Learning About an Interest

- What is Scientology?
- My “plan” for researching this project was to browse the Internet.
- Founded by an American author and humanitarian, L. Ron Hubbard, the religion of Scientology is focused on the salvation and rehabilitation of the human spirit. It answers the questions- Who am I? What do I consist of? Where do I come from? And where am I going? Answering these questions is suppose to help the individual understand itself. On top of understanding oneself, this religion also teaches its followers to survive. The Eight Dynamics of Existence outlines how to do this. Scientology also attacks social issues, such as: illiteracy, drugs, crime and immorality. Hubbard, who was a leading science fiction writer during the Golden Age, was compelled to create Scientology during his travels to Asia when he experienced so much misery. After that he became fascinated with the true nature of the man, asking the questions, “To what depths can man fall?” and, “What is man anyway?” Today, Scientology is an expanding religion with millions of follows and thousands of books, writings, and taped lectures, which comprise Scientology’s beliefs.
- Yes, it was a worthwhile experience because besides knowing that Tom Cruise was a Scientologist, I had no knowledge of the religion. And learning about this religion’s beliefs and history was time well spent.

-What is the religious significance to the game Assassin's Creed and what was the reaction, if any to the game among the religious community?

-My plan was to think about the game, go online and see what I could find, and read the little packet that came with the game.

The game is of course emersed in religion as it takes place during the Third Crusade. There are four main religions that are looked at in the game Christianity, Islam, the Templars', and the Assassin's Creed. The latter are discussed in more depth. The Templars' ''Religion" was claimed to have been more Atheistic but believed in the Peace by the ultimate control of those fit to lead and the destruction of free will these aims were to be met using the "Piece of Eden" said to give the power of illusion to all who possessed it. Said to have been behind the parting of the Red Sea, the burring bush, the great flood, Jesus turning wine into water and more. All of the 'myths' were said to have come from the "Piece of Eden". The AC agrees ultimate goal is Peace and those few deserters in a population act like poison and if taken out will result in Peace. They believe that the way to peace is through education and following the Creed. 1. Spare the innocent 2. Hide in plain sight 3. Never betray the brotherhood.

After researching on the Internet I found that much of the above claims are based on research and besides the Templars being militarized and the story line the basic events and beliefs are true. In fact the direct descendants of the AC are still around and wrote to Ubisoft and told them to treat their ancestors with more respect, which caused the would-be-trilogy to get cold feet.

Surprisingly I found nothing on the "Piece of Eden". No comments on its claims, for or against it. Either it is just too taboo to bring up or the religious community respects that it is a game and nothing more.

I would say that the search was worth it. I found some very interesting thing not least of which was the fact was that all of the targets (in the game) were based on real people t really disappeared of were assassinated during that year and by legend it was 1 person.

Again this is Kevin FYI

For this assignment I posed the question, what are the purpose of prayer flags and what is their origin?

I used the internet to gather information on the prayer flags.

The information I gathered was not uniform, but based on my research I believe prayer flags originated in Tibet sometime pre-7th century, before Buddhism was introduced to the area. The people of Tibet at that time were a shamanistic people called Bon. The Bonpos(people of Bon) used prayer flags to honor the spirit of nature both in battle and at home. The flags originally came in sets of five, each one a different color representing one of the five elements (earth, fire, water, wind and air). When Buddhism was introduced to the area Buddhists adopted the practice of hanging prayer flags and put Buddhist symbols and sayings on the flags. The symbols and sayings were hand painted on to each flag until China introduced wood block printing to Tibet in the 15th century, speeding up the process tremendously. This technique is still used today to create the flags.

The purpose of Prayer flags is generally, to spread happiness and prosperity. The symbols and sayings or prayers on the flags are supposedly carried across the world by the wind spreading good fortune. The most common character on prayer flags is the horse or Ta whose meaning is good fortune.

This search was worth it, I did not find any thing radical or life changing, but it satisfied a curiosity of mine. The next time I see a prayer flag I will also know its spiritual value instead of only its material beauty.

My question was, "What is the Rastafarian really about?"
My plan was to search the internet, I used three sources.

