How Contemporary Psychology Supports Central Elements of Simhah Zissel's Picture of Character

Hey guys!

So as Dr. Huber mentioned in class today, there was a participation event at 5:00 in our regular classroom. It was a panel comprised of 5 speakers that reacted to a Professor's (by the name of Geoffrey Claussen) ideas expressed on Simhah Zissel in a Christian Ethics literary work. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay the entire time as I had other obligations this evening, but I was able to fully listen to 3 speakers. If you are interested in learning more about the event, please speak with myself or Dr. Huber.

The first panelist referred to a handout put together by Dr. Christian Miller from WFU. The handout was divided into two parts on Simhah Zissel: on Human Nature and on Empathy and Love. These are two different readings of Zissel's views about the moral quality of human beings. Regarding Human Nature (I am not going to go too far in depth) there is an extreme view that says Zissel holds that human nature is evil, through and through  as well as a mixed view that states Zissel holds that humans are partly angelic and partly base. Each of these views has quotes from Claussen, and examples of possible contradictions to these statements. In the end the panelist questions if humans have two different nature and a charitable answer with an evaluation. For Empathy and Love, there are 2 questions; the first (What should be our central aim as we try to move beyond our mixed characters and become people of virtue?) has an answer from Zissel (the features of love) and the 2nd question (In light of the experimental work that has been done in recent decades, is it psychologically realistic to think that such love actually exists in the first place?) has an answer from the panelist, along with a statement on empathy and helping, supported by a study. The panelist concludes that the Musar Movement or path is a path that people who are religious would be wise to explore.

The following panelist further responded to Professor Clausin's literary work. This panelist described Zissel much throughout her response. She (the panelist) claimed that Zissel aspired to be philosophical, and to reach a large audience. To support this, she claimed that Zissel looked to Socrates as an admirable figure; she even does a brief comparison of Moses to Socrates. With regards to religion, she claimed that Zissel supported faith, and that Zissel views the love of God as loving one's fellow. Furthermore, the panelist said that Zissel's advocating of God displays the desire to expand love, believing that love should be a virtue. The panelist later describes Zissel as someone who does not fit in to the culture Zissel was raised, concluding by saying how Claussen's book expanded Jewish learning. The only thing I did not like about this panelist is that she talked incredibly fast and it was difficult for me to write everything I wanted to!

The third and final panelist that I was able to listen to also had a lengthy response to Professor Clausin's literary work. They mostly talked about reason and rational. For example, they discussed how reason allows us to see things hidden from us, and that people should give themselves divind reason, allowing our inner world to become our external world. He (the panelist) also stated how rational and moral perfections is buried within the human soul, and that people shape themselves in accordance with the will of God. Furthermore, he believes that reason allows us to justify our own desires, and that we are able to expand our nature by reasoning. Should one abuse their moral imagination, they can transform the terms of a conversation. The panelist concluded by expressing how love is not a feeling; rather, it is a decision that humans make.

There was much discussed in each of these speaker's responses, but if you would like to share your thoughts based on my observations, please comment below. Thanks!

Performing Jesus at The Holy Land Experience

Performing Jesus at The Holy Land Experience: 

Prof. Bob Royalty - Wabash College

• Jesus as construed by the Trinity Broadcasting Network
• theme park in Orlando

Jesus vs. Christ

• Jesus: carpenter, born of Virgin Mary, Joseph sort of dad, crucified by roman soldiers, leader of disciples, messianic figure, prophetic, miracles (cures, Lazarus, water to wine, blind to sight), Born in Nazareth, Crucified in Jerusalem
• Christ: (Nicea),veneration that develops in the church, God in human form - Christology, savior from sin, Son of God, Trinity / God / Logos

