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Representations of religion in the media
Representations of religion in the media
The relationship between religious practices and society
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For this essay, I read articles pertaining to religious food taboos, food in feasts and fasts, and an interview promoting religious pluralism. One article from eNotes.com discusses why certain foods may be taboo, such as unfavorable geographic conditions and societal differences, among others. I feel this will help me explain why some foods are sacred while others are forbidden. Another article on the same site discusses food in religious celebration and observation; feasting and fasting. eNotes advertises itself as a resource used daily buy researchers, teachers, and students; while it has a lot of good information I realize the need to dig even deeper. I read an interview on Dowser, a news site reporting on social innovation, with Eboo Patel by Rebecca Robinson in which Patel discusses promoting religious plurality in America. Patel, who grew up Muslim in the United States, is familiar with faith based tension. In 1998, he founded the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) to promote religious pluralism. In 2009, he was one of 25 advisers selected for President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships as well as being named one of America’s best leaders by U.S. News & World Report. Dowser’s motto is “Who is solving what and how?”(Dowser) In the first article “Taboos” I learned how and why some foods are viewed as forbidden in a religious aspect. The article further explains that many of the reasons behind such taboos boils down to people’s emotional relationships with some animals, and how some foods are viewed as unfit for consumption because they are unknown known to a culture, and how some foods, while not generally allowed, are consumed by those who migrate to other areas. For example, the Muslim relig... ... middle of paper ... ...; I have a plethora of good, yet ultimately useless, for the purpose of this paper, information. I feel if I narrow it down further and focus on two religions, Christianity/Catholic and Islam/Muslim, and compare them in as many ways as I can without drifting to either extreme. My ultimate goal is to provide a paper which develops a yin-yang type philosophy; celebrating similarities and acknowledging and respecting differences. Works Cited Robinson, Rebecca. Interview with Eboo Patel, on promoting religious plurality in America. Dowser, 14 February, 2011. Web. 23 July 2011. "Feasts, Festivals, and Fasts." Encyclopedia of Food & Culture. Ed. Solomon H. Katz. Vol.1. Gale Cengage, 2003. eNotes.com. 2006. Web. 21 Jul, 2011 "Taboos." Encyclopedia of Food & Culture. Ed. Solomon H. Katz. Vol. 3. Gale Cengage, 2003. eNotes.com. 2006. Web 21 Jul, 2011
Around the world it is acceptable to eat certain animals depending on one’s culture. “The French, who love their dogs, sometimes eat their horses. The Spanish, who loves their horses, sometimes eat their cows. The Indians, who love their cows, sometimes eat their dogs” (Foer 604). “Let Them Eat Dog” is an excerpt from Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. The excerpt explains the many benefits to eating dogs and the taboo behind it. The author also uses humor, imagery and emotional appeal to get across to the reader the logic of eating dogs. One chooses to eat meat based on what the culture deems acceptable. Foer questions why culture deems certain animals acceptable to be eaten, and illustrates why it should be acceptable to eat dogs. The
It could be argued that every nation and every ethnic group has its own soul food. But the contemporary connotation of the term "soul food" refers to the gradual blending and developing o...
Lobban, Richard, Jr. (1994, February). Pigs and Their Prohibition. International Journal of Middle East Studies 25(1), 57.
Renard, John. Islam and Christianity: theological themes in comparative perspective. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. Print.
There are many similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There are also many differences that separate the three major religions of the world. This paper will delve into all three of them.
