Final Project- Bobo Shanti Mon!!

Introduction

As a college student at a Liberal Arts school, I am fortunate enough to be in a place that is a melting pot of lifestyles, cultures, and ideas. For the common folk, when one would think of the Rastafari, chances are, Bob Marley, dreadlocks and marijuana would come to mind. Although this is quite reasonable, as the stereotype is somewhat deserved due to societies uneducated portrayal of Rasta, there are so many more fascinating aspects that the Rastafari movement has to offer.  

Within the Rastafari movement, there are three major branches. They are the Twelve Tribes of Isreal, the  Niyabinghi , and the Bobo Shanti. For my Final Project, I will examine the Bobo Shanti branch of the Rastafari movement.  Specifically, I will look at the symbols that exist within this branch, how they are perceived, and how they correlate with the life and beliefs of the Bobo Shanti.

The Bobo Shanti differ from the other branches because Religion is THE single most important aspect of their lives on a day to day basis, living in secluded community, they are able to live with extreme simplicity and purity which makes them a very special sect. While everyone has heard drudge reports on fundemantalist Christians, Muslims, and Jews, what I found fascinating is that the Bobo Shanti are the most fundemental/radical Rastafari group, however they exist harmoniously apart from society in a self sufficient manner.

As opposed to just looking at what the Bobo Shanti believe, I will jump further into the continuation of this question, as to how their beliefs are versed through a system of symbols, and how this system incorporates into their respective lifestyle.

Clifford Gertz defines religion as

"A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive and long lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic"

Bobo Shanti Symbols

While we have talked about the symbols within the Rastafari Movement, specifically the Bobo Shanti, I will touch on some that were not address as well as go further into a few we have touched on and examine their effects on the life of the Bobo Shanti people.

Although a part of the Rastafari, the Bobo Shanti symbols differ starting with their dress. Making them unique, they wear robes that reach down to their feet, and turbans on their heads. As opposed to wearing a turban for fashion like Rasta men do who are a part of the other branches, members  of the Bobo Shanti wear the turban to supplement the dreadlocks which signifies their alignment with the Bobo Shanti sect. Also, notice the color of the turban is black. The the Bobo Shanti are the most radical sect of the Rastafari in their beliefs concerning black supremacy. While Black turbans are not entirely common, it is appropriate as the man in the picture is a high priest who has a large influence on his community and this re-iterates and further symbolizes black sovereignty and supremacy.

In addition, the Bobo Shanti women also where head dresses, once again not for style, but to simply pay respect to “Jah” . This also embodies the unique level of servitude that the Bobo Shanti possess and exemplify as it is not just a style as it may be in the other branches, but an action that speaks for the commitment and devotion of the Bobo Shanti.

A primary aspect of the Bobo Shanti society is the importance of community. The other branches of the Rastafari movement tend to be less organized and not as tight knit, however the Bobo Shanti exemplify their view on their value of community by their daily lifestyle. In this example, located atop a hill, the Bobo Shanti believe these grounds to be sacred, and only outsiders with special arrangements are allowed in the settlement.  Living amongst one another in hand build huts, and apart from the rest of society, Bobo Shanti are independent of Jamaican rule they are basically self-sufficient.  Supplementing this, they also live without running water and electricity, retainingthe basic Rastafarian symbol of simplicity.

Another aspect of Bobo Shanti life that has a huge influence on their daily life is the close accordance to “Old Testament Jewish Mosaic Law”[i]. As we watched in class, we saw how they had a specific schedule for prayer and fasting. Rising at specific hours of the day/night. By waking up at these times over the course of the day, the Bobo Shanti not only experience personal satisfaction and enhancement, but the overarching theme of simple discipline and commitment to oneself, the community, and Jah is demonstrated.

[i] http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/rastafari/subdivisions/boboshanti.shtml

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Standing outside a structure he constructed himself and providing a glimpse of his crops, a Bobo Shanti man exemplifies the Rastafari symbols of interconnectedness with the earth, simplicity, and care for nature. Also, as we discussed in class, his colors are the same as Ethiopian colors, symbolizing his devotion and desire to eventually return to Zion. Because they are self sufficient, they must grow crops and help produce not just for themselves, but the community as a whole

Certain Bobo Shanti settlements in Jamaica operate without any regard for actual Jamaican law. However, this does not mean that they run rampant. Because of their strict beliefs, and their close abiding to the ten commandments, The Bobo Shanti are able to go about their way of life in an un-regulated fashion(by the Government) because they do not need outside influence to enforce laws and principles upon them when they already practice a peaceful and productive way of life themselves. Paying strict attention to the Ten Commandments, the Bobo Shanti distinguish themselves from the other branches as they consciously and rigorously abide by them. Because they are somewhat un-regulated, this discipline arguably is why the Bobo Shanti can operate effectively while staying separate from the rest of Jamaican society.

