Monday, September 17, 2012
English II (Preach IT!)
Religion in the South at that time was the backbone of people’s lives. Ms. Angelou relates an amusing anecdote about a church service gone out of control. Southern Fundamentalist churches are known for their high-energy services.
Compare the passion of the church service Ms. Angelou described with a service of another religion. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Is one religion more devout than another? Choose a religion you would like to use as a comparison. You must be either very familiar with the religion you choose, or research it through sources such as family members, friends, clergy, the library, or the Internet.
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The passion of church Ms.Angelou describes in her autobiography is very identical to the baptist church I went to at the age of 2.In 1999 on a cold winter morning, me and my mom headed to a baptist church.(We were Catholics not baptists, but the church was closer to us.) The older women would sit in the front, as the head worshipers of the Lord. Sharp smells of Vaseline mixed with aftershave and perfume filled the room, and suffocated us for an hour. Glancing around, I could tell the overdressed, doll look alike children were uncomfortable, but you wouldn't catch anyone of us daring to try and mention the fact to our elders. My mom and I found a pew and sat. Finding an available spot in church was like finding a needle in a haystack, nearly impossible. We all were sitting awaiting the treacherous and dull sermon to begin at least that's how it seemed to me. A low murmur slowly rose from the pews and into the endless, echoing hallways. Behind us, a thin white woman with a brightly, colored, floral hat bigger than her head shouted out Hallelujah, a word I had never heard before. My eyes wandered over to the big, black lady in front of me and was shouting Amen, and Praise the lord. The stillness of the air was so evident it made us stop any little movement we made. The band was in the corner with the gospel singer which didn't make any sense, since the band made more noise than the singers could ever make with their vocal instrument. Some people were moving up and down the aisles being filled with the holy spirit throwing hallelujahs ans praise the lords like a firecracker spurting out sparks. The energy was increasing and I was getting influenced and yet feeling left out. It quieted down and that's when I made my move. Running up and down the aisle with my arms raised and my imaginary holy spirit filled body I screamed, " Hajejulah, Hajejulah. Amen Sista, Amen." My mom struggled behind me, angrily whispering out threats for holy spirit. Although, it was funny to me, everyone else shook their heads and made me feel like an outcast. Baptist churches are strict, but when it comes time to forgive sins and start a new life, they jump up and down a lo, sing, and dance. Which is similar to a Methodist church like Maya went to. Some differences are that Methodist focus more on praising the Lord than jump and shout, however, they do sing spiritual songs a lot. Baptists are loud, but do more of an old fashion church way. They dance, and get baptized by a highly recommended priest of the church, before attending anymore of the church sessions. Methodists and Baptists are both equally devouted.
ReplyDeleteTayler Hamilton
ReplyDeleteI approach my Catholic church is a little similar to Maya's teachings in her church she attends in her life as a child in To Kill a Mocking Bird. In the her church it explains how she has many people to join together at the church and practice their teachings as one. That is also what takes place at my church and i am aware of all the people who attend and their actions. Maya and her brother observed many in their churches as well. We have a priest and sisters of the lady counsel that attend about everyday. There are sunday feast here and there which reminds me of reverend Thomas who comes over for dinner every once in a while. The choir group singing and people singing as well. The reverend announcing the teachings of the church and sayings said over and over again which were events that occur in both churches (mines and Maya's). These practices seem so similar i believing to think they are the same ,but i could be wrong to any extent. What is different i suppose is how the reverend and the others who are involved in the teachings at Maya's church is their constantly loudly spoken chants. In lady counsel it is usually very quiet and the preacher isn't so loud. Not everyone gets involved kids are never laughing, not much loud speakers at all. Their is mainly one guy who preaches and not much people (such as "sisters") are involved like it is in Maya's story. Which i conclude is there are many opposites and comparisons towards these two same or different religions but in many ways we are all as appreciated in what we all believe in and some arn't.
Micheal Carlon
DeleteDuring the time (year) my mother was born , my mom,grandmother,grandpa and a couple of my family members from my moms side of family will always go to church. Every Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays my grand-parents will always take my mom, her sisters, and brother out to church from the morning to the afternoon. So there for my moms side of family are so serious and take their religion (Catholic) very serious. When I came into this world at the age of 2 my parents always took me to church with my brothers. When I was little I was not catholic or christian even to this day. I remembered some in church that reminded me about the service and the kind of church Maya went too. At the age of 12 I went to a church down in Oakland where tons of people will go. Everyone there was calm and quiet. There was a family there that were always loud and just had lots of energy in them then the rest of the people at the church including my family and I. Everyday before church there would be a performance of children and elders that would dance and sing and just put on a show before church started. The family that had lots of energy in them would stand up like the rest of us but they would go crazy they would jump up and down yelling hallelujah! in spanish and their children would see there parents with high energy so there children would also do what there parents were doing. Jumping , screaming while the priest is talking speaking and reading the bible and yelling. While the band played, the family was always filled with excitement. They will walk around the church and greet them selves to everybody in there surroundings. So the comparison I realized is when this family was jumping and getting "Hyped" up with the "Holy Ghost" was the same with Maya Angelou, the church she was in was relevant to the church I went too. The difference between Maya church and my church was that the children in Maya's church never spoke, laugh, and they stayed in seats or else they will get wiped. Also they will take there religion a lot more serious than to this day.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMy Religion is Catholic. Therefore, it has it's similarities and it's differences between Maya's own Religion. In the book (I know why the caged bird sings), Maya talks about how everyone sits in their corresponding section. This means that there is a section for children, elders, and the mothers of the church to sit in. In Catholic churches you can sit in any available bench you want. Not everything is different in both religions. Something they have in common is that there is a church chorus and their can be very loud singers. We both also have the mother's of the church join the mass, and everyone listens attentively. Another difference would be that in Angelous religion the priest gives a handshake to everyone and kisses the foreheads of the children. A Catholic church priest doesn't always greet people with a handshake and doesn't kiss the foreheads of children. To conclude both these religions are great and you can learn many religious stuff from them. Although they may seem to be the same thing, I can infer you that they are not. Both of these religions have their own differences and it creates something unique about them.
