American Religious Diversity Final

Dr. David Lane

May 22, 2003

Question #1

            Name: Joel Shrader

Question #2

            User Name: srfoofer@aol.com

Question #3

            Attendance: I was absent to one lesson and I was late only one time.

Question #4

My first film was entitled The Gulf War II, A tribute.  Some described it as an overly patriotic, pro-war, flag-waving piece of propaganda.  Needless to say, they did not share my point-of-view.  The film showed the human side of the war.  It showed some of the sacrifices that many have made, including death, for their cause.  It contained images of both Coalition and Iraqi forces.  It was a compilation of images grouped in themes; The Conflict, The Sorrow, The Troops and The Outcome.  I made no attempt to demonize anyone, but the film was definitively pro-American.  The song used was God Bless the USA, and it was edited on i-movie. 

My second film was entitled Devil Inside.  It began with the introduction of good vs. Evil, while Gregorian chant played in the background.  I showed several pictures of angels and demons.  The song changed to The Devil Inside at which time I began showing images of former world leaders, responsible for the deaths of millions of people.  I transitioned to images of notorious serial killers such as Ted Bundy.  To lighten the mood slightly, I included several cartoon images depicting evil characters.  This film was edited with Sonic My DVD software, which was included with the Sony DVD burner used to produce the film. 

Question #5

            I read the following books: all of World Religions in America, 90% of The Meme Machine, all of Consilience, all of Malcolm X and 35% of One Taste. 

Question #6

Field Trip: http://jshrader0.tripod.com/

Question #7

Autobiography: http://jshrader0.tripod.com/

Question #8

 My midterm grade was a B.  For a semester grade I deserve an A.  I have worked very hard throughout the course and committed many hours to completing the assigned tasks.  Besides the amount of work and effort, I have actually learned many important and practical things in this class.  I have learned to create a web site, make digital films, and I have learned to be more tolerant and understanding of other cultures and religions.  This class has wiped out years of misinformation and ignorance regarding Islam.  In this time of terror attacks and alert level orange, it is nice to be informed of whom the enemy really is; ignorance.

Question #9

I deserve an A because I completed all the requirements of the course.  I actively participated in each class discussions and gave relevant feedback when asked.  I have a fulltime job and I am a fulltime student, and yet, I dedicated at least 150 hours outside of class time to this course, which is more time than I spent on my CECS 174 (computer programming) and Digital logic and Design courses combined.  My attendance was good.  I feel that I have learned very practical and useful things in class.  Also I had to endure reading Ken Wilber.  I have never heard of anyone quoting himself nearly as much as he does.  That alone should get me the A.

Question #10

Malcolm X once stated, I am not a racist in any form whatsoever.  I dont believe in any form of discrimination or segregation.  I believe in Islam.  I am a Muslim and there is nothing wrong with being a Muslim, nothing wrong with the religion of Islam.  It just teaches us to believe in Allah as the God.  Malcolm had realized that what he had experienced in the form of religions, being a Baptist and afterward a member of the Nation of Islam, is that he has always been directly or indirectly taught to discriminate.  His fathers influence and promotion of Marcus Garveys back to Africa movement was a racially motivated separatist idea.  During his time with Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, Malcolm was once again geared toward a separatist mentality.  As a young man in Boston and New York, Malcolm accepted that the races needed to be kept separate.  This is all he knew and had experienced.  All this changed with Islam.

            When Malcolm met Orthodox Muslims he began to realize that there is great diversity and harmony within the Islamic world.  All his life Malcolm wanted to feel that he belonged.  As a child, he excelled in school to show that he belonged.  In Boston, he changed his wardrobe and endured painful hair treatments to fit in.  With the Nation of Islam, he preached the doctrines of Elijah Muhammad so that he could be accepted.  He learned through many painful lessons that he was never truly accepted.  During his pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm felt that he had finally found a place where he belonged, Islam.  You could be a king of peasant and no one would know . . . packed in the plane were white, black, brown, red, and yellow people, blue eyes and blond hair, and my kinky red hair all together brothers!  All honoring the same God, all in turn giving equal honor to each other. . . (Haley, pg. 330)  He was amazed by the diversity of the pilgrims and their attitude toward each other.  For the first time in his life he felt truly accepted and that he belonged. 

            Islam culminated Malcolms search for equality.  He found a place where his skin color did not dictate how he was treated or perceived.  This was an incredible experience that he quickly shared with others.  Malcolm stated: America needs to understand Islam; because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem . . . I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color (Haley, pg. 347).  He envisioned Islam as the means to unite the races and promote social wellbeing. 

http://www.malcolm-x.org/islam.htm

http://www.colostate.edu/Orgs/MSA/find_more/m_x.html

http://www.soundvision.com/info/racism/xletter.asp

Question #11

            There are several periods in Malcolms life that motivated his understanding of race relations; his upbringing in Lancing Michigan, his education in Boston and New York and his pilgrimage to Mecca.

