BLOG ENTRY 5
Attend the session in the MHT featuring guest speakers from JCMA.
Use the notes planner to assist you in writing notes on each of the 9 aspects as referenced
by the speakers, then respond to the following:
Use the notes planner to assist you in writing notes on each of the 9 aspects as referenced
by the speakers, then respond to the following:
For each of the guest speakers, describe the faith journey undertaken in their lives and the
role that religion plays in their day to day experiences.
Make reference to the 9 aspects in your discussion.
role that religion plays in their day to day experiences.
Make reference to the 9 aspects in your discussion.
IF YOU DID NOT ATTEND THE GUEST SPEAKERS - ALTERNATIVE BLOG RESPONSE
Visit the JCMA website:
Research the group (use the ‘About us’ tab) and report on the following:
- Describe the history of the JCMA group …
- In your own words, describe the purpose, aim and vision of JCMA
- Choose 3 of the activities undertaken by JCMA.
- Describe these activities and how they contribute to meeting the purpose, aim and vision of
- JCMA.
The JCMA group otherwise known as the Jewish Catholic Muslism Association, are primarily an organisation that inform others of their different cultures and the prevention of any form of abuse from discrimination and religious intolerance. Across all three religions, each speaker noted on the similarities, difference and the meaning of religion in their life. Digger Randle (Christian) has become a minister and an active participant in the Catholic community. He shared about how they all have similar beliefs for all people and that as a Catholic he only identifies himself as apart of the domain he is in. Amy Bachrach (Jewish) shared about the Jewish population being below 1%, and told us about Sabbath which occurs once a week plus the Jewish values about compassion, caring for the sick etc. Finally, Oz (Muslim) spoke mostly on prayer and life as a Muslim in Australia and the negative connotations that come with it. Each noted about their own journey in their religion and how it's not really a gradual process. For some of them, they find religion as their place of solace when they felt lost, or even just finding peace through their religion and stand by their faiths and rituals. They also note how they enjoy helping others being exposed to religion through the good and the bad and even being able to witness their life and journey.
ReplyDeleteOz
ReplyDelete-His family was not religious
-During his school life, always questioned about his faith
-Did not become religious until later in life
-He follows the more mystical string of faith
Amy
-Born Jewish, later in life embraced Judaism
-Became a female rabbi
-Studied to become a rabbi in New York
-Love moved her to Australia
-Judaism is much more matriarchal than then other two religions
Digger
-Went to church due to a girl
-Christian, not Catholic
-More of a progressive Christian
-Some not progressive ideas
DIGGER (christian)
ReplyDeleteDigger began his religious journey almost by accident while chasing after girl. After going to church more regularly, Digger found himself feeling inspired by the life of Jesus and everything he represented.
FACTS ABOUT HIS FAITH:
Started approx. 2000 bce
Jesus is the main prophet
Church is their place of worship
AMY (jewish)
Amy was labelled as a Jew from birth due to her mother being of the Jewish faith, though she did not embrace her religion until after her adolescence. She talked about her plans to become a Rabbi, which is widely accepted within the Jewish community, before starting a family of her own.
FACTS ABOUT HER FAITH
Started approx. 5000 bce
Abraham and Isaac are two of their prophets
Less than 0.002% of the world's population is jewish
Pray in synagogue
Pray 3 times a day
Sabbath is their holy day
Argument is important
Agree with same sex marriage
OZ (muslim)
Following the events of 9/11, Oz found the people he was surrounded by throughout his childhood to be more skeptical of his religion. Oz described not considering himself to be religious at all during these years, until about year 12 when following a mystical islamic path helped him to find solace.
