| Post a short reaction paper describing what you have read in the eText readings this week and last and your thoughts on what you have learned. While the discussions should be easy to start before doing the readings, these GOD journals should incorporate your previous thoughts as well as your thoughts after completing the readings and talking with your classmates. Once you have done so, it should be fairly easy for you to react to the learnings. Some weeks, you might say these readings did not make you see religion differently, but I suspect many will help you evolve a new or growing opinion of divinity and religious doctrine. This should be fairly easy to do, as these are topics that should encourage reflection! You must make certain you post evidence that you completed the READINGS each week and not just the discussion material. Each should be more than one paragraph, but only one page long. If you really want to say more, I won’t complain however. Book: Experiencing the World’s Religions by Michael Molloy Week 2 Discussion: Shamans or Psychos? Watch this video on the comparison between the seers and shamans and how westerners would respond to a person who saw or heard voices and messages. Phil Borgas states, “Myths are neither true or false, but symbolic stories that give us meaning and teach us how to act.”. The great Albert Einstein illucidated: “A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein https://youtu.be/q2VzhyIyGkA Myths, Shamans and Seers: Phil Borges at TEDxRainier (13:55) Taking into consideration what Phil Borges says about Shamans and Seers and how they are treated within our society and the thoughts of Dr. Einstein: How do you feel we are treating those in our own society who might see things differently? Research and post a link to an example in another religion that you think is crazy/odd/wrong/weird. Explain your reasons behind that conclusion. Looking at your OWN religion or spirituality, can you think of any examples that might be similar to the messages these people listen to from their seers? Be honest!! DO you think this is all crazy and you would never believe in something as odd as someone hearing voices in their head telling them what to do? |
