Cole's Circumlectio

Quarter ONE!

Summary Due September 9, 2002 Lewis Section 3, Chapters 11-12

Faith is a term that can be viewed on two levels. The first being simple belief, which is generally ruled by reason. This type of faith is often contesting against moods of emotion and imagination. The second type of faith is much deeper and more complex, it is a state where we stop doing things for ourselves and just let God take care of everything, putting all the trust in him.

Summary due September 5, 2002 Lewis Section 4, Chapter 1

Theology is the map of Christianity. It brings together masses of experiences, fitting them together, and creating a reference to help guide us in the right direction. It is important to notice that God has begotten Jesus, as Jesus is God. God, however, has only created man, as we are like God, but do not have the same spiritual life as God does.

Summary Due September 8, 2002 Lewis Section 4, Chapters 2-3

The holy Trinity is like a cube. It is made up of one-dimensional lines and two-dimensional squares. In it’s entirety it is more complex and whole than its components, however the lesser parts always remain there, and can always be distinguished. The trinity of God lives in such a reality that there is no time. God doesn’t ever have to worry about time-management because he doesn’t rely on time, and isn’t affected by it.

Summary Due September 11, 2002 Lewis Section 4, Chapters 4-6

In the Holy trinity, there exists a loving relationship between Father and Son. The Father didn’t exist until the Son was begotten, and the Father begot the Son, they are dependant on each other. All individual humans are connected to each other in one large family. It is such a difficult processes for humans to become like God, because using our free will we turned away from God a long time ago.

Summary Due September 13, 2002 Lewis Section 4, 7-8

In mass we recite the Our Father, which has us putting ourselves in Jesus’ position. We cannot be him, so we pretend to be him. However, we pretend in a good way, a way that makes us more like God. God asks for our whole selves, not just a part of ourselves. When we give him bits and pieces of ourselves it will be much harder to give our whole selves in the end.

Summary Due September 17, 2002 Lewis Section 4, 9-10

We are God’s creation, and he wants us to become perfect, he will not leave us until we are, and then he will still stay inside of us. The process to become perfect takes many years, even after our deaths. Not all Christians are nicer than all non-Christians, this is due in part to the fact that all Christians aren’t 100% Christians, and the same for non-Christians.

Summary Due September 19, 2002 Lewis Section 4, 11

Christianity says that the next step of the human evolution is that we will become sons of God. This next step is a voluntary step, but if we chose not to take it, we miss out on an amazing everlasting prize. To get to this step it is important that we look for Christ and then we will find God, then the rest will follow.

Summary Due September 22, 2002 Brodd, Chapters 1-2

Religions offer answers to questions that have plagued humans for decades. They begin with religious experiences and all have certain traditions, and stories, and involve communities. Primal religions are all very different and diverse, however they all have important characteristics that tie them, together. Such as the engagement in change, and thin boundaries between that natural and supernatural worlds.

Summaries Due October 2, 2002 Eliade, 1 and 2

To understand and to fully define religion you must first look at all the different parts of religion (myths, rites, gods, sacred objects, etc…). All evidence of something sacred, all revelations and hierophanies, are also a part of history. Some are significant world –wide and others are only local. Some can stay significant throughout all time, while some only last for a certain time period until they are lost.

Summaries Due October 3, 2002 Brodd Chapter 11

The religions that developed in the east many years ago have had a large affect on our lives today. Zoroastrism was one of the first monotheistic religions that developed. We have also taken many things from ancient Greek and Roman culture and incorporated them into our own culture. Many of their beliefs and practices seem strange to us Westerners, because they are also so different from us.

Summaries Due October 7, 2002 Homer’s Illiad, Book 1

Achilles and Agamemnon argue over their prizes. Agamemnon must give up his maiden to appease the God Apollo, but he wants Achilles’ maiden in return. Achilles asks his mother, a goddess to ask Zeus to favor the Trojans in the war until Agamemnon returned Achilles’ maiden. Many different gods and goddesses are introduced and their human-like characteristics are evident.

Summary Due October 15, 2002 Homer’s Illiad, Book 6

The war is well underway. They make an offering to Minerva of the finest robes and lay them in her temple. Two men meet and they realize that their ancestors were friends and hosted each other. They formed a friendship based on the one that their ancestors had. They promised to not kill each other and to be a host to the other if they were in the area.