ReplyDeleteIshmael Rico
ReplyDeleteI was Raised Roman Catholic. Tho I am not super religious, I do know the fundamentals of my religion. In I know why the Caged Bird Sings they probably relied on religion because it probably seemed like a safe haven for them to escape all the racism. At my church, like in Maya's book, we have people gather and we listen to a Priest preach. Like Maya, my family sometimes has the priest over at our house so he can have dinner with us. Although at my church we are much more quite except for the occasional baby crying. Unlike Mayas church were almost everyone there was well connected to each other. Another difference is that we, however unfortunate, don't get "hyped" up on the Holy Spirit and start trying to beat up our priest. So even tho there my be some people in my church who are like that, I don't think we are even close to as religious as Mayas Church ever was. I have been going to church ever since I was seven to do my Holy Communion and to do my confession after that I help out at my church by also teaching the children how they will be able to do t as well. This, to me, is a form of devotion I had every Sunday up until I turn around twelve years old where more homework came in and puberty struck. Tho it isn't as dependent as Maya it still was a small form. So to wrap it up, no today I don’t believe we are as devoted to our religion that during Mayas time.
My religion is Christian therefore I am very familiar with the christisnity and there are alot of similarities as well as diffrences between the two religions. Some similsrities of a Catholic and a Christian church is that they have the lords suppy which is a time when they use bread and wine/cranberrry juice to simbolize when the lord jesus christ died fopr there sins bread for his body and juice for his blood that he shed. Another similarity is that they both celebrate baptism and when. One more similarity is they both pray together as a chuch. Some diffrences are that catholics have what they call is a priest a christians call it pastor which is the leader of the church. Another diffrence is that the priest of a catholic church kisses the foreheads of the children of the church. One more difrrence is that christianity has praise danceing which is a coreagraphed dance to praise the lord. In conclusin there are many similarities as well as diffrences to the two religions that make them special.
ReplyDeletePAUL PERILLA a.k.a P.Rawwwwww, a.k.a P.Nasty, a.k.a Cutie, a.k.a Daddy, a.k.a Pappi a.k.a ...........
ReplyDeleteI am a religious Catholic who attends mass mostly every Sunday, so I know that there are some similarities and differences between my religion and Maya Angelou's description of her religion in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Some similarities that my church has with Maya's church is that we are all gathered up praying and praising one God who makes us feel safe. We would shout and sing our lungs out like Maya's church. The priest is kind as they're supposed to be, but no one is really as close as Maya's priest to people in my church. The people in my church would never ask the priest to come over and eat dinner with them, unlike the people who attends Maya's church. In my church, people aren't really close to each other, but however, the youths are actually closer with each other due to the classes (first communion classes and confirmation classes) that they attend every Sunday before mass. Unlike Maya's hatred about the children in her church, in my church, the children are like brothers and sisters. There are always babies who are loud as hell, cell phones ring occasionally, which distracts other people's prayers and sometimes the priest even stops his sermon and molds that mad or mean expression in his face. In Maya's time period, cell phones would be unheard of, literally. Also, my church is very diverse, which contrasts with Maya's church. Although, I would only see one African-American family who attends my church, and it happened to be Mr. Dixon's family. And rarely, I take my friend Tayler Hamilton (who is also an African-American) to my church. In my opinion, I think that both churches are equally devout.
I am a christian i am very familiar about what maya witnessed at her church. People screaming and dancing and saying thank you lord always happens at my church like this one time everyone got the spirit in my church my pastor Rev. Jesse L. Davis was preaching a sermon and he got really excited like usual and when he gets exicited he starts yelling and singing so he screamed out if you hear me say "Amen!" and my church said amen then a crazy lady said amen really loudly then another crazy lady ran around the church saying the devil cant catch me and i play the drums at my church so usually when that happens i have to start drumming loudly and intense to keep the church hyped and the organ player plays loudly with me and we get the church to go crazy, so crazy to the point where sometimes people start crying and thank jesus for everything
ReplyDeleteIsaiah Rogers-
ReplyDeleteIn the south many people were serious about there religion. The blacks in Maya Angelo's book were very religious people. Another group of people that are very religious are atheist. They believe that there is no God! They believe that they rule there own life. This is different from Christianity because we believe that there IS a God, and that HE controls our lives not us. But one thing that we have in common (possibly the ONLY THING) is that we make our own decisions according to what we believe. This my entry.
