Witchcraft and final reflections

This weeks presentation final presentation on witchcraft was really interesting and of particular interest to me as it is the topic I will be writing my final essay on. I really liked the inclusion of the modern day witches/supernatural world through the third part of the presentation that covered modern representations of witches in film and what this means for feminism. For my own research essay, I will be focusing upon the representation of demonic possession in film in contemporary cinema. I am interested in engaging with the reasons the devil and the portrayal of demons are used in film to portray fear and create uneasiness. This ties in with Professor Phillip Almonds lecture on the “re-enchantment” of the world with the supernatural (eg Twilight, Harry Potter, The Exorcist) and why we still feel drawn to these tropes within religion after thousands of years.

As this is my final blog post, I would like to reflect on what I have learnt throughout the course. I have discovered that I am very keen to find out what the actual future for religion is in our world. As religious powers and groups become more prominent, for example ISIS, what will the worlds reaction be to religion? As a pre -service teacher hoping to teach The Study of Religions, I am hopeful that the future holds a generation who wishes to understand those around them and see the merits and the detriments of religion on society and how people can have their own perspective while also respecting others. One of the main things I will take away from this course however is that religion does have a future, even if we can’t quite say what that is. It is evident through our classes research that individual and group belief is still relevant to society and will impact upon our lives to come.

Witchcraft

This weeks subject of witchcraft is one that I find so facsinating and perhaps frightening. The idea of demonic posession, or losing control of your body or mind to another person or being has to be one of my greatest fears. Phillip Almond gave our class a great lecture on witchcraft and the theories surrounding how it came about, however, i would like to focus on the area I find most interesting – that of the Devil and demonic powers. Phillip has also written about this topic in his book Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England and it is the introduction chapter from this book that I will be looking at. Case studies of demonic posession are almost nothing without creepy horror music and contortions (atleast to me) but Phillips description of posession at the beginning of this book is anything but subpar. I feel that the language and imagery surrpounding demonic posession adds to the percieved sense of evil that is present when discussing anything of this matter. The line “He was often seen, we are informed,to have a lump running up and down his body between the flesh and theskin. He gnashed his teeth and foamed at the mouth. He shrieked with pain, and wept and laughed. He had the strength of four or five men, and his features were horribly disfigured.” on the first page on this introduction, I think, preys directly at the center of human fear – losing control of their minds and bodies. The topic of demonic posession is popular because of it’s macabre nature and ability to explore the opposite side of the omniscient G-d rhetoric. 

The future of demonic posession I feel perhaps will be delegated to that of the movie world. Although I do believe that it has its place in history and is part of human existence, I feel that people do not need to be ‘excorsied’ like they might have needed in past times. I come to this conclusion as I see religion personally as a way for people to achieve peace and gives hope to those in need. The existence of the Devil and the threat of going to Hell or becoming possessed I feel is less in todays world as there are more issues that people are dealing with that could be seen as their own personal type of demonic “posession” – such as financial hardship or an unbalanced life/work career.

I really am interested in this area of study and I think I will be looking at Phillips work closely for my research essay.

Final essay – Cinematic Representations of Jesus

Question:

“In Looking at the representation of Jesus in Contemporary (and recent) cinema, analyse the way that films have composted different images of Jesus to fit with recent or current events, cultural perspectives of social/political movements.

Cinematic Representations of Jesus

Introduction

Cinematic portrayals of Jesus have become more and more popular overtime because they allow filmmakers to interpret Gospel stories in their own unique contexts and portray Jesus and Christ Figures who ultimately are the amalgamation of text and context. As a story that has been told for thousands of years, the portrayal of Jesus in cinema is an important mode of delivery as it gives insights into the perception of who Jesus might of been and also how his story follows Jungian archetypes of the hero’s journey. This essay aims to analyse three films through their representation of a Jesus or Christ figure, and how this representation is reflective of their current social and political contexts, as well as their relevant place in history. The three films analyzed with be Denys Acrand’s Jesus Of Montreal (1989), Terry Jones’ Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) and Andrew Adamson’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005). Through the analysis of these films, this essay hopes to present the view that representations of Jesus in film are reflective of their cultural context, and are all possessive certain qualities that are central to the Jesus film Genre.

