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silveradeptToday was an interesting day. Lots of old material, some new material, and plenty of work to boot.
And I might be entangling myself in a faith v. works debate over whether or not Il Presidente can really be considered a Christian. But that's getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning of the day for maximum effect.
So, as many have noticed, today Mr. Bush took the oath of office and became President again. During one of the musical numbers, as I was listening to the Realplayer stream, I recognized the tune - it's a piece we're playing for Campus Band. Took me until the second strain to figure it out, but there was no mistaking it. I zipped off a quick note to our Campus Band director and continued on with my listening. That may have been the warning signal for the stuff to come.
In my e-mail box, someone was asking about the Brita-Vodka trick. Remembering that I had a website, I went back in my journal and produced the URL as the trombone list weighed in on their experiences with the matter. Some were positive, others not so much. Generally, though, the consensus seemed to be that it works. We'll have to try it at some point ourselves, perhaps.
Then, as the Reverend was getting up to deliver the invocation for the Presidential inauguration, my audio feed cuts out, much to my annoyance. So I stop and restart the feed, and nothing, so I wait a few minutes, and the feed's back. Is there some sort of FCC reg that prevents the broadcasting of a prayer on the radio, or did NPR just decide to cut out the invocation? Either way, I'm shocked. I'm very much for religious freedom, and so even if I'm not of the denomination of the speaker, he has a right to be heard.
Still, I kept the feed going and heard some very binding words:
"I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." To which my reply is: "Now Do It." Enough of looking the other way or actively curtailing civil liberties, even if in the name of "Homeland Security". Enough of pursuing agendas that discriminate. Execute the Oath that you have sworn, Mr. President. Prove to us that you can do your job.
Fast forward to being home and having someone post an article on our religious illiteracy, to make the point that religion needs to be taught (teach about religion, not teach religion) in the school system. I think children would be enriched by passing through several mandatory comparative religion courses as they go through the educational system. If we can add to that subcultural and minority cultural education, so that everyone figures out where their stereotypes come from, we'd probably have much better students.
Out of this offshoot, a discussion on Bush Two's handling of Iraq. Probably putting my foot squarely in my mouth, I mentioned the theme of social justice as a teaching of Christ and how Bush Two has been lax in following it. In an either spectacular moment of brilliance or abject stupidity, I said that he followed a faith that was not Christian, because he did not at least make effort to follow all the teachings of Jesus seriously. Those paying attention will notice the beginning of the faith v. works debate, for it is my opinion that faith is insufficient, and that one's works reveal the commitment one has to the faith. Those who make true effort to live the teachings of Jesus may be called his followers. The rest are playing at it, attributing a name to a faith that should be called something else.
So, stupidity or brilliance, there it is. And that has been today for me. I have three things to do tomorrow - drop my paper off for my GSI, get my thesis draft shredded and re-shredded, and pick up my badge and ticket for MMC and the Collage, respectively. Allow me to plug the Collage - if you're in Ann Arbor way tomorrow, you want a ticket to this. It's free, and tickets will be distributed to the public at three p.m. tomorrow. Collage is all sorts of groups of musicians at the University (and soloists, as well) playing all sorts of styles in a nonstop format - when one song ends, the next begins. From jazz to choral to showtunes and experimental pieces, Collage is definitely worth the time and the price of admission (did I mention it's free?). Come see it tomorrow.
And now, to throw up a well-thought, quickly-typed, poorly drawn (as all of them are) comic and go to bed.
And I might be entangling myself in a faith v. works debate over whether or not Il Presidente can really be considered a Christian. But that's getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning of the day for maximum effect.
So, as many have noticed, today Mr. Bush took the oath of office and became President again. During one of the musical numbers, as I was listening to the Realplayer stream, I recognized the tune - it's a piece we're playing for Campus Band. Took me until the second strain to figure it out, but there was no mistaking it. I zipped off a quick note to our Campus Band director and continued on with my listening. That may have been the warning signal for the stuff to come.
In my e-mail box, someone was asking about the Brita-Vodka trick. Remembering that I had a website, I went back in my journal and produced the URL as the trombone list weighed in on their experiences with the matter. Some were positive, others not so much. Generally, though, the consensus seemed to be that it works. We'll have to try it at some point ourselves, perhaps.
Then, as the Reverend was getting up to deliver the invocation for the Presidential inauguration, my audio feed cuts out, much to my annoyance. So I stop and restart the feed, and nothing, so I wait a few minutes, and the feed's back. Is there some sort of FCC reg that prevents the broadcasting of a prayer on the radio, or did NPR just decide to cut out the invocation? Either way, I'm shocked. I'm very much for religious freedom, and so even if I'm not of the denomination of the speaker, he has a right to be heard.
Still, I kept the feed going and heard some very binding words:
"I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." To which my reply is: "Now Do It." Enough of looking the other way or actively curtailing civil liberties, even if in the name of "Homeland Security". Enough of pursuing agendas that discriminate. Execute the Oath that you have sworn, Mr. President. Prove to us that you can do your job.
