swagchefchris-blog

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In recent news, the Trump Administration passed a new rule that would prevent organizations from providing funding towards Planned Parenthood. Additionally the new federal rule states that , “Clinics will be able to talk to patients about abortion, but not where they can get one. And clinics will no longer have to counsel women on all reproductive options, including abortion, a change that will make anti-abortion providers eligible for funding.” In alliance with the conservative evangelical base that strongly supports President trump, this new rule is specifically in favor of that group. The article continues to explain how Trump’s administration has expanded the ability of employers to use religious and moral claims to object the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that they have to offer insurance coverage for contraception. Allowing for religious and moral reasons in the field of health is a very tricky subject. Often times these perspectives allow for bias and this is what Trump and the anti-abortion faction want.

Instead of emphasizing on treatment and recovery, the new rule focuses in on the idea of abstinence. The lack of perspective on the anti-abortion side allows them to fight they way they do. Using reasons of religion and morality to claim all these women are murders and killers is unjust. There are often a variety of reasons to get an abortion, whether it may be rape or accidental, it should be up to the woman to choose what to do with her body. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’S List describe how the new rule further “effectively dismantles Title X, forces doctors to lie and forbids them from referring their patients for abortion, and prevents women from being able to access Planned Parenthood’s services.” 

Throughout history proves that regardless of what people think women will still do what they want. In this case, women will still continue to get abortions whether or not it is allowed. What this movement truly affects is the safety and quality of treatment for women. Rather than helping them it is more damaging if they were to get unsafe and unregulated abortions. Anti abortions key in on protecting life yet are harming it at the same time. “Title X provides $286 million in funding for programs that provide services like birth control, screening for breast cancer and cervical cancer and screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. These programs serve about 4 million patients each year, many of them poor, at more than 4,000 clinics.” Defunding this will put all these people the organization helps at risk for health implications. The correlations between the anti-abortion group and religion has great influence on the public sphere. Aligning with Conservative evangelicals will continue to support anti-abortion policies which ultimately cause more harm than good. 

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Surveys and data on recent trends show evangelical approval of Trump. Similar to what we have learned earlier on in the semester, two years into Donald Trumps presidency, it seems the evangelical dimension rooted in American culture has remained strong. According to the research data, “Roughly seven-in-ten white evangelical Protestants (69%) say they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, according to the Center’s latest polling in January 2019. This is somewhat lower than Trump’s approval rating in the earliest days of his tenure – when about eight-in-ten white evangelicals (78%) approved of his job performance. The data overwhelming shows the white evangelical protestant still showing great support for the current president. 

Although this may be, the United States has become a progressive country in which the minority and oppressed have stood up to fight for what they believe in. Those who were religiously unaffiliated showed their unhappiness with Trump’s presidency. Data showed the disapproval levels among the religiously unaffiliated. Percentages, “ranging from 17% to 27% across the polls the Center has conducted since the president assumed office. Most black Protestants and nonwhite” Catholics also have disapproved of the way the president handles his job. Since they were less embedded in a religious community, they were more likely to be the ones to vote Democratic. 

Furthermore, the religiously unaffiliated have secular political views that challenge the religious traditionalism of the Republican party. What this means is that this specific community separates religion and politics, making their decision less biased. According to other notes, “Obama received 76% in 2008 and 77% in 2012 of the religiously unaffiliated vote”. Although this is a much smaller community than conservative evangelicals, it goes to show how much American politics are shaped by christian thought. 70% are Christian in the United States.  As a result Trump’s base stands strong. 

To change recent trends, I believe this topic is important to me because it relates to youth voting. Among young adults, percentages have risen but not high enough. I tend to think that his is because with society having so much pressure on the youth to succeed, young adults seem to not pay attention too much to politics. The youth are much less involved and uneducated on policies, laws, and politics in general. So in order to debase this Christian root within American politics, I hope that the youth will become more involved in voting. 

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On Monday April 15th, 2019, one of the most iconic cathedrals that has ever existed erupted in flames. Notre Dame Cathedral, located in Paris France collapsed into itself as the fires burned the building into ashes. France’s leader understands the importance of this structure. He “vowed to rebuild the landmark. In an address to the nation Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted it done within five years”. Immediately following the fire, social media coverage blew up. Every news source was focused on a religious monument.  

Media coverage and religion are key components of one another. In line with the conservative evangelical dimension that has existed within American culture, elites and the United States have once again made their stance on religion. It is seen throughout the world the support received as a result of this fire. One example can be seen through the actions in New York. “Two New York City landmarks - One World Trade Center and the spire of the Empire State Building and-- lit up in blue, white and red in solidarity with the people of France and the Catholic community”. A key word in this statement is Catholic which is a branch of the Christian faith. Falling in line with the conservative evangelical foundation, many in the United States pledge their support through massive amounts of donations. One site had claimed that almost $1 billion has been raised to rebuild the monument alongside millions of euros being donated by celebrities and elites. 

