A. Hotel California and how it offered to connect or reconnect with the sacred
The song Hotel California, raised a lot of opinion and interpretation worthy of debate, however, among the most prominent interpretation relates to how its lyrics are symbolic of the spiritual aspects. As pointed out, it has by its means offered “shimmering light” for people who seeks to have some form of spiritual connection or bondage. Accordingly, there are several ways by which the Los Angles area provided an opportunity for people to experience spiritual connection.
The beautiful geography of California presents an environment where the early Spanish settlers experienced spiritual connection because of the majestic environment of the region. The captivating views compelled the Spaniards who first came into the region to name each of the magnificent views in the name sake of many their saints. In the book All the Saints of the City of the Angels, Walker recounted how the spiritual guide of the Spanish settlers “had enfolded virtually every significant piece of geography into the care of God’s elect (Walker, ix). Eventually, the saintly names became landmarks, many of which survived the passage of time and retained to identify some places in the region.
The tendency of both the native Californians and other migrant settlers to attribute their environment to some aspects of religiousity is further intensified by the religious inclination of the people. Currently, California is a cradle to a diverse population who have differing faith and religious beliefs. For example, the result of a photographic project in places of worship manifested their profound dedication to their faith and religious doctrines. In her Sacred Los Angeles Project, Braudy conveyed the emotional and individual manifestation of the immense variety of the spiritual life in Los Angeles (Braudy, 2).
Accordingly, there are the key-candle bearers who lead the spiritual searchers into what they are seeking in terms of their spiritual life. One of them is the saints who were found to have an intersecting relationship with streets, for instance, Walker recounted how the San Julian Street was laid down in the 1870 to honor the patron saint of wanderers (Walker, x). In a way, the manner by which some religious leaders designated saintly names to places in L.A was a means to summon protection for those who believed.
Specifically, there were controversial leaders who have significantly impacted how some people view religion. There are religious movements that are the subject of controversy, not only because of their different teaching method, but because they are viewed “as a swindling business and brainwashing cult” (Urban, 92), as exemplified by the very nature of the Church of Scientology. The founder and key leader of this religious movement, L. Ron Hubbard, experienced being mortified for being perceived as a cult leader because of his clear involvement in many series of occultists’ rites and practices. In addition to cult leaders like Hubbard, there were also the black American pastors who formed many organizations to peacefully fight against inequality. They held key leadership positions that led the people to “stood up against police brutality, calmed racial tensions and provided the base for the heyday of Black electoral politics” (Walker, 3).
The emergence of religious leaders and different religious views is uniquely Californian. It reflects the people’s diversity and the freedom that has always enjoyed earlier. People can practice any religion as they wish without fear of being outcasts.
B. Religious history of L.A suggesting that Hotel California is not always lovely
The song Hotel California described the place as a lovely place and beckoning a ‘welcome’ call to people who wanted to experience what the place can possibly offer. However, even the song itself expressed that behind the splendor is the ugliness and perhaps viciousness of the place, “we are all just prisoners here of our device”. This denotes how people, by their own making, make themselves wretched by their own doing, and this is best exemplified by how the people became too absorbed in adopting a new set of faith and practice another religious doctrine due to circumstances that are often out of their control.
Tracing back in history, California’s different religious sects reflect the diversity of the people who came and settled, bringing with their own unique culture and practices. While many historians claimed that the different groups blended well with each other despite the conflicting religious beliefs, there are many instances when religion caused the oppression of certain groups. An example of which is the argument against the concept of American Islam such that its existence in earlier times can only be traced to isolated families and its practice was often locked in racially segregated communities (Williams, 128). It was claimed that the increasing number of Muslim minorities, the improvement of their life status leads to their ability to come up with resources to advance their religious advocacies. However, despite gaining the respect of the American society, there are instances when they still have to face discrimination. The case where the Muslims are still discriminated upon in practicing their religion demonstrates how Hotel California is not always as lovely as some people claimed it to be. While the Islamic faith has been gaining attention and respect in the United States, some people remained to be biased in terms of their religion that fully accepting the integration of the Islam faith seemed irrational to them.
Another irony in the song Hotel California is the word ‘welcome’; which, according to some people, is not always sincere. The Islam faith is another good example of the insincerity of the word ‘welcome’. This is because despite the provision of certain laws that aimed to protect and respect the Muslims in their faith, there are people and even organizations that obey the rules, not to show respect to the Islamic faith but to avoid possible castigation or chastisement. On the other hand, those that cannot accept the Islamic faith because of their deep devotion to their respective religion, are made to obey the laws because failure to do so will also lead to consequences. People are therefore expected to conform to laws that protect religious freedom, and this, in part, negates the description of a lovely place.
Further, there is also the case of the LGBT community who were once frowned upon by many religious groups. There are those who were raised in a certain organized religion, and their becoming a member of the LBGT resulted in their expulsion from such religious group. Recent changes, however, turned religion as the solace of people who belong to the LGBT community. There are many organized religious groups that welcome people who belong to the LGBT community, and even advocating to support the issues that concern them. For example, there is now a concerted effort among some religious groups to advance the adoption of policies among churches that allow for the marriage of same-sex couples. Setting aside the freedom and rights of the LGBT community, there are some people who cannot accept the morality of same-sex marriage. However, pressure from the community, the laws and the society forces them to set aside their religious principles.
Works Cited
Braudy, Dorothy. "Artist's Statement: Sacred Los Angeles." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 81.1 (2013): 1-5. Web.
Urban, Hugh. "The Occult Roots of Scientology?: L. Ron Hubbard, Aleister Crowley, and the Origins of the Controversial Religion." The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 15.3 (2012): 91-116. Web.
Walker, Daniel. "The Black Church: Challenges and Opportunities Facing African American Congregations in 21st Century Los Angeles." Web.
Walker, Michael. All the Saints of the City of the Angels: Seeking the Soul of L.A on its Streets. Heydays Books, Berkeley, n.d. Print.
Williams, Rhys. "Creating an American Islam: Thoughts on Religion, Identity, and Place." Sociology of Religion 72.2 (2011): 127-153. Web.
