Art And Religion

View more OpenOffice presentations from Meka T.

You Tube Video- Slide 6

The Boboshanti

In Geertz definition of religion he talks about a system of symbols. These systems of symbols help to define and represent that particular religion. The video “Documental Rastafari - La Orden Boboshanti” talks about one particular Rastafarian society. The Boboshanti live in the mountains in Jamaica, and are considered to most religious compared to other Rastafarians. Some of the symbols portrayed in the video are:
-The color of the houses on the mountain, are mainly red, green, yellow, black and white. Colors such as red, yellow, and green are the colors of the Rastafarian flag. The color holds an important significance to that belief system.
- These individuals also build their own houses on the mountain.
- The clothes that certain individuals wear. In terms of men: some wear a long black and white robe. Attached to the front of their robe is a letter R, in red. The female, particularly “The Mother” is dressed in a red robe ad head piece similar to that of a Catholic nun.
-The men also wear red turbans that are wrapped in the shape of a crown.
-Dreadlocks is also another cultural distinction.
- There is also hand painted signs of verses from the Bible. Majority of the signs shown have a green background.
- Another symbol is the fire that they keep burning at the top of the mountain.

Bob Marley portrayed Rastafarism through is music. His songs such as Exodus, I Shot the Sheriff, and Redemption Song all depict his beliefs and feeling and compassion for Rastafarism. Marley’s songs told us about what they believed, however I tried to picture the way in which they lived through his music. The Boboshanti are a very isolated group, they have a routine that everyone lives by. The Boboshanti lifestyle is very different than that of Marley’s. The Boboshanti seem more geared towards probably going to Ethiopia.

Rastafari

The book Rastafari by Ennis Barrington Edmonds, I think is very interesting. Coming from a Caribbean background, I had always heard about Rastafarism, however I never really knew the ideology behind it. I had also heard of individuals such as Marcus Garvey, Paul Boyle, and Bob Marley. In know that in the Caribbean that the way in which the individuals wear their hair is often called "rast", and also they refer to each other as a "rastaman." The first chapter of the book really shed light theological side of Rastafarism. Focusing on how different aspects of religion and character traits. The video on Marcus Garvey I thought was informative. During the movie when his son said that he never saw him smile or laugh, and that he was always working. Even in the pictures displayed during the video, not one of the showed him smiling. The impression of Marcus Garvey is that he was a man with a mission. He knew exactly what he wanted and made things happen. In the eyes of Rastafarians he is a prophet because he challenged the norm, and went far.

Kebra Negast

The Ethiopian story Kebra Negast gives the Ethiopian society a since of belonging. This story allows for Ethiopia to trace its past back to the very beginning. When something has history in today's society it holds a certain prestige. The fact that Ethiopian can trace it history back to the time of Solomon and Queen Sheba, gives that society of status that is unique and rich. During that time Solomon was considered a powerful and righteous ruler that people praised. Since the Ethiopian society can trace their history back to Solomon, it shows that they had great and powerful rulers in their past. This also demonstrates that they are a flourishing society.

In one of my earlier blog I talked about how the seperation and overlap between religion and government. At the end of that blog I left two questions unanswered. Yesterday I saw the preview for the movie "MILK." During the preview one of the politican turned to Milk and stated " the public values the family life." At that point I began to think about gay marriage, and how that plays a role in government and religion. I began by looking at arguements for and against religion. I came across an article named Acceptance of Homosexuality by: Frank Turek. In this article he explained reasons why gay marriage and homosexuality should not be allowed. This article gave me an insight into the way in which some individuals think. Personally I am a supporter of equal rights, however I think that it is important to understand or try to understand both sides of the stituation.

I have posted an link to this article, the title of the link is called All About Wordview. This website also has a wide range of articles on other topics. This articles are either for or against a particular ideal.

If you are also interested in other ideas that Frank Turek has he wrote a book called:

Correct, NOT Politically Correct: How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone
by Dr. Frank Turek

and co author another book called:

I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek

Abstract

The article “The Analogical Mind; Perspectives from Cognitive Science” by Dedre Gentner, Keith J. Holyoak, and Boicho N. Kokinov focuses on analyzing and applying metaphors and analogies. In the first part of the article, they applied the ideals of an analogy and metaphor to a boat race. This article gives the reader an abstract way of looking at figurative language. This form of interpretation can be applied to the study of religion. One of the interesting things about interpreting religion is that it has multiple meanings. Looking at religion in a literal sense only allows for the reader to get one basic understanding of what is being portrayed. When reading the Psalms in class we mentioned that the Psalm’s are generic and universal. Basically meaning that it is written in a way that no matter the person’s circumstances they can relate to it.

Religion is a controversial topic. Over the years multiple religions have emerged around the world. I also began to look at how much religion has influenced society of the years. In class we talked about the boundary lines that are created by religion. In every religion their are certain guidelines on how to live your life, and explanations for things that you probably can't understand. In our current society we constantly preach the ideal that religion and government separate. I personally believe that religion and government should be separate. I think that fact that people have so many different religious beliefs and morals that it would basically create chaos if one group tries to govern. I think that in many aspects religion and government do overlap. One of many controversial topics today is gay marriage/ same-sex marriage. According to certain religions marriage defined as a union between a male and a female. Also that homosexuality is frowned upon. On the other hand people raise the argument that according to the law everyone deserves equal rights, dispute their sexual orientation. So the overarching question that arises is:

How separate is religion and government?
Where exactly do we draw the line between religion and government when they do overlap?

