Dance Magic, Dance! The Final Step to Religion.

A short clip from Footloose to set the mood.
Please only watch from 3:00 to 7:38.


Geertz defines religion as: A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.

Religions are filled with symbols used to portray their belief and to represent them in a certain light. When, where, and how people dance is determined by attitudes toward the body, whether it be spiritual, physical, or mental. Attitudes toward the body are shaped by religious belief. Therefore, Dance is shaped by religion. Through this, dance becomes a powerful symbol incorporated into almost every religion. While dance may be part of most religions, it most certainly does not represent the same for each one. Some just sing to praise, while others sing and dance to solidify their beliefs.

From the very beginning of the indigenous people of WI, we find certain burial grounds which imply the integration of religious beliefs in the culture. From the cave art to the Indian Burial Grounds, symbols appear giving us perspective into the ritualistic manner in which they live their lives. One of the more prominent rituals of which many ancient tribes lived by was the rain dance. Dressed in elaborate headdresses to appeal to gods, this dance was most commonly danced in the spring and used to ask the gods to send the appropriate amount of rain, so that summer harvests would be plentiful. This an example of one of the more practical dances used in religion. A dance which appeals to the gods for a certain purpose.

The other half of this is the Indian war dance. Dressed as they would going to war, the Indians try to appeal to the gods for good fortune and a winning war. Many times, the war dance had three parts. Before, during, and after the war. Typically, they started with a drum beat, then act out the battle while dancing. Sometimes these dances used weapons, but sometimes did not. Many times the dancing concluded with a crazy solo ending in a warrior stabbing a sword or spear into the ground in front of the chief to signify a successful battle. During the war, women and children in the tribe would continue to dance in order to ensure the protection and safety of the men at war. Last, if the tribe won, there would be a celebratory dance where they would recount what had happened and commemorate the triumphant event. Also be reenacting the battle at the end, it cemented tactics in the minds of the warriors which worked during the battle.

Dancing was not always for a practical purpose which benefited the dancer or the people. Dances were often used to send souls to the afterlife. The dance helped the souls find peace and helps them transition to the next world, whatever it may be. The video you are about to watch does not represent a real religion, but i think it conveys the idea quite well.


This video is from Final Fantasy X. It is one of my favorite PS2 games and i think has an excellent plot. Yuna, the girl dancing is called a summoner and she can be thought of as a priest. This dance is used to send the dead on to the farplane so that they can rest in peace and not turn into evil beasts called fiends. After watching this, you can pick out some very key elements of religious traditions. First, the constanting chanting. That is called the song of the faith, where the faith are pretty much gods. Second, you see the bodies all in caskets underwater, adorned with lavish decorations. Third, Yuna dances. This world contains magic which gives her the power through this dance to help guide the souls to their final resting place. While this video does not contain a real religion, I believe it epitomizes dancing and music in religion.

In Australia, the aborigines sing and dance to evoke the clan totems (another symbol) of a dying man and then repeat the dance two months after death, recreating the animals to purify the bones and release the soul.

The Sagari dances are part of a cycle performed on the anniversary of a death on the islands of Melanesia, New Guinea. Dancing by a female shaman is an important element of Korean ceremonies to cleanse a deceased soul and to allow it to achieve nirvana, closing the cycle of birth and rebirth.

At Kachin, Upper Burma, funeral rites include dances to send back death spirits to the land of the dead.

As a tradition from dancing for the dead, now let us look at dancing for one's self. Have you ever just burst out dancing to some good music not caring who was around? Have you ever started to dance in an elevator for your own personal pleasure? Going back to what i said earlier: when, where, and how people dance is determined by attitudes toward the body, whether it be spiritual, physical, or mental. Attitudes toward the body are shaped by belief. Dancing can have the same effect as meditating. By focusing only on the dance, you release yourself from the rest of the world. Whether or not someone is religious, the effect that straight dancing has is profound. I know this through swing dancing. Someone recently comment on my blog when i talked about self reflection and how that related to the bell shape of the Baha'i temple in Chicago. They said "One hour’s reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious worship" which he quoted from the Baha'i reference library. Thus for anyone dancing, if they can lose themselves in it, it is an enlightening process. Dancing is the process of discovering one's self and one's body. To be able to fuse movement and emotion is a very powerful thing when trying to express yourself.


