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Tag Archives: Religion
I Am a Spirit on a Human Journey
By Both Long, Spanish Faculty
I Am a Spirit on a Human Journey
“There is no path to happiness, happiness is the path”–Buddha
As a kid, I was raised under the Buddhist way of life by my mom and grandma. I was taught the principles of Buddhism through lessons and teaching; I lived the Buddhist way of life by following my family. I walked this life and always identified as a practicing Buddhist, but I never really studied what that actually meant. I never consciously thought of what it means to be someone with Buddhist values. I am a Buddhist. I am here to learn the teachings of the Buddhist way through my own experience in this human form. (more…)
Babies Are Babies: Multiple Viewpoints on IVF
By Faith White, VI Form
Babies Are Babies: Multiple Viewpoints on IVF
My older siblings are twins, scientifically made in a lab, test tube babies. Scientists wearing white coats created them, in a Petri dish. Just like 4 million other children, they would not be here without science and medicine. Despite its many success stories, however, IVF has brought about many ideological controversies involving religion, ethics, and socioeconomics. But had it not been for my IVF siblings and my mother’s reproductive system resetting, I am not sure that I would ever be born. The question remains, however, should a couple that is struggling to conceive for one reason or another, but is able to pay to use IVF to have the baby that they have always wanted, benefit while (more…)
Hinduism: a Dialogue in the Eastern Religious Thought Class
Hinduism: a Dialogue in the Eastern Religious Thought Class
Eastern Religious Thought is a survey of the major Eastern religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. We not only study the traditions and symbols of each religion but also examine its philosophy and theology. We first studied Hinduism. Hindus worship many deities but recognize that there is only one Ultimate Reality (Brahman). Hindus believe in reincarnation and strive for the ultimate goal of liberation (moksha).
Emma: A Reading from the Upanishads–A seeker named Vidagdha Śākalya approaches the sage Yājñavalkya with the question, “How many gods are there, Yājñavalkya?”
“Three thousand three hundred and six,” he replied.
“Yes,” said he, “but just how many gods are there, Yājñavalkya?” (more…)
Faith in the Leap–Religion and Life of Pi
By William D’Angelo, VI Form
Faith in the Leap–Religion and Life of Pi
The “Leap of Faith” scares many, as it has for eons. Everyone fears the fall, the drop into the unknown. Some enjoy the rush of the unknown. The unknown has infinite possibilities, something which is hard to find in a finite life. Faith requires this fear and this rush. Those are the doubts of the leap. Faith is belief in idea regardless of one’s doubt. If there is no doubt, it is not faith–it is fact. The excitement and fear of doubt are the obverse and reverse of the same coin. They sustain each other, building off of one another. As excitement wanes, fears build. As fear ebbs, excitement crashes over one like a tsunami. In Life of Pi, Yann Martel demonstrates on various levels that faith as well as doubt are what keeps Pi alive during his
ordeal. It is not just Pi that is aided by his faith and doubt, but everyone in the world as well. (more…)
What The Wedding of Zein Teaches Us About Islam
By Blaire (Ninglin) Zhang, V Form
What The Wedding of Zein Teaches Us About Islam
While The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih portrays the day-to-day life of various seemingly unconnected groups of people in a Sudanese village, it poses important questions about the religion of Islam. In describing events leading up to Zein’s wedding and reactions of the villagers, Salih reveals contrasting interpretations of Islamic faith. One comes to see that under the façade of Zein’s wedding and the author’s use of comic elements exist tensions between those who follow the Sufi tradition and those who prefer the more orthodox, non-Sufi way to Islam. Haneen and The Imam represent individuals who exemplify these two opposing views. (more…)
The Duality of Science and Religion
The Duality of Science and Religion
By Nia Quinones, VI Form
Science and religion are often times considered to be far apart on the spectrum of academia. Nevertheless, the efforts of Pope Benedict XVI, also known as the “Green Pope,” have effectively linked the Catholic faith with working towards a more energy efficient world.
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI installed over 1,000 solar panels in the Vatican. Solar (more…)
The Pillars of Herakles: At the Bridge Between Europe and Africa
By Stephen Hebert, Religion Faculty
For his tenth labor, the lion-skin-wearing, club-wielding, Greek hero Herakles fetches a bunch of cattle belonging to Geryon, a monster living on an island beyond the far western end of the Mediterranean. Geryon is a fearsome creature, so fearsome that centuries later, Dante Alighieri will depict him in the Inferno as a flying manticore who embodies fraud. In order to reach this great mythical beast, Herakles must go beyond the edge of the known world, past where “Europe meets Libya,” in the words of Apollodorus. To get there, Herakles splits a mountain in two, creating a strait between Europe and Africa now known as the Strait of (more…)
Sharing the Faith: Religion and Science
By Julie Geng, VI Form
For many, science and religion are mutually exclusive since science — reliant on the scientific method — can find no proof for Deity. Others think that these two forces coexist without influencing each other. As both a passionate young chemist and a faithful Christian, I have reconciled for myself the purported dichotomy between scientific endeavor and religious awe through understanding their shared element of faith. (more…)
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