FINAL

ALL final exams (without exception) are due: December 15 at midnight.
Make sure you answer EVERY question and make sure you email me DIRECTLY at neuralsurfer@ yahoo.com. Posting on the group does NOT suffice.

1. YOUR NAME: Trung-Hieu Dang
2. YOUR USERNAME: hdang65, xvihieudangxvi
3. List your attendance (how many classes missed? how many classes
were you late to?) I never missed a class, was only late twice.
4. Give me a link to your movie again. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2829997732283805373&hl=en
5. Detail what you read for this class. I read the required readings, but did find some better written than others therefore I did what you told us to do and just “turned the page”. But I did attempt to read all the required readings from Brian Copeland’s book (which my younger brother is now reading because I told him too) and the dreaded reader.

6. What grade did you finally receive on the midterm? I received a B-

7. What grade do you deserve in this class? Substantiate your answer.

An A would be an appropriate grade for me because I truly think I deserve it. I attended every class session, completed all required assignments, and made extra efforts to fully enhance my experience in this class by going on the field trips, doing the extra credit: Brian Copeland’s play.

8. List any extra credit or other circumstances that may help your overall grade.
I went to the Brian Copeland play, which was an incredibly well-put-together play by a single man. Also, due to this class, I have developed a better, more tolerable stance towards religion after seeing the way to put it all into perspective. I used to be an extreme critic, and berate those who would use religion as their main motivation or reason for doing what they do or believing in what they believe. Through this class I learned that religions do have their significant meanings, even though they are filled with flaws and assumptions, but now I am more accepting of different beliefs. Also the required field trips introduced me to Indian cuisine, which is has very similar dishes and ingredients to Vietnamese cuisine.

8a. List all of your postings for this class.

I’m sure I posted more than this, but I can only find these so far:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/religiousdiversity2/message/14646

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/religiousdiversity2/message/14679

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/religiousdiversity2/message/14770

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Here's the "meat" (or, in my case, "tofu") of the test:

9. Write a 1250 word or more autobiography that describes how
religion, gender, or ethnicity has impacted your life.

“I heard so many stories of how people became successful in the United States. America was the land of opportunities and I wanted to experience those opportunities”, Ham Dang states as he remembers how he initially felt about his immigration to the United States. Mr. Ham Dang, my father, served in the Vietnam War in the fight against communism. After the war was lost, all the people who fought against the communist were thrown into labor prisons, including my father. He vividly remembers the day when he was kicked in his left knee by communist prison guards as he was unloading a truck because that left knee still bothers him today. “I was married and had three very young kids when I was imprisoned. Two girls and a boy”, these kids would be my half-siblings. When he was released from prison his wife had moved on and married someone else. Shortly after he met my mom working as a “farmer”, according to legal documents his occupation was a “farmer”; however my father was selling generic medical supplies. His job was unsafe and if he was caught by government officials he would be in serious trouble due to his history. My father married my mom and both worked as “farmers” in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. My father refuses to refer to Saigon as Ho Chi Minh City, for he fought so hard to protect his city and his country. My father considered himself relatively successful, he had a job, a mode of transportation, and was even able to purchase a house; all this without any government subsidy or assistance. In 1987, my parents had their first child together, yours truly; and four years later they had another boy. And around that time my father received news that his application to legally move to the United States had been approved. The United States had dedicated a program to help military officials and their families to come to America and escape the communist rule. Of course my dad jumped at the possibility of moving to the land that he had heard so many great stories about, the abundance of jobs, food, and opportunities. My father detailed his yearn to live in a country without the strict economic pressures of communist rule. With a year’s worth of preparation which included selling nearly all of their possessions, which they worked extremely hard to earn, my parents were ready to leave their homeland. My father detailed that the hardest possession to give up was the green house he managed to buy with my mom.

