Week 15

This semester has flown by! It is hard to fathom how much has happened over the past 15 weeks- I started over at a new school, met new friends, and grew as a student. After transferring from Washington State University, Gonzaga has truly given me better a college experience after just 15 weeks in comparison to my entire year WSU. I never imagined myself taking ever taking a religion class again after leaving my private Catholic elementary and middle school. In my video essay, I talk about how I'm now able to view Jesus with a more intelligent and close eye because I'm reexamining him now with a more advanced education after a six year absence from religion. This class has shown me how much I have grown as a student because I can, for example, recognize aspects of Bible that I didn't appreciate or notice before knowing certain historical events or denotative/connotative meanings behind terms. The topic of my video essay was the how form criticism changed my understanding of the New Testament, and how we view Jesus as human or divine. In my essay I chose to purposely incorporate sayings and quotes between my main points, and my pictures reflected how I see Jesus' humanity and divinity through my daily life. Family pictures were extremely important to me because I thank our divine God everyday for blessing me with them, and they have played a key role in my Catholic upbringing. My friends are also included because they represent how Jesus can be a constant friend. I had a very difficult time using my iMovie because I'm not very technically gifted, and had to spend most of my time figuring out the program. I also had an EXTREMELY difficult and frustrating time with uploading my video to YouTube. My Zagmail account was not working to upload a video, and I ended up having to create a new Gmail account. I was not anticipating a 56 minute upload time for my video, and thought the hour and half I allotted before the deadline would give me plenty of time. After the difficulties with Zagmail and long upload, I got very upset when I missed the deadline. I have never uploaded a video to YouTube so this was quite the experience. However, I thought the assignment was a good way to end the semester and related back to beginning weeks on mindful learning. I have horrible test anxiety, and I have really appreciated your understanding of the not focusing the class based on cramming information just to be tested and forgotten. This video essay was creative alternative to a cumulative exam, and I enjoyed the freedom to chose my topic based on what I thought was the most beneficial to my education. I think I did a good job with my video essay, but would have definitely appreciated my instruction on how to work YouTube. I enjoyed my semester in your class, and you have reassured me the value behind a close teacher-student relationship. A very merry (and early) Christmas to you and your family, and thank you for the fun, unique ways to learn about the New Testament.

Week 14

This week's reading can be related to chocolate. Chocolate connoisseurs love to share, connect, and discuss good chocolate with other chocolate connoisseurs. Chocolate has been on my mind since Tuesday's Jesus at the Movies, Chocolat. In the movie Vianne is a chocolatier who is passionate about sharing her savory treats, uniting separated family, and discussing art of making decadent chocolate with her apprentice. She offers a sample of her tasty treats to all- the rich and poor, judgmental and crazy- and doesn't discriminate. She encourages her fellow uptight townspeople to indulge in chocolate, and live vicariously through a simple splurge. While reading The First Paul chapter seven, I couldn't help but to connect Paul's messages of living together "in Christ" with Chocolat. Paul's messages of living with Christ, shared communities, rich and poor, and gifts are the topics that stood out to me as relatable to the movie. Paul wrote about being "in christ", "spirit of christ", and "body of christ" in reference to discussing how to live life through faith. This is similar to Vianne offering her chocolate as a way to live through something daring, and also to connect the community like Paul does. Paul's encounter with the significant class divisions in Corinth, is similar to Vianne's encounter with the division between the outcasts (Josephine and the River Rats). Both Paul and Vianne try to seek a way to show the possibility of a disconnect between the competing groups. Paul and Vianne are also similar because the both help others to understand the value of their natural gifts. Paul wants people to understand spiritual gifts, and Vianne wants people to understand gifts of personal skills. I think this course has taught me to relate the Bible and religious figures to my daily life and the 21st century.

