THAT GUY ON THE BENCH.

Hundreds of people walk by this man of bronze sitting on a lonely bench on old Broadway every single day, but how many of us actually notice him? Do we even know who he is or what he stands for? He's difficult to miss the first time around but easy to ignore every time afterwards in this fast-paced city. And yet he is always there, day in and day out, sitting serenely with a Bible clasped in his left hand and his right hand sitting open, an invitation. "An invitation to what?" you may ask. "To prayer," he replies. Will you take it? For some, the answer may be a resounding "yes," for others perhaps an "absolutely not," and for all the rest, a genuine "I don't know." Nevertheless, the invitation is there, and the choice is yours.

It wasn't until today that I took the time to learn his story, or at the very least his name: Jeremiah Lanphier. Now simply referred to as "that guy on the bench" (sitting just outside the American Bible Society on 1865 Broadway), the real Jeremiah Lanphier was a businessman (and not any sort of clergyman) who lived during the 19th century and managed to transform the lives of thousands of people through the power of prayer. And if this name sounds familiar to you, it certainly ought to because Lanphier is one of the "prayer-warriors" that Jerry Falwell lifts up in his book Listen, America!, along with E. M. Bounds and Evan Roberts. But what is prayer? According to Falwell, it is a "...means of moving God to do what he would not otherwise do if prayer were not offered," and "Every great revival in the history of the Christian church has been bathed in prayer." He recognizes prayer as a wonderful power, a tool bestowed upon His saints in order to accomplish great and unusual things.

But prayer in itself is nothing, means nothing, if it is not supported by belief. Prayer is a theme, a practice, that has appeared in virtually every text and religious experience we have explored this semester, and in every case the rule has been the same. It does not matter how long the prayer is, how elaborately it is constructed, or how loud it is said. So long as that genuine desire to communicate with God, whoever or whatever that may be, is missing, prayer is useless. This, of course, assumes that God is real, and that God loves and wants you to communicate with Him as well, and believing isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do in the world. Prayer is almost exclusively associated with religion, and so those who identify as nonreligious feel automatically excluded. For them, prayer simply isn't an option.

I disagree. If we human beings had the capacity to comprehend God's will, or rather, to understand fully the world we live in and the circumstances we face, there would be no need for prayer. But the fact is we don't know. We don't know why evil or gratuitous suffering exist, we don't know why bad things happen to good people, and worst of all we don't know how to stop it. Our human nature alone isn't enough to stop it. As a matter of fact, our own natures are often the cause of our own grief, as history (and Reinhold Niebuhr) has shown us over and over again. But prayer offers us a way out, if only we will take it. It is a shout for help, a hope for healing, a cry for repentance. Better yet, prayer doesn't require you to be sure about anything, and you don't have to be a saint to use it because not only is it a powerful tool, prayer is a gift. If you are happy, pray. If you are sad, pray. If you are amazed by the beauty of the sunset, pray. If you feel alone and distressed (like John Grimes), pray. There are no limits.

So again, the invitation is open to you. At worst, it is a cathartic release but overall a shot in the dark. At best, it is a candle lighting your way in darkness. So, might it be worth a try?

New York City: A Melting Pot

A couple weeks after my visit to Central Park on my first endeavor searching for religious artifacts, my sister came into the city to visit me from New Jersey.  I mentioned to her that I was keeping an eye out for art work to examine for religious meaning so she didn’t think my looking purposefully all about as if it were my first time in NYC was odd.  I thought I’d take advantage of being in a different part of the city than I usually am in with a fresh set of eyes to find something relevant, yet more subliminal, since my first find turned out to be more obviously religiously significant than I thought it would be.  My sister and I began looking for a good authentic Spanish restaurant to get a bite to eat.  After extensive research, we wound up in El Barrio, also known as Spanish Harlem, which is thriving with history and strong community roots as a place of cultural pride.  Here I found there to be a diverse group of religious institutions that show the neighborhood’s interesting history: several Roman Catholic churches, mosques, a Greek Orthodox monastery, and a traditional Russian Orthodox church.  We got off at the 96th and Lexington subway stop and walked down to 3rd Avenue to be greeted by a large New York Mosque on the south border of Spanish Harlem at East 96th Street.  Apart from its beautiful exterior, I noticed an elegant crescent moon atop this mosque that lingered in my mind for quite some time. 