Another story: my choir was singing a song called "God is great" and when they sing that i get happy and start druming and quickly and thats get everyone in my church up om their feet and they start praising the lord and start singing along with everyone and there is a homless lady that got up and started yelling loudly and men from my church took her out of our church and kicked her out for ever.
ReplyDeleteEleeza Buesa
ReplyDeleteI’m a fully alleged Catholic that only goes to church for special occasions like Easter, weddings, funerals, and Christmas. From the excerpt from the book I Know Why the Caged Bird sings from Maya’s experience at the church isn’t very similar to one another. In the church that I go to its quite tranquil, but it can be obstreperous by the little children wanting to fall into a deep slumber. When it’s around Christmas time that’s where it becomes enthralling everyone dressed up in elegant clothing filled with silvers, reds, and whites. When the Mass starts a cheerful tune fills up the room and we are welcomed by dancers prancing down the pews and circling around the altar. In caged bird there’s tons of singing, preaching, and shouting all those “Amens” or “Preach it”. In our church we say Amen too but we don’t shout “Preach it” we just follow what the Priest says. It’s not strict on how the seating is arranged we can sit where ever children and elders unlike in caged birds children are arranged in groups.
Mariana Ponce
ReplyDeleteI may not be as religious as they were in the autobiography of Maya Angelou but i know for a fact the we aren't as serious to our religion as they were. Attending church isn't a requirement in life. Yet people do go every week to praise and pray for their lord. We do have our similarities though, for example, we do sing and sit there to listen to our priest. But we also have our differences, we don't yell "PREACH IT" to let people know we have attended. If we don't attended its not a big deal but to some people it is and i can understand but usually its not as big of a deal.
Noe Delgadillo
ReplyDeleteI am a Catholic who goes to church about once a month. I usually go during the holidays including Christmas and Thanksgiving. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the people have to go a lot even during the holidays. One similarity between my church and Maya's church is that both of our church's sing when it is the appropriate time to sing. We also have one preacher who tells us about god and talks about the bible. One difference is that my church does not get physically aggressive when people do not attend. Also, my church does not always stand up and dance when they sing a religious song. Those are just some similarities and differences between my church and Maya Angelou's church.
Sergio Mariscal
ReplyDeleteJust like Maya Angelou I am also religious. I am a catholic that goes to church almost every Sunday. Our churches have some similarities, but at the same time they have a lot of differences. One of the similarities is that we also sing and pray just like Maya does. There are many differences however. One of the differences is that the church I go to is peaceful and quiet. They even have a little room for parents with children that make noise. It's a good idea because you get to hear the preacher nice and clear. Another difference is that the people don't get into arguments over things. The last thing is that it isn't obligated to go to church. The people go if they believe they have to. Our church isn't as strict as Angelou's.
Osi Nwachukwu
ReplyDeleteOne sunday about 3 years ago, we had a special service honoring our choir, so everyone came back later after the original sunday service. Me and my family arrived late, so when we got there we caught them in the middle of their singing, so we joined but right when i started singing, a well known member of our church began screaming louder than the choir was singing. Half of the church stopped singing to spot where the strange sounds were coming from. She gave herself out when she began running up and down the alter screaming "God is good!" After about four down and backs, it seemed that she came back to earth. She then began walking slower and slower until she came to a stop then "thud!" she dropped like she lost all control in her legs and it seemed like time stopped. Everyone rushed to the fainted woman and tried to wake her up but nothing was working, so they rushed her to the hospital and i do not know what happened after that but it must've went successful because i saw her the next week still praising the lord like the activities that occurred the week before never happened
Freddie Kao
ReplyDeleteThere are religions with stronger and more intense services while compared to others, I used to go to my Christian church and when I was there I don't think we had anything like what was portrayed in "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" ever happened from what I knew of. My church, like many others, always had people who listened very attentively to what was being said. We never had any intense outbreak so I cannot relate. In my opinion I do not think there is a more "devout" religion but people. In almost every religion there will be groups of extremists whose devotion will promote non-tolerance towards other religions, but the same passion for their religion would be similar to the passion portrayed in the book. Religion is a mutual topic that is based on several other statistics. I like the fact that people stay devoted to their religions and follow it to the end, but the favoring of a religion can be by personal choice or can be influenced by elders, peers, geographical factors and history.
Diogo Holanda
ReplyDeleteThe church I attend and the one Maya Angelou describes during her experienced have similarities and differences. I'm a born Catholic and attend church with my family about twice a month or on a special event such as a holiday. The similarities between both churchs is that its a respectful place and its peaceful(Not in this case as Maya described but in general). At the church we dress formal and respect others as do most churchs. The Preacher prays and sings and so do the people at right times. The differences are that people at my church dont depend church as much as the folks in the south. From my experiences at my church no one has ever been physically hurt from another human and chaos has ever started. Also Children laughing loudly at church doesnt isnt common but the reason Maya and Bailey were laughing isnt common either. So These are some similarities and differences between the church I attend and the one Maya describes in the book.