Week 12

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for everything we have in our lives. What would Jesus or Paul be thankful for if they had thanksgiving? Both religious figures wouldn't have been made timeless without the help of those influential in their lives and teachings. Jesus was probably thankful for Mary and Joseph similar to us being thankful for our parents. Paul would be thankful for his correspondents who he wrote frequently. Paul's writing offer readers with insight into God and how to lead a spiritual life. I found it interesting how Paul was so insightful about the coming of Jesus. He knew and fully believed that God's son would come to earth and spread the good news of his kingdom. Many believe that Paul can be considered too radical because of his beliefs in Jesus' coming. I also found it interesting how his letters offer perspective into a faith that hasn't been distinguished and are used in various churches in different contexts. Being thankful our religion and preservation of historical documents is another aspect of our God given life that should be added to our Thanksgiving dinner prayers.

Week 11

This week's readings are not connected and shed a different light onto two influential writers in the Bible. Marcus Borg lives on! The First Paul, written by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, is an insight into the apostle Paul who has been hailed as one of the most controversial figures of the Church. The first chapter jumps immediately into arguing if Paul is appealing or appalling. It claims that, "Paul's importance extends beyond the New Testament into the history of Christianity" (Borg and Crossan 3). His letters shaped various religions and theologians perspectives, therefore extending his appeal beyond Christianity. Paul was predicted to live around the time of Jesus, and his presence extends into roughy half of the New Testament. The appalling aspect of Paul is varying appreciation that has been embraced by religions (Protest, Lutheran, Judaism, Catholic, or Christian), therefore losing the uniformity of his role. The view of Paul can be seen from three foundational statements explained in the chapter:
1. "Not all of the letters attributed to Paul were written by him-- there is more than one Paul in the New Testament"
2. "It is essential to place his letters in their historical context"
3. "His message-- his teaching, his gospel-- is grounded in his life-changing and sustaining experience of the risen Christ" (Borg and Crossan 13).
I think its important to critically take all three foundational statements into account when reading Paul and understanding his character.
The second reading was John's gospel. John's gospel mentions Abraham, and seems to focus on the miracles and teachings of Jesus. His gospel begins with the miracle at the wedding at Cana and ends with the miracle of Jesus appearing to his disciples. My favorite aspects of John's gospel are the miracles (wedding at Cana, Jesus heals a blind man, Jesus walks on water, and feeding of the five thousand), and the lessons that Jesus shares about how to survive a earthly life. He offers advice about trusting in God, loving each other, and dealing with hatred. I found his gospel to be the most applicable to answering our questions about the faith. Overall, I think Paul and John offer different perspectives that without the other would value to the Bible and the reader's connection.

Week 10

Our view of Jesus and God has required us to paint pictures in our mind's eye about what they look like, how they listen to us, and what they ask from us. Borg's Jesus and Alice Walker's Color Purple both play on the innocence behind painting pictures about Jesus and God. I have been raised as a Catholic and given various paint brushes to help me relate to God and understand the importance of trusting faith. I remember being given stickers, magnets, jewelry and more that have been mass produced with images of God and Jesus and phrases/verses that remind me that Jesus loves and is with me. Borg draws on "three little phrases" that play a role in Christian life: "What Would Jesus do", "Jesus Loves Me-- This I know", and "For God So Loved the World" (Borg 305-306). These three sayings have helped guide Christians to trust in faith and turn toward away from temptation. I think the most popular phrase "What Would Jesus Do" has been used (unfortunately) as a marketing slogan and thrown around so much that it has lost its religious affiliation. The next two saying can also be used to help connect Borg's book with Alice Walker's Color Purple excerpt because Miss Celie's letter to Nettie. In the letter, Celie is writing about the conversation she had about what God looks like and how he loves everyone. Celie embarrassingly says that God is "big and old and tall and gray bearded and white. He wear robes and go barefooted. Blue eyes?" (Walker). Her description is much like the description I have in my mind's eye. Celie's friend laughs at her as she jokes about how Celie has white image of God. I think God's (and Jesus') image has very much been marketed similar to the WWJD saying unfortunately. I think that Celie's response to how God loves us is beautiful and very true. She says that "I can lay back and just admire stuff. Be happy. Have a good time" (Walker). I think this is very true. The best way to know how God loves us is to admire all the wonders around us that God created for us. I really enjoyed reading the Color Purple excerpt, and found it a much more typical everyday individual response to the question about the mystery behind Christianity. I have thought about what I think would be my response to what God looks it and how he shows his love, but what I think is important is not letting the fear of the unknown get in the way of not believing in God. I admit that sometimes these thoughts have crossed my mind, but staying mindful of the Catholic teachings is helpful in painting my picture of God.  