We kept along, as I wanted to find something more creative.  We traveled up towards the 100s, and to my surprise on the corner of 102nd and Lexington I saw this crescent moon again.  This time it was not placed on the dome of a building; rather, it was incorporated in a beautiful and detailed piece of graffiti.  I also found the composition of this piece fascinating.  The artwork depicted a woman holding her child in a way that resembled the iconic Mary and Baby Jesus.  So, I snapped a picture and after eating some delicious Spanish cuisine at a local Taquerías on 116th Street, I went home to find the origin of this moon and what this entire piece meant.

Islam emerged in Arabia where travel along the desert trade routes was mainly at night, and navigation depended upon the position of the moon and stars.  The moon represents the guidance of God on the path through life.  Although the crescent is indeed a very widespread motif in Islamic iconography, it is not Islamic in origin nor exclusive to that religion.  The emblem has been used in Christian art for many centuries in depictions of the Virgin Mary, for example.  If this piece of art were placed anywhere else in the city the message wouldn't be as strong.  Without being too obvious, this artist created a piece of art that incorporates all that Spanish Harlem is, a melting pot of all religions.  Here a modern woman stands proud holding her baby.  We don't know her religious beliefs, nor exactly what her race is, but we do get that El Barrio sense of cultural pride.

Although this artwork contains definite religious symbols, it becomes much more than that when it is put into context.  It is about embracing change, and accepting one's neighbor.  This piece reminds us that humanity is being faced with a stark reality: to evolve.  What I interpreted from this piece is that we need to live harmoniously, among one another despite all our differences.  This is about our similarities as human beings, reminding us to not let religion separate us, but rather unify us.

Lyrical Unity

            Over Spring Break I got to see this band I enjoy called, From Indian Lakes at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY. They identify themselves as just an indie-rock band from California. I’ve been listening to their music for a while now, but for some reason, this time around when seeing them, I noticed the usage of the term “God” in their song called, “We Are Invincible.”

            “I pray to God like it’s the end of the world…
            Oh God, I’m a mess today…
            Oh God will I ever get this back…”

The lyrics including “God” have to do with praying to him when troubled. The second verse is asking God if things will get better. I guess one of the many questions that rose within me is that if it’s a relatable factor that people only go to God as a source of hope for help. Is it human to be afraid of going through hardship alone? Is it human to want to know if your future will be brighter? Is it selfish?

Going through things alone are of course difficult, but do people reach a point where they feel as if they have something within themselves telling them to go to God? Regardless of what the answer would be, From Indian Lakes brought a sense of unity in the room. Everyone was head nodding/head-banging at the same time, and regardless of religious belief, everyone was singing/shouting along to the song. To top it off, everyone at the show was incredibly friendly, talking to the people around them even if they didn’t know them previously.

Comparing this concert experience to Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin, John is tied to his sufferers.  He finds that he needs to have a sense of unity with people that are suffering. I guess in a sense, most people that listen to From Indian Lakes have relatable stories to the lyrics of their songs. The fans have a sense of understanding of what it means to pray to a higher power.  The lyrics in the song also state how the “light seems far away.” Being in a deep darkness being filled with questioning yourself brings you to questioning others and the existence of others.

The sense of solidarity came from the music that was playing in the room. This was much like John’s solidarity when his came from his group that are all there to hug and embrace him when he emerges. Everyone in that venue was there for each other, we were all enjoying our time together while watching/listening to something that brings us together.

Outside Looking In

While searching for an artifact or something that drew some kind of religious appeal, I came across an event that a friend invited me to where he was performing a spoken word. My friend happens to have been part of a program for about 10 years now where kids and young adults are allowed to get together and cultivate their talents. Being that I was there to support a friend during his performance, I felt like an outsider for quite some time until councilors and supporters of the program greeted me. I didn’t realize it at first but this program seamed to be a safe haven for the youth of Inwood Hieghts.

            As seen in the picture, although I was present in the event and took part in supporting each presenter with cheers and applause, I still felt like I didn’t belong. As much as they tried to make it a warm and inviting environment, for some reason I could help but to see things and feel as if I was an outsider. It was an interesting feeling experiencing things from the inside and yet, feels as if I wasn’t really a part of what was going on because I felt like I couldn’t relate to everyone around me because I didn’t share those talents that they so comfortably did. Both the crowd and people who were a part of the show seemed to be in sync and everyone seemed to be enthusiastic about each presentation.

