Direction. Using course ideas, write a paper grounded in sociological theory....
Are my ideas clear? Did it make sense?
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CRITICAL THEORY: CHRISTIANITY AND SOCAIL TIES, LIKEMINDEDNESS, & EMOTIONALITY
X. X.
Student # X
University of X
SOAN*X (01) Contemporary Theory
November 14, 2017
INTRODUCTION
Christianity is the embodiment of a personal relationship with God along with fellowship to God's children, and by that fosters inner peace and social unity. Wilfred Laurier Prof. David Pfrimmer says that Christianity symbolize the character of a public ethic of belonging, and that its focus is on major life-enhancing things (Folkins, 2017). However, a Marxian perspective is that religion is an institutionalized social structure of capitalistic society that produces the effect of alienation and a loss for self-determination (Marx, 1844). I yield a critical assessment of three areas of Christian life in relation to these life enhancing affects: social ties, likemindedness, and emotionality. I contrast these perspectives with Marxian viewpoints in reference to alienation and self-determination. Finally I provide a summary followed by the sociological significance and limitations of this paper.
SOCIAL TIES AND CHRISTIANITY
Data from the US National Health Interview Survey reveal that individuals without religious values exhibit 1.8 times the rate for mortality then individuals who attend church each week (Ferriss 2002). The author suggest that social ties which form as a result of regularly attending church are the main reason for this reduced mortality because the nature of Christian social ties improve overall quality of life (Ferriss 2002). Christian social ties provide opportunity for deep and meaningful interaction with others who embrace the qualities of the Christian life-style. Living in this way involves stepping across an ideological line that empower Christians with ideas that critically oppose non-believers. Bearing directly on the Marxian concept of class conflict, the idea that Christians exist in a different social class then non-Christians, has splintered people according to the characteristic of their class (Zeitlin, 2001). Marx argued that the nature of religion in itself is a form of alienation, it obstructs people from self-determining ways to think about the world, by externalizing their idolizations onto a notional superhuman being (Zeitlin, 2001).
For non-Christians entering into Christian groups their perception about its benefit can be sufficient motivation to faithlessly believe Christianity despite not having this belief (Wollschleger, Beach, 2013). Hypocrisy is then a form of rationalization strategy by which the non-Christian aims to shear the cost of their relationship with God while maintaining fellowship with other believers (Wollschleger, Beach, 2013). Hypocrites sacrifice "their consciousnesses by adapting to their false external opinions and behaviours," and this sacrifice is the alienation from their true consciousness (Marcuse, 1964). When hypocrites identify themselves with genuine Christians they are obligated to think and act in certain ways, and "the rationality of their false consciousnesses then become their true rationality," and their self-determination is destroyed by existing in this alienated state (Marcuse, 1964).
Christians are known for promoting health and well-being other others, and mature Christians manifest this experience through prosocial behaviour. Being a prosocial Christian is more than a spiritual commitment, it calls for nonspiritual and economical activities such as charitable labour, tithing, and supporting other religious philanthropic causes. A reserved Christian that does not contribute the same zeal have ulterior motives for believing in Christianity; but for highly prosocial Christians their motives for believing are authentic (Chaves, 2011). It is custom for Christians to give finical assistance to the system that oppresses them, and according to Marx, is a substance of slavery; he writes, "there must be something to pillage and the mode of pillage is itself determined by the mode of production....To steal a slave is to steal the instrument of production directly" (Zeitlin, 2001). Free labour and financial support as a requisite to Christianity is antecedent to exploitation, the system pilfers its followers through the domination of its mode of production, and by that, alienates Christians from their will.
