to Athena for forgiveness and become modest, Arachne refuses, saying that she is the best, even better than the gods.  As she becomes more and more pompous in her ability to weave, Athena ends up releasing her fury on her.  Thus, one should become modest in his or her abilities and talents.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk: "After visiting the Zen Buddhist Temple, Bongwonsa and attempting to see nature as a Taoist, answer this question: What is it about creation,..."

"If there was no God, it would have been necessary to invent him." - Voltaire (French Philosopher)

This quote by Voltaire summarizes why I believe people spend their lives believing in religion. I believe people believe in religion because they seek to solve life's countless mysteries. As there is no, one answer to life's mysteries, people turn to religion as their answer. For example, a common question that people of all ages ask is, "What happens when I die?" However, because no one knows and it can not be proven by any materialistic ways, people turn their attention to a spiritual view, they attempt to answer the question through religion. This is evident in many religions across the world. Christianity has taught me to believe that after I die, I will either go to Heaven or Hell. At Bongwonsa Temple, the Buddhist, who explained all the buildings, said, Buddhists believe in reincarnation until they reach the state of nirvana. They believe that, until they reach the state in they are free from suffering and desire, they will be born again into a lower or higher state. These beliefs prove that people believe in religions because they have the desire to understand life's meanings and mysteries.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation: "Spend 20 mintues in a silent meditation; a place you won't be disturbed, your own 'fig tree' as was Buddha's inspiration. In those 20 mintue..."

Although I had a basic guideline (the Eight-Fold Path), an extremely peaceful place, and was extraordinarily comfortable, I found it extremely hard to rid my mind of secular thoughts and achieving the right mindfulness. I had trouble concentrating on a topic for a long period of time and often found myself thinking of basketball or school or even food, even though I had just eaten dinner. Despite repeating the some of the quotes we learned during class, it proved to be no help to me. I am not sure why none of these procedures worked for me, it could be because it was slightly cold or because of the continuous city noises around me. However, none of these problems seemed to affect me too much while I was meditating. On the other hand, I did gain a little inspiration from my 20 minute meditation. During my meditation practice, I thought about the future and reminded myself that I am working not only for myself, but for everyone in my family, to make them proud. I believe this will motivate me mentally to do better in school and attain better grades.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist: "In class, your small groups went over movie questions about the content in Gandhi. You should know who each of the main characters are and t..."

     In the movie "Gandhi", Gandhi's idea of Hinduism is centered mostly on sacrifice and nonviolence. Sacrifice and nonviolence can both be shown in one key example in the film. When India achieves independence, the Muslims want to secede from the majority Hindus, to create a majority Muslim state. However, this troubled Gandhi as he wanted a independent, yet single India. Although Gandhi agreed, with the Muslims, to allow a separation of Muslims and Hindus, with Muslims going to a new state called Pakistan, and Hindus going to the new India. Soon, religious violence soon began as tensions between Muslims and Hindus took a disastrous turn. This can be accentuated as a sort of ethnic cleansing in India. Gandhi, even further distressed with the recent events, vowed to fast until both Muslims and Hindus stopped rioting. This aspect shows both sacrifice, in that he would allow his body to suffer to help stop the fighting, and nonviolence, in that he wanted the Muslims and Hindus to stop fighting and become peaceful neighbors. Another example of sacrifice and nonviolence is represented early in the movie. When Gandhi attempts to burn his pass to protest against the pass laws. Even though white police men threaten to beat anyone who tries to burn his or her pass, Gandhi continues to burn passes. Gandhi is then struck down by the police, but does not strike back. This example shows that Gandhi was willing to sacrifice himself to reach his goal, but was not willing to use violence.
     I chose the quote, "A man is but the product of his thought. What he thinks; he becomes." I believe this truly exemplifies how Gandhi lived his life and expressed his faith. According to the quote, a person is exactly what he or she believes in. I believe this is true for Gandhi because, as I have said before, he believed in nonviolence and he was known especially for standing for nonviolent throughout his entire life. Examples throughout the movie show that Gandhi became what he believed in. Whenever people fought, such as the Muslims and Hindus, he fasted or whenever someone beat him, he did not strike back. I believe these virtues are inspired by his Hindu beliefs. As one of the key principles of Hinduism is polytheism. This means that there is a being, or 'spirit', in all things. Therefore, hurting anyone or anything would be detrimental, thus creating a nonviolent attitude. This is why I believe this quote truly represents Gandhi's life.

Modern Religious Experience: Assignment #3- Sacred Poetry

Modern Religious Experience: Assignment #3- Sacred Poetry: "Assignment #3- Sacred Poetry • Add a picture of an ancient religious symbol to your Online Portfolio (it can be one of those from the notes..."

Eye of Horus

Oh Eye of Horus

Symbol of the almighty sky god

Defend our celebrated pyramids of serenity

Shelter our modest households of comity

From magic’s hands you were transformed

To a single piece of one accord

Ever since, we have adored

For your work, your name, your outreaching claim

Under your constant watch of protection

No one may do us any tribulation

We pray to you

Oh Eye of Horus

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1: "According to Mircea Eliade religion has 'not vanished without a trace; [it] has contributed toward making us what we are today and so, after..."

I believe religion has deeply contributed toward my personal history and has changed the course of my life. As a Christian I believe in countless morals, one of such is to love your neighbor as yourself. This moral has helped shape my personality and form the person that I am today. As well as these morals that I live by, there are also taboos that religion has 'told' me to stay away from. Christianity has also taught me, through my sister, that it is charismatic in a sense that it is able to work through people close to us. My sister has always acted as a sort of totem in a way. She has always helped me and guided me towards God so I could mature spiritually. Both morals and my family has changed my perception on multiple aspects of life, in effect, changing my personal history.

Christianity has also taught me to perform certain liturgies that are devoted to the propitiation of God. These mores include praying, being baptized, and participating in communion. Rituals like these have a life-altering effects on me because it helps me mature not only spiritually, but it also helps me grow as a human. It also helps me build a steady, strong relationship with God, something that I would like to continue to solidify. Other than affecting my personal history, I believe religion has also contributed toward societal history. I believe that now that we have technology and media, it has led us to form common misconceptions about certain groups of religious people. I think this has an overwhelming effect on how we react to seeing these people. After taking this into consideration, I do wonder if people from other religions also are affected by their religion or if it is just a Christian perspective.