post for 4/24

Woohoo! We have finally made it to the (almost) end of the semester. I am excited and nervous for what is to come, for this week, and for the next years. I realized that I only have a little over a year till I will graduate and that is sort of scary. This class has been very interesting. We have examined many interesting points of view that I had never even considered before. We have closely examined liberation theory, which is the idea that God stands with the oppressed, and that Jesus came to liberate the oppressed. I had never really thought about it in those terms, but I think it is hard to ignore this idea. It is hard to understand Jesus as not being a liberator for the oppressed after taking the class.

One of my favorite things about this class was our discussions. I felt they were always very civil and respectful. That made this class very enjoyable and even fun.  One of the most interesting discussions revolved around gay marriage. Not everyone agrees about this, but we still had very eye opening discussions around this topic. I learned that Adam comes from the word Adamah, which means from the earth and that this was a non-gendered creature that later became Adam and Eve.  When the Bible discusses  Adamah it uses the word that in Hebrew can mean mankind. When Eve was created Adam is referred to as exclusively male or husband. I had never heard this argument and was surprised to learn that even ancient Rabbis believed this. I will remember this information as I progress on my quest for equality for all.

I also really liked how we did not have tests in this class. This class lends itself very well to discussions and even to writing papers. I was very pleased to discover that we did not have any tests.  Sometimes, I felt the homework was a bit overwhelming, but I would rather do more homework and less tests, so I guess it worked out in the end. I felt that the paper was a good way for us to be able to reflect on our own beliefs.

I really enjoyed taking this class. It was insightful and eve, at times fun. I enjoyed listening to others and learning from their perspective. I would likely recommend this class to others, especially if they wanted to have to question their beliefs. I really enjoyed examining the Bible in new lights. I really enjoyed this class.

(PS this week has been really stressful for me, which is why I forgot to get this done on time. I am very sorry)

post for RFRA panel

Recently, the State of Indiana passes their version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It is a rather startling bill to protect people’s religious freedom. It is based on a federal bill (which by the way, many of the original signers have revoked their trust in this bill). However, there are many differences from the Indiana bill. The first difference is that, in order for RFRA to be implicated the government must be involved.

However, the Indiana bill will allow individuals to bring suit. Because (unlike in the federal government, and other states), sexuality is not a protected class, it will allow individuals to discriminate. This makes me feel very uncomfortable, I wonder where the line is drawn, and what else people will be able to discriminate for. For instance, I have blonde hair will people be able to discriminate against me because their religion says it is wrong to have blonde hair (hair color is also not a protected class). As ridiculous as it sounds, it seems possible to me that people could discriminate against me.

It is also makes me feel uncomfortable, as one person pointed out at the RFRA panel, it will be hard to explain this to our children. We must love everyone. We must provide a safe, happy place for everyone, including people that are not exactly like us. This is especially important to confer on to our children.

Now, I would like to attempt to turn my attention to the panel that happened last week.  I have to say, Dr. Ware’s argument that people who are more orthodox have the right to their religion. I hadn’t really thought about it from this perspective, but I do not think he is right. The problem is, when a person opens a business to the public, they do not get to determine who or what that public is. They do not have to break laws (which is why comparing conservative religious bakers to those who will not bake for the KKK a bit problematic), but you do not get to choose your public.  Also, no one has the right to force people to make them things. If an item is not on the menu, or say the restaurant keeps Kosher they do not have to make pork. So I think that arguing “Oh well Jews will be forced to break Kosher, and then spends THOUSANDS on a new stove” is a bit outlandish, no they won’t, breaking kosher is not on the menu. This will hold as long as they server everyone equally.  

Furthermore, there was discussion of the Pizza bakery in Marrian Indiana. Apparently, the fact that they were not in Indianapolis disproves that no one will discriminate against LGBT. Well, we are still in Indiana are we not? Oh okay, so then people in Indiana will discriminate okay great (PS don’t mess with Zoe Post, regarding the Bible).

This bill is so discerning to me. I think it goes too far. I think when we examine the context it seems clear that the bill was intended to allow for discrimination. I think the bill needs to be fixed (if it were me I would attach a bill creating a protected class for sexuality to a bill that no one was paying attention to, but that is just the political strategist in me). Really, I could say so much more about this. I am really disheartened by the course this country seems to be taking, which to me is absolutely backwards. 

post for 4/17/15

                Since I forgot to do this last week, I will discuss what we have been talking about for the last two weeks.

                Last week we finished our discussion of different viewpoints of the Bible. I read a Palestinian perspective on the Exodus story. This Palestinian was a Christian. His argument is that the Israeli Jews and the Palestinians must learn to work together; he argues that Palestinians must be allowed to love and respect their homeland. He argues that many Palestinians were born in Palestine and have a right to their homeland. This right is justified by the Bible. He also argues that western culture ignores the second exodus story, and that it should be given more attention.