Summary Due October 23, 2002 Homer’s Illiad, Book 9

Agamemnon realizes that he has no chance in the war, until another Achaean, Diomedes convinces him to persevere and Nester says to try and reconcile with Achilles. Odysseus, Phoenix, and Great Ajax are sent to find Achilles with great gifts. Achilles refuses them despite Phoenix’s arguments; he wants to return to his hometown. The messangers return to the Greeks unsuccessful.

Quarter TWO

Homer’s Illiad, Book 11 and 12

The major issue evident is the difference between the gods and humans. The gods cannot die, yet he humans must. The gods have control over the human lives and can see into the future, and all things in the present. Humans can only see into the limited present and they must respect the gods. The gods however have many human like characteristics, they get angry, they love, they have feelings, and they think.

Brodd Chapter 3

The major issue in this reading was the main aspects of Hinduism. The beliefs and organization of the religion were addressed. The caste system is very different from our religion and it seems that it is detrimental to people’s morale.

Davies (up to pg 60)

A major issue in What’s Bread in the Bone up to pg 60 is the impact family has on one’s life. This book has been introduced to be a biography of sorts and it begins by talking about Francis Cornish’s family history. You see how his mother Mary-Jim’s character almost emulates that of her parents. She is proud like them and she even reacts like her father. They also decide her future with the “wooden soldier”.

Scripture 2:

One of the main points of this reading is Death in the Hindu religion. It is important to notice that the inner self or atman, changes form. The inner self is a part of everything. Evil is not a part of the inner self. When one dies, one atman continues to recycle itself until it reached ultimate peace and oneness with the earth.

Brodd Chapter 4

This chapter of World Religions is addressing the religion Buddhism. It brings up main points about the history of the religion. The religion as it is today and its beliefs and doctrines are also a focus. Siddhartha Guatama is the main figure discussed; he is Buddha, the enlightened one, and founded the religion. The main goal of the religion, achieving Nirvana, is also stressed.

Davies (up to pg 150)

In This part of the story Francis goes through a very important part of his life. He is going through his adolescence and he is trying to discover his identity. This is the major issue. That all people must go through this search for their own identity, no one can tell them what it is. Francis discovers that he is an artist, he discovers his sexuality, but he has no true sense of love, because it has never been given to him.

Scripture 3: Dhammapada

This religious documents main point was to list the beliefs and rules of the religion called Buddhism. It had many different chapters each pertaining to a different topic, for example, a main point was Happiness, and another was Impurity. It also discussed finding the “way” and being like the awakened one, Buddha.

Davies (pg 150 to pg 250)

Class of Feb 9, 2003

One of the main points in this selection is that Francis begins to notice more and more things. Francis also learns more about art, his own and the process of restoration. The only person that ever saw Francis for who he was dies, but leaves Francis with “an assured life”, one with sufficient finances. Secrets seem to take an important role in this selection. Francis discovers many secrets about his family, about the Looner, his parents’ strange relationship with one another, and about “the profession”. I think that this selection is mainly a period of growth for Francis. A time when he would come to understand better the identity he had so seeked to find throughout his adolescence, and use that understanding to help himself.

Brodd Chapter 5

The main point of this selection is the passive founding of the Jain religion. Jains are called to be vegetarians and to live lives of simplicity. They believe that all creatures have souls and shall not be destroyed, even insects. Meditation is another important part of the religion.

Brodd Chapter 6

Sikhism tends to breach the gap between Hinduism and the monotheistic Islam. Sikhism is based on Hinduism, yet it focuses on a single God. Sikh’s practice their religion in almost all aspects of their life. Their clothes, their hair, their actions. Sikhism is mostly found in the Punjab state in Northern India.

Elliade II

In this selection Elliade is trying to impress upon us that each religion has a communal aspect and structure. They always fall under one of these four categories, tribal communities, sacred national communities, founded communities and the religious societies that turned into communities.