Fast forward to being home and having someone post an article on our religious illiteracy, to make the point that religion needs to be taught (teach about religion, not teach religion) in the school system. I think children would be enriched by passing through several mandatory comparative religion courses as they go through the educational system. If we can add to that subcultural and minority cultural education, so that everyone figures out where their stereotypes come from, we'd probably have much better students.
Out of this offshoot, a discussion on Bush Two's handling of Iraq. Probably putting my foot squarely in my mouth, I mentioned the theme of social justice as a teaching of Christ and how Bush Two has been lax in following it. In an either spectacular moment of brilliance or abject stupidity, I said that he followed a faith that was not Christian, because he did not at least make effort to follow all the teachings of Jesus seriously. Those paying attention will notice the beginning of the faith v. works debate, for it is my opinion that faith is insufficient, and that one's works reveal the commitment one has to the faith. Those who make true effort to live the teachings of Jesus may be called his followers. The rest are playing at it, attributing a name to a faith that should be called something else.
So, stupidity or brilliance, there it is. And that has been today for me. I have three things to do tomorrow - drop my paper off for my GSI, get my thesis draft shredded and re-shredded, and pick up my badge and ticket for MMC and the Collage, respectively. Allow me to plug the Collage - if you're in Ann Arbor way tomorrow, you want a ticket to this. It's free, and tickets will be distributed to the public at three p.m. tomorrow. Collage is all sorts of groups of musicians at the University (and soloists, as well) playing all sorts of styles in a nonstop format - when one song ends, the next begins. From jazz to choral to showtunes and experimental pieces, Collage is definitely worth the time and the price of admission (did I mention it's free?). Come see it tomorrow.
And now, to throw up a well-thought, quickly-typed, poorly drawn (as all of them are) comic and go to bed.
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no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 06:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 08:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 01:33 pm (UTC)Yesterday, I was watching a TV show on how the Bible was constructed with a fundamentalist Christian. He was willing to accept that apochryphal books may be valid. However, when I suggested that he read them, and use his own intellect to determine what was a true reflection of God's nature he started saying that not everyone is a scholar.
My response was that he is a scholar, and that one should probably know as much as they can about their religion. However, he didn't seem to get my point.
It seems to me that Christianity has a quite understandable and good emphasis on faith. So that those who aren't vastly intelligent can still play a part in the life of the church. However, in getting that emphasis its lost its emphasis on work. So pretty intelligent people don't feel any need to study their belief system in depth.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 02:02 pm (UTC)The next four years are going to be a rather dark time, I think. When the fecal matter hits the turbine, I might be knocking on M-Div's door in Nemo to take cover ¬¬
no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 04:31 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, I have very little doubt that, while the concept is a brilliant one, any exceution would be flawed and little more than an extension of the propaganda and brainwashing that goes on anyway.
That's the really hard bit about really teaching those sorts of subjects - even if you set out with the purest and best intentions, no matter where you go the information is going to be biased. Even if everyone involved is really, truly convinced they are being balanced the cahnces are they won't be. Trying to create a situation where the Truth is taught rather than a version of it is likely to be an impossible task. It's one thing to get students to question, but if they are taught to question with a bias and given questions with a bias, however unconsciously or otherwise that bias may be present, it could be as bad or worse than ignorance...
no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 06:02 pm (UTC)In essence, those guys knew their shit. What things are being taught nowadays is that "You don't know enough to interpret correctly - only the priests and reverends do. So trust what they say, because they know, and if you interpret, always subjugate your interpretation to your minister's, because they always know more than you do."
That's a dangerous thing - it creates sheep and zombies rather than true believers.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 06:09 pm (UTC)This is the problem I've discussed above - incomplete knowledge. In his case, it's coupled with the thought that he's right in his incomplete interpretation. (Being Pres has to help bolster the idea that he thinks he's right)
no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 06:14 pm (UTC)The idea I've had of it involves clergymen/women instructing the class in the basics of their faith, and that the students be allowed to ask any sort of question they like of the clergy. It would still have the problems of aparently looking like proselytization, but to counteract that, I would probably start with less large and less polemical faiths to help them establish good questions and get their feet under them before exposing them to the bigger and harsher ones.
I know it's an incomplete and probably ineffective idea, but it's one I've had.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 07:16 pm (UTC)Today, as you say, people are illiterate in that they lack a knowledge of their own belief systems. This is even worse. There's nothing wrong with stupid people following their faith to the best of their abilities if thats what they want to do, but I believe that people should try their best to seek understanding, especially on topics that they claim are important to them.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 07:20 pm (UTC)But you're also right that now that people are literate, and have access to the materials of their faith, they should be interpreting (or at least trying) materials for themselves. We've gotten to the point where Everyone is a Pope (or Mome), but precious few people actually realize that and become Popes/Momes in teh fullest sense.