So I have read some interesting news articles recently I wanted to comment on...
First, a friend posted a commentary from the Salt Lake Tribune about the potential threat that anti-Mormon protesters could have should they turn their attention from street-side bullhorn rallies and instead seek to alter the constitutional protection of the freedom of religion... it's not the best commentary I've ever read and honestly a bit outlandish but thought-provoking nonetheless
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_10755288
Shortly following that article, I happened across a BBC report on an atheist movement in London to put "There's probably No God" on signs across buses in an effort to give a "breath of fresh air" to the masses constantly reading pro-Christian advertisements.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7681914.stm
This all comes amidst a number of cases of politicians being examined in terms of their religious views and the impact that it could have on their leadership. The former candidate Mitt Romney was seen as an extremist for being Mormon, Barack Obama has been connected to extreme anti-white preachers like Jeremy Wright and suspected of being a Muslim, and McCain is accused of pandering to the Christian Right...in all, religion has played a prominent point of analysis.
See:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21728725/
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/13/1263140.aspx
So, what does it all say about today's society's views on religion?
Taking all the specific examples aside, I have to think that there is a lot to say in general. It has become unpopular or 'uncool' in the academic world and the upper echelons of society to acknowledge that you have any religion of any kind. The 'opiate of the masses' as Marx deemed it, the idea of a religious institution is somehow intrinsically opposed to science, progress, human development, and the freedom of expression sought to be embodied in democracy and civil society. It is an interesting counter to the traditional development of social movements. Typically, a group feels it is being denied a right or an ability or access of some sort and fights against the prevailing "loud voices" of the times in order to shake things up and create change. Here, we have been granted the precious freedom to worship whomever, wherever, and whenever we so choose...or likewise to not worship at all. This comes thanks to the countless millions that fought against the oppressive "loud voices" demanding one religion over another or using religion as a political weapon or even as a motive for warfare and destruction.
So, wouldn't it be fitting that today, in 2008, we would be able to integrate the rhetoric of acceptance, cooperation, and mutual understanding into the arena of religion? Yet, somehow in the mix, the right not to worship has twisted into an obsessed inferiority complex prompting anti-religious advocates to become the 'loud voices' drowning out the millions of tempered, faithful, believers in a higher power throughout the country. It is not universal, granted, this is a reaction to the extremes that feel a need to turn their anti-religious sentiment into campaigns and bus signs, but it is real.
And, there is another twist. It isn't just those that are trying to highlight their right not to worship, but also those that take their right to worship and turn religion itself into an anti-religious institution. Multiple evangelical groups preach against their rival congregations in hopes of winning membership and raising the coffers of donations. Extremist Islam groups forming networks to attack the infidels, black solidarity extremists damning America for parts of its history and demanding the heads of the privileged white, anti-Semites re-birthing the swastika and WWII symbols of hatred and fear Etc. etc.
So, maybe the Crusades weren't the only time in history that religion was a tool of destruction. On all sides, whether from the anti-religious campaigns, the religious extremist campaigns, or the complicit acceptance of faithful citizens failing to raise their voice, somehow all the attention is going to these new loud voices.
Personally, I find it disheartening that such so beautiful and positive institutions of all faiths could be targets of such destruction and hate. I believe in a loving God. I believe He wants us to reach across lines of faith and care about those around us whether they share the same views or knowledge that we do or not. They may not call Him by the same name or even choose to think about whether He exists, but I respect their right to worship or not worship, just as I hope they would respect mine. We have so many wonderful blessings in common and a great big world in which to enjoy them. It saddens me that people would resign themselves to the cheap talk of divisiveness under the guise of entitlement.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Reflections on...the election
So, with less than a month left to voting day and only one televised left to watch, I wanted to jump in on the election discussions.
