We Are North-A-meri-can

This was mentioned in my previous blog about Mormons, but I find the connection of Utopian societies and Mormonism fascinating. Utopian societies are attempts of many people living together under certain circumstances in hope that it will lead to an ideal, peaceful, harmonious living situation. And, maybe it's its not so much the Utopian societies themselves being compared to Mormonism, but rather the longing for meaning

 Mormonism seems as though (like most religions) an attempt at finding meaning for one's self and many events in history and everyday life. However, it seems like it is kind of a stretch. For example, the idea that Jesus made a visit to North America when he was from the Middle east. And claiming that the Native Americans are descendants of Laman and they are darker because they do not follow God. It's like the idea of applying a religion to one's life is taken even farther by making direct connections with historical events. Another aspect that is strange is that are some superstitious aspects, such as is found in 1 Nephi involving a gadget: “And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness” (1 Nephi 16:10). This is very unrealistic. Because truly, everything happens by chance. Much like is explained by scientist and writer Stephen Jay Gould in his essays; humans look for meaning in random things in nature. For example we look at the stars and we see creatures and if you are born in a certain month your life will go a certain way.

Humans do not like the uncertainty of life. And I feel that Mormonism is yet another attempt in the midst of an era when so many different groups of people are looking for the truth, to find meaning and truth in the world. The making of a direct connection from Christianity to North America and some of the strange and almost superstitious beliefs make Mormonism less believable.

Mormons and the 19th Century

The Book of Mormon is a very interesting book because of it's story of how it came about and the fact that it grasped so many people during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Mormon Faith is attractive to people at this time when so many groups are looking for the answers to life. It has structure and seems to have history that relates to already existing faiths.

One striking aspect found in Third Nephi in the Book of Nephi in Chapter 14 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (3 Nephi 14:15). At this time in American history, there were so many people looking for the right path to go down in life. This was the time that Utopian societies were popping up all over the place. Since this passage would have been written by Joseph Smith in the 19th century it makes sense that he would include this idea. All generations have their false prophets, and at this point in time its the utopian community. Many of these groups were religious societies where there was an attempt at ridding of superstitious though and they believed in science. The Mormon religion is attractive at a time when there are many different ideas floating around; with a seemingly structured belief based on already existing religion. It also gives explanation to the idea of Manifest Destiny.

The book of Mormon seems to lead itself to justifying the Genocide of Native Americans. At the point in time that this was written, there was about only half the states we have today and the rest were owned by European countries and populated by the Native Americans. Also at this time the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which is more famously known as trail of tears. 

"For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles." (3 Nephi 20:19-20)

This quote clearly promotes violence towards the Native Americans, and justifies it with the idea that violence is done in the name of the Lord, and that it's okay because they don't believe in the Right God.

Mormonism, though it has very questionable aspects, has aspects that make sense for the time in which it was developed. It makes sense even when you look at just a few aspects of Mormonism why this relates to the people of the 19th century.

Progressive Religion?

The Bahá'í faith is (as some sources claim) the second fastest growing religion in the world. And for a reason. When you break down some of the aspects of the Bahá'í faith you can see that it is a very progressive religion and has many features that are attractive to people of our modern world. The idea that the religion has the ability to evolve as well as other important details about the laws and teachings are the most attractive aspects of the Bahá'í faith.

One of the aspects of the religion that jumps out is how badly they are prosecuted against in the middle-east, in primarily muslim areas. This makes it a religion of losers, much like christianity; a religion where a prophet lives a lowly life and then is put to death. Bahá'u'lláh spent much time of his life in prison and was tortured. People naturally want to support the underdog, and this religion definitely hasn't had an easy time surviving. But of course this is not the only attractive part of this religion. The other intriguing aspect of this religion is that it has a progressive aspect. The messengers of God (the "Manifestations of God") have the ability to change a previous messengers teachings, and the idea that every time there is a new messenger, they become the central focus of the religion is something the differs from most religions. And this is definitely an aspect that seems to make a lot of sense, because times change and having a message relevant to the times is important. They recognize the messengers that Islam and Christianity follow, however they recognize that the teachings of their messengers will not always be relevant to the times. Not being stuck to the teachings of a messenger who lived over 2000 years ago, is a smart idea because it helps to make it relevant to the times and that makes it easier to apply the religion to peoples own lives.