Christ and Jesus Figures

The Jesus film genre is arguably the most significant medium through which popular culture of this century has absorbed its interpretations of the Gospel stories of the New testament and their impressions of its founder, Jesus Christ (Nguyen, 2010, p.183). The use of cinema is an important medium because it allows a broad circulation of views, and also that the stories produced are designed to appeal to any viewers no matter what their background and education (Reinhartz, 1998, p.1), (Nguyen, 2010, p.183). Biopics of Jesus, or feature film biographies, (Reinhartz, 2007, p.1) are depictions of the life of Jesus that follow the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (Nguyen,2010,p.187). They can either follow the story of Christ – like figures – whose stories follow loosely, or quite closely, the complete story of Jesus; focusing on The Passion and the resurrection as the climactic feature of the film, this type of portrayal of Jesus can also be shown through figures that represent Christ such as art, elements, images or fictional characters (Scalia, 2001, p.77) or the Jesus – like figure; where the films plot line is separate from the trials of Jesus, but Jesus appears in the film through symbols or mention (Scalia, 2001, p.77).

The film Jesus of Montreal, Directed by Denys Acrand, produced in 1989, is an example of a Jesus figure because of its portrayal of a Jesus – like character in a contemporary setting. The film follows the plight of actors who are hired to present a passion play at a small town Catholic church (Acrand, 1989), which reflects the film’s take of the Jesus story in a modern day small community (Bakker, 2009, 51). As the film progress’, the characters lives come to represent those of they are playing in the theatre, with the protagonist, Daniel, becoming a figure of Christ after he falls from the cross during a performance of the passion play and dies (Scalia, 2001, p.78). In this portrayal of Jesus, He is seen as a human; this is especially evident through the final crucifixion scene in which Jesus’ organs are donated for transplants so that they may save other’s lives – it is through this Jesus is resurrected (Gilmour, 2005, p.322). The confrontation of Satan in the story is represented through the highly materialistic and hollow audience members of the audience, as when Daniel is offered power and glory by a lawyer, just Jesus was offered the kingdoms of the world and their treasures for worshipping Satan (Reinhartz, 1998, p.4). The use of capitalism to symbolize evil is evidence of this films social context as at this time as major social concerns were of capitalism and the fear that major companies and governments where going to eventually control the lives of everyone in the world (from a Western view).This contemporary view of Jesus is a reflection of its time as audiences identified with the depictions of evil corporations representing Satan and the humanist portrayal of Jesus was accepted as it followed the storyline of the Gospels, even if it wasn’t historically accurate.

Portrayals of Jesus through cinematic representation

The challenge that these biopics face is the amalgamation of the context of the past; the text of the Gospels, and the modern cultural context in which the film is set (Nguyen, 2010, p.187), (Mahan, 2002, p.2), (Brunstad, 2001, p.146).  As Jesus is a central religious figure to many people, audiences expect a degree of historical accuracy when Jesus is depicted in film.  This can be a problematic enterprise also for the opposite as the film must work as an entire exercise to relate to viewers that may have no personal investment in the character of Jesus at all (Mahan, 2002, p.2), (Brunstad, 2001, p.146). Audiences generally recognize a historical Jesus through the subject of the film, the costumes and surroundings of the film – eg sandals and bathrobes and ancient towns and the language that will be used in the film such as biblical English, Latin or Hebrew (Reinhartz, 2007, p.2).