Dancing is also a way of self expression. As said in Footloose, dancing is a way of celebration. We have all seen the football touchdown where the player immediately starts their personal touchdown dance, and then proceeds to thank god. We see it during sacrifices after a plentiful harvest. We see it at a Jewish wedding. In ancient times dancing had been an integral part of worship and celebration. Exodus 15:20 records how Miriam and others danced for joy to celebrate their deliverance by the mighty Hand of God. The Hebrew Scriptures emphasizes that dancing was used to express one’s thankfulness to the Lord. When reading the Hebrew Scriptures, while certain words might translate to "dance", they could usually translate as "rejoice", "joyful" and even "tremble" to convey meanings of spinning around with a vigorous and enthusiastic expression of joy. An example is this video is of a girl dancing for her Church to the song "Blessed be Your Name."



While this might seen out of place because it might seem that there is no reason to dance as stated in some of the comments on this video, in fact, it is completely relevant because of the dance through celebration. A young girl got up, choreographed a song and proceeded to share it with her church. This goes back to what i had to say about self expression and combing movements with emotions. Obviously, this song spoke to the girl, and thus she felt connected to it. Then to express her what she felt, she danced. For no reason except to express herself, she danced. She thanked god stating blessed be your name for her own personal gratitude towards god.


Dancing as you can see plays a direct role in religion, whether talking to gods, or cementing beliefs. One thing that i have not talked about is the connection between dancing and community. While thinking about dancing and community, please watch this short clip from Sister act:


Now, I'm betting that whether you are religious or not, you started watching this piece just as a choir singing, even if you knew what was coming. And yet, by 1:40, you were moving with the beat just as much as the audience in the movie. Dancing, singing, and music all come together, and in many cases, no matter the context, dancing will bring people together. It's not imposing religious ideas on anyone, just building a sense of community so that people want to be there. Community keeps religion going. Except for a few special cases, it is that community where people can share their ideas to try and find a common purpose. It is community which allows people to feel close to one another. Some might say that we live together and die alone, but within religion, within this community, we live together, but we shall never die alone. People we be there when we leave this world, and people will be there when we enter the next. Dancing provides the gateway, linking everyone together that cares to participate.


I have completed summing up dancing with religion, but if you still need more convincing on the significance of dancing, here is indisputable evidence on the power of dance:


I hope you enjoyed my blog.

The Baha'i temples are a thing of Beauty. From complex architecture, to immense gardens, the temples embody the religion. From the website on Baha'i temples, I read some articles about the temple formation. It took five decades to build this temple in IL, and was built with the significance of a religion built right into the foundation.

One of the things i stumbled across was the number nine. The temple has nine doors from all directions, representing the temple being open on all sides to all people, and all humanity. Also, the temple has nine sides due to the calendar. There are nine holy days on the Baha'i calendar. This also appears in the garden which revolves around the nine pointed star which is the temple. The garden is perfectly symmetrical which reflects the unity in the Baha'i faith. No matter how far from the temple you are, you still are part of it because the world revolves around its religious significance and the Baha'i faith.

After a little browsing, i found something kind of cool which was that the dome of the temple is built in the shape of a bell which represents unity through prayer and meditation. This is also present on the columns outside the temple through the symbols carved into them.

What i find most intriguing about the bell shaped dome is that it represents unity through prayer and meditation. Why i find this so interesting is that meditation is mostly seen as self reflection. This happens whether or not you are part of a religion, so having a religious temple which reflects self reflection, i think, is quite significant because it relates to everyone and encourages them to come to the temple. That combined with the nine open sides to all of humanity, shows the Baha'i connection with the people not of the Baha'i faith and how tolerant they are of that.

Magic and God sitting in a tree...

I was reading Eragon today and something that i noticed was that most of the time, magic and the supernatural are connected with religion. In Eragon, or actually the second book Eldest, Eragon meets the elves who say that they don't believe in god. They believe that laws govern the world and that there is no higher power. That difference between that idealology and the norm is that since magic cannot be explained, it must be attributted to something higher. With the indian burial grounds, and the cave drawings, the supernatural was still attributed to the gods. That what they had to do was connected with the gods. Jesus performed miracles because god gave him permission and the power to do it.

In many shows like supernatural and charmed, the magic only exists because there exists the higher power. all the demons in supernatural come out of hell. the charmed ones get their powers from the highest power and use it to battle the evilest power.