Kelly Fung
ReplyDeleteReligion today isn’t as emphasized as much as religion back in the days of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Today not everyone is religious, including me. I would like to compare the church service Ms. Angelou went to with a temple service I went to recently during the summer. I went to a temple service in Ukiah; it was in a place called The City of Ten Thousand Buddha’s. Then we walked to the temple and it was really surprising to find it so quiet. The service I went to was really somewhat similar compared to the church service in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. When I first walked in, I saw three statues that represent Buddha. Everyone was really quiet, and I wasn’t allowed to be loud and I wasn’t allowed to take pictures even outside the temple. But inside the temple, I saw many people and monks reciting scriptures. They were walking in circles around the seats and they were really organized and knew where to go while reciting the scriptures. And instead of sitting on chairs, we kneeled on yellow kneeling pillows. There was also a speech, told by a host. There was a difference, though, between the two services. In the temple service, people were always quiet. They weren’t loud when they were reciting, and no one was loud, even outside the temple. Then we leave the temple after the service and went to a restaurant. Because Buddhism emphasized on vegetation, all restaurants were vegetarian restaurants but the food was pretty good. In my opinion, the two religious services were really different, one was filled with strong voices and the other is quiet.
Jessica Ortiz
ReplyDeleteI'm not very religious like Maya Angelou is, but i try to attend church with my family as much as i can every Sunday. But i see that in Maya Angelou times, people were very religious, they had to go to church every Sunday and had to sing and pray, like any other church. Church is different from Maya's time and our time because every once in a while i go to church its very quiet, but in Maya time it was loud. There is a lot of different things with church now and church in Maya's time.
Fiona Gee
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've perceived concerning religion in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Fundamentalism appears to be very strict. I am an Atheist, but I've learned that religions nowadays aren't as uptight, and a bit more laid back. I've decided to educate myself about Catholics, and I have learned that in the ways that they are similar to Fundamentalism, they also differ in many ways as well. I've gathered that when Catholics attend church, they are to sit quietly, not interrupt, and listen to the Priest read from the Bible. That corresponds to what I read in the book regarding Maya's experience during the time she went to church. Reverend Thomas reads texts from the Bible, while everyone sits and listens attentively. As there are the similarities between these two religions, these are the differences. In the book, the children are segregated from the adults, the children have a specific section where they are to sit, as do the adults. Catholics are free to sit anywhere they please when they attend church.
Meryl Cantoria
ReplyDeleteBorn in the Philippines, I was raised Catholic. My parents enrolled me in a Catholic school during my freshmen year in the Philippines. Every Friday, we would have an hour mass where all the freshmen are needed to participate. Our masses were elaborate and straightforward. Everyone was expected to be organized and disciplined, the priest on the altar with his Sacristans helping him throughout the mass; the readers on the right; and the student choirs on the left. Unlike the Fundamentalist church where Maya went to, our church serves simple and peaceful services. There were no shouting, running or knocking down the preacher. Probably because we didn’t contain that much spirit as much as Sister Monroe did, but the degree of passion on both religions are the same. Although people in our church might not have showed their passion in their religion physically, I still know that they are as passionate as the people in the Fundamentalist church. The difference is that the Fundamentalist church did their church services a bit blaring while in my church, we do our church services as peaceful and respectful as possible.
Juny Nguyen
ReplyDeleteI was born Buddhist, but I myself believe in all gods. In terms of similarities of the two religious services, there are very few between the two religions. Other than the fact that both involve sitting, and both involve an area of worship (sometimes not even that), similarities are very sparse. The services of the Southern Fundamentalist church were very high spirited and loud, but on the other hand, Buddhist services or temple is a very relaxed, calm, peaceful service. You meditate, chant, and don't do very much. Along with the differences, Southern Fundamentalist still believe in God, while Buddhism does not worship a god, but instead, a philosophy, and a way of life. Buddhist temples do not have a priest, or someone who reads the teachings of Buddha, unlike churches, who have sermons and reverends and such. These two religions are almost completely opposite. I do not believe that one religion is more devout than the other, but that the worshippers are the ones who can be more or less devout.
Jamie Li
ReplyDeleteI am not a religious person but I chose to compare Maya's church's religious ceremony to an experience I had at a Buddhist temple while I was in China this summer. We climbed one of the highest mountains in China to a sacred temple at the very top. Sadly, it was super foggy that day so we couldn't look down or it would've been amazing. I went in the first gate and there was huge rectangular incense holder filled from edge to edge with sticks of incense even though there were bunches of people still holding incense and praying. I went around to the second gate and there I saw this huge statue of Guanyin surrounded by smaller statues of elephants and smaller versions of Guan Yin. I then went inside the actual temple and instead of chairs there were about 8 bright golden yellow kneeling pads where you kneel facing a medium sized statue of Guanyin. Behind each pad was a line so there was a lot of people which made sense considering it was a famous tourist attraction. Methodism is a lot more strict in my opinion opposed to Buddhism.
Aaron gaona
ReplyDeleteMe myslef am a catholic , because I was brought up to be a catholic by my dad and step mom , I've done my first comunion . On the other hand my mom christian she also has took me to christian churches and over the years I've noticed that catholic and christian religions are very differnt although they believe in the same thing , catholic church is mostly hearing and praying , and christian church is more reading the bible and discussing it , I like both religions , as for maya angelous church that she went to is way different from what I'm used to , people from my church don't scream or attack anyone , and I think its pretty crazy and hektick , I probably would never want to go that church , and I don't know if its still like that know but if it is then to each there own
Albert Felix
ReplyDeleteI was born a Christian and half my family is Christian and half is catholic, I think that it is wrong to strike or hit a preacher while he or she is preaching. I think it is not only disrespectful to the preacher but it is also disrespectful to the church members that are trying to hear the preacher speak. But since I have to compare a different religion or something like that I would like to start off sayin that Catholicism is very different from the religion that ms. Henderson's church believes in because they don't strike or hit the preacher, then they have confession to the preacher they have and they call their preacher or there priest father. While on the other hand there similarities are they both believe in one god which is monotheism, they both believe in Jesus and they both obey what the bible says.
