Jane Adams: motivations

I think that it is obvious that in forming Hull House in Chicago, religion was, for Jane Adams, at the very least and element in her "master plan", but I don't' think that it was everything. Her motivations for helping the Urban poor can be traced back to her earlier years. Jane Adams grew up in a family of Quakers and that, I think, inherently planted some sort of a seed in her. The morals she learned as a child growing up no doubt helped influence her later accomplishments. Her father was also a great influence on her, which she makes very apparent in her writing. I think this influence in particular was very important. Because she looked up to her father so much Jane became the fan of equality that she was. She looked up to Lincoln, who was also a great influence, because of her father.

Jane's education played a key role as well. Because the college she attended was just that, a college (no longer a seminary), she learned different values that she otherwise may not have learned. With her college education she had a more diversified knowledge of the world. Not only was her school one of the liberal arts persuasion, but it offered a more secular view of the world that built upon the Quaker ideals that had already been instilled in her. It was all of these influences combined, I believe, that drove Jane Adams to view the world the way she did, and to do the monumental things that she did.

Rastafari: Because I Can't Think of a Title

One question that came up in class that I found very interesting was: without the oppression (or downpression) and persecution that the Rastafarian people experienced, and that Bob Marley wrote about, would the Rastafarian religion exist? and if it did to what degree would the religion be different than it is now? I think it is very interesting to think about the "what ifs" of this situation. I think that if the aforementioned oppression (downpression) had never occurred Rastafari would still exist as a modern religion. But to me, it seems, the religion would not be as widespread without this cultural aspect, because the main conduit through which the world learned about Rasta culture was the music of Bob Marley. Marley's music quite possibly could have been drastically different (at least lyrically) or even been nonexistent if he didn't have the angst caused by downpression. At the very least, without oppression, Rastafarian culture would just be less well known to the world than it is today. I don't think the oppression affects the size of the religion's population in either direction because even though there are people all over the world who are persecuted that could fit into the Rasta mold, but because of the exclusivity of the religion they wouldn't be able to be a part of it. If the oppression had never happened there would likely have been much less press coverage, keeping the religion more of a secret.


Another related idea that came up in class referred to the Rastafari ideal of seperating themselves from mainstream society. The question that was posed was: what would happen to the Rastafarian religion if mainstream conformed to their ideals and became Rastafarian. I think, first of all, that this isn't completely possible. It would be possible for everyone to convert to a similar lifestyle to the one that the Rastafarian people live, but the Rasta people would not let certain people partake in their religion. If this happened, as unlikely as it is, it would not destroy the religion. No doubt, though, it would be a devastating blow to the aims of the religion. Currently, a great deal of the Rastafari people's efforts are focused on being their own culture and shunning what is "Babylon", taking away that aspect of their religion would alter the nature of their religion a great deal.

During this unit on Rastafari and Rastafarian culture in general, we haven't talked a great deal about the book itself or the main ideas presented by Ennis Barrington Edmonds within it. I think that Edmonds' approach to Rastafari was very interesting. He was essentially using the religion to shoot down Weber's theories of charisma and routinization, but at the same time he revealed some interesting things about the Rasta culture. The middle section of the book (excluding the first and last chapters) were a very objective look at Rastafari and the culture that surrounds it. He does a good job of separating what he wants to apply Rastafari to and the description of what it is, so that the religion itself tells a story, and then Edmonds explains why it proves his point. A really interesting side affect of the book is how it shows the isolation of Rastafari as a religion. Weber made a generalization about religions when he posed his theories of charisma and routinization, Rastafari is simply one of the exceptions to this generalization, an outlier when it comes to religion. This highlights what is important in Rastafari culture. Rasta culture is based on the fact that they aren't like everyone else, they aren't Babylon. Because being out of the mainstream is what Rastafari is all about, it isn't surprising that it doesn't coincide with a theory that was made to apply to more mainstream religions.