I really don't have an answer for this, but why can't magic exist without reason? does a magical world signify a high greatness? Just a little food for thought

Route to Religion

First off, I am going to strike down the the thought that change in religion is sudden. Blasphemy!!!

So, something that is always present for a change is a charismatic leader. This was mentioned in class and has been seen throughout history. What's interesting about an emerging religion is that conflict is always present. Something that i have noticed is that something becomes stronger when people are forced to choose between it and something else. Baha'u'llah's followers had to choose between him and Azal when the time came. If forced to choose something that big, the gut feelings come out and people become strongly tied to the path they pick.

Since i brought it up initially, i have to refer to happy feet. when Memphis told Mumble that he had to choose whether to renounce his ways or be banished, Mumble left and he even more strongly decided to follow his own ideas. also, Los Amigos came with him their faith in him grew.

Mumble's journey greatly parallels Baha'u'llah's exiles and journeys. People were forced to make a choice to stay with the norm or follow something new. They were exiled and then they had to journey to a place where they could believe what they wanted. I just keep thinking of Mumble's journey across the storm lands in the arctic when we read about the cold winters and how the travelers often found their feet frozen.

The Baha'is formed through the combination of all of the above. It was a lengthy process of conflicts and issues but Baha'u'llah was true to his morals and ideas. He fought his way to pursue an idea. Due to his leadership, instead of just inciting a religion, he made himself and icon which represents the religion. Thus, through him, a the new religion was born.

Out of Body Expreriences.

Many religions believe in an after life. Christians believe in heaven and hell, Klingons believe in the barge of the dead. This is a very significant part of religion because it gives a little more purpose in life. It gives us something to live for and something for us to strive to achieve.

Having an afterlife also implies something else. It means that there is part of us which exists regardless of the state of our body. We don't realize that that part can be separated until it actually happens which means we wouldn't realize it usually until we die, but rarely, we come extremely close to death which leads to the partial separation.

Out of body experiences happen in different cases. Yogis who have meditated intensly have claimed to find themselves in a different far away place while still being located in their original spot. Mainly, a good portion or out of body experiences happen during near death experiences. A quick article about a near death experience explains what one man saw and also that research is going to be done in a couple different hospitals to actually monitor patients who are very near death.

One video that i found addresses these experiences saying they are all in the mind by bombarding the temporal lobes with electromagnetic pulses. They have gotten definite responses to this treatment, but it cannot account for every instance. I believe this technique only shows one way to trigger an out of body experience and that they can happen. while the video claims that they only happen in the head, they must realize that what happens in our head can also be real. The collective unconsciousness is an example of that. While everything happens in our head, it is still quite real.



So now, how does this connect with religion? While this video tries to explain that all OBE are in our heads, i only believe they show it can happen, and that there is a certain part of us that can be detached which at the moment cannot be observed. This leads to the question of what that part of the mind might be, and if it detaches itself normally from the body at death. Whether this might mean an afterlife where our essences collect, or that we go drifting off into space, it shows that there are parts of us that we don't understand which could point in the direction of and afterlife.

After watching this video, I found that life of the Rastafari was much more structures than i previously thought. When I was first introduced to the Rastafari, it seemed liked they were more a group of hippies rather than a religious group. We can see this structure by the symbols that are represented in this video which bring the Rastafari together.

one of the main symbols that we see is the color scheme printed on everything. The colors green, red, gold, and black are painted on the houses, worn on hats, and are used to paint signs. Red, being one of the most favorable colors is used most commonly in the hats that they wear.

When i first learned about Rastafari traditions like smoking Ganja, i believed that there traditions were loose, but instead, i found them more to be like Muslims, with daily practices at certain times of the day.

Another thing that i found interesting was the location of the Bobo shanties. They appear so far up in the mountains to be closer physically to god. It also seems that through their prayer of 6 hour intervals, they also achieve a mental state closer to god.

The prayer at 6 hour intervals i found quite interesting. Because of that, they claim that they are up when everyone else is still asleep. This symbolizes their connection with god because it shows their devotion.

After putting all these symbols, and traditions together, it really shows me the structure of the Rastafari. From where they live, to their daily lives, while they can party as Bob Marley shows us, living in the Bobo Shantis, they have their fair share of rules to follow.