                I also read a Native American perspective of the exodus story. They also argued that it is important to remember the second Exodus story. In many cases the Exodus story was used to oppress the Native Americans. It was used to conquer Native American lands. The west has often ignored the stories of those that they oppress. It is time for the west to recognize the harms that it has caused.

                It is important for the west to begin to recognize the problems that it has caused. The western culture has long been oppressive to other cultures. It has long been the problem and not the solution. IT is time for the west to recognize this and begin to take steps to fix the problems it has caused. The west must solve the problems that it has caused.

                Next, this week we began work on our group projects. I am a bit nervous about this because we will present the final products in front of people that I do not really know. I guess I am a bit afraid of being judged. Anyway, my group is researching “The Bible and Refugees”. We are researching what the Bible calls Christians to do regarding refugees. We will also do research regarding specific problems of refugees. We will do a case study of Palestinian refugees; this is a specific area of concern. This is because it is a modern day conflict, in modern day Israel, which has ancient origins. We will examine specific issues faced by Palestinian refugees. We will conclude by examining solutions for refugees and for states. The refugee problem should be solved in a way that ensures human dignity, human rights and human security, but also grantees state sovereignty.

                The last two weeks have been rather interesting. We have examined many perspectives that I have never thought of. We have also begun to do our group work; my group is doing the very interesting work of researching refugees. I am looking forward to continuing this work.

post for Seder dinner

                I have just returned from UE Hillal’s Seder dinner. This is a special diner that occurs during Passover. It is a special diner to remember the Israeli’s escape from slavery in Egypt. The Seder is a fifteen step process. Each step remembers a different aspect of the Israeli escape from slavery.  During Passover, Jews do not eat leavened bread and so the food, which is consumed in the 11^th stage, is often very yummy. We had Matzo ball soup and barbecue chicken, as well and apples.

                Throughout the whole dinner, I was struck by how welcoming the Jewish faith is. Over and over the Jews remember that not everyone is free. They remember that not everyone is equal, and that not everyone has food and water. Seder is a call to serve those people, as well as to remember their ancestors who escaped from slavery.  One of the stages of the Seder is to remember that the Egyptians suffered for them to be able to escape, the Jews do this by dipping their finger in the wine or grape juice, and placing the grape juice on a plate.  They remember that the Egyptians had to suffer as well, and they Egyptians are also God’s people.  Even though the Egyptians caused them to suffer, they pray for the Egyptians suffering. That philosophy and fundamental kindness is amazing to me.

                It is also interesting the amount of wine that is consumed. After the Seder was complete there was a question and answer period. It is interesting that there are Jewish events, or holidays were they drink until they cannot see straight. In the Seder they drink four cups of wine. That is so much alcohol. Methodist traditionally did not drink at all, we do not even use wine for communion, it is interesting to see wine used in religious festivals and celebrations.

                The Seder dinner is also interesting because there are many sections that are designed to teach children about the Seder. I like that the Jewish faith is particularly careful to teach children about their religion, and very careful to include children in their religious ceremonies. While, Methodist include children in religious ceremonies, such communion, there is never really a special investment. I think it is really cool.

                Seder dinner was a very cool experience. It reminds Jews of their escape from Egypt, but it also calls for action for the needy. Seder is also a time for friends and family to get together and have a good time and a good meal. It was a very interesting experience and I am so grateful that I got to experience it this year. 

post for 4/3/15

                This week we continued our discussion of world views and the Bible. It is very interesting to look at other interpretations of the Bible. It is also very important. It is important to understand other views, to better understand our own.

                 We also read an article concerning the spread of HIV/Aids. Many people believe that disease, including AIDS is a punishment from God. They take this view from the book of Proverbs, which says that being Godly will ensure reward. However, the book of Ecclesiastes seems to argue that life is fleeting and that it does not matter. However, the book of Job is in direct conflict with the book of Proverbs. It outlines the story of Job who was a very upstanding man. The devil challenged God to remove Job’s blessings, and challenge Job. God wanted to see if Job would remain faithful.  Through all of his pain Job remained faithful. This seems to illustrate that suffering is not kin to punishment. In other words, just because life is not exactly as you planned, does not mean that you are in conflict with God. This gives hope to people suffering with AIDS, because they should understand that God is not in conflict with them, they are simply suffering a disease.

                People must change their view of AIDS. AIDS is construed as a punishment, all though this hardly makes sense. Africa is the poorest continent, yet the most afflicted. It does not make sense. God would not choose to wipe out an entire continent. Furthermore AIDS does not affect only people who broke one of God’s laws. AIDS in fact can affect everyone.  The fact that AIDS alone affects everyone is sign enough that it is not punishment. Also, AIDS affects women who have done nothing wrong other then be raped. Raped is already enough suffering God would not choose to punish people for being rapped. AIDS can also affect children. Children have done nothing wrong, and are not being punished. This would be hardly fair.  We must change our perception of AIDS as a punishment. AIDS is not a punishment, but rather a disease that can and does affect everyone.