At the same time of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque burned. Although this mosque is claimed as one of the most holiest sites in islam, the fire did not achieve the type of media coverage the Notre Dame fire. The Al-Aqsa mosque “central to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, was largely overshadowed by a much larger blaze engulfing the Notre Dame Cathedral at the same time.” The overshadowing of the fire that occurred in Paris leaves the question to why the media did not cover this fire as much as the other. Once again, this question is central to the idea that America has a strong conservative evangelical base who frankly don't care too greatly for other religions. The lack of media coverage on the Al-Aqsa Mosque proves that. 

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“Elites exist in North America and it’s important to understand their impact on the American public”. Taken directly from lecture, I found this article to exemplify the connection between religion, politics, and Hollywood. 

Chris Pratt, a well known Hollywood actor who has starred in multiple films, stood on the MTV Music Awards stage to deliver a speech in which he captivated the audience. Pratt’s speech encompassed humor and inspiration. In this speech he takes a stance by declaring his religion. He exclaims “Rule No.6, God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do” followed by a humorous number 7 and continues to say for number 8 “learn to pray. It’s easy and it’s so good for your soul.” 

With social media as the forefront for communication and gathering information,  news spreads instantly. The influence generated from elites spreads quickly as a result. As Chris Pratt essentially declares his religion, he indirectly shapes peoples attitudes towards religion. Often times you associate good with good and bad with bad. If society marks him as a good person while being an elite, his actions, beliefs, and views are under a microscope. I think people believe that since they think Pratt is a good person, his religion must also be good. The perspectives of the general public are then influenced. 

The article continues to describe the affect Hollywood and media have on society. They state, “With a growing demand for life-altering faith-based content, these churches are conducting as many as six services each and every Sunday to audiences in the tens of thousands.” The services conducted through various social media channels allow for that instant connection. Without having to physically be there, people around the world can be there. They continue to write how, “Much like the law of attraction, cool things attract cool people. Cool people like Justin Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, Kevin Durant, Nick Jonas and Bono.” Using these elites almost as propaganda, they advertise the religion. People tend to want to be like the elite so they copy what they do. If elites endorse certain religious and political stances, their fans will want to endorse them as well. 

In conclusion, elites and Hollywood have great influences on shaping the perspectives of the general public. 

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On April 2nd, 2019, Holden Matthews has been charged with setting fire to three black churches in a southern Louisiana parish. Within the span of 10 days, three separate fires occurred on March 26th, April 2nd, and April 4th. The first to burn down was St. Mary Baptist Church, the second and third fires had destroyed the Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. The article also describes a fourth small fire that was set ablaze intentionally at a predominantly white church in Caddo Parish. 

Holden Matthews, 21 year old son of a deputy sheriff had been arrested for three simple counts of arson of a church building. Although this has been the initial sentence, these three churches have great historical significance needless to say they were extremely important to the community. They “had been the spiritual homes of generations of black families, evoking the long history of racist crimes committed in the Jim Crow South.”  

Slavery as an institution is still very much alive not only in the United States but throughout the world. As acts of racism and hatred still exist, reactions to events like these is what defines how society will proceed to change. Leadership and media play very important roles in shaping peoples behaviors. On a recent press conference, these acts were said to have unknown motivations but were described as pure evil. In other recent news, a fire has also erupted at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris France. The reaction of mass donations towards the cathedral in France has inspired what has occurred here locally. With media at play, it is noted that nearly $500,000 was received. The importance of media in religion is something that is analyzed to have great relevance with one another. It has the ability to shape behaviors, biases, and perspectives. An organizer of the donation funds beautifully states that, “These communities need to know that people care about them and what they’re going through.” 

In accordance with other topics the class has observed, the invisible institution MLK Jr. discusses definitely relates to these evil acts. As stated previously, the burning of these specific churches have more implications to them than meets the eye. The invisible institution or otherwise known as the Black Church, can be seen to be the most important institution in America for the black community. The Black Church represents the spirit of sanctuary and the great amount of faith the slaves of the past had in God. Enslavers often tried to justify slavery, often times reducing slaves in their minds to be less human than they were. Slaves belief in God allowed the strength to stand up against this and survive. Burning down those churches essentially equals the burning of that history. Luckily law has progressed and the charges have increased and Matthews has been charged of hate crimes which include, “acts done because of race, religion or ancestry, among other factors, and applies to both the owners and occupants of a property.” In conclusion, society cannot let inaction allow for hateful acts to linger. Continuing to take responsibility and hold people accountable will be the key to move forward.  

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On April 8th, 2019, accomplished NBA pro Kyle Korver has spoken out about the underlying racism that is still very much alive in the United States. As a white privileged male, existing in the league built by people of color, he takes a stance against all the hatred that has been occurring. Throughout the article he provides a couple of examples he's experienced to show just a glimpse of how corrupt the world still is. He provides a comparison between his life and the life of his black teammate in hopes that he could show the difference between outcomes if they switched places. Kyle states, “I thought, Well, if I’d been in Thabo’s shoes, out at a club late at night, the police wouldn’t have arrested me. Not unless I was doing something wrong.Cringe.It’s not like it was a conscious thought. It was pure reflex — the first thing to pop into my head. And I was worried about him, no doubt.” Continuing off of this, Korver feels a great unease within himself as if he had let his friend down in addition to letting himself down. 