Perhaps the most well known and frowned upon symbol of the Rastafarian Movement in general is the use of Marijuana. While the Bobo Shanti do smoke “herb” they do so privately as they view it as a sacred right that should only be performed during special periods of worship. Viewed as a spiritual rite, to help ease the mind and aid in prayer and reasoning, the Bobo Shanti use of Marijuana is significantly more contained than the other sects of the Rastafari movement. Once again, the re-occurring theme of discipline and abiding closely to set personal and religious boundaries is shown. Here, a preist shows his appreciation for herb, however unlike mainstream Rasta’s, he will only consume in a private personal setting.

Music is another symbol that is of great importance to the Rastafari. Who am I to do a report on the Rastafar without mentioning the legend himself, Bob Marley. In "War" Bob incorperates a speach by Haillie Salassie into the song while addressing racism and violence effected the Blacks in the region at the time. With the verse,"That until the basic human rights, Are equally guaranteed to all,Without regard to race, Dis a war" Bob adresses the massive amount of discrimination going on at the team and eventually looks to the future with the hope of peace and equality. This also ties in with the Bobo Shanti as many Bobo believe they deserve legal reparations for discrimination and slavery. As the most radical sect of the Rastafari, they advocate black rights and power very strongly, showing their pride for their roots and also their rejection of predjucice from caucasian Babylon.

The Lion of Judah represents former Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie, who is believed by the Rastafari to be a god or "Jah" incarnate.

Conclusion

Although a part of the Rastafarian Movement, the Bobo Shanti are a unique sect. Their commitment to purity, connection to the earth, and basic living principles separate them from the rest of the Rasta. In relative terms, they could be called radical as they interpret the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments literally, carrying out these ideals on a daily basis by the lifestyle that they live. Also, their commitment to one another and sense of community is a tremendous symbol in characterizing the sect as they are self-sufficient and somewhat un-regulated. This speaks for how effectively the Bobo Shanti society operates, and makes the sect distinguishable from the rest of the Rastafarian Movement.When I think of the Bobo Shanti, simplicity and purity come to mind. Like all religions, there are seperate branches, each interpreting and carrying out religious order with their own variations. In my opinion, out of all the groups we have studied, the Bobo Shanti remain the closest connected to their beliefs, and by being so connected with earth, one another, and Jah, their lifestyle naturally takes after these principles.



This trimester in class, we have examined how each religions system of symbols and how they play out into respective beleifs and lifestyles. From this, not only have we learned a great deal about each religion, more importantly we dug deeper into developing a better understanding of each of them by asking how and why along with continually examining historical and personal contexts. Overall, this has been an eye opening class for me, not because we studied a bunch of crazy religions, but because we examined how beliefs were developed which ultimately led to much better discussion and understanding of the topics, as opposed to just stopping at what they are in an objective sense.

Book of Abraham Concerns

Question: For the week 10 blog post, read the Book of Abraham passed out in class (which you could also find online I'm sure). Then discuss how you might go about assessing a document like this. Are there any fine points in this text that lead you to think it is not from the supposed time of Abraham (2000BC?). In studying religion we have been surrounded by all kinds of claims about the world, and I am curious if there is any kind of critical approach that you can define through a discussion of this text.

Response: Out of all the texts we have read in Religious studies, this is by far the most abstract and odd one of them all. After reading this, personally I thought this text completely discredited Mormonism. The textual context that is behind the religion is somewhat obscure and extremely questionable, not to mention the base of the translation is questionable in itself. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems as if the Mormons try to find any connection they can to exemplify that the origin is actually what they say it is. Supplementing this, Joseph Smiths interpretation of the Egyptian drawings is different than what the real drawings actually mean. In my opinion, I could have looked at these drawings, made a connection to what I wanted to project, and from that created my own story containing desired facts and messages that I wanted to get across.