Bobo Shanti Video

In the video I noticed a few things that we have been talking about in class and also a few things that I didn't expect to see. First I'll talk about the things that have already been reoccurring themes in our talks about Rastafari. The first thing that stood out to me was the first image that is shown on the screen, the lion holding the cross draped in Rasta colored banners. This image gave a good segue into the remote Bobo Shanti Sect of Rastafari. To me, the Bobo Shanti are a really good representation of the characteristics of Rastafari hat we have talked about. This group of people are definitely very spiritual and it is shown in all aspects of their lives. Most of the houses that the people were living in were painted red, green, and yellow. The area was also littered with banners sporting the sacred colors. The people live a very simple life away from the system, avoiding influence by other groups of people. The only participation that these people had in area trade was selling hand made brooms at the market. Most, if not all, of the people in the video had dreadlocks, which varied in length from person to person; what was different from what I've seen so far is the wearing of turbans over the top of their dreads.

There were a couple of things that surprised me a little though. One thing that stood out for me was the frequency of their worship. These people got up at three AM and prayed, then they played at 9 AM and then again at 3. They take every day as a holy day, while we would be, sleeping they are getting things done "spiritually, mentally, and physically" as the man in the video said. Another thing that surprised me was the blatant signs that spoke negatively about whites. There were signs that said "Black" written in black and "white" written in white positioned below "black". This is meant to imply that white is bad and black is good. Also there was a sign with the "R" of righteousness in black and the "X" of evil in white, associating white with evil and Black with righteousness. Ironically there is another sign that says "Equality and justice for all people", which makes a statement quite contrary to the other two signs.

Round 1: Kebra Negast vs. Augustine/Dr. Dino; Round 2: Kebra Negast vs. Psalms

In reading the Kebra Negast, there were a few things that really stood out to me. The first was its reinforcement of the importance of eloquent speech in order to be considered truly wise. It is mentioned in the Kebra Negast that Solomon was given wisdom by God and made to be in the likeness of God, but that is not what the Queen and everyone else praises him for. The Merchant of the Queen that visited Solomon did not mention his likeness to God, but his eloquence of speech: "He opened his mouth in parables, and his words were sweeter than the purest honey; his whole [behavior] was admirable, and his whole aspect pleasant." In the queen's encounter with Solomon the first thing she noticed was "... the eloquence of his speech." Even though Solomon was truly wise and favored by God, he was admired for his eloquent speech. This fact helps reinforce the point that Nate made in his blog about Dr Dino (Kent Hovind): Though the cause a person stands for may be completely ridiculous he can still gain support because of his ability to speak well... it is better to sound right than to be right. St. Augustine knew this when he wrote On Christian Teaching.He explicitly emphasized that a professor of religion/knowledge needs to be eloquent in speech or else his point will not be heard.

Despite Solomon being an instrument of God, it surprised me how independent he was. In the psalms there was a lot of psalms written as cries for help. They were written to ask God to come down from his throne and smite all of Israel's enemies and provide Israel with abundant resources for a prosperous life. Solomon's prayers to God had a different tone than the ones in the Psalms. Solomon "... Did not ask for victory over his enemy, and he did not ask for riches and fame, but he asked God to give him wisdom and understanding whereby he might rule his people." Instead of asking God to do everything for him, Solomon asked God to give him the tools to get the job done by himself. The Kebra Negast, I think, has a bit more faith in humanity than the psalms show. Perhaps since Solomon was "the image of God" he wasn't technically human, but even the creation of a God-like human is a changed image from what the Psalms portray.

Blog #7: status of Ethiopia

The reading of the Kebra Negast outlines, through the story of Solomon and Sheba, how Ethiopia should be nearly as holy a place as Israel. Comparing the slide show about Ethiopia to the Kebra Negast, it seems that modern day Ethiopia has recessed from its former glory. In the slide show the country was shown in poverty and the churches seemed much less large and elaborate than the kinds of religious structures found in Israel. The Ethiopia described in the Kebra Negast was wise, elegant, and respected; a stark contrast to the images of modern poverty stricken Ethiopia. The Kebra Negast speaks of pursuing true wisdom, something that can only be pursued when physical needs are not at the forefront; it is difficult to ponder true wisdom when a country is focused on feeding its people.



