Week 8- Tranquillity and Serenity

Tranquillity and Serenity

The calming sounds of the cheerful birds,

The soft twittering of the dragon flies,

The refreshing splash of the water as the birds flock to a nearby tree,

This is what is calming to me.

 

 

To me personally, I really value the opportunity to sit and be with my thoughts in a calm and relaxing environment. Whether it is being on the sand at the beach, lying on a picnic rug on a nice piece of grass, admiring a spectacular waterfall or just sitting quietly in front of a lake, the opportunity to sit and be still is one to be valued and treasured.

Having the ability to immerse oneself into a different environment, to disconnect from other aspects of life for just a few moments is to have the ability to connect with oneself but also to connect with the environment in which one is immersed in.

 

Often when I feel stressed and overwhelmed I will go for a run along the river or sit in the sun amongst the trees in front of the lake. There is something about being outside that leaves me feeling less structured and freer to do as I choose. Being able to sit in the sun and have the sun take away all stress and anxiety often leaves me feeling relaxed and helps me to put things into perspective; for it is the connection with nature that often leaves me understanding that my world, and furthermore, my life, is only a tiny part in the universe. As a young person I believe we often get caught up in our own little worlds, at times completely ignorant of the real issues facing people around us on a local and global scale. It was through observing the different animals at the lake, seeing their circle of life, how they live, eat and defend themselves that puts my life and my worries into perspective.

I find myself getting caught up on making sure things in my life are done by a certain time- in a sense creating a timeline for my life. But as I grow older the more I realise that it really doesn’t matter how long it takes you to do something, as long as you enjoy what you are doing. Life is not about the destination, but about the journey. It is the things that you to trying to get to your destination, that is living- all the little things in between. For if we look at the end goal of life, it is that we die and join God in heaven, but if that was all we focused on, then we wouldn’t even enjoy our lives, which is the entirety of our journey. Thus, my main aim in life is to enjoy every moment of my life and to not get hung up on timelines, but to ensure that everything that I do is what I want, and that it makes me happy and satisfied to do it.

Both Images were taken by myself

Week 7- The Inevitable Rise and Acceptance of Online Religion

 

Usage of the internet and social media in general is rapidly increasing along with its popularity and acceptance into daily life. Therefore, should we really be surprised about the rise of religious related organisations or even churches, taking to social networking to spread their messages? I think not. Given that social media and other forums are about expressing yourself as a person, your likes, dislikes, beliefs and interests- for most people religion is a major part of their lives and how it shapes them as people. Thus, why wouldn’t there be things on the internet that are related to practicing religion.

Usage of the internet is far more than simply conveying ideas to a large body of people; it also enables group leaders to create “innovative forms of religious interaction and ritual engagement” (Campbell H. , 2010, p. 19), allowing followers and participants to immerse themselves into the environment in multiple and varied forms of media and discussion.

As a reflection of the individual, what people post on the internet frequently mirror the attitudes and perspective of the individual, thus the internet has become as space where people have “readily brought their faith online with them… enabled them to live out their faith in a net-worked environment” (Campbell H. , 2010, p. 20). Having the ability to live out a religious connection online enables many people who have difficulty accessing a Church or sacred space, the opportunity to still have that same connection without any significant disadvantage. Some religious organisations are more online than others with some “online cyber churches having provided online prayer centres and even hosting weekly internet-based meetings or rituals” (Campbell H. , 2010, p. 23).  Highlighting that to engage in a religious experience you don’t necessarily have to be in a ‘sacred’ space, you can in fact make anything that you want sacred, it just depends on your perspective.

With the rise in both popularity and acceptance of religious rituals and such being online, it raises the query as to what actually makes a church, and do you have to be in a sacred space ie. Temple or church etc. to receive just as valuable an experience that is both satisfying and rewarding from an online ritual or service? St Pixels: Church of the Internet have a mission that is to “explore the online Christian community and to test the boundaries of what exactly church is and needs to be to ‘be church’” (Campbell H. , 2010, p. 24). Whilst some others state that “engagements with technology offer humans a magical or religious experience” (Campbell & La Pastina, 2010, p. 4) It is quickly becoming apparent that at least, if a person cannot get themselves to a service in person, through the internet, people have been gifted with the opportunity to feel religiously enriched through online means.  

Campbell, H. (2010). When Religion Meets New Media. London: Taylor and Francis.

Campbell, H. A., & La Pastina, A. C. (2010). How the iPhone became divine: new media, religion and the intertextual circulation of meaning. New Media & Society, 1911-1207.

Image courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com/en/matrix-face-silhouette-69681/

Week 6- Branding and its influence on all aspects of Religion

With the rise in such varied and different religious organisations and different branches of core denominations, due to the sheer variety of choice available, the vast popularity of traditional faiths has dwindled as other, more relevant groups emerge. Thus “religious marketing has risen substantially over the past few decades due to a confluence of societal changes” (Einstein, 2011, p. 331), highlighting the greatly developing role that religion is playing within the lives of 21^st century communities. Comparatively to several decades ago where religion did not have a lot of exposure to reach out to other groups and advertise their religion, media and branding today, allow for a single message to reach thousands if not, millions of people around the world.

