Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God: "After viewing 'The Nativity Story', analyzing your chosen Christmas carol, and reading Philippians 2:1-7, reflect on the meaning of Christma..."

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

This is describing the scene when Jesus is finally born. He was born in a manger, where shepherds and the wise men came to adore him. The three stars finally join to one, creating a ray of brightness shining on on the Christ, Jesus. "Round yon Virgin Mother" is emphasizing how Mary was conceived with him not through sexual action but through the power of the holy spirit. As most of the people in town are sleeping, all is quiet for little Jesus to sleep. It is nice and peaceful for him to sleep, which is the reason for "Sleep in heavenly peace."

Mary's part of the story was that even though she was a virgin, she conceived Jesus in her womb and gave birth to God's child. Joseph was Mary's husband who aided Mary while she was carrying Christ in her womb. He took care of her the whole way to Bethlehem and walked the whole way their from Nazareth while she traveled on a donkey. The shepherds were there to adore Jesus' presence when he was finally born. A shepherd in Bethlehem also let in Joseph and Mary in his little farm full of animals to stay in, which is where Jesus was born. When the three wise men arrived at Jesus' birth, they gave Joseph and Mary gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Jesus of Nazareth was the child of Mary, who was betrothed by Joseph, a descendant of the Biblical King David. Virgin Mary was conceived with Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is described as the "Christ" of Messiah promised by the Old Testament.

God chose to send Jesus as a baby as it is the lowest of all men but the highest of all kings. It is also human flesh form of God and flesh is sacrificed as an offering. Jesus on the other hand sacrifices himself to save the sins of all the people.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives: "Find where Islamic religious beliefs intersect with current events. Research a Western news source on the story and summarize the article fr..."

Western Article: Saudi Arabia: Women's Rights Promises Broken

In this article, reporters claim that women who live in Saudi Arabia don't have their individual rights to do things on their own. For example, it is said that Saudi women require to obtain permission from male guardian to travel or receive medical care.

Islamic Article: Gender Equality

According to this article, both Saudi men and women have equal individual rights. Women have gained equality in almost everything. Married women are given the right to be fully independent.

Both articles are about women's rights in Saudi Arabia, however, they are both stating opposite sides. The Western article states that women have no rights while the article from Saudi Arabia claim that they do have rights. There's no real evidence which article is telling the truth. On the other hand, the islamic viewpoint of this situation might be a cover up to make Saudi Arabia not look like a discriminating country. In my opinion, I believe the western viewpoint is more virtuous than the article from the islamic viewpoint.

Modern Religious Experience: Personal Commemoration- Reflection #7

Modern Religious Experience: Personal Commemoration- Reflection #7: "Think of an event in your life- past, present or future. You are going to create a commemorative ritual for this event. First, describe the ..."

My personal commemoration is of the memory of APAC swimming. Last year when I was a freshman, I had the opportunity to travel to China to compete in swimming with other schools overseas. This is an important event to me because during this experience, I created a great bond with the team. This event was also my first experience participating in a sport. The APAC swimming tournament lasted two full days. As for that, my personal commemoration will last two days as well. During this celebration, one will scream out one of the SFS cheers my team and I said before the tournament:

"One we are crusaders, two a little bit louder, three we still cant hear you, four more more more" We would repeat this cheer four times and after each cycle, we say it louder.

On the first day, we would all go to the SFS swimming pool and have a small pool party. After that, we all take a quick shower and go out for lunch all together at On the Border. Finally, we go to a clean karoake nearby and sing our lungs out. This is what we did one day in between the APAC and KAIAC swimming season. As for that, it will be a tradition in the commemoration. On the last day of the celebration, the boys will run around the field with a girls swimsuit on while the girls run around wearing their swimsuit with leggings under. During this run, we will scream out the SFS cheer. I decided to make this one of the ways to celebrate the APAC event because every year the freshman do this before one of the home soccer games. My personal commemoration will be a yearly thing from February 28th to February 30th as it is exactly a month after the APAC swimming tournament.

The Morality of Greek Myths - Reflection #6

http://emmaline1138.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/athena_arachne_caselli.jpg 


In an ancient city just across the Aegean Sea from Greece, there was a maiden named Arachne. Though her parents were poor, Arachne brought hope to her family through her spinning and weaving. She had so much pride in herself, believing that she didn't learn her beautiful skills from Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Athena went to seek out Arachne by disguising herself as an old woman. After watching Arachne spin, Athena transformed back to her original self and competed against Arachne to a spinning contest. In the end, Athena turns Arachne forever into a small spider.
The moral of this myth is to never challenge or compare oneself to the Greek Gods. Athena challenged Arachne to a spinning contest because Arachne thought she was superior compared to the goddess. In the end, Arachne becoming a spider for her entire life. 
From this, I believe the Greeks are responding to a life mystery of spiders. According to this myth, Arachne brought spiders into our world. As a result, Arachne's name is known as a Greek word meaning 'spider.' From the word "Arachne," came the word English word "Arachnid."
The Greek virtue of respectfulness connects with Arachne's disrespect to the goddess. Arachne never showed respect to Athena. Instead, Arachne disregarded herself as a better person than Athena. This shows disrespect toward the goddess of wisdom. 

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #5: Bongwonsa Temple and Nature Walk: "After visiting the Zen Buddhist Temple, Bongwonsa and attempting to see nature as a Taoist, answer this question: What is it about creation,..."