Understandably, film makers cannot be completely accurate to their portrayal of Jesus as it is not recorded in the Gospel His day to day life and habits, thoughts on the events in his life and the environments in which these events occurred (Reinhartz, 2007, p.9). It is through these gaps, however, that filmmakers are able to insert the cultural contexts, political ideals and current events that are effecting the world in which they are created (Reinhartz, 2007, p.9). However, these historical perspectives can be changed to portray the same story of a Christ – like figure, as long as they keep key portrayals of Jesus’ life such as the passion scene’s, the crucifixion and the resurrection (Reinhartz, 2007, p.3). This can be demonstrated through the analysis of Adam Anderson’s The Chronicles of Narnia as the key character, the lion Aslan, is an effective depiction of Christ despite the fact that it is an anthropomorphic Lion.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Anderson, 2005), is a religious film which follows the exploration of heaven, depicted as “Narnia” by children escaping the Cold War in England. The leading character, a lion by the name of Aslan, is the embodiment of Jesus – like figure as he is presented in the film to face the same trials as Jesus faced – such as sacrifice and resurrection for the greater good (Chapman,2012, p.3). Aslan is presented as an immediate Jesus – like figure through language, film techniques, and the passion scenes depicted in the film. Language used such as “Welcome in the Lions name” , (Anderson, 2005) is indicative of Aslan’s role as a Christ like figure in the film (Smietana, 2006, p.33). Film techniques to represent Aslan as a Christ figure are used through placing Aslan higher than other characters, through the representation of Him as a quiet, pensive and wise character, and attributing him to the magic that restores the beauty of Narnia. The Passion scenes in The Chronicles of Narnia  are perhaps the most indicative of Aslan’s representation as Jesus as He sacrifices Himself on a stone table (representing the crucifix) to save Edmund and the fate of Narnia – such as when Jesus died on the cross in order for humankind to be forgiven (Anderson, 2005). These depictions however are also within context that is addressed within the movie also – The Cold War.

The Cold War (1947 – 1991) influenced the depiction of the Jesus – like figure in The Chronicles of Narnia through the interpretation that Aslan could simultaneously represent the role of The United States in the victory of The Cold War. In 1946, Stalin declared that the capitalism of the West was incompatible with Russian ideals, and this is represented in the film through the bombings of London (Chapman, 2012, p.3). America responded by signing the Truman Doctrine, which pledged assistance to the European countries that resisted communist take overs (Chapman, 2012, p.3). Theorist Roger Chapman suggests that this is represented in Narnia through Aslan’s rescue of the Pevensie Children from their world’s which are disrupted by the potential bombing of their family home (Chapman, 2012, p.4). This representation of Jesus shows the use of another Jesus – like figure to convey the portrayal of Jesus as a character who sacrifices’ their life for the greater good of the world around them. This portrayal is also indicative of Jungian Hero archetypes and how they support the portrayal of Jesus in film.

Jungian Archetypes of Jesus and the Self

Portrayals of Jesus in film may follow the tradition historical story recorded by the Gospel, but are also all indicative of the hero archetype discovered by Psychologist Carl Jung. Jung believed that there are universal patterns that produce meaning and guide development that can be found in every human being on earth (Roesler, 2012, p.224). These innate forms and patterns of behaviours and perceptions are common to all through the theory of the collective unconscious, which Jung believed everyone access’ through an intrinsically known source (Paganopoulos, 2010, p.2), (Roesler, 2012, p.224) . The archetype explored in Jesus films is that of the hero and the self. The hero myth centers around the hero’s journey, first termed by psychologist Joseph Campbell. The hero’s journey starts when they are situated within the confines of their family environment, which shows the broader social and political context that will either influence or respond to the hero’s growing sense of capabilities and sense of mission (Reinhartz, 1998, p.3). Secondly, the hero encounters an antagonist relationship which causes them conflict (Reinhartz, 1998, p.3). The conflict is then resolved through an event that allows the hero to express or  their primary message to their own audience and the film audience (Reinhartz, 1998, p.3). This portrayal of the hero’s journey can be seen through Jesus in Montreal and The Chronicles of Narnia, but also in the last film, Terry Jone’s  Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979).