Founded by Marcus Garvey, the Rastafarian movement was an offshoot of the African Orthodox Church originally meant to be an alternative to 'white' churches. Based off of the Judea-Christian religions, Rastafarians accept Jesus as their savior, but also believing that Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, was the messiah promised in the Bible. G-d is called Jah. Rastafari is not very organized, in fact, many Rastas say that it is not a religion but a way of life. They have a prophecy that Zion, their paradise, will arise in Ethiopia. The opposite of Zion is Babylon or modern society, which they view as corrupt and anti-blacks. Rastafarians are Afro-centrists who believe in taking pride in themselves. Africa is especially special for Rastafarians because it is linked with Zion and is where all humans came from. Some stereotypes of Rastas inlcude dreadlocks and pot. A religious ceremony called a "reasoning" is where Rastas gather, smoke marijuana or "ganja", and discuss ethical, social, and religious issues. It turns out that the dreadlocks are part of a rule in Leviticus that can be interpreted to mean, all men should have dreadlocks. Rasta has no official clergy, and leaves much interpreting and decision up to the individual worshipper. Worship is usually carried out in a home, not a church/temple.

I think this was definitely a worthwhile experience. I learned a lot of facts about Rasta, instead of rumors and stereotypes.

Q: Can one be an atheist and religious?
P: Research on the internet.
A: The original idea of an "Atheist" was meant to describe one who questions the ideas of religion. In modern days an Atheist has a more specific description of one who does not believe in god, or even rejects the ideas of any deity. That description does not include ones personal position on a subject other than the existence or nonexistence of a higher power. Obviously Atheists have morals (I guess this may not be so obvious for some), from where their morals are learned usually depends on the culture. Here is a generalized example of religions' views on atheism based on what I have read. For the example let's call the religion Forkism. If one lives in a predominately Forkist society, they will most likely be raised with Forkist values and probably even attend a Forkist place of worship. Some Forkist sects will allow affiliates to practice Forkism, attend Forkist holidays, and participate in the Forkist culture without requiring the belief in the Fork God. These sects are usually more reformed. Other, more fundamental, or conservative sects of Forkism will only accept those who accept Lord Fork. In conclusion, it doesn't matter if you're Jewish, Christian, or Forkist, you can find an area of any religion were Atheists are accepted and areas where they are rejected.
B: This assignment was worthwhile. It is always interesting to learn about how religious positions are viewed based on cultural beliefs. I think religious Atheism is a rising culture (or just more openly recognized than before), and it is important to understand the different view points.

What is the Rastafari movement? Rastafarianism is a monotheistic faith like christianity that accepts Jesus Christ and Haille Selassie I who was the emperor of Etheopia from 1930 to 1974. Rastafarians believe in the christian god they just call him Jah. Rastas also believe in the Trinity; God the Father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. Haile Selassie came in the form of "god the son." his mission was to create a perfect zion. Rastas are big into Afrocentrism and Black pride and base there beliefs around Africa being at one time Zion. A believed prophet of Jah named Marcus Garvey was an advocate of the "Back to Africa Movement" saying that black people should move back to their native land. Rastas are not supposed to cut their hair or disrupting the growth of natural dreadlocks. some foods that they avoid are pork, coffe, salt, tobacco, alcohol, and seafood. Rastafarianism is not just an excuse to smoke marijuana, as portrayed by white people who do not know the roots of the religion. raggae music was centered around the faith and Bob Marley was the one to introduce many to the Rastafarian faith.

The question I wanted to learn about was "What is speaking in tongues?"

My plan for finding this information out was to browse the internet.

I learned that speaking in tongues is commonly done by the Pentecostals, a sect of Christianity close to the Evangelicals. It is common that a believer speaks in tongues when they are baptized with the Holy Spirit. The believer is "moved" by God to speak in tongues. This may happen anywhere, but many believe that is should only be exercised in the presence of a person who is able to "interpret" the language to the congregation. Many churches now draw a distinct line between "speaking in tongues," an utterance granted by God for prayer, and "the gift of tongues," which is when God enables a Christian to speak in a foreign language that they have not previously studied, in order to proclaim the word of God. Early in the 20th century, many Pentecostal missionaries and leaders said that speaking in tongues was a form of xenoglossia in which the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in other languages. "Continued investigations repeatedly concluded that speaking in tongues was a form of ecstatic utterance that lacked all syntactical structure and almost always consisted of syllables taken from the speaker's native language. Pentecostal theologians started to redefine their beliefs. Most now preach that speaking in tongues is a personal prayer language, glossolalia, and is not xenoglossia."

