Race, Religion and Culture

[YO-ELEVEN-11]

Originally Posted by Kaldayen

1) Because there's only one race, the human race, I don't think this applies.

True enough, but, that idea is not fully realized on this planet yet due to the fact that a large majority of the planet still uses labels to identify the different poeple on this planet. So until there is a universal accpetance of the fact that there is only a "human" "race", "race" can and will be applied when dealing with issues involving people.

I do however await the Era when the whole planet will unify and become the "human race" with no borders or boundires.

[YO-ELEVEN-11]

Originally Posted by cavalier

But this is kinda what I was getting at when I wrote, "Obviously there are exceptions, but for the most part culture is not just influenced by, but dependent on race." Your Vietnamese baby would be one of the exceptions. Things like that are happening more and more, but generally Vietnamese babies are brought up within the Vietnamese culture.
Andy

I could not agree more with your thoughts here. In the world we live in today, if we like it or not, "race" does a play a factor in a persons exsistence on this planet. The qestions is not if "race" plays a factor in ones religious choice, but how much it plays in the process.

Any thoughts?

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by YO-ELEVEN-11

First of all, I would like to say that I respect all cultures and races on the planet. I feel that we should not have any racial labels or, for that fact, any religious labels for any groups of people on the earth. (What you believe and not what you are called). I also have many friends who are of different ethnic backgrounds. One thing I have noticed though is that most (not all) have similar religious qualities and choices in their particular religion.

What I would like to know is if race and culture play a part in most peoples decision on their choice of religious faith?

Is there a correlation between race and culture and religious faith?

Any comments?

How can we discuss race without having racial labels? I'll tell you what I think, but first I need to understand the question. How do you define race? Give me a list of races. Are we talking White, Brown, Black? Color classification system with subcategories? What?

I'm an American, but I'm of Scandinavian descent. I wonder if there's some sort of cultural marker inherent in that. Like, am I slightly predisposed toward elements of religion or spirituality that are more Scandinavian-ish? Maybe. I know I don't have a yin for Celtic stuff like my wife or some of my somewhat Pagany white friends. I do like Danish furniture and blue-eyed blonds.

But then again, I've got a real affinity for the blues and R and B stuff with roots in the gospel music of the black church. I don't know where that came from. And I really like African style music with that cool zulu guitar sound that Paul Simon helped bring over from S. Africa at the end of the aparthied era. And I really dig rajastani singing and meditational music from India ala Ravi Shankar et al. Don't know how that snuck into me either.

I still think we should define what race is or give up using the term.

Chris

[cavalier]

Originally Posted by YO-ELEVEN-11

The qestions is not if "race" plays a factor in ones religious choice, but how much it plays in the process.

Expert researchers claim about 72%



Erm, I think a huge factor, but only in the sense that race by and large determines what culture, and therefore, by and large, what thought system you are brought up in.

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by cavalier

Expert researchers claim about 72%



Erm, I think a huge factor, but only in the sense that race by and large determines what culture, and therefore, by and large, what thought system you are brought up in.

The question is, is race an active or a passive aspect with regard to one's religious practice? IMHO, cultural environment plays the active part, whereas any genetic tendancies are a naturally passive factor, unless the counscious choice is made to activate the race factor, and make a big deal out of it. JMHO.

[cavalier]

IMHO YHO is bang on.

I guess you're better at explaining things than I am

[YO-ELEVEN-11]

Originally Posted by seattlegal

The question is, is race an active or a passive aspect with regard to one's religious practice? IMHO, cultural environment plays the active part, whereas any genetic tendancies are a naturally passive factor, unless the counscious choice is made to activate the race factor, and make a big deal out of it. JMHO.

The fact that "race" is used so much to determine other things (like in a criminal investigations), IMHO I feel that it may not be a passive factor in this process. Although it can be put on the back burner when "culture" is introduced to the process. The fact that most (NOT ALL) people tend to naturally mirgrate toward their race when doing or practicing intimate things like their beliefs. It is not a big deal, but it can be a useful tool in looking into ones choice patterns in life. Your observation is sound and very logical, but how can race be a passive in this situation?

[Vajradhara]

Namaste all,

modern anthropology is no longer using the term "race" for classification purposes. the term now is "ethnicity" and, in my view, is a more appropriate term to use as, i think someone already pointed out, we are all part of the human race

i think that the evidence is pretty clear that a being can and often is greatly influenced by the cultural millieu in which they were raised. that said, we see plenty of examples of beings accepting religious views which are not part of their normative culture, to wit; western hemisphere beings accepting the Buddha Dharma.

my own view is that the garden of humanity is beautified by the abundent blooms of the various world religions and the myraid ways in which they arise.

metta,

~v

[wil]

Anecdotal thought to add to the mix....what color/culture is your church?

