I personally enjoyed the Video Essay Project. To me, it was a time for reflection, being able to really look back through the semester and see how I have changed as a person. In regards to deciding what I would recite in my video blog, I had the time to think back and see how this religion course really did change my life. I am appreciative of the growth I have undergone in this semester. If it was not for the Jesuit education Gonzaga strikes to achieve, I would probably never had dipped my toes this deep into religion. I am thankful for the opportunity this project has brought to my life.
Listening to my video blog, I realized how much interest I have in religion and the Christian faith. Although I cannot say that I agree with 100% of the ideas taught in Christianity, I can agree with some. And with the new knowledge of religion, I think of my life in a different light. I truly take the time to think of my growth and what beautiful day each new day brings to me. I am thankful for the teachings that the bible offers to readers, showing those who read the bible how powerful every day is. Regardless of my religious faith, I have found the desire to really read the bible and have taken the time to go through the bible on my own time.
I am thankful for this project and am happy to see the growth in me through this semester and how much this course has impacted my life.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Week 13
The thing I found most interesting in this week's reading is the verses in the Bible written in 1 Corinthians.
I enjoyed the way love is portrayed in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13. This verse tells me to be true to myself. It shows how important love is and what it means to us. Love means much more than what one assumes it means. I like 1Cor. 13:3 where is says, "If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I've done but I don't have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever." To me, this means don't throw myself at someone, don't go into a relationship because I pity someone. Instead, go with how I feel. Love has to be true, I can't just forge it. Then it goes on to the "love is patient, love is kind..." segment. I personally think about love every single day. It is my goal in life to be with someone I love for the rest of my life. It's such a powerful thing, and really hard to understand. I want to trust love and believe that it will find a way to find me, instead of me going out and finding love. Relationships are such a complicated thing, girls talk about it every day. It's relieving to know that Jesus went through trying to understand love as well. Love never fails.
Another pretty interesting thing was in 1 Cor. 15:38 "God gives it the sort of shape that he chooses, and he gives each of the seeds its own shape. All flesh isn't alike". Lately, I feel like there has been an overwhelming amount of discussion over diversity, minorities, differences in people as groups. Am I the only one? I am very exhausted of hearing the words diverse, minority and whatnot. As the Bible states, all flesh isn't alike. No two people are the same. Why are people discussing the differences in the color of the persons skin when each person is different. I feel like our civilization has come so comfortable with clustering people together, individuality is overlooked. I think it is time to stop talking about ethnicities, racism, and realize that each person in the world comes from a different culture. Even among the majority, two people are different. No two flesh are alike.
I enjoyed the way love is portrayed in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13. This verse tells me to be true to myself. It shows how important love is and what it means to us. Love means much more than what one assumes it means. I like 1Cor. 13:3 where is says, "If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I've done but I don't have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever." To me, this means don't throw myself at someone, don't go into a relationship because I pity someone. Instead, go with how I feel. Love has to be true, I can't just forge it. Then it goes on to the "love is patient, love is kind..." segment. I personally think about love every single day. It is my goal in life to be with someone I love for the rest of my life. It's such a powerful thing, and really hard to understand. I want to trust love and believe that it will find a way to find me, instead of me going out and finding love. Relationships are such a complicated thing, girls talk about it every day. It's relieving to know that Jesus went through trying to understand love as well. Love never fails.
Another pretty interesting thing was in 1 Cor. 15:38 "God gives it the sort of shape that he chooses, and he gives each of the seeds its own shape. All flesh isn't alike". Lately, I feel like there has been an overwhelming amount of discussion over diversity, minorities, differences in people as groups. Am I the only one? I am very exhausted of hearing the words diverse, minority and whatnot. As the Bible states, all flesh isn't alike. No two people are the same. Why are people discussing the differences in the color of the persons skin when each person is different. I feel like our civilization has come so comfortable with clustering people together, individuality is overlooked. I think it is time to stop talking about ethnicities, racism, and realize that each person in the world comes from a different culture. Even among the majority, two people are different. No two flesh are alike.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
In Class Writing #3
Reading my In Class Writing #1, I have not been fulfilling my goals that I planned to achieve. In that entry, I stated that it was important for me to have a healthy breakfast and enough sleep. Since then, I have been going to bed before 1 o'clock which I think is very healthy. On the other hand, I haven't been having breakfast in the morning. Instead, I have found something called coffee that allows me to feel full until about lunchtime. Considering that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I know this is really unhealthy for me. Because I don't have access to the COG for breakfast, I have picked up the unhealthy habit. It really is time to keep myself healthy and even go to the gym for re-freshness!
Week 12
The thing I found most interesting in this week's reading is how there are many different pericopes within the Bible.
Like what we do often in class, it's interesting to find out that there is the same overall message threaded through the Bible. At the same time, it is fascinating that word choice plays a large part in how people's views change. It's confusing though that even though the Bible shares the same central idea why Mark, Matthew, and Luke decided to change the words to suit their style. How I see it, I think the Christian religion can be understood and also have one main idea if there was only one type of writing. This way, there would no arguments within the religion on how to perceive things.
