Religion and Spirituality By; Maka K. Taylor

 I remember hearing a saying that stated, “Religion is for people who're afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who've already been there.” (Vine Deloria-Native American Wisdom).  Although I cannot locate an original author, the sentiment displayed via the words and the source I cyber located; cause the paradox to be a a viable topic of compare and contrast. The three key words here are “religion”, “Spirituality”, and “hell”. Each of the prefaced words requires definition and context of thought. 

Through the eyes and information of Basil Davidson, acclaimed writer and renowned Afrikan historian; I was introduced to the documentary “The Bible and the Gun" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAK5gYRmfII  (1984). I became educated on the Manguay Pass, the penetration of the interior of Afrika, and the British colonizers’ religious objective; via the missionary, for the Afrikan.  Missionaries documented “as recently as the 1960’s”; state the disregard for the “ju-ju” god of the Afrikan. Missionaries believed that” they alone could save the Afrikan from the spiritual degradation in which he existed.”  It was documented that a missionary constituent advocated against any expedition that would cause “its’ leader to require brute force daily”...“If the gospel message was to be accepted.  The spiritual beliefs which formed the foundation of Afrikan community life had to be drained of their power and effectively destroyed ----renounce their beliefs, forget their ancestor and discard the very fabric of their culture...”

                The denotative for” Spirit”, in the Mirriam Webster dictionary——an animating or vital principle held to give life to organisms; or; temper or disposition of mind or outlook especially when vigorous or animated and finally; the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person. I would be remiss if I failed to cite also “the activating or essential principle influencing a person.” The defined spirit is physically intangible, however; it is a very present “essence” in its’ behavior and outcome(s).

Spirit is a seemingly very relevant faction to/of the being of an individual, community or purpose.  Although spirit is not readily identified in a physical nature; it is defined.  In reviewing the manner in which religion was conveyed to the Afrikan---in contrast to the innate, spiritually defined connection the pre colonized Afrikan worshipped/served their God.  It is questionable whether the offering of religion to the Afrikan was that of a malevolent benefactor.   “The Bible and the Gun”, to say the least, was a physically aggressive approach of indoctrination that quotably caused the Afrikan to “disregard the very fabric of their culture”.  The comparison lies within the missionary objective to free and connect the Afrikan; and the ultimate enslavement of the culturally separated Afrikan.

Religion as defined by the Mirriam Webster dictionary states that “religion is the service or worship of God or the supernatural: commitment or devotion to religious faith or worship”. Religion is also defined as:” a personal set or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices or a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor faith”; and the final denotative for the word religion: "scrupulous conformity.”

Religion of the Afrikan before the British Colonization could be perceived to have been that of spirituality. The Afrikan could be perceived to have worshipped in a manner involving a deep connection to an ultimate source with allowance granting credence to various deities who carried out daily functions for life and livelihood associated with the Afrikan. The ultimatum of “The Bible and the Gun” worked to remove the very essence of worship of the Afrikan.

Hell is defined as; “a place or state of misery, torment, or wickedness”  “a place or state of turmoil or destruction.” The place defined as hell is relevant to the placement of the inferior subject within this essay, of which the choice is yours.                                                           

“The Bible and the Gun” or the spirit involved in the processing; proved to be a formidable comparison.  In the opening of this paper I quoted Native American Wisdom, it would seem that hell; as defined, could plausibly be the result of an ultimatum between “The Bible and the Gun”. Questions left to beg as a result of such a process could be; “What is the result of a culture stripped of indigenous worship?”  “Does he who is/was capable of such an act, have hell in his heart?”  It would be a plausible conclusion that the worship of the Afrikan before the colonization---served to maintain the spirit; in their own unique application of life to living. It would also be likely to assume, that despite the intentions of the missionary; based on referenced material, the loss of “culture” is an interest of compare and contrast. The affect of the Afrikan colonized by the British; missioned to “save the Afrikan from the spiritual degradation in which he existed”; is arguable as to the outcome; for either side.

