Why Vanessa Doesn’t Go to Church Anymore

Plaque that appears outside every Kingdom Hall

As I have mentioned in previous instances, I was not born in the United States. I moved here in November 2004 from Quito, Ecuador. I was eleven at the time, but from a very young age I was accustomed to going to church, or the Kingdom Hall for Jehovah’s Witnesses as I technically am. My maternal grandmother was the one to teach, explain, and dispel any questions I had about religion and its many ramifications. I went with her to meetings in the Kingdom Hall, Bible studies, and trips. People thought me to be someone very spiritual for someone so young.

My father, whom I moved here with, does not agree with every pillar of the Jehovah’s Witnesses beliefs, so he didn’t necessarily make an effort to take me to meetings or Bible studies. We didn’t have a car for a while, so I did not press the issue. Next thing I knew, I stopped going altogether and spent Sundays worshipping in my sleep.

When I went back to Ecuador two summers ago to vacation, my grandmother had made plans to take me to Kingdom Hall, and I graciously agreed to go to see the people I had not seen in four years. I got there, and the first thing I noticed was that I did not relate to these people. When they asked what Kingdom Hall was like here, I found myself lying to not look bad and to pretend I had been to meetings and Bible studies. I even promised several people to not abandon the faith.

This trip made me realize that religion is not such an important part of my life as it was when I was a kid. To this day I have a complicated view of religion and churches: I believe in God and the Bible, but I don’t necessarily belong to any religious community. Religion is not one of my favorite topics to talk about at the dinner table at Thanksgiving, but I will talk about how churches appear only as buildings to me.

Going back to Ecuador made me realize that going to church every Sunday is not exactly one of my priorities and that I can get by without it. Of course, I believe in God, the Bible, and the power of prayer, but I don’t think it’s necessary to go to church – or in my case Kingdom Hall – to express my beliefs. In my opinion, God is everywhere, and if I keep him in my heart and mind it should be enough. I know many will disagree and bombard me with reasons why church is important and necessary, but I’ve lived too long without it to be swayed.   

17th Century Witch Hunts as Inspiration for Today’s Youth

The Salem witch hunts and trials mark a horrid chapter of American History. The deaths weren’t necessarily in the hundreds – with nineteen people having been hanged, three pressed to death, and approximately thirteen left in prison to die. Many died by being wrongfully accused, others because they were pressured into admitting a crime, and others because of social stigma. This episode was one of mass hysteria that swallowed a whole town and gave the people an excuse to point fingers at those they couldn’t stand or at those who didn’t live according to the established standards. While the existence of witches in any type of society is a far-fetched idea, it can be assumed that the practicing witches from 1692 were insidious enough to stay hidden and pass on their knowledge before they were caught. Based on this assumption, I claim that modern witches and their traditions come from the surviving, practicing witches of the Salem witch hunts of 1692. (160)

Back in 1692 in the United States (and in 1541 in England) witches were seen as mainly women who did not worship the established god, who sought an alternate way of finding the truth about how all human beings are connected. Those who believe in God think we’re all connected as brothers and sisters; witches – or wiccans – believe we’re all connected via energies.

            Wicca is a religion with Celtic origins that has passed through Italy, Scotland, Ireland, and England. When English settlers came to the United States, they brought more than their clothing styles, traditions, and use of the language, but they also brought their religious beliefs. English witch hunts started in 1541 and lasted until 1547, and those who managed to not get caught passed on their knowledge and brought it with them to the New World. This would explain why the Salem witch hunts occurred more than one hundred years later. After this second holocaust was over, the survivors passed down their knowledge through oral history, traditions, and rituals.

            Today, these traditions and rituals have been severely contorted and are thought to be obscure and wicked. There are many organized groups who meet regularly and practice “the craft,” much to the dislike of those with conservative views. The significance of this issue lies in the fact that there are a myriad of misconceptions about Wicca being the study of the devil or of all things bad and obscure, when in reality there is much more depth to it. Wicca, in its Celtic origins, was innately good and a way to help those interested in an alternative to prayer. Those interested should not be discouraged because of misleading opinions and prejudices. (282)

Sources

• Ewen, L’Estrange C. Witch Hunting and Witch Trials: The Indictments for Witchcraft from the Records of 1373 Assizes held for the Home Circuit A.D. 1559-1736. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., LTD. 1929
• Garces, Maria Dolores. Telephone interview. October 26, 2010.
• Garces, Maria Dolores. Piedras y Platas Damasco. Blogger, August 26, 2010. Web. October 26, 2010
• Mather, Cotton. Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions. Boston: R.P. 1689
• Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, N.Y.: 1976
• Rosenthal, Bernal. Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 1993

Misconception or Sad Truth??