Lizel San Juan
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I was raised Catholic. Although I was never really as religious as my parents were, I attended Sunday masses with them regardless, so I see few similarities and differences from my experience compared to Maya Angelou’s. Both religions have a sole purpose, and that is to worship an all powerful God who they believe can save them from their sins. They do this by sitting down while listening to someone, such as a priest or reverend, preach their beliefs. A way that the two religions are different is that while Catholic masses are very solemn and peaceful so that you find God spiritually within yourself, the Southern Fundamentalist masses seem to be erratic and require you to show physical devotion to God, which can ultimately lead to a catastrophic disruption of the service entirely, like Maya Angelou described Sister Monroe to have done. All in all, I’d have to say that Catholicism and Fundamentalism can be equally as devout as each other depending on how much the worshippers themselves believe they are dedicated to their religion.
Rosalie San
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I was never religious because half of my family are Buddhist and the other half is Christian. When I was younger one of my grandmas took me to the temple (she’s Buddhist), and ever since then I continue to go from time to time. From I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya’s religion is different from Buddhism. The differences between Christianity and Buddhism, is that we believe in different Gods. When you’re in a temple you sit on the floor, you don’t read from a Bible but you listen to the monks preaching versus being in a church where you sit on benches reading from a bible, singing, and have Bible study, and those things. I think that the only similarity is that both religions pray. In my culture it is VERY disrespectful to touch a monk, especially if you are a lady. During the time of Maya’s time they’re very religious, so they get into the preaching a little too much. In Buddhism, it’s quiet and you listen because if you were to act a little crazy, people would look at you a little weird.
Timothy Perez
ReplyDeleteMonotheism is practiced by both Southern Fundamentalist and Catholics who believe in an almighty God who somehow, promises you life after death; but, only if you follow the behavior modifications that they give you, like a long list of chores. The structures of their worshiping buildings are almost identical. Although the seating chart differs when Maya Angelou tells us that the children are separated from the adults. Catholics are allowed to sit wherever their heart desires and are EXPECTED to sit down, shut up, listen attentively, or respond; ONLY when asked for a response. Fundamentalist however, are allowed to do whatever the “spirit” inside them wishes.
The major difference between the two religions is how devout the PEOPLE are. It’s like you said in the prompt “religion is the backbone of the people in the south.” Catholicism is so corrupt that more than half the people who attend church are only there because they have to. Fundamentalist take so much pride in their beliefs and practices differing from Catholics who are only “holy” for that hour, or that day. Think of it this way “if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean it’ not a museum for good people, It's a hospital for the broken.” But hey, I’m not judging, because I attend church every sunday and sit down with all the other hypocrites including myself while the Fundamentalist are going Muhammad Ali on the reverend because they are HONESTLY feeling the “spirit.” I see the Fundamentalist as “down to earth people” differing from Catholics where most of us are hypocrites. Now I'm not judging. I'm just saying we're putting on a fake look because there's a problem if people only know you're religious by your facebook.
Sharon Phan
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," the people were so religious that the Fundamentalist had the tendency to attack the preacher and make unusual scenes. Although I am not as devout as Sister Monroe, I know that there were some people who are. For example, the people who believe in Jainism went as far as starving themselves to death. They believed in strict nonviolence and drew attention to the greatness of life. In fact, some Jainists who took their religion to the fullest extent wore masks to prevent themselves from accidental inhalation of insects.
On the other hand, there were also major differences between the two religions. In the book, the Southerners were monotheistic, meaning that they only believe in one god. While Jainism didn't necessarily have a god. Instead, they had a leader named Mahavira, also known as Jina, "The Conquerer." Another example of how they are different, is that instead of having 10 Commandments they Jainists had five "Great Vows": Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-possession).
All in all, Jainists were more devout than the people in Maya Angelou's church. Although they didn't sacrifice themselves like the Jainists, they were also strongly religious. In the end, each religion had more differences than commonalities.
Melissa Chavez
ReplyDeleteI go to a catholic church and that church is very similar to the one Maya Angelou goes to in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The similarities of when i was about 8 when i went to it was that every one would listen attentively and the loud voices of the chorus would bounce off the walls but would sound harmonic and the priest would stand at the front and start preaching out loud. You would hear children giggle or argue followed by the loud "shush" of their mother or father or quiet crying because of a pinch or a stern talking to.The differences is that in Maya's book someone comes in who is way too into the spirit of being there and starts attcking the priests and in the church I go to nothing similar to that ever happened while I went or maybe I just don't remember because I was too young. I also never noticed if there were specific sections for people to sit at church so I'm not sure about that. Either way they both have one strong thing in common that is true about almost every church is that the people who attend church go to worship their beliefs just like in Maya Angelou's book. That is the time that all people are together during a time of non-violence worshipping their beliefs.