LIKEMINDEDNESS AND CHRISTIANITY
For many new and mature Christians who have plunged into scripture without doctrinal precision, the illusion of likeminded people might overwhelm them. Existing in Christianity is an isolationist preference that people to want to connect with churches that are likeminded, and often this means in agreement with Christian doctrinal statements (Mennoknight, 2011). The point that some Christian's miscalculate is that being likeminded denotes sharing the same thoughts as other believers, they overlook the correct meaning, which is to think and act as God would (Mennoknight, 2011). At any rate, being likeminded with Christian people, or God, is a process of restrictive thinking, to the extent they need to keep opposing thoughts invisible, to evade being ostracized from their group, and continue to access benefits. Likemindedness with fellow Christians, or God, forces people to give up objectivity thinking about their place in the world (Appelrouth, Edles,. 2011). In the viewpoint of Marx, "it is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness" (Marx, 1859). The likemindedness of Christian's separate them from their consciousness, producing the affect of alienation, and restrains self-determination of social individuality.
Scripture found in Philippians 2:2 says ," Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind", tell people that thinking like God will lead to a higher quality of life (Anon. 1973). Christianity is a testament that man is unable to live sin free, and only through embodying the mind in God that people can free themselves from their sinful nature. Full devotion to Christianity exemplifies the magnitude at which some people follow scripture as a way to enhance quality of life, giving up control to idolize God. The connection I make to this latter point is with Horkheimer's statement, "The more intense an individual's power over things, the more will things dominate him, the more will he lack any genuine individual traits, and the more will his mind be transformed into an automation of formalized reason" (Horkhiemer. 2013). According to this viewpoint, Christians imbue the characteristics and attitudes of objects that enmesh them, to echo the imitation of their surroundings, by adapting to the group in which they belong, giving up their own potentialities in life for the purpose of belonging, as the means for survival, mainly by mimicry (Horkhiemer. 2013).
EMOTIONALITY AND CHRISTIANITY
Mankind including our emotions has been cast in the image of God, and humans are the analogy of God; the reason that we have emotions is because God has emotions (Bible.org. 2017). The interrelationship between God and man is extraordinary so it makes sense that Gods ministry is significant to our emotional life. Importantly, emotions are influenced by mankind's propensity to be sinful, which underlines the significants for a personal relationship with God. However, life as a Christian is not meant to be experienced in relation to God alone, rather with other fellow believers who experience sin that originate from the same source (Bible.org. 2017). Fellow believers lend support when emotions become unmanageable, and they encourage through God's truth, giving reminders about the way to manage emotions is through a personal relationship with God (Bible.org. 2017). Bearing in mind that sin propagates negative emotion, a Marcuse perspective is that if mankind would change, they could liberate from a world that impacts them with "alien needs and alien possibilities" (Marcuse 1964). If people escape from underneath social control and exercise self-determination over life, then social structure could be organized in the direction of satisfying vital needs (Marcuse 1964). Sin becomes a spark for negative emotions for the reason that mankind is enthralled with culture that embraces excessive amounts of ideas that are destructive to a Christian way of life. Lives become dominated with allure for sinful thinking and behaviour, and this alienates imagination from wanting something more. Away from church a Christian's life is dominated by mass culture that eventuates in a single dimension (Marcuse 1964); however, gaining knowledge about a hopeful alternative dimension is life-enhancing to Christians.
Expression of emotions vary by personality measures of self-control and self-regulation, and these measures are linked to evidence that Christianity positively affects health and behaviour (McCullough., Carter. 2009). Additionally, Christian orientation can be categorized by treating religion as means, which is different then treating it as ends. Studies have found that treating religiosity as means is negatively associated with self-control and self-regulation; whereas treating religiosity as ends is associated with higher levels of self-control and self-regulation (McCullough., Carter. 2009). Christianity interacts with measures of self control and self regulation via a process which bring behaviour in to conformity with church norms by operating as an integrated negative feedback loop (McCullough., Carter. 2009). Horkheimer made a distinction between subjective reason for achieving goals through means, and objective reasoning that denote value on the ends (Horkhiemer. 2013). Reasoning about means for Christian goals is a process of subjective reasoning, but objectively reasoning about ends for Christian goals is the underlying support system that guide decisions according to moral and right principles (Applelrouth, Edles. 2011). Using subjective reason as means or objective reason as ends are both reasonable, and according to Marcuse "so rational that individual protest and liberation not only appear hopeless but as utterly irrational" (Marcuse 1964). Moreover, Christians who orientate towards either means or ends are both rational actors in an irrational environment - the environment of the object world that gets metamorphosed into the consciousness of rational thinking is a force which alienates Christians from self-determination (Applelrouth, Edles. 2011).
