How Religions are Responding to Ferguson (SumBlog 11)

I think something any sociology class can and should be talking about right now, and for the past few months, is the event's of Ferguson. A flying red flag to all who would claim racism is dead, the events taking place in that town harken back to the struggles of the black communities across America in the 1960's. 

In this article two journalists from PBS talk with dean of the Howard University School of Divinity and president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Pollard and Dr. Moore, respectively, talk about how both in school and in the church there is outrage, and opportunity. 

Black churches in the 60's were key to the movement, Moore comments, and churches can be key again. However, she says that the segregation we still see in churches today is unnecessary. 

We've often talked about religion being something that brings people together and Dr. Moore talks about it too, "One of the reasons why Martin Luther King was able to speak to white people, especially white evangelicals... is because he was able to speak to the conscience, a conscience formed with certain biblical ideas, such as the fact that every person is made in the image of God, Jesus died for every person, the gospel is to go to every person." This idea that even with our differences, that our religious ideals can bring us together is important. 

Another thought shared by both is that the non-violent protest that Dr. King Jr. favored should continue. I wholeheartedly agree. Race is a social construct, but if the majority says that blacks are violent and they then protest violently, they only reinforce a damaging stereotype; not that they media isn't portraying their protests as violent anyway. 

Both say that one of the things we can have in common and share with the black community is religion; even if we can't understand their hardships we can connect with religion and use it to create a relationship with them. Religion may have a history of worsening these situations (KKK, slavery in the bible as an argument to keep it, etc.) but in our day and age I think it's time to use it as a bonding agent with other people instead of as a hammer driving the wedge between us deeper and deeper. 

America and Secularization (sumblog 8)

One thing that we said way back in week one when we were talking about Marx and Weber and Durkheim was that they agreed all societies would progress, and in the progression they would move away from the religious. Now looking at secularization in depth, I can agree with them to a point. I think by and large that religion as a concept won't die; change and adapt yes, but never completely be removed from society. I think looking at history and how religion had progressed it would be easy to say that society is more separated from religion, but I'd also say it serves a different role. Historically I'd say religion was the glue of society; it provided a social binding in thought, in belief and in answers for the big questions. In a more scientific age, I feel religion is still a glue but no longer in the mainstream of society. Now we can socialize in more ways than we can possibly keep up with and we turn by and large to science to answer those tantalizing questions about life. Religion is still there though, acting as a home for beliefs, a place to turn to when times get rough and a family bound by something stronger than blood.

Many religious Americans may look at where we've come from and panic from the shrinking influence of the church and its very heavy privatization. However I think secularization is the best way for these religions to hold onto their place in societies. This privatization give the people choice and freedom to come to the church and the differentiation give the church room to grow and change to fit society best. And while we may see declines in church goers it doesn't mean belief is being eradicated, just becoming more personal and done at home in a society where 5 minutes really is to much to spare.

This article goes into the secular trends in America, the big reactions to it and comes to the same conclusion; it's not inherently a bad thing. It gives religion its own space to grow and change in a society that is still growing and changing.