                AIDS is a horrible disease. It can affect everyone, at anytime. The book of Job seems to suggest that suffering, especially disease and poverty is not necessarily a punishment. It is simply just a fact. Sometimes are afflicted with disease and humans must take care of each other, and must fight to end the horrible AIDS epidemic.

post for 3/27/15

                This week we began discussing world views of the Bible. Obviously, people who experienced colonization, or whose ancestors experienced colonization read and interpret the Bible differently than those who have not. It is possible to experience colonization as a colonizer or as the colonized. Post-colonial interpretation of the Bible is the newest interpretation.

                It is very important to promote other readings of the Bible. It is important to examine other perspectives of the Bible and to learn different perspectives. As a person of European decent it is important to remember that the Europeans where pretty horrible to the rest of the world. It is important that often, the whites where not the first people in an area. The white people often trampled on other cultures and ideas. They often exterminated nonwhite culture. Now, it is time to recognize the beauty and wonder of other cultures. It is time to apologize for the harm. It is time for nonwhite culture to shine. I think that people should be exposed to other nonwhite cultures. It will help people to discover more about themselves and about their beliefs. It is important to remember that for others, the European view is not the right view, it is not the productive view, and it is not the proper view. It is important to accept other’s views in order to fully accept other’s in to the church.

                Next, it is also important to recognize the harms of colonization. It is important to recognize that colonization eradicated peoples and cultures. In order to right this wrong, we must begin to recognize other interpretations. We must bring other cultures in to the fold. And European cultures must recognize the harms that they caused. In order to properly do this, they must listen. In order to truly listen they must observe and reflect on other cultures, including post-colonial interpretations of the Bible.   

                So, the Europeans did horrible things to the people that they concurred and colonized. They destroyed several cultures, or at least suppressed them. It is now time to fix these mistakes. It is time to listen and observe other cultures. It is time to understand that the European interpretation is not the only one. For many people the European interpretation is simply wrong.  It is not productive, it is not helpful and many may even view it as harmful. It is time for the Europeans to recognize other interpretations and to recognize the harms that they caused. 

post for 3/20/15

                This week we discussed debt and the Bible. The Bible instructs the rich to lend to the poor. This commandment can be found in Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus though the amount of responsibility varies. The Bible speaks exclusively to the rich and not to the poor. In fact, the Bible does not give much voice to the poor. It gives clear and meaningful instructions to the wealthy but does not give a voice to the poor. The Bible does not consider what it was like to be poor in ancient times. It does not consider the life of the poor.

                This is a clear call to the wealthy. The wealthy must help the poor. The Bible is addressed to the wealthy. The Bible does not address not becoming poor; rather it addresses what to do for the poor.  This can be applied to modern day. The Bible demands that the wealthy take care of the poor. In modern day, we must take care of the poor. The rich must support the poor; the wealthy countries must support the poorer countries. The Bible also demands that creditors relieve debt. In our society we should implement this policy. Debt should be relieved periodically. No one should be forced into lifelong debt because they dared to go to college or bought a house or a home. The US government should mandate a limit on all public and private loans.

                This process is necessary. It is often difficult to pull yourself out of poverty if you are always in debt. It may be hard to get more loans, because the person may have bad credit. This could mean that they cannot gain access to housing or necessities because they may not be able to pay.

                There are also several other necessities for the poor that must be addressed. For instance more and more companies are moving to automated pay checks. This means that companies directly deposit money into their employee’s accounts. However, a person must actually have an account. Often, in order to get an account a person must have a permanent address. If a person is homeless they do not have a permanent address.  Also, a person often must have an initial deposit. If a person does not have a job they may not have an initial deposit. There for people who are homeless cannot open accounts. Because they cannot open accounts they cannot get jobs. This creates a never ending cycle of poverty. There are stories and problems like this.

                Poverty and debt is a significant problem that still plaques our society. As a society we must address this problem. We must recognize that everyone has a duty or obligation to take care of their fellow humans. After all, the Bible demands that we take care of each other.

post for 3/6/15

                This week we discussed domestic violence and the Bible.  We read several passages from the Bible that seem to suggest that Domestic violence is approved by God.  In this context it is hard to say that the Bible is authoritative, which makes it hard to say God is authoritative.  Domestic Violence is a terrible crime and should be stopped, but it is also clear that in ancient times, and even in more recent times domestic violence was acceptable and perhaps even favored or the law.

                The Bible seems to justify the crime of domestic violence, and has been used to justify domestic violence in the past. This idea all can be tied to the idea that women are the property of their husbands. A property owner has the right to do as he pleases with his property. Also, women must be submissive, if a wife is not submissive and does not follow the laws the husband must punish her. Therefore, it is a husband’s duty almost to beat his wife into submission.

