Religion vs. Spirituality

Our class discussion on whether the Wallace Stevens poetry was religious or not made me deeply consider the difference between religion and spirituality. I do not think that the poetry is religious. It does have strong religious undertones, but the words themselves suggest a more spiritual influence. Someone in class (I think Ted?) brought up the fact that since the poetry is individualistic, the group cohesion and identity aspect of religion is lost. This is excellent proof that the poetry is more spiritual than anything else because spirituality is a very personal thing that each individual has within themselves. The main difference between religion and spiritualism is that organized religion has more specifics. Spiritualism could have the same belief in an all-knowing higher being, but there are no set guidelines in which to follow. In the poem “Sunday Morning”, which we analyzed in class, Stevens describes a woman who is not using religion, but personal spiritualism as her overall frame. The woman is looking for something beyond herself, but instead of turning to religion, she creates her own “religious” themes to add to her spirituality, such as fraternity, worship of reality, a vision of paradise, etc. In addition, the abstract art that we looked at last week has these same semi-religious undertones. As we discussed in class, the art is not outright religious; however, many people agreed that there were some religious undertones throughout the paintings. Abstract art is very debatable, and there are many different ways of interpretation, but in my opinion, the Jackson Pollock art can also be interpreted as a representation of one’s individual spirituality. There are some definite differences between religion and spirituality; however, the driving forces between them remain the same. This is why they can act as replacements for one another and be the overall frame for a number of people.

Response to J.B.'s Post on Fraternity

As I was reading J.B.’s post on fraternity, I found myself agreeing with many of the points he made. However, there was one point with which I disagreed, and that was that fraternity alone does not set moral standards. I feel that being a part of a group causes individuals to set their own personal standards and makes those people strive to be better. Different groups such as sports teams, performance groups, sororities and fraternities, etc., emphasize the importance of striving for excellence. I am personally involved in a campus sorority (Delta Gamma), and our main goals in terms of personal achievement are character, education and scholarship, interests and talent, activities and honors, and personal development. By setting these fine standards, the sorority highlights the significance of personal achievement and accomplishment, and it is understood that as a group, we push each other to be better human beings. I feel that this happens in most organized non-religious groups. While there are no set rules stating what specifically is “sinful” and what is not, as there are in most organized religions, the assumption of the group is that each individual will use his or her own judgment to decipher between right and wrong.

Red

The movie “Red” had no apparent direct connection to religion. However, after thinking about it, and listening to our class discussion, I realized that the point of watching this movie for a religious studies class was to recognize the purpose of religion, and to identify what replaces religion in times when there is none. Religion’s main purposes, as we have discussed numerous times in class, are to set moral guidelines for both the group and the individual, to give identity and community, and to explain the unknown, along with many others. Because this movie does not incorporate religion into its plot, the viewers must infer some other source for these important criteria.
Coincidence is used most frequently in the movie to explain the unknown and the unnatural. In countless instances throughout the movie, the characters are faced with situations that seem surreal, such as the seemingly bizarre connections between the characters or the symbols that reoccur throughout the movie. Many people in real life would explain these circumstances through religion or a higher being, but the movie uses coincidence to rationalize them. In everyday life, people who do not use religion find other ways to explain things as well. Many people are superstitious and use their superstitions to dictate certain aspects of their lives. If something bad were to happen, these people might blame it on the fact that they saw a black cat earlier that day, rather than using a metaphysical or religious explanation. This is similar to the Hindu tradition of Karma. In this case, if something bad happens to a person, the cause is a negative thing that the person did earlier. While this is a religious way of explanation, the movie articulately illustrates the non-religious aspects of explanation.

