The Man and the Church by Matt Brown

For my internship, it became a regular task for me to walk from the office to a nearby Staples to buy office supplies. Each time I would walk from the office to Staples, I would pass Saint Agnes Church. Each day I passed, without fail, there was a man outside asking for change. St. Agnes is a Catholic church on East 43^rd street, it is famous for being on one of the busiest streets in the city and it’s beautiful interior. When I asked my boss, the one who sent me to the Staples every 2 weeks or so, about the reason for such frequent panhandling and the apparent hospitality on part of the Saint Agnes church to the inhabitants of their front door, he offered a sharp answer. He coined, “Saint Agnes has always been a helping hand to the poor and downtrotten” and added whimsically, “I suppose that is what religion should be all about.”

            I do not know if people meet the criteria required to be considered a religious text, but when combined with the accidentally wise words of my boss, the reoccurring image of the panhandlers came to be a symbol of when religion at it’s best. Furthermore, it seemed deeply relevant to both the state of our American society and many of the texts discussed over the course of our semester. Regarding our society, the experience of working in a wealth management office and passing these panhandlers so often shed light on the growing force of economic inequality festering itself in our democracy and representing a pivotal talking point in our approaching presidential election. Regarding our religious texts, the good works of the Saint Agnes most directly echoes the work of Dorothy Day.  Beyond her radical politics, Day saw issues in the church order, like the “lack of a sense of responsibility for the poor” or “there was plenty of charity but too little justice” (473). 

            In her founding of “The Catholic Worker”, Day set up an organization able to provide extensive hospitality for the “poor and downtrodden”. In Day’s words they “felt a respect for the poor and destitute as those nearest to God” (474). It is these feelings of care and love for our fellow people, even those largely turned away by broader society, which composes the most beautiful apex in American religion.  The work of Dorothy Day and church’s like Saint Agnes reflect this love and the power it can hold. Moreover, each day it is growing more imperative for Americans to care for their impoverished counterparts.

            This message of care and love expands past the impoverished, but also to topics of tolerance and inclusiveness. Over our course we have seen a history of religious separatism ranging from the treatment of Catholic American immigrants to the reprehensible words of Franklin Graham against Islam or cases of discrimination against LGBT Americans. Amidst a wave of divisiveness that will live on in our nation’s history with an air of infamy, it is important that symbols like this man standing in front of Saint Agnes act as a call to assist those who need us, respect those different from us, and sow love and inclusion whilst weeding out seeds of hatred and division.

Bronx Balcony Dedicated to Mary by Eric Larson

Searching for and finding a religious artifact in New York City was a challenging and rewarding experience. In our daily lives we constantly come into contact with religion and religious objects. Searching for a religious artifact made me realize how many there are, both in New York City and the local Bronx neighborhood. The artifact that I am going to focus on, however, is a statue of Mary that is located on the balcony right above Howl at the Moon right here in the Bronx. This artifact is interesting to analyze both because of its religious meaning and the location of the object.

This statue of Mary is surrounded by several other religious objects, but the main focus of the space is Mary. Numerous times I have walked by this balcony seeing the statue of Mary, but I have never been compelled to stop and observe the balcony as a whole. This balcony does not draw your attention, due to its location, as there are several surrounding restaurants and bars that are focal points of the area. However, the balcony is well decorated, with pink flowers surrounding the edges and festive color lights that illuminate the space. The statue of Mary looks very similar to the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe that we observed earlier in the year. Mary is wearing blue and white robes and looking down with her hands together in a praying position. She is surrounded by Christmas lights and above her is a painting of outer space and the sun. Next to Mary there are a couple small statues and a painting that all appear to also be her.    

Mary and the rest of the objects on that balcony symbolize the feeling of safety and security that comes with religion. Many people in the United States and around the world, place religious objects around their houses to have “God watching over them and their family.” It is a sense of protection for many people as they believe that no matter what happens God and religion will be there for them to help them through the tough times. In addition, many people display their religion publicly to express their beliefs and the moral values that are associated with that faith. For this object it is located above a bar, Howl at the Moon, which depending on the situation, can be a dangerous place because fights can break out, people can drink too much, or a handful of other harmful activities can occur. By placing this object above the bar, it is symbolizing that the owner wants to keep the patrons of the bar safe from any of the harmful things that can occur when people are drinking. Furthermore, religion is a sign of safety and community, and by having this balcony decorated with religious objects it encourages people to come off the streets into the restaurant because of the perceived safeness of the bar.  Lastly, Our Lady of Guadalupe is an important religious symbol in Latin America, displaying it is a show of their commitment and pride to their religion and heritage.