End of the World!!!

So, one thing that I know is out there, but i was wondering more about, is how so many ancient religions predicted the end of the world. The Mayan's, for instance, believe that "the next katun, which the Popul Vuh describes as the catastrophic end of the world, will end on December 21, 2012." This is something that i have always found interesting. This website gives a list of upcoming dates which could be the end of the world. People have predicted the end of the world since the beginning of the world.

The Mayans have their ending calendar. Christians have there second coming. Supernatural has the apocalypse. Everyone has something but why? Do religions need to have an ending? As we have seen, believing that the end of the world strongly affects many people. People sell all their belongings and release their hold on the earth only to find that it hasn't released its hold on them.

I believe that religions predict the end of the earth solely because people can't have infinite time to repent. Religion established a beginning to give people to beleive in, and it created an ending to give people something to fear. God's wrath is mightier then anything else as I have seen from reading the Psalms.

Now on to my main question. If the apocalypse is created to fear, wouldn't it only affect the generation in the timeline before it, but no one else? If the apocalypse is out of my lifetime, it means very little to me, and since everyone is predicting it, it's date is always known. Why then have it? If it only affects one generation, and if the prediction fails it alienates the future people of the religion, why would anyone want to say that the earth is going to end?

I don't have an answer at the moment for my question, but i do know something. The world will actually end in 2039. Computers score numbers using 32bits. This means there is a maximum number that they will store. Also, clocks are stored using a single integer by counting the number of seconds since January 1st, 1970. We are going to reach the maximum number in 2039 and all the integers will wrap around and become negative. This means that computers will crash. Calendars will think we are in the past. Computer events will get triggered that will result in a complete shutdown of most computers and databases which will lead to complete anarchy and the eventual extinction of the human race. Just thought you should know

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

The Kebra Negast contains this story about the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. After reading this story, I realize there is a much greater religious significance on Ethiopia than I thought thee was.

First off, Solomon is a tricky person. I was impressed with his art of getting women into bed with him when he only speaks with wisdom and does not use lying or deceit (in a manner of speaking), but back to the significance of Ethiopia as a nation. I know very little about the history of Ethiopia, but I now see connections through this story that place special significance on the nation.

Large significance is places on Ethiopia through the queen because she learns about God directly from Solomon. This already shows the connection between the two nations, through the sharing of power. One of the greatest leaders tells the Queen of Sheba about the highest power, which she takes back to her people. This connection creates a strong bond between the two nations and leaders, giving Ethiopia its first significant tie.

Second, the Queen of Sheba has a child with Solomon. That's the ultimate sharing of power. Also, the son of Solomon is going to have much more religious significance in Sheba then just the Queen learning of God through Solomon because Solomon's blood line now continues to rule Sheba and any relations with Solomon will always be significant. Thus, Ethiopia can be looked at like a parallel of Jerusalem. Both now follow the same God, and both are ruled by king Solomon's blood line.

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So, after just having finished reading Conceptual Blending by Billes Fauconnier, i find myself looking back at all the computer science that i have done. One of the currents projects we have been looking at is the AVL tree which is a self balancing Binary Search Tree. Just as the article describes, this concept is a blending space. AVL Trees are only used for efficient data storage and retrieval, but we give them the tree appearance to help visualize them. The code above represents a node used in the AVL Tree. Its just code, but through conceptual blending, we can cross this straight code with the idea of a tree, and a visualization of the structure appears. Order at last!

Now how can we look at religion in this same blending sense? The first thing that comes to mind is, because blending is taking two things and finding the middle ground to better understand a certain concept, that religion is made up of the scriptures certain beliefs mixed with our own life experience. Religion plays off of our own life experiences so that we can better understand the ideas it conveys. Take for example, the Bible. It was written many, many years ago. In order to understand its meaning, we blend it with our own lives today to make sense of the teachings.

Also, the second thing is the conceptual blending of god's word and a crazy situation. Elise mentions Noah's ark and i really liked her example. It may seem crazy for an individual to take a pair of each animal on earth and put it on an ark, but since it is god saying to do so, and he always has the best in mind, everything will turn out fine. Its the combination of the action and god's word which will lead to a better life.

Second free post. Little thing i wanted to comment on

Allison Scattergood mentioned in her blog about how the physical structure of pictures can be changed by sound frequencies, but also that things might be changed by unseen forces. Here is a great video that i mentioned in the comment i made on her blog which i thinks pretty directly relates.

