Spirituality of the Unconscious Mind (Paper 4)

Throughout the history of the world, regardless of where you start, religion has been a major factor on how societies have been shaped From the time of ancient Egyptians to modern day cultures, religion has always had a strong an impact on society. Back in ancient times, the highest political powers in Egypt made political decisions based mainly on religion. Take, for instance, the classic story of Moses and the Pharaoh of Egypt which is a perfect example of human pride versus God. Even today, in American society, religion has as much impact as in the past. For example, our current President and “White House staffers [took] a two-hour meetings with Christian fundamentalists” and “checked with rapture Christians before the latest Israel move” (Perlstein 1). It’s not just limited to politics either; there are embedded religious taboos in society that are so routine, no one even notices the impact they have on us. One thing I’ve noticed as I study history and religious movements is the importance of burials and memorials. In history, as soon as people were able to stop being nomadic, one of the first things they established was a respectful burial ground. Respect for the dead was established through various religions and is still valued today as much as it was in the past.
Death and religion are tied together. Upon reading the topic question, “What are some of the aspects of American public life that are influenced and shaped by the religious beliefs of the 87% of Americans who identify themselves as being religious people?” I focused on the “American public life” portion and thought of the most obvious but subtle religious practice I see on a daily basis. I replayed in my mind a day at home in Houston. I tried to pick up on religious influences not caught by an unfocused mind, and found many religious gestures toward the dead. Regardless of where you live, there are gestures and symbols everywhere. For example, when I lived in the poorer area of Spring Branch in Houston, the idea of death was ever-present. Visible on many power lines in my neighborhood were tennis shoes hanging by the laces: a sign of respect for the dead. After moving to a safer more suburban neighborhood in Katy, I noticed a shift in gestures toward the dead. Instead of shoes hanging, there were little white crosses with ribbons on them on the side of the road. Instead of a gang or drug related deaths being the norm, it was car accidents. Regardless of what neighborhood, whenever there is a memorial in sight, most people get a solemn, respectful silence and seem to reminisce in quiet reverence. No one would think of honking at a funeral procession as it follows the hearse on their way to their respected burial ground. Much less would anyone think of pulling a memorial ribbon off a tree. These are our society's subtle but significant symbols of respect for all religious gestures toward the dead. This is a huge part of our public life that seems to be less controversial and subtler, but still has a daily impact. The main reasoning behind this universal value is the embedded religious respect, no matter what religion, for the dead.
The belief in an after life or reincarnation is rooted by religion, as are the ceremonies and burial rituals that follow. Also, the value of human life revolves around religion. For example, in the Christian faith, the value and respect given to a human is greater than that of animal. There is also a difference in what can or can’t be done to a body once dead. In the Jewish community, “dead bodies may not be cremated and burial takes place as soon as possible after death. Embalming and the removal of organs and fluids [are] prohibited”( Religion Facts 1). While the “Abrahamic religions prohibit cremation or prefer burial over cremation, the Eastern religions (i.e., Dharmic faiths) such as Hinduism and Buddhism mandate the use of cremation,” because they don’t consider “the dead body sacred since the soul has left the body” (Sheahan 1). Another difference between many religions is the position on open caskets. “Open caskets are forbidden by Jewish law, as it would be disrespectful to allow any enemies of the dead to view them in their helpless state” (Religion Facts 2), but in the Catholic Church it is allowed and thought of as a final goodbye.
There are many aspects of public life that are influenced greatly by religion in subtle and obvious ways. There are embedded religious taboos in society that are so routine no one even notices the great impact they have on us. An example of this is the importance of memorials and the automatic subtle respect for the dead. Whether it is a ribbon tied around a tree for a lost life or shoes hanging by their laces, religion is all around us, and if we take the time to look around, we can see many more subtly obvious religious gestures and symbols that shape our country and our culture.

Works Cited

"Jewish Death and Funeral Rituals." Religion Facts. Religion Facts. 28 Oct 2007

Perlstein, Rick . "The Jesus Landing Pad." The Village Voice. 18 May 2004. 21 Oct 2007

Sheahan, Danny. "Religion and cremation." Gift of Ireland-Memorials. Gift of Ireland. 27 Oct 2007