Peter Berger's The Sacred Canopy

Mesa Verde is most well known for its cliff dwellings found in the sandstone of its dynamic landscape. The Mesa Verde National park was originally established for the main purpose of preserving these very same archaeological sites. Without the geology of the area these dwellings might never have come to be, or preserved so splendidly. While it has many different geological formations on the property John Carrara states that “The Mesa Verde is essentially a broad, flat, upland surface sloping gently to the south and dissected by deep canyons containing ephemeral streams.” (Carrara 2014)

Understanding is how humankind learns to prosper in modern-day environments. It shapes the decisions we conceive, the actions taken, and how to present ourselves preferably. Unfortunately, these single stories that were acquired to understand, are in fact doing the opposite. Humans know less about one another than ever before, because of the single stories, our society believes they already know everything about each other. We place these single stories on ourselves and each other, while assuming everyone’s lives are following them and no one differs. For characters: Rachel, Laronne, and Grandma Doris in Heidi W. Durrow’s book: The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, are a few examples of single stories being produced for oneself and others which is often a factor of understanding and belonging in society or mindset.

Throughout humanity, the idea of suffering played a major role in human lives, in some cases by ending it. Nevertheless, according to popular religious traditions, the first humans, Adam and Eve, were placed on Earth to suffer for their sins in a life of misery. All humans are a part of this “original sin,” thus there is no such thing as innocent humans suffering in the world. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Popular religious themes are centered on the idea of continual suffering in life, like the Israelites who continued to suffer through the Holocaust. The theme of The Mexican Flyboy is also structured around the idea of suffering. In the story, Simon Vegas is obsessed with people who have suffered throughout history and “saves” those victims out of their misery. Even though Simon liberates the victims out of suffering, the historical events like burning of Jesse Washington continue to take place. The idea of saving the individuals is abstract, as it seems like the bodies suffer, while the souls are saved.

Heavily influenced by Max Weber, Peter Berger was interested in the meaning of social structures. Berger’s concern with the meaning societies give to the world is apparent throughout his book The Sacred Canopy (1967), in which he drew on the sociology of knowledge to explain the sociological roots of religious beliefs. His main goal is to convince readers that religion is a historical product, it is created by us and has the power to govern us.

Throughout Harper’s book and Kheiyn’s article, I found five main points that stood out to me in relating to helping me understand why bad things happen to good people. First, God did not create pain and suffering, man has through sin and defiance. Second, although suffering is not good, God uses it to achieve good. The third point tells us that the day will come where your misery will no longer exist and God will judge evil. The fourth states that our suffering does not even compare to what God has in store for his followers. Lastly, we must choose whether to let the pain get the best of us or turn to God for peace and

Religion–it is something that has been in existence since the beginning of time. It brings meaning to life and death. It creates a sense of belonging in the world. On the other hand, religion, or lack thereof, has also been, in many instances, the cause of oppression, warfare, and even terrorism. Sometimes religion is used to the advantage of one’s self. This can lead to extremism, which some might label as false piety or religious fanaticism. Looking at how these ideas might come into play can help us to better understand where Tartuffe and Orgon stood throughout the story, and to decipher what Molière was truly trying to project in this story of hypocrisy.

A common questioning of a higher power beyond the physical realm lingers in society: Who and what is God?. However, many of these theological questions cannot be answered until we, of course, die. Due to human’s innate curiosity to understand the forces beyond their own, especially in terms of religion, humans find their own reasons to believe in God in the process of discovery. Religion is a sense of belief and worship to praise a higher power (God), and it provides a guide for human beings to have the opportunity to come together and live as one image of God’s children.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution safeguards the right to freedom of religion and freedom of communication from government interference. Freedom of expression involves the constitutional right to the choice of speech, media, and meetings to request that the government pay for damages from complaints, and for the indirect rights of relationships and trust. Two sections in the First Amendment promise freedom of religion. The establishment clause bars the government from passing laws to create an official religion or favoring one religion over another. It imposes the "parting of church and state." Some legislative actions associated to religion has been acknowledged legitimate by the Supreme Court. For example, implementing