FACTS ABOUT HIS FAITH:
Started approx. 1400 years ago
Believes in all jewish and christian prophets as well as Mohamed
1 in 4 people in the world are muslim
Can pray in any place of worship
Mosque is their holy place
Pray 5 times a day
Holy day on Friday
Digger:
ReplyDelete- minister and active in catholic community
- similar beliefs
- christian, not catholic
Amy:
- Jewish values about compassion
- female rabbi
- born Jewish
Oz:
- prayer and life in Muslim
- negative connotations
- his family was not religious
Digger
ReplyDeleteDigger follows the Christian faith, and although he called himself ‘Christian’ his whole life, he didn’t become fully immersed in his faith journey until he was 17. Although his faith journey was spurred on by a girl he fancied who went to his local church, afterwards he slowly and gradually discovered his need for faith in his life. He had always believed that there was something different about him, he thought differently about things, and eventually he found release and solace in his faith. He always worked with young people, but after a while he got ordained, and his beliefs became a lot stronger. He lives by the motivation that if we all lived more like Jesus the world would be a better place. Digger enjoys the challenges and difficulties following his faith presents-he believes that good and bad are two sides of the same coin, and that doubt keeps faith more exciting.
Amy
Amy follows the Jewish faith, and was born into an atheist family, but to a Jewish mother. As part of being Jewish, she prays both at home and in the Synagogue, three times a day. She celebrates her faith’s special day every week on Saturday, which is the Shibat (or the sabbath), which starts after sundown on Friday and goes until sundown on Saturday. An interesting point about her faith is that argument is central to Judaism, a lively debate is a good thing, whereas in most other faiths argument is a negative thing. In her 20’s, she became ordained as a rabbi-which is unusual for a woman. There are very few female rabbis in Australia, so she studied in New York, where there is a lot more female rabbis, and a higher demand for them. Her beliefs are that if you can’t action you can’t faith, and therefore you should share and treat people with respect, and that things will go on with or without doubt.
Oz
Oz follows the Islamic faith, particularly the Sufi branch-which is a particular branch of Islam that is considered to be a mystical branch. As a Muslim, he prays 5 times a day, in any place of worship-most particularly a mosque, but he can pray anywhere, including other faiths places of worship. His holy day is Friday where he goes to Chuch from 1-2pm. Islam prophets are Jesus and Mohammed, as well as all other prophets under the Christian God, as at the end of the day, Islam falls under the Christian umbrella. Oz didn’t grow up very religious, but his family was, and he followed a lot of cultural practises similar to what the Islamic faith encompasses. Hence, as well as stereotypically ‘looking’ like a Muslim, he was often questioned as a child about his faith, and the repercussions of that-particularly after the bombing of the Twin Towers. Due to this, he was drawn away from the religion due to the negative connotations he associated with it. But eventually he needed refuge, and sought this in his faith and spirituality. He follows a path similar to the central path of Islam, he prays, meditates and focuses on his breathing as a central part of his faith. However, he still believes in science as an explanation. He believes that as people we shouldn’t pass judgement, as we cannot do God’s work, and in terms of the after life-it’s about good and not God that will make you go to heaven. He often faces in and out periods with his faith where he struggles with a faith life balance, but he follows his path with the idea that faith shouldn’t be forced, it should be experiential-which is how he continues to find this balance.
Digger
ReplyDelete- Christian not catholic
- He did not grow up religious
- Came upon church due to a girl
- A progressive christian.
Amy
- Studied to become a rabbi in New York
- Is a female rabbi
- She was born and brought up to be a Jew
- Follows Judaism faith
Oz
- His family was not religious
- He was always questioned about his religion
- Become religious during his year 12 journey
- Follows mystical string of faith
Oz:
ReplyDelete- A mystical muslim
- Agrees with modern issues such as Gay marriage
- His faith has helped him greatly through his adult years.
- Goes to the mosque every Friday.
Amy
- A female rabbi
- Chose to pursue Judaism as a religion
- Didn’t grow up in a very religious household
- There is a small population of Jewish people in the world
Digger:
- Minister in at his parish
- Participates in church practices
- Believes that his belief in God has guided him throughout his life
The JCMA is the Jewish Christian Muslim association of Australia. It was founded in Melbourne in 2003, and they were able to form a system which allowed them to have an annual conferance for important figures to meet (similar to the conference held in Germany).
