Protestantism

» pink101 - Definitions

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There is a great deal of confusion about what we mean when we use the word, culture, to talk about the society in which we live. It can be defined as a particular society at at time in and of itself.
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The subject of culture falls under the broadest purview of the studies of sociology and spreads out into others.
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Culture begins with the smallest gathering of a few people at some geographical place and it evolves over the life of the society involved.
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Everything that impinges on the society has some influence on the nature of how the people interact with each other and with their environment to form their specific culture. So, society in the Arctic will express a certain culture as will society in Japan, Chili, Mexico, Africa, and in every place in the world.
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However, each culture can be seen to express certain classifications of variables that, while different, have similar type influences. So, culture in Muslim society, while different, will express certain characteristics similar to culture in Western societies. All civilized cultures include certain institutions; the philosophical, governmental, educational, familial, and economical. Each of these institutions has its own break downs that are specific to the culture involved.
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-- posted by pink101

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» pink101 - A Good Place To Start

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Here is a good place to start any discussion on culture.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociology_o...
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-- posted by pink101

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» paper_turtle - A Good Place To Start

In response to A Good Place To Start posted by pink101:

From the Wikipedia article:
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the sociology of culture is a "perspective" that "considers material products, ideas, and symbolic means and their relation to social behavior." As a perspective on social life, those that practice cultural sociology study all aspects of social life, including diverse topics such as racism, fascism, love, and trade associations, education, gender, science, and family life.
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Seems to me it would be pretty easy to get bogged down if we try to cover the entire field of the sociology of culture. When you start considering the topics which can be included, it becomes even more complex, since each topic represents a sub-culture of its own.
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What sorts of issues and/or questions were you thinking of when you proposed discussing culture?
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What sorts of cultural influences do you see in your neighborhood, or state? Where do you see cultural influences enhancing or detracting from the overall quality of life in America?
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peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle

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» pink101 - Others Are Unafraid

In response to A Good Place To Start posted by paper_turtle:
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Where do you see cultural influences enhancing or detracting from the overall quality of life in America?
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Culture is influenced by nature first--the geography, the temperature, the natural environment, availability of fresh water, types of animals and agricultural aspects, Hunting, gathering, and fishing, everything imaginable. In another thread, Migisi mentions that primitive people were mystified by thunder and lightening. One of the major influences on culture is the impact of the unknown and the unknowable. What makes people sick and why do we die? What happens to the person after death?
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When the ancients developed ideas about the sun and the stars and recognized that seasons were influenced or were covalent to the movement of the sun and that it was associated with the length of the days and nights, they were concerned that the sun might continue its trip away so the the days would be shorter and shorter until they might disappear all together. It's easy to see that they might have thought the sun had some persona--a god of types.
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There is a concept that has been mentioned before in which the relationship between people and things causes them to experience associations that can be seen as spiritual. Two people have a close relationship. one dies; but, the other senses the departed's presence from time to time when they visit places and do things that remind them of the departed. Early on in culture, people are able to imagine that the dead person is somehow revisiting them. This raises the unknown and the unknowable and of an after life.
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There are all sorts of things that go into the development of culture. Most of our ideas come to us from the deepest past. We have developed those ideas to be what they are today. Religion, itself, is one of the first inventions and comes to us out of the mysteries of life as it was known.
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We still have those same unknowns. We still experience the spiritual when a loved one has departed. We walk into a room where we saw that person and sense their spirit. We go to their grave site and experience their presence again. And, we seek explanations to satisfy our curiosity.
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This area is only one aspect of culture; but, it is an important one and it gives rise, among other things to religion as an institution of the culture--of society.
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Some religious people would rather ridicule such a discussion or stay out of it altogether than they would think of it as a discovery. Others are unafraid.
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-- posted by pink101

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» Brian Tubbs - Culture

In response to Others Are Unafraid posted by pink101:

Culture, put very simply, speaks to HOW people live their lives in a given society. Pink is correct that geography plays a big part in that.

For example, the ancient Greeks were very much oriented around city-states as opposed to a regional allegiance. Why? Because mountains and terrain made travel between cities extremely difficult -- and therefore uncommon. So, you had very different cultures present in GREEK cities (cities that weren't really THAT far apart distance wise, but were far apart for all practical purposes). Example: Athens and Sparta. Both Greek cities, yet very different.

Religion plays a huge part in culture. America's culture is STILL influenced by its religious heritage - going back to the Puritans of New England and forward through the various colonial religious establishments and finally into the founding era.

Immigration and race play huge roles in shaping culture. As does business and commercialism. Art, music and entertainment, of course, deeply influence (and, in many ways, reflect and DEFINE) culture.

Politics is key also. Of course, at first, politics reflects the CULTURE. But later, political decisions influence culture just as strongly. Example: the US Constitution has dramatically shaped American culture, even though IT was initially shaped by the culture itself.

However, after all is said and done about the above factors, the greatest influence on a society's culture is...

FAMILY

The family is the cornerstone of any culture. As goes the family, so goes the rest of society.

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» pink101 - Culture

In response to Culture posted by BrianTubbs:
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Yes, family is one of the main influences on culture along with (using sophisticated terms) economics, government, education, and religion.
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These five classifications make up the institutions each of which interacts with each and all of the others to create the overall culture we call society.
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We are able to trace the beginnings of each of these institutions to their beginnings. Each institution, incidentally, is the invention of the people who make up the society. So, we can go to the roots of any one and see how it began and trace it right up to our postmodern days.
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When cultures come into close proximity with each other as they presently are in the United States, we tend to think of that event as multi-cultural. More to the point, it is more a cultural clash than it is a mix. We see it with Muslim women wearing complete body coverings next to non-Muslim women close to naked in the super markets.
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We are going through some sort of a culture clash at present. It seems obvious to me that we will be changing our ideas and institutional make ups. A serious problem arises when one grou; within a single institution believe they alone have a absolute truth that is in opposition to another group's belief that it has the absolute truth. This IS the case of our American Religious Institution. And, it will bring our culture down until it is settled or until we kill each other off. It can be seen that the extremes in neither side are willing to settle their differences.
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Iraq sets the example for us.
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Wait and see.
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One other thing should be said about the institutions listed above. They tend to compete with each other for dominance over each other. Thus, the economic attempts to control the rules and operations of the other four as each of the other four attempt the same. When they all are in balance, culture goes well. Right now, there is some pretty strong competition being carried out and our society is showing it.
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-- posted by pink101

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» pink101 - The Religious Right

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I have ascertained--to my satisfaction--that the Religious Right has been, is and will be, in control of our national society as long as the Republican Party has control of at least any two of the three branches of government.
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To the degree the Religious Right is able to effect the Democratic Party the same way that it has the Republican Party, our government will be in the strict hands of Christian Religionism.
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-- posted by pink101

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» Brian Tubbs - The Religious Right

In response to The Religious Right posted by pink101:

Please provide your definition of "The Religious Right"

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» pink101 - The Religious Right

In response to The Religious Right posted by BrianTubbs:
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My definition of the Religious Right is that group of ideologically driven Christian voters that bases its political affiliation on religious principles. Such things as favor for Israel no matter what, abortion issues, stem cell research issues, sexual orientation, sensitivity toward the under and lower classes, and attitudes toward non-Judeo/Christian religion. I'm sure there are other issues; but, these are the stand-outs in my mind.
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This is the group that constitutes the solid voter base of the Republican Party.
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-- posted by pink101

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» pink101 - ERATA

In response to The Religious Right posted by pink101:

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Uh, that would be "insensitivity oward the under and lower classes".
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Sorry about that.
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:~)
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-- posted by pink101

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