                Also, we must look at cultural context of the Bible, as we have done for every other topic we have examined. In this particular context domestic violence was approved, accepted and even advocated. However, times have changed. Domestic violence is no longer an acceptable form of interaction. This class has examined the cultural context of the Bible several times and has determined that certain rules are not really applicable any more. This is also true for the laws found in the book of Deuteronomy. Domestic violence is no longer acceptable, though it may have been acceptable then. Also, some scholars have argued that many laws, including those found in Deuteronomy are descriptive of the ancient Israelite culture, they are not necessarily prescriptive for future generations. I think that it is safe to assume that these passages in Deuteronomy are descriptive and are not prescriptive.

                Domestic violence is a terrible terrible crime. There should be safe havens for both men and women to escape the harms of domestic abuse. No one should use the Bible to justify this horrible crime. Also, many parts of the bible are descriptive, they are not prescriptive. Many passages that seemingly justify violence towards a significant other (especially women) , are just that. We must examine the culture that surrounded the writing of the Bible, that culture justified domestic violence largely because it valued women as being nothing more than property. Our culture, recognizes that all people have important value and must be treated with dignity and respect, therefore domestic violence is longer acceptable. 

For The Bible Told Me So movie Extra Credit

Desmond Tutu said something along the lines of I can’t image God saying you were black, you should have been white, you were female you should have been male, and you were homosexual, you were heterosexual.  This quote really struck me. I find it to be true and very insightful.

The movie For the Bible Told Me So tells stories of people who have struggled to deal with their children’s homosexuality; some people have handled it better than others.  These people are all Christians, though they come from different denominations. Many of them are or were fundamentalist Christian or are very conservative. Another discussion from the movie was the discussion around literal interpretations of the Bible. First of all, this is quite impractical we do not sell our daughters anymore; we do not think that stoning is an acceptable punishment anymore, things change. Also as one theologian commented how different people interpret the Bible is affected by their social standing, literal interpretations can be very different for many people. Also, it is important to recognize historical and cultural contexts of specific texts. For instance many words have different meanings in English then in Hebrew. One example of this is the word abomination, it did not typically mean bad but abnormal.

 There was one story that was very fascinating. The mother had been a very conservative Christian and believed that homosexuality was an abomination against God. Her daughter informed her that she was a lesbian, and she shamed her daughter. After not talking with her daughter for several months she tried to make up with her but her daughter informed her that she did not want to forgive her mother, the daughter later committed suicide. After her daughter’s death, the mother began to read and understand homosexuality. She used her daughter’s death as a catalyst to begin to see the need for homosexual rights. She reported feeling blessed because now she has many gay and lesbian sons and daughters, and that she can do for them what she wasn’t able to do for her daughter. Stories like this dishearten me. It is necessary to correct systems of oppression. A parent’s job is to love their children unconditionally no matter what. Children and young people should not be afraid to be who they are and to freely express themselves.

I was also interested in some of the science that was discussed in the film. The movie argues that we do not know why people are gay just as we do not know why they are heterosexual. Science and genetic research suggests that homosexuality is probably genetic. It also suggests that the more boys a women has the more likely she is to have a gay boy. This is potentially because a women’s body sees the male baby as a danger to herself and attacks it with anti-bodies. The more boys she has the more successful her body is at feminizing the boy, thus the more likely he is to be gay.

The movie For the Bible Tells Me So is very interesting.  It examines people of many different Christian backgrounds and how they were taught to deal with homosexuality and how they have realized that was wrong, mainly because of their children. 

post for 2/27

This week we read the book of Ruth from a bisexual point of view. Celia Duncan, discussed the idea, that for her Ruth and Naomi were in a committed lesbian relationship and when Ruth meet and married Boaz, the three of them created a committed Bisexual relationship (they were committed and loved each other). I can see where Duncan might be coming from, Ruth was certainly committed to Naomi, and bisexuals and lesbians and perhaps gays should question the heterosexual reading of this text, as well as other texts found in the Bible. However, I take some issue with Ruth and Naomi being in a sexual relationship. Isn’t it possible Ruth just felt deeply connected to Naomi, or perhaps deeply in love wither husband. Maybe Ruth loved the Israeli life style and wanted to continue living it, just like when in modern society when one person in a relationship converts for the other person. The first person loves their partner so much that they want to convert. Also, isn’t possible that Ruth felt a specific duty towards Naomi? As we have already discussed, ancient times were highly patriarchal and women were essentially sold to their husbands, perhaps Ruth felt as if she owed Naomi her life. Whatever it may be I hardly find Ruth to be sexually attracted to Naomi. I do understand however that Ruth held some form of deep commitment to her mother in law.