QUARTER 3

Judaism and Islam began with Abraham. These religions stem from the stories in the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Scriptures. These religions have sacred texts, the Tenach and the Qu’ran. Also they all believe in one almighty God, and that God is the same in all of the religions. Judaism and Islam both have a huge focus on the “Word of God”. The Jews believe that the word of God is the Torah, and their community. Muslims believe that the Qu’ran is God’s word that was sent through the prophet Muhammad. Both of these religions consider God’s word sacred and have rituals and rules regarding them. The Jews do not touch the Torah, and they learn the language of the Hebrews so that they will always be in touch with God’s word. Muslims often read and recite the Qu’ran. When they do so they are to do it in it’s original language and they also must be pure when they read or touch it. They are even required to wash beforehand. These religions both have a central law that is given by God and to be followed by the people. The Jews follow the laws in the Talmud and the Ten Commandments. The Muslims must follow laws in each of the five categories and they are called to follow the five pillars of Islam: 1 A Profession of Faith, 2 Ritual Prayer five times a day, 3 Alms giving, 4 Fasting, and 5 Pilgrimage to Mecca. Despite these many similarities these religions still find ways to dispute one another, this is most probably on account of their many differences. Different theologies, communities, and cultures separate Judaism and Islam. They have their own interpretations of God and how God reaches them. Jews reach God through the synagogue, through their community and through the Torah. They believe that they become closer to God by following the law, and studying scripture. Jews also have an emphasis on ritualistic holidays, such as Passover and Yum Kippur. Muslims become closer to God through reciting the Qu’ran and journeying to Mecca. The other pillars of Islam continue to renew their relationship with God. Judaism is unique from the other religions because it is a cultural religion. The Jewish people are the Israelites; they are an ethnic group, while Islam bypasses ethnic borders. The Jews also have a history of suffering and persecution, while the Muslims have a history of domination and power.

Quarter 3 (due on March 20)

Throughout this year we have been reading many different pieces and working on our Anthropos projects. We have read the novel What’s Bred in The Bone, Sunflower, and this quarter we have focused on the monotheistic religions that are highlighted in World Religions. All these different projects have a common thread. They all relate to the individual, to who we are and how we become that person. The Anthropos project is essence is a self-expression, we were told to “make something”, what we chose to make is relevant to our lives; it contains a piece of who we are. What’s Bred in The Bone is a novel about self-discovery, and all the things that influence the person that we are to become. As a catholic, reading about the other two major monotheistic religions, Islam and Judaism, helped to add depth to my understanding of my faith, which is a significant part of who I am.

My anthropos project is a short documentary film on service at Good Counsel. It is some of the “alchemy” of my life, just as the Marriage at Cana painting was the “alchemy” of Francis Cornish’s life in What’s Bred in The Bone. It brings together many parts of who I am. It twists my love of filmmaking, my devotion to service, and my life at Good Counsel into one. These three things help to build my character and develop my personality. They are a part of my growth as a person and a part of my heart and soul. They express who I am. My movie will be a developmental step towards the movies that I hope to create in the future; it will help me to be what I dream.

Whats Bred in The Bone is a novel about a man, Francis Cornish. It begins with Francis’ family history and its reasoning for that is because “What’s bred in the bone is outed in the flesh.” One of the themes in this book is that all pieces of your life come together in you. They mold who you become. Each experience affects Francis in a unique way and develops into his personality.

In Sunflower we journey back to the World War II days in Nazi Germany into the heart of concentration camps. We meet a man who’s humanity is taken by the SS soldiers in the camps, but he is faced with the dilemma of forgiving one officer who wishes to die free from his sins. The officer confesses and the man decides not to speak, the book questions the reader on what they would do. The torment and torture that this man endured became engrained in his soul; he couldn’t forgive a man that was a member of his destroyers. His heart and soul couldn’t bear go against what he had experienced and witnessed.

Islam, Judaism and Christianity all center around one almighty God. They are all different but share many beliefs as well. Learning about different religions brought me to a better understanding of my own religion and why I believe in it. It also helped me to see why what I believe in is right, and how there can be such tensions between us and the other religions. Each person should be able to make their own choice within their soul to what their faith is. Each of these projects and readings relate to people as individuals and how we become who we are.

Quarter 4 (THE END)

We have had 3 lectures thus that are based on the accumulation of this course. The purpose of these lectures is to ease us into independent learning, which I believe will be a skill that will be very useful in college, and even next year. Also throughout the year we have been tossed bits and pieces of a puzzle that the lectures are supposed to help us fit together. How do all these projects, texts and test fit together to form an idea? How do they help us to relate the aspects of Religion that are cosmology, anthropology, community/society, divinity, and religious behaviors? How does this relate to us?

