#2 Religion Reflection Assignment on a reading by Scarboro and Luck called The Goddess and Power (Reading material is uploaded) - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... While thinking about the first question the researcher discovered that the exposition of the paper makes a reader indulge into reflective mode since the reader is compelled to question what the real objective of the authors could be in writing this paper. It appears as if the author would discuss the emergence of religious diversity in order to show the accommodative, liberal and diverse nature of the American religious arena. However, the terms “religious plethora” “pagan ceremonies” and “radical” (Scarboro and Luck, 69) used in the second paragraph bear negative connotation for beliefs like Wicca and Witchcraft and seem to belittle the value of these beliefs in the very onset. This implies that the authors consider all such religious practices somewhat alien to the mainstream America belief systems. The research questions brought forward by the authors – “What is the appeal of witchcraft to contemporary Americans?” and “What does Wicca offer to the wider American religious tradition?” (69) – also implicate alienation, separation and distancing of these religious beliefs form the authors’ own beliefs. The wording and terminology used here could look more convincing if the authors had used more neutral language.
The discussion also implies that the attributes of Wicca religion and the Witches’ attack on Christian beliefs make the readers assume that Wicca Witches are insolently bold and believe in personal and communal freedom. The words like “distant, stern, judging, vengeful [....] standing over against the human” (71) used by the Witches for the Christian God implicate that the Witches believe in a belief system which does not have any threat of judgement or punishment. Likewise, the gender inclusive nature of divinity in Wicca culture also sounds striking and imply that the practitioners of this religion believe in human rights and, more specifically speaking, women rights. The male ...Download file to see next pagesRead More