Ruth and Naomi’s relationship also made me think about love. Personally, I believe that there are many types of love. You can love your mom (or in this case mother in law) and your husband (or in this case your Boaz) at the same time. The love that you have for these people is perhaps not romantic at all, perhaps it is entirely different. I personally do not know anyone that has a romantic sexual type of love with their own mother. I also do not know anyone that loves their partner in the same way they love their mom. A person can love many people, in many ways it is not always romantic. I believe that Ruth loved both Naomi and Boaz at the same time, I am just not sure that either relationship was really romantic (yes Ruth had sexual relations with Boaz, but I do not think that that counts as romantic love that is simply sex).

So, there are many different types of love. A person will experience many different types of love in their lifetime, and all of them are beautiful and wonderful in their own special way. It is important to embrace the loving relationships that we find ourselves in and it is important to love and allow ourselves to be loved. Love, is also important for all types of people, whether they find romantic love with people of the same gender as them or they do not.

PS tell someone that you love them today J

post for 2/20

                This week we discussed Baily’s article “Turned White as Snow”. This article discusses the Isiah passage that says “Though your sins be but crimson, they shall be turned white as snow.  Baily argues that this has become racialized, but was never really meant as a racial suggestion. Baily also argues that it has been used as a racially motivated text, where white is the symbol pf purity, and thus being white skinned is also a symbol of purity. This article brings up a few interesting points for me.

                The first point is that red symbolizes life in many cultures, while white symbolizes death. It would be interesting to read this passage coming from a culture that viewed red as god, and white as bad or deathly. Some of these cultures include Native American cultures, as well as Chinese cultures. We have already discussed how these cultures read the Bible in different ways than the dominate white culture, but it would be interesting to understand some different readings of this specific verse.

                The next point is white is the color of light. As in, whenever the phenomenon of light is represented on paper there is white. Jesus Christ is known as the light of the world, so maybe white in liturgical settings represents the phenomena of light.  Also, white is literally the absence of color. When we see white it is because there is no pigmentation for our eyes to see. Therefore, white, perhaps represents the idea that Jesus washes anew and it like sinners are blank slates.

                Next, another idea Baily discusses is the idea of liturgical colors.  He points out that lent and advent are darker colors, usually purple, while Easter and Christmas are white. He also points out that the liturgical color for hope week is a lighter color. He argues that it is all because of white supremacists. However, this confuses me a bit because no one identifies as purple or pink. I do not understand how this is racially motivated. Purple is also the color of royalty and wealth, so I do not believe that this is racially motivated. I believe the purple is more to symbolize Jesus’ seat and closeness to God.

                We read a very interesting article this week about translating the original Hebrew into English. Baily argues that the Isiah passage that says that sins will be turned will as snow is not a blessing, rather a curse.  This comes from the context of Isiah, as well as properly translating the Hebrew word IM to if rather than though. When we do this, we see that Isiah is more of a curse than a blessing. Baily also argues that it was not intended to be racially motivated but was made racial by white supremacists. I believe that it is important to educate people about this concern. It is very interesting to think about, I never knew that this was an issue, or the context from Isiah.

post for 2/13/15

                This week we finished Reading the Bible from the Margins written by De La Torre.  In the last chapters he discusses the idea that Jesus was not a white man. De La Torre argues that Jesus should be represented more accurately, that is not a white man, but an Arabic man. De La Torre also argues that Jesus should be represented as many different races. He also argues that it is important to represent Jesus as many different races. Jesus came to save everyone not just the white man.

                De La Torre also argues that the “traditional” version of Jesus has been used to subject many people. This is an important reason why Jesus should be represented by many different races. For instance, white Jesus was used to subject Amerindians. The Amerindians culture was stolen from them and they were forced to pray to and worship white Jesus and thus worship the white man.  White Jesus was also used to force and reinforce slavery. Again, Africans had their culture stolen from them; they too were forced to worship white Jesus and thus the white man. This allowed the white man to maintain a system of power and maintain a hold power over other peoples.  It is important to represent Jesus as being a part of many different oppressed peoples. Jesus came to liberate all types of people and it is important to represent him as liberating different types of people.

                We also examined several different versions of Jesus. I think it is cool that there are so many different representations of Jesus. I believe that it is important to recognize other people’s perspectives. It is important to represent Jesus as all types of people, so that all types of people know that they are part of the kingdom of Christ.  We also listened to a news clip.  The conversation was about Santa and a suggestion that Santa should be replaced by a penguin.  The anchor than said that Jesus was white and so was Santa. However neither Jesus nor Santa were white men. St. Nicholas was originally a Turkish man and Jesus was probably darker.  The anchor said that you cannot just change things just because they make you uncomfortable. However, white people just changed Jesus and Santa to match themselves, and because the darker versions made them uncomfortable.

