Is the media fulfilling its role?

Our class glossary defines the media as any form of communication to the masses. It also stresses the importance of the media as a tool of a free democracy. The media is capable of propagating ideas and influencing the opinions of many people.

Yesterday I attended a performance that was also a form of media. It was the biannual debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans of the University of Pennsylvania. As an American citizen and a political science major, I had a strong interest in what the opposing parties had to say.

Many of the currently hot political issues are constantly presented in the news. For instance, there are frequently stories covering the Supreme Court nominations, the War on Iraq, and policies that the Bush administration is attempting to implement. However much of that a viewer receives via the news is soundbytes and oversimplifications of major issues. In an effort to gain the support of all different types of viewers, news stations resort to simply stating what the issues are. They neglect to interpret, explain, or describe possibly consequences of issues that will affect our individual lives.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the information I was receiving from the news was anything but satisfying. Unfortunately, the political debate failed to provide me with many answers as well. Each political party simply pointed fingers at their opponents. If an informed public is really so essential to the success of democracy, it would be a good idea for the media to delve into the actual issues. Maybe then Americans can be sure they get what they voted for.

Black Friday

Last Friday was a day unlike any other. I stumbled out of bed at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m., grabbed my little sister, got in the car, and drove, with half the female population, towards a shopaholic's mecca: the mall. It was only my third year observing this holiday, Black Friday, and I paid my dues to the shopping gods as I battled for parking spaces, scanned racks and shelves for the best sales, and stood in lines for hours. I did it right this time, and bought gifts for friends and family, not presents for myself. Luckily, there were no fights with other women over who gets the last toaster, no lost children, and nobody telling me there was nothing left on my debit card. All in all, a successful trip. I was home by 10:30, and had two hours to sleep before any of my friends would even think about dragging themselves out of bed.

It's an interesting ritual to observe. The day after we talk about all that we are blessed with, we go and squander crazy amounts of money in short time periods. It is the "official" start to the holiday season, apparent in the unending Christmas music, long line to see Santa, and the special gift items that are enough to make one gag. Capitalism is in full effect. It is not necessarily the day when the most money is made by businesses (that is usually the day or Saturday before Christmas), but it is the day when the largest volume of customers flock to the stores. This may be a helpful boost to our economy, which has been continuously assaulted by terrorist attacks, wars, and natural disasters. Some people view the day as proof that consumer companies are becoming too powerful and influential for their own good. These people can be found huddled inside their houses on the day after Thanksgiving, a holiday they call "Buy Nothing Day." Either way, it is a ritual for people. Some take it more seriously than others, lining up outside the stores early, after a night of strategizing with friends. Some just enjoy the five-dollar deals, and the wonderful feeling that comes with knowing that the Christmas shopping is done.

A Daring Boy Named Bob

A boy named Bob* down my hall saw the movie Love Actually this past weekend when he visited his girlfriend. Love Actually was publicized as a “Chick Flick”, a movie about love and Romantic humor. If a guy wanted to see Love Actually, he must be crazy because it is a movie that only appeals to girls’ interests. So for Bob to see Love Actually is a huge step for mankind.
It turns out Bob loved this movie! He confessed he found it funny and “cute” at some parts. All week he continuously asked everyone if they had seen Love Actually. Of course, all the girls had seen it and immediately went off about their favorite part and the how much they loved Hugh Grant. The ‘strong’ men had not seen the movie. They all looked skeptically at Bob with blank, half-sincere smiles. Bob proceeded to tell them that they should definitively see Love Actually, with an open mind of course.
Why do they have to see it with an open mind? Why does the media make movies out to be a certain way? Publicists spend hours determining the image that a certain movie wants to portray. If they want to appeal to women and young girls, they will make the movie into a chick flick; emphasizing the love scenes and romantic humor. If they want to appeal to mean and teenage boys, they will emphasize the fight scenes and crude humor. Because of the different media portrayals, certain groups of people refuse to see a movie that does not appeal to their interest group.
But as I was looking more into this topic, I realized that not only does the media try to capture certain types of audience, but they also advertise for the season. Love Actually made two movie trailers (go to http://www.loveactually.com/ and click on trailers to check it out). One was for the Christmas Season and highlighted the parts of the movie that were about Christmas. There is Christmas music playing in the background and images of Christmas trees and lights. You feel that you must see this movie to get into the Christmas Spirit! But, what happens after Christmas comes and goes? The producers must make another trailer so people will still see the movie. Now the publicists emphasize love and a romantic comedy. Instead of saying, “In the holiday season it’s the perfect time of year to fall in love,” they will persuade you to see the movie by announcing, “from the creators of Four Weddings and Notting Hill, comes the ultimate romantic comedy, Love Actually.” Now you will still see the movie, even though it isn’t the holidays!
So, next time you see a romantic trailer, boys, or a gory fight scene, girls, don’t be discouraged. Sometimes we don’t think movies appeal to our tastes because the media makes us think this way. Go see a chick flick with your girlfriend and go see an action movie with your younger brothers, with an open mind of course.

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of those involved.

Rituals

Does a ritual have to be religious? If so, my religion must revolve around horror movies and cell phones. Since I came to college, I've developed a bedtime ritual. After doing as much homework as I can stomach, I close my laptop in a triumphant act of finality. I think to myself, "I'm done! My computer is off, can't do any more work! Too late now!" After the computer is silenced, it's time to get ready for bed. I put on pajamas and grey, disheveled slippers, grab my little blue bag of excitement (complete with soap, washcloth, toothbrush, and toothpaste), and head to the bathroom at the end of the hall.

