Religion, From a Non-Religious Viewpoint

I'm not religious. I guess I do share some Buddhist beliefs, but that does not mean that I visit Buddhist temples on a regular basis. However, if I had to say something, I'd say Confucianism, but that's not even considered a religion anymore, so I just end up telling people that I'm not religious.

This was why Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God frightened me. In this sermon from the 1700s, Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards writes about how much God is angry, and how he is giving human beings another chance to join Christianity. His vivid yet dark presentation of hell left a strong impression on me, and I was struck in awe after reading through the sermon for my assignment. And apparently, the reaction was quite worse for the actual listeners back when Edwards preached the sermon; his audience interrupted him quite often, asking what they had to do in order to be saved. In other words, they had already been convinced by Edwards in to Puritanism.

Religion has its ups and downs. For instance, it can be a good place to rely on, where people can emotionally calm down. However, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is a perfect example as to how religion can have a negative effect on people. It creates fear and by doing so gains more followings. The Nazis were the same. They created a certain public emotion and manipulated it to gain followers.

Like so, religion can be a great thing in your life. However, for those who are not religious, it can be a great threat in their own set of beliefs. For example, posts about God or Jesus Christ can be seen all over SNS, mocking those who do not accept the religion. In fact, Atheism is still very widely unaccepted in America. 7 states in the US do not accept Atheists in public office. I thought America provided the Freedom of Religion?

Maybe religious people nowadays are not as unaccepting as the Puritans are, but I still get the awkward stares from people when I go to church for some odd occasion, as if it's telling me that not going to church every Sunday is a wrong thing to do. I do not think I'll ever forget that stare.

"How awful it is to be left behind at such a day!" (Edwards , 100)

Planters Mixed Nuts: Stereotype Threat Edition

I hadn't really known about this 'Indian' or 'Native American' stereotype until I read the short stories of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Indian Education by Alexie Sherman. I was aware of racial stereotypes; I myself often fall into one of the categories. However, being a teen who spent half his life in the East and half in the West, I think that I just didn't realize how deep each culture is.

Stereotypes can be a funny joke or a dangerous cause of unfortunate events. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Indian Education is a perfect example. In page 184, Sherman shows himself "goofing" with a 7-11 clerk when he asks for a slushie. The clerk assumes that, since his customer is Native American, he will shoot him when he turned around to make the slushie. While Sherman meant to make fun of the clerk, it could have been a serious misunderstanding if he had not intended the prank.

The word 'stereotype threat' refers to someone being worried about confirming their negative stereotypes. In 1995, Steele and Aronson ran an experiment where they gave english tests to two groups of African American and White students. The first group (threat group) were told that their results will show how intelligent they are; the second (no threat group) were told that it was simple exercise. The diagram on the right are the results.

The two psychologists concluded that this was because of the racial prejudice against African Americans. The stereotypes for African Americans include being 'dumb', and the students were naturally more pressured because they were worried that  they'd confirm this prejudice.

In a bag of mixed nuts, there are a diversity of nuts, including walnuts, pecans, peanuts, and cashew nuts. We look at the types of nuts and then generalize how they all taste. Soon, all the walnuts taste the same and all the peanuts taste the same. However, one walnut might be bigger than the others. One peanut could be more salted than others. People are just the same. Some of the people in the world could be Native Americans, but that doesn't mean that they all get in fights or get drunk everyday. Each one of us are different, so please respect the difference. 

Now the next time you get a bag of mixed nuts, remember to savor each nut, and to appreciate the difference in the amount of sea salt it has.

Paying an Attention to Heritage...

Back in 3rd grade I lived in an American town full of Japanese immigrants. Most of my peers only had Japanese parents and had never been to Japan. To be honest, they didn't act all too different from my friends back in Korea or Canada. Heritage, such as genes or upbringing, may affect the way you look or even the way you pronounce a word in English. But that'll be pretty much it; it is unlikely that it will affect any more of who you are.

Mark Twain, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, portrayed this theme very well. Near the climax of the story, protagonist Huck is found pondering his possibilities, and whether he should rescue his friend, a runaway slave named Jim. His decisions and actions are not interfered by his heritage at this point. Huck follows his own set of beliefs that he had developed throughout his adventures, acting differently from what other people had done before him and shown him. His character as a person wasn't a result of his skin color, or his home town. It was his experiences and the way they were presented upon him.

This was the case with president Obama's election back in 2008. His genes him his skin color, but it did not give him his victory in election and his actions as a president. However, he will be remembered by many as the first African American president, and not much more. This is why heritage, while it does not determine who we are as a person, still plays an important role as to how we are seen by others.

Think of it like this. The Japanese, during WWII, invaded many Southeast Asian nations and killed thousands of people. However, that does not make my Japanese friends from 3rd grade a bunch of cold blooded murderers.


Does heritage determine who we are as people?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn