From what we have learned in lecture, it would appear that all of the world views we have covered have an opinion on the necessity of war.  Even one the most peaceful religions, Buddhism, condones war if it means protecting the Buddhist teachings. It at first seems strange to think that religion-so often associated with peace and righteousness would participate in the violent wars and  acts of terrorism that continue to occur through out the world.  Juergensmeyer pulls out a few key points as to why this violence still happens

To begin, many find their religion as their core identity, with beliefs and sacred spaces that date back far before that individual may have lived.  The idea then is that when a person’s religion is threatened, their identity is as well. Juergensmeyer explains that therefore entering the battle field is not only fighting for your religion, but your entire identity.  This kind of mentality is very apparent in the long battles between Hindu and Islamic sects that fight over who has rights to certain sacred land. To give up the land to the opponent is to give up your ancestral history and background.

Another subject that Juergensmeyer brings up is the idea of cosmic war. For many of the Abrahamic religions we have discussed there has been a strict realm of good and evil that are in constant battle both inside of us and all through out the world.  This battle between good and evil has to be fought by the religion’s followers as well.  In this way, religious followers make their violence acceptable as they see their actions as defeating the evil in the world
The western media has the tendency to sensationalize the violent actions of extremist religious groups. However with the themes that Juergensmeyer brings up, they become easier to grasp as to why they occur. For example, the store we talked about in class of the woman who's sons will slain as well as herself for not eating pork may seem ludacris to many. However, this woman's entire indentity was on the line if she were to give into the evil she saw in submitting to another power.  

The mourning tradition of early China as described by Brown in her article, is one of extreme social display with important rituals to make sure the diseased soul is taken care of.  The ritual of mourning is very unlike the type of mourning I have seen in American culture. 

To begin, Brown noted that Chinese mothers were mourned for much more than fathers, more than two to one (p 1) Being there for the person as the exact moment they passed was seen as very important in order to make a public display of their grief. The Chinese saw their elders, ancestors, and parents as the symbols of authority. Their lives were extremely revered.  There was also no belief in the after life, so once a person passed, there was no way to see them again (p 17).  These are a few reasons as to why their mourning practices were so extravagant as compared to the ones I’ve been familiar with in my culture.   

The mourning rituals of ancient china could go on as long as three years.  A “chief mourner” was chosen, usually the deceased’s son, heir, or daughter to be in charge of the intense mourning process.  The first three days after death would be known as “soul calling” in which the chief mourner and other survivors would call out the deceased’s name.  The mythical idea behind this ritual is that the person’s spirit could possibly be coaxed back into the body of the dead person.  After three days of soul calling, it could be made sure that the person had actually passed on (p 11).

After these three days, the body is prepared for burial. However, the Chinese would sometimes take multiple years before they would actually bury the dead.  The more highly ranked, the longer, as it would take a long time for the extravagant tombs to be built and for all of the mourners to arrive and pay their respects.

The body was washed and clothed, and if highly ranked encased in jade or a luxurious coffin (p 13).  

            It was now the job of chief mourner to wail and cry until the point of sickness.  Chief mourners were known to remove themselves completely from society and luxury.  They would refuse food, social contact, and stop performing any of their political duties. Often, the chief mourner would stay in a small hut beside the grave and survive on merely gruel. This would happen for as long as three years until finally they would bury the body and the chief could remove their mourning clothes and re enter into society (p 14).  The Chinese took great effort to show their respect and grief for when their loved ones and rulers passed on. This was not only a way to show their sadness, but also to show discipline and piety. 

  The casing made of jade that would cover a deceased king in ancient China

           

The Abrahamic and “Eastern” religions vary on many different levels including their philosophies behind postmortem judgment. I wanted to look more closely at the differences between Muslim and Hindu ideologies because large concentrations of these worldviews are relatively close to each other and yet their beliefs are quite contrasting.  

We learned about the Muslim’s holy text the Qu’ran, which contains actual commands from Allah, whom they believe to be the one and only God. Following the commands of Allah as well as adhering to the 5 pillars of Islam are imperative to receiving a good judgment after death.  Muslims believe that after dying the soul leaves the body to be judged.  If the person did a good job of following the 5 pillars, they will receive eternity in a sensual paradise.  However, if the proper burial rituals are not followed or if the person did not live their life according to the Qur’an, they can be left to haunt their relatives as spirits known as “Jinn”.

However in Hindu ideologies, an individual does not meet a final judgment after dying.  Instead, a person is reborn into different levels of new life based on how they lived their previous one.  For Hindu’s, their lives become very ritualistic as they focus to reach “Moksha” to be removed from the cycle of reincarnation. The ideal way of reaching “Moksha is to begin as a student, then work, retreat from life and study.  Following this life path can be very difficult and takes a great amount of discipline.  A person can be reborn many times before they ever reach Moksha. Unlike the one God that Muslim’s worship to show their devotion, Hindus worship and give offerings many Gods in hopes of pleasing them so they my be reborn higher up. 

Although Muslims and Hindus ideas of the afterlife vary greatly, they both agree that there is something more than just our current physical existence. 

 Hindu Gods are pictures in many beautiful pieces of art. 

In Islam, Allah may never be depicted as his Holiness cannot be captured in human art forms. 

Before taking Greek Mythology and now Religious Approaches to Death, I had always felt myth was a tall tale or fable. Now I have a much better understanding of the deeper implications that myths have for those who believe in them. I like the definition of myths as “Sacred Stories” that teach believers important life lessons or tell them about their ancestry.  Christianity gets most of its myths from the stories and narratives found in the Bible.

This we week we spent some time learning about the early beginnings of Christianity. One of the narratives we talked about was the “Original Sin” in which Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s orders and ate from the tree of knowledge. Interestingly, the deceiver in the garden was a serpent, like the snake who stole Gilgamesh’s plant of eternal life. The story of the original sin gives Christians a way to trace back life to the beginning of time.  While some say the myth of the Garden of Eden cannot be real, for the Christians, this narrative gives them a reason to search for salvation. Because of this original sin, Christians believe that every human is damned and unable to spend eternal life in Heaven. Because of this, there is a need for a savior, or Messiah, which is where the myth of Jesus comes in.

In the Bible there is various narratives given of Jesus’ life on earth from the Gospels. These stories give Christians a look into the life of their Messiah and help them understand what living a holy life looks like. The many lessons and sermons Jesus gives are still taught by religious leaders today.  This is how I have come to learn that myths are so much more than made up stories. Some people revolve their entire lives around the narratives found in the Bible. 

Gilgamesh and the Snake

Adam, Eve, and the Snake

What piece of art, music, literature or other art form helps you understand death?  How does it help your conception?  Do you see any connections with the ways the ancient people we talked about this week approached death?  Why or why not?

I grew up in a very conservative, Christian house hold.  The Bible and Evangelical Christianity has always had a huge influence in how I was raised and taught to understand death.  All though I do not know the Bible inside and out, my many mornings in Sunday school did give me some understanding of the Christian worldview of death and the afterlife. 

In the Bible, particularly the new testament, the life story of Jesus Christ is told in which he is crucified and later rises from the dead.  The Bible outlines rules on how we too can conquer death by living eternally in Heaven. 

By growing up on this doctrine, my understanding of death was similar, I found, to the one of the ancient Egyptians we have learned about in class.  In my understanding, a person is judged by God and then sent either to Hell or Heaven. As I have gotten older, my belief about death has become a little more ambiguous. I do still believe in the afterlife but I am not too sure what that will really look like—probably a lot different than the felt clouds and rainbows that decorated my Sunday school classroom to be like Heaven.

I was having a hard time thinking about art forms that helped me understand death. I think this may be because I do not really think about death that often.  I did, however remember one of my favorite songs called “I Will Follow You into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie.  This song speaks about a person and their loved one who has passed on into the “dark”. 

“Love of mine, some day you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark” 

video link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nog3J4t3BfE

The singer then speaks about how although their loved one has passed on, they soon will be able to be together again in this “darkness”.  I felt this idea of death was similar to the older worldviews in which there was no differentiation between Heaven and Hell.  This idea of afterlife is so different from what I was raised to understand. I am really interested to learn other ways worldviews understand dying since I have been confined to one idea for so long.