Contribution to Religious Freedom USA: President Obama Acknowledges Anti-Islam Attitudes During State of the Union

I recently wrote a blog post for American Freedom USA. Check it out and don't forget to comment!

http://religiousfreedomusa.org/2011/01/president-obama-acknowledges-anti-islam-attitudes-during-state-of-the-union/

Today in American Dharma: Demonized Yoga from Two Sides

I just wanted to plop this very interested artical from Andrea Jain at Religion Dispatches. Its about Fundamentalist Christian and Fundamentalist Hindus' opposition to the popular "New Age" for of yoga. One side feels the practice is evil, the other that the practice is theirs and no one elses.

Check out this interesting article about religion, consumer culture, fear of the non-Christian "other", and more:

Is Downward Dog the Path to Hell?

What do you think?

God in America: Will We Ever Move Beyond Individual Key Players?

I faltered in delivering you a first hand reaction devoid of other's opinions on God in America, but schoolwork prevented me from finishing the whole series right away. But now that it is done, and its been a week to soak in, this is my reaction to PBS's God in America.

About six months ago I religiously (no pun intended) watched the other popular American based historical documentary: History Channel's America, The Story of Us. I bring this up because God in America seemed like another focus on the same style of documentary. Now, I have read some reviews that complain that God in America didn't follow more non-Protestants, non-whites, non-males, ect, ect. Yes, I noticed. But I honestly wasn't surprised about that. Not at all. I'm not saying its excusable, but it is understandable. I understand what God in America was trying to do: begin (keyword) to educate the non-academic public about American religion, its roots, and to focus on key events on its development up to here. Finally to squeeze it in to 6 hours (which was so long and even I couldn't do straight through as facinated as I was with both this series and Ken Burn's the 10th Inning-- and I even participated in the live blogging for awhile ). I get all that and thus I'm not going to critique it. The America, the Story of Us series was structured the same way: all of American history in a short go. My small critique has to do with an amusingly American element of both series: the focus on the individual.

Both the America, the Story of Us and the God in America series decided to follow the flow of history through focusing on one individual at a time, and for some reason that bothered me both times. Key players who made key strides in American religion, a continuation of the American history education we all enjoyed that focuses on individual acheivement and says, "This can be you! You could change history one day!" While I appriciate the encouragement, the fact of the matter is, history is not one individual's actions followed by another in a linear sequence, but a culmination of individual actions forming a network of actions and happenings both big and small to create a collective force that pushes history forward. Even when one person seems like a catalyst, he or she is just one knot in the net and even the cause of that important individual be it Lincoln, Jefferson, MLK, or even Jerry Falwell, is influenced by a culmination of other factors. While these figures are important and I can see why focusing on important individuals is of interest holding value for both PBS and the History channel. I would like to see a version of history that focuses not on individuals by on social movements, of groups of individuals who created events, of the people behind the famous historical figures. Part of me accepts though that this may never happen, as how can one person speak about the opinion or even generalize about a group of individuals when there is so much to be said about a historically "important" key figure. I would just like to hear more about a little people's God in America: a history that moves away from the shining light of the famous historical figure and tracks history that didn't happen in the spotlight. The God in the American margins. Like I said, I get why they did it this way and I appriciate the existance of God in America because religious literacy of *any* kind is important, but I guess I'm just looking for the alternative history.

Other critiques of God in America:

Who's God in America? - Marian Ronan
The Brutality of American Eden- Paul Harvey
Religion Profs Critique PBS' God Documentary: Call it Simplistic - Matthew Avery Sutton

God In America

PBS's new 6 hour documentary, God in America premiered today. Its gonna be two hours every night from tonight through Wednesday at 9 pm EST and just incase you miss it, PBS will make it available for viewing on Oct 12th (which is tomorrow in a world where I haven't gone to sleep yet haha):

Check it out and I will be back in the end (on Wed or Thurs) with my opinion:

http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/

Good night everyone!