In the summer of 1992, a family of four left their life behind in the pursuit of a happier and more hopeful life. Our family was able to specifically come to California because my father had a friend in Orange County who volunteered to be our sponsor family. A few months later, with the assistance from friends and the government, my father was able to rent a two room apartment in a less-than-desirable neighborhood. At first my father was convinced that my mom should not get a job because he believed that it was her duty to stay home and care for the children. My father was still under the influences of his initial culture, where the men were seen as the money makers, the providers for the family and women were the ones who stayed home to tend to the children. Also, he felt that he was solely responsible for making all the decisions in the household, even the decisions concerning his wife. During the first six years, my father admitted that he depended heavily on government assistance with housing, job search, food, and other necessities. My father revealed that it was quite difficult for him to have to accept the fact that he needed support in order for him to provide for his family. The mentality that he had of providing for his family was undermined by the fact that he could not do it by himself and that he needed assistance. In the hopes of achieving his goal of independently providing for his family, my father figured that he could get an education. He enrolled in Goldenwest College, a community college located in Huntington Beach. A potential career in cosmetology was my dad’s goal, however when finances at home were not being met, he had to drop out and find a suitable job to support his growing family, which now grew to a family of six with the birth of two more boys. With inadequate English skills, he managed to find a factory job with an aerospace company. He worked as an inspector checking for flammability among airplane parts for C&D Aerospace. In 2001, due to the September 11^th attacks, my father was laid off along with other factory workers.

After being integrated in the American workforce and having been through the experience of some schooling, my father had gained a new perspective. He began to go to holiday parties with his fellow co-workers, took his family on vacation with his classmates, my father began to assimilate into the American lifestyle. He admits that one of the first aspects of American life that he learned was the definition of the middle finger; he used his middle finger to point at objects, scratched his face, or used it as a guide while he was reading. A classmate in class told him the meaning behind the gesture and realized that he might have offended people around him. As he interacted more and more with other Americans, my father explained that he became more comfortable with the new lifestyle. Our family also began to celebrate holidays that we did not before; barbeques on Labor Day, fireworks during Independence Day, turkey on Thanksgiving. Though the food and traditions were altered a bit, the sense of family and happiness were still celebrated with our fellow Americans. My family blended two cultures into one, the definition of syncretism could be found at my house during Thanksgiving. Instead having a baked turkey with mashed potatoes, we had turkey curry with yams, but we did incorporate the delicious desserts of apple and pumpkin pies complemented with a side vanilla ice cream. My father also noticed the change at home, as his sons went to school and spoke English more frequently. His sons were now also bringing new ideals into the household, following the lifestyles that they learned from their education and peers. Fearing that his sons were losing their roots in their heritage, my father sent us to a local Buddhist temple. He took his four sons to temple, to learn about both religion and the Vietnamese language. My father believed so much in this notion that he himself volunteered as a Vietnamese-language teacher as well. I remember a lesson in which my teacher, my father, expressed his dislike for the terms “you, he, she, him, her”, he said never to refer to another Vietnamese adult by these terms because these same terms could be used to refer to a dog. He wanted his students to use the proper, polite diction when speaking to or about an adult figure. This was the traditional, strict Vietnamese side of my father that came out during times of schooling and cultural activities. So there were two sides of my father; the one who had assimilated into American culture, and the other who tried his best to preserve within his sons the customs of Vietnam. So, every Sunday my father would require his four sons to attend temple in hopes of guiding his sons towards the right direction; we would pray in the morning, go to religious class, then Vietnamese class, attend some group activities. The praying ceremony consisted of various chants, none of which I actually understood, while kneeling on our knees in front of a very grandiose statue of Buddha. The ceremony would last for about thirty minutes and at the end of the session we would place incense sticks onto an altar.

As his sons got older, my father’s attempts to keep his sons grounded became futile. Our temple attendance dwindled as our skepticism in our religion grew. I remember questioning and undermining many of the lectures that my teachers tried to explain. At one point I was actually asked to leave because I was “disrespectful”, and my father had to come to my specific class to escort me out. My main argument was that everything being taught was so subjective and relied heavily upon the faith of the believer. I contested that I was a skeptic who wanted to believe but needed empirical evidence. My father knew that I was stubborn and would not budge, after that incident our Sunday temple attendance declined severely as did my faith.

