Analysis Of Meredith B. Mcguire's Essay Why Bodies Matter

Reading through Chapters 9 and 10, I thought it might be appropriate to integrate some information from the Hindu theology. In her essay: Why Bodies Matter, Meredith B. McGuire mentions how food and its consumption can be a spiritual practice. Further, how preparing and eating food within the “black Pentecostal church” is considered as a religious and spiritual expression. The actions point to the love of togetherness that can be perceived among this community. Shifting the conversation to how the two couples used Buddhist practices as an expression of spirituality, one is reminded of the thought behind the mindfulness of preparing food and eating it together. Two thoughts come to my mind when I reflect on the reasons for “a near-meditative

experience”: first that Hinduism depicts a communal culture, the Vedic period, second, according to an online article, the three special ideas stated as “forces that influence food’s nutrition” are related to purity of the chef, vessels and the ingredients. This further leads me to claim that the act of spirituality is somewhat related to the perception of meeting God in disguise. This is to state that a woman in the Hindu tradition is considered a lakhshmi, one in whom the goddess of purity resides. I am adamant to support this claim on the cultural qualification for an Indian woman to getting married. She is supposed to professionally learn how to dance, sing as well as cook good food. Why is that so? I believe because she is the pure chef as well as the Lakshmi who is pure and in return also responsible for the purity of others- others are able to experience the spiritual and meditative experience because of her.
Using the reference of religious rituals, I am reminded of the misuse of it.

Whether it is tithing or donations in the form of charity, either individuals or churches tend to have a show off attitude. Some non-denominational churches in Pakistan often publicly announce the number of donations that parishioners have made during a certain week or month while mentioning the amount as well as the cause of donation. I consider that as a misuse of the ritual of tithing and charity. On a separate note, I have experienced Pakistani Muslims to publicize their pilgrimage experiences, Umrah and Hajj, to show off their wealth. In a similar way, the animal sacrifices among the Pakistani Muslims is misused to show off their wealth among friends, relatives and neighbors. The larger the size of the animal they sacrifice, the larger is the number of blessings perceived. On another level, the religious festival of pongala among the Hindus is often used to torture young boys for this ritual. In a recent interview, a female police officer highlighted the degree of pain and torture these boys suffer that is not required in their faith or the religious ritual itself. Looking at the stock images of this ritual raised a lot of sociological, political and theological questions. Human bodies are the source of carrying out certain religious rituals and practices that tend to grant connection with the divine. This suggests that the concept of spirituality is of course either understood differently or

is misunderstood on purpose, for selfish means. Humans also tend to lean toward practices that provide them with a blessing or benefit in some way. I am curious to question if the misuse of religious rituals would offer a curse than a blessing, for one’s sincerity should be involved in the ritual of a practice that seems rational and not damage any human body or torment any soul. Using a parallel context, it is good to be reminded of some rituals practiced by some Christians who carry out the scene of passion of Christ, Jesus carrying the cross and then hanging on the cross for few hours. The biblical text does not require Christians to perform Jesus’ crucifixion scene. It is humans who romanticize the painful actions involved in religious rituals perceiving them as spiritual.

Reading through Chapters 9 and 10, I thought it might be appropriate to integrate some information from the Hindu theology. In her essay: Why Bodies Matter, Meredith B. McGuire mentions how food and its consumption can be a spiritual practice. Further, how preparing and eating food within the “black Pentecostal church” is considered as a religious and spiritual expression. The actions point to the love of togetherness that can be perceived among this community. Shifting the conversation to how the two couples used Buddhist practices as an expression of spirituality, one is reminded of the thought behind the mindfulness of preparing food and eating it together. Two thoughts come to my mind when I reflect on the reasons for “a near-meditative experience”: first that Hinduism depicts a communal culture, the Vedic period, second, according to an online article, the three special ideas stated as “forces that influence food’s nutrition” are related to purity of the chef, vessels and the ingredients. This further leads me to claim that the act of spirituality is somewhat related to the perception of meeting God in disguise. This is to state that a woman in the Hindu tradition is considered a lakhshmi, one in whom the goddess of purity resides. I am adamant to support this claim on the cultural qualification for an Indian woman to getting married. She is supposed to professionally learn how to dance, sing as well as cook good food. Why is that so? I believe because she is the pure chef as well as the Lakshmi who is pure and in return also responsible for the purity of others- others are able to experience the spiritual and meditative experience because of her.
Using the reference of religious rituals, I am reminded of the misuse of it.

Whether it is tithing or donations in the form of charity, either individuals or churches tend to have a show off attitude. Some non-denominational churches in Pakistan often publicly announce the number of donations that parishioners have made during a certain week or month while mentioning the amount as well as the cause of donation. I consider that as a misuse of the ritual of tithing and charity. On a separate note, I have experienced Pakistani Muslims to publicize their pilgrimage experiences, Umrah and Hajj, to show off their wealth. In a similar way, the animal sacrifices among the Pakistani Muslims is misused to show off their wealth among friends, relatives and neighbors. The larger the size of the animal they sacrifice, the larger is the number of blessings perceived. On another level, the religious festival of pongala among the Hindus is often used to torture young boys for this ritual. In a recent interview, a female police officer highlighted the degree of pain and torture these boys suffer that is not required in their faith or the religious ritual itself. Looking at the stock images of this ritual raised a lot of sociological, political and theological questions. Human bodies are the source of carrying out certain religious rituals and practices that tend to grant connection with the divine. This suggests that the concept of spirituality is of course either understood differently or

is misunderstood on purpose, for selfish means. Humans also tend to lean toward practices that provide them with a blessing or benefit in some way. I am curious to question if the misuse of religious rituals would offer a curse than a blessing, for one’s sincerity should be involved in the ritual of a practice that seems rational and not damage any human body or torment any soul. Using a parallel context, it is good to be reminded of some rituals practiced by some Christians who carry out the scene of passion of Christ, Jesus carrying the cross and then hanging on the cross for few hours. The biblical text does not require Christians to perform Jesus’ crucifixion scene. It is humans who romanticize the painful actions involved in religious rituals perceiving them as spiritual.