A juicy class project
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ORANGE JOURNALISM A juicy class project |
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There’s “People who don’t go to church are sinners,” on one side and “People who go to church can’t think for themselves,” on another, and there’s everything in between. There is an unfathomable spectrum of opinions on organized religion out there, too many to nail down in an anthology of books, much less a short article. While nailing down that spectrum of opinions may be an impossibility, four individuals’ unique perspectives add to the discussion of organized religion’s pros and cons. Bernice Yau, a graduate of Stanford University, said that organized religion has enhanced her spiritual life, not hindered it. “What I appreciate the most (about organized religion) ... is finding a true sense of my identity,” she said. “My faith led me to a place where I know (who I am), what God is calling me to do.” She said her day-to-day could not be the same without organized religion. “God gives me joy. When things are good, when things are bad, there is that sense that he is there with me. ... I couldn’t have received that feeling without organized religion.” Yau is a member of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at San Jose State University, which meets regularly for Bible study. “Anything organized like a Bible study or weekly meeting (is) meant to support someone’s spiritual life. ... They aren’t meant to be a burden or an obligation. They are meant to be helpful.” She dispelled the notion that studying the Bible is a hindrance on asking questions and thinking for oneself. “I have discovered that as we look at the Bible, it actually causes people to question more. ... When we do Bible study, we do it in an inductive manner. We will look at a paragraph of the Bible and ask questions together. ... When we do it in a group, we sharpen how (each other) think(s).” She said that organized religion is an appropriate way of translating spirituality and the Bible into her daily life. “I feel like God has used organized religion to speak to me directly.”
Rachel Hipolite, a 20-year-old medical student at San Francisco State University, would disagree, despite claiming that she is religious. “Anyone could have written (the Bible),” she said. “It’s hard for me to understand its credibility.” Hipolite was raised as a Catholic and brought to church by her parents, but resisted any form of organized religion in her high school years. “I don’t believe in standing in a group of a thousand people and saying ‘Amen’ all together. I don’t think that gets you any closer to God.” She said that she does read the Bible, however. “Sometimes I read it for inspiration. ... I will just read some quotes. A lot of them are general enough that anyone can apply them to their life.” At the same time, she said she has gripes. “The more I questioned, the more I found out that there was a lot of stuff I didn’t agree with.” She said that religion’s purpose should be to provide guidelines for being a good person, but that purpose eludes many who consider themselves religious. “(The Bible) says love your neighbor, but (Christians) don’t. Christians don’t love Muslims, Muslims don’t love Mormons, Mormons don’t love Jews.” Hipolite said that resisting organized religion is helpful for developing into the person one wants to become, and stressed “searching” for one’s own morals and religious beliefs. Brother Bill Minkel, who preaches at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in San Jose, was 50 years old when he was ordained as a Catholic priest. “When I was 40, I was still single, I didn’t have any kids, and I thought maybe God wants me to do this,” Minkel said. He defended the concept of organized religion, putting a lot of value in tradition. “In the Catholic faith, or in Christianity as a whole, you need to have a structure to uphold tradition. ... (Organized religion) is a natural outgrowth of (Jesus’ teachings). ... The practices are meaningful for people. ... We take it to be very important.” Minkel did acknowledge that there are many who go to church out of habit, who don’t think for themselves and who fail to apply their religion to their daily lives. “People, just being people - it’s easy to check your brains at the door.”
But he emphatically said that that is not what God wants. “God gave us a brain. He wants us to use our brain.”
He said his own brain was at work during his late teens and early twenties, when he decided to take a “leap of faith” into Catholicism. “To me, it’s not that farfetched to think that there is some force that put this whole thing in motion.” And he defended the Bible as a reliable source of guidance. “I do rely on the Bible for coming to know God and human nature. The Bible isn’t just about Jesus. It says a lot about human nature and that can be applied today.” When asked about the church’s stance on gay rights, Minkel clarified where Christian beliefs about homosexuality came from. “Jesus does not talk about same-sex relationships - (the gospel writer) Paul does ... my theology comes from Jesus.” He pointed out that anti-gay sentiments are not held by all within Catholic and Christian religions. “Our media tends to be very powerful. The conservatives ... the people who are really outspoken ... get the most publicity. ... The preeminent law is love. Judging someone’s love is not something I’m qualified to do.” While Minkel does not feel qualified to judge someone’s love, there are definitely some who do, as Chaplain Roger Wharton can attest to. Wharton is an Episcopalian priest who happens to be gay. He runs an SJSU-based organization called S J Spirit and two years ago, flyers for an event sponsored by S J Spirit were defaced with anti-gay sentiments. “A lot of people who are in various denominations find gays to be an abomination because of the way they understand their religion,” Wharton said. “I think that they don’t understand the Bible the way I understand the Bible. ... The difference is I don’t try to force my understandings on others or make laws based on religion.” He said that S J Spirit sponsors religious events that provide a broad-based alternative to the confinement of organized religion. “We do things that are particularly Christian and we do other things that anyone can participate in regardless of what religion they associate themselves with.” He said he finds ways of balancing his worship of God and study of the Bible with his ability to think critically. “I don’t just look to the Bible to understand God, and to find out what’s right and what’s wrong. My relationships with people are a piece of input. My experience is a piece of input. Cultural reality is a piece of input.” He said people who practice organized religion risk failing to think for themselves, and that a pendulum is swinging in the direction of fundamentalism, but he hopes that will change. “All the problems we are having with Muslims right now are based on Muslim fundamentalism. ... Fundamentalism makes everything black and white. ... It’s a comfort because you don’t have to deal with gray issues. .. You don’t have to think.” He said there is only one good thing about organized religion. “It brings people together ... people of different social and economic backgrounds ... to follow Jesus’ words, to do service and to be introspective.” Related Links: Back to Orange Journalism Home Page Orange Journalism: |