Although Monty Python’s Life Of Brian is in essence a spoof of the Jesus film genre, it cleverly incorporates the hero archetype to express the view that Jesus and Christ – like figures do not have to necessarily be religious in nature. Following the story of a man, Brian, who is wrongly assumed to be Jesus of Nazareth, Monty Python not – so subtly critiques the assumptions of Jesus’ life that have been portrayed not only in film but through the continuation of scripture and Gospel stories. The fact that Brian is obviously and explicitly stated to not be Jesus allowed this film to successfully spoof the genre without being charged with blasphemous content (Reinhartz, 1998, p.4). The portrayal of Jesus in Life Of Brian is that of a Christ – like figure, who is only vaguely mentioned in the actual film, but is represented in whole through the films plot similarity to that of the story of Jesus.

 The cultural context of this film comments on the blind faith of old Christian practitioners by parodying their blind faith through such scenes as when Brian loses his shoe and it is seen as a ‘sign by the messiah’ (Jones, 1979). Another comment the film makes is the satirical comments on British Left Wing politics and through the iconic line of “What have the Romans ever done for us?” at which point the listeners outline all forms of positive aspects of the Roman occupation such as sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system,  public health and peace, followed by “what have the Romans ever done for us except sanitation, medicine, education…” (Jones, 1979). The representation of a Christ – like figure in this film is used to parody the genre, however, it is cleverly utilized to show the political context of the time in order to present the filmmakers view on past issues that are still current in modern day contexts.

Conclusion

Through the exploration of these films, it can be seen that the portrayal of Jesus has the central characteristics of following either a Christ or Jesus – like figure; depending on the way that the filmmaker decides to develop the plot. This is through either following the historical depictions of Jesus as true to their representations in the Gospels or through Jesus representations that follow the historical stories but not in a historical context. The use of Jungian archetypes support the exposition of Jesus films as they provide a fundamental characteristic that is found in every Jesus film. As the archetypes are shared through the collective unconscious, they are able to be understood by people around the world – thus resonating with the Jesus story. The different representations of Jesus are expressive of the film’s respective social, political and culture contexts – such as the humanist perspective in Acrand’s Jesus of Montreal, The Cold War context of Anderson’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and the political and satirical religious contexts of British politics and blind faith in Jone’s Monty Python’s The Life of Brian. 

The existence of these contexts give evidence to the fact that cinematic portrayals of Jesus are a vehicle to express concerns and anxieties of the film’s social, political and cultural context, and are able to do this with the support of the hero archetype, which is a common factor within all Jesus films.

References

Acrand, D. (Director). (1989). Jesus of Montreal [Motion picture]. Canada: Centre national de la Cinematicographie.

Adamson, A. (Director). (2005). The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe [Motion picture]. UK: Walt Disney Pictures.

Bakker, F. L. (2009). Chapter two. In The challenge of the silver screen: An analysis of the cinematic portraits of Jesus, Rama, Buddha and Muhammad (pp. 42 – 51). Leiden: Brill.

Brunstad, P. R. (2001). Jesus in Hollywood – The Cinematic Jesus in a Christological and Contemporary perspective. Studia Theologica, 55(1), 145-156. Retrieved from http://cf5pm8sz2l.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Jesus+in+Hollywood+-+The+Cinematic+Jesus+in+a+Christological+and+Contemporary+Perspective&rft.jtitle=Studia+Theologica+-+Nordic+Journal+of+Theology&rft.au=Brunstad%2C+Paul+Otto&rft.date=2001-12-01&rft.issn=0039-338X&rft.eissn=1502-7791&rft.volume=55&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=145&rft.epage=156&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080%2F003933801753330633&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=10_1080_003933801753330633

Chapman, R. (2012). The Lion, the Witch and the Cold War: Political Meanings in the Religious Writings of C.S. Lewis. Journal of Religion and Popular culture, 24(1), 1-14. Retrieved from http://cf5pm8sz2l.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=The+Lion%2C+the+Witch+and+the+Cold+War%3A+political+meanings+in+the+religious+writings+of+C.S.+Lewis&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+Religion+and+Popular+Culture&rft.au=Chapman%2C+Roger&rft.date=2012-01-01&rft.pub=University+of+Toronto+Press&rft.issn=1703-289X&rft.eissn=1703-289X&rft.volume=24&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=1&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=293109468

Gilmour, P. (n.d.). Text and Context: The Passion of the Christ and Other Jesus Films. Religious Education, 100(3), 311-325. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/docview/199375879?accountid=14723

Jones, T. (Director). (1979). Life of Brian [Motion picture]. UK: Handmade films.

