Today in California we are blessed with such diversity and ethnical outlooks that make this state what it is today. However, the diversity didn't just popped up out of the ground and grows. It has come from along line of dedication and work, through community and most of all church. Churches like Saddleback, First A. M. E, and now more recently Dream Center and many others. Technology is helping lead the way for many of these churches both new and old. The new ideas of the Southern Californian Protestant churches are beginning to liven up the churches with music, dance, and picture and paintings. Years ago they had paintings and color but not to the extent of this new era. Take mission San Juan Capistrano for example, it is a very well known church but, in this modern day it can't compete with churches like F. A. M. E.
I have had the chance to visit both sites and I remember
distinctly the mural of many African Americans and some of their history, and in the middle was a church and a little quote that said "God our father. Christ our redeemer. Man our brother. Woman our sister." This quote along with the mural said a lot about what the churches focus was; and to me it was community and faith. With those two things it is possible to do anything. All of the attributes of F. A. M. E were from the dreams of Biddy Mason, Biddy was born a slave in Mississippi, where she remained until she was older and had children of her own. Biddy raised the kids Mormon and when they were old enough Mason walked with her daughters from Mississippi to California herding sheep and cattle. Four years later she moved into her own house in San Bernardino, where her and her daughters petitioned to be freed, since California was a free state. Mason moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a nurse and midwife. A decade after gaining her freedom, she had saved enough to buy a site on Spring Street for $250, thereby becoming one of the first African-American women to own land in Los Angeles. In 1884, she sold part of the property for $1,500 and built a commercial building on the remaining land. Over the years, her wise business and real estate transactions enabled her to accumulate a fortune of almost $300,000.
Mormonism and its effect on Mason’s life was surprisingly not very influential. In the 1840’s, Mormonism was on its westward journey and eventually landed some followers in California. Being a slave to a Mormon apostle Amasa Mason Lyman and his 8 wives heavily impacted Biddy Mason’s view on religion (P.434). Being constantly around a faith that was fairly new didn’t completely rub off on Biddy, instead she went against the stream and aided the spread of proud African American culture by opening that Methodist church. Since the church, she opened was the first black church, it gave many opportunities for strong black communities that wasn’t restricted by the Mormon faith. Biddy Mason travelling against the stream of the influence of religion got many to follow her through her opening of the
The Yoruba religion was brought to the Hispanic Caribbean approximately four hundred years ago by African slaves during the period of conquest and colonization of the new world. The religion remained traditionally strong among the African community until the Spanish conquerors began to prohibit its practice. When the Spaniards reached the New lands they brought with them the religion of the reigning King. That is Queen Isabella's religion; Catholosism. The conquerors forced the slaves to accept the Catholic faith as their new religion. The African, stripped already of their dignity refuse to give up their religious beliefs, this belief being all they brought with them. Knowing of the negative ramnifications, punishment and sometimes even death if caught "devil worshipping" it meant that in order to continue to worship theri Gods the angry Africans had to find a way to practice thier religion. They astutely hide theri religion behind Catholic religious practices and saints.
Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much of the theology was based on the simple facts that: "Allah is god, the white man is the devil, and the so-called Negroes are the Asiatic black people, the cream of the earth."(1) And, in accordance with their bizarre view of creation, involving a mad scientist creating the white race from the black race, the twentieth century represents the time for black people to regain their rightful position as god¹s chosen people. (1) The Nation of Islam was spawned from Orthodox Islam, an age-old religion. However, Orthodox Islam has openly denounced the NOI as a heretic sect for three main reasons: the NOI¹s rejection of the belief in an afterlife, its tendency to view human leaders as deified figures, and its strong racist attitudes. (2) For a brief time, during the seventies, Wallace Deen Muhammed became the leader of the NOI and tried to take it in a new direction, more conforming to "true Islamic beliefs." This group is now called the American Muslim Mission and still exists in small numbers today. (1) ...
In an age when culture continues to lower standards of intellect, Marva Dawn makes compelling observations and suggestions for the Church to rethink its strategy on impacting society. How do we evangelize without weakening the message of what we are communicating? The majority of her text focuses on the worship environment generally, but later she focuses on music, preaching, and liturgy specifically. According to Dawn, a gathering of believers should emphasize God as the subject and object of worship, challenge each individual to grow in godly character, and accentuate the community of believers (not only in the room, but throughout history as well). Through this grid, she encourages leaders and participants to evaluate each worship element.