As I creep over the hardwood floor, I realize that everyone else is asleep on our hall besides my roommate and me... and then the faint paranoia settles in. I'm wandering through this 3 a.m. consciousness alone, and It's a little scary. I tiptoe faster to the bathroom. Phew! Safe inside. (That was a close one. I think someone was probably lurking in the stairwell, just waiting to jump out and get me.) I give the room a quick once-over and check for bad guys behind both shower curtains, you know, just in case. I brush my teeth and everything is OK. I can see the whole room, no blind spots.

But then the trouble comes.

Hrmm... I ponder the ultimate question: How do I wash my face without closing my eyes? I've seen way too many scary movies in my life to be fooled by the old trick of "Look down when the coast is clear, look back up and now someone's there!" I give up trying to keep the mirror in sight, and I just wash my face really quickly. I look back up and breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully, I'm still alone. No phantoms have crept up behind me.

I walk back to my room, somewhat more confidently this time. (But I still make sure to lock the door right behind me-- I don't want the imaginary monsters following me inside.) Now I'm too excited from this excursion to fall asleep, so I grab my cell phone. Who can I call? Who would still be up this late? No one. OK, then who can I wake up and get away with it?

Simple, my boyfriend.

"Andre, I can't sleep."
"(Sleepily) All right... should I tell you a story?"
"Yes, please."

I don't even care what the "story" is. More often than not, it's just the recollection of some innocuous event from earlier that day. But I've gotten used to tucking myself into bed while talking on the phone, and now I need it to fall asleep quickly. As a child I always had trouble sleeping, and I always found it helpful to create a "pre-bedtime" ritual. Over the years this process has included reading a specific book, or listening to a certain song after I turned out the light. And now, in college, it has become the pattern of freaking myself out late at night and then listening to my boyfriend talk on the phone. What can I say? Works like a charm!

Re-examining My Faith

Every Sunday I try to attend Catholic Mass. Last week I brought with me a non-Catholic friend who needed to observe a mass for a religious studies class. Afterwards she questioned me about the significance of various prayers and rituals which are commonplace in a weekly Catholic Mass. Having an outside observer question fundamental ideas like transubstantiation (the Catholic belief that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ) inadvertently helped me to reexamine my own faith.

Even today with the increasing presence of religion in the media, many people still keep the religion they grew up with. Unfortunately, many people as a result lack the opportunities to deeply examine their beliefs if no one is there to question them. For me, I was raised a Catholic by an entirely Catholic family, and therefore some of the very basic teachings of the Catholic Church are embedded in my religious beliefs—that is, I take them as a given without really examining them as if I were an outsider. I think it is great that so many people keep the religion they grew up with; however, sometimes it is necessary to take an outsider’s perspective to truly understand what you believe in.

Am I religious...are you?

Before I became confirmed in 2003, I didn't consider myself to be very religious. I am a reformed Jew; I don't keep kosher, I don't go to temple on Shabbat, I don't even have a Shabbat dinner, sometimes I used to babysit the little kids at temple during the High Holy days so I didn't have to sit in on the borin services and I most certainly never refrained from using electricity on Saturdays.

However, as I went through the Confirmation process I began to redefine the meaning of what it is to be religious in my mind. I realized that "going through the motions" is not being religious, it is picking the rituals that are the most important to us and then finding meaning in performing them. I do not go to temple every Friday night, but I do go on the anniversaries of my grandparents deaths. On these evenings, I light a yahrzeit candle in their honor and enjoy being at synagogue. Instead of going out of habit and wishing I was out with my friends, I am happy and feel deep meaning at being at services on these nights. And on these nights I don't jsut sit in the back waiting for the end of service, but sing every song I know and follow along with all of the prayers. Being at synagogue on these nights I feel spirtual and invigorating, while going every week would be cumbersome and boring for me. I thought about keeping kosher and realized that ritual did not hold any significance for me, personally. I saw it is an outdated health practice that was unnecessary and did not bring me closer to God. Keeping kosher would not make me feel like a better and more religious Jew.

I think being religious means questioning our official religions' practices and finding how we can adopt them to create our own personal relationship with it whether it be Judaism, Christianity or anything else. I know I can always strive to be a better Jew. And I know the answer is not by prohibiting myself from dozing off during a sermon, but maybe by understanding a new passage of Torah and interpreting its meaning or helping a neighbor write her sermon for her Bat Mitzvah. These intentional acts of meaning are what makes us more religious and that is why now when people ask me whether or not I am religious I give an affirmative yes without hesitation.

Just Believe

Out of my five closest friends at Penn, all but one of them are Jewish. Never before has the religion of my friends been discussed; however, away from home and our families we find that our religion brings us closer together. We share stories about the seventh grade Bar and Bat Mitzvah circuit and summers spent at overnight camps and, of course, we play Jewish Geography (which, in case you don't know is basically thinking of every person that the other may know from school, camp or any summer program). But when we're with Amanda we always second-guess ourselves...Should we not talk about such Jewish events and activities in front of her? Will she feel out of place? After spending almost three months together we've come to realize that it's the complete opposite. In fact, it's more than okay to discuss Judaism with Amanda. She listens to stories, asks questions and tells us about her experience going to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. And not only has she learned from us, but we've learned from her. Often we find ourself bombarding Amanda with questions about her religion--Greek Orthodox. I have found out more information about her religion than I ever could have read in a text book and I am excited to learn more. Not only do we teach each other, but we tend to end up comparing the two religions. We have found many similarities that I never knew existed between the two religions and I'm sure there are more. However, more importantly I have learned from Amanda that it really does not matter what religion a person identifies with or how religious a person chooses to be. What is important is whether or not that person has faith. Whether this faith be in a god, another person or themselves does not matter--what is essential is simply that a person believes in something.