10. Provide a first person narrative (750 words plus) describing your
visit to a religious center. Be creative here.

The winding, uphill road to the Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights provided a suspenseful prelude. It seemed as though I was a lost soul searching for an answer as I maneuvered around the edge of the road (I know this seems cliché, as if taken out of a movie, but it was really how I felt). And the temple itself did not disappoint; the words grandiose, flamboyant, and mesmerizing immediately came to my mind. The flight of stairs leading up to the golden gateway atop the hill delivered a great entrance to the magnificent temple. Initially I was overwhelmed by the temple’s structural design and its elegant aura, however as I stepped into temple’s courtyard, I was soothed by a sense of peace and serenity. As I stood in the courtyard surveying and inhaling all that the temple had to offer. My attention was instantly directed towards the three shining monumental statues dedicated to Buddha, the manifestations of enlightenment. As I approached the Main Shrine, the sunlight reflected off the golden statues of Buddha provided an even more dreamlike feeling. It was reminiscent of the feeling that flooded me as I entered the Bodhisattva Hall and was humbled as the five Bodhisattvas sat on an elevated mount and gazed down at me. The five polished monuments offered a sense of welcome and prosperity (especially Happy Buddha’s jolly belly). Unfortunately, I had to observe the monuments from afar because the Main Shrine was closed, therefore I could not fully appreciate the spirit of the temple. To compensate for this, I made sure to light an incense and to perform customary three bows before I placed the incense onto the altar. Afterwards, I headed towards the left side of the temple where I was captivated by the bountiful collection of Asian and Buddhist artifacts and artwork. I was especially intrigued as I entered and noticed the sign indicating the price of admittance, not only was it written in English, but there was a second sign written in Vietnamese to address the temple’s international audience of the admission fee. I chuckled to myself thinking that sign was contradictory of one of Buddhism’s most taught and recognized lessons of ridding oneself of greed and possession. I do understand that the Hsi Lai Temple is a not-for-profit public center that generates most of its money through charitable donations, and that was my main concern, its revenues should be from donations, the good will of those who come to cherish and honor the temple, not from obligatory fees. My slight sense of disappointment was soon forgotten as I spotted a rare image of two religions coming into harmony. I forwent the mandatory fee, not because of its outrageous price (it is a mere dollar), but because of my fore mentioned disagreement with the notion, and inspected the portrait of Pope John II baptizing a hand held white Buddha held by Master Hsing Yun. The portrait was an enlarged depiction of a real-life photograph taken of the two religious leaders. I thought it was funny how the Pope blessed the statue of Buddha. It turns out that the portrait was only the beginning of numerous artifacts the Exhibition Hall possessed. As I walked further and further into the hall, I was awestruck by the variety of relics the temple owned. Glass-enclosed, the pieces of art ranged from simple meditation beads to extravagant statues depicting a wide range of different Buddhas. Bronze, pearl, gold sculptures of Buddhist relics were showcased in a manner I have never seen before. This illustrates a point discussed in one of our lectures about how one can trace the history and significance of a specific religion through the objects and materials used to depict the religion. Each detailed sculpture had a short passage to illustrate its origin, meanings, and significance. I found one specific statue to be of most interest due to the message is seemed to convey. There was a figurine of a very feminine Buddhist figure, perhaps carved out of porcelain or some other white ceramic, which was lying on her side with her right arm supporting her neck and head as she looked up. I found this figurine to be somewhat of a sexual nature, just as the way she was laying and the curvature of her body. As I rounded the corner of the Art Exhibit my stomach began to growl and thus I went in seeking of the much talked about vegetarian buffet. When I finally found the Dining Hall, it was too late, I had spent too much time in the Art Exhibit admiring the works. I was devastated, because I am a huge fan of vegetarian food, especially because of my previous Buddhist exposure. After pulling myself away from the Dining Hall’s doors, I walked through temple taking in the sights of the gardens as I head towards home.