ReplyDeleteRabbi Jonathan Keren Black was one of the organisers of the JCMA. He invited a wide range of religious leaders and academics from each religion to attend the conference.
One result of this first conference was that there was going to be a greater emphasis on world religions in schools around Australia. The conference also led to the formation of the 'Steering and Lisaison group' (SLG), which is respoinsible for governance issues, and would be the channel of communication between the JMCA and other religious organisations. The SLG also established commitees, such as the School's comitee, which assised in creating a program to educate secondary school students about Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The purpose of JCMA is ultimately to prevent discrimination against these kinds of religions, and cultural abuse. Their aim is to encourage cooperation and interaction between religions, as well as understanding other religions. The main aim is to encourage each religion to welcome one another and to discover similarities between religions, which would allow each religion to connect with one another. The JCMA vision is to promote cooperation, and to create a community where all religions are welcome.
Some ways that JCMA enacts these morals are through Media releases, seminars, and panels that visit schools. These all support their vision as they provide information, education and support about each religion, which would have the effect of encouraging the next generation to be open and welcoming in their beliefs.
Oz: wasn't very religious while at school however found himself in a time of need. Oz is a mystical Muslim meaning they pray 5 times a day. 1/4 of the worlds population is Muslim and pray in a mosk.
ReplyDeleteAmy: Amy is Jewish and decided to go to new York to study to be a rabbi once getting fully involved in her religion. Jewish is the oldest religions sabbath is on a Friday from sundown to sundown on sat
Digger: is a christian that started his journey when was chasing a girl, however he then started to take more of a interest in his religion by going on camps and weekly church
Hi Tilly,
DeleteI find it so interesting how all these speakers have different ways of starting their faith journey, it makes you really realise how faith plays in everyone's life. The fact about Judaism being one of the oldest religions really shows how strong this religion is. I would love to find out more about its history.
Digger (Christian)
ReplyDelete- Christian developed around 2000 years ago
- He had come upon church due to a girl and then he was a progressive christian
- Holy day = Sunday
Amy (Jewish)
- Oldest Religion
- They pray at home a lot
- Pray at a synagogue
- Sabbath day from sundown on Friday to Sunday
- Amy had studied to become a rabbi in New York and she is a female rabbi
- Amy was born and brought up to be a Jew
- Amy follows a Judaism faith
Oz (Muslim)
- Jewish/Christian
- His family was not religious meaning he didn’t grow up with a religious background
- Oz was always questioned about his religion
- Prays 5 times a day at a mosk
- Holy day = Friday
- Oz had become religious during his year 12 journey
Hi Emily, I really enjoyed reading this blog post and gained some new knowledge about Oz. I found it really interesting that Oz grew up in a non religiuos family, and religion was not really something that he was interested in. However, throughout his year 12 journey he began to question his religion and then became quite religious. I am now really interested in the other aspects of this faith.
DeleteDigger Randle
ReplyDeleteDigger follows the Christian faith. Digger believes in one all knowing God and three key aspects of this is showing understanding and compassion and also believing in human rights. Some rituals that he follows are that Sunday is the Sabbath day and that he can pray as many or as little as he would like. Religion didn’t play a role in his life from birth it began when he was 17 years old and he didn’t have a significant conversion as it was a slow process. He took an interest in church as he fancied someone and from their took and interest in Christianity. Digger always had a sense that there was more that no one could see such as a soul or a spirit and believed that all that has happened in religion cannot be an accident. Digger believes that we all need to live like Jesus, because as he grew up he looked at the life of Jesus and the world around him and realized that the world isn’t a great place for everyone and if he lived like Jesus and we all lived like Jesus the world would be a better place. Digger shared how sometimes sins have to be made because if we want a free world there has to be a place for people to make poor choices. Lastly Digger stated that even though people among his faith let him down he still wants to be christian and that faith is not a certainty but a faith is in the midst of doubt because all in all if there was certainty there wouldn’t be any doubt.