Harry Potter

Last week I participated in one of my favorite rituals-attending the midnight showing of Harry Potter. The fourth Harry Potter movie, The Goblet of Fire, was released 12:00 a.m. Friday morning. I attended this late-night viewing for the release of the first three movies with my friends at home. Going to school in a new city, with a whole new set of friends was not going to prevent me from continuing this tradition. The excitement starts months in advance with the release of the first teaser trailer. It is a cue for me to re-read the book and try to imagine how all of the action will be portrayed on the big screen. What will be included in the movie and what will be left out? As more trailers are released, my friends and I search online for the international versions because they will often have different clips. We try to satisfy our curiousity by finding out as much as we can about the movie. Fandango.com becomes our new best friend, since it allows us to purchase our tickets online in advance and ensures us that we will get seats for the viewing. While this year I didn't have to worry about waking up and going to school on three hours of sleep, I had to bundle up and battle the chilling 40 degree weather. However cold weather is surely a small price to pay to see the movie the first possible time. The group of twelve people that I went with and I left the dorm an hour early, we wanted to get good seats. When we got to the Bridge we were shocked to see a line of hundreds of people stretching all the way to 41st street. The Harry Potter series is unique in its ability to draw a following of all different age groups. I hadn't expected the Bridge to be showing the same movie simultaneously in six of its theaters. I hadn't expected a woman to be scalping movie tickets on the sidewalk outside the theater. I hadn't expected so many people on a college campus to spend their Thursday night waiting in the cold for at least an hour to view a movie. Apparently, there aren't many limits to what people are willing to sacrifice.

a life of performance

The word performance pops up often in obscure and unlikely places. A surgeon performes surgery. At the Giant's game, Amani Toomer performed a dance in the endzone after he scored a touch-down. A military veteran performed the Star Spangled banner before the game. In a eulogy of Bob Tisch during half-time, he performed many acts of philanthropy and kindness. It could be said that my mom performed the act of making dinner and I performed as I recounted a story I had heard that day at dinner (while really I was just telling it). If the word perform actually means "to function, to operate in a certain way" or "to carry out a task" is it possible that we are always performing?

If we consider the denotation of the word, we literally are always performing by carrying out our actions, but we are also quite possibly performing all the time for others in the more abstract sense of the word. While Toomer probably danced in the endzone because he felt genuienly accomplished on reaching his goals, it is also probable that he danced because he knew his audience would approve and enjoy it. Bob Tisch perfomed acts of kindness, which he may have very well done for his "audience" of co-workers and associates who would approve of his use of time and money. I performed a story at dinner because I knew my parents would enjoy it. And as for homework, I think most of us can agree that while we might get some pleasure out of learning from the assignment, we perform it to the best of our abilities because we know it will please our professors.

We often accuse the media of misplaced priorities when they consider entertaining their audience more important than reporting the news accurately. In a sense, they are "performing" in order to get approval and offer enjoyment to an audience. I wonder if we can be so critical of the media for doing what we quite possibly do all the time. Is it okay for us to perform to please others but demand that the media perform differently or really not perform at all?

Family Guy

A couple of weeks ago, the incredibly popular show Family Guy opened with a hilarious bit. Much of Family Guy is made up of social satire and cut-aways so this bit was perfectly typical of the show.

The scene starts with an animated Osama bin Laden speaking into a camera. I'm paraphrasing but Osama is saying something along the lines of "All the Americans infidels must be killed. We will bring down America. In this holy month of Radaman." Of course, it's the holy month of "Ramadan," not "Radaman." Osama cracks up over this mispronounciation and tries to re-shoot the take, but he just can't do it without breaking into laughs. "Radaman, what am I gonna do, kill them with my crazy hair?" he asks, in a reference to Dennis Rodman's hair preference, the former Chicago Bulls basketball star. Osama then riffs on what would happen if he did the whole scene with a rubber chicken in hand..."What, it wasn't me? It's the chicken!" Or with goofy, over-sized sunglasses.

I'm not doing it justice, but the scene was truly hysterical. I laughed all the way through. It's easily one of the best bits ever on Family Guy and I'm a big fan. But why is this funny? Is it really comical to poke fun at somebody who was essentially the direct cause of the biggest terrorist attack on American soil ever? 9/11 is so fresh in all our minds...was this really appropriate? On some level, the scene is sympathetic to bin Laden merely in its depiction of him as having a great sense of humor? Can we really hate this guy...I'd rather have a beer with him. I was reminded of the award-winning play The Producers. I'm sure many of you have seen it, but for those who haven't or aren't familiar, The Producers is about a man who decides to make the worst flop of a movie he possibly can in an order to run away with the investors' money. The movie ends up being called Springtime for Hitler, and it basically portrays the Nazi party, WW2, Hitler, and the Holocaust in a very comical light. At the play, I laughed along with everyone else, but in the back of my mind I couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt. The Nazis incinerated a third of my people as well a hundreds of thousands of other minorities (gays, gypsies). I'm almost conditioned to get angry and enraged when I talk about Hitler or the Nazis. I was brought up with such a hatred for Hitler and all that he stood for that it just seemed fundamentally "weird" to be laughing at him.

Mel Brooks, who wrote The Producers, is of course Jewish himself. I doubt a non-Jew would be able to get away with writing this play. Brooks has talked extensively about the power of laughter. He believes it's really the only way to confront the evil in this world and be able to go on with our lives. For Brooks, comedy is a coping mechanism. The writer/s of the bin Laden scene in Family Guy would no doubt prescribe to the same philosophy. Brooks makes a good point, but I for one, am still torn. Even though it may help us cope with tragedy, is it still right to make comedy out of the Holocaust or 9/11? I was arguing with someone the other day about the movie Life is Beautiful, which tells the story of how a man tried to shiel his son from the horrors of the Holocaust in the hell that were the concentration camps. This person felt it was simply wrong to show that any good came from the Holocaust at all or to imply that life could possibly be beautiful in the concentration camps. He thought it sent people the wrong message. I vehemently disagreed, but the notion was actually expressed by many highyl-regarded critics at the time of the movies' release as well. How do we reconcile art and comedy with human tragedies?

