Extra Blog to Substitute Lowest Grade

I noticed a pattern in the readings in class. I found it interesting that it is difficult to study religion or walks of life in isolation from the social/cultural context even though the focus is on the religion itself. Through its followers, religion can have an impact on the society or culture in which it exists. It may even incorporate some of its ideas or values into its own culture. The Rastas developed their own religion in response to the oppressive colonial society in which they lived. In response to oppression, their religion encouraged rebellion against that system. Likewise, Jane Addams beliefs were partially influenced by the dreadful conditions she witnessed in a part of London. Seeing the poverty, which was one of her motives, motivated her to ease unfortunate people's lives by establishing Hull House. Her belief in applying education in the real world also compelled her to start a settlement house. Hull House had social outcomes, which came from her set of beliefs (religion). These examples illustrate the idea that it is hard to explore religions without considering how society influenced or was influenced by religion.

Even Augustine recognized that society had to be taken into account when reading scripture. He provided a frame from which to view religion. For example, passages that seem irrational should be interpreted metaphorically instead because things that seem unusual now may have been considered proper then. Seeing scriptures from this perspective would clarify passages in the Psalms that seem harsh nowadays. Society changes and the interpretation of religions need to adapt to those modifications. This prevents society from clashing with religion. In the distant future, Augustine's ideas about interpretation may be useful in interpreting the religions in the present.

Hull House Neighborhood

The neighborhood around Hull House was different from how I imagined it. The maps of nationalities really shocked me. The neighborhood was not only tightly packed, but also extremely diverse. Ethnic groups were scattered everywhere; however, there were a few areas where a particular nationalities appeared to dominate. After seeing this I assumed that there probably were clashes between the ethnic groups as each has their own beliefs and customs. And in fact there were. One of the articles stated that Jews and Italians rarely inhabited the same tenement house because they look down upon one another. Living closely together with different people produced some conflicts.

Even though there were some cultural clashes, they still asserted there identity. The article talked about the Italian celebrating the Feast of Assumption and the characteristics of their religious rites. There are also several business owned by particular ethnic groups such as the Greeks and their restaurants, saloons, and groceries. People did indeed express their identity in their own ways.

People also had opportunities for social interaction. One of the images showed children playing in an alley even though it was a filthy and hazardous to their health. There were also five-cent theaters where people could watch dramas. The article also mentioned saloons. The additions to Hull House such as the gymnasium, women's club, and coffee house provided more opportunities for social interaction everyone, especially for the children. They these opportunities provided a learning environment where people could interact. I think that the social opportunities in Hull House may have motivated people to respect their differences and to assert their nationalities.

Jane Addams

I think that several factors including her experiences and beliefs motivated her to establish Hull House, but not all of them were based on religion. I remember reading about your visit to England where she encountered a lot of poverty and wretched conditions. Seeing the cruel conditions first-hand made her realize that something had to be done to ease the lives of the poor. The experience really shocked her and probably contributed to her belief that people should perform social work.

She strongly believes that people should use their higher education for social purposes. “There is nothing after disease, indigence and a sense of guilt, so fatal to health and to life itself as the want of a proper outlet for active faculties.” This statement captures how strongly she feels about taking action; that it is important for people to use their abilities to for the welfare of everyone. This belief motivated her to establish a place to help people in need.

She also mentioned that Christianity was starting to adopt humanitarian causes because helping others expresses the spirit of Christ or something around those lines. She believes that a spiritual force is necessary for the success of Settlements. However, I don't think that she applied this belief overtly to Hull House. Several changes and improvements in Hull House arose because of people started becoming interested in different activities. So many different interests developed that people began using each others specialties to for one causes, which resembles the Christian beliefs that she mentions. But she didn't mention that her her motives were based on religion. Therefore, I think that her experiences and philosophy mainly motivated her to perform social work.

Rastafarian Political Power

I think that the Rastafarian movement is strong because of its creativeness. It created trends like the dreadlocks in order to contradict conventional hairstyles of the middle and upper classes. They used reggae as a medium to express their thoughts and feelings about oppression and their neglected situation. They even created a variation of English in an effort to distinguish themselves from the broader culture.

