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Pop culture and spirituality without religion

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David Bowie used religious imagery in his "Next Day" video(Photo: Adam Bielawski)

Pop artists are fond of provocative religious imagery, but Ted Turnau says that should not be surprising for Christians and rather than getting offended, they should be looking for ways to come alongside today's secularised pop stars to help them use such religious imagery appropriately.

Turnau teaches cultural and religious studies in Prague, his adopted city, and in his latest book "Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective", he expounds the importance of engaging in popular culture because of its influence on many aspects of society.

He believes the use of religious symbols reflects the desire people have for spirituality but not for religion.

"We want something spiritual, but we want our freedom and we hate religious authority and the abuses that we know go with it,"he says.

In the last few decades, post-Christian Western societies have seen large numbers of people leave the church. These people "have largely lost their way"and explored other paths, says Turnau, but "besides proclaiming their freedom to live as they please and endorse an increasing number of alternative lifestyles, there really is little by way of positive direction for living".

Ted thinks most people looking to live a good life end up concluding that "consumerism makes a lousy life-philosophy"and they turn inevitably to spirituality. But again, he stresses, they want it on their own terms.

"Many popular cultural figures grasp at religious symbols in a gambit to find something meaningful, while also attempting to domesticate it to their own perspective."

High profile artists like David Bowie, Lady Gaga and Madonna have used religious imagery in a way that has upset Christians or just left them plain confused. Much has been written about Lady Gaga's song "Judas" and the many ways it can be understood.

"In the age of Madonna and Lady Gaga, this kind of use of religious imagery is to be expected,"says Ted.

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Pop culture and spirituality without religion

Quest for spirituality

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India, May 23 -- King Bhartrihari was a legendary king of India. Savant, scholar and benevolent monarch, his was a golden period. A saint was passing by his capital on a pilgrimage. He had heard of this great king. He met the king and offered him a mango, saying, "This is a divinely-blessed fruit. O mighty king. Eating this will give you longevity and perfect health in body, mind and spirit. You deserve it, so that you continue to serve your countrymen".

The king pondered and decided to give it to the person he thought was most devoted to him and loved him the most. He went to the palace of his youngest queen, and asked her to eat it. The queen took the fruit and gave it to the palace and city chief of security, with whom she was secretly in love. The chief of security was in love with a courtesan of great beauty and accomplishments. He gave the fruit to the courtesan and told her about the qualities of the fruit.

The courtesan was a truthful and god-fearing woman. She questioned herself, "Do I deserve to eat this magical fruit?" Prompt came the answer from within, "No". Then she felt the only person who deserved it was the king. If he lived long and healthy, it would benefit the whole country rather than one insignificant individual. The king was surprised, but being benevolent, let her meet him. The courtesan took out the fruit and said it was a magical fruit and the king was the only person who deserved to eat it.

This had a deep impact on the king. He realised the illusory nature of worldly attachments, and immediately handed over the reigns of the kingdom to his successor and became a hermit.

He wrote the great Vairagya Shataka after his Neeti and Sringar Shatakas. In this text, he expatiates on the illusion this world is and how to conduct oneself in one's quest for spirituality.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

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Quest for spirituality

Religion and spirituality important to mental health treatment, says MP

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Religion and spirituality important to mental health treatment, says MP

9:19am Wednesday 22nd May 2013 in News By Mark Smith, Politics reporter

TACKLING mental health problems in ethnic minorities should take religion and spirituality into account, Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi has told the Commons.

Speaking during a Parliamentary debate, Ms Qureshi claimed mental health issues among black and ethnic minority communities were often not diagnosed properly, saying they could struggle to access appropriate treatment which was culturally sensitive.

Ms Qureshi told the Commons: Members touched on mental health issues in black and minority ethnic communities.

I will mention that as well because, in addition to a number of barriers, such as jobs, stigma and rejection by family and friends, they also face the barrier of accessing appropriate care and treatment that is also culturally sensitive.

Although it is accepted that there is nothing genetically that makes people from black and minority ethnic groups more vulnerable to mental health issues, often those issues are not diagnosed properly.

