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This has personally been one of the most interesting subjects I have taken in university. I feel as though religion had been such a scary topic to approach in my life as I feared being seen as insensitive or unknowledgeable. The readings have brought to light just how varied and complex of a phenomenon religion is that it even amazes me now that such varied beliefs, practices and ways of life can be grouped under the unifying banner of religion. A reading I found particularly interesting was how biomedical technology was viewed by Muslim dialysis patients. This really brought to light how religion cannot be understood as a sole or individual agent or driving factor in one’s life but actually works in conjunction with the other factors that makes one’s life. Reading over my reflections it was interesting to see how the readings began with broad approaches to anthropology and religion to specifics such as the ‘Love Jihad’ reading. I would say around half were completed before class with a few being in the same week and 3 earlier ones being completed more recently. Whilst I am reasonably happy with my work, I recognize that some of it had been rushed. However, in saying that, I think that my reflections to a degree recognized the intention of the reading whilst also pointing out individual statements or moments within the readings that were particularly illuminating to me. In saying that, noting that some of my work was done late I would mark myself between a H2B.

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The theme of this week was how religion and gendered politics interact with the notion of romantic love. The reading used the context of India to demonstrate the complicated nature of interreligious marriage. Gupta demonstrated how such marriages are huge challenges to norms and practices within religious communities. This made me question the role love and marriages play in the maintaining of communities. Does marrying out of one’s community strip them of their membership to that community? What role do children play in the future of the community and how does their possible dual identity impact that? This practice of Muslim men marrying Hindu women was called ‘love jihad’. there is an islamist conspiracy that Muslim men are devising plans for compulsive and deceitful religious conversions by winning over young women. Hindu nationalist groups saw this as an exploitation of Hindu women, painting them as defenceless. Ironically, they entirely have ignored the possibility that such a marriage and/or conversion may be the desire of the Hindu woman. Through the paper i noted how stringently they sought to regulate Hindu woman sexuality. It was evident that agency in woman’s sexuality was not reconcilable in the eyes of Hindu nationalists as they sought to control the female body for desire of maintain the community and effectually ensuring future generations of Hindus to be born.

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This week focused on the way religion interacts with peace efforts. Dragovic begins by acknowledging the ways religion has been used and abused in the name of conquest and the way it has been called upon for peace. Immediately we are shown how multi-faceted religions' correlation with peace is. Through bringing up the cold war, Dragovic insinuates how times of conflict truly question core beliefs as to how religious groups should promote or maintain peace. Dragovic described how in the catholic church fundamental questions such as what was the Christian view on peace, is passivism the only approach or are there circumstances where military action is justifiable? A particular view on peace is that is was not the absence of war but rather the enterprise of justice. for many leaders in Islam, the post second world war period was characterized by a fight against colonialism. There was a fundamentalist revival in Islam that understood peace as being attainable through justice achieved through jihad. This made me question how much religious jurisprudence about achieving peace is reliant on the context where the interpretation is being made. Essentially whether fighting for peace is actually more essential to Islam or whether it is the circumstances that Islam has been in that has created such interpretations of religious texts. Essentially the idea of violence breeds violence. Many Muslim communities have found themselves in rough and degrading positions around the world. Through understanding peace in a religious context, it also has allowed me to gain a greater understanding of perhaps why violence may be preferred to peace or the fact that some individuals don’t see them as entirely separate at all. Many groups may in fact see violence as a means toward achieving peace. This was highlighted when Dragovic wrote how religious peacebuilding is reliant on faith leaders who interpret their faith within the specific context.

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This week the theme of the reading was how religious ceremonies surrounding death may change or shift due to technological advancements or opportunities. Gould in her article talks specifically about the batsudan, a religious altar in Japan to commemorate and memorialize the dead. batsudan serve the spiritual purpose of transmogrifying recently dead kin into more enlightened beings, also a site were individual character of the deceased is preserved, allowing the living to talk to a maintain an intimate connection with loved ones. Despite however being an important tradition within Japan, batsudans within urban areas have dropped half in the past 50 years. As temples in Japan fight to remain relevant, many have turned to technology to reach a wider audience. Interestingly this made me question how essential it is for religious services to be held in person. What does removing a physical presence detract from one's spiritual connection and/or tradition? Many of these questions about technology replicating religious tradition were also applied to new technologically produced and displayed batsudans. The scent, light and sound of the batsudan may be essential elements in people's encounters with dead ones. Is digital media even fit to memorialize the dead? Religious leaders aiming to remain relevant may see technology as an opportunity. How do religious leaders and community members respond to innovations in technology and religion when it was not traditionally present within religion. I know within certain Islamic interpretations, bida or innovation is seen as religiously wrong. Do these innovations also include technology? Particularly in a post covid world it will be interesting to witness whether religion will utilize technology to remain relevant in an increasingly technologized world.