Katherine Martinez
ReplyDeleteI'm not very religious but I was raised as a catholic and I have been to
church a fair amount of times but Maya's church was different in some ways for
example if you missed church it would not be a big of a deal and no one would
attack someone like in maya Angelou's church . Back then I see it as if it was
almost as a requirement to go to church now a days we go in out honor . Similar
things about the catholic church of now and back then is that we still sing as a
choir and pray . Also the religion both believe in god . Although The Christianity is kinda more similar to maya's church because I have
heard stories that when they prey they pray out loud almost yelling and throw their selves to the ground . But every
religion is unique in their own way .
Maya's religion in the church of Stamps had what was known as "the spirit" which was when somebody had gone temperarily insane and will atack the pope. In a religion of a diferent origon such as budhism, instead of going crazy budists become enlightened and become calm and collective, and are happy. These beliefes how ever are similiar in the way of how these mental states are achieved, people are focusd and become hit with an irrational but tangible power of their god's spirit. Christianity and buddism are among equalls neither religion is more devout than the other. In honesty I'm not assosiated with either one curently, but I was a christian a long time ago I've seen the spirit before...
ReplyDeleteNhyela Washington
ReplyDeleteI'm a christian so Maya Angelou and I kinda have similarity. But I dont have to attend church every sunday , only when i want to go or if our church having an event. I do try to go to church every sunday but the church i go to sings alot. The first two hours of church its singing and sharing event dates , not alot of preaching. Most of the time when someone is preaching the kids at my our leave or go to the back of the church because they dont understand or just dont want to be in the room. But i think Maya Angelou and I are different from her religious.
Nick Serrato
ReplyDeleteMya Angelou’s description of a Catholic Church service gone awry is a very comical and shameful representation of Catholic practices. I am not very religious myself but have been raised around catholic reasoning. I have compared two religions, Catholic practices and Muslim practices. In both religions, beliefs are read out of a significant book, for Catholicism the book is bible, for Muslim the book is the Qur’an. Muslim practice is aided by god’s prophet Muhamed, who taught and practiced the teachings he said god told him. In Catholic practices people believe and pray to God, the son, and the Holy Spirit who all are considered one God. Muslims believe that God is eternal and also enrich the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars of Islam consist of daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan, almsgiving, and a pilgrimage to Mecca in one life time. I feel that Muslim and Catholicism are very similar and very precise religions.
Santiago Ayala
ReplyDeleteI'm a catholic since I was born.In my family we always go to church every sunday of the year we don't miss church unless we can't go if we have an emergency. I'm not really the religious type of person but my family is and they are similarities and diferences between Maya's descriptive scene at the church and my church. Similarities of both church's is that we have a preacher we speaks the words of god and choir that signs at the appropiate time. A big diference is that when we are signing we don't really get into the signing part and in Maya's descriptive it does. Another difference is that people don't get thet holy spirit and make a big scene about it church, we just stay calm and continue with our lives.Not all religions are the same, some are more dedicated to god than others but that all depends on you, on the person you are.
-Miguel Ochoa
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised a catholic. I go to church once every weekend, mainly Sundays but I switch on and off due to my sport and whether I have an important game or a tournament out of town. Like in Maya Angelou's church, a priest does all the talking. While he's doing all the talking, we're all supposed to listen. Also, we sing along with the religious music and sometimes clap to the rhythm of it. Although, there's always little distractions that can tease you at times. There's little kids running around and playing when they're not supposed to, or there's always that little annoying baby five pews away that won't stop crying until church is over. All of these things may be the only types of distractions I experience in my church. I've never seen somebody attack anybody inside of my church, but I ever did, the cause would probably be an exorcism.
Adam Warner
ReplyDeleteOut of all the different religions in the world, almost every religious belief has a spectrum of ways for an individual to express themselves. If you were to observe the Jewish religion, you would see that all the followers took their beliefs seriously and usually prayed with slow and soft hymns. On the flip side, most Methodist churches, everyone acted passionately and participated in song rather loudly. Yet they still worship one god, just on a different way. Sister Monroe was extremely dedicated to her beliefs and she vibrantly participated during mass by coming up to the altar to preach her thoughts. Most people in Maya's church were used to things like this because possessions of the spirit would happen frequently. I suppose that anyone can be possessed, regardless of their religious orientation. I also believe that there is somewhat of a spectrum of how dedicated or devoted you can be towards your religion. I do not think that it matters what belief system you follow should determine how devoted you must be to your deity or belief.
Marielle Lopez
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised as a Catholic. I don't go to church as often as I used to, but I do know that its differences and similarities to the service Maya Angelou describes in I Know Why A Caged Bird Sings. Maya describes that they sit according to age, while at mass at my church, you are free to sit wherever, so usually families sit together. Maya's service is led by a reverend, and is highly comparable to a priest. Both religions sing religious songs and read from the Bible. Going to church to praise the lord isn't a complete requirement in my religion. However in Maya's religion, it seems as though it is, as Sister Monroe believes it it necessary to scream louder to show her devotion. Perhaps that was their belief at the time though, as they were living at the time of the Depression and prayed for guidance from the Lord. I don't know if I can say that both religions are equally devout though, since it seems that religions are much more laid back today, but I truly believe Maya's religion in her time of day was much more devout than of now.
