Job's Daughters International

An organization was mentioned in class today; Daughter's of Job or Job's Daughters International. My complete lack of knowledge on the suggested organization prompted me to do some exploring.

"Job's Daughters International is an organization of young women with members in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and Brazil. We have fun together at activities such as swimming parties, dances, family picnics, slumber parties, miniature golf, marching in parades and so much more. In Job's Daughters you will make new friends that will last a lifetime."

Anyway, I'll post the link here if anyone wants to visit the page...

http://www.iojd.org/

Basically, the organization was created to help those less fortunate, drawing the idea from the Book of Job that bad things happen to good people. It teaches its followers not to fall in despair in the wake of tragedy, but rather to rise up and live virtuously. It is the only organization that requires all of its members to have a relationshp to a Master Mason, though I have no idea what a Master Mason is. Perhaps I have to keep reading. Scholarships are given out of Job's Daughters and they even have pageants member can participate in. The organization itself is actually quite complex and the perfectly purple website a lot more detailed than I expected, but it's worth a look.

Jesus had to be a Jew

Jesus had to be a jew, because when Jesus was born there were no Christians. Christianity did not exist. I have never thought about this Bible in this way! I have had too many experiences with uber Christians who think they know everything there is to know about everything involving Christianity and the 'Lord'. I wonder what they would have to say about this statement. I didn't say it! Dr. Sexson told me so!

I always enjoy reading Tai K's blogs, as I'm sure everyone else in the class enjoys them as well, but his blog about the Conservative Bible Project is especially hilarious. I think everyone should check out the link on this blog if they get the chance.

I used to attend Bible School when I was younger, the my parents sat me and my two sisters down and told us we had a choice; we could continue to go to Bible School at the Methodist Church, take up our studies at the Catholic Church across the highway, or quit going to church altogether. Of course, the three of us immediately decided to abandon church going because that left more room for us to play outdoors, play nintendo, or, for me, make lemonade and read books in my moms room on hot afternoons.

Before abandoning the church, I do remember one question repeated over and over again. "Why must we question God?" It was a question asked repeatedly in Sunday school, and the answer was this: we must never question God, because He is the word and the way. Obviously, I never agreed with this statement; I had too many questions. Reading the Book of Job for class has made me feel a little bit better about questioning God. After all, doesn't Job question God in the good book after experiencing horrible earthly things? He wants to know why, as I wanted to know why. My best friends mother died when we were kids and I wanted to know why. Why did God take such a beautiful woman off the earth when she had four children to support, a husband who loved her, and a community who cherised her? I never understood. I think that may have been the point where I stayed away from the church altogether.

In the book of Job, a friend points out that questioning God is wrong and human beings are never supposed to fully understand the power or 'ways' of the Lord. The Bible leads a person to believe if they live a virtuous life good things will come their way. Job tells the reader that a person's virtuous life does not necessarily mean good things will befall them, and a life without virtue does not necessarily mean bad things will befall them. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people and very good things happen to bad people and that's just the way it goes. I have found this lesson, above all lessons in the Bible, to be very true in my 24 years of life. Still, when I do something I know I shouldn't be doing, I feel a little bit guilty and wonder if something bad will happen to me because of it. Perhaps this is just my firm belief in Karma and has nothing to do with the Bible.

Also, I was very exited to hear Joni Mitchell in class the other day. She is one of my favorites. I could listen to 'A Case of You' over and over and over again and never get sick of it.

Tyger! Tyger!

William Blake: "The Tyger"
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
in the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dead grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaved with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"

William Blake's work is some of my favorite, and just wanted to include this poem because it reminds me of the Book of Job, in a way. The poem provokes images of two creatures created by God, one fierce and bold, the other soft and innocent. My favorite line 'Did he who made the Lamb make thee?' reminds me of the Book of Job because it seems Job's thought process was this way. Could the same God who created the Heavens and Earth and allow the gift of life also allow such bad things to happen to an innocent man? Could the same God who is responsible for creating the soft and innocent lamb also be responsible for creating the Tiger, in such stark contrast with the lamb? Both the poem and the Book of Job bring to light what God is capable of, and I love Blake's use of these heavenly images in his poetry, especially this poem.

Bad Day?

"Go out and have a bad day!" Um... no thank you! I have been thinking a lot about Dr. Sexon's mentioning of 'bad days' and thought I would share a recent experience, though the experience is not my own.

I have a friend who, though pretty young, has always wanted to be a mother. You know how some people say they have some sort of 'life calling'? Well, for my friend, motherhood was definitely it. She tried several times to get pregnant to no avail. Nothing seemed to 'stick', if you know what I mean. Then, finally, a breakthrough! She was pregnant, but soon lost the baby to miscarriage.