I Want My Junior TV

Today I was watching TV, and something occurred to me. When it comes to children’s shows (and I’m talking toddler-age here), the media always provides wholesome and morally-“acceptable” programs. These shows teach lessons, ethics, math, grammar, phonics, and other educational subjects. Big deal, right? Well this wouldn’t be so important if not for the fact that this trend only lasts for a short time. As soon as the age bracket for these shows increases, the educational and moral features cease to exist. Consider shows like Barney & Friends, Bear in the Big Blue House, Eureka’s Castle, or whatever else is shown nowadays. These shows are intended to instruct toddlers and young children in a friendly and fun environment. The characters tell the primarily youth audience how special they are, how fun counting is, and why treating everyone nicely is enjoyable. Now consider shows like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, X-Men, Power Rangers, and Transformers (the most recent version). These shows teach no valuable lessons. They have no moral guidelines or educational bases. These shows are solely broadcast for entertainment, and, as sources of entertainment, they feature violence presented in a humorous and gratifying manner. Maybe there are salubrious television programs being broadcast, but odds are that they are being shown on obscure and unpopular channels in the seventies or eighties (when their favorite shows are on channels six, seven, ten, and thirteen). Why does the media feel it necessary to teach our toddlers beneficial things, only to then corrupt these children’s minds with images of violence and detrimental behavior?

Sure it is important to supplement a preschooler or kindergartener’s schooling with instructive shows (making them think that they are watching a fun TV show while unknowingly learning at the same time), but the children will forget these important lessons when their new favorite heroes skip school, use horrible grammar, and beat the shit out of each other, while laughing the whole time. The media might claim that the post-infancy period is a crucial age for mental development. Therefore, teaching children during this stage will have the most constructive and lasting effects. Good point, media. Nevertheless, the mind continues to mature and develop all through childhood until adolescence ends, which generally takes place around age twenty-one. So teaching children during a critical part of their early development will help them, but what is the point of no longer teaching them and distorting their principles at later vital period of maturity for them? If, as a child, I were raised on Barney telling me to love everyone and be excited to learn, I would most likely possess those values in some form as an adult. But if, as a twelve-year-old, I watched mutants and humans kill and hate each other and kids cut school to go on exciting adventures, I would probably lose those values and adopt ones like cutting school and hating “freaks” is cool. The point is that some pre-teens and young teens might know better, but there are also many more who will not. If the media is going to teach us as young children, it shouldn’t shirk the responsibility midway through our pre-adult lives. If you’re creating a picture, you don’t just sketch the framework and then ruin it by hurling black paint at the image. You carefully paint according to the framework to ensure that your earlier work was not in vain. It’s really not that hard of a concept to grasp.

War of the Religions: Non-Denominational Style

When I first came to Penn, people were so curious about my history. When I explained to them that I went to an all girls’ school, they were always curious about whether it was a Catholic School. When I told them it was non-denominational, they were so confused. No one had ever heard of an all girls’ school that was non-denominational. They had always heard of Catholic Girl Schools. Yes, indeed I went to a non-denominational girls’ school. In fact, there are two in my area on the same street, called Baldwin and Agnes Irwin.

It’s interesting that even though both schools are non denominational, there is a clear denomination at each school.

At Baldwin, most of the girls are Jewish. They all had huge Bat mitzvahs that were the social event of 8th grade. They were the social event because there was one every weekend. If you weren’t Jewish, you couldn’t fully participate in this ritual and it was much more difficult to fit in, so hard that on average 3 a year would switch to a different school going into freshmen year.

At Agnes Irwin, the one Jewish girl that was ever in my class switched schools for high school as well. Everyone at Agnes Irwin was Protestant; Presbyterian to be exact. They all went to the same church, where everything exciting happened. Every Thursday morning, there was Breakfast Club at the local Presbyterian Church where all of the action would happen. The girls with the boyfriends went to breakfast club, because that was where the cool boys were. When the church lost one of their most favored ministers, the entire school was upset, pretty unbelievable if you ask me.

I went to Agnes Irwin for 13 years (K-12) and knew one Jewish girl through all of my years there. All of the Jewish girls were at Baldwin, so the only Jewish people I knew were guys. When I came to Penn, I interrogated this girl down the hall from me about Judaism because I have never gotten the chance to really understand it. I feel as though I was left out of that culture because I didn’t get to experience it as I was growing up; all I had to do was go to the wrong non-denominational school.

Wanted: Unfriendly Atheists

Have you ever noticed that most people who commit violent crimes are always remembered by their neighbors and friends as such nice people? Why is everyone’s reaction always along the lines of “But he was such a good boy – he fed soup to the homeless everyday. He would never assassinate the president.” Or “but she was always so sweet to animals. I can’t imagine why she would electrocute her babysitter.”

A few days ago, in Pennsylvania, 18-year-old David Ludwig shot and killed his girlfriend’s parents after arguing about her curfew. He then allegedly kidnapped the 14-year-old girl, outrunning the police until a high-speed crash in Indiana.

Now his neighbors are speaking up. One of his coworkers commented, “He was a really good guy. He was friendly and joked around. I considered him to be a good Christian – he brought his Bible and read it during breaks.”

If this is the way good Christians behave, I think I’m going to avoid them. What, you’re carrying a Bible? Whoah stay away from him, he could be dangerous. If you are an unfriendly atheist, let’s be buddies. Give me a call.

I'm Sorry Susie

I would like to present the tragic story my ex-hallmate, who for purposes of anonymity, I will refer to as “Susie.” Susie looks like a horse: tall, large nose, long face, trots when she walks (just kidding). She is also orthodox Jewish. Very orthodox Jewish.