For my second field trip, I decided to make sure that there was food involved, thus I took a friend out to a nearby Indian restaurant. We went to Shenai Cuisine of India, an Indian restaurant located in Anaheim near the 91 freeway. As my friend and I walked in we could immediately smell the rich spices and herbs. The restaurant features a casual family scene with a lot of fresh flowers and plants as part of their décor. We enjoyed modern art as we listened to the pleasing background music. I was extremely curious about the restaurant having belly dancers and satisfied my curiosity and asked, but the belly dancers were only available on Friday nights. Among the many Indian dishes of lamb, chicken seafood, and vegetarian, I decided to order the Tandori Chicken for the both of us (because my friend said she was not that hungry, I’m not cheap). The dish was served, and as I began to dig into the very red chicken meat, sweat began dripping down my forehead as it was an extremely spicy entrée. Water and rice helped out a lot! I truly enjoyed this outing because there is no better way to experience another culture than through its food.

11. How does the miracle story surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe inform and impact the spiritual lives of those who are believers? Clue: select a few limited examples.

“Through popular religiosity, Our Lady of Guadalupe’s presence and message has been able to empower her people as they interact with the society of the United States. The emphasis on family values, the notion of enduring suffering, the ability to hope against all hope, a spontaneous feeling of connection and relationality, the unquestioned sense of God’s providence as it is delivered through Our Lady of Guadalupe, the warm image of conversational sense of the presence of God, respect and love for all beings-- all of these are found in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”

This very thoughtful quotation eloquently illustrates the impact of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s presence among the Hispanic community. Our lady of Guadalupe serves as a beacon of hope and unity among her believers, who are usually on the lower tier economically and socially. She identifies not with the “affluent, or the powerful”, but with the oppressed and poor, for she to is a victim of rejection (not accepted by some church officials). In a time when Indians were being uprooted and plague ridden, she appeared to an Indian peasant by the name of Juan Diego, with flowers and ribbons in her hair and a dark maternal complexion with a revolutionary message. And the proof of her sighting was in the miracle of nature as Juan Diego harvests Castilian Roses in the middle of December’s harsh winter, an impossible task. If that did not suffice, the imprint of the Virgin’s image on Diego’s cloak surely convinced skeptics. The origins of Our Lady of Guadalupe have significant influence on her followers. In a time of despair and confusion, Our Lady of Guadalupe revealed herself to not just an Indian, but an Indian who belonged to the lowest social status. Her history of associating herself with the little guy can still be demonstrated in recent Hispanic movements. Cesar Chavez used Our Lady of Guadalupe’s image as a rally point to shine light on the unjust treatment of migrant farm workers. She served as a religious figure in a battle for political cause and recognition.

Our Lady of Guadalupe’s physical appearance has also been a catalyst in the preservation of the Hispanic (predominantly Mexican) heritage. As described earlier, her dark complexion was a focal point in Richard Rodriguez’s retelling of her miracle story. Perhaps Rodriguez is reemphasizing a notion taken out of his own book, Hunger for Memory, the Education of Richard Rodriguez, his autobiography in which he frequently stresses the importance of one’s skin color, specifically his own. In his book, he outlines his struggles of being an intelligent and dark Mexican adolescent who was mistaken by his family as being a “gringo”, while at the same time sticking out among the white population. Sharing the commonality of have a darker skin tone with Richard Rodriguez, Our Lady of Guadalupe’s image has been a “guardian of culture, history, and identity”, essentially it has been used as a tool to resist assimilation. Now this may initially have the taste of arrogance, but her image has been used to preserve the traditions of Latinos. And to prove that Our Lady of Guadalupe does not ignite separation, many of her believers follow the doctrine of interdependence; that is everyone is interconnected and thus are “hermanos” and “hermanas”, therefore providing a deep sense of unity.

Also the essence of nature is very detailed in Our Lady of Guadalupe’s origination, as she is seen atop a hill with “ribbons and flowers” in her hair as dawn approaches. Her description is full of nature’s purest stars, rain, and light. This assumption of nature can be reflected in her celebrations today, as flowers, music, and light are important to her fiestas. Also the Mexican-American often view natural chaos as the will of god and phrase it “si Dios quiere”.