Over the course of about four years, she has tried and failed to have a child. She endured several miscarriages because her body would always reject the pregnancy. Finally, she found herself pregnant and actually doing very well, only to miscarry months into the pregnancy. Again. I can't imagine what that sort of hope would have looked like only to lose another pregnancy.

Last year, she was pregnant again, and this time she worked with doctors to ensure she had the healthiest pregnancy she could. She managed to carry the baby to full term and delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl. It seemed like everything she had been searching for was finally falling into place.

About one month ago, just one day after my birthday, I recieved terrible news. On October 3rd, 2009, she woke up in the middle of the night in a panic. She ran into her sleeping babies room and found the baby face down in her crib, completely blue and not breathing. She called the ambulence and when they arrived, she was informed her baby passed away four hours before. Cause of death: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The syndrome is described as the sudden death of a child under the age of 1 which an authopsy does not show an explainable cause of death. Baby was over 8 months old and almost in the clear as far as SIDS was concerned.

I can't imagine a day being much worse than this one, especially when this woman has had so many medical difficulties concieving and carrying the baby to full term. Every time I think I'm having a bad day, I'm reminded of days like this one and have to say I don't have much to complain about.

I'm Not a Fan of Leviticus 18:22

Alright, so, I guess I'm a little angry. I know we are supposed to be reading the Bible as literature and only literature, but something about our discussion today just made me upset. Let me explain. We talked today about a collision between what we as readers know in our own human experience and what the Bible says, and I have found that to be painfully true after reading Leviticus 18:22:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

It's a bit hard for me not to take it personally. As an openly bisexual woman with a very strong love for the LGBT Community, I absolutely hate this statement, and I think the most infuriating part is that most people who read the Bible do not read it the way we are reading it in class. Many people trust and believe in this book so much they base their lives around it, and it's incredibly frustrating to think that people actually believe homosexuality is an abomination. It's so far outside of the realm of my concious thought it's often difficult to grasp. Anyway, I am in a Creative Non-Fiction class this semester and have been writing my memoir, and started giggling as I was reading over it. I wonder what a person who follows the Bible literally and closely would think about my story, specifically the part I am going to include here:

You found her the night of Old Crow whiskey shots and cards. Muddled banter with your best friend gave way to fervent glances across the crowded living room occupied by your close friends and the people you would never remember.
"I want to be with her," you said. Your friend swiveled.
"She's gorgeous," he said. And she was, especially. She straddled the arm of the beat up sofa, her stretching legs covered with skintight black jeans and feet harboring the most worn pair of Chuck Taylor's you had ever seen.
"Do you need some water, hun?" You were suddenly slumped on the same sofa, your booze filled lips reaching for the beautiful stranger now sitting to your left. You don't remember kissing her or teling her you had never been with a woman before, something she reminded you of on your trip the hot springs. The invitation was so unexpected, but you called her, remember? Her phone number was still scrawled across your front door in blue marker, something you passed by several times before summoning the nerve to call. Your lips met again in the hot springs, the warm water rushing btween your bodies, the softness of her touch suprisingly wholesome.
Weeks passed and you would see her on campus, gazing steadily ahead, confidently walking through crowds that seemed to part and kneel at her presence. She had dyed her hair an intoxicating mixture of platinum blonde and black, spiked up as if to warn the male gawkers she was venemous, a poison. She'll never talk to me again, you remember thinking.
But she did. Another invitation, this one to her room to drink beer and talk about ex-boyfriends and a cocaine addiction she was trying to kick. Her room was littered with old magazine clippings and photos she had taken herself. You remember the sunflowers immediately; they were her seconf love and her favorite thing to photograph.
"What's your first," you asked shyly, a question she would never ansewr. When she left you that morning, your skin was still burning from her embrace and smelling of her perfume. "It's expensive," she had told you once. "A gift from my sister. I can't afford that shit." You ripped a sheet of paper adorned with the image of a 1920's pin-up girl from her notebook and scrawled 'You are beautiful like a sunflower' across the page. Propping it against her pillow, you snuck out of her room, anxiety burning in your stomach. What a trite thing to say, you thought, much less put on paper. You remember the feeling of embarrassment pulsing through your body, but she kept the note for years afterward. She sent you packages on her trips from California to Spain that summer and a bouquet of red roses and sunflowers. Your mother never understood the showering of affection from another woman and you gave up trying to explain. You remember the package that contained the beautiful hand-painted plate and the flask engraved with the words 'Tu Eres Bonita Como Un Flor De Sol'. She remembered in a way that you never could. You were fascinated and she was in love.
You could never piece together exactly how things fell apart, but you know it was somehow your fault. She was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen and you still found yourself running from it, running from her.
"I'm not like this,"you kept saying to her, over and over. "I'm not like you. I can't live like this."
You recieved letters and post cards begging you to open your eyes, to face that life doesn't have to exist in your narrow reality. She would move wherever you wanted to live as long as she could be with you, you could be together. "I fucking love you," she would say. "Why can't you see that this is real?"
She never though you would fall in love with another woman. She had gone over and over it in her own mind, preparing herself for seeing you locking arms with your newest beau. When you told her you had met someone, the tears started to well.
"What's his name," she murmured as if she already knew.
"Kristin," you said, watching the tears roll of her pale skin and splash on her comforter, the one you used to cuddle under and talk through the night. You clung to her body, told her you would never love anyone the way that you loved her, and finally, reluctantly, moved to the door.