Augustine's Ideals

In Book Two Augustine’s focuses on the connection between signs and symbols. In a way he defines these forms as a type of language. As a society we usually associate signs with different interpretations. For example every religion has a form of symbol that signifies what it stands for. Augustine also focuses on the concept of translation. He talks about the important of understanding the particular language in which you are translating. When translating you must pay attention to the words and also the meaning of the sentence that is being conveyed. In terms of interpreting the Psalms I think that Augustine would be furious with our interpretations. Everyone has different interpretations based on their identity, culture, and environment and so on. Augustine has this ideal that the Psalms has a pure interpretation, which is being conveyed. I think Augustine’s ideals about the connection between signs and symbols interesting. It actually ties back into our definition of religion defined by Clifford Geertz. I personally think that sometimes a lot can be lost in translation. However I think the Psalms is a universal scripture, which will have multiple interpretations considering that it is for a wide range of audiences.

Psalms 18- God, a Fighter?

Psalms 18 is about praising a victorious God. I don’t think this would be considered problematic. I think that religions overlap sometime and this can just one of the times when it does. I think that in our society it would not be problematic because even though we tend to separate things into different categories; every religion has a God that is helpful, protective and victorious. I think that in all religions some elements of God are in fact repeated and cross referenced. I am unsure if this image of God is victorious. In one way it shows that God is in fact the person that is available to protect everyone. I also think that in some aspects he losses that humble characteristic that is often praised.

It states “Serve the lord with reverence, rejoice in him with fear.” The God is Psalms 2 is to be feared. It projects the idea that if you don’t follow these particular guidelines, then there will be consequences. The verse states “Aske thou of me, and will give.” It represents a form of answer and request. It also sets up a hierarchal relationship between God and humans. In the translation by Alter, God is presented as a generous person. Part of the verse references God giving his son or estate.

In Psalms 44 the tone of the verse is stern. The beginning of the Psalm you have a first person narrative speaking for an entire group. For example line 2 states “God, with our own ears have heard, our fathers recounted to us a deed that you did their days, in days of yore” (154) The verse continues to the speaker begins to question God ideals. For example lines 9 through 11 states “God we praise all day long, and Your name we acclaim for all time. / Yet You neglected us and disgraced us/and did not sally forth in our ranks./ You turned us back from the foe,/and our enemies took their plunder.” In class we talked about how in religion has set up this form of reward. In the first two lines the person is expecting God to protect them, because they have been praising God and doing what is right. This since of neglect is continued through line 12-17, however the verse shifts in terms of meaning. At this point the person realizes that even though this evil is occurring, they still believe in him. Line 23 states “For your sake we are killed all day long…” (157) This line suggest a form of sacrifice that has to be paid.

Work Cited : Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms . 1st. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. Print.

Reflection

During class we came up with possible reasons why Native Americans will build mounds. We determined reasons such as burial, boundaries, and ritual purposes. In chapter six of “Indian Mounds of Wisconsin” by Robert A. Birmingham and Leslie E. Eisenberg they addressed the ideals of different cultures at that time. The mounds were basically a starting point for a pile of information that would be discovered along the way. I found it interesting how they were able to identify cultural aspects just by the placement of the mounds. Another aspect that interests me the most is how these early civilizations disappeared, which is not determined at this point. While reading the “Indian Mounds” I was fascinated by the dedication that went into working on the Indian Mounds. As a society we were able to gain so much information just by examining the placement and environment surrounding the mounds.

Here are a few websites:
http://whyfiles.org/135salv_arch/index.html
http://www.wcwcw.com/feature70.htm

Effigy Mounds

Effigy mounds represent a symbol of Native American spirituality. The Effigy mounds are a way for Native Americans to display their culture. The effigy mounds are also considered a way for Native Americans to make their territory. The mounds are the symbols that are described in Geertz’s definition of religion. Geertz’s definition is a perfect representation of the mounds. His definition does mention a higher being of any sort. He focuses more the physical aspect of religion. These mounds are the physical representation of how Native American viewed a part of the world. The fact that there were certain artifacts buried with the individuals shows that they may have believed in an afterlife. These mounds are an important aspect in our society, it allows for us to get an insight into the culture of Native Americans.

Religion over the years

It is interesting the amount of religions that has evolved over the years. In many earlier cultures the word religion didn’t even exist. I found this fascinating, because it gives us an idea of beliefs in the past. Everyone seemed to have central ideas that they all believed in. It seems as though a lot of the controvesary that has evolved over the years is due to competiveness. As religion developed it seemed to become more of a competition and an actually set of beliefs that individuals had. Religion in our society today is valued so highly. In some religions there is a social hierarchy that evolved, for example the Catholic religion.

"Paleolithic Art and Religion" and The Cave of Lascaux

While reading the chapter on “Paleolithic Art and Religion” I was fascinated by the different civilizations. Even though information was able to be determined about the past, nothing can be deemed as a fact. Just by looking at one particular piece of evidence, there is alot possible information that can be interpreted. The fascinating aspect was the way in with art played a role in their society. The drawings on the cave walls allowed for anthropologists and archeologists to get an insight into that civilization. The virtual tour of the Cave of Lascaux, was an amazing visual. The cravings in the cave were so detailed and precise. The drawings were detailed I certain aspects. The visual of the depth of the cave was also very detailed.
After reading I had so many questions particularly about their lifestyle and about the art in that cave.
I wanted to learn about their daily life, what it would be like to live in that society.
I wanted to find out whether or not the art was done by random people in their civilization or people of a high status?

The primary element for religion of the need to learn about the world around, the need to explain why things are occurring. Early civilizations for example believed in Gods of the Earth in terms of explaining why the earth did certain things.