Jennifer Vu
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I was raised as a catholic. My family is really religious so I attend mass every Sundays. There are similarities and differences between Catholicism and Fundamentalism. In both religions, there is somebody reading from the bible and there are people singing from the choir. The differences between the two are that in the catholic church, the people are sitting there quietly while listening to the priest and in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," it is loud and there are people that are disruptive during the Reverend's readings. The people in the church has to sit in a specific area and in the catholic church you are welcome to sit anywhere you'd like. Although, the two religions are very similar, every religion has their own characteristics.
Jessica Sandoval.
ReplyDeleteMaya and I had the same perspective when it came to church, though our experiences were different when we were much younger. I grew up as a Catholic, and I dreaded going to church. The entire preparation of it was time and energy consuming, and it wasn’t even remotely entertaining. The boring pastors would go on and on about things, that may or may not happened, and at the end of mass my mother would ask me about what did I learn. Then I would think to myself, “Well I learned not to trust anyone, not even your brothers, and never get into a hole with a lion if you have been bad.” Religion was imprinted on my life to certain degrees when I am around different people. For example, my grandparents were extremely religious and they lived up to the stereotypical “grans and ‘pas”. You know what I mean; they made you wear those overly starched puffy dresses that make your bum itch, your hair pulled back so tight that it felt like your face was going to be pulled off, and when you are introduced to the ‘Father’ you had so smile like a polite “little girl,” while you say, “No Father John, I have been a very good girl. I have not lied to my Gran. I like the story you said today.” Then the tall, wrinkly, white man would say, “Oh that’s good dear. Those are not stories; those are true events that explain the mysteries of our Lord.” I would want to sass him out and say “How’d ya know? You were there old man? You probably were since you were a witness when God was being born.” But then my Gran’s voice would protrude through my thoughts and scold, “Remember God knows all.” Then I would mentally say sorry and waddle to the nearest bathroom to let loose of urine I had been holding in for the past hour. The thing that aggravated me most about attending church was the people. I know that was a horrible thing to say, but if you had to say in a freezing church on an empty stomach with old ladies constantly glaring at you with their overpowering Giorgio by Beverly Hills Eau de Toilette. They stick their pointy noses to the heavens and nod with “That’s right,” and “Ah-mens.” I always believed that they also thought their perfume was too strong that they needed to grasp fresh air, and that’s why their noses were always turned so high. What Maya describes in the chapter is similar towards my thought on religion when I was younger, although no one looked like they were having a seizer in the middle of the procession. I believe that back in her day, religion was like breathing; something you never really questioned, you just did it. Now, religion is only for special occasions and for guidance.
Edgar Gavino
ReplyDeleteMy religion is catholic.I was tough and raised to be a catholic because both of my parents were also tough and raised to be catholic by both my grandparents.I attend church about two or three times a month.We also attend church when there is a special event like Easter and Christmas.Our church is kind of similar to like Maya Angelou church.The similarities we have whit the church from the south and the one I attend is that we both believe in god,also the people respect the church.In the church people pray and the chorus sings.The differences are that in the south they take church really seriously like you have to go to church every weekend and in where I attend church if you don t go to church its no big deal.But the south Maya Angelou church were she attends the take it serious.
Diana Carabajal
ReplyDeleteMaya took religion very serously.For her it was very importanat to attend every sunday to church.Although i'am a catholic i don't attend church very often but me and my family try to attend as much as possible but sometimes we just can't. When i go to church we read and pray and focus on the bible. When i was reading how Maya described when she went to church she said they al sang and it was vey loud, so i can't relate to that as much because we are more silent.In something i can relate to is that everyday they appreciate and give thanks for another day in their lifes and i always make sure i do that because i really do appreciate that. Although there is not much we can relate on i know that every religion is different.
Wesley Wong
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I have been grown up to be I guess Taoist, because my dad practices Taoism and Buddhism, as well as his brother and sister but I consider myself as being an Athiest. In the book “I know why the Caged Bird Sings” Maya describes how when people are devout to the Lord they go crazy and attack the reverend. Christianity and Taoism/Buddhism have many similarities and differences. Christians believe that God is the Father, son, and Holy Spirit. Taoism is both a religion and a philosophy of Asia, and stresses humanity’s relationship with nature. Both religions believe in gods but Christianity believes in one whereas Taoism believes in many gods, but mainly the “Three Pure Ones”. The Taoists practice in a temple and shrine, which is similar to churches or a chapel in Christianity. Christianity has many clergy’s: priests, pastors, ministers, deacons, monks, nuns and bishops; the Taoists would just have priests, nuns, and monks. Both religions have branches in the religion; Christianity there is Catholics, Protestants, and the Orthodox; in Taoism there is Philosophical Taoism, Religious Taoism, Folk Taoism, Chen Tao, Ascended Masters and more. I think that both of these religions are equally devout, considering that they both worship. But you know Mr. Lucero I do think there is a scientific theory behind every religion and a connection to each that is so crazy it might be true………aliens :O
Eric Sowho
ReplyDeleteEver since I could remember I was Christian but but no one really taught me what church was all about. But now I know and there isn't realy a difference between Christian and Fundamentalist they talk about the same things. In Mayas Church theres a lot of shouting and sometimes in my church theres a lot shouting also, but not like Mayas The difference between Christian and Fundamentalist is that Fundamentalist follow what the bible says litarlly and theres really no difference between the two religons. The religons both have slight differences but besides thst there the same.