“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life” (Buddha). Throughout different time periods religion has impacted the society in which people live. Religion has and continues to dictate the rules citizens have to follow in all areas, especially social, educational, and political. Religion influences morals, values, and people’s identities. Many people turn to religion for not just spiritual answers, but for guidance and help in everyday life. Religion also affects the inner workings of a society. However, religion has evolved with time. In earlier societies, only one religion was usually allowed and accepted. In Salem Massachusetts during the Witch Trials, every citizen had to be seen as a good Christian. In this case, religion determined whether or not a person was good and trustworthy. Currently, all religions are accepted and many do not judge others based upon it. For

The Thomist philosophy holds the great evil can separate man from God, while the great good is a loving union with God . Stumps, then, underlines suffering as a way to temper the human soul. The account of God’s love and the human desire for unity between God and man are morally sufficient reason for understanding God’s allowing of suffering. So, every act of suffering directly benefits the sufferer, and it is entirely willed by God .

A “simple creature of flesh and bone”(76-77) is not seen as being capable of understanding god’s will. Unlike god a person’s views may be warped by emotion; someone may “suffer hell in [their] soul and [their] flesh.”(77) After the death of Akida Drummer the prisoners forget to pray for him as a direct result of their own suffering. Unlike a god they have been rendered unable to fulfill their promise to their friend because of their own emotional trauma. Sorrow and other emotional responses are described as a force capable of destroying one’s ability to reason. Furthermore humankind is not seen as having adequate trust in god’s will. Akiba Drummer sacrificed his life by not trusting in god’s will, as he essentially “[offers] his neck to the executioner. Despite Akiba Drummer’s regular study of religion he is unable to rationalize his suffering as a “divine test,”(77) thus he is unable to muster the strength to prevent his death. If he had trusted that god was indeed watching over him he would not have perished. In Elie Wiesel’s account night the term “sage” is used to contrast between humankind and God; additionally his ideas on the topic can be applied to a variety of issues

Religion was created as the understanding of the totem changed. Durkheim states, “religious force is none other than the collective and anonymous force of the clan, the totemic emblem is so to speak the visible body of the god”. The overwhelming spiritual feeling surrounding the totem that is now understood as some form of religion. It becomes more complex over time and creates a hierarchy and order which results in knowledge, a way to organize and understand the world much like the sciences. Both science and religion are a way of knowing, but religion has a stronger emotional pull due to being created through the collective effervescent. “There is no gulf between the logic of religious thought and the logic of scientific thought, both are made up of the same essential elements”. Ultimately, religion gave the people a way to create a division from what is considered sacred and profane in

Preliminary Thesis Statement: Religion is an essential constituent of any civilization with a unique spiritual pathway.

Religion is a constant element shaping our political, economic and social lives. It pinpoints the set of beliefs, dogmas and practices defining the relation between human beings and the so called “divinity”. The notion of religion has always been a very important element of the world’s history. It began as an element forming the ancient societies, it was indistinguishable from what is known as 'mythology ' in the present day and consisted of regular rituals based on a belief in higher supernatural entities who created and continued to maintain the world and surrounding cosmos. To this very day people are confronted with many philosophical questions regarding this belief and practice. It is a confrontation between the ones who believe and the ones who do not. As rational animals, humans are seeking meaning beings and always question everything. This process of seeking is what enables us to discover numerous scientific facts, laws, and theories as well as religions. As citizens of a mostly democratic era, people are allowed to have their own personal beliefs, believe in their individual god or gods, in some religions. Furthermore this demonstrates the constant opposition of science and religion where once lived a harmony. Most scientific and technical innovations were achieved by societies organized

Throughout the story Go Tell it on the Mountain, we see the struggles of a young boy named John. Through seeing his struggle and seeing the struggles of the other characters, the readers see John’s transformation into a religious life. The book shows how large of a rule suffering plays in a religious transformation. For religion to be successful, it seems like suffering is necessary. Although the book never addresses this issue directly, the way the characters responded to their independent hardships help reinforce that, to have religion be important to someone suffering is a common factor. Suffering is the most common route that leads people to salvation. Go Tell it on The Mountain gives good examples of characters using suffering to motivate a religious change. The information about suffering can help the readers draw the conclusion that suffering is necessary for a religion to be successful.