Let me describe the first memory I have of Susie. Friday afternoon of NSO. I walk into the girl’s bathroom. Susie is standing there with a confused look on her face. “How do you think you can turn off the lights in here?” she asks. Seeing as they turn on automatically when you enter the room, I reply “You would probably have to tape over the sensor. Why would you want to turn the lights off?” Susie replied, “I am Jewish and on Friday I can’t do any work, including turning on and off the lights.” “Ohh ok,” I said. Then I noticed a large wad of toilet paper by the sink. Susie can’t physically “rip” toilet paper on Saturdays so she rips a lot on Friday afternoon to get by the Sabbath.

Later that night, I returned to the bathroom after a get-together off campus, feeling a little sick to my stomach. I was also slightly disorientated and could not figure out why the lights would not turn on. I vomited on myself. That was my second memory of Susie.

The next Thursday afternoon she taped over the sensor. My roommate (who is Jewish) took the tape off. The following week Susie taped it over again, only this time she also taped a sign to the bathroom door, asking us to not take off the tape “unless we wanted her to go to HELL.” Very dramatic. But it didn’t work because someone still ripped the tape off.

I’m sad to say, but Susie is no longer a member of our hall. She had difficulties with her roommate and college in general. The tape in the bathroom probably also contributed to her frustration. She left us a few weeks ago. I haven’t seen her around campus. I hope she’s OK. I hope she’s not in HELL because of me. Cause Susie I just really want to say I’m sorry. I’ll pee in the dark every Friday night, I’ll puek on myself again, just please come back. We miss you.

Picture This

I’m Roman Catholic, born and raised. I went to a Catholic grade school and what is essentially a Catholic High School, and I had religion class every single year. I learned all the prayers, read almost all the stories in the Bible, studied all the dogmas, and went to church every Sunday for eighteen years. However, there has always been an aspect of my faith that has bothered me. My faith is focused upon icons, images, and words. There is not a single church that I know of that does not have statues, crosses, pictures (whether they be small paintings, murals, stained-glass windows, or metal creations), and other visual representations of events and people. I had always wondered why this fact is true, but now it occurs to me: my religion (and I’m sure many other religions) is heavily based upon images. Look at the facts: Religious textbooks used in schools contain various illustrations. Many people are buying or already own picture bibles. It’s commonplace to find the Stations of the Cross being acted out by people and illustrated in books rather than just read aloud. People even find it hard to pray without holding a rosary in their hands or staring at a statue or painting.

Whether religious leaders will admit it or not, these habits have culminated in a startling and unnerving reality: Christians have fallen in love with images and icons within their faith, not with saints, God, and other holy figures. Children are coerced to pray to the saints and God, and they are thrown in front of statues, the rosary, and pictures of holy people However, they are innocently praising and admiring the statues and the physical representations themselves, not Jesus, God, etc. These kids grow up not knowing any better and come to replace the actual people with the statues they correspond to. Therefore, Christians are being nurtured to love the image of Jesus hanging on the cross and to be in awe of it, yet they forget, without even realizing it, to respect the meaning behind the statue. There is no need to have stained-glass windows and statues in a church; people are not there to be look at magnificent art. Hopefully, they are in church to be in God’s presence, to speak and listen to Him. Save the art for a museum. Moreover, when people hear the name Jesus, they automatically associate it with the image of a white man with flowing brown/blonde hair. If they were not preoccupied with the picture of Christ, they would instead be thinking of his life, sacrifices, and teachings. Sadly, the beauty of religious art is serving to pull people away from the essence of religion.

Going further with this, even words have become a problem in Christianity. People memorize prayers, bible stories, the Beatitudes, and the Ten Commandments, but then they go outside and steal or commit adultery. People have fallen in love with words as much as they have with images. Reciting prayers or going to Mass has become a mindless and monotonous chore. The words are there, but the meaning is not. Christians read the bible intently, thinking that doing so is some devout feat, but they might as well be reading People Magazine if they’re not going to put those words into actions. You can buy the picture bible or the one with only words; it’s your choice. If you do not use the bible, or any religious item, for what it is meant (teaching lessons that should be followed) you’re only wasting your own time. So the present state of a majority of Christianity appears as follows: people are content with staring at statues, pictures, words, and pieces of wood glued together to form a cross, ignoring the profound meaning behind them.

On a side (and much lighter) note, it is amazing how the human mind works at one in the morning.

Gettin' My Jesus On: Story Of A Church Geek.

Yes people, if you haven't figured it out, I'm a church geek. I grew up in my church all throughout grade school. When high school came though, I was confronted with questions about my faith. so, I explored a bit. I joined two new youth groups in addition to the one in my parish. But by teenage standards, I'm sure the geekiest thing I did was...join the church band.

I can remember the church band in gradeschool, all those weird adults singing and playing guitar. Quite honestly, they were creepy. But when I joined the LifeTeen band at St. Albert's, I was shown a whole new spin on church music. We made it, if you can imagine, fun. Not only did we have a great time at practice every week, but mass on Sunday...well, it was a hit! Attendance was much higher at Lifeteen masses, and after mass, many of the teenage congregation joined us for fun, games, and of course, pizza.

Is what we did sneaky? Making religion...fun. I suppose, but it gave the parish something to talk about, something to enjoy about going to mass on Sunday. Not only were we having a great time, but we were glorifying the Lord in the process. Killing two birds with one stone, if you will. My days spent in the band were filled with great friends, hard work, crazy hours of practice, and insane amounts of fun.

I wouldn't trade my "church geek" status for anything, and i can't wait to go back home and play in the band on Christmas!

Athletes Spreading the Word of the Lord

Most youths in America dread going to Church on Sundays because it’s “not cool” or maybe because they’d rather stay home playing video games. However, when somebody very cool sends them the message that it’s alright to go to Church, they may decide it’s not so bad after all. Last week, the All Star shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, Michael Redd, fulfilled his promise to his father, a reverend, by paying for a new Church. In an interview he stated how powerful the Lord is in his life, and he claims he wouldn’t be where he is now without His guidance. He humbly claimed this purchase was for Him: “"The Lord, he gave me life. What I did was to give it right back to Him. That's the least I could do, is buy a church. The very least I could do."