            Growing up in a small town in Michigan, Malcolm Little was introduced to extreme racism in very personal ways.  His father, a Baptist preacher, advocated the teachings of Marcus Garvey and his Back to Africa movement.  Malcolm was taught that blacks and whites had no business living together, and only by leaving America and going back to Africa, will blacks be freed and able to succeed.  When he was four years old, his home was burned down by the Ku Klux Klan, and a couple years later, his father died at the hands of racist white men.  When asked by his teacher what he wanted to do when he grew up, Malcolm stated that he wanted to be a lawyer, his teacher quickly stated, A lawyer, thats no realistic goal for a nigger.  You need to think about something you can be (Haley, pg. 38).  This cemented his belief that no matter how hard he worked or how well he did in school, in the eyes of the white man he would always be just a nigger.

            Detroit Red, as he was known during his hustler years in Boston and New York, was a person that made a living by exploiting the differences between black and white Americans.  Red knew that most Americans of the time, even those that embraced the African American culture, were biased toward blacks and considered them all to be ignorant.  But I knew that the white man is rare who will ever consider that a Negro can outsmart him (Haley, pg. 148).  He comments in the book that he prayed on the fears and ignorance of people.  He knew when to play dumb and when not to.  When he was arrested for burglary he soon realized that his biggest crime was not stealing, but being involved with white women.  He stated, We seemed to be getting sentenced because of those girls (Haley, pg. 153).  His suspicion was confirmed when his attorney responded, You had no business with white girls!(Haley, pg. 153).  He clearly understood what was about to happen.

            Malcolm X came full circle in his transformation and understanding of race relations when he became El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.  While in Mecca, Malik witnessed that it was possible for all races to live in harmony; he credited Islam for it.  For the first time in his life he felt comfortable around the white man.  He learned that what he despised was not the skin color, but the attitude of American whites.  He stated: During the last eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug) while praying to the same God with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin of the was the whitest of white (Haley, pg. 347).  He clearly learned to differentiate color from attitude.  He understood that the color of ones skin did not dictate ones behavior.  It was this experience and his experiences while traveling in Africa, which made him, re-evaluate his beliefs.  He stated: In the past, yes, I have made sweeping indictments of all white people.  I will never be guilty of that again.  He learned his lesson and made the best of it.

Question #12

There is only one Islam, but like everything else, there is more than one school of thought.  The two main schools of thought are the Sunni and the Shia.  In essence, both are similar, they both pray to the Quran and adhere to the five pillars of Islam.  They practice the same rituals and observe the same holidays.  Those who live their lives based on the life, sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, are known as Sunni.  The Shia, in addition to sharing the beliefs of the Sunni, observe the teachings of Ali,

Muhammads son-in-law.  Although there are only two main branches of Islam, there are multiple variations of both based on regional, cultural and geographical influences.

http://adaniel.tripod.com/islam.htm

Question #13

            Wilber argues for a holistic approach in the understanding of religion and spiritual life because he believes that the current theories of understanding are generally focused on the state of human consciousness, and its biological origins.  Wilber states: Much of todays research into consciousness focuses on those aspects that have some sort of obvious anchoring in the physical brain, including the fields of neurophysiology, biological psychiatry and neuroscience (Wilber, 2000).  He believes that science is more interested in trying to determine if there is a soul, and not a spirit or spirituality.  Wilber believes that the key to understanding religion and spirituality is to first understand that the spirit is a collection of both physical and metaphysical properties. 

            Contrary to most of the worlds religions, Wilber believes That what we experience as God is simply a limited manifestation of the larger reality of Spirit as seen as seen through a particular lens of subtle archetypal awareness (1999).  To substantiate his beliefs, Wilber introduces his Quadrant theory.  The Upper-Left quadrant covers the inner-individual aspects of human consciousness, such as developmental psychology in both its conventional and contemplative forms.  The Upper-Right quadrant covers the outer-individual aspects of human consciousness, as studied by neurology and cognitive science.  The Lower-Left quadrant covers the inner-collective aspects of human consciousness, as studied by the sciences of culture, such as cultural psychology and anthropology.  The Lower-Right quadrant covers the outer-collective aspects of human consciousness as studied by sociology.  It is only when one applies all these disciplines collectively that one comes close to understanding spirituality.

http://Wilber.shambhala.com/html/books/psych_model/psych_model1.cfm/xid.411/yid.90513524

Question #14

            Wilson would think that Wilber is too vague and unstructured.  Wilson likes order and structure; his theories are based on specific properties of that can be analyzed separately, such as science.  Wilsons approach to analyzing transpersonal psychology would first be based on the influence of math, physics, chemistry, and biology on the human brain.  Only then would he venture into sociological sciences.  Wilber argues for a holistic approach to everything.  His disciplines are not based on solid scientific foundations, but primarily the metaphysical.  Unlike Wilson, Wilbers theories are all encompassing, if he cannot find a solution in the scientific realm, he goes back to the metaphysical, as he finds it convenient.  He feels that there is no specific hierarchy to knowledge, that all knowledge is interconnected and one can easily navigate back and forth to obtain a solution.  Wilbers need to be everything to everyone makes him to broad, unfocused and rather unreliable.    