In Silver Spring, Maryland lies a neighborhood that is almost entirely composed of apartment buildings. It happens to be where I live. While I lack some knowledge about the complete make-up of the neighborhood, I’ve noticed a distinct pattern.

            The neighborhood is made up of The Fields, Belvedere, and Forest Glen apartment buildings. These three are in close proximity to each other and are divided from the rest of apartment buildings by houses. Some of these houses are two-story, some one-story, and some even three. The buildings on the Belvedere block are three-floor pieces with three apartments on each floor. I’ve lived in one of these apartments for the past six years, and I’ve noticed a couple of similarities.

            When I first moved in, almost every apartment on my building was inhabited by a Hispanic family, with the exception of apartment number two, which is inhabited by Tim Joyce, one of the few white people in the building (excluding the manager). By the amount of Hispanic people I see when I walk in and out, I would deem it appropriate to assume that this building (and all others) is predominantly occupied by Hispanics. By the amount of Hispanic friends my sister has who live in The Fields, the same assumption would cover those buildings. This continues south of Georgia Avenue until the first houses are seen. Then we see more diversity. Houses there are owned by Hispanics, blacks, whites, and the occasional Asian.

            So, all this generates a question in my mind: what does this say about Hispanics? Is it creating the stereotype that, in this particular neighborhood, Hispanics can only afford apartments? Granted, there are some that have their own houses, but most of those are inhabited by two or more families. Is that saying that one Hispanic family alone can’t afford its own house? I would some day like to disprove that assumption.   

Word Count: 315

Who are you? Emo, Rocker, or Goth??

The emo mantra

Though for many adults in today’s society view all youth as “strange” and “rebellious,” there is one particular subculture that is not far from the stereotype. They’re called the Emos (short for “Emotional”).
This particular category of young people (and in some cases not only young people) emerged some time in the past three years, although it can be argued that they have been around since the seventy’s when punk rock and metal were just being discovered. For those not familiar with the term (or those parents who don’t know what to call them), emos are those who wear dark clothing, listen to preppy and depressive rock, and think cutting themselves is cool. Adults might attempt to combine emos with rockers, but they’re making a big mistake. Granted that rockers also prefer dark clothing, but they don’t listen to depressive and preppy work, nor do they think cutting themselves is cool. They prefer hardcore metal and multiple piercings and tattoos as self-mutilation.
When emos dance they head-bang (banging their heads repeatedly to the point of dizziness) whereas rockers do the mosh pit. Yes, young people still do that like when metal came out. Two completely different cultures. Two completely different types of people. Both different from goths, but that topic is for another time. I would run out of room!

Project Ideas: What Is Really "Me?"

Once upon a time, fairy tales were folk tales that were passed down orally from generation to generation. Every generation thereafter modified the tale and made it into a slightly different version to be recognized as a marker for that generation. Take for example Alice in Wonderland. This popular story stared, not as a fairy tale or folk tale at all, but as a satiric piece written by Lewis Carroll. The latest version of his original story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, can be seen as portrayed by Tim Burton.
The doll is another item that has changed with the generations. Dolls date back to prehistoric times when they were created to tell stories or to give to children as toys. Now, when anybody is asked to name a doll he will answer, “Barbie” without trepidation. Although Barbie is without a doubt an iconic doll, one must look deeper to find how exactly these characters were used back in the day when they didn’t have cars, clothes, and mansions.
Pictures, on the other hand, haven’t changed over the generations much, but the method of taking them has changed. It all started in 1824 when Nicephore Niepce obtained the first image, though it didn’t last long. Today we have digital cameras, cameras with video-recorders, and webcams that take pictures and automatically upload them to a computer. With all these and many more ways of taking a picture, I think people have forgotten the main point of photography: the finished product. Pictures tell a story, and I think people should worry about that rather than which camera will impress others.

Music and Dancing Equals Tradition

It’s only recently that I learned who I am. I like to think I developed my character my last two years of high school. I became a person to whom music is almost as important as air. Of course, I wasn’t always like that. Before I moved to the United States I lived in Quito, Ecuador; I lived there for the first eleven years of my life.

            Back then music was not as important to me as it is now. I now appreciate music and dancing. I love the way rhythms move me in synchronization with the beat. That’s why the tradition I look forward to the most is New Year’s Eve.

            Every year my family has a New Year’s Eve party at my aunt’s house. We eat late, dance for the last time of the year, and welcome the new year with noise-makers, champagne, and sparkling cider for the kids. After the hugs, good wishes, and scattered tears are done, we dance the night away, though after an hour or two the heat dies down and the kids start collapsing from weariness.

            Though kids might think the party was long, the dancing hard, and their clothes uncomfortable, I cannot think of a party I enjoy more. Having fun and watching my loved ones have fun is always the highlight of my night. It is truly one of my favorite nights of the year, the night I look forward to the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year.