I have found it interesting how much of the debate over Palin's candidacy has focused on her experience (or lack thereof) in foreign relations. I personally find it a political bias to try and discount her and undermine her real strength of executive leadership, especially since the vice-presidency is an inherently domestic position and substantially more concerned with administrative and executive responsibilities than the president's foreign negotiation and dipolomacy poisition. in other news, Obama carried out a sweeping tour of the Middle East and Europe to show his committment to what he is calling "direct diplomacy," and I find it interesting how the focus of political discourse has has shifted from domestic to global. While we still place the presidential administration in the key position to influence domestic policy, our increasingly interconnected world requires an executive capable of connecting with international concerns, multilateral cooperation, and new technological advancements that challenge traditional modes of diplomacy. So, as we are all considering which candidate/administration to support in the upcoming election, I invite you to review the foreign policy statements of both John McCain and Barack Obama. Outlining their plans for how to address the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the possibility of further military involvement, international development funding and foci, nuclear proliferation, relations with Russia, the rise of India and China, etc...very interesting stuff. Lots of promises from both sides. But, these should weigh heavily on how we consider each candidate's preparation and capability to lead the world's only superpower. Please comment on anything you find interesting!
I have found it interesting how much of the debate over Palin's candidacy has focused on her experience (or lack thereof) in foreign relations. I personally find it a political bias to try and discount her and undermine her real strength of executive leadership, especially since the vice-presidency is an inherently domestic position and substantially more concerned with administrative and executive responsibilities than the president's foreign negotiation and dipolomacy poisition. in other news, Obama carried out a sweeping tour of the Middle East and Europe to show his committment to what he is calling "direct diplomacy," and I find it interesting how the focus of political discourse has has shifted from domestic to global. While we still place the presidential administration in the key position to influence domestic policy, our increasingly interconnected world requires an executive capable of connecting with international concerns, multilateral cooperation, and new technological advancements that challenge traditional modes of diplomacy. So, as we are all considering which candidate/administration to support in the upcoming election, I invite you to review the foreign policy statements of both John McCain and Barack Obama. Outlining their plans for how to address the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the possibility of further military involvement, international development funding and foci, nuclear proliferation, relations with Russia, the rise of India and China, etc...very interesting stuff. Lots of promises from both sides. But, these should weigh heavily on how we consider each candidate's preparation and capability to lead the world's only superpower. Please comment on anything you find interesting!
McCain:
Obama:
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86401/barack-obama/renewing-american-leadership.html
Reflections on...nieces and nephews!!
Beautiful baby Isabelle!!
My cute munchkin nieces Sammy, Isabelle, and Corrianne and my adorable nephew Maxwell.
Maxwell and Corrianne make faces, happy for the extra attention from a visiting aunt!
Sammy makes me smile!!
Maxwell got shy and wanted to run from the roving camera lens.
During my weekend getaway, I got to meet a new addition to my family since I came to Syracuse--little Isabelle Bice. It was a quick visit but always a joy to run around with girls that I adore and little Maxwell is growing up to be an adorable boy! He is talking more and rough housing more, asking me to make him "fall" as I tossed him around and rolled back with him in my lap. They are getting to be so big and it's hard to be so far away when they used to be just up the road! Corrianne is now in kindergarten and Sammy in Preschool. But, thankfully they still remember their Aunt Kristine and were excited to steal me away to play princess games and wanted to run around outside with me. I love these kids!!!
Nieces and nephews have been a big part of my life. I didn't have any younger siblings but was the default babysitter since my first nephew, Spencer, was born when I was 9. I've been really blessed to get to know them as they grow up and as I grew up myself. While my siblings have been at very different stages in life than I was as I grew up, I have lots of good memories of each little unique addition to our ever-bigger family. I'm excited to see Isabelle gain her own personality and add her touch to the family dynamic. So, it may be a little late, but congrats Suzanne!! And, thanks for the visit!
Reflecions on...weddings
Coming out of the Logan temple.
Doesn't she make a BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!!
