This has been a topic that continues to arise within our social media and religion class for many reasons, but mainly for the simple fact that this issue couldn’t be more prevalent today than ever. So, is diversity and unity mutually exclusive or inclusive.Can they co-exist? I would argue that diversity breeds unity, if fully embraced and understood. I’m curious at what y’all think?
Catching up!
It has been a few days since my last post, and I need to catch y’all up on some ideas that have been bouncing around in my think tank.
Perspective has always been an important word in my life, and context has become equality important especially since joining seminary. I’ve found that we as consumers of media and members of one body have different examples or understanding of context. So i want to talk about context and the perspective we each sit and view from. A great example of context and social media has been conversation between friends and family via Facebook or even email. We have engaged in some fairly deep theological discussions that have taken the conversation from civil to, “we are family so I’m gonna take of the gloves” type of conversation. Once the conversation dissolves peacefully or not, we usually will see each other within a month or so. Almost anticipated, we respire said conversation but find ourselves in a different arena. We nave a new context and perspective to listen, engage and absorb what is being said. We find ourselves not engaging in a unhealthy conversation, but one that promotes theologically stimulating conversation. What changed? Simple, we spoke in person. We didn’t have to interpret the context the other person was coming from, we could feel and see what they were meaning. Social media is beautiful thing if we understand its limitations. Thats all for now.
In Christ,
Alex
The Power of Difference…
It seems one of the major motifs that continues to arise within my Media and Religion class is this idea of diversity, sameness and unification. What is puzzling for me is the idea that we all need to be the same, that we should not focus on our differences but our oneness. I would agree there is power in finding and addressing our similarities, but when we try and ignore our differences we become ignorant to the vast beauty in identify the uniqueness of our creation through God. We each have different experiences that have formed what we will and continue to process the experiences around them.
What if we embraced this oneness through our differences. What if we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable enough to say, “I have not and will not every experience what you have”, because I am a White, heterosexual male and you are not. What if we were not naive to the fact that our differences cause issues in life, and the world. Yet it seems that we desire oneness so much that we ignore our differences, and when a difference pops up and causes us to be uncomfortable we immediately point such differences to a flaw in society. If we would have, from the start addressed these things and called them what they were, we would be years past this bigoted, ignorant, uneducated worldview.
I hope this wasn’t to disconnected in form as I’m still putting together my thoughts on this issue, although I suppose a Blog is perfect vehicle for that.
Until next time,
Alex
The Power of Twitter…For Good or Bad!
One of the assignments for my Media and Religion class yesterday was to experience Chapel here at Luther Seminary in a new way. I was tasked with the challenge to tweeting the experiences I felt, heard and saw, all while trying to actively worship. I will say that it was a very unique experience, one that made me feel less like an active, participating worshiper, and more a observer of what others were experiencing. This experiment has sparked many ideas, feelings and a correlation regarding not only worship, but attention of the “hearer” in every context imaginable. I’ve began to wonder, has the social media age, especially Facebook and twitter taken our ability to actively engage with each other, in a spiritual, fulfilling way and thrown it out the window. My question that has come out of this experience is, how can we as spiritual leaders help foster and environment that encourages and inspires parishioners to be, and stay actively engaged in all forms of worship? To be honest, not just worship but gatherings in general?
More to come….
Here I am..
Well, here we are. What a wonderfully, challenging opportunity to start this blob. At Luther Seminary, in my Religion and Media class we are required to start a blob and to use it as a platform for, well, what I want.
Within this blob, my hope is to tackle many different aspects of religion within the social media realms. I plan to share my opinions, and others, about the vast context of this difficult, yet fascinating topic.
I hope you find this blog to be in some way informative, or helpful in understanding your context within this machine we call media.
Until Next Time,
Alex
A Grasp On LIFE...? 