Holy Land Experience

• Founded by Mark Rosenthal
• built by iTech
• bought by TBN in 2007
• originally founded for the purpose of converting Jews in the area
• TBN changed that
• 20 min from Universal
• Tacky, Awkward
• Simulated Authenticity
• Tons of Nativity scenes (cartoony)
• Angels surrounding outside and inside
• Roman soldiers everywhere
• Spectacularized Jerusalem
• Gates are supposed to be reminiscent of Damascus
• Smile of a Child Adventure: TBN addition, TBN show, Jan Crouch
• Replica of Qumran Caves: dead sea scrolls
• Central monument: Herodian Temple (compare to Cinderella’s Castle in Disney)
• Model of Garden Tomb, complete with centurions
• compare to the Holy Sepulcher Tomb (a more likely spot for Christ’s crucifixion)
• Repristination of Jerusalem
• Britain tried to remake Jerusalem as what it “should be”
• Largest indoor model of Jerusalem in the world
• complete with upper room
• emphasis on Herodian Temple
• Replica of Jerusalem’s Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
• Prayers are mailed to Jerusalem once a month
• Simulated Authenticity

Performances of Jesus

• Church of All Nations
• replica of Church beside Gethsemane
• performance site in Holy Land Experience
• Gaudy representations
• Jesus is EVERYWHERE
• Performances have warm up acts
• Sermon on the Mount transitions to Jesus feeds five thousand (goldfish)
• Meaning Making Entertainment
• first: heavy dose of medium brow eye rolling humor
• second: corny magic realism
• third: expressions of sincere religiosity (seemingly)
• boundary between entertainment and worship, observer of participant
• televangelists and megachurches capitalize on entertainments
• Jesus stars in a children’s show - let the children come to me
• large percentage of African American performers
• TBN is filled with Pentecostal viewers etc
• The Women who Loved Jesus show
• emphasizes centrality and sexuality of women
• Woman with 5 husbands
• Woman taken for adultery- jesus intervenes
• no rides, only performances and attractions
• guests are expected to stay all day (10am-6pm)

• Biggest Attraction: The Passion of the Christ / We Shall Behold Him
• very literal, melodramatic
• blitz through Jesus’ life to get to Passion
• script eliminates awkwardness of pregnancy before marriage
• Very gory and violent
• satan flashes through scenes
• centurion warms up the crowd with a call to confession
• spooky Mormon Hell Dream with Satan triumphant
• Jesus challenges Satan
• Satan is like “I’m gonna destroy you Jesus once and for all”
• Jesus responds, “go ahead punk make my day”
• Jesus wins, holds up keys to the kingdom/heavy weight champ
• Exultation in Heaven
• Curtain goes down, Jesus shows up in street clothes, sings praise music and does an altar call
• Jesus preaches as the guests exit
• Jesus performer baptizes people (not ordained)
• most likely not first baptism for these people
• also, Jesus is NOT supposed to baptize
• spirit driven baptisms
• are these legitimate??

• Experience Last supper
• go back in time and experience last supper with Jesus
• a “service” 
• Jesus pauses to have communion with audience
• blur lines between ritual and performance
• interesting relationship between ritual and theatre/performance
• theatre is supposed to be fun for the audience, audience watches and appreciates performance, audience can criticize
• ritual emphasizes efficacy, a link to the absent other, performers are possessed, audience is participating and believing, discourages criticism
• The Last Supper experience could be seen as sacrilege
• It’s not Christianity, It’s Jesusolatry

Serpents and SECSOR

 "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." 

Mark 16:18, KJV

This past weekend, I was lucky to travel to Atlanta, GA for the Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion where I sat amongst really smart people listening to papers and trying to think of intelligent questions to pose. One paper stood out as fodder for conversation on this blog, despite its biased language, because the topic was something I had never heard of. 

Taking a very literal interpretation of the King James Version of Mark 16:18, Pentecostal Christians in Appalachia handle poisonous snakes when they feel they have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. The belief is that God will protect the anointed from bites, or if they get bitten, from the poison. If they do die from the bite, Pastor Andrew Hamblin (lavender vest) says it was God's plan, not the inherent danger of the practice. 