I also found the explanations of the metaphors interesting. To me, it's obvious that Jesus isn't the Light of the world, Bread of life, and Gate and the Way. But by implementing these metaphors, I think it makes the Jesus figure more powerful. Saying Jesus is the light of the world shows how much ability Jesus has and the capability he holds within each individual. Using metaphors allow readers to relate and put into figure what the Bible is saying. The usage of metaphors is a literary way of connecting the readers to the Bible. I like that because often, human beings aren't as powerful as light, or the entrance to a gate. But by saying and relating Jesus in metaphorical ways, it shows how much ability Jesus has and how this human being once had.
Like what we do often in class, it's interesting to find out that there is the same overall message threaded through the Bible. At the same time, it is fascinating that word choice plays a large part in how people's views change. It's confusing though that even though the Bible shares the same central idea why Mark, Matthew, and Luke decided to change the words to suit their style. How I see it, I think the Christian religion can be understood and also have one main idea if there was only one type of writing. This way, there would no arguments within the religion on how to perceive things.
I also found the explanations of the metaphors interesting. To me, it's obvious that Jesus isn't the Light of the world, Bread of life, and Gate and the Way. But by implementing these metaphors, I think it makes the Jesus figure more powerful. Saying Jesus is the light of the world shows how much ability Jesus has and the capability he holds within each individual. Using metaphors allow readers to relate and put into figure what the Bible is saying. The usage of metaphors is a literary way of connecting the readers to the Bible. I like that because often, human beings aren't as powerful as light, or the entrance to a gate. But by saying and relating Jesus in metaphorical ways, it shows how much ability Jesus has and how this human being once had.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Week 11
The thing I found most interesting in this week's reading is Jesus' actions as well as how he is perceived.
In the book, The First Paul, Borg and Crossan refer to Christianity as the way. I found this to be interesting because I don't necessarily agree with the fact that there is one religion. I believe that there can be many perceptions in religion. Borg states that although he was raised a Lutheran, he later realized that viewing the world in a Christian light was the way. Yes, the writing in the bible is open for interpretation and can be seen through different ways, I cannot agree that it is the absolute way. Like any religion, it can be viewed in different mindsets at different times.
Another thing that caught my attention was that in John 13, Jesus persists on washing the others feet. Like it stated in the video clip we watched in class, this shows Jesus as a servant leader. (I'm actually not sure if the video was in this class or another.) Regardless, the act of Jesus getting on his knees to do the "dirty work" of cleaning others' feet shows his willingness to put himself below others, and serve from the back. It shows his leadership of not always having the be right, not having to be the one in command at all times. I think this is a very important characteristic in being a leader.
A verse that hit home for me was John 3:17-18. It states that because God gave us his only Son to save our world. In this quote, it resinates with me that we are all responsible for carrying on the legacy to leave the world a better place for the next generation to come. Because God gave us a chance to live on this world, we must pay our respects and do our part in continuing it. In a sense, we are all God's children and because of this, it is crucial that we do pray and keep a healthy communication with him or her.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Week 10
The thing I found most interesting in the reading was Borg's interpretation of religion and practices.
The journey of me going through Marcus J. Borg's book Jesus has been an interesting one to begin with because I don't come from a religious background. Although I have some understanding of what Christianity preaches, I had never experienced it for myself. Reading the Bible for the first time and Borg's book has given me a different interpretation of the religion other than what I have heard any times. This quote from Jesus grabbed my attention, "Not only does our place within culture continue to shape us, but what happens within our culture's life can affect our view of the past" (Borg 294). Prior to this quote, Borg talks about the idea of religion and how it may be applied to an individual's life. This interested me because being a first generation child from Japan, we always practiced Buddhism. My family did not attend temples every weekend or anything like that, but the context of how we spoke and believed traced back to Buddhism. Coming from a man who truly sides with Christianity, it intrigues me that I am able to relate to many of his sayings. From the quote, I can already relate that it is because of my Japanese heritage and culture that I am who I am today. My parents raised me with Japanese practices, for example eating as a family, using chopsticks, no shoes in the house, and speaking in Japanese. It is not until I came to Gonzaga that I found so much passion in my heritage. Since the tsunami that struck Japan, I have come to have a different view on the disaster that occurred in Haiti. Before, as horrible as it may sound, I speak with sincerity when I say that the occurrence in Haiti never grasped my attention. It is not until now, what has occurred in my motherland that I am able to empathize with those victims of Haiti. Though I did not realize until recently, I hold so much pride in my culture.