In general, people are not looking for a one size fits all religious group, but an environment in which they are comfortable and feel that they belong. Mara Einstein explains this idea well when she states that “Within this environment, seekers reject traditional Churches for more opportune practices or ‘shop’ for a religious institution that meets their needs. This market-orientated mentality is fuelled by a consumer culture that has trained Americans to expect products and series to be a convenient, entertaining, and customized to fit their needs” (Einstein, 2011, p. 332). Religion is no longer be viewed as it used to, that is for its core values, beliefs and practices, but rather, now people are choosing their religion based on how personalised, beneficial and convenient being a part of the religious community is.

Emile Durkheim actually anticipated that the “growth of moral individualism was bound to reduce the significance of organised religion” (Redmond & Holmes, 2007, p. 172), which it clearly has within the context of modern day. As a result of people seeking to find their perfect ‘fit’ in terms of religion or spirituality it means that there are less people attending traditional services at a Church on a Sunday morning, as those institutes compared to the DIY approach, are very much one size fits all.

 

Mega-company, Apple, have been considered by some as a religion. Charlie Osbourne for instance does see some quality points in the belief that Apple is a religion. Osbourne states that “when you look at the way they advertise their product; it’s really about a more connected life” (Osbourne, 2012). With religion being such a loosely defined term with no real boundaries or barriers separating it from anything else in particular, when an Apple executive addresses to the audience to “reawaken and renew their faith in the core message and tenets of the brand [or] religion” (Osbourne, 2012), very similar language is used to that of a summary of the keynotes made at a traditionally recognised religious service.

Furthermore, Churches such as Scientology have advertised their Church through television ads and internet networking to attempt to change their perception and drive and encourage people to attempt to understand what it is exactly that they do and believe in. Thus from television advertising to simply having churches ‘revise’ their ‘product’ to being shorter and more entertaining services; branding has played a large role in maintaining a public image and encouraging parishioners to maintain their attendance at services.

Einstein, M. (2011). The Evolution of Religious Branding. Social Compass, 331-338.

Osbourne, C. (2012, October 25). Anthropologist 'confirms' Apple is a religion. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from ZDNet: https://learn.uq.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FcontentWrapper.jsp%3Fcontent_id%3D_120973_1%26displayName%3DLinked%2BFile%26course_id%3D_9393_1%26navItem%3Dcontent%26attachment%3Dtrue%26href%3D

Redmond, S., & Holmes, S. (2007). Stardom and Celebrity. London: Sage Publications.

 

Image courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com/en/foreign-trade-trip-abroad-emigrants-62743/

Week 5- The importance of Music to connect in prayer

Music whether inside or outside of a religious or spiritual context, has the power and ability to move people through emotional connections and in some case  enables people to feel some form of transcendence. Regardless of whether it is a song on the radio, a song at a service, or a piece performed by an orchestra; music connects with people in a way that text cannot. For music allows people the opportunity to express their passion and desire to connect with whatever it is that they are trying to convey. Furthermore, it is no surprise that churches that seek to approach and incorporate relevant and inspired songs such as the Hillsong Church are experiencing large amounts of success and people are simply connecting with the ideologies and the form in which they praise their love for God. The use of music in a religious setting is often used in “deliberate ways to assist people in leaving behind the profane and encountering the sacred” (Jennings, 2008, 161), further enabling participating parishioners to add an extra element to their fulfilling service, and deepening their engagement with the process; rather than just passively sitting and absorbing/ or not, information from a minister.

The Hillsong Church with their very exciting and adrenaline pumped songs and performances by their music team encourage the congregation to passionately worship God. At Hillsong, the songs provide an atmosphere that encourages movement and action whilst singing and being a part of the community worshipping the same ideals. Jennings says that “physical acts like clapping or singing open up your soul. Only when your soul is opened up to the spiritual can you experience encounter with God” (Jennings, 2008, 164) and attain a sense of complete spiritual satisfaction. The message and passion that experienced with songs and performances like that of Hillsong are powerful and have the ability to strengthen a person’s faith, as it enables the participant to feel positive and encouraged about practicing their faith.

 

Comparatively to the Hillsong approach to the integration of popular music with a band and modern songs, there are still very traditional views of what role music should play within a religious service. For instance, most traditional religious services and their ministers continue to play old- themed song with a choir, an organ and most often, a piano accompaniment. Rupert Till states that “traditional religious cultures have become increasingly culturally irrelevant, refusing to discard out-dated traditions that have little to do with the literature or the teachings of the faith itself, but rather are often accumulations of cultural habits that have become associated and intertwined with the belief system itself” (Till, 2010, 169) . Till highlights the great confusion of young parishioners as to why the services cannot be more relatable and engaging.

It has become increasingly apparent that parishioners need to feel that the service is both relevant and relatable to their needs. Furthermore, as religions become “increasingly out of touch with youth culture… those groups will go looking elsewhere for such experiences of physical and spiritual ecstasy, looking increasingly within cults of popular music” (Till, 2010, 171). Therefore the increasing popularity of Churches like Hillsong that provide the congregation with opportunities to connect on multiple levels with God, and to communicate through music; establishing increased popularity is no surprise, as it provides for the needs of todays’ market.

Image courtesy of pixabay: http://pixabay.com/en/guitar-guitar-player-concert-music-67419/
Video courtesy of YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmgWpjE_kdE

Jennings, M. (2008). 'Won't you break free?' An ethnography of music an the divine-human encounter at an Australian Pentecostal Church. Culture and Religion, 161-174.

Till, R. (2010). Pop Cult : Religion and Popular Music. London: Continuum International Publishing.