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.