Mahan , J. (2002). Celluloid Savior: Jesus in the Movies. Journal of Religion and Film, 6(1). Retrieved from http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/celluloid.htm

Nguyen, H. T. (2009). The Quest for the Cinematic Jesus: Scholarly Explorations in Jesus Films. Currents in Biblical Research, 8(2), 183-206. doi:10.1177/1476993X09341494

Paganopoulos, M. (2010). Jesus Christ and Billy the Kid as Archetypes of the Self in American Cinema. Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, 22(1), 1-23. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/docview/748979155

Reinhartz, A. (2007). Introduction: From Holy Scripture to Silver Screen. In Jesus of Hollywood (pp. 1 – 25). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Reinhartz, A. (1998). Jesus in film: Hollywood Perspectives on the Jewishness of Jesus. Journal of Religion and Film, 2(2), 2-6. doi:10.1086/526361

Roesler, C. (2012). Are Archetypes transmitted more by culture than biology? Questions arising from conceptualizations of the archetype. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 57, 223- 246. doi:10.1111/1.1468.5922.2011.01963

Scalia, B. (2001). Re-Figuring Jesus: Christ and Christ-Figures in “Jesus of Montreal”. Religion and Literature, 33(1), 75-90. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40059889

Smietana , B. (2006). Lessons from the Lion. U.S Catholic, 71(4), 32-35. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/docview/225357882

Globalisation and Religion of the future

It can be argued that globalisation has altered the way that people around the world “consume, work, gather information, play, and define their identity “(Kale, 2004, 92). This can also be applied to how people practice their religion. As more and more of different cultures become more easily available, the market for individualised religion is opened further and further, allowing people to ‘shop’ for their own special brand of religion. I know at least two people in my life who suit this description of spirituality. They attend church on Christmas and Easter, have buddhist statues in their gardens and on their mantle pieces and play hindu meditative music to fall asleep to. I for one am in favour of this use of globalisation as I think it allows people to fully explore their spirituality to find something that fits uniquely them. I don’t think we should be expected to follow just one religion because that’s what we have always done. I think the opportunity to use globalisation to its fullest potential should be taken advantage of and used to create new religions or amalgamations of beliefs which could accommodate every bodies spiritual needs. I know this is a somewhat naive view but I do believe that globalisation is the key to the future; as everything becomes available online, we have more power than ever to change old perspectives. 

I think this topic Is a brilliant one to end the course on as it looks to the future, where we now stand as we write these blog posts, to ask ourselves, who are we going to be in the religions and the spiritualities of our future? 

 

photo : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17.jpg 

Kale,S (2004),Spirituality, Religion, and Globalization, Journal of Macromarketing, 24: 92 DOI: 10.1177/0276146704269296, accessed from https://learn.uq.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-121078-dt-content-rid-292527_1/courses/WRIT2011S_6320_20376/Week%2013%20Media%2C%20Religion%2C%20Globalization/Weekly%20Readings/Journal%20of%20Macromarketing-2004-Kale-92-107.pdf 

Spirit of Mediated Asia

This week I have been focusing on the representation of Eastern or Asian spirituality in Western media. By focusing on the growing interest the west has with Asian culture, I have come to learn that globalisation is a positive thing which enables different cultures to experience their religions in a non-conflicting way. I focused mainly on the representation of cultural imperialism, and the way that martial arts has become a commodity that is common place in the Western world. The use of martial arts, and ensuing stereotypes especially in Western films, are seen as controlling images, and have been created by Western audiences to characterise their Asian counterparts (Shah, 2003, 1). The common stereotypes of the hard working student, wise old man, impatient but brave warrior and beautiful oriental princess are all still common in our 21st Century world even though they may have been created centuries ago. These can be seen in films such as Spirited away, Slum Dog Millionaire, The Last Samurai and even Disney movies such as Mulan.