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This week's reading focused on how biomedical technology interacts with individuals' religious views and practices. The reading took place in a hospital in Egypt, specifically in a ward for dialysis patients. Immediately we are shown the notion, even by doctors, that fundamentalist Muslims are painted as being fatalistic. This is further supported by a false religious opposition to science narrative. Hamdy was however quick to dispel any such notions. He stated that internalized orientalist tropes have obscured such debates of organ transplantation within Egypt. This made me question what then are the main motivators in religious individuals for receiving or denying medical assistance? Is it always about what they believe is religiously correct, or is it more complex than that? Interestingly was where individuals drew the line for the acceptability of biotechnology. Ali and Muhammad both saw dialysis as acceptable even when they didn’t perceive transplantation to be as such. This is despite clear risks of dialysis such as HIV and hepatitis. Ali saw the illness as a test from God. What made the case even more complex was that many religious scholars were claiming such transplantation to be religiously permissible. This is indicative that the factors that impact people's decisions are complex and mingled as well as ever changing. This is made more complex as individuals try to cultivate themselves within this imposition of God’s will. This reading brought up some important concepts around why religious people act the way they do. In a completely reductionist lens individuals could say that all motivators are religious. However, this reading shows a different image. Whilst religion most definitely did impact the ways in which Ali and Muhammad received and accepted medical treatment it also largely depended on other factors as well. A large factor to this was even just the accessibility or availability for the transplant.

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The reading for week 5 sought to understand gender impact on religious practice. Woodhead posed the question of why women outnumber men at a ratio of 3 to 2 in the church. This made me question, is church more appealing to women? Or do religious values and its continuation traditionally fall upon the responsibility of women? It is brought to light that god is spoken of in overwhelmingly male language, despite god being sexless. This male bias is further shown through the idea that Adam was created first and Eve then through his rib. This creates an implication that it is only man that is created in God’s image and females are secondary to this. Woodhead posits that Christianity benefits men by placing men on the strongest possible foundation, the image of men is reflected back on god himself. This however does not explain as to why women are more likely to be found in church. Much of this language is based off binaries and dualism. It is these very same binaries that maintain and support inequality. an asymmetrical relationship between men and women. Men are called for authoritative teaching and over sight and women are called for ‘intelligent subordination’. Woodhead states that church can provide women with a familiar space and a space to gather within the bounds of societal norms. However, this still does not provide adequate explanation for ratio difference. The only other idea I could possibly suggest is that age may play a part in this as women often live longer than men.

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Menning in his article, posits the idea that ritual is needed to mourn environmental losses. Menning notes that grieving rituals are so culturally rich in mourning people’s death. This then becomes concerning when noting the lack of such practice for environmental losses. Menning states this is all the more important with environmental loss for it is not just what has been lost, but also what has been destroyed and how we may have played a part in this destruction. when one feels complicit, guilt entwines with sorrow, complicating the grieving process. Menning states that rituals surrounding loss of nature will help with grieving and healing. healing is not the restoration of the way that things once were but rather the reorientation of a relatively secure way of life in the absence of what once was. Menning then discusses grieving process in different cultures and how we can learn from these to expand our imaginative capacity in developing mourning rituals. He first speaks on Dagaras funeral rights. He notes the Dagaras focus on grief and how they believe sorrow is necessary for the soul to transcend. Menning states that -insight that weeping nurtures intimacy, tears open up the soul to an honest and deep reckoning as to who one really is. This may help assist in inviting introspection. Then turning to Tibetan Buddhist rituals, Menning notes how sky burials allow for strong ritual to assist in detachment of the physical/ material of what has been lost. Finally focusing on the Shia Ashura rites he states that it provides a model for repentant and redemptive rite that transforms the guilt associated with past inaction into present activism to meet present and future ecological needs. Through the exploration of four very varied sources of mourning, Menning was able to discuss important ways in which we can incorporate these practices and metaphors associated into an establishment of a new ritual for mourning environmental losses, interestingly, Menning believes that such a mourning should have a set ritual. Earlier on in the piece she speaks about the importance of ritual in times of grief and confusion and how they allow us to focus our sorrow. This reading brought up a lot of interesting questions for me. Why aren’t there already rituals for environmental loss? Why is loss of human viewed as more important than loss of environment? Should death of environment and death of person be viewed in similar ways or should the way in which its remembered and mourned be distinct from one another?