Illuminati control the world

So recently, I played this card game Illuminati, and was an awesome card game which i recommend to most everyone. It was browsing YouTube and i came across this video which i found pretty cool:

After talking about symbols i class, i was wondering how much they infiltrate everyday life. I know that religion appears everywhere in life. Media, fashion, architecture all have traces of religion hidden in them. This video was really interesting to me because it tied many things together through symbolism that i did not expect. Religions borrow gods, beliefs, and so much more from other religions, but what's going on with symbols? They get borrowed too. My question now is: Symbolism exists everywhere, but at what point do we, as people trying to find order, connect unrelated objects together because of order our mind has created which does not actually exist?

At the moment, i am sitting on a couch in front of a TV thinking of symbolism. Well, what is also in front of me is a white concrete wall. That wall, first is white, which means this wall is good because white symbolizes purity. Second, because it is concrete, it symbolizes strength. Third, because it is a wall, and is separating me from something, i can think of it as a protector. So, i have established through symbolism, that this wall, is a strong, pure protector. Hmmm. Should i start to worship it? I don't think so. Through the interpretation of symbols, i lost sight of the fact this what i'm looking at is just a wall.

Humans naturally read into everything. Its a natural part of the mind to find order in chaos. We connect dots in the sky to create constellations. Stars technically are not random, but for the most part, we can assume they are, and yet, for hundreds of years, through astrology, people determined their futures and actions by them. We found order in the depths of the sky and tied it to life here on earth.

I believe that through symbolism, people have looked to deep for meaning. While a lot of symbolism is correct, people's search for truth has many times lead to the incorporation of completely meaningless data in the culture. As we look into the symbolism, just remember that randomness and coincidence are a normal part of reality.

Rediscovering the Psalms. Burn symbolism, burn!

Interpreting the Psalms initially seemed an easy task. Knowing the history, and where the symbolism came from, we could understand Psalms as a piece of work trying to convey morals, and create a pure lifestyle. After reading On Christian Teaching, I find that my views on interpreting the Psalms has changed somewhat.

The first thing that was brought to my attention was symbolism and which is natural, and what is not. The best example of natural symbolism is smoke, because where there is smoke, there is fire. The opposite side of the scale is an actor’s hands, and symbolism of the moments in relationship to the meaning and emotion the actor is trying to convey. The second part of interpretation that comes up is interpreting through translation. Ideas are universal, but in some languages, and specific idea may be better communicated (Like in Funes' language, it would be described perfectly). What this means is that, while something may have significance in one language, it will lose its meaning in another. I know that the Psalms are translated so i have to wonder how i would have looked at them if i could have read them before translation.

What I just realized though, is that is doesn't matter at all that the Psalms were translated. While i said my views on interpreting the Psalms has changed, my views on the Psalm have not. As i said before, a language conveys an idea, but some languages canc convey it better than others. Because the Psalms are ideas and views on how to live life, it does not matter, as long as they convey the same message. The Psalms couls be written as lymrics, but it wouldn't matter, because the idea would be the same. The only thing i have to ask now is, did the person who translated the Psalms understand their full meaning in the previous langauge? If so, I have nothing to worry about. If they did not, whatever words they use, i will never fulling understand the initial meaning.

Here is a video that i have always liked. Its the creation and battle to control a being on the computer. Why i am posting this is because it has slight significance religion in the media. Movies, shows, even simple animations have religion embedded in them. As we shall see from watching Happy feet, the idea of creation and a high power come into play in so many different places. This next clip is from Supernatural, one of my favorite shows, where Dean meets Castiel, the angel.



This show is completely unrealistic. While they have their own form of religion built into the show, we know immediately that it is a not a real religion. Now, why would we not think as this as its own religion? Is it because of the mass media? Is it because we know the people who believe in it are actors on the show? Something that my generation has been coping with is the escalation in violence because of TV and games. If we see religion on TV and in games as false, will we start seeing religion in reality as false? Violence on TV is thought of as false and pretend, and because of that, people sometimes believe the same thing in reality, which produces people desensitized to violence's affect.

