Blog #3 - Thomas Jefferson and Free Inquiry

    When I first began reading Thomas Jefferson's writings, I didn't really think they'd be all that interesting. But as I progressed, I found that he's quite the intriguing person. The section on religion from "Notes On the State Of Virginia" particularly interested me.

    Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of our country, (which is supposedly "One nation under God" according to the Pledge of Allegiance) was often accused of being an Atheist. An Atheist, you say? Yes. He was often accused of being an Atheist during the party conflicts between the Republicans and the Federalists in the latter part of the 1790s (Jefferson's Religious Beliefs). This is probably because he had a different view on Christianity and felt like one should have the right to free inquiry. 

    Jefferson rarely ever commented on his own religious beliefs, but more or less commented on how he felt about everyone else's religious beliefs. He believed that everyone should have the right to free inquiry, and he states in the religion section of "Notes On the State Of Viriginia" that "Had not the Roman government permitted free inquiry, Christianity could never have been introduced." He also told his own nephew:

"Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." (Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 10 August 1787, in PTJ 12:15.)

   Jefferson did attempt to search for his own religion, but he did not follow that exactly of Christianity. He believed in a Supreme Being, but he rejected the idea of the divinity of Christ (Jefferson's Religious Beliefs). He also said to Ezra Stiles Ely, "I am a sect by myself, as far as I know."

I also find it interesting although he didn't really believe in Christianity, Jefferson still attended church on a regular basis and donated to various local churches "out of respect for public worship" (Smith, First Forty Years, 13). 

Jefferson's outlook on religion to me was more or less is: If you are believing in one God or multiple gods and it does no harm to me, then I don't care what you think. I have to agree with him on that one. If you aren't outside screaming and hollering in the middle of the night due to your religious views, I don't care what your religious views are and I'll still respect you. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just...

Blog #2 - John Smith and Pocahontas (Movie vs. Reality)

As I was reading John Smith's accounts of his story with the Indians, I thought about the Disney movie we all know (and mostly all love), Pocahontas. Pocahontas, like all Disney movies, is a sappy love story that's kinda sorta based on something that actually did happen. But just how much of that movie is based off of the real facts? Not a lot.

In the movie, Pocahontas is a beautiful, young woman who appears to never have a bad hair day, despite the fact that she's a "savage." She also had a tattoo and wore a leather mini dress. In real life, she was a naked child when she first visited John Smith. John Smith is a handsome, tall, blonde man who wore some armor. In real life, he was short with a full beard and wore puffy pants.

In real life, they really looked like this: 

Practically identical, right? There's also more to it than just their appearances, though. 

According to http://pocahontas.morenus.org/, there are several things in the movie that are different (because of the Disney rewrite), but there are some things in the movie that do represent what historically really did happen.

1. In the movie, both Pocahontas and John Smith were young when they met. In real life, Pocahontas was 11 and John Smith was 28. 
2. The colonists in the movie sailed on a ship called the Susan Constant. Historically, they sailed on 3 ships, one of which was called the Susan Constant. 
3. John Smith was captured when he set out to visit Pocahontas, whereas in real life, he was captured when he and his Indian guide split off from the rest of the expedition. 
4. In the Disney movie, John Smith's compass showed Pocahontas where he true path lay. In reality, John Smith used his compass to describe how the earth was actually round and how objects in space revolve around one another.
5. Pocahontas was engaged to Kocoum, but chose John Smith instead. In reality, she ended up marrying John Rolfe. 

Also in the movie, we see the characters Percy and Thomas. Percy was Ratcliffe's dog, and Thomas was a young friend of Smith's.

Percy

Thomas

George Percy was a prominent colonist who followed Smith as council president, and wrote two books about his experiences. A clever name for the dog! Thomas Savage, young laborer, arrived in January 1608, and was sent to live with Powhatan the next month, sort of like a "cultural exchange student." (The Real Pocahontas)

So some of the action in the movie was actually inspired by real life events. If you know the real history, it makes the movie that much more appealing. Even the song "Colors of the Wind" probably had some sort of historical accuracy. Listen to the words, and learn a life lesson! :) 

Blog #1 - Columbus to Creationism

     As I was reading the Introduction, I noticed a connection between how the Indians were mistreated on their own land and forced to move and die off to the situation of the LGBT community today.

     In America, the quote "Your land is my land" has been around for awhile. We're all supposedly deemed "equal." But is this really true? Not at all. At least not in my opinion. Just like when "America" was first established, we are STILL trying to force people to conform to our wants. There are so many issues now with the LGBT community. Many people in this nation don't like the fact that they want their rights to marriage and equality, just like the rest of the American population. They're being denied their rights, even though we're all equal. One could even go as far as to say that we're trying to do them like we once did the Indians...push them out of our population. The Indians were sent on the Trail of Tears, and soon began to die off. Now, only a few exist. Sooner or later, it might become the same way with the LGBT community if some change doesn't happen. Charles Worley, a North Carolina preacher, believes that all of the LGBT community should be fenced so that they can't reproduce and will die off. (View the video here.) Some big-time corporations, like Chik-Fil-A (which I'm sure most of you have heard about already) are even funding anti-gay organizations that are trying to make gay actions illegal and groups that feel as if the gay community should be exported out of America. If you're a supporter of Chik-Fil-A and aren't knowledgeable as to where their money is going, I strongly encourage you to read this article. What I concluded from the reading and this connection though, is that there's ALWAYS going to be some form of hate crimes going, regardless of the time. Unless we make some serious changes and learn to accept everyone.

     On a happier note, I found the Navajo and Iroquois creation stories to be incredibly interesting. Their take on the way the earth and humans were created is quite different from the Bible's telling of the way the world started. But at the same time, there were also some similarities. Some of the similarities include good and evil (God and Satan), stealing, floods, infidelity, etc. As for me, I'm not really sure how the world was created. I'd like to believe that the Bible is the accurate story, but no one really knows for sure. It could have even started with a big bang, as some scientists and the Barenaked Ladies (see video for a catchy tune...You'll already know it if you're a Big Bang Theory fan) would say. And no one will ever know...but it's still cool to see how other people think the world started. Even if it is as weird as someone falling onto a turtle and popping out a good and evil spirit.