DEDICATION SUPERCEDES WESTERN INDOCTRINATION (aka education)

I wrote the following paper while I was a student at a hegher learnign institute. At the time of the writing, I had not required any further validation; beacause I was sure of my intention via my words. As time has continued I have found veritable proof that the basis of my paper is in fact; at the very least; worth a gander for the self. Dedication vs. Education is as follows.

This is a non-fiction compare and contrast paper. I wrote this paper because I found myself questioning dissenting information about history. In the paper I state that I AM an avid student of life, history and culture---I have not found my research to be consistent with the doctrines of the Institution(s) of Education .

I believe this is relevant to the Arts because if the Institute of Education  is inherently flawed and the pillars of information are lies and spin—one has to ask…What is the propeadeutic education an individual really receives behind the walls of school----I think the Institute should be brought into question and held under definitive cultural scrutiny. So I submit my collegiate paper. Dedication or Education.

 
 

 

Dedication or Education

Maka K. Taylor

          English 121

Tia Stubbs

October 15, 2012

 

 

                                       I graduated in 1996, I am 34 years old and I am a returning student. My choice to return to school is not an orthodox one. I am a returning student for supplemental income while I raise and educate my children. The choice as a byproduct lies in the balance between desire, passion and purpose. This causes my choice to become a student bittersweet; I enjoy learning and various learning environment, I am not content with conventional education and have acquired a true and valid disdain for the institution. Addressing my academic journey from a commercially academic, undisclosed, historic perspective may give more insight into my current challenge with academia. To this end I have lackadaisically committed myself to formal education since the winter of 2009, yet, I am a third year freshman. In this essay I will explore education in opposition to dedication and share a historic point that challenges my ability to trust academic curriculum(s). The text will peer into my professional background and relate my understanding of education and review potential scenarios where education (or necessity thereof) actually proved(s) to be a barrier in my professional career development.

                                                  To say the very least higher education has not withstood my research in the subjects of history, health, or professional application of acquired knowledge. I am an avid study of history in relationship to current social conditions, specifically in the area of Afrikkans in amerikka or the politically correct coined African American(Melanated Majority). Nine years ago I found myself engulfed in a dedicated search to unearth myself which led me to pre slave afrikans and the Kingdoms they produced. This dedication led me to a greater understanding of myself and education; or lack thereof. I found that my entire learning career had been based in an automated, tunnel vision, cookie cutter approach to map my life. The education I had received would prove to pale in comparison to the depth, psychosocial understanding, and practical application of the dedicated study I endeavored on my own accord. The facts of  history have been gravely  misconstrued or misrepresented. You choose which is which.

                                                   The current accepted curriculum on civilization is that greek and european culture civilized civilization----I ask how? The current consensus is that we all derive from “Mitochondrial Eve” (sciencedaily.com). If the greeks civilized society then european remains should have been found, or at the very least excavated from the same general area, and dated as the earliest human beings. It is seemingly implausible to correlate greeks and their hand in civilization without corroborating physical evidence. If the Europeans had been the earliest civilizer of society then those should be the earliest remains found. However, based on the curriculum of Western Civilization(University of Phoenix) ---I am led to believe that even though the earliest human remains found are African (and a woman), and despite (discount) the plausible conclusion that civilizations existed prior to the european colonizing; which would ultimately suggest that Afrikan society had bustling civilization long before the european came to power. That, he, the greek;, civilized civilization. Bullox. This is one discrepancy, there are far too many to cite in two pages of writing.

                                                    These facts are pertinent in assisting me to demonstrate my challenge with conventional education. I have 15 years of professional work under my belt---including a Program Director and Director of Marketing position I held years back. My bottom line is I have skills, professional skills that cannot even be learned in any institution, or acquired by osmosis of mirroring; yet by this society’s standards; I am not educated.  To add insult to injury, not only am I not educated, I need this facility or one of equal accreditation to tell me when I become educated. Bullox. I know this is the typical route for most of the population, but for a small percentage of western civilization, there is an innate drive to be dedicated and the dedication is driven by individual purpose which is propelled by purpose specific education creating a whole being utilizing whole education.  Which will use the content of my text and not take points off for improper formatting---