Week 9

Jesus' earthly life was not ideal...especially to 21st century humans. Today Americans most likely couldn't fathom being born in a barn, traveling on foot thousands of miles, and being crucified on a cross. During the Wiki presentations, many of my classmates (myself included) cringed at the process of crucifixion and couldn't believe the horrific process that it involves. As the world population soars about the outstanding seven billion mark, I find it easy to predict that maybe, just maybe, the percentage of those newborn babies born in a barn will be about 0.000000005%. There will be more babies born in taxis than in barns. Those traveling thousands of miles on foot, probably have about the same percentage as those born in barns (except I guess if you have a similar drive as Forest Gump). My point here is to illustrate how exception Jesus' sacrifice was. His actions and behaviors exhibit pure love that have stood the test of time. Marcus Borg's final two chapter explains the final days and moments in Jesus' life. Chapter nine breaks down Jesus' final week:
Sunday- Beginning of the week of Passover (Palm Sunday) and Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. Borg explains that his action (coming to Jerusalem and riding a donkey) was a, "prophetic act that was a provocative public deed performed for the sake of what they symbolize...it is associated with the prophets of ancient Israel" (Borg 231).
Monday- a second prophetic act of cleansing the temple.
Tuesday- Jesus is questioned, attacked, and in conflict with authorities.
Wednesday through the last days- Borg clumps Jesus' last days together as times filled with resistance and challenges with authority about who holds power-- the God/Jewish religion and state rulers?
Chapter ten in Borg's book focuses on the crucifixion, reasoning behind his death, and Easter. Jesus is questioned by Pilot, "Are you the King of the Jews?" (Borg 264). And Jesus' non declarative response is "You say so" (Borg 264). This exchange epitomized the idea that Jesus was killed because of his perceived threat against ruling authority. Borg continues on with the crucifixion and sums up the event as leading into something bigger. Borg states the Sunday school explanation (extremely basis but very true), "His death was central to God's plan of salvation: he had to die in order to atone for our sins. It was necessary," (Borg 267). I went to private Catholic elementary and middle school, and this concept was drilled into my head at a very young age and throughout my Catholic education. Easter celebrates Jesus' sacrifice and the beauty behind the resurrection of him. Borg says that Mark was the first Gospel writer to give define Easter and his story is the earliest Easter story.
Matthew's gospel chapter 26- 28 recounts Jesus' final days up until the commissioning of the disciples after the resurrection. The similar issue regarding Jesus' position in society is the motive for his crucifixion ordered by the leading state powers. Jesus' death was simply a reflection of humanity's greed that he fought so hard to destroy. Overall,  Jesus' physical life ended with the triumph of humanity's ugly greed but his spiritual life most importantly saved humanity from greedy sin.

