Good Luck in Hell!

We read the intensely aggressive "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", by Jonathan Edwards, in class this week. This piece depicts the cruel wrath of God and the life waiting ahead if you do not give your soul to God. Although his message is supposed to be ultimately encouraging, a large majority of it still sets an extremely negative and fearful tone. I feel as if Edwards continuously states that if you do one thing wrong or un-approvable by the standards of god, than you are damned to hell. That narrows it down to a very small portion of people who are "acceptable". This relates to the modern religion of the Westboro Baptist Church, which we also discussed in class. Their religion is largely circled around their disapproval, even hate, of homosexuality. This church basically states that people attracted to the same sex are a disgrace and are damned. So, by the combined standards of  Edwards and the Westboro Baptsit Church, we are all going to hell! I personally disagree with that. It is practiced by many different religions that God forgives, in fact that is what many religions are partially based upon. So, if Edwards is considered to be a "self devoted" Christian, than why is he illustrating the wrong message? I understand that during this century the amount of religious behavior was beginning to decay, but I personally believe there could have been a much better method to approach the promotion of God.  In the end, at least his underlying message, if you follow god than you will live in eternal happiness, is understandable. Although, with the Westboro Baptist Church, that is not the case. Take a look at their twitter page: https://twitter.com/WBCSays . I almost find their beliefs humorous because they are so ridiculous and horrifically hateful. They may hold similar qualities with Edwards passage, such as the urgent and threatening tone, but there is literally no redeeming quality with that church.

Stereotypes

During class this week we discussed the topic of stereotypes, and used a section from the writings of Sherman Alexie's Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven. He talked heavily about how Native Americans are constantly given the image of alcoholics, and how it is rather disappointing considering the stereotype is true. But, this is not relevant for all nationalities and social rankings. For example, in the memoir The Glass Castle Jeanette Walls illustrates her clever and educated, homeless family. The Walls family manages to defeat the stereotype of  homelessness by depicting her families extravagant encouragement for education. Walls also breaks the stereotype of "never being able to escape homelessness". Another example more prevalent to Alexie's topic of race includes the current president Barack Obama. He is an African American man leading the United States of America. Commonly African American's are labeled as uneducated, lower class people who live in the cluttered area's of the city. They are also seen as criminals. Obama is an example of many people who in no way possible fit that image. This is one message Alexie is trying to illustrate in his writing. But, he also declares his pride in being Native American, which is something every nationality should carry.

You Can't Hide From Heritage

I personally believe that heritage does have a large impact on the individual person we become. Family members, especially parents, manage to ingrain certain beliefs and opinions into their children's minds. Also, we grow up in certain environments which become familiar and end up stimulating different viewpoints. This concept is especially shown within the memoir The Glass Castle. Although Jeanette Walls escapes the homeless life her parents live, she still carries many common values that her parents portrayed during her childhood. For example, her parents- Rose Mary and Rex Walls- both carry the strong belief that their children should not be coddled. So, Jeannette learned at a young age to become very independent, and she carries that with her as she progresses in age. Also, her parents encouraged hard work, which is demonstrated through Jeannette's overall achievements from education to her overall career. Another example of heritage influence is shown through the historical figure Martin Luther King Jr.. Like his father he grew up to become a Pastor for a baptist church. This depicts the strong emphasis his family had toward religion, and how it influenced him through his choice of career. Also like his father, Martin Luther King Jr. was inspired by reformers. His father named both him self and his son- King Jr.- after the reformer Martin Luther, who was a large figure in the 16th century Protestant  Reformation. While Martin Luther King Jr. was greatly inspired by the works of Mahatma Ghandi. This example also illustrates influence from heritage, and shows that "fighting for what you believe in" was encouraged within the King family. This most likely has a connection to Martin Luther King Jr.'s later achievement. Overall, Individuals may have the ability to stray away from family normality, but in the large picture heritage leaves some form of mark on every individual.