SUMMARY
I claimed that Christianity is a foundational lifestyle that epitomize a diverse set of life-enhancing affects (social-ties, likemindedness, and emotionality), then critically analyzed these effects using Marxian and Frankfort School critical theory. I explained how the death rates are connected to Christianity, in which Christian based social-ties increase life. A Marxian perspective was used explain how Christianity creates a division among the classes by creating oppositional beliefs. However, belief in a superhuman being limits self-determination and is an alienating force through oppressive thinking. The perceived benefits for life in Christianity are the reason why hypocrite Christians infiltrate. Hypocrite Christians rationalize a pretend relationship with God for the benefits of having social connections and limit their self-determination through the process of isolating their true consciousness. An exemplified Christian adapts prosocial behaviours and gives free labour and monetary support; being less prosocial in these domains denotes a motive for being Christian that is different from what is expected. Marx was used to explain how Christian customs resemble slavery, and I described Christian doctrine as a mode of production that forces a system that separate people from surplus value. Exploited Christians participate willingly in a system with clear rules that not only alienates from their individuality, it limits the way people self-determine their lives. People confuse the Christian meaning for likemindedness as characteristic of believing the principles held by other Christians, and under-appreciate the meaning of likemindedness with God. Peoples thoughts are restricted in Christianity, being of like mind requires apprehension of private thoughts, that need reformulating into what God would think. The consciousness of people become imbued by Christianity, people give up objectivity, and lose self-determination of their social consciousness. Biblical scriptures tell people to be of the same mind as God as a way to avoid sin, and more devotion reduces personal suffering. Horkheimer explains how people who empower things, such as God, will lose natural traits, and become automatized with formalized reason. Horkheimer might say that Christians enmesh themselves in Gods characteristics with imitations, and they give up their self-determination to exist in a form of mimicry. People are created in the image of God, and we have emotions because God has emotions. The way for Christians to manage their emotions is through having a personal relationship with God and fellowship with His children, they can band together to stave off sin, while knowing they can draw God's power. A Marcuse perspective is that people can change if only they could free themselves from the power of aliens needs and possibilities. Embracing sinful ideas or artifacts of culture is a form of domination and sparks negative emotions; however, Christians exist along multiple dimensions, existing in mass culture and existing in Christianity, and gives them a way to oppose mass culture ideas. Evidence suggest that Christianity is positively associated with self-control and self-regulation of emotions. Christians that have end goals are associated with more self-control and self-regulation then having mean goals; conformity is enforced by a process of negative feedback loops. Horkheimer defined objective reasoning as a system that guides moral and right principles. Marcuse thought both subjective or objective reason is futile because we live in an irrational society-an irrationality which prevent Christians from self-determination.
CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS, SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS
My decision to examine Christian based social ties, likemindedness, and emotionality was to uncover a viewpoint that only critical theory would bring into focus. The challenge I faced by investigating these categories was the dearth of literature that directly relate. Descriptions of these categories in context to Christianity are only present in theological books, social media websites, and online sermons; however, academic literature using critical evaluation is virtually non-existent. Maintaining neutral positionally was a primary motive for me, and I accomplished this using a compare and contrast presentation. The most interesting sociological implication in this paper is Marcuse's concept of one dimensional man. Christianity is struggling to convince mass culture with reason to believe in God; and what occurred to me, is the explanation that believing in God opens a higher dimension of beliefs that can be used to critically challenge mass culture. Future research is needed to critically analyzed these spheres of Christianity.
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