Today in American Dharma: Obama Lays the "Secret Muslim" Rumor to Rest

This story was brought to my attention by a great blog called Deacon's Bench featured on Beliefnet.com : Obama: I'm a Christian By Choice and also the linked article in that blog that features the video of the President addressing the issue of his own personal beliefs, which I will reproduce here for a bit of a quick thought:



Over and over again, we always come back to the President and religion. There may be a lot of things he does or doesn't do that you do and don't agree on, but I have to say I'm always interested in the ways in which President Obama approaches religion and how it is distinctly different from the previous administration. I have mentioned before the idea of Obama as the "Theologian in Chief" and how his approach to embrace other religious traditions has been markedly different from the Bush administrations (not saying that the Bush family did not hold the annual Eid and Diwali celebrations at the White House, but that somehow no one seemed to notice).

There's a few things that are interesting about this whole encounter. The first is the statistic that CNN presents which says that 1 in 5 Americans are convinced that Obama is a Muslim (up from 1 in 10 from last year). As I've previously mentioned, what bothers me always is why if he was a Muslim would be a bad thing, but that is another issue of tolerance in this country perhaps for another time. Focusing on the above video, what is so interesting to me is how the woman who asks approaches the question and pairs it with the abortion question. I'm interested also in the fact that this question is even something that is appropriate to ask (or is it?).

This just points out an interesting idea about religion in this country, that it is not like that enlightenment ideal of it being pushed into the private sphere (though Obama does mention "personal belief" so we are still talking that language), but rather religion is something that we are increasingly having to deal with in our public lives (particularly this current hot button issue of the Park51 community center also known, problematically, as the "Ground Zero Mosque"). Religion and its public manifestations are so obviously important to so many Americans, otherwise, why would anyone question the President's faith at all. I have been reading some very interesting books (in particular Robert Wuthnow's America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity) that speak of drawing a public sort of common belief structure out of the woodwork. Peggy Levitt calls this the "golden rule" religion, and I think this was the sentiment that President Obama was going for: trying to appeal to the supposed commonality among all religions and yet distinguishing himself as a Christian in his own right (how could you doubt after such talk of grace and salvation?).

I was very interested in the association of his faith with the idea of public service esp considering that he came to Christianity through public service during his community organizing days (I read Dreams from my Father, so sue me! lol). I also enjoyed how gracefully (no pun intended) the President flipped his ideas of social justice and finding one's own Grace to a comment on tolerance and respect for other Christian and non-Christian Americans. Each piece of his statement was so embedded with this ideals of American religiosity (the struggle of the individual (and the choice of the individual to "find their own Grace"), the ideal of freedom of religion, and the emphasis on service (I'm thinking of Bellah's community service people)), it boggles my mind that anyone could doubt that the president is anything but American when, disagree or agree with his policy decisions, his rhetoric screams American ideology and sometimes hints of American ideals of religiosity as well.

Part of me would be interested to see what the 24/7 fear media machine does with this, part of me continues to enjoy the presidents verbal expression, despite what I think of his policy or not.

Today in American Dharma: Anne Rice Quits Christianity "for Christ"

Less than a week ago (July 28th to be exact), Anne Rice, the author of the famous Vampire Chronicles (and my favorite author), announced via that she quit Christianity. The message appeared in two facebook status updates. The first read as follows:


"For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else."

and the second promptly followed:

"As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."

Now, some may say, "Who cares?". Fans of her books may know that she made a very public return to Catholicism (after being an avowed atheist and the queen of darkness for many) a few years back, claiming she would cease to write about vampires and witches and only write for Christ (including her Christ the Lord series and now her new Angel Time series). What is also interesting is the response this has all gotten, as if one woman's personal, spiritual life spoke out as a beacon to many, and a sign of our times.

I was going to write about this the other day (this entry was started August 1st) , but I'm glad that I didn't. Since then some deliciously interesting reactions to Mrs. Rice's decision have popped up all over the internet including a very amusing advertisement for the liberal Christian United Church of Christ group that claimed: You'd Like the UCC, Anne Rice!. Other groups that have jumped on the ban wagon of reviewing Anne Rice's decision include publications like the New York Times and Religion Dispatches, liberal Christian groups, agnostic groups, conservative Christian groups, and the individuals who have written letters to Rice (which she has posted on her facebook wall): many of whom are intrigued or completely agree with the idea of a personal Christ anti-organization approach to religion.