 

Blind Idealism is... by Tom McCarthy

           I took this photo while walking along the Highline one weekend because I enjoyed the design and thought it left a powerful message. After researching the origins of the mural I learned the true artist’s intent with the contents and where she stemmed her ideas from.

            The mural was created by artist Barbara Kruger and it describes her view on the world as a whole. The original quote comes from Afro-Caribbean philosopher Frantz Fanon and is “Blind Idealism is Reactionary”. When Fanon made this statement he was inferring that religious and political convictions stem from situations from which they arise and not from human nature of individuals. Barbara Kruger took it further by saying implying it’s not only reactionary but more so scary. This means that convictions that people have can and will cause conflicts between groups with other blind ideals. Then, she takes it another step further to say it’s not only scary, but it is also deadly. She relates this to the world in many ways specifically in the world of terrorism and the political unrest in America we are seeing with this current presidential campaign.

            This pertains to our course on the basis of “American” “Religion” “Texts” very accurately based on the material we have studied. In the beginning of class we discussed the Spanish conquest of the indigenous people. Here there were two different groups of people with their own idealism that stemmed from their own upbringings and individual sense of religion and politics. As we learned in class, there was an extraordinary amount of deaths and unjust treatment from the Spanish conquerors on the native people. This continued throughout history as different religions came to America and also during times like the Civil Rights Movement. In modern times this mural can relate to the conflict of terrorism from groups like ISIS. This group has shown to be deadly through their warfare and suicide bombings across the world, which all stem from their religious convictions. In retaliation many countries, including America, have attacked the ISIS groups. Both sides have their own religious and political convictions that have stemmed from prior situations and the outcome has been extremely deadly. Candidates in the presidential campaign have been using this sense of ‘blind idealism of reactionary’ to fuel their support base. It is probably not in everyone’s human nature to go to war in the Middle East, just as it is not probably in everyone’s human nature to riot and fight like we have seen across America during campaign rallies. However, these events all arise from certain situations that have given everyone their own religious and political convictions. It is because of this that Kruger is fearful of the world. She understands that these blind idealisms are not only reactionary but have been proven throughout history to be incredibly deadly.

Our Silent Protector by Monica Gonzalez

           

Fordham University has many hidden relics. If you don’t ask about them or take the time to research them, you might not even know they are there. Many of these artifacts are either hidden in a building or out in plain sight. One of these artifacts includes Rose Hill’s William Spain Seismic Observatory.

            The William Spain Seismic Observatory can be easy to miss if you are constantly jetting around campus in a hurry, which is what the majority of our students do. You might not even realize that the small house it is located in is in fact an observatory. At a quick glance, the observatory looks like it might be a tomb where they hold the bodies of our fallen Jesuit brothers (considering we have a cemetery for them, anything is possible). But actually this small house makes a big impact on Fordham history. This observatory is well known for having the oldest seismic recordings in the U.S. The observatory can also be seen to have some religious significance especially since the door is adorned with the plaque of Saint Emygdius.

            Saint Emygdius is the patron saint of earthquakes (fitting, right?). Therefore, it is only right to put a plaque of his on the door of an observatory that is used to observe earthquakes. Not only does this give us protection against earthquakes, it gives us peace of mind that we are safe from any earthquakes attacking Fordham University. Although not all members of Fordham are religious, this religious plaque can be seen by its practicing members, such as myself, as having done its job so far. We haven’t had an earthquake thus far, but the small object located in the beautifully adorned shack next to Freeman Hall, has done a great job at detecting earthquakes from other places in the world. It seems that although the observatory goes unnoticed at times, the seismograph works hard in detecting small shifts in our tectonic plates, even detecting Fordham traffic at times when traffic is intense, (that’s usually everyday but hopefully the seismograph doesn’t react to the everyday traffic because that will only wear it out).  Our Silent protector is constantly monitoring parts of the world that we don’t even think about while we go about our busy lives. We shuffle around campus not even realizing that the seismograph could potentially pick up signals from our steps if a large enough crowd were to arrive on campus. Such small shifts in the geological makeup of the earth make a bigger impact on the world than we know. The William Spain Seismic Observatory plays an important factor in our society and has a great religious importance in our community. Since Fordham is a Jesuit University, the plaque placed on the door of the observatory gives it a greater meaning and allows us to venerate Saint Emygdius for the work he has done and for protecting our school while the observatory houses the seismograph that works to track the earthquakes around the world.