            I quickly felt as if I was in some kind of religious gathering. The way the music and talents brought people together was as if this was their own religion and beliefs. The same way that people of the same religion practice the same faith was the same way in which these people seemed to be all united by a common bond. This experience gave opened my eyes to ways in which people come together and find places where they feel welcomed and comfortable around others that share the same passions and interest.

            My experience as an outsider and kind of treading softly and experimenting in new grounds made me feel a strong connection to Ray from Jack Kerouac’s book, The Dharma Bums, because like him, I felt as if I didn’t belong or fit in with these group of people although I could tell that they all had great interests and wanted nothing more than to show and let the youth cultivate their talents. What mad me feel as if I didn’t belong was that the talents that they shared and presented, aren’t the kind of talents that I could present or bring forth. I made an immediate comparison to the Christian church. I felt as if we shared similar beliefs, however I saw myself as a protestant who broke away from the common beliefs and practices and deviated to another crowd that shared the same goals and interests, just with different talents.

            Its as if religion is more than just and organized belief but shared practices which cam be found everywhere where in places that draw people together to share and grow together with their common interest.  

I stumbled across this image while visiting my friend’s apartment in the Bronx. I found this image particularly compelling because of its use of a percentage to signify ones degree of “religiousness”. The image also made me question just how many religions are represented in this area and how would the practitioners of these religions respond to such a sign. It also made me question whether or not it would be appropriate to have a similar sign but to perhaps be 50% of one religion and 50% of another. This notion brought me back to Kerouac’s Dharma Bums and his adoption of Buddhist practices. What would Kerouac’s sign look like? He never entirely denounces his catholic views, yet appropriates these Buddhist ideals. I wonder how Kerouac would respond to such a proclamation. Would he go with the 50/50 route here or would he denounce one entirely and go 100% on one side? Personally I do not think Keroac would even answer the question, being that he strives for a certain state of enlightenment through his Buddhist appropriation, he might go off on a tangent about the immateriality of things and refuse to event think of such a thing. He might view it as a way for those outside of his enlightenment to judge his “religious-ness” or spirituality, something he probably would not agree with.

It would be interesting to see this implemented in the post-war period as a way of extending the notion of the hierarchal version of the catholic church. By quantifying the degree of “religiousness” (faith?), it can help bishops further categorize their hierarchy. They may say something along the lines as, “we bishops are 100% catholic and therefore need to be at the head of the church, but you too can increase your percentage by embodying Christ’s teachings.”

I think a person like Jerry Fallwell would love for this type of quantifiable religious measurement system be in place. I think that Fallwells fundamentalist views and teachings would benefit from this notion because it would really break down a persons devotion. He would literally be able to assign a degree to his followers and could use it as a means for motivating them towards his cause, much like the previous example.

I found it interesting to convey religion, in this case Catholicism specifically, in such a quantifiable way. What if churches were able to assign a level of measurement that determined (by their standards obviously) just how devout you were? I wonder what Dorothy Days number would be. Would she too be 100% catholic like the sticker on this door proclaims that my friend and his family are? I wonder how Leila Ahmed would view her “religious percentage” . Would she split it into sub categories with gender being an underlying factor?

The Clash between Traditional women and Modern Society Women

New York is known as the largest city that shelters numerous trendy neighborhoods, architectural designs, magnificent buildings, and it is the home to various museums, parks, and monuments. However, aside from the historical building and museums, the street walls of New York are filled with the wonders of glamorous artwork. Many of these artworks depicts historical, political, social, cultural, and traditional changes or turmoil in the country. It was a Saturday afternoon I was walking on the streets of Flushing Meadows, Queens when I came across a wonderful graffiti artwork that caught my attention. The artwork was a combination of four colors red, gray, black, and white, although red was the most used color. The artwork depicted two women into different setting with different attires. The woman on the right was depicted wearing a grayish-black long coat with a symbol of a star including a face of a dysfunction man on her left arm, and she shown grasping on to a warfare rifle. The eyes of the woman depict her determination for the changes she is demanding. In the background of the woman has the word “obey” that is repeated throughout that portion. In contrast, the right side of the artwork portrays a traditional woman dressed in a cultural open head scarf. She is shown holding a small baby milk bottle in her left hand and her right hand is tightly grasping on to the head scarf, so it does not fall off her head. However, her eyes do not differ from the women on the left; they are determined and focused on the particular event. The background on her side depicts a design that would be seen mostly in homes walls.