Hmm... I'm not sure any of those 'living biblically' would be particularly fond of my work. The only reason I am sharing this story with the rest of the bloggers is I feel this was a very important moment in my life. To read a text which blatantly shows it's disregard for my lifestyle makes the read a little uncomfortable. I am very close with gay people, have gay family members and friends, and support the gay community with every inch of my being. To say (or have someone else say) that all those cherished men and women are abominations is absolutely insane to me. I guess, if taken quite literally, this passage from the Bible only condemns homosexuality between two men, so lesbians must be in the clear! Woo hoo! Only kidding... I know this blog is a bit more personal, but I guess if you take the time to read the story you might understand where my discomfort stems from. I'm only thankful I am not closely linked with anyone who takes these 'rules' in the Bible quite as literally as others.

Fire and Ice

We've been asked recently to blog about the works of the Bible reflected in poetry or song. Every time I think about the Bible in relation to poetry, I think about Robert Frost's poem Fire and Ice:

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire
But if I had to perish twice
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
is also great
and would suffice.

Fire and ice are metaphorical representations of the religious 'coming' of the Lord but also mans great involvement in his own demise. Fire represents desire within every man which often leads to their own downfall, as desire often turns into lust and greed, things considered a sin in the eyes of God. Ice is a representation of the hatred which exists in all of us and has caused the world so much suffering. Though we haven't read or discussed this section yet in class (and, honestly, I've not read it yet), I know Biblical Prophecies exist about the 'end of the world as we know it'.

Isaiah, a prophet from the old testament, hinted at this Biblical prophecy in Isaiah 40:13:

Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD? Who knows enough to be his teacher or counselor? 14 Has the LORD ever needed anyone's advice? Does he need instruction about what is good or what is best? 15 No, for all the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales. 22 It is God who sits above the circle of the earth. The people below must seem to him like grasshoppers! ... 23 He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. 24 They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and their work withers. The wind carries them off like straw.

Isaiah goes even further to elaborate on the destruction the Lord will bring to the Earth after he has seen enough of man's sin:

The Lord is going to devastate the earth and leave it desolate. He will twist the earth's surface and scatter its people. 2 Everyone will meet the same fate-the priests and the people, slaves and masters, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, rich and poor. 3 The earth will lie shattered and ruined. The Lord has spoken and it will be done. 4 The earth dries up and withers; the whole world grows weak; both earth and sky decay. 5 The people have defiled the earth by breaking God's laws. ... 6 So God has pronounced a curse on the earth. Its people are paying for what they have done. Fewer and fewer remain alive. 7 The grapevines wither, and wine is becoming scarce. Everyone who was once happy is now sad, 8 and the joyful music of their harps and drums has ceased. 9 There is no more happy singing over wine; no one enjoys its taste any more. 10 In the city everything is in chaos, and people lock themselves in their houses for safety. 11 People shout in the streets because there is no more wine. Happiness is gone forever; it has been banished from the land. 12 The city is in ruins, and its gates have been broken down.

These Biblical passages prophesize God will bring great pain and suffering to the people of the earth, and Robert Frost's poem seems to suggest man will only be at fault for their sin against fellow man. The prophecy and the poem both imply that either we will all kill each other because of our own weaknesses or God will do it for us. Either way, we are all meeting the same bitter end by the same means.

Sweet Relief

The test was a success (relatively speaking)!

Does anyone else think it's absolutely excruciating to sit and correct them on the same day? Yes, I think so.... :)

Exam Preparation!