In many instances, it is uncanny how modern it sounds, “And where these two facts exist, there shall be another fact above them, that is, there shall be another planet whose reckoning of time shall be longer still”. While, stars and planets had been discovered in 2000 B.C, something just doesn’t sound right about the way it is used.  In another instance Abraham supposedly has a conversation with the lord,” And he said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof”. Knowing Joseph Smith and his supposed connection to the lord, this sounds like another instance where he is trying to make it seem like he has real connections and conversations to further supplement what he wants to get across. Taking a step back, Joseph Smith lived in the 19^th century not 2000 B.C.  That speaks for itself. One more disturbing instance I found was when Abraham says how old he is. “So I, Abraham, departed as the Lord had said unto me, and Lot with me; and I, Abraham, was sixty and two years old when I departed out of Haran”. Chances are, in 2000 B.C, people probably didn’t know how old they were to the exact year. This is another odd instance where the text sounds way to modern to come have come from that time period. To conclude, I did come in with a pre conceived bias as I was looking specifically for instances to point out that the writings didn’t seem as old as they are. However, even if this had not been the case, I still believe it would have been noticeable because of Joseph Smith’s history and actions over the course of his life.

Changed Opinion

I entered into the Mormonism unit with a screwed opinion on the religion, as my only experiences with the Mormon faith have been reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, and being asked for donations in the Salt Lake City Airport. For those of you who have not read the Krakauer book, I highly recommend you check it out, it is very interesting.

Anyways,  from a first time readers perspective, The Book of Mormon may seem like a grueling test to read and not fall asleep, while still trying to understand how the stories translate into an actual legitimate religion. The accounts feature trials in tribulations that are definitely applicable to our lives, and the lives of our ancestors as  I mentioned in my previous blog relating the Gadianton robbers to the Native Americans. However, before Friday, I still failed to really draw what I felt was due from the Book of Mormon, after finishing reading it, I still came off with a bit of a blank, “so what?” thought process.

In class, we watched a moving video about a Jamaican man who through the Book of Mormon became inspired and eventually changed his entire life. After watching, I felt inspired even though it was only a few minutes long. The way he describes his experience with the Book of Mormon, helping him to see god in a new way and recognize his presence, honestly made me want to re-read the Book of Mormon with that idea  in mind.  This may sound wishy washy, but I was actually inspired by his clear and positive message.  

Using the text to not necessarily formulate an opinion but to help provide a new way of noticing gods presence and the effects of his realm of influence was something I had not thought of before watching the video. This sounds absolutely crazy, but I am actually going to re read the book over winter break and see if my opinion changes on the way I perceive this religion, as well as noticing gods prescience and influence in daily life. 

Don’t worry- I’m not converting to Mormonism ,  I just feel as if I owe it some more time and effort to develop and adequate understanding of the religion.

Here is a link to an article on the Jon Krakauer book, Under the Banner of Heaven

Note- somewhat graphic and disturbing, but definitely worth a read

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/books/thou-shalt-kill.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

The Struggle: Gadianton Robbers-Native Americans

As an overriding theme we have examined in class is that stories(religious texts) of hardship struggle and death can be related to real life stories and happenings of the same subject matter. The Book of Mormon is no exception.

The experiences of those in the Third Nephi and those who lived in America in the 18^th and 19^th centuries could definitely be related as there are quite a few similarities. Specifically, I came to the conclusion that the threat and problem of the”Gadianton robbers” was quite similar to that of the Native Americans in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

 During this time period, the Native Americans were being pushed off their native lands, challenged for hunting grounds, and heavily discriminated against. As a result, they took to violence as a response to these conditions and exerted a tremendous amount of terror and hardship on the settlers. Similarly in the Nephi account, the Lamphites and Nephites, “were compelled, for the safety of their lives and their women and their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, yea, and also to maintain their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their liberty”.

As things escalated, a war started between the two groups. Similar to how the settlers pushed the native Americans from their land and into more remote areas , the Lamphites and Nephites did the same,” the people of Nephi did gain some advantage of the robbers, insomuch that they did drive them back out of their lands into the mountains and into their secret places”. Because of the increasing amount of people, and the increased need for food, the American settlers settlers basically wiped out the food source in the homelands of the native Americans.  The Nephites did the same,” But behold, there were no wild beasts nor game in those lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and there was no game for the robbers save it were in the wilderness”.