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This week focused on first people’s spirituality. Deverell notes that spirituality is a much-contested term. It normally encompasses a special type of personal or private experience by which the spirit within engages with a mystical and other worldly realm. However, Deverell contends that aboriginal spirituality in a way is more mundane, for Aboriginals, spirituality is about the most basic building blocks of life: country, kin and practice of ritual storytelling, that weaves past present and future together. It is therefore not presented as something separate from physical reality but something deeply woven within it. Understood as a way of life, the fundamental basis of this spirituality is connection with the land of their ancestors. Interestingly, Deverell posits that the land can be understood as somewhat of a sacred text for indigenous peoples. This acts as a connection to past generations as lore is passed down almost like a rite of passage. Deverell notes that moving indigenous peoples from the sources that sustained their spirituality can have crushing effects on their health and wellbeing. Deverell goes onto explain the way religions are a process of interpretation and re-interpretation. This brought up questions about how Christianity can be adapted to indigenous practices and whether there is possibility for blend without it being seen as sac-religious. Deverell suggested a possible way this could be done was by using incense and aromas from the Australian bush in rites of confession and healing. I believe at the heart of this blend is Deverell’s idea that religion needs to be adaptable and relatable to those practicing it. Aboriginals attempting to practice European forms of Christianity may make them feel separated from their own sources of spirituality. Therefore this makes it very important to find a way to reconcile both.

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This week’s reading focused on religions commonalities and more importantly its differences. Pascal suggested that Our minds are prepared because natural selection gave us particular mental predispositions, this means human minds can easily acquire a certain range of religious notions. Interestingly I wondered what exactly is a predisposition to understand religious notions if religious concepts globally are so wide and varied. I felt as if religion is difficult to draw generalization. However, pascal wrote that Most accounts on the origin of religion emphasize one of the following suggestions: human minds demand explanations, human hearts seek comfort, human society requires rules and order, human intellect is illusion prone which then accounts for why religion exists. author is careful to note that the acquisition of certain religious notions does not mean that all religions are the same and points out many differences and inconsistencies amount different religions and even within the same religion. I thought her conclusion was great where she stated that ‘when putting forward general explanations of religion, we had better make sure they apply outside our parish’. Concepts such as salvation which are so central in Abrahamic religions may not be present in others. I personally recognize that most of my conceptions about religion are central around Abrahamic faiths therefore when i think of religion ideas of monotheistic, individual salvation-based religion comes to mind. However, Pascals reading really brought to light just how varied religion is and can be. Even the idea that official religion is not the whole of religion is an interesting one. It highlights how easily religion can be generalized. I think what I drew the most from pascals reading is that whilst it is important to recognize similarities within religious origin, this should not be mistaken and applied by generalizing across religious practice and doing so is counterproductive.

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This week's reading and introduction to the subject discussed how anthropology is applied to religion. Bowen began by bringing up a case of local muslims attempting to build a mosque in tennessee. There were many non muslim groups for an against the building of the mosque. Through showing this example Bowen illustrates how contentious religion can be, especially in multireligious contexts. This made me question, what is it about religion that drives fear within people? Is it simply fear of the unknown? Misrepresentation? Bowen states that there needs to be a sense of immediacy in understanding the role religion does and doesn’t play in public life. Bowen makes an important point that the issue arises in conflict such as the breakup of Yugoslavia. After displaying the importance of understanding religion, Bowen then attempted to provide a definition. Whilst he said that he believes that no hard and fast definition of religion is needed, he believed religion to be an ‘ever-changing complex of beliefs, practices and social institutions’. An interesting point that he brought up is that what we call religion may vary from one society to another. Bowen ultimately states that ‘religion is a complex, lived phenomenon and therefore cannot be understood through solely reading religious texts’. Anthropological approach involved long term knowledge of people through which they learn local perspectives and looking for connections across different areas and fields. A really pressing issue that this reading brought up for me is how someone could seek to understand religion through an anthropological context without bias. I feel as if going into a community, no matter how much you attempt to be unbiased, there will always be some pre conceived nations about said religious group. How would this effect the way an anthropologist receives and understands the phenomena occurring around them and would it potentially blind them to developments outside of those preconceived notions?