Test Question/Material:
1. The two authors of creation stories in genesis, J, P; Imagine God in his PJ's?
2. JEDPR
3. First five books of the bible: Torah, Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Levitucus, numbers Deuteronoy,
4. Torah, Nebahim, Ketuvim, Torah, Law, prophets, writing
5. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; three patriarchs.
6. How many sons did Jacob have? 12; 2 of which were by Rachel...Zoe & Ben.
7. What did Lynda think of Plotz? She hated him. Plotz thinks women are prostitutes, Lynda says they’re feminine metaphors of power, deception
8. Hosea: married a harlot, Israel is a harlot.
9. Lynda’s view of Lots daughters, passion and respect to procreate father’s seed.
10. Carl Eats Little Whinny Puppies with Gravy Asparagus: Creation, Exodus, Law, Wisdom, Prophecy, Gospel, Apocalypse
11. Vico’s ages: gods, heroes, men; Frye’s correlating stages of language: metaphor, metonymic, descriptive (demotic). *Frye says we should read the bible literally, as a child, what the text says is what it means, believe it for the sake or mythos, narrative
12. Mythos is the greek word for story
13. Repetitive Parallelism; example: handsome & good looking
14. Psalm 51, boy hits high note.
15. Circumcision is physical reminder of the covenant with God
16. Lacuna: Gaps in the text
17. Difference between Homer (not Simpson) and the bible: Homer describes everything, the bible leaves lacunas
18. Kerygma: revelation, a kind of language that blends revelation and proclamation.
19. Logos: story, words; has come to mean fact, truth; perhaps a true story about a talking snake.
20. Psyche: today means mind, back then meant “soul”.
21. Example of etiology: how did the elephant get its trunk, why do women give birth in pain? She listened to the snake. Why do snakes crawl on their bellies? Because the snake tempted, tricked Adam and Eve.
22. Archetype: a model narrative. Cain: archetype of fugitive.
23. Gnosticism: theology of philosophy, which locates salvation in knowledge. –Great definition Dr. Sexson. Movie: “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” See it.
24. Critical approach vs. traditional approach to the bible; critical = literary, scholarly approach; traditional = faith
25. Hubris: Tower of Babel, people who are to arrogant, excessive pride, so God jumbles their language.
26. Documentary Hypothesis: the first five books of the bile written by multiple authors. In a nutshell: that there were multiple authors of the bible.
27. Blogs: check the ones that have been brought up in class. Jason’s blog: colorful and inventive strategies to deal with hyperboles of bibles, but Jason explains that it’s metaphorical language; Occam’s Razor: the most likely answer is the simplest one. Nick’s blog on “The Lonely God”
28. Women in the bible, what were the writers worried about? Social Justice, Cultic purity, False Gods
29. Archetypes of Eve and Mary of women in the bible.

Ooofta! Just a bit nervous about el examen numero uno. Hope all goes well for everyone in the class!

Women in the Bible

The guest speaker for class was interesting, though I think she was disappointed that not many of us had more pressing questions about the role of women in the Bible. To be honest, I didn't find the guests presentation to be more centered around the role of women in the bible than any of our other classroom discussions, so I was a bit disappointed. Still, she brought to my attention some important points I have not been fully aware of while reading the Bible.

Important Point #1: Women are largely represented in the Bible in the form of metaphor.

Important Point #2: Gender Assymetry: Metaphors of masculinity are on the top while metaphors of feminity are on the bottom/distrusted/etc though many men in the Bible are represented as incredibly feminine characters.

Important Point #3: When Israel is mentioned in the Bible, is is over and over again likened to a woman and when it is likened to a woman SHE is always characterized as unfaithful. Why is that?

Important Point #4: Don't you dare say the women in the Bible are all prostitutes (at least not to our guest speaker)

Two things were most interesting to me during the presentation. Whenver I read about Lot and his Daughters, I get an uneasy feeling about the whole situation. After all, what kind of daughters would convince their own father to get so drunk he would sleep with them (and not just one of them, but the whole lot of them)? I have always thought about this story with a modern twist and this would just not be considered 'ok' in our society, no matter what kind of tale a person would like to spin around it. After the presentation, I realized Lot's daughters were no fools, rapists, or rabid incestual beings; they were simply level headed and like minded women who were trying to preserve their history. They certainly were not doing it for pleasure or because they secretly had a dark wish to sleep with their own father. These women, like so many women in the Bible, are the turning points in the story and the men would be nowhere without the women. Maybe they weren't sick... they were smart.

The other interesting thing to me about the class was her representation of the 'menstruating female' in the Bible. There is nothing about a menstruating female the Bible likes, made abundantly clear by all the rules laid out for those who come in contact with a woman on her period. Dr. Sexson has mentioned this in class before, but if people still felt presently the way they used to feel about menstruation, men would have time to do little else but scrub and cleanse themselves. Actually it would probably be pretty comical to see that happening all the time. I was having a discussion about this with a male friend of mine and he said he would rather not discuss 'periods' because he does not care for them. He does not CARE for them? Well, it's a good thing he doesn't have to actually have them once a month, never has to carry a child to term, and will NEVER have to go through the absolutely painful and wonderful experience of child birth. As a woman, reading the Bible's take on menstruation was pretty difficult for me, especially when I think of the men who probably instituted those rules.