Reflection Paper 4

Anthony Schoen
Religion 120-05
March 22, 2010
Reflection Paper
Why Religion Can’t Live without Mysticism
The idea that a religious battle is currently encompassing the world with no site of an end comes at no surprise to most people. The surprising factor to me is that the author of this article is able to justify that this war is not one between believers and unbelievers, but that of the methods used within the religious practices. At first I could not totally agree, but throughout his article, he is able to support this proposal and eventually form a valid argument.
Luke Timothy Johnson, the author, mainly focuses on two views of practicing religious beliefs, exoteric and esoteric. Applying these beliefs to three of the most widely practiced religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, he is able to bring the reader into an understanding of the importance of this religious battle. Understanding that God is a being that we are able to believe in using only our hearts, and the power of free will he has given us, is not an easy task for many human beings. To truly show our love for him we should be able to sacrifice pleasures in this life with the belief that someday we will be eternally repaid, when we pass into the after life, with eternal life. The ability to believe in this higher, invisible, power is when the concept of mysticism is introduced.
Mysticism is used more in the exoteric views of religion. Christianity is a prime example of an exoteric approach to worshiping God, although I am not entirely in agreement with this. Christianity is not only about the experiencing of God in a public means, by worshiping in a church and presenting your beliefs publicly, but also is a soul-searching experience. If we are not able to commit within ourselves that we truly want to follow the path God has offered us, then we are not able to be genuine in our actions that follow. When we commit ourselves to God, we need to make sure it is a full mind and body committal to him. After this has been accomplished, we are able to express ourselves in an exoteric way. If we are able to express ourselves both by an exoteric and esoteric method, than our religious experience will be the best we can possibly have.
The other outstanding part of this article was the quotation by Rumi: “I died as mineral and became a plant, I died…‘To Him we shall return.’” This was a very powerful quote. The realization that we all have to die at some point is tough for many of us to grasp. We are not moving forward in time, we are really counting down the time to our death. Everything we do is in preparation for what is to come. Although this is true, this quote is explaining that we all need to die, but we are able to progress into something better after every death. Such a thought is inspirational, and rekindles the desire to live for God and not for oneself.
Overall this article was an interesting approach to what is thought to be the religious battle of this day in age. Many good points were made, but I feel that the argument was not looked at as accurately as it could have been. The ideas that were presented cause me to rethink several things, both in my physical life and my spiritual life.

Jesus at the Movies - Anthony Schoen

Anthony Schoen

Religion 120

March 12, 2010

Movie Reflection

Crimes and Misdemeanors

            The movie Crimes and Misdemeanors was an eye opening movie, focusing mostly on the sins that humans are vulnerable to committing when opportunities arise.  Many of the decisions made by the main characters in the movie were very surprising to me, but are likely actions to be committed in everyday life.  God was a major reference throughout the movie.  Some characters follow what can be considered “God’s will”, and other characters perform actions strictly to benefit themselves.  Two characters who seemed to have conflicting views of God’s place and the purpose in life were Judah Rosenthal and Ben.   

            Judah was the main character of this film.  He was a very successful optometrist, and was raised within a religious Jewish family.  His father always pushed the concept that God is always watching our every action.  Judah’s first reference to God was towards the beginning of the film at a speech he gave at a dinner.  What are God’s eyes like while he is watching us?  The powerful response to this was that God’s eyes are penetrating eyes that could see and judge our every decision.  Judah understood this concept, but unfortunately he did not act as though someone was always watching the things he did over the course of his life. 

            The movie soon revealed the treacherous secret that Judah had been cheating on his wife for two years!  When he realized that he had given up on his wife of nearly thirty years, he was terrified about what would become of his life if his wife Miriam discovered this.  Judah hoped that he could just stop his affair with Dolores with no further consequence.  This was impossible for Dolores to do because she felt as though she had given up too much of her life already.  All these decisions led Judah to confide in a rabbi that he treated as a patient named Ben.  Ben’s advice was that true love will be able to pull through such an event, and the universe is overseen by a higher power and is full of forgiveness, structure, and meaning.  The optimistic view Ben had on the world was an exceptional outlook. This gave Judah an opportunity to live a truthful and moral life by accepting and living his life according to Ben’s view of the world. 

            Judah’s final terrible decision was the murder of Dolores, in attempts to keep her from revealing his dark secret and destroying his life.  He felt as though he was not good enough for God and that the decisions he made would not affect his life and his nonexistent relations with the Lord.  At this point I felt as though Judah saw God as a judge of the universe, always watching everything and declaring what was right in life.  He was to the point that he felt as though no hope was left in God’s eyes, and because of this it did not matter what he did because life was already a lost cause.  Viewing God as a judge, and one that would give up on an individual, was referencing him as being a pessimistic being.  This was an inappropriate scrutiny towards God, because he is the one entity with eternal love for all, and the ability to forgive us of our sins.  Ben tried to open Judah’s eyes several times in hopes that he would realize how terrible the decisions he was making were, and how they were ideas that should never be considered no matter what the circumstances by any human being.  Judah allowed his view of God, and how God viewed him, to have a hand in the decisions he made in solving problems in his family and his own life.

            When looking at Ben’s view of life and God, he was an inspirational man.  He is content with everything that happens in his life, and views the world very highly.  Diagnosed with a terrible disease in his eyes that eventually caused him to lose his vision completely, he was still able to live his life with joy and a positive attitude towards all outcomes and events.  To Ben, God is the King of this universe, and like Judah, believes that he is always watching us and attempting to help us to forgive and live our lives with meaning.  God provides a purpose for us to live and work towards eternal life and happiness. 

            Ben was seen by many of his friends and family as a very good man at heart and one who was looked up at.  Several people throughout the movie confided in him for help and to talk to.  With such a high view of an optimistic God he was able to give exceptional advice to all who requested it.  Unfortunately his advice was not taken to heart by everyone he helped.  Even though he was not able to influence others life with the word of God, he allowed God’s love to influence his life, helping him prepare and get through the rough parts of life that he was forced to endure.  Throughout the movie he stayed positive and a role model for all, unlike Judah. 

            Overall many of the views of this movie can be considered valid.  After watching this film and breaking down what was done by the different characters I feel that the universe can be molded into whatever we want it to be.  It can be a very friendly place if we are able to love life and live everyday with joy and treat those around us as we want to be treated.  If we allow the evils of the universe to influence us as Judah did, we will turn our life into that of evil, and never have a chance to be truly happy.  We need to fight for what we believe in, and understand that God is there to support us and will always love us.  He is the ultimate reward for living our lives truthfully.