Week 7

Wow I can't believe we are already seven weeks into the first semester and half way done! My group's wiki, "Cheese and Rice", was a success! We covered the topic of the apocalypse and analyzed it from four different angles. My wiki was about the apocalypse in Hollywood. I greatly enjoyed learning about how Hollywood has taken the image of the apocalypse and turned it into a million dollar money maker. I found excellent source to be the Journal of Religion and Film. The publications I read were very similar to information I was that trying to claim, and therefore gave my wiki credibility from the scholarly source. I found it interesting that individuals have such varied opinions on the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus (rapture). I learned about the meaning of rapture and different distinctions surrounding apocalyptic texts. I enjoyed the other group presentations and thought everyone did a good job clarifying their topics to an audience with varied religious education and beliefs.
In response to the Marcus Borg reading, chapter 7 and 8, I thought both chapters were interesting and related to our topics in class this week. Chapter 7 is about Jesus' perception of God, and many of the wiki presentations today can be related Jesus' view of God. For example, my topic on the apocalypse is discussed by Borg and he states that "most mainline scholars (including me) don not think that Jesus spoke about his second coming"(Borg 179). Borg also predicted that Jesus did believe in God's final judgement and God perception he will have on humans on the final judgement day (heaven or hell?). Chapter 8 discusses a topic studied at Tuesday's class about the broad and narrow way. Borg says the broad way is the way that people during Jesus' time thought, acted, and behaved. The narrow way comparatively is the "alternative way, the road less traveled... is conceptually simple and easy to state, even as it is existentially challenging" (Borg 218). I thought the last biblical text assignment was an example of the broad way because it mentioned the actions taken by the Pharisees in condemning Jesus for working on the Sabbath. During Jesus' time, working on the Sabbath with not allowed and punishable.
Overall, I thought the wiki presentations went great and chapters seven and eight were very relevant to the topics discussed in this week's class.

Week 6

Mark's gospel is filled with messages about Jesus' work as a miracle worker, teacher, and healer. As discussed in class, Mark's is considered a dark gospel. His understanding of the Messiah, the theme of suffering, and the ending with an empty tomb help defend the darkness claim. The story that I thought went well with the gloomy weather was "Jesus stops a storm". Jesus and his followers were crossing a stormy lake, and the boat quickly began to get swamped by the crashing waves. The disciples were worried about drowning, and Jesus cleared alway the storm. Jesus asked them why they didn't have faith about being saved. The lesson from to be taken away from this passage is that no matter how difficult things can get, just have faith that everything will work out in the end. Jesus' messages are timeless and can be applied to different aspects multiple individuals' life experiences. Mark's portrayal of Jesus' empty tomb is also an interesting passage. Mary, Mary Magdalene, and James were the first to discover the empty tomb and the first to encounter the young man in the white robe who told them not to worry but to go and tell Jesus' disciples, especially Peter, to meet him in Galilee. Mary, Mary Magdalene, and James were too frighten that they did not end up telling anyone about what they saw. The passage of the empty tomb and Jesus stops the storm, are related in trusting in faith. Jesus told his follows to have faith that the storm would end and they would not drown. The angel told Mary, Mary Magdalene, and James not to be afraid and trust that Jesus is now with God and to go forward to spread the good news. To reiterate, I think the most important message Jesus has craved as timeless, is that we need to have faith to not worry because everything will work out. Jesus' teaching can be transcribed to different contexts, but it is faith in God, religion, friends, family, education, and much more that will help us through the difficult trials and tribulations.

Week 5

Chapter five and six of Marcus Borg's Jesus I have found the most compelling to read, but that could be because of the recounting of Jesus and God in Hollywood's dramatic view. Chapter five drew my attention because of Borg's account of Jesus' experiences with God. The Hollywood/fictional version of Jesus views him some sort of supernatural being with the ability to see God in an ominous view. The view of unseen God as been left mysterious to all, but "for Jesus, God was not simply an article of belief, but an experienced reality" (Borg 110). Jesus used these experiences to help teach others about the "wondrous, radiant, and glorious" (Borg 114) God and His kingdom. Being raised Jewish, it is assumed that Jesus was taught about the experiences of Abraham and Moses had with God. Jesus' experiences with God began with the vision of the spirit and Borg says that "Jesus saw the heavens opened as if they were torn apart. Through this rent, this tear, he saw 'the Spirit descending like a dove on him' "(Borg 120). Jesus also experienced visions God in the wilderness, and experience visions with Satan. The Bible accounts have Jesus being visited (or tested) by Satan three times. Satan has been referenced in both Jewish texts and in Matthew and Luke. Borg also claims that "Satan is God's spy and tester" (123). Could Jesus' role have been established by God as a protector against Satan or to be the human being Satan tested? Chapter six goes into detail about Jesus being able to perform exorcisms. He was able to rid the devil from people and help cure the sick. Jesus is a very dimensional individual and fascinating to study.

