# data[].attributes.body
Our experiences are all proven by a specific rule. We think that something is red not because we know that it is red and we see that it is red, but that someone told us that it was red. We all have a world in common from the unspoken rules or the "laws" that exist and become things that most people follow. Our reality encounters a geometry of experiences. There are things in life that have to proven to be able to exist. This makes me think of the proof that I did back in high school in geometry, doing the proof with the several steps that had to be taken just to makes sense of the problem. There were rules that you had to follow to be able to finish the proof. We have things in common with everyone because we follow the rules that have be "set into place" indirectly. This makes me think of the means girls scene where Kate is talking about the limit at the very end of the movie, where she knows the answer and the answer is the limit does not exist. If something doesn't happen and if there are not rules that take place, then it cant exist and we can have that experience. I have attached the exact scene from the movie "Mean Girls" that helps me think through this concept.

Film and religious traditions that are associated back to our own individual meaning. As a society we assign symbols a value or a meaning, aka a integration of that symbol that has some meaning to our culture. Thee are social norms within a culture from the tradition and the language.

Why is it that there are unspoken things in society that we have that makes things make sense?

How do you tell what those laws are if maybe you aren't used to this culture and society?

what makes something a social norm that gets symbolized in our cultures?

# data[].attributes.headline
Relationship between Religion and Culture

# data[].attributes.subject
Relationship between Religion and Culture

# data[].attributes.body
The video that was presented to us which was talking about religion and the connection it makes with culture. There is a sense of togetherness when it come to religion and culture. There was something that was said within our discussion where one can not exist without the other. Which I think is a great way to explain the relationship between the two. There is a sense through cultures that bring people together, like the painting and the architecture of the history of religion they bring together the community to share their beliefs. Religion needs to change to adapt to modernity. While culture is the set in stone traditions that are attached to a certain religion. The culture is something that doesn't naturally change. It is something you take from the history that you know fro your religion, which is why there is a connection between the two. You can't have the traditions like Christmas and Hanukkah without the religious background that drew from the culture of the religion. We celebrate things that we grew up with because of our religion and the culture and tradition that surrounds it. When gathering around at the church for the holidays or even just sharing the belief of you religions with others helps create the togetherness of cultures and religion. Culture has a web of tradition, that web fro authorities that have put these cultures in dominant recognition. I have attached a video that shows different cultures and how they get married. This shows that the traditions differ from culture to culture. They show the involvement with the community in the traditions and rituals that take place on a special day like your wedding day.

Who has the power to dictate religion?

Why is it that society gives our opinions authority?

In what ways can culture draw a connection to religion and how do people show the connection?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Wedding Traditions Look Like Around The World

# data[].attributes.body
We watched a video of the daughters song, throughout the video there were a lot of connection toward culture and religion. The video that was played made me think about the family traditions that my family has in place. Something that my family and I do is we would eat dinner together every night for family dinner. When I used to tell my friends that I had to be home for dinner they were like why?, and I didn't realize that family dinner every night wasn't a normal thing that my friends and community did. They thought that the family dinner was do weird and they never did that. This shows that not everyone shares a tradition, since everyone comes from a different culture that has different tradition that has different rituals. This sounds makes me think about my family the connection that we have and the fact that we have very strict traditions that we follow every year. Things such as who host what holiday it is the same every year. Our Sunday family gatherings with our grandparents. Going to church on holidays and on Sunday, which I have a attached a photo of my sisters and I after ash Wednesday this year!

What does each ritual really mean in the retrospect of each culture?

What sort of practices are considered rituals within a certain culture?

What makes the rituals so special within that culture?

# data[].attributes.body
To me a symbol shows a representation of what is significant in their lives that hold meaning. Things that have a deeper meaning then what it might perceive to others. Context is important to the symbols that we analyze today. One thing could mean something to someone and mean something totally different to someone else. Symbols hold a lot of power. Our society is the thing that gives symbols so much power and meaning. Without power they are just things that have no significance. Symbols can give you a certain feeling, but everyone has different feelings toward the symbol and they express it differently. There are things that are attached to a symbols that society attaches to a particular symbol, which gives it its meaning in some eyes. There are some symbols that some do not know the significance or the meaning just because of where you come from or where you are brought up which can bring a certain significance to some symbols.

The song that I have attached to the journal is a symbol, a symbol in words that reminds me of the women that I want to be one day. My mom, there was a day I was in the car with my mom and this song came on, right when I was about to skip the song she said stop I like this song, and we listened to the whole song. It recently just came on on the radio and now I put it on every time I get in the car, because it makes me think of my beautiful, strong, wonderful, amazing, smart mom who I dearly look up to and want to be one day.

What can make symbols so individual?

How can symbols be represented in a positive and negative way?

What kind of power is held within symbols?

# data[].attributes.body
Mystery makes us dive into a meaningful seeking understanding. We want to understand the world around us. When we don't understand or when the world resists are meaning then we fall into the absurd. We have an awareness and connection to the wholly other which is part of the profound mysteries that underline everything.There are things that are just a mystery, mystical entanglement behind things that are unexplainable.

The unknowing becomes the experience. Life has a dark core, and goes into a deeper meaning behind a human being and the life that we live and the lens that we wear. The way we perceive the world is all different but that limits are perception of others and identities of others. There are passions that drive people. You follow your passions and the things that you want to do. Very elemental very human.

