All posts by Iriana

Trump’s Welcome Committee: An avalanche of opponents

News Item

USA Today article by Heidi M Przbyla

Throughout out this past election here in the United States both candidates have been met with fierce resistance. On November 8th of this past year Donald Trump was announced the victor of the 2016 presidential election. On Friday January 20, Donald Trump will be sworn into the office he won to the dismay of many across the nation.

Demonstrations of protest are planned to take place throughout the nation’s capital, in each of the 50 states, and around the world in 32 countries. Many of these protest are focusing on defending the rights of women, other are paying homage suffragettes confirming women’s rights in government, and some protest are taking a more hostile stance against the president elect. Most striking is the unprecedented numbers of participants expected to show. Many are taking note that people who have never been involved in politics before are making moves now to mobilize. 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama even plans to conduct a demonstration on inauguration day. A significant objective of these protest is to encourage people to get more involved in their community.

As was discussed in class, Separate Realities showed how church and other religious organizations provide a basis for people to get involved and engage their community seen today in church organizations like 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama.

Biblical Times no More

Reflection, Uncategorized

Biblical times were saturated with prophets and saints, devotees lining the streets to praise the messiah but now, people go to church in jeans. What I have gathered from this past week in class is that religion is not dying, it’s changing. How this change is impacting communities is what I hope to learn more about. The world has never been more interconnected before. All around the globe individuals have access to geographically new religions, ideas, and philosophies, giving way to new religious movements that integrate different religious traditions. Maybe people think religion is fading because Sunday mass is increasingly harder to recognize. As was reflected in our class population religious affiliation has decreased, and spirituality has become more individualistic. Religion seems to be a structure of worship, and spirituality seems to be an accumulation of experiences used to create one’s unique individual belief system. While sharing our stories, I was most intrigued to hear about family dynamics in regards to religion, how a student was attracted to their parents’ belief system or ventured far away. Personally I think school played a larger role in helping me solidify my beliefs, but most students referenced their parents religious experience to explain their own experiences and current conclusion. In the end the bible is a book of stories, but the people who practice a related religion are independent and free willed individuals who go beyond the words inscribed in an old book.