Adrienne and her bridesmaids...and me not matching because I had taken a long time to figure out if I was going to be able to make it to Utah or not.
The happy couple.
I had a WONDERFUL opportunity to go see my childhood friend Adrienne marry her sweetheart Trevor this weekend. It was a quick trip but worth every bit of effort. Adrienne has been the most wonderful friend I could have ever hoped for and it made me cry (multiple times in fact) to see her starting this new chapter in her life. And, to see her do it with the authority of the priesthood blessing her marriage was a wonderful example to me. It made me think about a lot of things...
Weddings in anthropology are all about the community, the joining together of two families, lineages, and histories and not really about the individuals in the partnership at all. Our modern day individualism has reduced that down to "it's my life and I'll do what I want" and I wonder where the line really should be. Obviously, it is about individual selection in a society where you start your own nuclear family and move away from both of the extended families. But, in a real way, both families are going to be intimately connected for the rest of the couples' lives. Trevor and Adrienne were really blessed to have so much family there to support them and I was lucky enough to go to the wedding dinner before the reception and hear both sides of the family talk about embarrassing stories and welcome a new member into each side.
Overall, I just thought about how happy Adrienne was and while it will be a major adjustment in her life and set the tone for the rest of it as she builds a new life alongside her beloved, I will never forget how she couldn't stop smiling and I hope she is able to stay that happy through all the challenges and experiences awaiting her. There was so much hope and love in every comment that day that I felt a big chunk of BYU-dating and Utah-bubble cynicism melt away. As I ponder on the difficulties of dating, including my over-analytical tendency to formulate theories and comment on the dysfunctional pressure-ridden culture within the Church and in general, I realize that it all comes down to individual people finding their paths in life and gaining their own experience.
So, congrats Adrienne and everyone else that has found their special companion in this crazy adventure called life. Hopeless romantic that I am, I can only hope that someday I can be as happy in my wedding pictures as she was!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Reflections on...war
Since it is on my mind today, even though I am aware it is not a pleasant beginning and I really don't aim to discourage people from keeping up with my blog, I am creating my first entry of reflections by reflecting on...war.
Following a rather emotional day discussing the complex debates between Israel and Palestine and then about the US presence in Iraq, I somehow ended up watching Atonement, a movie dedicated to war.
First off, it absolutely boggles my mind to think that anyone would ever want to kill another human being. We can talk about it, we can calculate the number of people that do it every day, we can list off the proposed motivations, we can even craft elaborate defenses for those that have done it. But, in the end, I honestly just can't get my mind to wrap itself around the idea of war. It has existed for centuries, tearing across the same slabs of earth so many times that it would be impossible to even quantify how many wars the world has fought. Theoreticians work to classify the different kinds of war, the different magnitudes of war, the differences between a war and a conflict or a battle or a skirmish. We train people in the arts of war, study the tactics of past strategists, decorate our cities with monuments to our own participation in warfare, and all the while convince ourselves that war is an inevitable part of the human experience, a twisted rite of passage into humanity.
At the same time, I personally admire and appreciate the sacrifice of the millions of individuals who have voluntarily fought and participated in the armed forces so that I could sit in the comfort of my home and contemplate the effects of war without having to personally live through them. I do not, for one second, question the sincere devotion, sacrifice, and dedication offered by our servicemen nor would I imply that my reflections on war would lead me to doubt the role of honest, hardworking soldiers that follow orders and protect our freedom. I still have to believe that war can still be justified, that, as in the Book of Mormon, war can be justified for righteous causes and fought by righteous leaders that would only fight as long as necessary and not take advantage of other human beings simply because they could be classified as enemies.
What I question is how we even end up in a position that would require violence and destruction not to mention the time money and mind power invested into training, technology, and tactics. Why, if war is so ugly and devastating, would we keep creating them? Why would we spend so much time and money on continuing them and preparing for potential ones?