Does religion on TV have the same affect as violence on TV? I believe that it does. I believe that the constant exposure to false religions will lead to the eventual desensitization of religious influence on children. But doesn't that happen already? Aren't children of a certain faith taught mainly that their faith is the one true faith? And wouldn't that encourage the desensitization of other religions already? My thoughts are that yes, it does.

children are exposed to religion every day through media. This constant exposure i believe overwhelms the mind with falsehood which eventually leads to the same thought in reality.

I Smite You, and You. You're save... Just kidding. I Smite You too.

God in Psalm 18 seems unnaturally violent. In many references to God within the Psalms and other works, while God does cast down those who are unjust, God is seen in a good light; a light with no evil. In this Psalm, his entire image revolves around violence, and darkness.

The first instance we see this is in line 3: my God, my rock where i shelter, my shield and the horn of my rescue, my fortress. Many times, God is shown as a protector but here, God is the destroyer also. The horn of my rescue shows that to protect him, God will destroy those around him. Many times, Heaven is seen with light. God is seen as being pure, while the underworld, devil, and darkness, many times, is represented by fire and smoke. Line 9: They heaved, for smoke rose from His nostrils and fire from His mouth consumed, coals blazed up around him. God in this image burns inside. Smoke comes from within.

Along with that, line 12: He set darkness His hiding-place round Him. Here, God's ever veil of light has disappeared. Instead of having light shine wherever he goes, instead, he is surrounded by darkness. Also, here he is hiding. He is hiding in darkness which is something very unlike him. All in all, the image of God he seems quite dark in comparison to the rest of the Psalms, surrounded by an unnatural

Why this post is very strange is that God is so scary and frightful. Could this be an aid for battle? I don't know, but it seems to me if God's power was so great, he would not need to scare. Any demonstration of power would be enough. Even if he never revealed himself, he could raise up those who fight for him so that they would be feared. Also, i don't think it is a problem that this God has been borrowed from other religious traditions. Being God is a complicated role, but God can do everything. Why can't he appear in all forms, whether or not the forms coincide with other religious traditions? Being borrowed from another tradition only increases the omnipotence of God.

This week, I wanted to explore religion created in TV shows and movies. Recently, or at least since i have been taking my intro to religious studies class, i have been thinking about the place of religion in everything and its meaning. From movies like "Happy Feet" to shows like "Supernatural," significance is given to everything. I just wanted to apply the definition of a religion to these created religions and see how it compares, and where it falls in relationship to our own past and present society.

First movie is "Happy Feet." In this movie, Mumble challenges the Great Gwen who controls the fish. While this on top looks a lot like many religions, the Great Gwen is only responsible for the harvest of fish each year. In the movie, they never go into it enough to establish how much of the culture the Great Gwen controls, but on the surface, the only thing Gwen governs is the fish through their behavior. You act correctly, you don't have to search far and wide for fish. Eh, sounds a lot like a recent Psalm we read, I have never seen a just man forsaken. His kin will never look for bread if they are just.

The next show is Charmed. Yes, i kind of like this show, but it involves a completely different type of religious aspects. In this show, instead of having a true overarching power which, if obeyed, everything will be good, there is a constant battle of good and evil going on. These three ladies fight evil to try and create a world without it. There are higher powers involved, but their direct actions create the world they live in. Also, supernatural powers are a blessing here, instead of meaning someone is a witch or evil. Also, within this show, instead of creating a whole new religion, this show builds off of existing religions. In the episode i am watching while writing this early in the morning, it has to do with the existence of the Chinese zodiac and its influence on the people. It is the circle of life, and the demons want to take control of that power, so naturally, the charmed ones have to stop them.

The third show i have to go into, as i am a big fan is SUPERNATURAL!!! This is the third type of religion integrated into the televised world. Sam and Dean have to follow the grand design. They fight demons, escaped souls, ghosts, crazy people, all to prevent the end of the world where demons take over. This is neither the creation of a new religion, but the expansion of a religion. The difference between this show and Charmed is that here, while they are fighting demons, everything they do is part of a grand design. Angels, prophets, and everything you else come to see them, to help guide them to a world without demons. They help to make the world better, but its still following plan laid out for them.

