For Class: Mid-Term Exam - Part 2 (11/5/09)
MID-TERM EXAM - Part 2
18. The more “subtle” forms of racism that Brian encountered when growing up in San Leandro were that he was threatened by a group of Caucasian teenagers and then picked up by a Caucasian officer for “causing trouble” in the neighborhood. When his grandmother went to take him to get his haircut, all the San Leandro shops would not even consider cutting his hair and told them to go find a place in Oakland. And when Brian started at the new school by his house, the kids in his class nicknamed him “Brillo Boy” and were constantly harassing him. Although his mother made him switch to Catholic school in the hopes of improving his school life, it just got worse because not only was he still getting picked on by his classmates, but a nun actually slapped him even though he did not do anything to warrant blame for it. Another ‘subtle’ form of racism Brian and his family experienced was that the landlords of the apartment building they were living in tried to evict them based on the fact that they had a ‘large family,’ even though some of their surrounding neighbors’ families had even larger families.
19. Brian’s experiences dealing with racism are similar to those of Malcolm X in a sense that growing up they experienced all kinds of prejudice and discrimination that caused them to have a pessimistic view on their own “blackness” and that despite all their hard work and all that they achieved, they would still be judged for the color of their skin. They both felt ostracized and out casted by mainstream white America. But they are different in the fact that Malcolm X took a very active and radical stance on the subject and encouraged the black community to resort to violent tactics to have their voices heard. Brian, on the other hand, did not really fight back but rather fought discrimination passively by remaining in San Leandro with his family even though it was clear everyone wanted them gone. He internalized everything and bottled it up inside, resulting in his depression and suicide attempt. Malcom X intentionally placed himself in dangerous situations even at the cost of his life.
20. The ways in which North American Indian religions absorb and integrate Christianity into their own religious ideas and rituals is that while their services still use traditional Native American objects (i.e. pipe, drums, staff, etc.) and they still perform their rituals (i.e. chant circles), they believe in Jesus as their savior, read the Bible, and follow basic Christian beliefs and teachings. Some Native American religions hold their services in their native tongue and minimizing their tribal identity. They found parallels between their old religion with Christianity. Overall, they consider themselves Christians but do not forsake the old ways of their people.
21. In my opinion, Laverne Jacobs did not attempt to reconcile the two beliefs. I got the impression that he was very much trying to distance himself away from any practice or ritual that went against his belief in Christianity. While he was sharing the Pipe, I got the impression that he was only doing it so as not to intentionally insult the people who invited him. While he was doing it, he even said he “drew upon the sacred substance not knowing what would follow, but trusting and hoping that somehow God was present in this action and praying that I would be protected from that which I do not know or understand.” It was only until after it ended that he felt some sort of oneness with the experience he just took part in. When he attended the World Council of Churches, he was approached by four Native Americans to join them in prayer but Jacobs felt conflicted by this and wondered if it was the right thing to do. While he still participated, he again prayed for protection and felt some sense of relief that when it was over, he felt like he was not compromising on his Christian beliefs. In reality, he was not reconciling the two beliefs at all but rather had the realization that not all Native American practices will cause him to compromise his Christian faith and that there is a way to coexist between the two.
22. The Native American Church of Jesus Christ is a church in Porcupine, South Dakota that is organized in the peyote way of worshiping but believes in Christian theology, ideals, and values. When Christianity was introduced to the Native Americans, they incorporated Jesus and the Bible into their religious ceremonies with the peyote so in a way, this church is a mix of two distinct religions into one. In the early beginnings of the church, it was not organized as a church until a Sioux man by the name of Jim Blue Bird organized the peyote way of worshiping. At first, they did not have the Bible or practice Christianity. They started out with the Half Moon way of the Peyote religion and used the peace pipe in their services because the peace pipe is the traditional way of worshiping among the Sioux Indian people. When they learned about the second coming; they became born-again Christians like any other church. As they came along, they put the peace pipe away and in its place was the Bible. Their services start at sundown and continue until sunrise, and are very regimented, with specific instruments, songs, and food they partake in. Much of their ceremonies incorporate the peyote, which is considered to be a Divine Herb. Normally and traditionally, their services are held in their native language but if someone who does not know it attends, they use English or whatever language that person speaks
23. Frederick Douglas’ critique of slavery is that he believes that not only is it morally wrong, inhuman, grotesque, and deceptive, but that slavery distorts the victims’ sense of freedom and reality so that slaves cannot see or understand the twisted logic behind being enslaved. Douglas argues that slavery inhibits a person’s power to reason and their mental capabilities. The more happy and content a slave is, the less he will not think that his current situation is not hindering. Frederick Douglass’ autobiography is very much a critique of conventional religion because he argued that the whites use the Bible and Christianity as a way to justify slavery. While he respected and loved the teachings of Christ, he found much hypocrisy in the whites who called themselves Christians during that time for they were similar to that of the Egyptian Pharisees and the task maskers who kept the Israelites enslaved during Moses’ times. Douglass claimed that they used Christianity in such a way that would make the slaves and themselves think this was natural and so-called Biblical.