Eventually, just as the settlers did, the Nephites defeat the Gadianton robbers. Praising the lord for his support in their struggle ,” May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and in holiness of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the earth all who shall seek to slay them because of power and secret combinations, even as this man hath been felled to the earth”. To conclude, although there are quite a few viable ways to link the Book of Nephi and the lives of the American settlers, I found that the concepts of their struggle with the Gadianton Robbers really stood out and reminded me of the settlers’ early struggles with the Native Americans.

Model Practices

As an avid reader of the ever-entertaining and informative Huffington Post, I came across a great article about the Baha’i that does their faith much due-diligence.

 While examining the people around him, all of the Baha’i faith the writer remarks,” The Russian, Mexican, African, Arab, Israeli, American, European and Australian all found a commonality in their diversity: a belief that we are all bound together by our oneness. This ideal, I thought, would certainly be one way to start doing away with prejudice among nations”. If I were to introduce the Baha’i faith in one quote to someone who had no idea what it was about/how it is practiced, this quote would be quite effective in setting the scaffolding for the basic principles of the Baha’i faith. With the communal belief in desired unity among humans, regardless of class, ethnicity, race or any other boundaries that cause, the base for the Baha’i faith is born.

 Without diving deeper into specific beliefs, the basic principles follow that of a respectful and unified operating system.  Serving humanity on a daily basis the Baha’i are committed to "working hard but giving back harder” and that, “faith tells us that trustworthiness is the foundation of all human virtues”. In my opinion, the Baha’i who act upon their basic principles of desired unity and honest commitment to service are model world citizens. Although I am not personally a Baha’i, I was very impressed with the simple, subtle, yet strong principles which the believers act upon on a daily basis. The commitment within these not only strengthen those who practice the Baha’i faith, but the world and people around them.

 Link to article- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-sobhani/bahai-21st-century-faith_b_1065829.html

Baha'i

Baha’i / Karen Armstrong

The Karen Armstrong video provided some very simplistic and valid points in regards to humans showing compassion to one another. The different perspectives shape the video quite effectively and I really connected with her message.

 I hate to sound too generic here, but with the world the way it is today, tolerance and unity are two essential pieces to productive and civil relationships in the world arena.  Taking a step back, compassion is something we could all use more in our daily lives, no matter what the circumstances.

 The Baha’i ideal of unity definitely can be closely related to the message in the video. In my opinion, the Baha’i faith is quite reflective of Karen Armstrong’s vision of compassion that was projected in the video.  Unity and humanity are two key aspects of the Baha’i teachings. Building off this, things that restrict these aspects such as prejudice and inhumane actions are thought of as a roadblock to unity and acting humanely. As a result, compassion is arguably one of the driving forces behind the Baha’i teaching, as it must be practiced in order for unity and humanistic conditions to exist.  On a person to person level, the emphasis “equality” of human beings regardless of ones beliefs and social standing is also key to achieving unity. Applying this to daily life, these points are essential in acting with compassion on a daily basis, and with the different stories shared over the course of the video, this was exemplified. Looking past ethnicity, skin color, social status, and religious beliefs the Baha’i stance on human co-existence and relationship is quite encouraging, encompassing this with the video, the two were alike and reading between the lines two similar messages could be read

Bob

  

                Bob Marley’s music continues to have a positive effect on many who listen to it. Rasta or not, his music provides both a relaxing and intellectual outlet, in addition to an intriguing message that he conveys regarding his life and faith in each song.  In class we examined the song “Exodus” which called for an exodus from Babylon due to the oppression and injustice that’s exists. In quite a few of Marley’s songs, he addresses two topics that are inter related, 1) Leaving Babylon for Zion, and 2) From this a close similarity to the scaffolding of the Israelite ideology can be seen.

Due to the characteristics of the living situation of the Rastafari who lived elsewhere besides Ethiopia, Babylon is referenced making a connection from the Rastafari to the ancient Israelites who faced the “Babylonian Captivity”. This is a reoccurring theme in many of Marley’s song, whether it be facing oppression in present day Babylon, or turning ones back on capitalist ideology.