So, looking at these three shows, we have the creation of a new religion, and the expansion of religion where in one case, they define how and when the world changes, and in the other, have to follow a set plan where failure means the end of the earth. In so many places, religion appears. As seen in Happy Feet, in the creation of a new society, almost always, a new religion accompanies. Between religious connotations in shows, and new religions, its all about progression of the greater good. Whether fighting for it, or living in the correct manner we continuous live in a world where fact and fiction effect us, and is interspersed within society. Now, if reading this, i would love a post that includes more shows and movies that either create a religion, or significantly expand on an existing one, as i am will have a follow up post next week referencing this and the shows/movies you bring up. But also, how do you think religion on TV has influenced your perspective on religion in general? Has episodes of supernatural made you less susceptible to the influence of religion because that is a very probable chance that supernatural is entirely created for the entertainment of the viewers and not as a realistic view of our world? Just a little food for thought.

Psalm 2 first depicted the Israelite monarchy, but in a different context, what was its meaning in an early American context?escape religious prosecution. This obviously creates tension in the meaning the Psalm

This is the Psalm present in the earliest book printed in America around 1640. Many differences are present between these two versions. First, this Psalm came out with the first pilgrims, many of who were trying to has, as the first related to the monarchy. one of the first things i noticed was the replacement of some interesting words. First, in the first line, nations aroused has been changed to rage the Heathen furiously. This definitely brings a more hostile attitude, but almost immediately, in the second line conspire becomes consult and suddenly the mood lightens.

All, in all, the entire Psalm seems more hopeful. When i got to the 6th line, where the quotes appear, i find a major difference. In the book, it establishes that someone appointed their king. someone brought that king to power. In the 1640 version, the person speaking is the annoynted and they have their king. They are special, but their king is forever.

In line 8, in the original version, the narrator dictates that they will give nations for the king's estate. They will expand his rule, while in the American version states that they will give Heathens. The difference between conquering nations to only giving individuals is a huge deal. Also, as the pilgrims have just arrived in America, there is plenty of new land, and plenty of non believing people. The change in this context has definitely created a more hopeful, and less violent stance on converting.

All in all, i believe that this new American Psalm better represents a more hopeful version of its counterpart, and also a less violent version. This new version better reflected the views of the new settlers. It allows them individualism and freedom from the constricting religion of the past. This new Psalm embodies the more hopeful nature of the future, just like what the pilgrims were looking for, coming to the new world.

So, relating back to whether science is a religion, i would like to finish my thoughts on that as i promised.

I believe that in Geertz's words "A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic," science can be seen as religion. This definition embodies the reality of mathematics. First, mathematics incorporates symbols to represent the world. It has created a system in which can we describe the world. The symbols by themselves only have the meaning that we give them just like any religion. Second, math is the most persuasive tool we have. Unlike some other sciences where the best we can do is theories, while in math, we have proofs to where this is no variation and we know they are correct. these proofs "formulate conceptions of general order" by literally putting the universe in order as defined by the symbols we have created, and by using proofs, everything done with math, if done correctly, is factual.

One things that is greatly disputed is the idea of fate and destiny. some argue that fate and destiny are determined and can't be changed. Some look and try to figure out there destiny. "Immutable laws prescribed the motion of every particle in the universe, exactly and forever" --Ian Stewart. While an impossible task, if every particle in the universe was mapped, the future could be told. Wouldn't knowing exactly how every particle behaved in the universe be very similar to describing destiny and fate. Something immutable that we foresee. It would prove that everything was predetermined by the beginning of the universe. That initial moment which set everything in motion.

Religion is created to describe the unknown, bring order from chaos, connect to the world and universe, provide control life, and much more. While religion may be seen as separate from science and math, in fact, the definition of religion deeply includes math and science to their full potential.

Effigy Mounds

The Effigy mounds of the ancient paleo-indians have sprouted up everywhere throughout Wisconsin. These mounds have taken the forms of many spiritual forms such as birds, and animals tide to the ground. This collections of mounds make up a variety of symbols. Geertz defines religion as "The definition again: A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic." The combination of this definition and existence of the effigy mounds signifies the presence of a religion somewhere within this culture.

From the symbols created out of these effigy mounds, it is quite apparent that it reflects a system of beliefs that these people had. First of all, they must create a long lasting mood because they are based on burial, the everlasting sleep. Whether to guide the people in the mounds only to the other side, or help them walk the plane of the dead, these symbols were created to form general order for the dead. along those lines, these symbols created by the mounds were not ordinary symbols either. They represented the mythical such as water monsters, and animals not tied to the earth. While some of the effigy mounds did represent the more earth tied, general animals, these animals probably had some significance already.