24. When it comes to liberating blacks from oppression, the major differences between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. are that while King was an advocate for non-violence, racial harmony, and for blacks integrating with whites, Malcolm X initially opposed this because he believed that integration was a trick concocted by whites to keep blacks in their place. He encouraged his followers to rise up and protest against white supremacy. Malcolm X believed that only through violence would conditions for blacks could change. He saw no evidence that white society had any moral conscience and promoted the role of the angry black against racist America. He used religion as a way to establish a sense of an educated black identity, causing a greater divide between the two factions. King, Jr., on the other hand was a firm believer that through hard work, strong leadership, and non-violent tactics that blacks could achieve full equality with whites. He encouraged the black community to love their white neighbors, even though they may hate them. He wanted to gain the acceptance from the whites while Malcom X encouraged blacks to rise up and place whites at a disadvantage. They both had very different backgrounds that reflected in their personalities and what they stood for. King, Jr. was the peaceful pacifist while Malcolm X was the hard aggressor.
25. Genealogical dissociation is a key factor in understanding the emergence of new religions in America because it is basically when someone takes an idea from a certain religion, separates himself from that main religion, and then uses that idea to “create” a new religion. While that religion may seem brand new, it is actually just a spin-off of the older religion. A few examples of this would be how Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witness’ have Christian backgrounds but also have their own ideals and theologies. In a way, genealogical dissociation gives insight into the background and history behind the parent religion and its subsequent filial religions. It can help in understanding why certain traditions, rituals, and practices are still in use today while others are not.
18. The more “subtle” forms of racism that Brian encountered when growing up in San Leandro were that he was threatened by a group of Caucasian teenagers and then picked up by a Caucasian officer for “causing trouble” in the neighborhood. When his grandmother went to take him to get his haircut, all the San Leandro shops would not even consider cutting his hair and told them to go find a place in Oakland. And when Brian started at the new school by his house, the kids in his class nicknamed him “Brillo Boy” and were constantly harassing him. Although his mother made him switch to Catholic school in the hopes of improving his school life, it just got worse because not only was he still getting picked on by his classmates, but a nun actually slapped him even though he did not do anything to warrant blame for it. Another ‘subtle’ form of racism Brian and his family experienced was that the landlords of the apartment building they were living in tried to evict them based on the fact that they had a ‘large family,’ even though some of their surrounding neighbors’ families had even larger families.
19. Brian’s experiences dealing with racism are similar to those of Malcolm X in a sense that growing up they experienced all kinds of prejudice and discrimination that caused them to have a pessimistic view on their own “blackness” and that despite all their hard work and all that they achieved, they would still be judged for the color of their skin. They both felt ostracized and out casted by mainstream white America. But they are different in the fact that Malcolm X took a very active and radical stance on the subject and encouraged the black community to resort to violent tactics to have their voices heard. Brian, on the other hand, did not really fight back but rather fought discrimination passively by remaining in San Leandro with his family even though it was clear everyone wanted them gone. He internalized everything and bottled it up inside, resulting in his depression and suicide attempt. Malcom X intentionally placed himself in dangerous situations even at the cost of his life.
20. The ways in which North American Indian religions absorb and integrate Christianity into their own religious ideas and rituals is that while their services still use traditional Native American objects (i.e. pipe, drums, staff, etc.) and they still perform their rituals (i.e. chant circles), they believe in Jesus as their savior, read the Bible, and follow basic Christian beliefs and teachings. Some Native American religions hold their services in their native tongue and minimizing their tribal identity. They found parallels between their old religion with Christianity. Overall, they consider themselves Christians but do not forsake the old ways of their people.