Week 4

Jesus is a icon that symbolizes metaphorically the "Light of the World", "Bread of Life", and "Gate and the Way". It would certainly add a comedic side of Jesus if he could actually be a candle, piece of bread, or gate. However, life isn't that comedically literal. Borg describes in chapter three the reality behind how the gospel writers utilized memory, metaphors, and method to gain understanding into the Bible's teachings. I think it is important to understand the methods used to help describe the wonders of the Bible and how Christianity is expressed to followers. Chapter four places society in context of Jesus' time. I found it interesting how a thousand years can pass, but Jesus' teachings and social cultures/norms can be still compared to our twenty-first century life. Below I have thought to make a table to illustrate comparisons and differences between Jesus' social world and Americans' social world. The table shows the perseverance of religion over time and concept of living in a social world. In terms of survival, the idea of survival of the fittest is still a reoccurring idea even though the conditions and means of survival have changed definitions (we can now go to the grocery store for meat instead of hunting animals in our backyards). Agricultural life is still an aspect of modern day life (importance of farming remains constant), and rural life still involves manual labor. The Jewish faith is still rooted in tradition and sacred practices. However class systems, governments, and world conflicts have changed over time to adjust to the needs and ideology of modern society.

Social World: “The social environment of a particular time and place” (Borg 78)	BCE Pre-modern Society	United States 21st   Modern Century Society
Survival	Hunting and Gathering; Survival of the Fittest	Supermarkets and Businesses; Survival of the Fittest
Careers	Agricultural	Industrial, Technological, Skilled Work, Agricultural
Class system	Two-class Society	Lower, Middle, Upper
Government	Imperial Rulers	Democracy
Rural population	Peasant village, preindustrial agrarian domination system, manual labor	Farming communities, manual labor
Jewish World	Judaism, Torah	Judaism, Torah
World Conflicts	Collisions based on Religious beliefs and imperial domination	Collisions between political conflicts and terrorism

Week 3

In Tuesday class, a peer asked a simple question about the novelty behind Jesus. When the question was first asked I thought it was borderline naive, and coming into a religious affiliated university I assumed most students knew about Jesus. However, when students started answering the question I gained a new perspective. I think the reason Jesus is a widely popular icon is because of the large Catholic population in the United States and the historical role Jesus has on different culture. I also think that Jesus is a source of comfort and guidance for many in times of trouble. Jesus is also a figure that doesn't represent the rich or poor. The church is a place where everyone can be equal and believe in a common. My classmates responded with answers regarding Jesus as a figure of heroism and devotion. Marcus J. Borg divides chapter one of his novel up into describing the different outlooks that Jesus represents today-- "the dying savior", "the divine human", "the apocalyptic", and "the teacher". Jesus as the dying savior I think is the most common view of Jesus among those who have a basic understand of the Catholic religion. The apocalyptic Jesus is the most Hollywood glamorized version of Him and draws attention to religion through the next coming of Jesus. The divine human and teacher is the image I draw up in my mind's eye about Jesus. I think idea of Jesus as a thousand-year-old is remarkable and the idea that generations have each evolved with the belief in Jesus is a clear indicator that the world will continue to prosper.