I believe our Western culture romanticises Eastern spirituality and religious culture as it is definitely something that is devoid in our materialistic world. We stereotype these characters as we see that there is something in them that we want – whether it be wisdom, dedication, oriental beauty or bravery.

Shah, H (2003), Studies in Media & Information Literacy Education, 3(3) 1–10, University of Toronto Press. DOI: 10.3138/sim.3.3.002, Accessed from https://learn.uq.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-121062-dt-content-rid-292514_1/courses/WRIT2011S_6320_20376/Week%2012%20%20Spirit%20of%20Mediated%20Asia/Weekly%20Readings/AsianFilmandtv

photo: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6765902/Untitled

Ten Canoes – Indigenous spirituality in the modern world

Ralf De Heer’s Film Ten canoes (2006), shot in Ramingining in Arnhem land in the Northern Territory, seeks to expose a side of the indigenous Australian story that rarely gets media attention – their spiritual history before Australia’s colonisation. With strong spiritual tones, the story follows that of a myth being told by one brother to another. This film is brilliant in it’s depiction of indigenous Australians as they shown as empowered owners of the land, with direction, purpose and a strong sense of community.

This is far from what is depicted in Australian news today. Stories of alcoholism, abuse and unemployment are the main issues discussed today’s media in regards to the aboriginal people of Australia (Starrs, 2007, 1). Through the depiction of Indigenous Australians in an empowered and advantaged position, this film is an excellent provider of primary source evidence of times before the white colonisation of Australia.

Starrs, D, (2007), The Authentic Aboriginal Voice in Ralf de Heer’s ‘Ten Canoes’ (2006), Reconstruction : Studies in contemporary culture 7(3), accessed from https://learn.uq.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FcontentWrapper.jsp%3Fcontent_id%3D_121049_1%26displayName%3DLinked%2BFile%26course_id%3D_9393_1%26navItem%3Dcontent%26attachment%3Dtrue%26href%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Feprints.qut.edu.au%252Farchive%252F00009366%252F01%252F9366.pdf

photo – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ca/Ten_canoes.jpg/220px-Ten_canoes.jpg

Writing as an escape

Looking back over my blog posts, I have come to realise how much more freely I have been able to write since I first began. I have always written growing up – either in a diary or writing silly stories to pass the time. But it is different when you have to write to an audience, even if you aren’t 100% sure that someone is out there listening, it still makes it different. At first, I had trepidations, who really cares what I think about these things?

But since starting, I have found writing to be an escape, even though sometimes I may fear it, or shy away from it, once I start I cannot stop. I appreciate that this course has taught me to speak my mind confidently and without hesitation, as someone, somewhere, one day, might want to hear what I have to say.

(my own photo)

I thought I might share this picture of Coolum Beach that I took on Mother’s Day this year. The sea was a tempest and the winds were roaring so hard they nearly pushed me over as my mother and I stood at the lookout. It was an awesome display of natures ferocity and had me in awe of its power. The ocean for me is a significant trope for spirituality. It represents the world to me – it is vast, unknowable, unpredictable and unbelievably beautiful.

Representations of Islamic Religion in the media

The representation of Islamic Religion in Western media reached a new high this as a soldier was murdered on a busy London street by two confirmed Islamic extremists. Upon examine newspaper articles, online publications, news casts and blogging sites, I have found a few consistent views that are represented within Australian media when they were reporting on the unfolding events. The representations of the men were immediately as muslim extremists, before their identity was even confirmed. Their words – praise Allah, were repeated over and over, in headlines, by news readers and subtitles on the videos as the story progressed. This news immediately dominated every news site in Australia. I am not disputing that the acts committed were not horrific and devastating, but that the coverage was all the more vigilant and immediate as it covered a concern that is mounting in Western society over the perceived threat of terrorism, specifically from Muslim groups. This post 9/11 geopolitical context is discussed in Sandra Canas’ exploration of Muslim culture in the Western world through her analysis of “The little mosque on the prairie – Examining (Multi) Cultural spaces of nation and religion” (2008, pp. 196) and is still evident today as these issues still arise within our media.