General observations... I was just really impacted by some of the propagandized negativity of people blaming governments and shouting down people that don't agree with them and it made me start thinking about these things...feel free to comment.
Following a rather emotional day discussing the complex debates between Israel and Palestine and then about the US presence in Iraq, I somehow ended up watching Atonement, a movie dedicated to war.
First off, it absolutely boggles my mind to think that anyone would ever want to kill another human being. We can talk about it, we can calculate the number of people that do it every day, we can list off the proposed motivations, we can even craft elaborate defenses for those that have done it. But, in the end, I honestly just can't get my mind to wrap itself around the idea of war. It has existed for centuries, tearing across the same slabs of earth so many times that it would be impossible to even quantify how many wars the world has fought. Theoreticians work to classify the different kinds of war, the different magnitudes of war, the differences between a war and a conflict or a battle or a skirmish. We train people in the arts of war, study the tactics of past strategists, decorate our cities with monuments to our own participation in warfare, and all the while convince ourselves that war is an inevitable part of the human experience, a twisted rite of passage into humanity.
At the same time, I personally admire and appreciate the sacrifice of the millions of individuals who have voluntarily fought and participated in the armed forces so that I could sit in the comfort of my home and contemplate the effects of war without having to personally live through them. I do not, for one second, question the sincere devotion, sacrifice, and dedication offered by our servicemen nor would I imply that my reflections on war would lead me to doubt the role of honest, hardworking soldiers that follow orders and protect our freedom. I still have to believe that war can still be justified, that, as in the Book of Mormon, war can be justified for righteous causes and fought by righteous leaders that would only fight as long as necessary and not take advantage of other human beings simply because they could be classified as enemies.
What I question is how we even end up in a position that would require violence and destruction not to mention the time money and mind power invested into training, technology, and tactics. Why, if war is so ugly and devastating, would we keep creating them? Why would we spend so much time and money on continuing them and preparing for potential ones?
General observations... I was just really impacted by some of the propagandized negativity of people blaming governments and shouting down people that don't agree with them and it made me start thinking about these things...feel free to comment.
Liberation!!
So, amidst the variety of entries in this, my personal blog, I've gone from a travel log and research commentary of my time as a Fulbrighter in Paraguay to my return to the USA and the process of combating culture shock to my current status as a graduate student in Syracuse. Throughout, I have found little continuity since i was really letting the location dictate my entries and didn't take a lot of time to include reflections that went beyond my personal role at the time. So, I am realizing that I limited a lot of my creative juices by seeing through that particular lens.
So, today, I am officially liberating this blog to contain and all rants, commentaries, ponderings, complaints, hopes, fears and joys that I deem fit to record. I don't necessarily care who reads them as long as they seek to find a nugget of truth, a sparkle of inspiration, or at least a glimmer of a new thought or a new idea that could make his or her life a little better. I can't promise you'll like everything you see on here. I can't even promise you will understand it. But, I have decided that a personal journal is only useful for therapy and emotional vomiting but a blog can take that otherwise internal and selfish babble and turn it into a collective discussion or at least a raised awareness among the people that I care about and that care about me. So, I am officially liberating this blog as an extension of my personal commitment to documenting my life and invite you all to come along for the ride.
More reflections to follow.
So, today, I am officially liberating this blog to contain and all rants, commentaries, ponderings, complaints, hopes, fears and joys that I deem fit to record. I don't necessarily care who reads them as long as they seek to find a nugget of truth, a sparkle of inspiration, or at least a glimmer of a new thought or a new idea that could make his or her life a little better. I can't promise you'll like everything you see on here. I can't even promise you will understand it. But, I have decided that a personal journal is only useful for therapy and emotional vomiting but a blog can take that otherwise internal and selfish babble and turn it into a collective discussion or at least a raised awareness among the people that I care about and that care about me. So, I am officially liberating this blog as an extension of my personal commitment to documenting my life and invite you all to come along for the ride.
More reflections to follow.
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