People believe in religion because they wonder about questions like, "How did all this creation start?" Although science is very advanced and answer detailed questions, it can't explain how humans were introduced to this world. Answers to these kinds of mysteries come from the belief in a God or Gods. Religious people worship their God or Gods for all the work they did to create the beautiful world we live in today. These people spend their lives seeking out religious truth for different reasons. One reason would be because Buddhists, for example, they believe that after death, Gods determine whether you go to the under world or get reincarnated into an animal, depending on how well behaved you were during your entire life. So Buddhists dedicate their lives to their religion in order to continue their peaceful and wonderful life even after they leave Earth. Also, as I am a Christian, I believe that once I pass away, I go to heaven, also depending on how well I connected with God. As for that, I worship and seek for more connection with him, but not only to go to heaven but also because I want to have a stronger relationship with him.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #4: Buddhist Meditation: "Spend 20 mintues in a silent meditation; a place you won't be disturbed, your own 'fig tree' as was Buddha's inspiration. In those 20 mintue..."

Trying to follow "the Eight Fold Path," I had a difficult time tempting to attain correct thought, mindfulness, and concentration. My thoughts kept changing from one subject to another such as school to sports. Although I repeated to myself the phrases from class and tried to get rid of all my worries, I couldn't concentrate. As I was sitting in on of the poses on the rooftop, I heard different noises like cars driving by and birds chirping. I was also freezing to death outside, trying my best to stay focused but also trying to stay warm. After a couple of minutes or so struggling, I finally started to relax and, at last, got rid of all my thoughts from my mind. I did gain some inspiration from the 20 minutes of meditating. I thought to myself, how can I correct my language, help others, etc. I wasn't only thinking about my future, but I was also thinking about my family's, my friend's and the poor's future lives. Even though I suffered out in the cold tempting to focus, I believe this experience will push me to guide me to help others and act in a well behaved manner.

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist: "In class, your small groups went over movie questions about the content in Gandhi. You should know who each of the main characters are and t..."

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #3- Gandhi: Hindu and Activist: "In class, your small groups went over movie questions about the content in Gandhi. You should know who each of the main characters are and t..."

Ghandi's idea of Hinduism is about sacrifice, peace, and equality between others. In the beginning of the movie, Ghandi was ordered to sit in the lower class section of the train because he is an Indian. This caused him to protest for equal rights using no violence. The British would injure and kill many, but the Indians would not attack back, as Ghandi believed was right. During the chaos, Ghandi wore homespun clothes instead of the ones imported from Britain. He convinced and influenced the others to follow his lead and burn all the clothes they owned that were bought from the British. Sacrifice comes in as Ghandi sacrifices his life by fasting until there is non-aggressive harmony. In the end of the movie, his sacrifice brought complete peace and equality between the Hindus and the Muslims.

The quote, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind," is a proverb that basically means that violence leads to more violence, causing drastic damage to both sides. Ghandi lived out his faith through this quote as he fought for equal rights with no violence. As I mentioned earlier, even though many Indians were dying and extremely hurt, Ghandi told the Indians to not cause violence through the fights. In the movie, when the Indians protested for the salt, the men lined up in groups and one by one head toward the gate of the salt industry, which was guarded by the British. After taking harsh beats causing many deaths and extreme injuries, the women rushed to the injured Indians and aided them. Although many were hurt and were even dying, the Indians didn't give up and still protested non-violently until their was peace between the British and the Indians.

Modern Religious Experience: Assignment #3- Sacred Poetry

Modern Religious Experience: Assignment #3- Sacred Poetry

photo: http://www.sacredtempleofra.net/resources/ankh7.jpg

O Key of the Nile,

Marking the rise of the floods

Which bring renewed life to our valley.

Not only water,

You are the sun’s golden energy.

O Key of Life,

Placed by Gods onto the dead’s cocoon

To usher in new souls.

In your unending loop and cross

Man and woman lie together as one

In unity and in love.

We see Venus’s bright light

In your copper and gold sheen.

O Crux Ansata,

Dangling from our necks

Beside brothers Djed and Was,

Give us strength and health

For all eternity.

information: http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/ankh.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankh

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection Question #1: "According to Mircea Eliade religion has 'not vanished without a trace; [it] has contributed toward making us what we are today and so, after..."

Christianity has formed my personality and influenced my daily habits. I believe in the commandments the Bible mentions, such as respecting one’s elders and loving one’s neighbors. These principles have made me more considerate of others. The Bible also teaches that no one is perfect, since everyone sins. Thus I am more understanding when people make mistakes. The idea of heaven helps me to have faith that death isn’t the end of happiness. I trust that after someone passes away, his/her spirit rises up with God to a more peaceful world. Jesus’ sacrifice for mankind makes me appreciate my life more so that I am grateful for everyday. Whenever a newborn is brought into our world, I smile with full of happiness remembering how we are all here.

Christianity not only shapes my personality, but it also influences my daily routine. I go to church, help those in need, and pray. At church, I connect more with God by learning and comprehending him more. I help those in need because I have confidence that God gave me a fortunate life for a purpose. To me, that purpose is to aid those who are in need. Finally, praying helps me personally thank God and ask for guidance when I’m stuck in a situation. Through these liturgies, the bond between God and me grows stronger.