Sharing Poetry (and chicken with a possum)

Through an open window the smell of tasty chicken grabs the possum's attention.

My friend splits her stomach open and destroys the furniture with her ferocious laugh that thunders through the house.

The possum runs, herded by the natives, into my bedroom and out onto the balcony.

He eyes the banana tree, wondering if its too far, and timidly takes a leap of faith.

Potter- Panic

Danielle M. Soulliere's article Much Ado about Harry: Harry Potter and the Creation of a Moral Panic reveals the extent of the Potter debate over the last decade. Controversy stirred within Christian communities as various individuals and groups saw Harry Potter as a celebration of witchcraft and the occult. This created a moral panic that has labelled Harry Potter as offensive and out-of-bounds for many young readers.

Soulliere raises many significant issues in her article, but the problems that banning certain fantasy material from children could have been more readily addressed. For example, how can parents, educators, and religious critics and communities take a piece of fiction and blame it for executing a certain truth? The definition of fiction in itself shows that fictional novels do not convey the truth:

Prose literature, esp. short stories and novels, about imaginary events and people. Invention or fabrication as opposed to fact.

In Harry Potter the main message does not tell youth to worship the devil and perform magic, but encourages people to believe in themselves and always trust in your friends and family as love conquers all evils in life. If this is not a Christian message, then what is? Soulliere presents the idea that “even though these others (pro-Potter critics) have presented sound reasoning and evidence for their counter-claims that Rowling infuses Christianity into the Harry Potter books, anti-Potter critics have continued to maintain that the books are diametrically opposed to Christianity” (Soulliere 8). The mere fact that Harry Potter is a work of fiction and fantasy, as opposed to documentaries such as Zeitgeist which are vividly anti-Christ, re-works the definition of fiction. If fictional stories have to be molded to present a perfect engagement and respect for the world we live in, for example a worship of Christ, then a fantasy world can never be truly created for the reader.

The second point Soulliere could have incorporated into her article more is how Harry Potter encouraged (and still encourages) children to read who were previously disinterested in the world of fiction. Harry Potter allows kids and teenagers to escape from reality and explore a world which will teach them valuable life lessons that do in fact draw from a Christian world view as “Rowling has cleverly packaged a Christian story through the Potter tales by presenting a redemptive moral story that has Christian undertones, despite the series’ ostensive witchcraft wrapping.”

Image:

http://broknangelz.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/myth-of-harry-potter-devil-worshipers.html

References:

https://www.google.com.au/webhp?rlz=1C1PRFA_enAU435AU435&sourceid=chrome-instant&ix=sea&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&sa=X&pwst=1&rlz=1C1PRFA_enAU435AU435&q=fiction&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&ei=l6NpT5uyDMiViAezkI2bCg&ved=0CCkQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=ee2e20a284eabb8b&ix=sea&ion=1&biw=1366&bih=624

Soulliere, Daniel. 2010. “Much Ado about Harry: Harry Potter and the Creation of Moral Panic.”Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 22 (1).

Week Three Reflective Piece- Finding Peace by UQ Lakes

While I was sitting outside next to the lake I was reminded of my childhood home, where there is a dam dotted with ducks and the odd paper-bark tree. I was relaxed by thinking back to the days I would spend catching fish in the dam and walking on tip toes-- trying not to startle the eels and turtles soaking up the sun in the shallows. I remember thinking about how if there was no paper I would always be able to use the soft bark from the paper-bark trees to write down my thoughts...

They are made of paper

And have tiny green fingers

Which are always relaxed.

They talk to each other; lean on each other.

The V of their many necks,

And long white arms

Stretch upwards

Like a yawn.

They are never tired, but always sleepy

They are never lonely, but always waving.

Insects burrow into their sides,

Leaving trails of stories.

Generations of moths sleep under

Their folds of white skin.

Lizards scuttle up their sides with tickling claws and

Birds laugh on their arms and sometimes

Make nests out of their hair.

But me, I sit beneath them

My legs getting imprinted with a mirage of sticks and leaves

And as I look at the paperbark-tree

I know I am home.

Image:

http://eddcross.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/some-wildlife-at-university-of.html

Birgit Meyers article Media, aesthetics, and the study of contemporary religion made me consider what makes a space sacred. I was also fascinated by the idea that "the disposition of the lonely individual in search of God is part and parcel of a discursive, and hence shared, cultural construction" (Meyer 159).

The above quote sparked my interest as I have always viewed religion as being flexible in the way an individual can choose to be a part of a religious community or, alternatively, search and connect with God in their own way. Meyer has made me realise that even an individual who may be struggling to find belief, or only ever embraces spirituality alone, is still a part of a large religious discourse and is connected to fellow believers- whether they are searching for answers in solitude or sitting in Mass with the community. This idea of being a part of something larger, even if you do not desire to be, is further shown by Meyer who states "without the particular social structures, sensory regimes, bodily techniques, doctrines, and practices that make up a religion, the searching individual craving experience of God would not exist" (159). This is something I am eager to explore further this semester as I tackle the question whether an individual can find religion without identifying with the masses and cultural constructions around their faith.

Meyer's discussion of sensational forms, a term I was previously unfamiliar with, made me think about what makes a space sacred. As I read the article I considered the role of the Church as a sacred space as opposed to the television box. Meyer revealed the importance of the Church as a sensational form as "they not only generate but also heat up and intensify religious feelings" (160). I feel Church is a sacred space as it brings devout individuals together, is a physical site of worship, and offers an escape from the outside world in order for communities and individuals to reach a state of spirituality. I find it difficult to understand how a television box can offer individuals the same connection with God; I am looking forward to learning about religion and media in this course so I can grow more of an appreciation of the television as a sensational form too. The reasons why I am apprehensive about the television as a sensational form is because I believe people will watch television as a pastime, and to relax and escape reality. If this is the usual attitude believers have to their TV set, how can they switch from watching shows for leisure to a religious service and still feel that the television box can be a sacred space, too?

Reference:

Meyer Birgit. 2012. "Religious SEnsations Media, Aesthetics, and the Study of Contemporary Religion". In G. Lynch and J. Mitchell. Religion, Media, and Culture: A Reader. London and New York: Roulhedge. (159-170).

Image:

http://www.hfreunion.org/InsideChurch.htm

Response to blog on low key religion

I would like to respond to the question do you think that a course covering the diversity of world religions, including contemporary spiritualities, is important?


YES. Although my family is not religious I was sent to a Catholic primary school and high school. I loved studying Studies of Religion as the history of religion and rituals and beliefs of different cultures fascinates me. It is understandable that not all children have the opportunity to be sent to a private school, where a religious education is a given, and I believe that public schools should consider this and make religious subjects more accessible and appealing to students.


I believe a course on World Religions is important for the following reasons:
1) It gives students a better understanding and appreciation of other cultures and how to respect peoples beliefs.
2) Religion is a major part of history and students deserve to not be left in the dark about world religions in the past and present.
3) It offers answers to questions students might have about religion that cannot be answered in any other environment, especially if they come from a family where one religion is considered to be correct and other religions are wrong or if they come from an atheist background where religious views are dismissed.


I am torn between whether students should have a right to decide not to attend classes on religion. Yes, I believe they should be offered as an elective but should there be a compulsory religion class, too? If the class is strictly about the history of religion and the practices of different world religions (that is, the class does not just solely look at Christianity) I feel a compulsory class could open the eyes of many students. If a religious dialogue is not available to students at home then they may never know how fascinating and important a knowledge of religion is until they are sat down at school and taught this.


Image:

http://www.bigquestionsonline.com/columns/susan-jacoby/faith-based-folly