However, just as its creativeness made it strong, it also made it vulnerable to weakness. I think that because the larger culture in Jamaica adopted some of the Rastafarian practices and customs the movement lost some of its power. People finally acknowledged that it was a culture and became familiarized with it. So familiarized they became with it that they acquired some of their traditions such as the dreadlocks and reggae music.

In my opinion, this probably caused the movement to lose some, but not all, of its political power. Politicians and the upper classes became habituated to the Rastas and no longer considered them an extreme threat to the stability of the colonial system. Although the Rastas were considered in politics and gained recognition worldwide, I still think that their political power was somewhat drained because people began using their customs for purposes that had nothing to do with rebellion. For example, the tourist video of Jamaica had some Rastafarian characteristics, but excluded their significance from a Rastafarian perspective in an effort to appeal to tourists. Its creativeness appealed to people worldwide, but its significance became obscured, causing the Rastas to lose some power.

Rasta Community Video

This community of Rastas shared some characteristics with the Rastas we discussed in class; however, they seemed somewhat different. They obviously share the beliefs with other Rastas such as equality and justice for all and goodness over evil. They also identify well with Africa and Ethiopia. They perform a ceremony several times a day. It is similar to the Rastas’ casual meetings where they smoke ganja and discuss their beliefs and current events. However, the Boboshanti didn’t smoke ganja during these meetings and they didn’t mention whether they discussed their ideas and lives; nevertheless, the meetings had similar purposes. The purposes of the meetings were to promote unity and their spirituality, which would eventually help them to gain repatriation just like the Rastas in the book. In addition, they relied on nature to survive, which agrees with the book as well.

There was also some difference I wasn't expecting. The Boboshanti observe religious days such as the seventh day Sabbath. Unlike the Rastas in the reading, the Boboshanti wrap their dreadlocks in turbans, which I think they said resemble the Ethiopians’ appearance.

In short, the book clearly describes the fundamental beliefs of the Rastas, which are summarized in the video of the Boboshanti. But I don’t think this community contradicts the book because they seem to be just a slight variation of the Rastas.

Charisma

Charisma is powerful thing because it can be used for different purposes. According to "Rastafari,"it is a quality of a personality that encompasses and appeals to the needs of the people in adverse circumstances, which helps to acquire followers for the leader and his/her cause. It reminds me of how leaders in the past have used charisma to help people. However, others such as Hitler have utilized charisma for destructive purposes.

Hitler took advantage of the economic situation, the low morale of the Germans, and the losses of Germany due to the Treaty of Versaille so that he could appeal to the Germans because they were unsatisfied with the government. Appealing to their needs, he and his political party gained popularity, advocating improvement of their current conditions. Thus, he gained support, which allowed him to gradually rise to power. From his high position, he reinforced the beliefs he imposed on the people. He influenced people to support his ideology, Nazism.

However, just as the book “Rastafari” says, some movements are only temporary. Society and culture also play a role in integrating or rejecting the movement. In Hitler’s case, other societies opposed his actions, which paved the way for his movement’s downfall. Hitler and Nazism is an example of how people can take advantage of charisma for dark purposes. The results of charisma depend on the leader's intentions.

The status of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is given status and value through Sheba’s relationship with Solomon. Sheba at first believes in a different God until Solomon imparted his wisdom onto her and she discovered who the true God was. Then Solomon impregnated Sheba because of a promise she broke. She gave birth to a male child, who would become the emperor of Ethiopia and his descendents would rule on behalf of Solomon. She converted to Christianity, and through her, she converted Ethiopia as well. Solomon even tells her that her country will be blessed through her if she genuinely worships God and follows his principles. Therefore, she established a link between her country and Israel.

The child and his descendants symbolize the eternal relationship between Israel and Ethiopia as well. Through this significant connection Ethiopia becomes even more worthy of God. It reinforces the connection between Ethiopia and Israel. From this bond between these two nations, some of Israel’s status as the people of God spread to Ethiopia, which to me explains why Ethiopia is important to Christianity.

Sheba also elevates Ethiopia’s status even more because she seemed genuinely interested in acquiring wisdom. It shows that Ethiopia values wisdom more than material wealth. Also, Sheba realized that wisdom is also necessary to rule and support her kingdom effectively. Sheba made it clear that Ethiopia truly cares about the welfare of the people through wisdom gained from God. The pursuit of wisdom and the connection between Israel and Ethiopia make it seem worthy of God.