She also said psychiatry should take a more rounded view, taking into account religion and spirituality of the people being treated, rather than always taking a purely medical approach.

Ms Qureshi added: Psychiatry in the United Kingdom, understandably, is based on the Western understanding of mental illness and often medical models are used to treat it, but in fact mental health means different things to different people from different cultures and different communities, and they can be affected by many different issues, such as spiritual, religious and background issues.

Those might relate, for example, to the countries they have come from.

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Religion and spirituality important to mental health treatment, says MP

Ebony Muirson answers Emma Thompson’s question about the spirituality of the Kimberley – Video

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Ebony Muirson answers Emma Thompson #39;s question about the spirituality of the Kimberley
Ebony Muirson answers Emma Thompson #39;s question: "I loved the spirituality and peacefulness of Uluru. Does it feel like that in The Kimberley? This video resp...

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Ebony Muirson answers Emma Thompson's question about the spirituality of the Kimberley - Video

Prayer, spirituality gets the doctors' nod

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New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Hardly anyone doubts the power of prayer and almost everyone has a turnaround tale - maybe personal, or of someone else's - that credits the "miracle" to a prayer. Now while science and spirituality may not always see eye to eye, holistic treatment is now finding greater acceptance, and spirituality, among everything else, is recommended by doctors as part of the healing process.

"Spirituality as a therapeutic modality has immense potential," eminent cardiologist Ashok Seth of the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, told IANS. "Spirituality is as much about a disciplined, balanced approach to life as about pursuit of things metaphysical. In its various manifestations, for example music and prayer, spirituality has been observed to have a considerable impact in terms of preventing diseases and promoting healing," he added.

Seth's thoughts found resonance among other experts who believe that veering towards spirituality is walking towards a well-balanced, disciplined life that ultimately promotes health.

"A religious or spiritual person tends to live a disciplined life. Waking up early for prayers, which is a form of meditation that calms your mind and de-stresses you, is beneficial for one's health. Most people who call themselves religious or spiritual live healthy lives, shun alcohol and tobacco, eat simple, and are philanthropic, which are all antidotes in today's times," opined cardiologist Rakesh Sharma.

Sharma related the example of one of his patients, Saira Sheikh, who couldn't maintain a regular exercise regime and, after some discussion, decided to turn the spiritual way, and took to praying five times a day. "Praying regularly has helped me a lot. It has calmed my mind, plus, as the doctor says, it's a good exercise that I now do regularly," Sheikh said.

Mental health expert Sameer Malhotra of Max Super Speciality hospital also stressed that spirituality helps in the healing process.

"Spirituality reaffirms faith and hope and that helps in the healing process," Malhotra told IANS. "When you have hope, you have the will to get better. It improves the quality of life."

"What doctors are saying now we have known for ages," said Ranjana Das, a 50-year-old homemaker. "My sister fought breast cancer not just with medication but also with prayers. We all prayed for her together during those initial days, calling up each other to think of her every time she underwent therapy. After the initial loss of hope, she started believing that she could become better. And she did," Das added.

What all doctors, however, add is that spirituality or any other holistic treatment can only act as add-ons to the mainline allopathic treatment. "Such therapies do help, but not in lieu of allopathy," Seth said.

(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)

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Prayer, spirituality gets the doctors' nod

Psychedelic Spirituality Podcast – Singing to the Plants with Steve Beyer – Video

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Psychedelic Spirituality Podcast - Singing to the Plants with Steve Beyer
Psychedelic Spirituality speaks with Steve Beyer, author of the best book on Ayahuasca yet, #39;Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon #39;. Joining in a discussion...

By: PsySpirituality

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Psychedelic Spirituality Podcast - Singing to the Plants with Steve Beyer - Video

RELIGION VS. SPIRITUALITY: Why Have African Americans Abandoned Spirituality for Religion? – Video

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RELIGION VS. SPIRITUALITY: Why Have African Americans Abandoned Spirituality for Religion?
Health Researcher Damien McSwine discusses the key differences between religion and spirituality. These words are separated when they should be used together...

By: Damien M

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RELIGION VS. SPIRITUALITY: Why Have African Americans Abandoned Spirituality for Religion? - Video


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