Religious Studies Essay Examples

- The main premise of this chapter from “What is African American Religion” is that the African American religion should be depicted in history, for exploring more what it is than what it does. In exploring history for identifying what African religion stands for, there should be searched the creative sources, such as the art and artifact products that remained through times, but also the uncreative sources, such the abstract elements that reside in the African body (standing for the movement of Africans), as opposed to the social body (standing for dehumanization of Africans).
- The text imposed several confusing terms, such as endemic or the mysterium tremendum. After looking them up, it was clear that both these terms are linked to religion. As such, endemic concept explains the affiliation to a certain religion, while the concept mysterium tremendum defines a deep, overwhelming estate of mystery. In the case of this chapter, the term endemic refers to the traditional elements that belong to the African American religion and mysterium tremendum explains precisely the fact that African American religion has no clearly defined roots to explain what it is, which makes it overwhelmingly mysterious.
- The meaning of these concepts relates overall to Black Religion in America in the fact that it explains the lack of traditional elements endemic (specific) to Black Religion which makes this still unknown in its essence and sources. These concepts also point out the partial suffocation of this religion in America, as the text further explains that the creative elements of Blacks have been discouraged through the history, as the African Americans were depersonalized and stripped by their cultural heritage, through the social body.
- The point that I agreed with most in the chapter that cultural memory is fragile. This observation is pertinent because it surprises the value of the unwritten, orally transmitted sources. While the written sources are there to remain, the cultural memory, elements reminded from one’s own experience are at risk of being forgotten or even, in specific social contexts, forced to be forgotten. As such, the chapter explains how the Africans were forced to terminate their religious expressions through any form of cultural representation, being condemned to keep it secret for guaranteeing that they will survive. This indicates the fragility of cultural memory, and moreover, it symbolizes the loss of valuable cultural assets (and implicitly of religion sources) through brutal behavior towards other people, which defines an inhuman comportment, restrictive of cultural diversity.
- The point that I mostly disagreed with from the studied text refers to the indication according to which the sources of a religion are to be traced in humanly created elements, such as artifacts, houses, clothes and even the social status. This conception eliminates the sacred value of religion, the connection with the above and beyond human existence, which defines religion.
- Reading this chapter has raised a significant question: Considering the fact that the text is searching for answers in regarding the African American religion in culture and past society, can this be reversed? How can religion confessions describe the cultural and social life of ancient populations?
- Overall, after reading the chapter I have understood how history offers the answers for understanding the origins of religions. I have gained insights about the cultural and social hardships that the African Americans were condemned to and about their struggle of maintaining their religion, expressing it in every aspect of their quotidian life.