 Kyle continues to list and describe a couple more examples to prove his point. As he gets deeper into the issue, he is able to accurately describe the white privilege that white people still experience daily. Furthermore, the ability for whites to opt in and out of racial issues without consequence is inhibiting change. This half in half out effort is very detrimental to progress as people who have the ability to make an immediate difference are not fully investing in finding a solution. As a result, racism exists more quietly without being fully addressed. 

Similar to Malcom X’s ideas after he completed his pilgrimage, the spirit of unity he experienced alongside tens of thousands of pilgrims of all colors is relative to the ideas presented in Kyle Korver’s article. Malcom X felt great spiritual solidarity in the rituals blue-eyed blonds and black-skinned Africans participated in. He continued to believe that his experiences in America had led him to believe the unity he felt could never exist between whites and non-whites. As time has progressed we have slowly reached that point. But it is time for a significant change. In order for that to happen, those who are in privileged positions, more specifically whites in America need to do a couple of things. Kyle beautifully states that we all need to be accountable, not only for our own actions, “but also for the ways that our inaction can create a “safe” space for toxic behavior.” 

In conclusion, the article declares that essentially, we all, including whites, need to take responsibility for our actions and inactions. Korver writes, “It’s about understanding that when we’ve said the word “equality,” for generations, what we’ve really meant is equality for a certain group of people. It’s about understanding that when we’ve said the word “inequality,” for generations, what we’ve really meant is slavery, and its aftermath — which is still being felt to this day. It’s about understanding on a fundamental level that black people and white people, they still have it different in America. And that those differences come from an ugly history….. not some random divide.” 

As our society begins to realize this not so random divide, it is crucial for whites to take a powerful stance against racism and not have our inaction allow room for the divide to grow even further. In order for us to get to the root of the problem, we cannot ignore the injustices that occurs between blurred lines.

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January 3rd, 2019 marks the historic date of two Muslim women being elected and sworn in into congress. Representative Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib became the first women of their faith to become the first Muslim American women to serve the house of Representatives. Tlaib plans for a $15 minimum wage; Omar wanted universal health care and tuition-free colleges.

As the Islamic religion is constantly being scrutinized by the world, it can be viewed as a non mainstream religion within America. More often than not, this religious group faces consistent backlash, discrimination, and racism. Muslims often are generalized in society as a result of the actions of the few terrorist that are Muslim. Similar to other minority religious groups, being able to enter into U.S. politics is a key achievement in gaining traction to fight for their rights. More specifically, within the current state of American politics, the Muslim faith has been closely associated with 9/11.

Additionally, in order for Muslims to challenge the ever lasting Christian authority present within the United States, this was a major step in that direction. With two Muslim American women entering congress, American stereotypes are challenged as well as it empowering women in general to become more involved in politics. In our text, it states that, “Muslim leaders understand that such stereotypes must be dismantled if Muslims are to gain political influence in the United States” (Fowler, 61). As the quotation describes, Muslims leaders understand that in order for them to truly rid themselves of the unfair stereotypes placed upon them, they must gain political influence in the U.S. After the election of multiple Muslim Americans into U.S. politics, they are able to begin dismantling the negative stereotypes associated with their religion.

People are often aware of the stigmas surrounding the Muslim faith yet are reluctant to speak up, act for, or defend against misguided information. I believe this largely comes from a fear of the mainstream Christian society and simply a lack of education. In order for people to understand more, it must be made aware that there is a lack of understand about the religion and people simply cannot jump to conclusions and just believe in what society tells you. Overall, become educated, do ones research, and form your own opinions. 

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Asalamalekun

The disheartening terror attack on the New Zealand mosque has struck upon a lasting issue that has been lingering within the United States. The world has seen racism, hate, and discrimination stem from inside the U.S. As a leading country in the world, we set an example for others to see and follow. When the leader of our country dismisses acts of terror while defending white supremacist, terrorists are simply encouraged to continue doing what they're doing. In our latest news, mass murderer Brenton Tarrant was described as an ‘innocent boy’ and ‘ordinary white man’ before he turned into a killer. Similar to other phenomenons like this, the underlying support of the president prevents the defamation of terrorists if they are white while minorities are easily discriminated against. 

In relation to our class, I believe that part of the reason for the hatred and racism that occurs within the U.S. is because of the strong evangelical dimension that has remained present. With old Puritan ideologies and worldview still existing, the presence of diversity scares mainstream conservative Christians. The narrow minded views can contribute to the discrimination that has been occurring in the U.S. and throughout the world. More specifically, we see this recently when a white supremacist shot up a mosque killing over 50 people. I chose this post because I believe these two topics easily connect with one another. 

Additionally, I chose this current event to also represent the rather numerous amount of other similar events that have occurred in the past. We have been constantly seeing and waiting for the next big headline. We have constantly been without action. But as communities gather together and individuals do what they can, I have faith that the world will be able to overcome these barriers and defeat the hatred that has been occurring.