Mine is just about 50/50 white/black ratio, we do have maybe 2-5% hispanic...and maybe about 10% of the ethnic blacks are from the islands.

They've arrived from a variety of previous denominations, classes, less than 1% were raised in Unity...the majority came from a more fundamental backround...the minority from a non-religious youth or recent years and are returning to be more spiritual..

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by YO-ELEVEN-11

The fact that "race" is used so much to determine other things (like in a criminal investigations), IMHO I feel that it may not be a passive factor in this process. Although it can be put on the back burner when "culture" is introduced to the process. The fact that most (NOT ALL) people tend to naturally mirgrate toward their race when doing or practicing intimate things like their beliefs. It is not a big deal, but it can be a useful tool in looking into ones choice patterns in life. Your observation is sound and very logical, but how can race be a passive in this situation?

Just as I said in my post:

Originally Posted by seattlegal

unless the counscious choice is made to activate the race factor, and make a big deal out of it. JMHO.

We are the ones who choose to make a big deal out of race. If you put two toddlers of different races together to play, the race factor is not an issue. It only becomes an issue if we make it into an issue. Toddlers don't seem to make an issue out of it.

[Tao_Equus]

Originally Posted by flowperson

This blurring of the boundaries of race and culture is, I believe, pretty specific to economic class. That is, at present rice farmers in Laos can't, for the most part, surf the net after a hard day in the paddy and jet off on three day weekends to attend revelries in Bangkok. Most people in the third world and in the lower economic classes in developed countries simply do not have the resources to participate in the dreams that America and Western Europe have been exporting for the past fifty years or so.

In fact there is abundant evidence that the gap between people with the economic advantages to do such things and the poor is widening apace. This is a very troubling thing for dream exporters to deal with, and I believe that's why we're seeing the redoubling of efforts at economic development in areas such as Africa, especially in the sub-Saharan region.

So, aside from the obvious limitations of genetic, environmental, and familial programming, there is simply not enough wealth available to anticipate that the dream of a coffee-colored-skinned world speaking regional forms of English to each other might come true in the near future. But I believe that It could happen in a few hundred years or so if certain governments don't inadvertantly foul our world beyond its ability to heal and sustain itself.

flow....

I think you hit the nail on the head here Flow. Race, or ethnicity, has a lot less to do with ones upbringing and eventual mindset than the socio-economic group to which you are born. India with its still vibrant Caste system would be a good example, all Indians, to the outside world sharing a single culture. Yet the closer you look the more the nuances jump out at you. The same is true here where I live. Millionaires with their Porshe's living side by side with those on life-long social support, speaking different diallects and culturaly far removed from each other. And despite their proximity to each other never inter-reacting. However I disagree that "there is simply not enough wealth available", we are abundantly wealthy as a whole, it's grossly unfair distribution thats the problem.

David

[YO-ELEVEN-11]

Originally Posted by wil

Anecdotal thought to add to the mix....what color/culture is your church?

Mine is just about 50/50 white/black ratio, we do have maybe 2-5% hispanic...and maybe about 10% of the ethnic blacks are from the islands.

They've arrived from a variety of previous denominations, classes, less than 1% were raised in Unity...the majority came from a more fundamental backround...the minority from a non-religious youth or recent years and are returning to be more spiritual..

wow..nice church...There need to be more church's like that.

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by wil

Anecdotal thought to add to the mix....what color/culture is your church?

Mine is just about 50/50 white/black ratio, we do have maybe 2-5% hispanic...and maybe about 10% of the ethnic blacks are from the islands.

They've arrived from a variety of previous denominations, classes, less than 1% were raised in Unity...the majority came from a more fundamental backround...the minority from a non-religious youth or recent years and are returning to be more spiritual..

What's the ratio of men to women Wil?

Chris

[inhumility]

Originally Posted by YO-ELEVEN-11

What I would like to know is if race and culture play a part in most peoples decision on their choice of religious faith?

Since all Revealed Religions are guidance for man, the created one, from One God the Creator; and in origin are true, race and culture have no bearing on it. Race, country and culture are for man for easy recognition.
Thanks

[wil]

In service I'd say about 55-60% women...in classes about 80% women, at retreats about 70% women...In the youth program 0-18 about 70% male (at kids middle school or high school retreats...the split is real close to 50/50)... I'd say average age in service has to be around 50..smallest age group represented would be 18-30...