The Reality of the Cross by Erin McBride

What do you see? A compass? A cross? Or do you see intersecting lines?

A person’s background impacts the way images are interpreted and valued. While walking down the streets of New York City, there are thousands of different cultural elements and pieces of texts that can catch a person’s eye. This particular one could be viewed using various lenses. Being born and raised Catholic, artifacts like this immediately bring forth my religious teachings and all the symbolic representation that is at attached to a “cross.” 

The cross represents the true character of God. Seeing the symbol of the cross in everyday society keeps alive the preaching of Christ and serves as a reminder to Christians and all others God’s message. The cross equates to Christ’s suffering. The cross represents a time of sacrifice but also of redemption. Christ died so that others could live. Therefore, it gives people a sense that since Christ died for us, we have a responsibility to implement his practices and lead a good, Christian life. The cross is the vehicle which was used against Jesus and which he sacrificed himself on so that others would learn and apply his message in their everyday life. This protects a person from false doctrine. The symbol of the cross is a reminder for people to do the right thing.

In other words, Christ gave himself up to allow the message that all wounds of sin are healed for the newcomers of this world. Peter 2:24-25 “Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin”. Everyone has the ability to sin and people that chose to will feel the repercussions of their actions. Christ has left the decision of how to act in our hands. He has provided people choices, but each choice has a responsibility. Therefore, the image of the cross allows people to be reminded of past sacrifices and present and future actions. We do not have to be in a place of worship to be reminded of this. The symbolic resemblance allows a person’s schema to be activated and to reflect on its meaning of past, present, and future. 

The Cross can also be seen as a reminder to abide by the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments were rules the Christ wanted everyone to live by. They were the laws in which he created to try and keep order. These 10 commandments were nailed to the cross as a constant reminder to people that they should be partaking in the right actions because that is what Christ wanted for the world when he sacrificed his life for us. Commandments are a set of rules or parameters provided to Christians by Moses. Although the cross and the commandments are separate incidents in the history of Christianity, the cross provides a visual reminder to abide by “rules”. For instance God gave commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai to show us how to live a better life. Each commandment supports the teachings of Jesus such as the fifth commandment. “Honour thy mother and father.” In society today, people take parents for granted. Parents raise their kids, provide for their kids, give up life for their kid—but children tend to take that for granted. Seeing the cross is a constant reminder for children to continuously realize how grateful they should be.

This specific picture is closely related to the Latin cross. The Latin cross originated from the Scandinavian Bronze Age stones. It was a symbol to depict the Hammer of Thor; their God of Thunder and War. The cross was said to bring good luck and to divert evil. In the image of a cross, each line faces a different Cardinal direction. Therefore its circumference creates the entire world. This allows the cross to reach most of the 360 degrees in which the world makes up. By having the cross point in every direction, it is a visible and lively image that is accessible to everyone. 

            The cross is everywhere in society. People see the cross and forget what it is actually created to symbolize. The meaning behind the symbol of the cross should not be lost within people’s days, but serve as a reminder. People should learn from history so the mistakes occur less often—therefore not repeated. The cross is present for the betterment of people. The cross is there for people to strive towards the actions of Christ.

Jesus Christ Loves You by: Kevin Moran

Kevin Moran

                As I was walking to Penn Station to take the train home I passed this man holding a bright sign that read, “Jesus Christ Loves You JESUS”. He was shouting about the words of God and verses from the Bible, but I don’t think a single person paid much attention. In an area with such high foot traffic and diversity, a man acting outside of social norms and preaching his beliefs gets completely ignored. So many people walk around him all day and without thinking anything of it, other than how he is inconveniencing them by getting in their way. If it weren’t for this class, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this man, and probably wouldn’t even have really thought about religion at the sight of him.