It is easy to look at a ritual like this, and think it is bizarre, but let us remember that many think the frequency with which we take selfies is totally bogus. As scholars of religion, we dance a fine line as outside observers attempting to privilege the insiders' perspective. The longer clip of this video shows a news reporter in a suit yelling over the music of the church service "This is not a con game. These snakes are poisonous. They can kill, and they do kill." The comments below include "Darwin award winner from Appalachia lol," "Isolation and lack of education at its finest," "Apparently they missed Luke 4:12 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God'," and "Beautiful," among 643 others. 

This practice has created the sort of controversy over which religious scholars become giddy. There are so many opinions, so many claims to truth. There is clear Othering going on here: on the Pentecostal side this is what sets them apart as God's people, on the anything else side, this is dangerous, crazy and unlawful.

So what do you think: Is it reasonable for serpent handling to be outlawed in Tennessee? Is that a necessary line to draw or a clear violation of freedom of religion? How does this practice connect to our discussions of baptism the past week?

Why can't parents be godparents in Baptism?

In class on Friday, a very interesting question arose concerning the role of the godparent in a Christian Baptism.  I believe it was Annie who asked: "why can't a parent be their child's godparent or sponsor, in Baptism or Confirmation, respectively?" The reference to Confirmation of course only applies in those Christian traditions who observe it.  The class seemed generally puzzled by this question.  Speaking for myself, I knew that a parent could not be their child's godparent or sponsor, but was unsure of an answer other than that that was just the way it is.  
After class, I did researching on the topic, and it still proved hard to answer.  The most significant response to this question, I found on the Baptism FAQ page of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Community webpage of the parish housed in Louisville, KY.  The question reads: "Who can be a Godparent or a Witness?"  The site's full response is copied below (St Margaret Mary Catholic Community 2012). 

"You may have one godparent (sponsor) or two godparents (sponsors) for your child. Godparents will make a commitment to support the parents in their responsibility for the child’s religious upbringing. The godparents will serve as role models of the faith as they represent the larger church community. For this reason at least one godparent must be an active member of the Catholic faith. You may have one non-Catholic godparent but that person must be baptized in a Christian faith. It is important to note that while the godparents make a lifelong commitment to nurture the child’s relationship with the Lord, the Godparents are NOT legally responsible for the child if something happens to the parents. Separate legal arrangements must be made to establish guardians for the child in the event of the death of the parents. Insofar as possible, a person to be baptized is to be given a godparent who together with the parents presents an infant for baptism. A sponsor also helps the baptized person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations inherent in it. Can. 872 There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each. Can. 873 To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must: Can. 874 §1 1) be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function; 2) have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause; 3) be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on; 4) not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared; 5) not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized. §2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism."

Under the Canon, the Catholic Church declares that one's parents cannot be their sponsor, shown be #5 above.  From this statement, I have concluded that one of the major reasons that parents cannot hold this position is to create a separation of responsibility for LEGAL and SPIRITUAL upbringing of the child.  The statement reads: "the Godparents are NOT legally responsible for the child," implying that the legality of the parents is separate from the religious upbringing of Godparents in this Tradition.  Perhaps also this separation provides the Baptisee to have another outlet for mentoring.  These appointed Godparents have a different relationship to the child than the parents.  Maybe this offset of responsibility was meant to ensure full attention in both legal and spiritual realms?  

Of course, this is all my personal opinion and not verified by any means.  However, I find it interesting that the answer to this question is so hard to find.  I also wonder if there is any variance in this 'rule' between Christian sects.  Any input?