 Another song that I came across while listening to Bob was the “Rasta Man Chant”.  During this song, although quite simple lyrically, he conveys the fall of Babylon. Repeating “Babylon your throne gone down” as the chorus, the message is quite clear, and the rejection and dissatisfaction with Babylon is evident. Later in the song he sings,” I say fly away home to Zion”. Similar to the Israelite view of Jerusalem being Zion, the Rastafari believe that their original home of Ethiopia is Zion. Just as the Israelites had a final destination, the Rastafari mirror that with their emphasis on and desire to return to “Zion”. Finally, he conveys his main desire he wishes to project to the song. “One bright morning when my work is over, Man will fly away home”.  

While commonly not perceived correctly, especially by college students, Bob wrote music and lived his lifestyle the way he did for Religious purposes, not just to “chill” and be a laid back pot smoker. Using the Rastafarian principles, which are pretty closely related to that of the ancient Israelites,  Bob was promoting and living a valid religious message, and effectively encompassed this in his music.

Rastafari

The video definitely provides a useful in depth look into the daily lifestyle, rituals and the living situation of a Rastafarian group in Jamaica. I found their prayer rituals quite interesting, as I was not aware that they had set times to wake up, pray and mediate. Also, observing their lifestyle, it struck me as quite impressive that their devotion to their faith has led them to such a basic yet extremely fulfilling lifestyle.

In class we have examined the different symbols and their importance and meaning to Rastafarian society. At the root of these, one can come to see that importance, and the purpose of their use.  The text states, “Cashmore and Paget Henry have observed that marginalized peoples, especially minority groups who lack access to political and economic power often turn to “symbolic processes and “symbolic strategies in attempt to articulate their grievances and to effect social change”.

Applying this to the Rastafari, this would effectively explain why the symbols of the Rasta colors, along with the Dreadlocks and turbans would be used to prove this point. The rasta colors, are that of Ethiopia, the place that rasta will eventually return to. These colors are of huge value as they are related to the birth(and hopefully final destination) of the Rastafari. Wrapped up with the blunt reality of Babylon the dreadlocks which “express the Rastafarian belief in and commitment to naturalness” prove their devotion to their faith, as well as a commitment and devotion to naturalness and being connected to the earth.

Rasta colors with turbans serve as a type of crown, keeping together the dreadlocks in what my opinion is a compound symbol. The  colors and dreadlocks along with the turban serve as,” Rejection of the Babylonian character of Jamaican society and a commitment to the struggle for selfhood and dignity through the development of African Centered Cultural Identity”. To conclude the way that the symbols are portrayed in the book, as well as in the movie are very similar, with the main difference being with the video you can visually apply what is said in the text. The rasta colors along with the dreadlocks and turbans show how the rasta use symbolic processes to “articulate” their grievances and beliefs as well as project their commitment and devotion to their faith.

Kebra Negast

The different avenues of the spread of Christianity are quite fascinating. In class, we have examined different groups who have come to certain beliefs as a result of their respective contexts and circumstances. Historically Christianity has clashed with other cultures, and religion. In the Kebra Negast reading, the royalty of Sheba as well as Solomon worship the King of Israel. Solomon passes his beliefs to the Queen of Sheba which is quite interesting in regards to the fact that these beliefs traveled in such a fashion. The transformation from polytheistic to monotheistic beliefs is apparent and in turn the God of Israel is brought to Ethiopia. Ultimately, the Rastafari utilize Kebra Negast symbolically which helps them understand existence and tolerability.

Truthful or not, I really enjoyed reading this story. From an outsiders perspective, people fail to grasp the roots of religion in different areas of the world. From our study in class, it is obvious that regardless of the validity of these tales, they function as effectively explaining how a certain faith came to be.  Personally, I think it is very intriguing that while Ethiopia is known today as an extremely poor country, there is definitely a connection to the roots as a result of the involvement of Solomon in the story. What happens between Solomon and the Queen makes him come off as somewhat self-centered around his wisdom and desires. However regardless of the ignorance of modern morals, it serves a purpose in explaining how Christianity spread to Ethiopia.

Conceptual Blending

The Conceptual Blending article by Gilles Fauconnier was quite interesting, and made a number of interesting points regarding human conception and perception in relation to what is going on around us. The example he makes regarding the boat race struck me as quite fascinating. In regard to the boat that was sailing in the present it states, “ two distinct events correspond to two input mental spaces, which reflect salient schematic aspects of the events” pointing to the voyage, the boats position, and the time of travel. As show by the illustration/map of the course of the boats, the “boat race” is formed by blending, even though the boats are not racing at the same time(nearly 100 years apart!). 