Question #15

            Ken Wilber believes that God is a reflection or manifestation of ones own spirit.  Therefore, Osama Bin Laden is not justified in claiming that he is declaring jihad in the name of Allah, since in reality what he is doing is manifesting his own hate toward America and Western Nations.  Wilber explains, What we experience as God is simply a limited manifestation of the larger reality of Spirit as seen through the particular lens of subtle or archetypal awareness (Wilber, 2000).  Wilber would argue Bin Ladens need to analyze what his true motivations are.  He would state that Bin Laden has not yet transcended beyond the pre-rational state of consciousness into the trans-rational state, since he still finds it necessary to subjugate himself to an external deity. 

Question #16

The Random House Websters College Dictionary describes morality as conformity to the rules of proper conduct.  Moral is described as pertaining to, or being concerned with the rules of right conduct, or the distinction between right and wrong.  It does not define it as something pertaining to religion.  Humans are social beings, so it stands to reason that we would want to be together.  To maintain the peace and order, it became necessary to establish certain ground rules.  These rules are the basis of moral law. 

Morality is generally associated with religion because most, if not all, religions have a strict set of rules that one must adhere to.  These rules are generally universal, and can be found in one form or another amongst different religions.  This universality of morals as religious doctrines serves several purposes.  It gives people an incentive to follow the rules, by keeping them out of hell or purgatory.  It also makes it easier to police the masses, since God sees everything. 

In America and the rest of the world, having a universal set of rules or moral laws (or my favorite, the Golden Rule), makes it possible for members of all religions to congregate since they know that even though they might have differences in ideology, deep down, they have the same set of values.  Morality provides the common ground needed for diversity.

Question #17

            Given Americas religious melting pot, the best way to approach religious diversity is through education.  By making people of all religions aware of the intricacies of other religions, we can learn and appreciate them.  As Americans, we have overcome many social and racial barriers, but only after learning and being exposed to them.  Recently, on May 19^th, I became an American Citizen. There were people from seventy-four different nations present at the ceremony, and probably as many different religions.  We all had one thing in common; we wanted to become United States Citizens.  If so many different people can come together under one roof and work toward a common goal, then we should be able to spend a few hours learning about other religions.

Question #18

            Religion will never disappear, even after we become more scientifically oriented, because as humans we are predisposed to animate what we do not understand.  Many of the actions and decisions that we make are not based on rational and collective processes.  Most of us base our choices on intuition or a gut feeling.  We pride our selves in being able to deduce answers based on intuition.  Most people believe in luck and in a sixth sense.  It is this need to believe in non-sense that will always keep religion, in one form or another, alive regardless of technological advances.   

Question #19

Wilber believes that all disciplines of knowledge are at equal levels, that they are intermingled and complement each other.  Wilber suggests a full spectrum catalogue of knowledge, one in which there are different levels but no one level is above another.  He states, These stages or levels of development are not the rigid, linear, rungs-in-a-ladder phenomenon portrayed by their critics, but rather appear to be fluid, flowing, overlapping waves (Wilber, 2000).  The overall spectrum ranges from the pre-personal to the personal to the transpersonal.

Wilber wants to transcend physicality, while Wilson is fixated on reducing everything to its physical, tangible components.  Wilber would argue that Wilsons intertheoretic reductionism is flawed because it tries to use science to explain all phenomena.  Wilson uses a fixed, rigid standard, one that cannot be used to analyze all experiences.  Wilsons approach does not leave any room for the metaphysical.  It literally converts everything into a new religion, science. 

Question #20

            The most valuable thing I learned this semester is what it really means to be a Muslim and follow the teachings of Islam.  Until this semester, ALL I knew about Muslims and Islam was that their religion bread fanatics and terrorists.  I had no additional knowledge of any of the doctrines or principles of Islam. 

My previous knowledge was based on what I have seen on television and in the movies; always portraying all Muslims as assassins waiting for their opportunity to strike against the American infidels.  I cannot believe I distrusted one-sixth of the worlds population based on what I had seen on television.  If the worlds citizens judge Americans solely on the content of our television programs, they would think that we are all drug using, socially irresponsible, gun-carrying, immoral capitalist pigs.  I am not denying that Muslim terrorist exist, nor am I saying that all Muslims love Americans, but I now know that the majority of the worlds one billion Muslims are normal law-abiding citizens. 

Islam is one of the most open and inclusive religions in the world.  Most Christians believe that Islam is radically different from Christianity, which in reality it is not. Today, more than ever, it is necessary for Non-Muslims to expand their knowledge of Islam.  Islam is currently the third largest religion in the United States and by the year 2010, it is expected to be the second largest (Esposito, pg. 173).  Muslims are not going to go away.  It behooves Americans to learn about Islam and remove the current stereotypes that cloud our judgments.

Question #21

            Stephen J. Gould would argue that it is extremely difficult to know the evolutionary function of religious belief, because one does not know and could not prove the origin of religion itself.  Religion or the understanding of religious ideals could be a spandrel that resulted from our ever-developing brain.  As our brains became increasingly complex, we became capable of processing irrational thoughts, a must in religion. 

Religion could be the unintended consequence of our innate need to animate.  Animism can evolve, into religion, but it is unlikely that it is reciprocal.