Class Notes for Thursday, March 3

Christian Traditions Notes

Thursday, March 3, 2016

·         The guest speaker Tuesday will focus on Christian themed parks and pilgrimage sites in the United States

·         Video on baptism in the Greek Orthodox Church

o   The priest asks the sponsor/godfather if he repudiates the devil

o   Godfather recites the Nicene Creed to assert belief in baptism and Christ

§  done on behalf of the child

§  occurs in a narthex (entrance to the church; not in the sanctuary)

§  Enters the sanctuary after: going from one place to another signifies the end of her old life and then entrance into a new life…entering a new community

o   The child is disrobed

§  Nothing in between the baby and water

§  Ready to be born again: back to this state

§  Child is vulnerable and ready to accept Christ

§  Symbolic of shedding sin

o   The baptismal font and water are blessed

o   Blessing of the oil: chrismation (separate sacrament in Greek Orthodox Church that is always done with baptism but has own special significance)

§  Oiling of the body connects to the athlete: the opponent cannot hold onto the athlete, just like the devil and sin cannot hold onto the child…the oil is a protective force

o   Baptism occurs

o   Throughout the ceremony, there is crossing of the child…sign of the cross is marked on her body and also on the water; everything is being blessed and protected

o   Incense used constantly

§  Purifies the space

§  Evokes and preserves ancient Christian tradition

§  Makes the space ritually pure to create sense of sacredness and specialness

§  Connects to the Book of Revelation

§  Bells are important to emphasize that it is a different and sacred place (sounds different, smells different, etc.)

o   The sponsors take on the responsibility for the child and play a more important role in the service than the actual parents

§  The parents still have the obligation to care for the child, but the godparent has a larger role

§  Child born into spiritual family and not just biological family, so sponsor represents this

o   Family present at the service

§  All witnesses to the sacrament

§  Ribbons express that they were present at the baptism

§  Not paying attention: side conservation, taking pictures, distracted, bored…rude and disrespectful during sacrament…not directly involved in the sacrament; have a role to play but not about them specifically

o   Importance: cleanses from sin, makes her member of the church, vital for salvation, enables her to participate in other sacraments also necessary for salvation

·         Sacraments: sacred or holy acts

o   Catholic Church has 7 sacraments: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation (receive Holy Spirit, learn about traditions, seen as adult in the Church), Ordination (when someone becomes a priest), Matrimony, and Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick)

o   Orthodox Church also recognizes these 7 sacraments but chrismation instead of confirmation

o   Lutheran Church: sacraments not necessarily needed for salvation and also must be outward signs

o   United Methodist Church and Southern Baptists: sacraments are symbols…two sacraments – Baptism and Lord’s Supper (more of a personal decision; pledge to the community)

§  Southern Baptist: act of obedience; memorialize life and death of Christ; signaling to self a change in time; can be baptized more than once; baptism is symbolic of conversion or internal decision (accepting Christ into life)

o   Important to be baptized as a child to be raised in the Church, be members for entire life, eliminate Original Sin as soon as possible (social and sacramental reasons)

·         How these different baptisms align with ancient traditions

o   Catholic: very similar with cleansing and representing death and resurrection

o   Southern Baptist: only a symbol

·        Becoming part of a tradition based on community in many traditions; more of a social movement that shapes the decision

o   Decision made through confirmation but in a way made for the individual

·        Similarities in baptism in different religions

o   Renouncing sin

o   Rebirth and rejection of old and sinful life

o   Being brought into the church as a new member

o   All use water as sign of purification or a purifying agent

o   Include biblical evidence to justify claims

o   Connection to Easter

o   Symbol of what is to come (looks forward to new birth and back to Christ as a model)

o   Presence of the Holy Spirit

o   For the most part, anyone can be baptized

·        Differences

o   Whether it is necessary for salvation or not

o   Presence of sponsor (not needed in Baptist Church)

Baptism Scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

In this movie, a comedy, we see an adult baptism into the Greek Orthodox church.

Baptism Scene from The Godfather

Here's a famous scene from The Godfather that includes infant baptism. Note the parts of the rite that are similar to the practice of baptism in early Christianity.