When those same youths who did not want to attend Church on Sundays see this gesture and this devotion, they think “Maybe religion is cool…?” Athletes are quite influential in society, and their actions are often echoed on playgrounds around the country. The popularity of Christianity has increased as a result of such exposure from professional athletes.

faith-based initiatives

In a nation where the separation of Church and state is central to our ideology and government, it seems somewhat ironic that our current administration has adopted Faith-based initiatives as the main means of helping the needy. The mission of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) is:

“To create an environment within the Department (HHS) that welcomes the participation of faith-based and community-based organizations as valued and essential partners assisting Americans in need. The CFBCI's mission is part of the Department's focus on improving human services for our country's neediest citizens.” (http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/)

In general, the poor has been most helped by faith-based institutions such as churches, synagogues and mosques. American citizens tend to grumble about increasingly high taxes, regardless of whether the money is going to help the poor. Americans in general as autonomous citizens do not like being required to redistribute their income from hard work. However, many Americans are more than willing to give to charity at their own will; they feel morally obligated to give to their religious institutions as part of their religious belief systems.

It is strange that our willingness to give to the poor is really a matter of rhetoric; we want to give because we are fulfilling a religious duty, not because our hard-earned money is being taken from us in tax-dollars. Either way, we are still giving away our money, hard earned or not, to the poor. In many ways, faith-based initiatives are a brilliant manipulation of rhetoric so the government can help fund these religious institutions in helping the poor.

However, inevitable issues arise from government giving money selectively to certain institutions. Perhaps allocating more money to faith-based initiatives means allocating less money to social services like welfare and DYFS. These secular services are vital to our nations’ poor and due to lack of funding and attention they are corrupt and mismanaged. In addition, Faith-based initiatives can threaten civil rights. In 1996, a “charitable choice” law was passed as part of the Welfare Reform Act. It states:

“Religious groups are allowed to refuse hiring certain types of people—such as gays or unwed mothers—if it violates the basic beliefs of that religion. The law also allows groups to hire only from particular religions—as when a Christian group hires a Christian administrator—if such a policy is deemed important to their mission.” (http://www.beliefnet.com/story/66/story_6608_1.html)

From a utilitarian point of view, faith-based initiatives are ethical because they can do a lot of good for a great number of people, but there are still many issues that need to be worked out. Would Bush be willing to give government grants to fundamentalist Muslim groups? Would he support a congregation with a gay pastor? Faith-based initiatives may be effective and hopefully, they can do so without stripping Americans of their civil rights or mixing Church and state in an unjust way.

Natan Sharansky

Last week I attended a lecture out by Penn's Landing given by Natan Sharansky. Sharansky is famous for the role he played in the refusnik movement in Russia in the 1970's. The refusiks was a term used to described those who had applied to get out of Russia, were denied visas, and were not happy about it to say the least. Sharansky was eventually arrested and at the age of 26 was thrown in the Gulag. After nine years in prison he was finally released and immigrated to Israel as had always been his wish where he was reunited with his wife. He went on to become a major player in Israeli politics rising through the ranks to gain a position which is equivalent to Speaker of the House in America. He would also become Deputy Prime Minister (a position similar to VP) and most recently held a position in Ariel Sharon's cabinet. He very publicly withdrew from the cabinet about six months ago in protest of the pending withdrawal from the Gush Katif settlements in Gaza. He is also the author of Fear No Evil, a book which chronicles his life in the Gulag, and The Case for Democracy (2005), a book which has a garnered a significant amount of publicity because George W. Bush apparently was inspired by it. A friend of mine cracked that "when you read only a few books your entire life they are all very special to you," but that's a different story.

That was all background information. I want to key in on one specific idea Sharansky spoke about which relates to our class. Sharanksy described how during his youth he was totally disconnected with Judaism and assimilated into Russian society. This is not surprising as it is the result of Russian communist philosophy and the disillusionment that many Jews experienced after the Holocaust. It was only in 1973 that Sharansky rediscovered his Jewish identity and became an ardent Zionist. 1973 was the year of the Yom Kippur War when Israel was attacked in the Sinai and the Golan Heights by Egypt and Syria with support from the surrounding Arab countries. Israel was taken off guard by the attack, unsurprisingly, as it was Yom Kippur (the Jews' Day of Atonement). After just under three weeks of fighting the UN called for a ceasefire, but Israel had basically won the war--what many Israelis deem a miracle given their underdog status. After the war, Sharansky described how people began to look at him differently. The newspapers took a different tone when writing about Israel--bitter, but with a grudging acknowledgement of respect. In a memorable moment, Sharansky related how the anti-semitic jokes transformed. Before the war they were the stereotypical kind about big noses and greed, but after the war they focused on Jews being bullies and occupiers. Sharansky realized that he was being viewed as a different person because of a country which he felt no ties to. As a Jew, he had become a representative, an ambassador even, of the State of Israel. Instead of resenting this, he embraced it and went on to lead the life that I described in the first paragraph.

What are the implications of this? Does the media influence how people view us and our religions whether we like it or not? It would seem that it does, but is that fair? It seems very dangerous to me as we don't need to look further than the Nazi propaganda campaign to see how media can convince an entire civilized nation to wholeheartedly support genocide. In any case, Sharansky accepts this as a reality of life, a reality which cannot be changed whether it is just or not. Aryeh Green, a senior advisor to Sharansky, gave a few lectures at Hillel over the weekend. Given the way people associate Jews with Israel, Green insists that Jews must become very active in the State of Israel and do everything they can to improve it and to advocate for it with the ultimate goal of aliyah (immigration). Is Green's plea realistic? Offensive? Fair?

