Religion, Myths, and Identity.

From the beginning of birth to the day we die, everyone on this earth is assigned a certain identity to uphold, and later in life their identity shifts with their personal beliefs and values. While reading “The Lies That Bind”, one question that kept replaying in my mind is How does identity shape our perspective on religion? And is religion a matter of beliefs? Growing up in a Christian household, I was told that God is real and although there was no proof of his existence I choose too and still do believe it. Once we realize how intertwined religious is in our everyday lives, then that identity is not just a mere belief, but a part of who you are as an individual. Although my family did not go to church regularly, we did read the bible daily and pray before we eat, and those practices became a part of my identity, but there was always some sort of doubt in the back of my mind about religions and the beliefs in God.  I don’t think religion is a matter of beliefs, but the practice of tolerance. We all choose to acknowledge some beliefs and discredit other beliefs, but the idea of the term belief is the set of principles that we as people trust and have faith to follow hoping that these principles guide us to live a pure life according to the doctrine.  However, many beliefs also have conflicting views in which the scriptures state that we must, Keyword “MUST” abide by in order to attain a life that follows a higher authority being God. Tolerance is being able to accept diversity, and allow room for growth, and I think also helps define and shape those beliefs that we have about what is realistic and what is considered a mythic.  The word “Myth” to me defines a story the revolves around the idea of fantasy or fictional and is past down from generation to generation. For example, in the book The Lies That Bind, the author describes a story of the good Samaritan from the bible, and he says, “Jesus tells this story in answer to a question from a pharisee about what it is to be a good neighbor. But he doesn’t tell us why the Samaritan is a model of a good neighbor.” (Appiah 46). In my opinion this example is exactly what a myth is: a story of what, and how we should live our lives, but not truth or evidence to guide us in the right path.  The conflict here exemplifies how religion and identity can be believe as having faith in “the impossible.”  After re watching the pilot of “The Flash,” the most interesting thing that stood out to me was the line “you need to believe in the impossible.” In reality, the impossible is seeking to believe in something or someone even if the evidence is vague, and in many ways, this help me connect to the concept of “Jesus died for us” to believing that the reason for our existence is that someone risked their life for us.  One example that we did not discuss in class is “fairytales” like Cinderella. This myth allows many children to believe that there is a “happily ever after” when in reality that myth is just a message to influence children into believing that everything in life is magical, but as these children get older they come to realize that just like religion, that mythic figure such as “Cinderella” or “God” does not always provide that “happily ever after story” and that the fictional aspect of the story is just a belief that guides people to live a pure life. 

What happens to "cognitive diversity"?

Just moments after I left class yesterday, I saw this article in my email: a brief treatment of the question of what happens to different ways of thinking in our age of globalization. Remember I had said that one reason to engage deeply with the study of religion is so that we don't just tolerate religious difference, we come to appreciate, accept, and respect it. In other words, the fear of disagreement doesn't have to end the conversation before it starts. Deep, broad study of religions can help keep interest and knowledge of the diversity of religions alive. But this article suggests that there are real reasons to fear that people might start thinking more like each other. Check it out!

What exactly is religion?

Different religions have different beliefs and within these religions they can all impact your life and beliefs of concepts in a different way. Religion is a universal pursuit that influences a persons beliefs and behavior by offering answers to the meaning of existences. Religion provides insight of why humans are on this earth and what their importance and purpose is. Within certain religions there are sacred texts and/or figure that are meant to be individually interpreted, whether the interpretation is through readings or through acts, the interpretation is different from person to person. Some people are more devoted to their religions than others, they have more religiosity. This is shown through their daily activities and the time they take out for religious reasons; prayer, meditation, sacrament etc. Some religions are more so internalized than other religions. Internalized religions are more about finding personal motivators. Then there are other religions that are more external. External in the fact that they maximize its utility to find security and comfort. Another part of religion is finding spirituality. Spirituality is a personal matter involving a personally meaning to existence. Religious practices tend to have a positive influence on an individual general physical health, well being and life satisfaction. This is because it gives the person a reason to believe that life is going to get better. it gives them more motivation to achieve their goals and pursue others. Religion also gives people hope in difficult situations. It provides coping methods through worshiping methods and other religious involvements. Religion works in different ways for different people. There are three main religions: Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Within these three religions there are multiple sects that their differences from the other sects. Religion has a different meaning to everyone. Some people may be religious but not identify with certain religions.

What is Pop Culture?

What is pop culture? Pop culture is what the media believes is right and what society is mainly influenced by. Pop culture influences peoples attitudes and actions about a certain topic. It normally attracts to the younger generations.  Pop culture is everywhere! We see pop culture in a variety of things, whether its through entertainment (movies, music, tv, video games, etc.) or through sports, social media, the news and other similar platforms. We get our information from these platforms rather than from experts/educated people who have studied ideas extensively. Pop culture wants to appeal all and be accepted from the mass media. This is the main reason why pop culture is always changing. It is there to attract people and make them believe that it is the right way to believe in ideas. As people grow up their mentality changes as well, they change the way they think and believe. Popular culture influences people and their everyday activities. It shows up in the way people dress, the way they greet others and interact with strangers etc. There is always a "fad" in pop culture. Recently seen fads are things such as fidget spinner, selfie sticks, the keto diet, etc. All of these things are considered fads because they became extremely popular through the media and their craze were short lived. New ideas are become popular everyday through popular culture. You see celebrities sponsoring products because the product's company believes that their target market will be gained through the celebrity. Today's technology speeds up the rate at which popular culture gains its popularity. With all the new apps and ways people communicate now a days, news spreads within seconds! Technology has transformed the way people consume culture. The way we love something now will soon fade and something new will consume our minds. Whether we like it or not pop culture shapes each and everyone of us. Although you may not be heavily affected by pop culture and you follow some other sort of ideas, there is some time where you will go check your cell phone and go on facebook, twitter, etc. and look at the "news" that pop culture has created.