This was a very worthwhile adventure, because I had always wondered what speaking in tongues was really about, and how it related to religion. It always seemed very foreign and strange to me, especially strange since I now know that it is a big part of a Christian denomination. I found a lot of cool information on the topic, and I will probably continue to look up information on the topic, since I think it is very interesting. I'm glad I took the time to find out about speaking in tongues for this assignment, because it is something I have been interested in and wondering about for a long time.

Question: What is scientology... and does it really have anything to do with aliens?

My plan: browse the internet, and look at the scientology website

Summary: I found it difficult to trust a lot of the information I was reading. This was because on the scientology website it explained the more philosophical background of the religion. And then, when I went to other sites they all explained how the religion was centered around the idea of the "thetan." Anyways, I will explain both sides of what I read!

The scientology website view: The basic belief I found was that Scientology states that initially human beings are good, but the experiences they have faced during life have turned them bad. On the scientology website it said that these were some of their primary beliefs: man is an immortal, spiritual being who has unlimited capabilities even if they are not realized. The website also explained that in scientology "no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true." (This does not make sense to me... simply because in other parts of their website they make it seem as though you have to do exactly as the Church says in order to be a "devout" follower. )

The anti-scientology website view: In the lower levels of scientology, people are taught that a person's problems are caused by their "reactive mind" (which is what they explain as a force that causes humans to act irrationally). They are also taught that once they free themselves of their "reactive mind" they will be free from mental and physical problems forever. Once you achieve this, the only way to further yourself in the religion is through paying for a series of procedures (the different levels having to do with the "Operating Thetan" aka the OT). Scientologists are taught that there is a creature separate from the body, called the thetan. When someone achieves OT they will be in full control over the entire "physical universe of matter, energy, space and time." People pay tons of money in order to achieve the OT levels... Tom Cruise apparently has spent over $360,000 to be a part of the upper level. From what I have seen though, it does not seem like he has any super-human powers to me!!

I thought this was definitely worthwhile. I actually learned more than I thought I would. I am however, slightly upset that I still do not completely understand the situation with the aliens... so I am planning on learning more about this in the future!

African Religious beliefs
"in all cases rain is taken as a sign of God's care and providence for humanity and the world. Generally throughout Africa, bodies of water are thought to have major spirits or divinities in them (Mbiti 54)." Nature plays a big part in their religions."Nzame made everything: heaven, earth, sun, moon, stars, animals, plants; everything." The land and its people are made to be good. "To the Akan, God and men once lived very close together, and men could reach, touch, and feel Him. Then an old woman began to pound her fufuu regularly, using a mortar and a long pestle. She hit God every time she pounded fufuu, so He moved further and further away from men and went into the skies." It is very interesting to me to learn the different creation stories. The African creation story seems to have some influence from greek mythology and those types of stories. It is worth while to research this because it helps to understand the fact that many people believe many things and follow different paths of life. I enjoyed reading about African Creation.

I researched on the internet

My Question to answer is what is the Kabbalah? To answer this I researched the topic online. Kabbalah is considered as a necessary part of the study of the Torah. Kabbalah teaches doctrines that are accepted by some Jews as the true meaning of Judaism while other Jews have rejected these doctrines as heretical and antithetical to Judaism. In the Kabbalistic tradition, knowledge was transmitted orally patriarchs, prophets and sages eventually to be "interwoven" into Jewish religious writings and culture. Kabbalah started around the 10th century BCE. It is an open knowledge practiced by over a million people in ancient Israel, although there isn’t much historical evidence to support this.
In Kabbalah, every idea is formed from the foundation of God and the entire study is based on that central belief. The following statement is accepted by all Kabbalists.

“The foundation of all foundations, and the pillar of all wisdom is to know that there is God who brought into being all existence. All the beings of the heavens, and the earth, and what is between them came into existence only from the truth of God's being.”

