Analysis Of Meredith B. Mcguire's Essay Why Bodies Matter

Reading through Chapters 9 and 10, I thought it might be appropriate to integrate some information from the Hindu theology. In her essay: Why Bodies Matter, Meredith B. McGuire mentions how food and its consumption can be a spiritual practice. Further, how preparing and eating food within the “black Pentecostal church” is considered as a religious and spiritual expression. The actions point to the love of togetherness that can be perceived among this community. Shifting the conversation to how the two couples used Buddhist practices as an expression of spirituality, one is reminded of the thought behind the mindfulness of preparing food and eating it together. Two thoughts come to my mind when I reflect on the reasons for “a near-meditative

Whether it is tithing or donations in the form of charity, either individuals or churches tend to have a show off attitude. Some non-denominational churches in Pakistan often publicly announce the number of donations that parishioners have made during a certain week or month while mentioning the amount as well as the cause of donation. I consider that as a misuse of the ritual of tithing and charity. On a separate note, I have experienced Pakistani Muslims to publicize their pilgrimage experiences, Umrah and Hajj, to show off their wealth. In a similar way, the animal sacrifices among the Pakistani Muslims is misused to show off their wealth among friends, relatives and neighbors. The larger the size of the animal they sacrifice, the larger is the number of blessings perceived. On another level, the religious festival of pongala among the Hindus is often used to torture young boys for this ritual. In a recent interview, a female police officer highlighted the degree of pain and torture these boys suffer that is not required in their faith or the religious ritual itself. Looking at the stock images of this ritual raised a lot of sociological, political and theological questions. Human bodies are the source of carrying out certain religious rituals and practices that tend to grant connection with the divine. This suggests that the concept of spirituality is of course either understood differently or

Whether it is tithing or donations in the form of charity, either individuals or churches tend to have a show off attitude. Some non-denominational churches in Pakistan often publicly announce the number of donations that parishioners have made during a certain week or month while mentioning the amount as well as the cause of donation. I consider that as a misuse of the ritual of tithing and charity. On a separate note, I have experienced Pakistani Muslims to publicize their pilgrimage experiences, Umrah and Hajj, to show off their wealth. In a similar way, the animal sacrifices among the Pakistani Muslims is misused to show off their wealth among friends, relatives and neighbors. The larger the size of the animal they sacrifice, the larger is the number of blessings perceived. On another level, the religious festival of pongala among the Hindus is often used to torture young boys for this ritual. In a recent interview, a female police officer highlighted the degree of pain and torture these boys suffer that is not required in their faith or the religious ritual itself. Looking at the stock images of this ritual raised a lot of sociological, political and theological questions. Human bodies are the source of carrying out certain religious rituals and practices that tend to grant connection with the divine. This suggests that the concept of spirituality is of course either understood differently or