Tying this in to how this applies to class, in my opinion this example is related to how we read and interpret the bible. The majority of people who practice the Christian faith do so by interpreting scripture, and applying it to their lifestyle, to their respective values, and the actions that they take on a daily basis. In the bible, although what is in the scripture took place thousands of years ago, much of the trials and tribulations that are presented in there are applicable to our lives today. 

Whether it be discrimination, evil, disobedience, dishonesty, natural disaster ect… what we face today can be related to what is in the bible. The boat that took sail 100 years after did so on the same parameters, but merely in a different time setting that the one 100 years before. Though there was an evident time difference, it is arguable that both were trying to do the same thing, and in turn they are put together as 1 by our minds. This is no different than when we read the bible, and find comfort in relation to the similar struggles, trials, tribulations and triumphs that take place over the course of the text.

Scripture, Possessions, Distractions

Earlier this week in class we discussed the unique approach that Augustine takes in relation to how one should approach Christianity. At first, I did not completely agree with the message that I interpreted. With regards to the value of material possessions, I felt as if his point that they were mainly unnecessary and the relationship between wants and needs was a bit radical. However, after examining this point further I actually came to understand it further and this completely changed my opinion. It is fascinating the how Augustine ultimately encourages one to move past the distraction of the desire for material possessions as they are a distraction from what is really important. Re-evaluating wants versus needs, it becomes apparent that the main need is the lord, and faith in the lord, which is actually not radical at all, it simply puts everything in perspective.

After reading the J. Todd Billings article, it was easy to make the comparison to the teachings of St. Augustine. A passage that really jumped out at me in this article states, “We do not have to master Scripture and then make it relevant to our lives; through Scripture, God opens up a new place for us to dwell, a place of fellowship with Christ on a path leading to love of God and neighbor”. In my opinion, this is quite relative to the teachings of Augustine as the basic love of god, the neighbor, and the comfort and positive encouragement that God offers is supported. Another point that he makes is the basic incorrect use of the bible that stretch its realm of influence in unnecessary ways. Concerning the application of its teachings in all areas of life(finance, relationships, family), but missing the basic because “This message centers on the individual and his or her preferences, and does not interpret the Bible in a way that calls felt needs into question or looks beyond them”. This is quite similar to Augustine as in it de-simplifies how he wants one to interpret scripture, use it literally, and also how it effects ones spiritual well being.

Finally, Billings’ closing quote states “In reading the Bible as Scripture, we are not the masters. We are being mastered and enlivened by the triune God”. Nothing could be more similar to St. Augustine’s most basic point that he projects in his writing”. Taking a step back, living and acting with Christian faith is the most important aspect, and mastering the Bible and faith is something we do not have the power to do.

Psalm 63 Live

A recurring element that I encountered while examining these psalms is the differences in how the psalms could possibly sound whether sang, recited poetically, or just plain read aloud. Building off this, the different variations in how the psalm is projected can in turn have an effect on not only how it sounds, but what kind of personal effect it may have when comprehending the messages within the psalm.  

Matisyahu, as we have discussed in class is a Jewish singer/songwriter/rapper who successfully incorporates his strong Jewish faith into his music. Surfing the web, I found some footage of Matisyahu in action doing just that. During a live performance, he specifically references Psalm 63. Verse 2 states “O God, Thou art my God, earnestly will I seek Thee, my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee,
in a dry and weary land, where no water is”. This depicts the dedication and dependence that exists between faith, the lord, and creation. Verses 3-4 of the psalm state,” So have I looked for Thee in the sanctuary, to see Thy power and Thy glory”. This phrase shows the dedication to the journey for faith the Matisyahu is on, as well as the divine power and glory of the lord. Overall, Matisyahu makes a statement by singing this psalm in a live venue, not to mention he sings it in Hebrew which is quite impressive.

Hymn of Aten- Psalm 104

Thus far, my reading and interpretation of the psalms has come with quite a bit of resistance, mainly due to the battle to fully understand what is meant to be communicated to the reader. While the glory, power and punishment cast on enemies is ever present in many of the Psalms, reading Psalm 104, I came across quite a few notable aspects that I actually really enjoyed.