Luis Rodriguez
ReplyDeleteI was born a Catholic although i didn't attend church as much the reaction of Ms. Henderson are nothing compare to what our church is now. some similarities that my church has with Maya are were both there for the same reason; for lord.We also pray an sing the way Ms. Henderson would have been disrespectful to our church. its not required for us to go to church its not that big of a deal like in the Maya Angelou biography. in the Maya Angelou biography people were extremely religious that people were giving the preacher a hard time and causing a unnecessary scene. Now a days people go to church for special accessions or if they just like going.
Tiffany Tran
ReplyDeleteThe church service in "I Know Why a Caged Bird Sings" portray the people attending the service as very religious. The service is much different than services done in a Buddhist temple. During a service for Buddhist people, you have to sit on the floor and listen to the monks chant. Unlike Mrs. Angelou's church service, where you sit on benches and listen to the priest preach while holding a bible. Also, Buddhist people pray with incense. In the book's church service, you would close your eyes and put down your head. In addition to Buddhism, you would seek a premonition from the monks on the outcome of your future and life. When you don't visit the temple, you wouldn't get punished and get in trouble just because you didn't participate in the services. Some Buddhist people visit the temple from everyday of the week to only once a year. In both of the book's service and Buddhism, you would pray.
Pablo Ordonez
ReplyDeleteAs a catholic person every Sunday I go to church but just seeing how her life and my life i see a huge difference. The difference is that she was in a more strict way for there religion. When it came to punishment it seem that they had a strict way but as my religion I don't see myself getting very punish as I see other religions and how they face different situation than how we handle them. The most punishment I had face was getting a whipping by father but those were as a child and I feel I can relate that like her because they got a whipping but I was able to prevent that because it didn't involve religion it mean because of personal things.
Since my cousin is Muslim and he has a very strict family over his religion I see that he faces over many obstacles as people in the south not only because of religion but because other stuff around them. As my cousin explains me how his religion sounds very close to the one im getting to know how they are so similar.
JaTaya Patton . Maya Angelou described the Methodist church experience like its was hectic . Baptist churches have similarities of type of church because they are both a form of Christianity. Every since I was born, my family and I have been Baptist. I have actually been to a Methodist church before and they basically pray, preach and praise the lord just about the same. I’m very familiar with this religion. Usually church begins with Sunday school, then service starts usually with signing from the choir. Tithes and offering are collected then the preacher begins to preach. In some cases people do catch what is called the holy spirit just like how the people in the store caught the holy spirit. That is a similarity that the churches have in common. There isn’t much contrast from the two types of churches. The way the spirit goes around the room and touches everybody is like a spray of perfume that’s roams around in the air touching all your senses and getting all of your attention.
ReplyDeleteRaymond Napiza
ReplyDeleteReligion in the south I believe is similar to catholicism. In catholicism there are masses for healing. Sometimes in those masses people get overwhelmed in their prayers and get possessed by the holy spirit. It is very similar to what happens sometimes at the churches in the south. Being possessed by the spirit is considered a beautiful thing in the catholic community. It is very amazing to see someone be possessed. Some people are possessed, some faint and some just don't speak at all. The only difference from these two religions are the rosaries and patron saints. I believe that the religion that is more devout is catholicism. It is more devout because it does a lot of prayers that you repeat and straight prayer as opposed to just straight prayer.
antonio pastran
ReplyDeletethe similarites beteen my religon and mayas is that we go to learn about the bible and to pray. also people sing.another reason peole go is to pray to help someone in need or to help them get well soon. the differnce between my religon and maya angleou is that mine is said in spanish and people dont make big scene in front of everyone. in mayas religon it is said in english and some people do make big scene in the middle of church. in my church some people get all dress up and other just go in what they want to go in. in mayas church it seems like everyone dresses up all nice. a lot of religon are the same but have some differences.
Karina Bolanos
ReplyDeleteI am a religious Catholic. Maya’s religion is pretty similar to the Catholic religion, but they do have their differences. While the mass is going on we sing along with the choir and sit down on benches to listen to the priest, just like in I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings. However in the Catholic churches there aren’t any sections telling people where to sit; we can just sit where ever we want to. Also a Catholic priest does not kiss children or shakes hands with the adults. If you would like to shake the priest’s hand you just go up to him. While church is in session people do not yell “Preach it” to the priest like they do in the South. A priest does not come to visit the church every few months to collect the money. There is only one priest that gives the mass. However another priest may take his place if the original priest gets sick or has to leave.
Alan Ralph
ReplyDeleteChurch for a teenager can be boring and repetitious going every Sunday. In the end you do it for one purpose, to praise the God you believe in. If this were to happen in my church I would find it entertaining. It would be different and engage me in the ceremony . It would also be frowned upon. If this really happened people in my church would question what is going on. Someone might even ask the person yelling "PREACH IT!" to leave.
When I think of this happening at any church, I would assume this to happen at a Gospel Church. In movies these are the churches that are up beat, lots of music and action. Catholic churches are mostly down beat and to the point. In the end I do wish this would happen at my church but I'm not going to get my hopes up. This was by far the chapter I engaged in the most.