Back then she served as a symbol of unity, and still today she stands to highlight the harmony within the Hispanic culture. She especially speaks to the feminine aspect of society as well, for she is a uniting factor for Hispanic women. Her rebellious, yet caring and inclusive nature is indicative of the nature of Hispanic women who endure the most.

12. How is the Latino/a religious experience (as detailed in our Reader) different than the Asian religious experience in NorthAmerica? In what ways are they fundamentally similar? Be specific in your answers.

The following of a religion boils down to proximity; location, location, location. Latino Americans are geographically much closer than Asian Americans. The religions of Latinos shared more similarities than the religions of Asian Americans; this is primarily due to proximity. Therefore the transition process for Asian Americans in the religious sense, had more obstacles. Also, there Spanish and English share the very similar alphabet characters, while the Chinese, Japanese, Korean languages used entirely different writing style than North Americans. I do not want to say that Latinos had an, for the lack of a better word, easier transition process, but Latinos and Asian Americans did have significantly different adaptation experiences. As an Asian-American who was not born here, I do see the differences between the Latino religious experience and the Asian American religious experience. As a young child in elementary, I was asked by my fellow friends what religion I believe in. I said that my family was Buddhist, and thus we believed in Buddha. I was mocked immediately, by my Caucasian friend, David; my Mexican friends, Alejandro and Joel; and my African American friend, Rashad. They all believed in a God, though they were Christians and Catholics. I now had the label of an outcast, simply due to my different religion. Back then, I did not have the mental aptitude to make the connection that Buddha was indeed my God. From then on out, I made up my mind that religion served no purpose except being another barrier between human beings. This personal example is provided evidence that Latinos did have an already built-in commonality with Christianity, which is the dominant religion in America. Therefore, the Latino transition process was not as difficult as the Asian American process. Thus the key difference between the assimilation process between Latinos and Asian Americans is proximity, which leads to an already established common ground between the Latinos and Americans.

Though there is a difference between the religious movements of Latinos and Asian Americans in Northern America, the two experiences do parallel each other with strong correlation. The fundamental connection between the two movements is the fact that both races were strangers in a new land. Religion was not the only difference, skin tone, language, customs, cultures, and traditions were factors that played a crucial role in the assimilation process. Asian Americans had to learn an entirely different language with different characters, while Latino Americans had to overcome the accent barrier. Asian Americans had to endure mistreatment because of their docile, polite manners that were instilled in their culture, while Latinos had fight for their equal treatment as laborers. The message of family and unity was truly enforced, both Latinos and Asian Americans had a strong deep connection to their roots, celebrating their cultures any time they had the chance. Thus there are more similarities between the Latino and Asian American movement than there are differences. Both cultures are still trying to instill more tolerance and understanding in a foreign country which they call home.

13. What role did the Buddhist Church serve in the "ethnic adjustment of Japanese Americans"? (See pages 512 to 526 of the READER).

The Buddhist Church was a crucial part in the “ethnic adjustment of Japanese Americans”, due in part to its multiple functions. Not only did it serve as a place for Japanese Americans to worship, but it doubled as a sanctuary to provide social support as well. “It afford[Ed] them comfort and relief from their economic and social misery”, as well as provided a place to honor their god. “Buddhism provided an important link with Japan” as it provided a tangible connection between the world they left behind and the new world they were in. The church was a gathering of people who shared the same face, the same culture, and most importantly the same experiences. It provided stability and acceptance in a time of war, when the Japanese race was suspect and had all the stigmas of the enemy force. Not only did the Buddhist Church as a sanctuary to unite and aide Japanese Americans, it also provided a comfortable transition towards assimilation. The use of the English language in the Buddhist is the most significant transition within the Buddhist Church as it tries to connect the Japanese Americans with their new environment. This move toward assimilation was instrumental in Japanese-American history, as they progressed in their new lives in a new country. As a sacrifice, some of the literal dictions were lost in the translation process and thus. This can be seen as a dual attempt to preserving the customs of one’s culture and recognizing the importance of understanding the language and culture of one’s new country.