 What jumped out to me the most was the vivid imagery.  Lines 3-5 “Setting beams for his loft in the waters, making his chariot the clouds, he goes on the wings of the wind” really provided a vibrant description of the supposed existence of the “upper chambers/lofts” that god created.  In line 13, the “loft” concept is again exposed with a dramatic description” He waters mountains from His lofts, from the fruit of your works the earth is sated”. Moving on from the vivid imagery that exists in, what has been created and the dependence on the lord is also exposed. Lines 21-22 state “The lions roar for prey seeking from god their food” and lines 28-29 state “When you give them, they gather it in, when You open Your hand, they are sated with good”.  Both of the excerpts show the powerful need that exists from earths creatures for gods gifts.  

Changing subjects, the Hymn of Aten is  written in the context of the ancient Egyptian gods. Unlike Christians, the Egyptians worships multiple gods, however quite a few comparisons can be drawn, particularly the vivid imagery, and the presence of a great need for what is created.  The line “ All distant lands, you make them live, for you set a Nile in the sky that it may descend for them” is quite similar to lines 3-5 of 104 in both the vivid images, and the topic it concerns, water in the sky. The excerpt, “When you rise, they live: when you set, they die. You are a lifespan in yourself; one lives by you” is quiet similar to lines 21-22 of Psalm 104 citing the dependency of the gods creation, and what he gives/descends upon them.

From examining and comparing these texts, it is evident that  both the Israelites and the Egyptians had similar beliefs regarding their god(s) and similar ways of expressing his grace through vivid imagery, as well as projecting the dependence of the gods respective creations on the graces descended upon them.

Week 6 Book of Psalms Blog #2

To whom it may concern, this post is coming a week late as I am a bit behind on my blog. To clarify, this is my second blog for the  last week on the Book of Psalms and I will follow this by my two for this week of October 3rd!

Something in class that we have discussed in class is the context of these psalms. Who used them? Why did they read them, how did they interpret them? How were they used for beneficial purposes?

For this entry I would like to focus on the different uses of the psalms, specifically for the pilgrims. For the Christians who first landed in the new world, it is quite viable to believe that these psalms provided a great sense of security to the pilgrims who first came to America.

Going outside our text to, these peoples were confronted with the conflicts with the local Indian populations, famine, water shortage, not to mention that the true civilization that they knew was thousands of miles away across the Atlantic Ocean[1]. The Bay Psalm Book, was first printed in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just over 30 years after the first permanent British settlement in Jamestown, Virginia was started[2]. As a central guideline to the settlers, principles of the bible provided strict guidelines for those living and praising god in the new world[3]. The book of psalms, specifically the Bay Psalm Book provided the puritan settlers an outlet to both praise the lord and come together as a community to recite the poetic verses that were also labeled as “singsong”[4].  

From off these facts, it is evident that these Psalms served a different purpose than they do in our current Robert Alter text, which simply makes the psalms easier for us to understand. From a religious standpoint, the Bay Psalm Book is more literal and shows what was read and possibly(up to our understanding) how it sounded for the Pilgrims. In my opinion it is possible that those who read them did so for security, comfort, and to constitute a feeling of togetherness among the settlers.

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[1] http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mosmd/

[2] http://www.apva.org/history/

[3] http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Bay_Psalm_Book.aspx

[4] http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Bay_Psalm_Book.aspx

Alter/Bay Psalm Tranlation and Interpretation

Written in their original context, the psalms are meant  be recited in a poetic matter, with a certain amount of syllables for each line. In true form, if recited in this poetic manner, the psalm is successfully re-enforced putting focus on certain words and phrases, manipulating the way that they sound.  In addition, it appears to me as the earlier texts are more literal, and as a result the word choice is much harder especially pertaining to those who disobey the Lord: 

 In line 6 “vex  them fuddenlie” has a much harsher quality to it than in Alter’s version where it says, “His burning anger dismay them”.  On the other hand, this point is proved it can exist as the opposite later in the Psalm. In line 10, Alter’s version states, “And, O you kings pay mind, be chastened you rulers of earth”.  The Bay Psalms looks like :

This  differs significantly both in wording and the meaning you can draw out of it. The word chasten, is used to describes the harsh punishment that await the leaders who are not acting in accordance with god. The Bay Psalm provides a less graphic description with what will happen as it states “be learned ye ludges of the earth”. As opposed to my first point that the older text has a more harsh and literal sound to it, this citation proves the opposite and also shows the constant variation and transformation between the two different interpretations.