This brings us to some seemingly very modern ideas in the Bahá'í faith. The equality of men and women is something that differs from the muslim religion which the Bahá'í faith essentially broke off of, and it is certainly attractive to many women in the world who are struggling for equality. Another attractive quality of the Bahá'í faith is the belief that science and religion should exist harmoniously. Nothing in science should contradict any aspect of the faith and nothing the faith should contradict any aspect of science. This is to many people a refreshing view coming from major religions that reject many aspects of science. And yet another aspect of he Bahá'í faith that seems particularly attractive to the modern world in which we live is the idea that as a member of the faith you are required to abstain from partisan politics. This would look to many like a refreshing view in our confusing and frustrating world of politics.

Now, I would not say the the Bahá'í is a perfect faith; for there are aspects that are going to drive many people away and are not progressive and are a bit odd and do not promote equality. For starters, only two people ever have seen the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, the general population of members is not allowed to interpret the scriptures. This is very very different from other religions and very much limits people's freedom to apply their religion to their own lives. The Bahá'í faith is also against homosexuality; it is prohibited to engage in any homosexual action. Clearly this makes it less appealing to those looking for a progressive faith and doesn't not go along with the idea of equality and justice which the faith stands for.

Though the Bahá'í faith has it's bad parts, it is (compared to many of todays major religions) a fairly progressive religion with some good ideas. And the fact that it has 6 million members in over 200 countries and is growing at a fast rate is an encouraging fact. 

Bahá'u'lláh and Armstrong

The views of Bahá'u'lláh and the views of Karen Armstrong expressed in her short YouTube video "Charter for Compassion"are very similar. Both are looking for a way to unify the faiths of the world to create a better place for everyone to live. However, the Bahá'i method of achieving this is through more of a spiritual view and Armstrong's view is through more of a political view.

The Bahá'i believe that there is a fundamental unity of many of world religions. They accepts this on the basis that the central figures of many of the world's religions are all manifestations of God. They believe that perhaps the different religions are different stages of the constant evolution of the one religion; like each religion has grabbed on to one messenger in the long line of messengers throughout history and has focused on their teachings. There will always be another messenger of God for every generation, who will present teachings more relevant to the times. They are able to change many of the teachings of the previous messenger, though some things that cannot be changed. Armstrong's view of the issue of the issue of unifying world religions comes from a more political approach with an absence of a focus on God and his messengers.

Armstrong says the task of our generation is to build a global community in which all beliefs can live together in peace and harmony. The best way of going about this is to follow the golden rule; love your neighbor; treat others as you would want to be treated. We need to change the conversation from a narrow understanding of religion resulting in intolerance, and the rage in religions against each other. She would like to see the golden rule implemented globally. This is definitely similar to what the Bahá'i strive for, just with a different approach, spiritual vs. political. The Bahá'i believe that the evolution of their religion comes over years in the messengers of God. However, Armstrong, I feel is promoting more of an evolution within the self, through compassion.

They are both different paths to the same goal.

Music and Rasta

The Rasta's music is a very powerful and influential sound that has affected many people lives all around the world. Musically the this music is very distinct from other forms of music, much like Jazz, which didn't sound like anything else, and came out of similar circumstances. Out of oppression (or should we say "downpression"), Reggae has come to spread a message guiding a people for generations. Musically it conveys the message and the struggle well.

A simplistic example of the bass on the down beat with
the chords of the guitar on the off beat

it conveys struggle by not conveying struggle, and rather expressing elements of freedom. Jazz came out of oppressed people in the 1920s, African Americans who were prejudiced against. They created Jazz, and I think that if you ask just about any Jazz musician what Jazz is they will say, "It's freedom." Now Reggae is not freedom in the same sense that Jazz is, in the way Jazz has an improvisational element and often lose structure. Reggae has a rhythm that has a happy feel with its off beat chords on the guitar and bass notes on the down beat. Often this beat as altered and made a little more funky, giving it a more appealing sound. In some songs, like Bob Marley's "One Love," this happy feeling is kept a live though out the song, with a melody in a major key and a pretty straight forward beat. Although some of his more powerful songs like "Exodus," it is in a minor key with a more complex rhythm–although while still staying true to the off beat idea. The bass line of the song "Exodus" has very empowering sound, and wants keep pushing along and moving forward. And This fits with the theme of the song; a "movement of Jah's people" to the promised land.