Of course, Ethiopia holds a certain amount of gravity in Christianity due to the rumor that it is in possession of the Ark of the Covenant. This fact is mentioned in the subtitle of the Kebra Negast: "being the history of the departure of God and his Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Ethiopia." Obviously the idea that Ethiopia possesses the Ark of the Covenant was implanted centuries ago (not just a passing rumor). Ethiopia's former status is outlined in the Kebra Negast with the story of the conception of the Queen's son (which is really what the whole thing is about). The Queen fell in love with the wisdom of King Solomon and wished to learn from and admire him, so she went to see him. King Solomon heard from God that he had to impregnate the queen to give Ethiopia higher status. She had King Solomon's son and thus the blood line of Solomon came to Ethiopia by the will of God.

Dearborn Documentary

Today I attended Professor Smith's documentary on Arab/Muslim culture in Dearborn Michigan. I found the documentary very interesting. It was initially interesting simply because I had never heard of Dearborn Michigan or that it had a higher than average Arab/Muslim American population. After I got over the shock of learning these fantastic new facts I was interested because I wanted to know a little more about Arab/Muslim culture in America (which I did). The documentary reveled to me a something that I have never really given much thought to: that Arab culture and Muslim culture do not always go hand in hand with one another. This is why I've been using "Arab/Muslim", instead of one or the other, in the first part of this writing. It was interesting to find out that one half of this Arab/Muslim population in Dearborn wants to focus on Arab culture while the other focuses on Muslim Culture (there is a difference. The differing views put into perspective the dynamic between culture and religion that we have been talking about in class. Religion conducts aspects of culture, but culture also conducts aspects of religion (such as the National Center for Islam in Dearborn).

Christian Symbols

This picture is a depiction of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is, to put it lightly, an important event in Christianity. The picture depicts a couple symbols that were developed because of the events summarized by the picture. The painting also makes use of other, previously established symbols, to emphasize the importance of the images. The star directly above the baby Jesus is a symbol that was created as a result of the story told in this painting. The star, in Christianity (and this painting), is used in reference to the star that the three kings from the east used to guide them to the baby Jesus. The images of the animals and the manger represent, in Christianity, the lowly nature of the birth of Christ. They show the sacrifice made by Jesus, by not only becoming human, but being born into a low class, where a crib could not be provided for him, born among animals. The baby itself is also a symbol established in the events depicted, the child is one of the first, and definitely one of the most important symbols in Christianity. The child is the first image of Christian salvation. These are symbols that prior to this event did not exist; they are, essentially, the basic building blocks (chronologically) of the Christian religion. Christianity exists because these symbols carry on the meaning of the story they represent.

Within the picture there are also symbols that, I would assume, previously existed. For example the image of angels, is no doubt an established image, even prior to the New Testament event occurring in the painting. Angels have, previous to the birth of Christ, been used as mediums through which God communicates with humans. Another widely used symbol that is present in the picture is the halo. Around the head of any sort of holy being within the picture is a ring of light (halo). The ring of light is used to help identify those beings in the picture that are holy.

This picture contains different religious symbols, old and new. The older symbols perpetuate the ideas that had previously been established; the new ones help to form new ideas and present them in a memorable fashion. Any sort of biblical painting similar to the one above, is usually packed with old news, it is the image itself as a whole that takes the old and adds to it the new. All religious symbols are used to take something intangible and put it into an image that can be comprehended. This picture uses previously established symbols (angels and halos) and puts them together in order to introduce a new symbol (the picture as a whole) in order to convey a message (Christ our savior is born (Jesus is no ordinary kid)) which ultimately has symbols pulled from it (star, animals, manger) which represent highlighted parts of the story. Symbols... gotta love 'em.