The Definition of Religion

Our class discussion on the exact definition of religion reminded me of a very deep discussion I had with one of my friends back home on the topic.

It was sometime over spring break last year, and Sam had received acceptances from 10 out of the 11 colleges that she had applied to. Her father was the headmaster and former college counselor of our high school and her mother comes from one of the wealthiest families in the state of California. One would think that they would offer their opinions on where she should go to school every single second of the day. Needless to say, they wanted her to make the decision on her own. All of her choices were east coast schools and her decision came down to the small differences between the 10 liberal arts colleges.

At this point she was feeling very lost and very confused. She had grown up in church and always believed that when a decision like this came that she would feel guided in one way or another. She was so frustrated at this point in time because she felt that she was standing all by herself to make this decision with basically no one there to help her.

We went to our favorite beach (the one I basically grew up on), sat on the wall at 10 pm with our Starbucks in hand and tried to solve the problems of the world. Needless to say, we didn't end any major global problems, but she admitted that she wasn't sure if she believed in God anymore. She felt very let down in the fact that He wasn't providing any guidance and she decided that she had to find a new religion.

After a venti skim milk vanilla latte (extra hot), we decided that her religion would be her family and friends. She had devoted her life to religion and to serving God, and since she no longer felt that way, she wanted to devote herself to her friends and family in the same way that she had devoted herself to God.

Bottom line, the term religion can be defined by each person. We all come up with our own unique definitions of religion, and our religions each hold a different significance.

Catholic Kaine Wins in Virginia

Virginians elected Democrat Timothy Kaine last Tuesday as the state's next governor. His opposition, Jerry Kilgore, campaigned heavily on the premise that Kaine is "too liberal for the conservative state" (Shear). Kaine, on the other hand, took a much different approach on the campaign trail. Kaine broke away from traditional Democratic tactics and often discussed his Catholic faith. He regularly mentioned his work as a missionary and many of his television and radio ads highlighted his religion. One ad in particular stated: "the Bible teaches we can accomplish great things when we work together."

By taking a seemingly "un-Democratic" approach to this election, Kaine made he appealing to both the liberals and the religious--two groups that generally do not vote together. So what drove Kaine to make one of his strongest stances about God? Many he truly believes that religion should help determine the outcome of an election, but, more likely, he realized that, just as President Bush did in the last election, he had to put faith at the forefront of his campaign in order to win. In a state like Virginal, historically conservative, this is no exception. This election, however, makes me wonder. In our increasingly religious country does a candidate set him/herself up for failure if he/she does not glorify religion in his/her campaign? Now more than ever, because religious tactics have crossed party lines, this seems to be the new reality. Religion draws voters from both sides and it will be interesting to see how many candidates, Democrats and Republicans, use their faith as a platform in the next election.

I got my *Bling* right here!

In the United States, it’s cool to be religious. Everyone is doing it! I’ve got my 5inch gold cross around my neck. It swings across my chest with each step I take. Man I’m hot. But do I really believe in religion or God?

It’s surprising to me how stylish wearing a cross is. It seems to me that most rappers and high profile stars won’t go anywhere without their jewelry. It’s like a contest, each one is trying to beat the last. So are these stars religious or are they just trying to keep up with the style?

Last summer I worked at a jewelry store. We sold precious stones and silver jewelry to old women trying to find something for their granddaughters. One day, a 14 or 15 year old boy came in to the store. He was wearing an eagles jersey that was about to slip off his small frame. His baggy jeans were hanging at his knees to show his plaid boxers. He approached me and asked, “If I had any bling available.” I told him that we had some crosses in the back of the store, so he followed me back there. He then said, “No thank you, I am not looking for a cross. Do you have some bling in the shape of a Star of David?”

I don’t know how I feel about this incident. Clearly, this kid was trying to keep up with the rapper style. Was he religious? I think it is perfectly fine for a person to show their religion, but when has it gotten to the point that it is a style, I think that’s wrong. When a person displays a religion, they should believe in it, not only do it for the style side of things.

Religion and its Expanding Role in Politics

A secular state actually aids religion more than a theocracy would. This is the gist of a bold claim made by James Wilson, former president of the American Political Science Association, as he spoke to students yesterday. The DP reported that Wilson referred to a "free market for religion" at a national level in the United States. This relates to the expanding nature of existing religions and increasing number of new dominations throughout the country. The practice of religious tolerance in the United States allows for the creation and maintenance of all different religious institutions. It also fosters the practice of individuals identifying themselves from others based on their unique religion.

According to the article, Wilson discussed several benefits to living in one of the world's most religious countries. He argued that citizens who are more religious are more likely to act lawfully, be economically sound, and have solid marriages. He also acknowledged the trend of voting for politicians based on their religious beliefs rather than their platform surrounding other major issues. Policy issues pertaining to religion can be very important. For instance, many Catholic voters who have strong sentiments about abortion most likely voted for Bush in the previous election. However I remember listening to a radio show on NPR around election time last year, that interviewed several religious leaders. The leaders preached to their congregations and urged them to vote for Bush simply because doing otherwise would be a sin. The religious leaders neglected to discuss any actual political issues. If citizens vote solely based on their religious views, they are neglecting their role as citizens and are failing to exercise their right to vote for the most qualified candidate based on all the issues surrounding the candidate's platform. It seems that going to Church just may be a new form of grass-roots campaigning for elections in the future.