Kabbalah teaches that God is neither matter nor spirit. Instead, that God is the creator of both. Although the Kabbalah was practiced around the world foreign conquests in this period drove the Jewish spiritual leadership of the time to hide the knowledge of the Kabbalah and make it secret. They did this because they feared that it might be misused if it fell into the wrong hands. As a result, the Kabbalah became secretive and forbidden in Judaism.

I really enjoyed learning about the Kabbalah. I find it interesting how it interprets what God is and their central belief of God’s foundation. After reading this though, I don’t understand why this became such a big deal for Madonna…?

My question: As it relates to religion in India, what did it mean to be an untouchable in historically, and what does it mean now?
My plan of action was to first start with Wikipedia and then use sources found through google and maybe look at a few more that were linked at the bottom of Wikipedia.
The untouchables of India and South Asia, as they are commonly known today, are a class of people traditionally considered part of a separate group which was excluded from society. Traditionally known as the Panchamas, these people were relatively ethnically indistinct, but were instead classified by certain “unclean” or “unholy” occupations such as butchering, waste removal, or leather working. Some in India believe untouchables were an extension of the religious caste structure of Varna, as a sort of fifth separated caste or a lower part of the Shudras. Others see the untouchables as originating separately from religion and instead as a result of the social classifications in India.
The Panchamas were not supposed to cast their shadow on any non-untouchables, or worship in the same temples or drink from the same sources as any other castes. In an extreme example, untouchables were required to sweep the ground on which they had tread in order to cleanse it.
As of today, the Indian Constitution the caste system has been outlawed, including Dalit the peoples current self chosen name. This has given some social leeway or mobility to the untouchables but much discrimination still exists especially of those Dalit who are not Hindu, as they are not addressed under the constitution. Also some affirmative action has been put in place to favor qualified Dalit for government or public jobs. However many Dalit still are treated as untouchables and make up a higher proportion of jobs considered unclean, and those living in rural areas. There is often the threat of violent reprisals if untouchables seek social elevation and don’t “stay where they belong.”
This was a worthwhile experience because I learned a great deal about something that we all have heard about in popular culture but is not often explained in great detail. Beyond what it means to be an untouchable it was also interesting to learn about where the idea came from and what these peoples’ future is.

I decided to research what Scientology is, as I have heard many things about it but not much sense.

My plan of research was to read the Wikipedia article for background knowledge, then read what the official Scientology website had to say, then what the critics alleged.

Scientology is group of beliefs first created or “discovered” by an American science fiction writer, Ron Hubbard, in 1952. He based his beliefs off a host of previous religions, including Hinduism, where the idea of the theta, the spirit or soul, comes from; Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism among others. These beliefs center around the idea the that thetas are the reincarnating part of the human existence and that they have been around for trillions of years, several hundred times older than the scientific community’s estimate of the age of the universe. The thetas were contained in human bodies by an alien dictator, Xanu, 75 million years ago. These thetas are reincarnated but still carry the suffering and the sins, for lack of a better word, of the previous hosts of the theta.
While I did learn about the beliefs of those who are smitten with Scientology, I also learned much more about their long and notorious relationship with the law and critics of the Church of Scientology. The Church has long maintained that it is a veritable religion, but several governments, including Germany, have not bought into this bunk. These governments maintain that Scientology is a commercial organization, based on their exploitation of their members for money, not a religious group. Another thing the Church is chastised for is their fanatical and venomous attacks on anyone who criticizes the group or uses any of its symbols on the internet or in print. It has brought itself the hate of many organizations for the unnecessary lawsuits filed against almost anyone they can find. To put it more simply, they make extremist Muslim militants look soft in defense of their religion.

This was a worthwhile learning experience because it showed me that no matter how out of it or crazy I may be during my life, there are people who are much more off the deep end than I will ever be. I would recommend researching this to anyone so that people know what a fraud Scientology is.