That got me thinking how there must be so many things that we all pass throughout our daily routines and don’t think twice about, both religious and not. We become so numb to our repeated routines that we can ignore the small things that change everyday and only focus on the constants. However, with this assignment in mind this man stood out to me. He did not appear to be your stereotypical, clean-cut religious preacher. He was wearing baggy clothes with a hat that had “Jesus Swag” written on it. He also had a microphone set hooked up to some sort of amplifier that was attached to the sign. To me, that means he has put a lot of time and effort into this moment, and possibly does this often. The amplifier also signals that he is passionate about making sure that his voice and his message are heard by as many people as possible.  I wonder what the driving point of his message is, and what the outcome of him standing out there for however many hours was. Does anyone stop to have a conversation with him? Does anyone stop to listen? Does his message affect anyone’s evening? Is that even what he is looking for? Maybe he is just trying to promote belief in Jesus for his own personal satisfaction.

People in America are generally less religious then they were a hundred years ago. Many people no longer identify with a particular religion or even believe in a God. Pew Research Center conducted a study last year that found 23 percent of respondents identified as either atheist, agnostic, or religiously unaffiliated. It’s possible that the man just wants to instill at least a moment of Christian faith in to the day of New Yorkers. It is also possible that he is affiliated with a group or organization that shares this same goal. He could also be out there for an entirely different reason.

Rather than blocking them out, I will now make note of all the people I see around New York who are preaching a message. The sight of this man has raised so many questions for me that I would have otherwise never thought twice about. The questions are also ones that can never really be answered without knowing more about the man.

Freedman, Samuel G. "Evangelists Adapt to a New Era, Preaching the Gospel to Skeptics." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

A Modern Tale of Juan Diego

Rosemary Gibson

Between Neill Ave and Narragensett Ave in the Morris Park section of The Bronx, there stands a tree not quite like the others. It is tree that contains an image of what some say to be the Virgin Mary. Although I never really could see it, many hold credence in the blessed mother’s presence in this image, often praying to it and rejoicing in its miraculous appearance.

I remember walking down this street as a child on my way to school, and seeing a woman place a bouquet of roses at the feet of the tree. “It’s a miracle!” she had said. I continued walking, paying her no more attention, as she was just another one of many who frequented this “sanctified” tree shrine. Usually I would laugh at such things as people praising and praying to trees, as it didn't seem too sane. Revisiting this tree to take a picture for this blog entry however, I decided that maybe there was a part of the story I was missing. Without passing judgement like my preadolescent self had, I kept an open mind as I asked a few of my neighbors about the tree. They told me that it had been damaged in a car accident a long time ago, and this was how it had eventually healed. The driver of the car suffered serious injuries, but thankfully, he was able to pull through. The fact that the man—in the car accident—faced death and lived, and there is now an image of Mary which has appeared, it makes sense that people believe this is “a miracle.”

After partaking in this course of American Religious Texts, I found this situation to be very similar to one of our readings in particular, the story of Juan Diego in the Nican Mopohua. I seemed to play the role of the Bishop of Mexico, while those like the woman I saw worshipping the tree as a child played Juan Diego. Although they proclaimed the presence of the Virgin Mary, I chose to ignore them. With the car accident victim as the uncle Juan Bernardino, both were near death but survived through the miraculous Lady’s influence. The Image of the Lady from heaven appeared on Juan Diego’s neck cloth just like it did on the tree afterwards. It was only after discovering the miracle that I started to believe what the modern Juan Diegos’ held true, just like the bishop in the story.

After seeing the similarities between my situation and the one in the Nican Mopohua, I realized the error in passing judgment on others’ religious beliefs.  Like the bishop, I rushed to conclusions about these people who claimed to have seen the image of the Virgin Mary.  Instead of respect and consideration of their faith, it was easier for me to scoff at.  Through completing this blog entry, I learned a valuable lesson not to poke fun at someone else’s beliefs—I know I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me. 

Light and Dark by Mitchell Shinder

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located near the heart of Central Park on 81st and fifth avenue, is home to over a million differents texts. These texts are primarily paintings that have originated in various times throughout history. Logistically, the texts are separated into sections based on their origin and message. Some examples of the texts available in the Met are Greco-Roman art, Egyptian art, American art, and Chinese art. I recently visited the museum and explored most of the sections, and one that caught my attention was the American art section.

Upon entering the American art section, a multi-story part of the museum known as the American Wing, one will see some of the most prominent and well-known figures in American history. Figures such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are usually depicted on very large vertical paintings within a bright golden/yellow frame that spans nearly an entire wall. I continued walking through the American Wing past these texts, and I soon found myself amidst vivid depictions of several different points throughout American History. These included historical moments such as the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and the Spanish conquests of Native American land.