Another part that grabbed my attention is when Borg talks about the "rights" in Christianity. Because they are too long to list, I will write my reflection instead. I agree, Christianity emphasizes on the denying of the theory of evolution, abortion, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, emphasis on values, and the conformation to Christianity as listed on page 297. I feel that many Americans believe these rights, regardless of whether they are Christian or not. Coming from California, our view points are all over the scale so I cannot say where I get this assumption. To me, I feel that even if one is not of a Christian background, these "rights" are still implemented in their beliefs. It intrigues me that Christianity has the ability to relate with many different people around the world and I am excited to keep studying this religion.
The journey of me going through Marcus J. Borg's book Jesus has been an interesting one to begin with because I don't come from a religious background. Although I have some understanding of what Christianity preaches, I had never experienced it for myself. Reading the Bible for the first time and Borg's book has given me a different interpretation of the religion other than what I have heard any times. This quote from Jesus grabbed my attention, "Not only does our place within culture continue to shape us, but what happens within our culture's life can affect our view of the past" (Borg 294). Prior to this quote, Borg talks about the idea of religion and how it may be applied to an individual's life. This interested me because being a first generation child from Japan, we always practiced Buddhism. My family did not attend temples every weekend or anything like that, but the context of how we spoke and believed traced back to Buddhism. Coming from a man who truly sides with Christianity, it intrigues me that I am able to relate to many of his sayings. From the quote, I can already relate that it is because of my Japanese heritage and culture that I am who I am today. My parents raised me with Japanese practices, for example eating as a family, using chopsticks, no shoes in the house, and speaking in Japanese. It is not until I came to Gonzaga that I found so much passion in my heritage. Since the tsunami that struck Japan, I have come to have a different view on the disaster that occurred in Haiti. Before, as horrible as it may sound, I speak with sincerity when I say that the occurrence in Haiti never grasped my attention. It is not until now, what has occurred in my motherland that I am able to empathize with those victims of Haiti. Though I did not realize until recently, I hold so much pride in my culture.
Another part that grabbed my attention is when Borg talks about the "rights" in Christianity. Because they are too long to list, I will write my reflection instead. I agree, Christianity emphasizes on the denying of the theory of evolution, abortion, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, emphasis on values, and the conformation to Christianity as listed on page 297. I feel that many Americans believe these rights, regardless of whether they are Christian or not. Coming from California, our view points are all over the scale so I cannot say where I get this assumption. To me, I feel that even if one is not of a Christian background, these "rights" are still implemented in their beliefs. It intrigues me that Christianity has the ability to relate with many different people around the world and I am excited to keep studying this religion.
I think it is ironic how it says "Pray for Japan" with the understanding that many people in Japan are not Christian, yet we all do the same thing, pray.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Week 9
The thing that interested me the most in the reading are the five points stated in Chapter 9 of the book Jesus.
The points really stuck out to me because it teaches the reader to be passive-resistant. I've never related Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. to Jesus Christ or any religion to be exact. But when I read the five points, I immediately thought back to the two key leaders in my life. The first point basically says to me that it is okay to fight but fight the right fights. It tells me not to be violent and fight for my cause, rather fight with passion and wholeheartedly. It teaches to be more than what we stand for but living with what we stand for. Points two, three, and four is saying that it is alright to fight but to go the extra mile in order to achieve what we want. It's not about dipping our toes in the water to get a hold of what we want instead to dive in and keep in our hearts what we want. It taught me that it truly isn't enough to want something but to live something and execute it in our daily lives. Gandhi's quote is perfect for this situation, "be the change you wish to see in the world". Points one through four are about being the change, living as the change, and the inspiration for others to be the change as well. Lastly, the fifth point is about accepting failure. If the way things you planned does not go the way you would have liked them to, it is about acceptance. Seeing someone else create your failure is alright but the important thing is to give them guidance and support so that they are able to work through the next time. The fifth point really relates to religion and loving people regardless of their abilities and accepting the flaws. To be the hope for others and inspire them too to live the life you live. I would love to live like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. did one day.
The points really stuck out to me because it teaches the reader to be passive-resistant. I've never related Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. to Jesus Christ or any religion to be exact. But when I read the five points, I immediately thought back to the two key leaders in my life. The first point basically says to me that it is okay to fight but fight the right fights. It tells me not to be violent and fight for my cause, rather fight with passion and wholeheartedly. It teaches to be more than what we stand for but living with what we stand for. Points two, three, and four is saying that it is alright to fight but to go the extra mile in order to achieve what we want. It's not about dipping our toes in the water to get a hold of what we want instead to dive in and keep in our hearts what we want. It taught me that it truly isn't enough to want something but to live something and execute it in our daily lives. Gandhi's quote is perfect for this situation, "be the change you wish to see in the world". Points one through four are about being the change, living as the change, and the inspiration for others to be the change as well. Lastly, the fifth point is about accepting failure. If the way things you planned does not go the way you would have liked them to, it is about acceptance. Seeing someone else create your failure is alright but the important thing is to give them guidance and support so that they are able to work through the next time. The fifth point really relates to religion and loving people regardless of their abilities and accepting the flaws. To be the hope for others and inspire them too to live the life you live. I would love to live like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. did one day.
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