What are the differences of the afterlife between Judaism and Christianity?
Research via internet

In Judaism the idea of an afterlife is not a specific doctrine but for more orthodox Jews there is a tradition called Gehenna. Gehenna is not considered to be a place like hell, but instead is a place where an individual is judged. The Kabbalah describes it as a "waiting room" for all souls, not just the bad ones. The majority of Jews believe that people are not in Gehenna forever; the longest that one can be there is said to be 11 months, however there has been the occasional noted exception. Some consider it a spiritual forge where the soul is purified for its eventual ascent "The world to come", often viewed as Heaven.
Unlike Judaism, Christianity differs in that there is a defined heaven and hell, and that you spend eternity in either or. For those individuals who have accepted Jesus into their hearts, and have lead a pure and true life, they are sent to the pearly gates of heaven, as it states in the New Testament. For the few who did not accept Jesus they are believed to be sent down to the fiery gates of hell. There they are they will be punished for sin and permanently separated from God after the general resurrection and last judgment.

The question I was exploring was what is the Scientology and what is craze of it all about. I searched the internet and found a few websites like wikipeida and the official church of scientology website about it and it pretty much seemed in general like a mix between the beginnings of scientific belief mixed with like sci-fi novels about aliens. Many officials in many countries have not accepted this as a religion and view it as much more of a cult than a religion. I was surprised to hear that many of the harsh critics of the religions or cult accused it of being a lucrative “business” almost and intimidating it’s members. Also I thought it was interesting that Scientologists strongly disapprove of psychiatry and psychology. Although I guess it makes sense if you think about how humans are brainwashed by the aliens before they were put on earth; they wouldn’t want to “unbrainwash’ people I suppose. One aspect that seemed kind of manipulated by words was that the Church of scientology did not essentially admit that the only wait to have faith is to have blind faith, but they say that the members or followers can experience for themselves. Overall I thought I was a decent thing to read about, but I feel like this has to be the absolute stupidest “religion” ever created. I mean there’s been a pretty big crazy recently about it but I mean I just think it’s ridiculous that aliens brainwashed humans.

What is and what are the major tenets of The Summit Lighthouse?

To research this topic, I went to www.tsl.org.

I chose this topic because Roerick’s family belongs to the religion or cult, which ever you prefer, of The Summit Lighthouse: Teachings of the Ascended Masters. He explained some of it to me, and it sounded very interesting, so I decided to research it. Mark and Elizabeth Claire Prophet established the religion in 1958. The Church believes that the ascended masters speak to the Prophets, (who are therefore, ironically, prophets) who then relay the teachings of the ascended masters to the practitioners. The ascended masters are formerly corporeal spirits that in their former life times fulfilled their dharma, attained good karma, merged with the Christ Conscience, then merged with the I AM THAT I AM, and then become Incorruptible Ones who are permanent atoms in the Body of God, whose Divine Self makes up their past, present, and future, and they therefore dwell in the etheric octave. To complete the aforementioned path, is the goal of any good Summit Lighthouse practitioner. Examples of ascended masters are Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, Confucius, and John Paul II. The first step to ascension is to “clean oneself” via the invocation of the violet flame. A quote from the website about the workings of the violet flame is, “When we invoke the violet flame, it sets up a polarity between the nucleus of the atom and the white-fire core of the flame. The nucleus, being matter, assumes the negative pole; the white-fire core of the violet flame, being Spirit, assumes the positive pole. The interaction between the nucleus of the atom and the light in the violet flame establishes an oscillation. This oscillation dislodges the densities that are trapped between the electrons orbiting the nucleus. As this hardened substance that weighs down the atom is loosened, it is thrown into the violet flame and carried away.
But unlike soap, the violet flame does not simply surround and remove the debris; it transforms it into pure light-energy. Freed of this debris, the electrons begin to move more freely, thus raising our vibration and propelling us into a more spiritual state of being.” One invokes the violet flame by saying the violet flame decree, which starts with, "I AM a being of violet fire! I AM the purity God desires!" After one has clensed oneself, he or she can attempt to unite with the, “I AM THAT I AM,” which is the name for God. In conclusion, the Summit Lighthouse is a new age religion that has combined the teachings of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity, and Zoroastrianism (and then thrown its new, crazy, twist on things.)

I found this to be a worthwhile experience because I got to learn something about a topic I would have otherwise ignored. This short paragraph is kind of confusing and only the basics of the religion, because it is very hard to explain a religion in a paragraph. If anyone is interested in learning more about this religion/cult I would suggest looking at their website because they have a whole bunch of unique philosophies I didn’t get to cover (i.e. that the world was going to end in the mid-eighties, so they own the largest privately owned bomb shelter in the world or that humans used to live on Mars before they ended their life there in a nuclear holocaust.)