Amy Bachrach
Amy is a Jewish woman who was born into an Athiest house but by having a Jewish mother she became Jewish. As part of the Jewish faith they believe in one all knowing God and Abraham. As part of their rituals they pray many times a day usually 3 times and they celebrate a special day that begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Sunday which is known as Sabbath or Shabbat. Another ritual that the Jewish community partakes in is a coming of age ceremony known as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The Jewish community find peace to pray in places like their home, their church or at a Synagogue. Amy became interested in the fact that argument is central in Judaism and wanted to become a rabbi which not many women could do in Australia. She believes that God isn’t pulling strings and making us do things as he is there for strength. Amy states how everywhere and every faith has good and damaged people and how in the Jewish faith the actions count more than faith.
Oz Malik
Oz is a Sufi Muslim who didn’t grow up thinking about religion because his parents were Muslim and told him he was Muslim too. Oz’s faith follows the belief that Jesus is a prophet as well as Mohammed and that there is one all knowing God. His religion looks at humanity, love, compassion and humanity. Oz’s faith believe in praying 5 times a day and the Sabbath day is on Friday and places his faith he finds himself praying in church and Mosques but sometimes it’s just anywhere. Oz had difficulty growing up because as he gre up there was a lot of negative connotation with being muslim, he was questioning his faith and questioned by his friends and he spent time trying to explain his faith because it wasn’t what everyone percieved it to be. After finishing school Oz wanted to find refuge and spirituality helped him with that through meditation which helped him become a Sufi Muslim which meant he followed a mystical faith about love and compassion. Oz explained how religion has a lot of power and it can be abused and used on people in vulnerable states. Some issues are not religious issues they are humanity’s issues.
Naomi T
JCMA SPEAKER
ReplyDeleteOZ- A muslim and had a fairly simple faith journey. During his time at school he was often questioned about his faith which led him to acknowledge it and he did not become religious until later in life. He is not strictly religious as he unlike others in his religion does not pray five times a day however chooses when he wants to. The Muslim faith started approximatley 1400 years ago and believes in all jewish and christian prophets as well as Mohamed. People of his religion usually pray five times a day and they can pray in any place of worship.
AMY- Was from a jewish faith. She studied to become a rabbi in New York and is currently one of the few female rabbis. She was born and brought up to be a Jew however she truly embraced her faith when she was an adolescent and follows the judaism faith. The Jewish faith started in approximately 5000 bce and Abraham and Isaac are two of their prophets. Jewish people pray in synagogue and pray 3 times a day. The Sabbath is their holy day.
DIGGER- Follows a christian faith. He was accidentally introduced to his faith as he went to church because he was chasing after a girl. He is a progressive Christiam which means that he is more open to concepts that some conservative christians are not. After going to church multiple times Digger recognised that he admired and agreed with Jesus’ action and who he was which led him to follow a christian faith. In the Christian faith started approximately in 2000 bce, Jesus is their main prophet and they worship in a church and through prayer.
Hi Yasmine,
DeleteI find Oz's faith journey very interesting, especially considering how at first he questioned his faith, but as he grew older, developed a strong faith in Islam. I would love to learn more about his more mystical branch of Islam.
We had three people of three different faiths come to speak to us about their religious journeys. Oz is a Muslim man, Amy is a Jewish woman and Digger is a Christian man. Digger was accidentally introduced to his faith as he started going to church because the girl he liked went to that church. This actually started his path with God. Digger is a progressive Christian which means that he is more open to concepts that more conservative christians are not. Amy had studied to become a rabbi in New York and is now currently one of the few female rabbis. She was born and brought up to be a Jew and always followed her religion however she became more serious and involved within her religion when she was an adolescent. Oz is a Sufi muslim which is more of the mystical islamic faith. He didn’t really know much about his religion until he was in high school and people were questioning him about it so that is when he started to learn about his religion and then became more involved.
ReplyDelete