One thing about the effigy mounds that does reveal itself without the symbols is the size of each. This places more emphasis on the burials then if each was a single person of tradition person size. This also isolates the symbols as being more significant. If a symbol is worthy enough to be made out of thousands of dead people, the significance of it will tie to the spiritual meaning of the burial and the physical representation of the burial. Thus, each symbol is exemplified by the sheer size and meaning of the these effigy mounds.

The last thing i can say about these symbols in relationship to the effigy mounds, is that i doubt that the effigy mounds define the symbols, but the symbols define the effigy mounds. These great representations of animals or significant beings isolate the effigy mounds as something significant. Thus the symbols take a role in the burial rituals. From that, it is the symbols that help define the culture, providing the structure and general order to the culture.

Religious Elements

What are the basic elements of religion? Stories, community, traditions, worship, meaning, belief? From cave drawings to modern day religions, are these elements universal to the past present and future of religion? first off, we can't know about the future. We progressed from cave drawings to modern day art. From caves to cathedrals. Shamans to popes. We see all the differences of all the religions. One religion believes in multiple gods, while another believes in only one. One religion believes in a circle of life through reincarnation, and another, an everlasting afterlife of either good or evil depending on how they lived their life. While some religions believe in gods, others do not. Worship may not even exist in a religion. So, trying to isolate these common elements between religions, what does it boil down to? Can we redefine religion by these common elements.

The first element is meaning. All religions give some kind of meaning to life, or humanity. It places something in perspective.

Second, belief. A religion will have a similar belief. What that concerns is not limited.

Third, there are going to be traditions. While this goes along with belief, it is the physical aspect of that.

After that, religion can add any other elements. While i know i am not incorporating everything into this post, i feel that this idea i'm about to present will strike you as odd. Between meaning, traditions, and belief, what can constitute a religion? Do people have their personal religion, or is it reserved for groups of people who believe the same thing? Does science constitute a religion? Science gives meaning to life. It shows us how the world works. To follow science, there is the scientific method: Observation, Formulation and hypothesis, testing that hypothesis, peer review, and acceptance with the transition of that hypothesis to theory. This belief of figuring out the religion also can be seens as a tradition, or ritual.

For this post, i'm not going to reveal my thoughts on the elements religion. I will leave that for later. But boiling down religion does bring into question what a religion is through the basic elements.

After reading this post, please answer the survey question on the left, as i would much appreciate your opinion. If you answer no, please comment on this post for the reason.

These two videos are of Woody Allen and Billy Graham having a talk on religion. Notice the differences between the two people. The difference between how open minded each are.




Woody mentions that if he ever went will Graham, he would be converted instantly because he has a very open mind that can lead around, while Graham says that while Woody may say things, his belief will never sway. Its just something to notice when have a discussion on religion.

In the article Palaeolithic art and religion by Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams, many different ideas about the significance of religious impact arise. While the origins of religion still might be unknown, many themes within religion are prominent and overshadow other less important aspects. While there are many pieces of religion such as:

Giving meaning to supernatural events (ghosts)

Rituals and practices (day of the dead)

Assigning significance to animals (wise owl)

and so on. But after reading this article, i have come the conclusion that the most primary and significant element of religion is control, whether it be you controlling something else, or something else controlling you. Its based around the structure of human nature and how, without structure we have no direction. This control can be seen with the first cave drawings where animals were drawn with either gaps missing in their figure, or other abnormalities. The gaps in the animals figure was believed to weaken the animal for hunting. Witch doctors also possessed this power of control through divine healing. Throughout religion, divine power is given to specific people for a higher level of control of their lives. Control gives peace of mind because it eliminates uncertainty, and it also applies to being controlled.

The assignment of a higher power, just like divine healing and spiritual influence, provides a sense of control. Whether an event happens which is impossible to understand, or whether your life takes turn for the worse, knowing that someone controls what is happening provides peace of mind. Just as in Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram, having an authoritative figure dictate one's actions creates distance between the person preforming the action and the effects of the action itself. Control and being controlled are essential within religion. To accept an idea lead by chaos is an absurd thought, but if it is structures and controlled, the weight lifts because it is no longer a participants duty to decide what is right or wrong.