Everything is connected, in a very concrete and direct way. Through our hearts and the iron in our hearts from the stars that are made throughout the galaxies. Breathe and the organisms that builds up oxygen that we breathe all interconnects us that formed the ozone layer which today is called chloroplasts which is a key feature for plants to breathe so that we can breathe. Our breath was someone else's breath. Lastly the mind, and the palette of being. Our minds are stuck on the things that we already know. we can paint with the invented beings that reflect upon our life, and we have the ability to invent our own color to paint with. We can all expand the pallet of being for the generations after ours.

We as people are entangled and connected even though we seem like a very insignificant part of the universe, since we seem so small and little in the vast majority of things. We are always oriented to others and the relationships that we make with others.

What makes relationships so mystical in one another's lives?

What is the importance of our interconnectedness as humans?

What is your own definition of the pallet of beings? Why is it so significant that we are interconnected?

What makes relationships such an important role in our lives?

# data[].attributes.body
Culture builds and makes religion. Truth and facts are the framework for religion and the interpretation of the things. Some interpretations are better than others. In order to get to the truth you have to speak it, and you have to have the ability to think about what the truth is. Truth is connected with reality. When you think about truth you have to have an open mind. You have to disregard the limitations that you think are in place. The image I have attached is an image that is a framework of a house that represents the framework for interpretation.

Truth is something that gets mixed up a lot. Everyone thinks that they know the truth, when they are all different truths. Truth brings out the big questions of life like:

Who am I?

What is this all about?

What is the point of all this?

We put ourselves in harm's way for love?

These are questions that are questions that do not really have a definite answer. I really like how the slide expressed this concept.

What framework does the interpretation of religion form?

What truth is there for big questions?

# data[].attributes.body
We talked about the secular and the religious, and how Caputo has so much intricate meaning behind the words he uses through his book. We discussed what we thought about the chapter, honestly I didn't relay much from reading the chapter. The material to me seemed a bit confusing on what he was trying to say and the point that he was trying to get across.

We later then discussed Modernity. The changing of society and religion. With the change in society religion need to change with it. The evolved society believes in things that may not have be a norm. The social norms within our culture have had a drastic change. They have changed for the better some would say, but our religious beliefs have stayed the same. With the evolved society and culture religion should evolve with it. Modernity is expressed with absolute truth.

We talked about the absolutism and relativism. Relativism referring to the fact of anything can go. I have my facts and you have yours. Absolutism referring to there being an absolute truth.

The photo that I have attached is a photo of a dress that some people said was white and gold and other people said that it was blue and black. This represent people believe and perceiving things differently.

We also discussed religious fundamentalism. The fundamentals of religions re very strict. This kinds goes back to the changing society and that fact that religion does not change with the culture.

What makes something a pure and absolute fact?

Is there a way to make changes to religion fundamentals referring to the change with the society?

What do the different age of the post refer to and mean?

# data[].attributes.body
Theory and practice, reminds me of trail and error. You have to have attempt it to learn that it is not the right way. Mistakes are how we learn, how we change our ways. We have a theory then we practice that theory and change what we believe maybe make it better. With the theory and practice, there are many different types of theory and practice. There are different contexts in which these practices perform such as, Integration of Theory and Practice

Action-Informed Reflection

Transformative Process

Social and Cultural Context

Critical Engagement

Empowerment and Liberation

Listed above are the multiples ways of integrating theory and practice. Theory and practice makes me think of trial and error, when we think about life. We try the things that may solve our problems, and then when we don't solve the problem, we know that was not the right was to approach. Depending the on the circumstances, and the conditions will determine the way that you integrate theology and religion.

Under what conditions do you use which strategy of integrating theology?

What makes these strategies different from one another when you are looking at the final answer?

what is the meaning behind theory and practice?

# data[].attributes.body
There isn't a true meaning behind religion. Not one definition is the right definition. The origin of religion is different from the meaning of religion. There is a way of determinate and indeterminate religions. A determinate religion appointing to the by the book religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam. Indeterminate religion meaning the basic structure of human experience, the things that are actually happening within the human experience. There is a broad and narrow view of religion that are directly proportional to the determinate and indeterminate religions. Thinking about the narrow view of religion it makes me think of my religion which is Catholicism. Studying Catholicism is tied back to the bible which makes me think of the bible during this lesson.

There are many elements within the study of religion that are key elements. The key elements are about the ways of understanding the studying of religion. The elements are Historical Context, Cultural Impact, Theological Inquiry, Comparative Approach, Anthropological Perspective, Textual Analysis, Psychological Studies, Sociological Examination, Critical Thinking, and Interdisciplinary Nature. We can be able to analyze the texts which help further the deeper the understanding through different techniques.

We study theology which is the faith seeking understanding. We can conceptualize theology in different ways that are surrounding by the questions that you do not know the answers to.

In what ways can we further our learning about theology and religion with the key elements that have been previously described?

What are some religions that are indeterminate religions that are a more broad way of studying religion?

Why is there a difference in religion definitions?

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
What religion means to the world, in many ways

# data[].attributes.body
Introduction to the course and the instructor:

What is religion to you?The higher power that we believe in, the things that has all the answers to the questions that can't be answered. The seeking power of understanding.

What gives religion value, it is different in everybody's eyes, which is what gives it the most value. With religion you have to be true and persistent. People have a certain point of commitment at which they practice their religion.

Axiology is the study of value and what individuals consider valuable.

Everyone's views are contingent upon the "lens" you wear. The way we see the world is different. Everyone has a different perspective and outlook on everything. Which makes us think about the facts of the world.

What is your definition of religion?

Why is religion different in everyones eyes?

Is there a true meaning behind the real definition of religion?