Bass line from "Exodus"

All the elements described above in combination with good instrumentation and the raspy yet flowing voice of great reggae singers like Bob Marley, you have beautiful music which, wether you are Rastafarian or not, sets your mind free. Now I only really covered a few songs, but I think it is interesting and important to look at not only how a music came about and what it conveys, but also how it is conveyed. How the music itself conveys messages and emotions in nature of what the instruments are doing individually to make the whole sound.

Rastafarians and Ethiopia

The most clear aspect of the Bobo Shanti (though this is of course not limited to the Bobo Shanti) is their emphasis on the return to the Ethiopia. This Short YouTube video, gives us an insight into a Bobo Shanti village in Jamaica, and starts of with a walk through a ceremony celebrating the return to Africa. This focus on the return to Africa is reflection of the Jew's exile from the "promised land" to Babylon. This village feels as though the land to which they belong is in Ethiopia, and hey are placed in Jamaica (and they got there through the slave trading). It is no surprise that their main focus is on the return to Africa as the name Bobo Shanti essentially means Children of Africa.

They of course reinforce these beliefs in other aspects of their religious practices. For example they wear red turbans around their dread locks, red of course being on of the colors of Ethiopia; this, reinforcing the belief that this is where they belong and that they are loyal to the land. Interestingly, they also closely follow the Jewish law. They are strict on diet, and the rules revolving around cleanliness through hygiene. They also are known for carrying around brooms with them to symbolize their cleanliness. They also follow the Sabbath on Saturday from sundown Friday to sunset Saturday. This strict following of Jewish Law shows how much they believe that Ethiopia is the promised land which God favors.

This closeness to the Jewish tradition and the longing to go back to Africa is the most interesting part of the Rastafarian religion. Which is interesting because knowing nothing about the Rastafari movement, I imagine that most people would assume that it is about smoking pot and having a good time. I think it is important to take a closer look at these people and realize that what they believe is closer to what many other people believe today.

imagnes from:

http://www.ethiopianrastafari.info/ethiopianrastafari_patches.html

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davebulow/wow/

Great Wisdom

The story of Queen of Sheba is an interesting story. If it is a true story, it is amazing that someone would travel that far firstly. And the fascination with knowledge, or more specifically wisdom, is another interesting aspect of this story. This reminds me of Deism when I read an account of the story of Queen of Sheba.

Queen of Sheba

There is such a fascination with knowledge in this account as she desires to travel from (supposedly) Ethiopia to Solomon in Israel. On the way there, as the story goes, Queen of Sheba expresses her desire for wisdom: "Hearken, O ye who are my people, and give ye ear to my words. For I desire wisdom and my heart seeketh to find understanding; for wisdom is far better than treasure of gold and silver." Deism is kind of a religion, but more of a viewpoint that organized religion is not needed and that reason and observation of the natural world will reveal that the world is a creation and has a creator. Deists usually dismiss supernatural things such as prophecy and miracles. Solomon seemed obsessed with wisdom, and of course Queen of Sheba and others were interested in the knowledge of Solomon; "Wisdom is the best of all treasures" the Queen says. However there are definitely differences in Solomon's views compared to a deist's views. Solomon believed that he should let God intervene in his life and he feared God: "He gave commands with dignity, and his replies were made quietly and with the fear of God." This differs from Deism as they believe that God, though he/she created everything, does not interact with people.

Personally, I believe that the deist point of view is a more reasonable point of view, because it seems that God is not totally active in our lives and reason and knowledge is a more reasonable way to go about things (though I am not sure that there even is a god in the first place). Although Solomon's great use of knowledge was ahead of its time. Either way, it is interesting that Solomon used great wisdom in his rule and this concentration on wisdom was prevalent at some point long ago and it is similar to the beliefs of our forefathers (as they were–arguably–deists).