            While looking at the artwork, there were many questions that circulated in my mind. One of the essential questions was why did the artist choose to paint this creative work, in front of a busy marketplace? Then looking back at history I understood that women still have not achieved full freedom, they are still not considered equal to men. Women are undermined and suppressed in all cultures and traditions. In the western society, women are prevented from achieving their full rights and make them considered equal to men. In our society woman are paid less than what a man would make in an hour. Furthermore, they are many position and career fields that are not widely open to the women in our society. Women are neglected and pushed away from those opportunities due to their gender. Lastly, in the western cultures the media and other sources depict women as objects. The image was drawn to depict two sides of a woman. The woman on the left shows that women in our world today are trying to achieve their freedom of rights by being more expressive and conducting the jobs most men would do. The woman on the right represents the women in most tradition. She is wearing the traditional outfit, submissive towards her family, but her eyes show her determination to do more than what is expected of her.

            Overall, the artwork reminded me of Leila Ahmed’s distinction between women and Islam. In Ahmed’s memoir, she discussed how the women were limited in their society, culture, tradition, and religion compared to the men in their society. The women in her society were required to stay home and learn the housework and the tradition of family. Similarly, the women learned their religion from the other women in the household. They were not required to go to the mosque and learn the proper interpretation of the Quran. However, the male were more open to the outside world and received proper guidance. The artwork on the wall portrays the distinction Ahmed depicts between men and women in her society. The painter of the artwork resembles that women around the world are still deprived, but they have not given up hope.

"All American Temper Tot" Analysis by Max Prybyla

 

              “All American Temper Tot” is a piece of instillation art created by Ron English for the Bowery Mural located at the corners of Houston and Bowery in SoHo. Unveiled on April 17^th, this piece is a continuation of his “Propaganda” series in which English criticizes American consumerism, specifically the mindless consumerism created by big company propaganda that turns every aspect of human life into a commodity. The satires within the mural include American currency, cultural and historical icons, brand symbols, and religious figures. Together, these satires create a critique of America’s past, present and future. The mural itself is a collage of posters, advertising various goods or ideas. The medium of advertisement itself is satirized within his piece because, rather than trying to sell the product depicted, he is criticizing the depiction of the product within the media and America’s relationship with media itself.

                The mural is a collage that creates an American flag. Originally, the flag’s stars and stripes represented the thirteen countries and the original thirteen colonies. In English’s mural, they now shows that the country is one of death (symbolized by the stars being replaced by the skulls), founded upon the principles of consumerism-driven advertisements (symbolized by advertisements making up the thirteen stripes). Located on a busy NYC street corner, this mural is itself an advertisement. The sheer size of the piece relates it to the giant LED screens and advertisements that are iconic of Times Square, located uptown. It also mimics the walls of posters, advertisements, and bills that are stapled to the sides of buildings and barriers; I pass one such collage frequently. Near my dorm, it’s on the side of an abandoned building on the corner of 57^th and 9^th. The red and white stripes are composed of posters advertising various propaganda. Raging out of the flag is a giant green baby, or the “Temper Tot”.

                The baby’s eyes are closed. It’s blind rage and green coloring is a direct reference to Marvel’s Hulk. The Hulk is currently an enormously popular superhero due to the recent success in the Avenger’s film series. The second movie in the series, The Age of Ultron premieres tomorrow, coinciding with the display of the mural. The infantile superhero emerging from the American flag connects the Hulk to America’s actions. The Hulk is the alter-ego of a brilliant scientist named Bruce Banner who accidentally transformed himself into the Hulk by saving a teenager from an experiment he was working on, much like the US changed when it began involving itself in saving people’s freedom around the world. Banner began as withdrawn and reserved, much like the country originally was when founded by the Puritans. Once angered though, Banner transforms into the Hulk and obtains near limitless strength and near invulnerability; the United States military is one of the strongest in the world. His powers grow in relationship to his anger, much like our country’s military response to anything. The Hulk acts contrary to Banner’s desires; like the military acts in regards to the population’s wishes. The baby shows that while we began as a country founded on principles, we were quick to draw arms and attack. Initially, this power may have been helpful, like Banner saving innocents, but we have since come to prematurely attack with a force often unnecessarily large, like the hulk at any point in time.