21. In my opinion, Laverne Jacobs did not attempt to reconcile the two beliefs. I got the impression that he was very much trying to distance himself away from any practice or ritual that went against his belief in Christianity. While he was sharing the Pipe, I got the impression that he was only doing it so as not to intentionally insult the people who invited him. While he was doing it, he even said he “drew upon the sacred substance not knowing what would follow, but trusting and hoping that somehow God was present in this action and praying that I would be protected from that which I do not know or understand.” It was only until after it ended that he felt some sort of oneness with the experience he just took part in. When he attended the World Council of Churches, he was approached by four Native Americans to join them in prayer but Jacobs felt conflicted by this and wondered if it was the right thing to do. While he still participated, he again prayed for protection and felt some sense of relief that when it was over, he felt like he was not compromising on his Christian beliefs. In reality, he was not reconciling the two beliefs at all but rather had the realization that not all Native American practices will cause him to compromise his Christian faith and that there is a way to coexist between the two.
22. The Native American Church of Jesus Christ is a church in Porcupine, South Dakota that is organized in the peyote way of worshiping but believes in Christian theology, ideals, and values. When Christianity was introduced to the Native Americans, they incorporated Jesus and the Bible into their religious ceremonies with the peyote so in a way, this church is a mix of two distinct religions into one. In the early beginnings of the church, it was not organized as a church until a Sioux man by the name of Jim Blue Bird organized the peyote way of worshiping. At first, they did not have the Bible or practice Christianity. They started out with the Half Moon way of the Peyote religion and used the peace pipe in their services because the peace pipe is the traditional way of worshiping among the Sioux Indian people. When they learned about the second coming; they became born-again Christians like any other church. As they came along, they put the peace pipe away and in its place was the Bible. Their services start at sundown and continue until sunrise, and are very regimented, with specific instruments, songs, and food they partake in. Much of their ceremonies incorporate the peyote, which is considered to be a Divine Herb. Normally and traditionally, their services are held in their native language but if someone who does not know it attends, they use English or whatever language that person speaks
23. Frederick Douglas’ critique of slavery is that he believes that not only is it morally wrong, inhuman, grotesque, and deceptive, but that slavery distorts the victims’ sense of freedom and reality so that slaves cannot see or understand the twisted logic behind being enslaved. Douglas argues that slavery inhibits a person’s power to reason and their mental capabilities. The more happy and content a slave is, the less he will not think that his current situation is not hindering. Frederick Douglass’ autobiography is very much a critique of conventional religion because he argued that the whites use the Bible and Christianity as a way to justify slavery. While he respected and loved the teachings of Christ, he found much hypocrisy in the whites who called themselves Christians during that time for they were similar to that of the Egyptian Pharisees and the task maskers who kept the Israelites enslaved during Moses’ times. Douglass claimed that they used Christianity in such a way that would make the slaves and themselves think this was natural and so-called Biblical.
24. When it comes to liberating blacks from oppression, the major differences between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. are that while King was an advocate for non-violence, racial harmony, and for blacks integrating with whites, Malcolm X initially opposed this because he believed that integration was a trick concocted by whites to keep blacks in their place. He encouraged his followers to rise up and protest against white supremacy. Malcolm X believed that only through violence would conditions for blacks could change. He saw no evidence that white society had any moral conscience and promoted the role of the angry black against racist America. He used religion as a way to establish a sense of an educated black identity, causing a greater divide between the two factions. King, Jr., on the other hand was a firm believer that through hard work, strong leadership, and non-violent tactics that blacks could achieve full equality with whites. He encouraged the black community to love their white neighbors, even though they may hate them. He wanted to gain the acceptance from the whites while Malcom X encouraged blacks to rise up and place whites at a disadvantage. They both had very different backgrounds that reflected in their personalities and what they stood for. King, Jr. was the peaceful pacifist while Malcolm X was the hard aggressor.
25. Genealogical dissociation is a key factor in understanding the emergence of new religions in America because it is basically when someone takes an idea from a certain religion, separates himself from that main religion, and then uses that idea to “create” a new religion. While that religion may seem brand new, it is actually just a spin-off of the older religion. A few examples of this would be how Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witness’ have Christian backgrounds but also have their own ideals and theologies. In a way, genealogical dissociation gives insight into the background and history behind the parent religion and its subsequent filial religions. It can help in understanding why certain traditions, rituals, and practices are still in use today while others are not.