                It is important to represent Jesus as standing with the oppressed. Jesus stands with the oppressed, and comes as a liberating force. Jesus liberates all people and it important that all people can identify Jesus as standing with them. 

post for 2/6/2015

                This week we discussed liberation theory in more depth. Liberation theory is the idea that Jesus came to liberate the oppressed. Jesus himself was oppressed, and in fact the whole bible tells a story of liberating the oppressed.  This started from Moses and the Israelites were slaves and who were liberated by God.

                Therefore the Bible is a call to stand with the oppressed.  It is a call to oppose any oppression.  Christians must stand in solidarity with the oppressed.  In our culture there is still much oppression, and it is almost never focused on Christians.  Some Christians believe that they are oppressed, and there are places in the world where Christians are oppressed or even just the religious are oppressed, but the US is not one of them.  Christians can see themselves in almost every aspect of our culture. They can see themselves in the leadership of our government, in the leadership of our media; and Christians can find themselves in pop culture. Christians are in fact free to express their faith.

                Christians, especially white Christians however must stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed.  Who is oppressed than?  In the book Reading the Bible from the Margins De La Torre argues that the oppressed are those who are not at the center of society.  In the US this includes blacks, non-Christians, women, the disabled, the homosexual and the poor. Because, Jesus fought to alleviate oppression, so too must Christians.

                There are many ways that Christians can fight to alleviate oppression.  Christians should stand with Black folk in Ferguson, and fight oppression in other places against blacks.  Christians should fight to end the wage gap, or other forms of discrimination against women.  Christians should fight for legislation allowing for homosexual marriage.  Christians should not allow the disabled to be discriminated against.  Christians should do everything they can to alleviate systems that cause poverty.

                Liberation theory is all quite mind blowing.  I had never really thought of how oppressed Jesus was. I never really examined how I am part of the center, I am white and I am Christian. I do believe that Christians should alleviate oppression.  I had just never thought of how burdened Jesus Christ must have been.  De LA Torre also discusses how, in different languages, we get different perspectives. Specifically, he discusses the Spanish Bible. In Spanish, they have many different words for you and for love. The words that they use are affected by who they are talking to. The Spanish often use the informal words when referring to God. This gives a very different perspective to Spanish readers then English readers have.  I never knew that before, and find it to be very fascinating.

                I believe that Christians should alleviate forms of oppression. The more I read liberation theory, the more I agree with it. 

Post for 1/30/14

                This week in class we read three possible perspectives. The three perspectives are libertarianism, political liberalism and liberation theory (eek all the libs…so confusing…).

                The first perspective is libertarianism. Libertarians do not accept force, as a viable means of getting what a person wants. They believe all people and entities should be held to this standard (so far so good). However, they then go on to claim that taxes are coercion and thus forceful, this would then mean that no people should have to pay taxes. To me, this is a very selfish view. According to the libertarian stance a person should be able to do as they please. However, what does this actually mean? Can we allow all types of behaviors, who is responsible for deciding what is moral and what is not?   Libertarians apparently want no government interference, except when they need something. I believe that they are not concerned about the greater good rather the individual. They say that it will benefit the whole but I fail to see how.  It seems to me that the libertarian view is that of protecting the elites. For instance, in class we discussed public education.  The elites may be able to pay for education of their children, but my parents were not. Thus I depended on the public education system to be educated. If we did away with it (or even structured so you could choose to pay for it, because let’s be honest, if you aren’t using it you probably won’t pay for it, which is likely to defund the system) then I would not have freedom. In fact I would have a lack of freedom because I have a basic right to a good education. The right to a good education should not be predicated on how much money my parents make, in fact, no primary right should only be given to the elites.

                The next view is political liberalism. Political liberals ask them self the question, If I didn’t know who I was going to be (what skills I have, what race I am, what religion I am, ) what would I want? What would be equitable and fair and just? The author of this article outlines that reasonable would want primary rights, which consist of equitable rights and also basic needs such as food, water and shelter. He then argues that it would be okay if people got ahead, or make more money because people would have special skills, or a particularly good work ethic. Everyone also must have equal opportunity to get ahead. Also, the money a person earns must be subjected to taxation that would redistribute wealth and help to poverty. This is necessary because it is what is right for the greater good. There are some problems. One issue is that we are supposed to be able to accept everyone truths. This sounds good except that everyone has their own truth, and it can be very difficult to accept that other’s truths are just as truthful to them. It can be very hard to accept other people’s truth. I suppose in a just world this would not matter, but we are not dealing with a just world we are dealing with our own world. Because of this flaw it seems that political liberalism may be unpractical, at least for now.