One room that stood out due to its simplicity was a relatively small room that contained paintings of seas with strong waves (seen in the background of the “dark” image above). At first, I couldn’t understand why a room, albeit small, would be dedicated to pictures of bright backgrounds and rich blue waves. A piece of information that I have been given by the American Wing information desk is that “there is often more than meets the eye”. I quickly realized that hidden in a corner, there was a dark statue of a man whose face was barely visible. The bronze statue, created by Augustus Saint Gaudens, is a monument of Deacon Samuel Chapin. The statue is referred to as “The Puritan”, which indicates that it represents most Puritans in the 16th and 17th century. Some of the key aspects of the text are that the man seems like he is trying to hide himself by wearing a large hat and overcoat/cape. He is also holding a book in his left hand which is unmarked, but I interpreted the book being as being the Bible. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Puritans that separated from the Church of England were often considered extremist, so it is clear why Puritans did not want to be in the spotlight. 
In a room directly adjacent to the one that contained the aforementioned sculpture, there was a shockingly similar use of background and setting to direct one’s focus on a particular text. This room, of similar size to the room with “The Puritan”, contained many paintings of dark forests with miniscule amounts of light passing through the trees. The brightness in the room was instead portrayed through a statue in the middle. In the middle of the room stands a statue made of marble, which has a very “bone-white” color that stands out in an otherwise dark-themed room of forests. This completely contrasts the previous room, and I found this attention to detail particularly interesting. The statue is a semi-nude, topless female referred to as the “Indian Girl”, according to the sculptor. The critical aspects of this sculpture are what the Indian girl is holding in her hands. The statue’s eyes are focused on her right hand that contains a crucifix. The Indian girl is holding feathers in her left hand, which are held below her waist and not the main focus for the girl. Since the girl was Indian, I thought the feathers represented divinity to a creature such as the Quetzal Serpent as discussed in our class based on the Popol Vuh. Therefore, I believe this statue symbolizes evangelization in America in which indigenous people were slowly being converted to Christianity. Overall, the attention to detail by the museum, creators of exhibits, and artists, is truly extraordinary. It is certainly remarkable the difference that a light or dark color, whether through a background or setting, can make in a religious message.

Louis Masi

Professor Steidl

American Religious Texts

6 May 2016

John Street United Methodist Church

            Every Wednesday I head to Wall Street and work for a small, startup digital company. Every time I pass by the John Street United Methodist Church on my commute and I never really thought anything of it, just another old Church in New York City. However, after the class where we discussed the split of Catholicism into the various different denominations, I decided to pay more attention to the Church. It was only then that I realized that this Church, the one I had been ignoring for nearly a month, is actually the oldest continuous Methodist congregation in the country. I had been in the presence of a historic building for a large religious community and had no idea.

            The Church is located at 44 John Street in the Financial District. It clearly stands apart from the rest of the buildings in the area. Sandwiched between corporate office buildings and restaurants, it was hard not to miss but easy to ignore. But what really drew my interest was the shrine that was immediately next to the Church. Besides parks, it is rare to find any grass in New York City, especially in downtown. But this Church had an open gate that allows the general public to walk off the bustling and street and into a quiet place in one of the loudest cities in the world.

            For me, this shrine symbolized the division and integration of religion in metropolitan America today. Although religion used to be the driving force of many cities and towns, that is no longer the case in New York City. Religion has taken a back seat to all the noise of large corporations, sporting events, Broadway, and other attractions. Where religion exists now is in the quiet, away from the loud distractions that the city has to offer. In those quiet, reflective spaces people generally tend to think more about deeper philosophical and religious questions. This gate into the shrine was the physical embodiment of the barrier between society and religion’s place in it today.

            Earlier this semester we discussed if we still saw religion as the cultural center of towns and communities across the United States. The general consensus of the class was that in smaller, rural towns religion held a much more influential hold than in urban areas like New York City. I agree with this wholeheartedly but would also add that in these quiet, religious spaces the influence of religion is no less. The distinction I am trying to make is that the power that religion has over people when exposed to it is no different anywhere else. Although it is not as a big attraction as some other outlets in New York, religion still thrives behind the scenes.

            Religion in the city that never sleeps might be easy to ignore, but that doesn’t mean its presence is not felt. I found it when walking through the John Street United Methodist Church shrine and I know that other New Yorkers can find it too.