The texts that we have looked at come from a plethora of sources. They come from a myriad of genres. We have read from text books (Brodd), a novel (Davies), epics (Homer), laws, myths, and scriptures. All these different readings have given us multiple perspectives on a variety of aspects of different religions. These texts have given us a broad spectrum of ideas, which we must tie together. We have to realize that religion is not a simple idea. It has many pieces, and is viewed in many different ways by different people. We have to be able to understand that religion cannot be made into a general category, with lots of generalizations. With a topic so broad it is impossible to depend on one single textbook, which is why we resort to an array of different textual sources. Our projects help to make the topic more personal. We are supposed to realize how we see our selves with our Anthropos project, and how we relate to other religions with our IIP project. Anthropos is also to help us see how we fit into the world. That we are more than just a part of nature, we are in the image and likeness of God. It also helps us to realize where we are in history of the world and in our own history. The projects help us to personalize what we learn in class, and bring it to life. Which is a lot like Christianity: in Christianity we know God through ourselves. With these projects we are trying to understand other religions on a personal level as well.

Anthropology and Divinity often times need to be looked at together to get a cohesive understanding of them both. Anthropology relates to our self-awareness, our personal sense of self. There is our biological perception, which is how we fit into the world and our perception of transcendence, what is beyond us, and beyond our world. Those are the basics of humanity. Also our view of nature as it relates to us. For example in Christianity we believe that humans are made in God’s likeness and that we are better than animals, where as in many eastern religions such as Daoism, nature is a key aspect of humanity, humans are simply a part of nature. Religions help us to understand the casualty of life: why things happen? What causes the world? They also help us to understand the Cosmology of life: what is the order of the universe, where do we fit in? Each religion sees anthropology in a different way, which can often times affect understandings between people. Seeing human life on different levels can easily cause disputes among religions and even nations. It is important to be understanding, open minded and educated on the views of other religions to be able to avoid large disputes. Understanding how anthropology is constructed is another important skill. Where people come from is a key factor. This is evident in the numerous creation stories, which can be found throughout religious texts. There is also the dispute on whether humans are mind or body. Hindu’s believe that humans are Atman, Christians believe it is our “soul” that matters and that transcends our bodies. Also where we are headed, what the purpose of our life is a question that religions help to answer. Hindus and Buddhists search to free themselves, while Taoists search for the way, and on the other hand Christians are in the search for Salvation. Divinity comes from the out there, out there which transcends humans. Experiences of divine lead to cosmology. Sometimes the out there makes itself known to humans through a revelation or divine experience. In the cases of Christianity, Islam, Judaism this is the basis for the religion’s beginnings. Divinity can also be revealed through Immanence, which which dwells within makes itself known. A prime example of this is Buddha becoming awakened from within himself, and the Buddhists do not believe in a sense of self, they believe that there is something common among us all, which is their sense of divinity.

Religious community and society proves that it’s not really our own journey. There is a whole world of people out there, living life alongside us. Religions without a founder usually develop under a monarchy, which reflects the divinity. Religions with a founder usually begin a new society or community within that society. Often times the followers of that founder are the first to be members of this new group, and they usually challenge the mores of the society from which they were derived. After the founder, however, if the religion is to survive Scriptures, Laws and rituals are necessary to communicate the religion to people. The scriptures can be interpreted many way and it is up to the community of believers to decide which way is the right one. It can be difficult for a society to deal with this new idea with in it. Sometimes the people must leave the society, as in the Exodus, sometimes they conquer the society as the Muslims did, and sometimes they accommodate the new idea as the Romans used to do unless the religion refused to recognize the emperor. Society communicates through laws and history. There also comes a time when the people must decide whether to conflict or accommodate. Christianity has done both in its history. It conflicted during the crusades, but centuries later the pope decreed that individuals had the right to decide what religion that they wanted to follow.

While learning about these topics I have started to notice things in my everyday life. I notice how I use my spirituality and morality to make decisions, and how the way that I view myself is an important factor in my life. Sometimes I find it difficult to remain faithful to my beliefs and live in the society that we do. I have to find the middle road; I have to learn to be able to do both without compromising my beliefs. Learning about these other religions helps me to see mine more clearly. Learning about reincarnation helped me to come to better understanding that what I do now is my one shot, and I don’t want to miss. I don’t want to waste the gifts that God gave me; I want to do what I can to help other people. This class and retreat have helped me to see why service is so important, and helped me to come closer to answering some questions that I have about life. Also the things that I have learned have helped me to be able to better understand why there are such conflicts between the Middle Eastern Community and Our selves, and why the eastern world has developed so differently from the west.

OTHER PROJECTS

ANTHROPOS JOURNAL
IIP Contact : Buddhism

Email: NicoleJe13@aol.com