The Animal Connection

In this post, I would like to focus on something that I had previously left out in my last entry but is quite important in when looking at the effigy mounds. The exact relationship between the woodlander peoples and animals remains unknown. However, it is evident from looking at the mounds, the shapes of the mounds, and the drawings that there was a very high value placed on the lives of animals, as well as their possible relationship with the afterlife. Arial views show the mound shapes of birds, rabbits and other 4 legged creatures. Obviously, the native peoples took great pride in building these mounds, as these burial sites(and whatever else they functioned as) took time and effort to construct, not to leave out that they were constructed in the shape of an animal…not your average mound shape. Taking a step back, we can draw two points from these mounds. First, bones have been found in them so it is quite possible that these were burial mounds (which I completely agree with) and second, a well known fact…they were built in the shape of an animal. From this, we can draw the connection between the dead and the animals. In my opinion, the dead were placed inside these creature shaped mounds for the symbolic meaning of the animals carrying them peacefully into and through the afterlife.  In early times, animals were treated as much more sacred beings than they are today, not quite as equals, but much different than today. When killed for food, often times there would be ceremonies following the hunt  and the skinning and gutting of the animal would become a village wide event. This testifies to the importance of the animals and the respect that the early peoples had for them. To conclude, I find it fascinating that the mounds were built in the shapes of animals, as it symbolizes the ultimate natural connection between man, animal, earth, and spirit.

Mind Body Earth Connection

To this day effigy mounds continue to evoke our curiosity. Questions remain about the basic fact of who built them, and why? While these questions remain somewhat un answered there are a few things about the ancient peoples that we know(or can assume in an educated way). In earlier times, in order to survive the Native Americans  “adapted to resource rich environments by developing new hunting and gathering strategies, as well as a number of technological innovations”. The Gertz definition states “Religion is a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence”. To survive, native peoples had to adapt to their respective environments on objective level by doing necessary things to survive such as hunting and gathering, as well as inventing new appliances to make their daily lives easier. While we do not completely understand the spirituality of the natives, I have come to believe that If adaptation was a factor in one half of their lives(surviving) why wouldn’t it be a big factor in the other half(spirituality)? Going off what we do know, before the time of effigy mounds, the dead were buried then later re-buried in “Feasts of the Dead” . These large spiritual proceedings functioned to re-unite the dead with other dead family members as well as other members of the community, reburying the bones in the same place after certain period of time. This was believed to re-unite the spirits of the dead and ultimately make their time better because they would be amongst one another(buried in the same place). I believe the mounds, serve a quite similar purpose as these earlier burial sites. As expressed in the readings “ the construction of the mounds reflect the elaboration of rituals surrounding death and the desire to create visual and symbolic links among human beings, the land, and the supernatural world”. Moving along further, an R. Clark Mellam quote states that “effigy mound ceremonialism represents the ancient ideology of earth”. I believe that he effigy mounds formulated a conception of the important harmonious co-existence between the real and supernatural world as well as a symbol for the consistent adaptation to both survive and also maintain an appropriate level of respective spirituality.

Having Faith, How and Why?

The question of "Why do we believe" can be answered partially in many ways, however a full, complete, and legitimately "correct" answer is something that can be and will be continuously debated. Exploring the concept of religion takes us into a maze of different proportions, making an intriguing, confusing, and sometimes frustrating process of asking questions and looking for answers. The ongoing debate of whether it is scientifically plausible to be religious is not something that will be solved unless a "God" shows up in some kind of form and convinces the whole world it does indeed exist. Because a lot of who we are, where we came from, and where we will go after death is still a mystery for those who are not completely won over by the scientific or religious explanations, It can be argued that religion has been created internally to “fill the gap” for what we do not already have knowledge and concrete evidence of. As we witnessed in class via video stream, Dawkins believes that religion is( put in your choice Dawkins religion bashing word here). Moving away from Dawkins, who in my opinion is off base because of the radical stance of his arguments, a new front can be argued/presented. As stated in the article, it could be viable to believe that religion and being religious in a spiritual way is something that was created naturally by our brains in order to substitute for the unknown, because “having faith” may in a sense be better(and possibly healthier?) than coming to the point of accepting the complete unknown. In essence, I personally have not come to a formal stance on this issue as religion is something I have been exposed to, however have not taken a stance with just yet. That being said, I have quite a few thoughts and ideas that are scaffolding, and with more understanding and information, could definitely aid in constructing a formal belief.