                The final theory is liberation theory. Liberations at the most basic premise believe that God will always stand with the oppressor, and so must Christians. I don’t understand how liberations view sin. It is communal.  What happens if a person commits a terrible crime?

social standing reflection

Our class is very diverse. We have many people who were raised in a Christian church, and those of us who did grow up in a Church have different religious experiences, but many people who were not or are now questioning their religious upbringing. This, I am sure will make for deep, personal discussions I am hoping to grow from other people’s perspectives. Religion and religiosity are both sliding scales. This means that people are not either religious, or they are not and practicing or they are not. In this class there are many different people in many different places on these scales. Hopefully this too will provide for interesting conversation. We (off course) have very different life stories, which will also make for interesting discussions. I hope that we, as a class can be open minded and listen to each other and learn from each other.

Many people identify as being white and being middle class.  Hopefully, there will be many different perspectives for us to read regarding race and class. As a class, it will be important to gain insight into these perspectives.

I noticed that many of us have been influenced by teachers, and some of us have been influenced by our peers. It is important that we are influenced by other people and can be open minded. It is important to learn from people around us. It is interesting that many of us of had teachers and peers influence us. It is also important to realize that we have been influenced by other people, and that their views may affect our views.

Our political views are also widely different. Many people identified as being a Republican, a few identified as a Democrat and many did not identify at all. This level of diversity will also provide for interesting conversation. Many people stated that their political views do not influence their reading of the bible. However, how you read the Bible does influence your political beliefs. If you interpret specific “laws” of the Bible as being absolutely true, then you will vote for people who agree with your “truths” (the quotations in this case just indicate that not all truths are the same, not that they are not truths for you).

We are a very different group of people. We have very different perspectives and very different readings of the bible. We also have very different levels of religiosity and varying types of religion.  We have different political stances. This class will hopefully be full of very good conversations, where many of us can learn and grow together.

blog post for 1/23/15

This week we watched a movie about white privilege. One person described white privilege as white folks not having to pay attention to race. I think that is very true. I believe that this is true of all types of privilege.  Any type of privilege allows you to ignore oppression.  You do not have to be aware for instance, that you are white or male or even Christian.

During the movie, one person described how her students wanted to read black poets and she only knew of Langston Hughes. This reminded me of how the US education system largely ignores people who are not white. In the US stories of black people and native people are often not told, and when they are they are frequently told to make white people look better. For instance the stories of massive genocide committed against natives are often left out.   This is a problem that can easily be solved by simply discussing different perspectives a little more early in a person’s life.

The movie discussed whether or not racism would seize to exist soon.  Personally, I see it as a real possibility. This is true because white people will stop being a majority. White people will be the biggest minority but, in the US there will be no majority. I understand that this will happen in my generation’s life time. This means that more and more different types of people will be integrated into the system, which will allow people to more easily understand that difference is beauty. As different types of people become integrated racism will stop existing. It will be easy to see that other types of people work hard, and are good leaders. We live in a highly globalized world and the more we globalize the less racism there will be.

Even though the movie was made several years ago, many of the issues still rang true.  There are still many problems with race relations in the US today. Just look at what is going on in Ferguson or in New York or in Cleveland.  Many people still feel and see racism all around them.  It is important to give everyone an equal opportunity, but not everyone in this country has one. People of color are often marginalized, and sometimes must overcome many hurdles in order to be an equal playing field as the people who are white.

It is true; we have come a long way. However we still have a long way to go. 

Post for 1/23/ Selma Post/ MLK day post/Extra credit post

                This week we celebrated the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King was a great   American hero. He inspired many to fight for what is right, and his words still inspire many. As part of the Martin Luther celebrations I saw the movie Selma. Selma is about the marches in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery Alabama. These marches were to inspire the passage of the Voting rights act. In the movie, King leads with Lyndon b. Johnson to pass a federal regulation that would outlaw discrimination and would allow many people to vote that had previously been disenfranchised. Some of these practices included poll taxes, literacy tests, and civics test, many people would struggle to understand and pass these tests even today. The movie shows several separate attempted marches. During the first march there several hundred black men and women. However King was not present. King was present for the second march however. After this march he called for people of God to come and support them. Many new black people showed up as well as many white people. The protesters had to go to court in order to be able to march; the court eventually granted them this right. Many people of many different walks life ended up walking from Selma to Montgomery.  The movie was really good. However bring a Kleenex box it was a tear jerk-er.

                The movie also got me thinking how little I know about African Americans, and the contributions they have made to the advancement of America and the American story. It seems to me that the African American story is often forgotten or not told. People of color have off course made contributions, but they are glossed over or ignored. This to me is unacceptable.  We must teach our children that all lives matter, but also that not every great thing that has come out of America has been contributed by a white man. It is also important to teach children that the US government, white society and white people have not always been good and are not always fair. I believe that US history and government classes to do not focus enough on non-white’s stories.