It is worth wondering if it is the sign of our times... In my own life, I know a majority of the people I know prefer personal spirituality to organized religion. Often they cite the corruptness of the Church, the extremism of the Religious Right, or even the old fashioned nature of organized religion. In my own analysis of my friends, peers, and colleagues, I also wonder how much of this is just us being American. Americans certainly are still religious, but being the headstrong individuals that most of us are, our way is best, and since we are all individuals, shouldn't our God and our Christ (if we are for Christ), be the way we see him, through our perception? I always thought that's why Swami Vivekananda did so well in capturing the American spirit, because his teaching of Vedanta focused on the individual, the individual's experience, and the individual's enlightenment. In this same spirit much of the New Age spirituality flourishes. Even today's evangelical movement is based upon a "personal relationship with Jesus" within the individual's own heart (despite one's Church attendance, only the individual can choose to be "saved").

So, although many think Anne Rice may be doing something interesting and radical by rejecting Christianity for the Christ, I'd say that she's a Catholic soul just tapping in to that good ol' American religion of her Protestant cousins.

Today in American Dharma: The United States in Relation with the Muslim World: One Year Later

From Overheard in New York:

Male office drone #1: So what do you think of them building a mosque by the World Trade Center?
Female office drone #1: I feel it's disrespectful. I have Muslim friends and I know they're not all terrorists, but there's mourning families to think about.
Male office drone #2: Why don't we put a statue of Hitler in Times Square? There might be some Germans who would want to pray to him.
Female office drone #2: Let them put up a mosque there and then fly a plane into it. Show them how it feels. (others look shocked) Not a manned plane, you know. One of those drones.

--Dunkin' Donuts, Lower Broadway


One year ago today, American Dharma posted its first entry. This entry regarded President Obama's attempt to reach out to the Muslim world via a speech in Cairo. Since that time, it seems as if communication between the US and the Muslim world has not gotten any easier. Obama's plans for a war in Afghanistan and along the Pakistani boarder, a car bomber in Times Square, the controversy over the portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed on South Park (and the subsequent Facebook event "International Draw Mohammed day" which caused the entire nation of Pakistan to ban the popular social networking site), a planned mosque in the are of Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan (as featured in the commentary above), and a host of other issues (I'd even Hirshi Ali's appearance on Colbert in there, but at this point, she's not much more than an instigator) contribute to the present state relations between the United States and the Muslim world.

But Barack Obama is not at want for trying. According to Haroon Moghul from the internet news daily Religion Dispatches, Obama seems to be launching attempt 2.0: trying to get together with leaders in the Muslim community and learn how to reach out. Try to Moghul's feeling, I must agree this is an awkward place to the president to be in indeed: "The last time we helped develop a network of Muslims who came together for common cause, it got messy; al Qaeda emerged from the bloody aftermath."

While on the political front, President Obama seems to be attempting to reboot his reaching out strategy, on the popular front, the American people aren't doing very well. Islamophopia still runs rampant, and no more evident than the debate over whether the Cordoba House, sponsored in part by Daisy Khan's (who has a great blog over at the Washington Post) American Society for Muslim Advancement has the right to build a mosque and community center on land they purchased in lower Manhattan near the cite of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001. Mayor Bloomburg's office has taken the stand of religious freedom for Cordoba to do what they please, which is the legal answer, however many groups of Americans are angered. Groups such as Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) and others have planned protests this upcoming weekend to let Cordoba and the city of New York know that they feel that this mosque would be disrespectful to those who have died in the World Trade Center attacks. But would it really? What Cordoba is trying to propose is a center for understanding so that the violent fringe of religious groups do not get the attention that they need to thrive. What is more disrespectful to the dead of 9/11, to continuously foster hatred, or to not even try to understand each other to prevent tragedies like this from occurring?

One year later, and still the same questions arise, what are we doing to contribute to Islamophobia and how can we reach out the hand of understanding as a people? Politics is politics, this is true, and right now, for the political portion of it, the president is doing what he can, but as a people, how are we attempting to reach out a hand to the Muslim world, talk about our differences, and come to some kind of understanding. Until we are collectively as a people willing to work on transcending our own prejudices against the Muslim world, and education is key, how can there be so much hatred for something so few people understand, then we will not move forward. President Obama can make as many speeches as he likes, but we all, as a people, must act.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary, American Dharma.