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
Food and eating are two key social and cultural identity indicators that bring people of the same culture closer together. Food and eating are viewed as cultural and social symbols, and deviating from these norms may be harmful to an outsider’s ability to fit in (Crouch & O’Neill, 2000, pp. 182-183; Cornejo Happel, 2012, pp. 175-176). For example, Buddy drinks Coca-Cola directly from the bottle, instead of asking for a glass, which is seen as inappropriate by the family (Berg et al., 2003, 44:01). When Buddy joins Walter’s family for dinner, Buddy asks for maple syrup to put on his meal; the family is taken aback because, in their culture, it is atypical for maple syrup to be put onto spaghetti (44:16). This is normal for Buddy and those of the Elf culture, who believe that “the four main food groups [are] candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup” (44:40). This is seen as strange and repulsive to Americans who, albeit consume sugary foods, try to consume a more balanced diet. Food norms are important to follow in order to fit into a new culture. Even where shared foods across cultures exist, there are often norms around how and when to consume these foods (Cornejo Happel, 2012, pp. 175-176). Instead of bonding over shared food products like maple syrup or Coca-Cola, Buddy alienates himself from his family by the ways in which he consumes these foods. Through adaptation and acculturation, one’s food preferences may change and thus one’s identity may shift (Ishak, Zahari & Othman, 2013, pp. 439-440). If Buddy were to adapt to the local food customs, he may find it easier to fit in with his family and those around
However much Islam and Christianity would seem to share common ground, the discussion is not complete without noting the parallels between this two that have taken center stage. Some of the remarkable differences as they try to answer deep life complexities arise in the areas of religious practices by both their adherents and the clergy (Dorothy 13-28). “There is also a stark contrast to the belief system subscribed to, means of salvation, scriptures”. The most prominent difference present concerns the belief of life after death and practices of depicting the metaphysical
Food is traditionally considered as a simple means of subsistence but has developed to become filled with cultural, psychological, religious, and emotional significance. Consequently, food is currently used as a means of defining shared identities and symbolizes religious and group customs. In the early 17th and 18th centuries, this mere means of subsistence was considered as a class maker but developed to become a symbol of national identity in the 19th centuries. In the United States, food has been influenced by various cultures such as Native American, Latin America, and Asian cultures. Consequently, Americans have constantly Americanized the foods of different cultures to become American foods. The process on how Americans have Americanized different cultures’ foods and reasons for the Americanization is an important topic of discussion.
Although there are many religions in the world that have affected the lives and cultures of many people it is clear that most of the historical developments that have affected the way people now live seem to have been greatly influenced by the three religions with close relationships to each other resulting in being clustered together as the Abrahamic faiths. While there are many differences among the three most populous religions called the Abrahamic faith (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), there are a number of similarities that deserve a closer look. In this article will look at three major similarities. At times there may be more similarities between any two of them but dissimilarity with the third. For instance, on the personality and
In immigrant countries, it hard to distinguish between which foods are truly halal and which may be polluted or haram. There is a thin line between the two. Thus, many modern Muslims have adapted to the western ways and eat food that is not pure or
At the first glance, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common, however; as you go beyond the surface, they appear to have many similarities such as their beliefs of God, their beliefs of life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although are two entirely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true way to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout the course of this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the alikeness between these two growing religions.
The focus of this work is to investigate and explore the link between ethnicity and food, exploring to what extent food mediates and carries ethnicity and nationalism. I will also attempt to analyse how certain practices I witnessed are identity markers. For the purpose of my study I have chosen Hamer Ethiopia, an Ethiopian restaurant in West London. My ethnographic study is based upon participant observation, casual conversation and short interviews due to the language barrier. I have also included photographs in order to record a visual record of the research.
There are a lot of religious and cultural backgrounds around the world, in many movies, not just in horror movies it is shown that certain people of certain religion and cultures have food taboos. For example, in Hindu religion, there are four types of Hindus called the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra. Lord Krishna has used a human body to compare the community. The head represented the Brahmin and the legs, arms and bowls were represented the other three. Brahmins had big food taboo on any meat, fish and eggs.
Despite the long standing tradition of consuming dog meat to deflect the heat of the summer in Southern China, the Yulin Dog Meat festival only began in 2009 where 10000 dogs are slaughtered for this barbarous festival. This brutal event has been condemned by people across the globe. This essay will discuss this issue through the various theoretical perspectives and explain how Ethnocentrism is demonstrated.