                I also attended the Martin Luther King Day celebrations here on campus. I participated in the symbolic march, the Rosa Parks re-enactment and the lecture.  I found all of these things to be illuminating.  The march reminds me of how far we have come, but that we still have a long way to go. It is surprising how far people walked for their rights as well as for other people’s rights.  I am not sure I would have been able to walk that far. The Rosa Parks re-enactment was also very interesting. I did not realize that black people had to get off the bus to get back on the bus. I also did not realize Rosa Parks, was in the first “black” row. I always thought that she was in the very first row. It was very moving and very real. It must have been very scary to do what Rosa Parks did. I also attended the lecture. I found this also to be illuminating. Dr. Hymen was a very inspiring speaker. She discussed how young people need be ready to serve, and how kindness is always a good thing. She also discussed how every minute is preparing you for the next moment. The events that UE held for Martin Luther King Day were very moving.

                Martin Luther King inspired many to do the right thing. His words are still inspiring to many.  

                

Social standing blog

I grew up in the United Methodist church. My immediate family tends to view the Bible as both a metaphor and a true story. My church community also sees the Bible as a combination of true and metaphorical.  I have increasingly come to see the Bible as a metaphor.  The Bible, off course is often read during church services. As such I have become fairly familiar with it.  There have been many important people in my life who have helped me to see the Bible as a call to service. These people include my youth leaders, my parents and grandparents, my friends and my pastors.

One particular theme that stands out to me is love. The Bible seems to always say to love others above all else.

I am a Methodist. Each church has at least one pastor.  The United Methodist church has several districts. Each district is headed by a super intendant. The districts are divided into conferences, which are headed by an elected bishop. The United Methodist church, as a whole has what is known as general conference. General conference meets every four years, and they publish the Book of Discipline. This book helps to define the church’s rules and standards. In the book of discipline there is a section called The Social Principles. This helps to define the church’s stance on particular issues such as marriage, suicide, adoption and many more issues. All of these things and people are authoritative in the church I belong to. The Methodist movement was founded by John Wesley and his younger brother Charles. So, the writings and teachings of these two are also considered authoritative.

I am a Caucasian. I am German and English. Luther and Lutheranism have had a significant impact on German culture, while the Church of England is the most significant church in England.  The Methodist church is actually a break away from the Church of England. I identify as a cis-gendered woman (meaning I identify as a women, and have the lady parts).  Women tend to view the Bible in many different ways, some see that women should be submissive and good wives all others focus on the comments of love and acceptance. I personally notice the love and acceptance portions, and I cannot help but notice how many strong women in the Bible there really are. Also, I desire to become a lawyer and do not believe that women were meant to be submissive to their husbands. My family is also wealthy. For me, this is a call to service, because Jesus said several times that the weak are the most blessed, and he also taught that helping the poor is helping him.

I am also a very liberal Democrat. I am a feminist. I believe in the equality of marriage and a person’s right to make health decisions for themselves. This means that I view the Bible as a call to service. I also see the Bible as a form of protection for all types of people. I believe that the most important message in the Bible is to love others, no matter what life choices they have made. I regularly watch the Evening news with Scot Pelly. The tragedies that I hear about are truly scary and rather disheartening. This influences my reading of the Bible because I believe that we should do more to prevent tragedy and I believe the Bible would support this.

The most important factors in how I read the Bible is that I am a United Methodist and I believe in service to others. I am not at all surprised by any of this.

introduction blog/ blog for 1/16

                My name is Claire Webb. I am a junior Political Science major with minors in International Studies and Gender and Women’s Studies. While I am not a pre-law major, I plan to attend law school after graduating from UE. I would like return home to Michigan for law school. Here at UE I am the vice president of Phi Alpha Delta, which is a law fraternity, if anyone reading this is interested in law school you should come visit me and we can talk more about Phi Alpha Delta. I play the violin and am in the University Symphony Orchestra (so everyone should come to Orchestra concerts).

 I hale from Okemos, MI. Okemos is a suburb of Lansing, which of course is the capitol of Michigan, and it is also about a 15 minute drive from Michigan State University.  I graduated high school in 2012 from the creatively named Okemos High School. I have one little sister who is currently a senior at OHS. She will be attending Trine University next year (how both of us ended up in Indiana will forever elude me).

I grow up in the United Methodist tradition (so yay scholarships). Because of the other people in the church including youth leaders peers and off course my parents, I became interested in service to others. My interest and service to others helped me to develop an interest in social justice.  My interest in social justice is one reason why I chose to take this class. Another reason I took this class is because I am a Gender and Women’s studies minor. This class will fulfill a requirement for that minor. I am also taking this class because I believe it will be interesting. It will also be important in today’s changing times to focus on social justice. Also, I would like to be a lawyer. For a long time I wanted to do advocacy and advocate for social justice issues. I want to do service and this class will help prepare me for service, it is also a good resume builder. I have never taken a religion class before (unless you count Sunday school). I am looking forward to a new experience and very much looking forward to this class.

I am very excited about this class. And I am looking forward to getting to know everyone else. I hope that I will learn and grow a lot. I believe that this will be a very interesting class.