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JackSherrickFirstEssay 9 - 30 Mar 2021 - Main.JackSherrick
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Miracle Motif | |
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< | The miracle motif is a belief held by many Christians that the best way to improve society is to "love one another" and to add more people to the church. The state of society is not dependent upon secular laws or institutions, but upon the character of the individuals that compose society. Emerson and Smith first analyzed the miracle motif and found that it contributes to white evangelical Christians' opposition to radical social change. The miracle motif allows people to disassociate the distinction between a whole and its elements. The rationale is that a country is made up of states that are made up of counties that are made up of cities that are made up of neighborhoods that are made up of families, that are made up of individuals. Therefore, the best way to improve the country would be to improve the individual. This line of thinking eliminates the distinction between individual and group action. Arnold's Folklore of Capitalism dispels the notion that an organization is merely the sum of the individuals that compose its membership. Arnold lays out laws of political dynamics that describe the unique qualities of organizations that are resistant to the changing character of the individuals that compose their membership. By reframing | >
> | The miracle motif is a belief held by many Christians that the best way to improve society is to "love one another" and to add more people to the church. The state of society is not dependent upon secular laws or institutions, but upon the character of the individuals that compose society. Emerson and Smith first analyzed the miracle motif and found that it contributes to white evangelical Christians' opposition to radical social change. The miracle motif allows people to disassociate the distinction between a whole and its elements. The rationale is that a country is made up of states that are made up of counties that are made up of cities that are made up of neighborhoods that are made up of families, that are made up of individuals. Therefore, the best way to improve the country would be to improve the individual. This line of thinking eliminates the distinction between individual and group action. Arnold's Folklore of Capitalism dispels the notion that an organization is merely the sum of the individuals that compose its membership. Arnold lays out laws of political dynamics that describe the unique qualities of organizations that are resistant to the changing character of the individuals that compose their membership. Failure to understand this nuance instill a belief that change can only be accomplished from the bottom up. | | | Original Sin
Many Christians view the human condition as a depraved state devoid of significant potential for improvement. Original sin has marred temporal existence beyond repair and any attempt to reach the prelapsarian heights of Eden is an exercise in futility. Not only does such an endeavor have an impossible goal, it borders on the sort of pride exhibited by those builders of the tower of Babel who sought to be equal to God. This sort of attitude invites disengagement from legal reform. The courts nominal quest for justice serves an unachievable purpose. A belief in original sin plays a role in the promulgation of the miracle motif. Widespread reforms are seen as fruitless but change is possible on an individual scale.
Conclusion | |
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< | This analysis is intended to provide helpful heuristic framework to understand some Christians' psychological relationship to secular law. It is not intended to be a hatchet job on Christian thinking nor an exoneration of the behaviors that arise out of this sort of thinking. This analysis could be further nuanced by considering factors such as political ideology and racial attitudes or by extrapolating my argument onto other faiths. While many Christians may have a fatalistic and unengaged attitude towards secular law, they still have outsized political influence in America. White Christians compose only 43 percent of the American public yet they make up 55 percent of American voters. This indicates that fatalistic attitudes may not necessarily depressed turnout. Linking psychological attitudes towards behavior, as Weber does in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism | >
> | This analysis is intended to provide helpful heuristic framework to understand some Christians' psychological relationship to secular law. It is not intended to be a hatchet job on Christian thinking nor an exoneration of the behaviors that arise out of this sort of thinking. This analysis could be further nuanced by considering factors such as political ideology and racial attitudes or by extrapolating my argument onto other faiths. While many Christians may have a fatalistic and unengaged attitude towards secular law, they still have outsized political influence in America. White Christians compose only 43 percent of the American public yet they make up 55 percent of American voters. This indicates that fatalistic attitudes may not necessarily depressed turnout. | | |
Thoughts on how to add to this paper | |
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> | Linking psychological attitudes towards behavior, as Weber does in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism | | | I could discuss Brown as a counterargument wherein religious belief motivates one to actively oppose secular jurisprudence rather than acquiesce to it. Someone mentioned on the pad that there seems to be a correlation between being an activist leader and having strong religious beliefs.(e.g. Brown, King, Malcolm X). I agree but believe this correlation is only present in activist leaders, not necessarily in the less ardent supporters of a movement.
Also, I could introduce some Marx. I'm familiar with his quote "religion is the opium of the people" but I haven't read Marx's writings on religion. | |
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> | A contemporary and somewhat ridiculous version of Luther's message to the peasants that they should "leave the case to God." | | |
You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable. |
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