Sports and Religion

In our most recent class discussion, Margaret’s blog concerning the Pistons vs the Bulls was brought up. After discusses this, I read the blog for myself and found it quite interesting. I completely agreed with her comments on how sports are similar to religion for the sports fans, but I also think that sports or other group activities can act as religion for the participants as well as the spectators. I am not involved with a basketball team, and I don’t pretend to have any sort of coordination for sports whatsoever, but I have been involved with many shows and performance groups, and the connections to religion still apply. Being a part of a group gives an obvious sense of identity. Christians can identify themselves as Catholic or Presbyterian, whereas performers and athletes identify themselves as opera singers or football players. While extracurriculars don’t define people, they are certainly influential in life, just as is religion. In addition, in class we discussed that extracurriculars could be used as a form of comfort, but only because they are used in memory of a person, not because of the activity itself. I would tend to disagree with that idea. I believe that feelings of sorrow can be taken out in many ways, and when tragedy strikes, each person handles their emotions differently. Some people immediately go to church or immerse themselves in prayer, while others go off and sing a song of mourning or go for a run to keep their minds occupied. Finally, another way that pastimes such as sports, etc. can act as religion for the participants is that the amount of time and effort put into the activity. For many people, religion is the reason for living. Extracurricular activities should not be anyone’s reason for living, but the participants put huge amounts of time and effort into these activities, which makes them extremely important to the life of each individual. The time and effort put into religion is what makes religion itself important to those who follow.

Deity and Jane Addams

While reading about Jane Addams, it was brought up several times that she held both her father and President Abraham Lincoln in extremely high regard. I feel that she could have held both of these men as Deity figures. She sited both of the men as primary influences in her life, and while she most likely did not worship either of them, it seems as though she did put them on some sort of pedestal. Addams had stated that the two men were significant in her wanting to do humanitarian work and her place in the social movement, which is comparable to religion being a central cause of other movements. Addams also was quoted as saying that the moral standards and the personal integrity of these men was the main reason for holding them in such high regard. In religion, the purpose of a Deity figure is to give a example of what standards the followers should live up to. In many religions, the Deity sets the moral code for the followers to help decipher between right and wrong. It seems as though Jane Addams uses her father and President Lincoln to do this job for her. Addams was raised Quaker, but religious factors were not the leading reason for her to pursue a life of service. I feel that her father and Lincoln had a greater power in her life than did her religion.

Religion in Poverty Conditions

Religion is a cohesive bond that ties communities together, especially in times of struggle. It could be argued that societies that live in terrible conditions and have few material possessions give up hope and have less conviction in religion in general due to such strong feelings of hopelessness. However, I think it is more likely that these strained conditions cause people to have a deepened faith in religion because it is all that they have to survive. I do believe that due to the seemingly grim circumstances, the practices of the religion of these people are probably very different from the traditions of religion today.

First, symbolism is most likely not as important to the people of these communities as it is today because most people could not afford to purchase elaborate crosses or stars of david to adorn their houses. As we observed in class from the Jacob Riis photographs, the majority of people were living in rundown houses or shacks and did not have the money for luxury items. Next, people living in these badly maintained areas probably did not have the money for education or even books. Therefore, many families in this time may not have owned a copy of their specific religious text. In these cases, these families more than likely practiced the religious traditions passed down from their families before, but they may not have understood fully the origins of these traditions. Finally, the traditions and customs of societies during this period were different from today’s because they were not a main priority. These people had to work so hard just to put food on the table and assure a place to sleep each night, that religion probably had to take a backseat. While thoughts of God (or other higher being) probably permeated the minds of these people, actual religious practices, other than perhaps personal prayer, may have taken up too much time, and therefore, were not as common as today.

Religion and Social Growth

Religion can both retard and enable social growth. Religion, as we discussed in our first few classes, brings people together and gives a sense of community. Major social change is rarely brought about by a single person, so a large group of individuals with similar, strong beliefs is extremely likely to have an influence on society and social growth. Religion plays a large role in society today, and in most cases, large-scale social change has a religious following or support from the religious groups themselves. In addition, as evidenced by Margaret Fell’s argument for more women’s rights, individuals can use religion as a whole to influence social change. Many activists use religious quotes, etc. to enhance their arguments, because religion is relatively universal, and most everyone can relate in some sense.

Religion can also hinder social change. With a great sense of community within religious groups, also comes a sense of exclusiveness. Some religious groups feel that they are the sole children of God, and that their personal beliefs are superior to all others. While many of these groups use their feelings of superiority to bring group unity in a positive way, others become stuck in their own opinions and close their minds to any other position. When this happens, it is difficult for social change to occur. Progressive issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, have trouble gaining unanimous support, because religious beliefs and social issues conflict. Religion can both facilitate and inhibit social growth in a society.