Week 2

As many competitive athletes begin to excel in sports, the importance of speed, quickness, and drive is stressed into achieve greatness. As a competitive swimmer for 12 years, swimming for multiple teams and traveling to incredible aquatic facilities, my biggest competition was the clock. Qualifying standards, rankings, and close finishes all depended on the clock. I learned to both hate and love the joys of speed. Today, I now swim casually and the clock simply creeps by as measure of how many calories I burn. Whether its sports or daily life that makes us race through life, I agree with Carl Honore that our society has turned into a road runner society that embraces an accelerated world. After discussing level one and two mindlessness, flow, and slow, I have drawn  personal and general connections. Personally I have had multiple "light bulb" moments in class recently in terms placing a label onto the various mindless actions i experience on a daily basis. Whether its driving to a familiar location and not remembering if I needed to stop at a red light, or thoughtfully reading through textbooks and taking notes instead of allowing my mind to wonder. Generally, I couldn't agree more with Carl Honore about how individuals today are unable to connect with reality because of the lack of enough time during the day. Flow was clearly made relatable when Csikszentmihalyi explained in the TED clip that good flow is achieved when a challenge is just above skill level. Flow was a sensation that I experienced when I was winning a long distance race and felt as though no one could catch me. The serenity that comes along with flow can lead to a more relaxed, conscious, and timeless experience that easily connects all three topics we have discussed in class. I have greatly enjoyed the psychological aspect of the class, and it has broaden my understanding of how to follow the Jesuit moto towards educating the whole person.

4 Corners: Week 1

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the redeemer of humanity and strived to expand the perception that people place onto each other. Jesus was passionate about spreading acceptance and forgiveness among humans, and believed that our earthly life is too short to be spent without love and compassion. He graced this earth with dignity and left with dignity. He was the savior of our sins, and reflected the ideal well-rounded citizen in fashionable manor. A greater understanding of heaven and importance of believing in the miracles of God is Jesus' legacy left on humankind.

Jesus is a reflection of God through his teachings and compassion that ensures the hope for a bright future.

LOVE

Who am I? 

I'm not quite as mystifying as Jesus, but I do hope to one day be as passionate as Jesus and find what truly makes me happy in life. My current passion here at Gonzaga is to receive a Public Relations major and minor in Sports Management. I'm a very organized person and have always been an athletic individual, therefore I thought I would combine my two loves of organization and sports together. I'm a sophomore and recently transferred from Washington State University. After attending WSU I came to realize that a more personal, smaller classroom and student body was a much better fit for me. I also came to appreciate the urban cities much more after attending the extremely rural Pullman. I'm a more reserved individual until I feel comfortable in my surroundings but love to getting to meet people!

I'm the oldest of three girls, personable, and driven to find happiness. 

SARCASTIC 

Mindfulness vs. Mindlessness 

Like most students today we all dread multiple choice and true/false tests. Although it is often a toss up as to which test format is the worst, the common distain lies within the principle of having to take tests. Cramming for stressful exams and not absorbing the information with desire, just simply takes the pleasure out of learning. While reading the findings concluded by Ellen Langer, I frequently caught myself nodding my head in agreement with her opinions. The three myths about learning, are all concepts that should be replaced in schools curriculum. When learning a task, the trial and error process needs to be encourage in order to approach a second nature concept with as much perspective to formulate one's own beliefs. The attention span of Americans has greatly shorten due to the inability to remain driven. Without a passion for learning something new and intriguing, life becomes very black and white. By neglecting the gray aspects in human nature, our lens on life is very limited to certain views.  The willingness to be patient for gratification is also directly correlated to limited views. By relating Ellen Langer's concepts with Csikszentmihalyi, we can greater appreciate slowing down our lives and allowing our minds to consciously guide our actions towards happiness. I agree with Csikszentmihalyi that by embracing creativity in finding new solutions, new endless possibilities will lead towards new surprises that shine light onto new happy individual. My dad is constantly repeating himself- frequently to the annoyance of my sisters and I- that we need to embrace our youth to discover our passions in life to avoid trapped just going through the motions in life.