Topic: Voodoo
Plan: Research via internet

After listening to a podcast on the history and misconceptions of Voodoo, I decided to research even more on this topic. The practice of voodoo originated in Africa. The word Voodoo means "God Creator or Great Spirit". Everyone knows that in recent times voodoo practices have been greatly distorted. Many relate it to human sacrifices, vampires, and devil worship, all in which is entirely false. Interestingly, Voodoo is a practice that allows its followers/participants to better understand the natural world by use of trances to communicate with spirits.
Aside from the general facts of Voodoo, I found their idea of God to be immensely interesting. The Voodoos believe in the existence of one supreme God. Their portrayal of God seems to be a very abstract, omnipotent yet ambiguous force. Below their God, are Spirits or Loa that rule over the world's affairs and social matters such as family, love, happiness, justice, and health. The chants, traces and offerings are made to the Loa to make certain for success in those areas.
While researching about Voodoo, I found it the history to be really interesting as well. When Africans were shipped to America to be enslaved, they were forcibly converted to Christianity. Interestingly, the there are many practices of voodoo now that incorporate christian rituals.
Overall, I found this topic to be extremely interesting. I think it is important to be aware and know about the different types of religions out there, especially one that has be misconstrued for years. Voodoo is a very interesting subject and I would recommend many others research it as well.

What is the Apostle’s Creed, and where did it come from?

In order to answer my question, I decided to browse the Internet. After consulting a few different sites, I learned that the Apostle’s creed is an early statement or symbol of Christian beliefs. Most branches of Christianity, such as Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Lutherans, use and believe in the Apostle’s Creed. The specifics of the creed seem to have been formed through Gnosticism, otherwise known as an early form of heresy. The Creed exemplifies the apostles’ teachings, and is a defense of the Gospel of Christ. The name of the creed is thought to have been inspired by the twelve apostles. Coincidentally, the Creed is traditionally divided into twelve articles. The Apostle’s Creed is considered to have an early origin, and therefore does not address some issues that are later dictated in the Nicene, as well as other, Christian Creeds. The Creed says nothing about the divinity of Jesus or the Holy Spirit, nor does it address other theological questions that were disputed centuries later. As to the origin of the Creed, there are many hypotheses that concern the date and primary appearance of the Apostle’s Creed. It is believed that it was created directly by the twelve Apostles while inspired by the Holy Spirit. This research was worthwhile to me, because I have pondered this question for a while as the congregation in church would stand and say this creed, or declaration of faith. I have actually always wondered its origin and purpose, so it was a good question for me to research.

How does polygamy affect the Mormon community and the greater community today?

Polygamy is marriage between one man and more than one women. Polygamy was disavowed by the Mormon church or The Church of Jesus Christ of the ladder-day saints in 1890. I did much of my research on the internet by reading articles, browsing through websites and watching lots of videos and brief documentaries on You Tube. Some which were aired on television. Today the church excommunicates any Latter-day Saint who embraces or makes their polygamist marriage known to the community. Polygamy is most commonly associated with the the church of Jesus Chris of the ladder-day saints but is only practiced by Fundamentalist Mormons. Polygamy is more publicly practiced in Utah. However, today the association of polygamy and Mormons has become very controversial. There is a clear distinction of polygamy practice between Ladder-day saints and Fundamentalist Mormons. Today, many leaders of both communities have declared that there is no connection between Fundamentalist Mormons and Ladder-day saints in terms of polygamy. However, it there are sources that state the practice of Polygamy discretely practiced by a very small population of Ladder-day saints, those who speak publicly about their polygamist marriage are immediately subjected to ex-communication. For over one hundred years the Mormon church excommunicated or removed any members preaching or practicing polygamy and continues to do so to this day. Fundamentalist mormons continue to practice polygamy today and individuals such as Warren Jeff and Tom Green are associated with this particular faith. Researching about this interest was definitely worthwhile, I learned a lot about the both faiths, as well as polygamy. While watching documentaries, I was very surprised to see how so many families that practiced polygamy lived normal, happy lives. They all seemed to be very accepting of their marriage and this way of life.