In Puerto Rico, the majority of the population, about two-thirds of the inhabitants, are Roman Catholic. This dates back to when the there were Spanish colonies present during the 15th century who were Catholic. Although Catholics hold the majority, Protestants account for one-fourth of the population. Protestants date back to 1898 when missionaries came from the United States to Puerto Rico. Even though Catholics and Protestants hold the majority of the population, the Constitution guarantees freedom for all faiths. Some people are non-religious (2.3%) or another religion (3%). Some islanders ascribe to espiritismo (spiritualism) and others practice Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean belief system brought to Puerto Rico from Cuba. There is also a small Jewish community.
Q1. Outline the changing patterns of religious adherence in Australia from 1945 to the present.
Specifically, I would like to present to you about different reasons why the Church of Epiphany, tied to L.A’s Chicano movement, should be preserved according to the article that I have read.
It is seen from the moment you get here, to the moment you leave, and I believe that that is the reason why California is so memorable. The diversity that is seen is in our history as well, which can allow outsiders to understand where we our diversity rooted from. In the lecture named “Space, Identity, and Public Power in Nineteenth-Century Los Angeles”, Dr. Daniel Torred- Rouff defined race as a “system of power”, which can mean that race is man-made divider of people, and it has affected each and every state, but California has been moving in a progressive way to end or lower the risk of any racial altercations. The largest groups of race have some sort of history here, from Latinos to Asian, and these races have helped built California from the ground up, which can be seen in the rail roads and the agriculture. This cultural diversity has built and sustained this state afloat, and that diversity will continue to grow, because of the progressive mind set of
... many different religions and cultures. California has an extensive Asian community, as well as Hispanic community, African American community and additionally, the dominate, Caucasian community. Here instead of two main similar religions there are many different religions, such as Buddhist, Muslims, Catholics, Mormons, Jewish, Jehovah Witness etc., many of these religions vary in their core beliefs as well as in their celebrations. Baba did not like living in America he missed his friends, his company, his status, he relied on his memories of his time in Kabul to cheer him up when he was sad.
Since the early 1980's, there has also been an increase in the number of people
Towering whitecaps hurl pebbles onto a moonlit beach like children splashing each other, as tall pale cliffs stand behind them watching; their white faces glitter with parental pride. Over and over, the shallow water is filled with the flying stones. From watching the tides, humans have thought that the Ocean is a living force due to its sudden tendency to wreak havoc with seemingly random storms. People that live today know better, and have come to appreciate the Ocean for all the benefit it provides. However, many poets do not see the sea the same as the rest of us. Take for example the poet and scholar Matthew Arnold. His poem Dover Beach is deeply pessimistic, and possesses negative
Religion is a symbolic representation of society. The sociological approach to religious belief looks at how society behaves on a whole, to answer the question, “Why are people religious?” We express our participation in religious events through plays, acts of confession, religious dances, etc. To begin to understand why we have such term, let’s understand the common elements of religion. There are different types in which people believe in or follow and that is: animatism, animism, ancestral spirits, god and goddesses, and minor supernatural beings. Beyond these different elements, such one is to have religious leaders to follow.
American fundamentalism and American evangelicalism seem to go hand in hand. Evangelicalism and fundamentalism both stress life based on the bible, repentance, and a personal relationship with God. No one would deny the massive influence that fundamentalism had on evangelicalism or the similarities between the two. Although some historians would suggest that evangelicalism was experiential and sectarian while fundamentalism was conservative and anti-modernist, it is clear that fundamentalism would never have survived as long as it has if it was not able to adapt to modernity and exist within a pluralist society.
Culture is a way of life that allows a diverse group of people to interrelate with one another. It is usually passed down from one generation to the next by communication and imitation. The term itself has a set definition, but it normally relates to the behavior, beliefs, values, and symbols that are accepted by a group of people. Culture can also be used to describe the time period and events in history. In the sense of what was deemed as popular during a specific stage in time and its impact on the culture surrounding it. Micro-historian have been dissecting and interpreting the meaning of popular culture and the courses of action that lead up to the events.
There were no apparent structures of inequality that I noticed. Unlike the Catholic Church I attend in Green Valley, younger community members are welcomed. This could have to do with the fact the Pastor has three young boys. He encourages a diverse population in his church and the encouragement of children to attend and be a part of the community is stressed and an important aspect of this diversity. As a resident of the Green Valley/ Sahuarita/ Amado area my entire life, I can say the communities surrounding the retirement communities are growing with young families and the atmosphere both in the church I attend (Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church), as well as Desert Lutheran, are gaining a younger population. I was pleased to see that this church is more welcoming than Our Lady of the Valley when it comes to the younger population. The church service was very welcoming. I was