Riots in France

As France attempts to quell the violence which has occurred over the past few days, I can only help but wonder why all this happened in the first place. Yes, the direct cause for the riots is the two young Muslim men who were electrocuted when apparently hiding from the police in a power plant. This still, however, does not explain the tremendous uproar that ensued after their tragic deaths. The answer, I believe, is rooted much deeper in an ethnic and religious clash that has been going on in France for decades now. The once dominant Christian population is experiencing negative growth, while the Muslim population in France (many of North African descent) is steadily on the rise. This has caused much internal strife between the two religious and ethnic groups. Once again, unfortunately, religion is at the center of oppression and violence. The Muslims in France have long been ostracized from society, making up a large percentage of the unemployed lower class. To the remaining French Christians, these outsiders of a different religious background pose a serious threat to their way of life and their country’s future. It is unfortunate that after thousands of years, violence in the name of religion continues to rage in the streets of Parisian suburbs and all over the world.

Is there truly a seperation of Church and State?

Although I did not have the opportunity to attend the event this past Monday, The Daily Pennsylvania recapped a discussion led by guest speaker James Wilson, a public-policy professor at Pepperdine University in California. In his speech he discussed the religious benefits the United States reaps as a result of its secular government, and the importance of such a government in promoting religious tolerance. According to his argument, "...the benefits of religion are the most important when the government is not itself religious and enforces fair rules among those who are religious."

"American democracy has helped shape American religion," he said, "just as much as American religion has contributed to American democracy." In essence, the United States experiences a "free market" of religions--American citizens are able to freely choose what and whom they believe in. As a result, they embrace their own, unique identity, and although they are (or aren't if they don't wish to be) part of an organized religious community, they are able to maintain a sense of individualism if they so please.

Another interesting point in Professor Wilson's argument is that, according to several surveys, people who are religious obey the law more often than not, have economic success, and usually tend to live in two-parent families that donate to charities. Therefore, a secular government that promotes religious freedom, also promotes economic and social benefits for a city, state, etc.

It is important to notice the limplicit ink between religion and government here, although the United States has long promoted the seperation of the two entities. Essentially, they are not completely divorced of each other.

A Born Again Clapton Fan

Last Tuesday, I journeyed to the music mecca of Madison Square Garden with my trusty concert buddy hallmate. We spent hours on the Greyhound bus, walked the streets of New York in the pouring rain, all to see our guitar idol. God himself had transcended earth to play for us.

After dinner with our fellow music lovers, obsessive checking of tickets, and the taking of many silly pictures we came upon the gates of heaven. In big bright lights we saw the word "Cream" on the sign at Madison Square Garden. "Only North American shows" it boasted, "October 24, 25, & 26". This was too good to be true. As we crossed through the pearly gates, past the ticket scanners, food counters, and t-shirt venders I found myself in a state of awe.


I was actually going to see Cream perform live, after almost 40 years (17 of which I have been present for) of anticipation. The crowd was ready, with their weed in hand and long hair at their shoulders, they waited. Many of these people could have easily been my parents, and yet here we were, preparing to experience the ultimate musical experience. I could feel it; We were at the Crossroads of musical greatness. And then it happened.

The Blessed Trinity of Rock and Roll stepped out on stage: Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton. They blew us away with their psychedelic guitar riffs, mind blowing bass lines, and amazing drums solos. As we left the stadium, I could think of nothing else but that concert. It was all we talked about...for days. You would've thought my friend James knew I had to write these blogs, because in his exact words: "Seeing Cream was truly a religious experience." Could I have asked for more? Since that concert, James and I have declared that we are "Born Again Clapton Fans".

Jesus Walks?

Standing in my friend's room the other day, I heard one of my favorite songs, playing from the television. The song is titled "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West. West, a music producer and rapper out of Chicago, became popular a few years ago. What surprised me was that his song was playing on the trailer for the new movie "Jarhead", being released this Friday. The movie is not about Christianity, but about one Marine's experience serving his country in the Gulf War. I was confused : are they even allowed to play this song on TV?? It sure makes a bold statement, in the title alone. The intro to the song goes on:

We need to recruit all the soldiers, All of God's soldiers

We at war with society, racisim, and most of all we at war with ourselves (Jesus Walks)

God show me the way because the Devil's trying to break me down,

Jesus Walks with me.

This song at one point was the 11th most played in the United States, and Kanye won the Grammy for Best Rap Song for it in 2005. What does this say about religion in our society? Glorifying a song in the secular world that has specific religious comments seems to be outrageous, but, from my little corner of the world, I never heard anyone put up a fuss about it. Being a Christian, I am not immediately offended by this, but I also do not want to offend others that may have different beliefs. I am wondering if anyone considered the impact that this could have. Certainly a large percent of movie goers must be Jewish or of a religion other than Christianity. Would this song prevent them from seeing the movie, even though the movie has little to do with the song? It will be interesting to see what affects this small circumstance may have on the movie and music industries.

Wait, Halloween is a Religious Holiday?

“I thought it was just an excuse for us to run around dressed up and score candy from all the neighbors?"

Well it turns out Halloween actually developed from an old Celtic religious tradition over two thousand years old. The Celts lived in what is now Ireland, The United Kingdom, and Northern France, and they lived of a different calendar than we do today. Their new year began on November 1st, and October 31 was the eve of their new year. This day marked the conclusion of the summer and the beginning of the winter. On this day, the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred, and supposedly the ghosts of the dead returned to the earth. To protect themselves from the spirits, they would build large bonfires and burn crops and live animals as sacrifices to the Gods. During these celebrations, everybody dressed up in costumes and prayed for comfort and direction in the coming winter.

The Romans and Christianity took over the Celts by the 800’s. Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st All-Saints’ Day to honor all the saints and martyrs. This day also became known as All-Hallows Day, and the night before was All-Hallows Eve, and eventually Halloween. Our capitalistic society took this event and commercialized it, and it is now the second most money-making holiday, behind Christmas. Last year alone, Americans spent over $4 billion on decorations, costumes, candy, and other Halloween paraphernalia. This commercialization of Halloween demonstrates the weakening of religious traditions in society today.