14. Overall, what lessons should we draw from the diversity of religious experiences in America? More specifically, what hurdles or conflicts do Americans still face in trying to practice their respective religions? Can they be overcome? How?

“I am glad you are a supporter of discrimination as we just elected our first Black president,” those were my exact words as I scolded my friend about his thoughts on the controversial proposition eight. He of coursed voted yes, which I am somewhat still unclear on, which basically dictates that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. Similar to you Lane, I like to sit down with my friends and just get our ideas and perspectives across. Also similar to your discussions, we ended up being mortal enemies who happen to be friends. For our lack of political knowledge, we decided to not talk of all the taxation privileges that came along with married couples and just discussed the very notion of marriage, whether gay or straight. My main argument was that if you took the word gay out and substituted it with the world black, it would be an exact replication of the struggles that African Americans endured in order to achieve their rights. My friend went on to express that “gays haven’t earned the rights” to get married. So I questioned him immediately, “What do you mean earn?” He stated that African Americans exerted extreme efforts over a period of 300 years, and that such efforts were rewarded accordingly. My instant response was, “So according to you, there needs to be a time requirement and a mechanism to measure effort, before an oppressed group can be rewarded the rights they are fighting for? What a ridiculous notion!”

The aforementioned dialogue was a synopsis of the hurdles we still have yet to overcome. It would be incorrect to make the assumption that my friend’s dialog is representative of America’s overall opinion. But it is hard to ignore, especially in the wake of the passage of proposition eight. This example can be stretched across all aspects in which differences arise among human beings. Race, religion, sexual orientations are all areas where much controversy and disagreement arise. Even though we, as a country, perhaps even as a world, have made significant movements towards tolerance and acceptance, there still exists a cloud of ignorance which directly leads to misunderstandings and intolerance. The main combatant of ignorance is education. If one does not know much about biology, one seeks to learn. If one does not know the answer to an engineering question, one seeks data. Therefore, if one does not know the main teachings of Buddha or Muhammad, one must seek information. Through libraries, resource centers, and the all encompassing internet, there are ample sources of information available. However the problem lies in the fact that there are limited incentives or will to actually dig up the information and to learn about one’s neighbors’ beliefs or one’s coworkers’ traditions. The difficulty will be hard to overcome, due to the fact that it will be hard to ignite people to go out and actually learn about different customs. However, as more people go through the college education process and are exposed to such classes as Religious Diversity 302I or similar classes that provide more insight and information. Therefore, not only do the upper division classes provide an escape from a student’s regular major courses, they provide an opportunity to further enhance a student’s horizon and knowledge.

15. Describe how one new religious movement (founded in America) has transformed American life in unexpected ways? Clue: choose one group and trace any specific influences.

Through its dominant celebrity figurehead, Scientology has emerged as one of the new dominant religious movements founded in America. It spans across the minds of average Americans because so much emphasis has been place upon it by the news media networks. Perhaps its popularity is due in part to having a very recognized follower like the highly celebrated Tom Cruise. Scientology was created by a writer by the name of L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 with the initial intentions of improve spiritual rehabilitation. Scientology insists that its followers to make their own conclusions about the religion through their own personal experiences. Perhaps Scientology faces much criticism due to its revolutionary school of thought of not accepting certain assumptions. Scientology also advocates that people are immortal spiritual beings. This can be seen as contrary belief to other religious perspectives where the human species is mortal and thus can be destroyed. Seeing as how humans are immortal, basically having the status of a god, Scientology essentially asserts that human beings are gods. Of course this would be condemned by other accepted religions, whose main point is that humans are subjects who should praise a higher being. Of course change will bring about its share of nay sayers, and Scientology has definitely faced such obstacles. However, as it gains momentum through its celebrity figurehead, its impact will be measured later on as its foundation grows. One can see definitely see the early impacts of Scientology, however its potential impact shadows its current position.