                While the posters range in their topics and their criticisms, the ones that stood out to me were those relating to religion. While Christianity was not the only religion satirized (There is also a poster of a crazed Mickey Mouse being called “Muhammed’s Little Pest”), Jesus is the most numerously depicted figure in the mural. Jesus is depicted in four unique posters and is referenced solely by name in, at minimum, three other posters. By his frequency, it can be read that Christianity is woven into the fabric of America. It can also be read however, as a vehicle of suppliers. The frequency turns him into a brand, or a public figure himself and further commoditizes him.

English is making a critique of American relationship to Christianity. Jesus is used as a selling point and as a commodity in his posters, like he thinks Jesus is in real life. He implies that you can buy Jesus, or your redemption. Jesus is also used to further materialism. While the use of Jesus as a symbol can be used to view the piece generally, the specific meaning of Jesus varies within each poster. From all of the depictions of Jesus, I found a form of a narrative in the respect that I found posters relating Jesus to our country’s past, present, and future.

America was founded by Protestants. The first people who came to this country were the Puritans. Later, many other forms of Protestants fled England to find religious freedom. These religious viewpoints are represented in many aspects of our nation from its Pledge of Allegiance in which people recite “One nation, Under God”, to its national currency which says “In God we Trust”. This refers to the Christian God because it is the most prominent monotheistic religion that refers to its god as God. Muslims refer to their god as Allah, and Jews refer to their god as Jahova. The above poster refers to this. He’s criticizing the belief that people have freedom of religion when Christianity is so heavily prominent in our nation’s origin. This country also has a history of religious prosecution which this poster references. Before and Post WWII, immigration of Jews was highly regulated and restricted. They were ostracized by most American society. Since 9/11 and other Muslim extremist terrorist attacks, Muslims have also been ostracized and are often, without just reasoning, profiled as terrorists. This country, founded on religious freedom for Christian denominations, oppresses other religious denominations.

Moving into the present, English connects Jesus to the recent increase in aircraft crashes and disappearances. He is criticizing the public’s blind faith in air-travel, just as he is criticizing our blind religious faith. We trust airlines to transport us safely from one location to another often without knowing anything certain about the history of the aircraft or the pilot, much like we blindly believe that God (or Jesus) will safely transport us through life. More poignantly, he’s criticizing our blind faith prayers to God before flying. Instead, the advertisement argues that it is Jesus who is the cause of the recent rise in airline crashes and disappearances; Jesus is killing people and taking them to Heaven with him.

Looking towards the future, English criticizes Americans’ false religious belief. He draws attention to people’s false religion, claiming that they’re religious when they truly aren’t. In his depiction of Jesus returning to Earth for Judgement, Jesus is flying over a town in a space ship. All of the buildings below Jesus are churches. This shows a mass production and consumerism of Christianity. Instead of the Church being a sacred place of worship, it is mundane and treated with profanity. Presumably, if every building in this town is a church then churches are being defiled by being used for blasphemous purposes. A further sign of consumerism, the text of the poster is designed in a neon-sign style. Neon signs are commonly used in New York to grab people’s attention to products being sold. Like what might happen in a neon advertising sign, one of the sides of the “U” in “RETURNS” is out, causing it to look like a “J”. The date of Jesus’s return is 6/6/6, or the number of the devil. This suggests that due to America’s increased consumerism that we have become such sinners that we now worship Satan instead of Jesus. “Look Religious” further refers to the false religiousness of the American population. Meanwhile, Jesus is offering a blessing within a glass-encased flying saucer. The barrier suggests that both Christianity is an ancient artifact, belonging in a museum and that there is a man-made barrier between us and God such that Jesus’s blessing cannot even reach people anymore.

In conclusion: English’s mural offers intended criticism of American consumer culture. He would argue that all American culture is consumeristic, even religion. Through the symbols he uses in his critiques of past, future and contemporary America, he provokes inward reflection on religiousness and outward reflection on the religiousness of the country as a whole.

                Other Religious references: