James Gulick, Religion Bibliographer, Magill Library, Haverford College, Haverford, PA
(Notes taken by Grett Breider, 8/7/96)
New Age Religions, Buddhism, Hinduism
Clues for how to develop bibliographies for Religion & Diversity: see the bibliography page for suggestions
Also, journals would be fruitful place to begin discussions of resources.
Andrew: posed a general question: to what extent has Tibetan Buddhism become a place where disaffected Americans can reformulate their life style/world views?
Susan: The Jew in the Lotus, book on Judaism in new Buddhist synthesis; reformulating Judaism; disaffected Jews. Not everyone wants to enter a highly disciplined and scholarly path; paths of devotion require commitment. Even Jewish people may find Judaism somewhat inaccessible, and find that the tools for understadig it are not available.
Mark: there is a demand for aspects of B'ism, such as the contemplative and meditative, versus the institutional forms; turning inward, fused with humanistic psychology. Then people are arriving at the need to "institutionalize" through the back door of these attractive elements.
Andrew: asceticism and monasticism can sometimes surface as a moment of spiritual concern in individual lives.
Carlos: the notion of moving from Judaism to Buddhism represents what is happening in America as a whole; eg. the culture of Narcissism and self-fulfillment, as opposed to community building.
A recurring theme, says Emma, of the individual salvation, versus institutional aims. This is a country of itinerants, a mix of spiritual and sacred activities, taking pieces eclectically is very American.
Shig: mentioned "sushi Buddhism" (in Tricycle)
Buzz: the consumer mentality, Americans looking for their children to be taken care of, short services, individual preferences, consuming- instead of service-mentality.
Emma: many traditional Protestant churches in the black community measure their worth by how much is given, and material well being, tithing, giving what you can, etc.; death in a multicultural setting : expectations of people when they die, grieving process includes assessing what someone gave in their lives;
Donna: we have expectations of our religious leaders, we are a nation of bitchers.The Catholics," a film with Martin Sheen a s a liberation theology Zen type priest, blah blah blah, and says to Trevor Howard (head of the order) how do you pray, and he says he doesn't.
Brett returned to the subject of Tibetan Buddhism, saying it would make a great case study for students, that it is a multifaceted phenomenon, both traditional and immigrant participants, and many Americans from across the spectrum; that tibetan Buddhism is complex and disciplined, and Americans like that and trust it; that popular culture has taken it up also (flavor of the month?) at rock festivals etc, and there is a Tibetan Buddhist colle, Naropa Institute in Colorado (started by Chogyam Trungpa). (James mentioned Holy Madness, George Feuerstein.)
How do we find New Age? How define it? is it an external term to define anything that we are uncomfortable with? Is it just an external tag, which when you step into the pot you find that many religious movements are highly sophisticated institutional traditions.
Mark reminded us that it is also a self describing tag, i.e.., New Age identity.
Will: once you disestablish a church as Americans have done, so that the govn't no longer taxes it? then all religions are thrown into the position of having to hawk their wares then there are all sorts of ways to pay for themselves, such as pew rents" (note taking unclear --sorry).
Marilyn--the desire to create community is part of what is appealing, to create society.
Robert Wethinghow (?) Crisis in the Church (Harvard?) why Americans overall only pay about 2% of their income to the church, perceived as an inability to impact their community; a new sense of the stresses and strains of deindustrailization; so how do religions pay for themselves?
Susan, as pastor of a city church, sees that there is so little time -time squeeze-- among her constituents.
Emma: social structures changing, particularly familial patterns, changing economic structures, to where now two people work outside the home. There are new restructuring spin-offs such as ways of organizing time and services that meet people needs; Susan responds by saying that a mega church in Tuscon offers huge membership that has organized child care, education and various services to community members of mega churches.
The use of Sunday has been diversified in America, so that everything (William Willimon, Resident Aliens) has changed to events and appointments which fill our Sundays; also television ministries are siphoning off funding that would have gone to local churches; streets are a problem around some urban churches, because of events taking place which block off streets.
Emma says that Sunday is imprinted on her generation as "down-time," a quiet day but that has changed for many.
Andrew: the medieval moment; cathedral as a multi-purpose structure. What is it in American society that thinks of separating religious activity from socio-cultural activity? Why shouldn't churches diversify?
Frank: Ask students why has the football game become more important than church? etc.
The dis-establishment of the church and the randomization of religious restructuring . . .
Frank: was there an idyllic past? Are these issues really current, or re-current? Were those peasants really happy in their pews?
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