Wanting More

As the semester comes to an end, I have been thinking a lot about American life and how religion fits in. I feel like we as a nation, are missing out on something because of our lack of faith. This brings me to think about the Amish people with their simplistic lifestyle. Our world is so full of commodities that we don’t need and these commodities have taken us away from something important. Religion is something that is very different in today’s society. These commodities have taken us away from what truly is important. Some would probably argue about this. My response would be; What do you get out of your video games? There is no true meaning in video games. We constantly overlook the best part of life. Spending time with family and friends and enjoying nature as it is. I think the Amish have all this. Yes, their life is very hard but I argue that they truly live life to its fullest. They appreciate every day and are experiencing life as many of us won’t. I want what they have, a life with peace and a true understanding of their faith. I feel very strongly that the faith of the Amish and people from the beginning of our country, had faith like we never will. I guess this is due to the lack of knowledge about evolution and commodities but I want that. I want to not have this faith that isn’t questioned but truly believed because I feel they have peace in their lives do to this. It’s just something I have been thinking about for years and really feel I have missed out on something. I want the world to go back to these days but realize this will never happen. The Amish interest me with their simplicity and community based society. I constantly wonder what it would be like to live in their society. Would I feel more at ease? Would it really provide me with all that I’d hoped it would? I have this urge to know this and yet I probably never will.

So I know that I probably won’t become Amish even though that thought is very tempting. I have realized I need to make changes in my life so that I don’t feel I am missing out. William Deresiewicz wrote an article “The End of Solitude”. He talks about how our society has turned away from solitude but specifically refers to our generation. “I once asked my students about the place of solitude in their lives. One of them admitted that she finds the prospect of being alone so unsettling that she’ll sit with a friend even when she has a paper to write” (1). This is a very startling thought to me because it describes me in some ways. Ever since I have been in college I have this fear of being alone. I don’t like it at all. I contribute this fear to when my parents had to leave me at college and I stood there knowing no one. That was the scariest thing I have ever done. Never have a felt more alone in my life. Ever since then, I make sure I am not alone for long periods of time. Yet, when I’m home, I seek out alone time. I can’t wait to spend time by myself just thinking but often to read and let my mind wonder.
Deresiewicz also talks about the use of cell phones and facebook. I honestly don’t have facebook because it would take up too much of my time and I don’t want that. I do agree that I would meet a lot more people if I did have facebook but I don’t feel I’m missing out. The idea of being on the computer that long is truly frightening to me. I also am not a fan of texting. It is not personal enough to me and I feel like I’m talking to a robot. I admit my phone is constantly on me and I should try not being with it but I am not constantly using my phone either.
To wrap these two ideas together, I think the reason I want to be Amish is because of the lack of solitude in my life. If I were to have more time to myself to enjoy my surroundings and get to know myself more I would find the peace I am longing for. Does anyone feel they need more solitude in their life or is it just me?

Gay Marriage in Vermont

This week in class we focused on Mark Lilla’s The StillBorn God. Lilla talks about this tension between government and religion. They seem to overlap making it very hard to keep politics out of religion and religion out of politics. We are having this issue right now in Vermont with legalizing same sex marriage. Many people are outraged at this proposal, supporting pins that say marriage = 1 man and 1 woman. One couple interviewed said “marriage is between a man and a woman that’s the way Gog designed us”. How do they know what God designed? Why is their religion right and others not? I am honestly outraged that people are involving themselves in matters that have no effect on their everyday life. While this may go against their religion, we live in a world where you are free to choose your own religion and should not force your religion on anyone. They should have no say over another’s happiness. This bill will give same sex couples more legal rights and the “pride” that comes with saying you are married. They are having a meeting tonight that is open for people to talk about the issue in Montpelier. This seems to be a problem for older adults who cannot accept a totally new idea that was banned during their era. I feel it is time for this change because it creates happiness for more people with little to no negative effect on others lives.
Click here to watch video
Here government is trying to pass a bill they believe will create marriage equality. If this bill is passed we will be the fourth state to legalize same sex marriage falling behind California, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Will this bill be able to pass and not let religious beliefs stop it?

Understanding Religion

Last week, we started to get into exploring and understanding different religions. We had to read Karen Armstrong’s, A History of God. The chapter we read is the history of the Islam religion. The Arabs had experienced a time where wealth was prominent in their tribes. They no longer put the tribe first but had a deeper focus on the individual and success. They looked to the sayyid or chief to lead their people and had lost any religious beliefs that they had. They were at a loss facing many problems including constant competition and killings. Muhammad saved his people. He became the Moses, Abraham that the Arabs needed. His first experience tore him from his sleep. “He said that an angel had appeared to him and given him a curt command:” “Recite!” He refused this angel twice and after the third embrace he had the words of the new scriptures. It took years for Muhammad to believe he was indeed a messenger from God; “the Koran was revealed to Muhammad bit by bit, line by line and verse by verse over a period of twenty-three years” (139). This history doesn’t really dig into what their belief is. It says their Gods name is al-Lah and is the creator of heaven and earth and he provided them with food and water. At the end of the chapter it says that Muhammad’s religion is known as Islām and that Muslim was something different. This was confusing to me because I believed them to be the same religion. While this chapter answers how this religion began, it does not specify what they really believe in.
After reading this, I want to know more. I want to understand the basics of their beliefs so that I can compare different religions and really understand them. This is something that really interests me. I hope that in class we will be able to touch more in depth on these topics.
Now I’m going to switch gears a little bit. Last night I watched The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Yes, this may be lame to some people but I am obsessed with it. Anyways, this episode Grace the Christian gets birth control. Her mother fond condoms in her room so gave her birth control but she told Grace she doesn’t want her to have sex. Grace wants to wait to have sex and to her the pills symbolize this commitment and make her want to wait.


This tied really well with our altar projects. To Grace the pills have a hidden message that leads to religion. For most we wouldn't get this message because brith control and religion usually clash. This brings symbolism to life for me. For me though, I find that I get so much more out of religion then just faith. It had given me tradition and strong family ties. I would not give up my experiance growing up as a Catholic because it has made me who I am today.

I was wondering for those who do not have a religion, how are traditions started in your families? Do they originate from some religious form?

Further Understanding of Religion

Upon reading "Stop in the name", I found myself wanting to know more. I have grown up in a religious family who usually attends church every Sunday. In saying this, I don't know a lot about my religion and should probably know more. This article left me wondering what do certain religions stand for with the issues in our society. My religion is Catholic and I know that we are for pro-life. In church, our priest wanted to pray that the new president and congressmen would vote for pro-life. When he said this is brought me back to the article and made me want to know more. I just found it ironic that what we read was brought to my attention while I was at church.