After a bit of searching, I came across this video and thought it was too great not to share. I believe that hopefully, as our younger generation grows older, we may come to realise that all cultures in the world have evil pasts and current evil practitioners – and that it does not depend on a person’s religion – it depends on what is truly in their hearts which truly matters.

video – http:///www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4U1dWtmHBM

Canas, S, (2008) The Litte Mosque on the Prairie : examining multi cultural spaces of nation and religion, 2008 : 20; 195 , accessed from https://learn.uq.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FcontentWrapper.jsp%3Fcontent_id%3D_120995_1%26display

“Every human, a…

“Every human, at the moment of birth, utterly deserves to go straight to Hell.” – Westboro Baptist Church (http://www.godhatesfags.com)

I choose this week, as it its for media, religion and news, to review and discuss the Westboro Baptist Church, Kansas, USA, arguable one of the most prolific hate groups in the Christian Religion. The have been heavily covered in the media due to their picketing of soldier’s and children’s funerals, and pronouncing that “God Hates Fags” (http://www.godhatesfags.com – their official website).  In an interesting contrast from last weeks post, and this is my own personal opinion, I feel that the western world, and especially western media, treats the WBC like a joke, something that is not very serious and something to just be tolerated, where as other extremist groups or in fact just people from another religion – impose a huge threat to our society. To be fair, some of the foreign extremist groups have actually acted on their preachings, but I think that it shows how the media can represent two groups in very different ways.

One such way is in one of my favourite journalists, Louie Therox, goes and lives with an WBC member for a week. He deals with their extremism as sort of a joke, and seeks to show the hypocrisy that exists within the church. If you have the time, I recommend viewing this episode , but the first minute will give you an idea of what the episode will entail..

The point that I am trying to make in this post is that Christian’s have extremist groups too, and that there is a telling point in the way that they are depicted in Western media.

Westboro Baptist Church Website – http://www.godhatesfags.com/faq.html#Who

youtube video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF1oAsgzchA

A Sacred Space – Environments of Religion

(My own photogrpahs)

This week, I meditated on my houses front balcony in complete silence, apart from the noises of the world going on around me. I wrote this

Sun sinking low to the ground

Night rising high

A sound of silence envelops me

a peaceful restlessness of life.

I am very lucky to have such a beautiful space in my own home. This is my sacred space and is the closest I come in my day to day life to feeling something transcendal. My balcony is small, and has one seat. A possum sits on the air conditioning box above me. I look out onto this view as the sun is setting and am in awe. I love the way the trees become silhouetted against the sky, I love how the darkest purest blue comes down and seamlessly melts the oranges and the pinks. Someone told me once, and i’m pretty sure its not true, that the colours of the sunset have to do with volcanic ash that is stuck in the atmosphere.

It is this thought that always comes at times like these, and for some reason that makes me feel like I am at one with the world. That we are all doing the same things, no matter who we are, and that the people around me, the people I can see turning their lights on as the darkness comes, they are going through pretty similar stuff to me and that we are all connected by the world that surrounds us. I identify strongly with Dark Green Religion, as Chris Klassen describes it – a kinship with the world around you, identifying the nature with the sacred – “A Darwinian understanding that all life has evolved from a common ancestor and are therefore related” ( Klassen, 2012, 76). I see this myself as being the only type of religion that i could see myself identifying with. I think I like it because it feels so right, and it’s just something that happens – I don’t need to pray, or to be a certain way, it is just there and it is beautiful.

Klassen, C, (2012) Avatar, Dark Green Religion and the Technological Construction Of Nature in Cultural Studies Review, 18(2) 74 – 88