Nicholas Anderson Resource 1 - ‘Thousands of baptisms invalidated by priest’s use of one wrong word’ The Article by The Guardian ‘Thousands of baptisms invalidated by priest’s use of one wrong word’ discusses a priest using an incorrect formula for baptism, this discusses transcendence as a worldview. Father Andres Arango, from the St Gregory parish church in Phoenix, had been using the phrase “we baptise you” instead of “I baptised you”, according to the catholic church this invalidates the baptism, a strict requirement for salvation in Catholic theology, and subsequent sacraments “especially confirmation, marriage, and holy orders” affecting thousands of people who will have to redo various sacraments. This article was written by Richard Luscombe and represents his opinions on the matter. There is a clear bias on this source in the form of the writer who is inclined towards the left wing and against the church. This article does incorporate direct quotes from Andres Arango and the Diocese of Phoenix meaning the information provided is valid. However Luscombe could be withholding vital information that could alter the article because he is biassed against the church, hence the information is reliable but the overall story is likely biassed. This source is still useful to a student studying religion as it can reflects the beliefs of a writer who is against religion. This source reflects the formality that the Catholic church requires its adherents to undergo and the level of control the church can exert over them and challenges those ideals, portraying the church in an overly strict and formal manner. This article could influence Catholic adherents to question the church but will likely not sway them from the religion, however society as a whole will be influenced to think negatively about Catholicism that it is too strict, that marriage could be invalidated because of one wrong word years prior is ridiculous and just another reason why religion is illogical. Resource 2 - ‘War on religious freedom: We must stand up for Finnish Christians facing trial for their faith’ The Article by Fox news ‘War on religious freedom: We must stand up for Finnish Christians facing trial for their faith’ discusses the trial that two finnish christians are currently facing, this discusses transcendence and how it affects our views. Two people Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola both face charges of “ethnic agitation”. Räsänen is being charged on three accounts for “expressing her belief in the teachings of the Bible” the first being a pamphlet in 2004, the second being a discussion on a radio show and the last being a singular tweet of a bible verse, if convicted she will face up to two years in prison. Bishop Pohjola is being charged on one account for “merely hosting Räsänen’s booklet on his church’s website”; he faces up to two years in prison if convicted. This article is an opinion piece by Rep. Chip Roy and Tony Perkins, very right wing politician/former politician respectively. To say that this is an unbiased source would be down right wrong. It has a clear bias in favour of Christianity, it doesn’t have easily verifiable information, uses a small amount of primary sources and likely doesn’t tell the full story. It is biassed and unreliable, however as a student studying religion it can be a useful source, it allows us to see through a transcendence worldview. This article represents aspects of the religious tradition as expressed by adherents precisely because it was written by an adherent and allows us to gain a new insight because of it. It’s influence on adherents to Christianity would likely be to experience the same feeling the writers experienced and agree with the piece. Its influence on society in general would likely be similar except for people of the left wing which are more likely to disagree with points made in the article and look for further evidence and information to justify their opinion that Finland is correct in their prosecution. Resource 3 - ‘This Black Gay Priest In New York Is Working To Change Catholicism From Within’ The Article by HuffPost ‘This Black Gay Priest In New York Is Working To Change Catholicism From Within’ discusses the trials and tribulations a gay black priest has gone through in the Catholic church. This discusses transcendence in practice. Rev. Bryan Massingale is an openly gay black priest in the Catholic church, he was born in 1957 and has suffered at the hands of racism and homophobia within the Catholic church, the first parishioner to greet him after becoming a priest said “Father, you being here is the worst mistake the archbishop could have made”. He considered quitting but decided to stay, declaring he wasn’t going to “let the church’s racism rob me of my relationship with God”. The rest of the article discusses his life and how he wants the church to change. This article was written by Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu on HuffPost which is owned by Buzzfeed a leftwing company. The information in this article is valid and reliable, due to its large use of primary sources as well as direct quotes from the person being interviewed. Additionally there is little room to bias this article as it is solely about the difficulties Massingale has faced. This would be useful to a student studying religion because it gives a unique outlook upon the church and the perseverance of faith. This article aims to challenge the Catholic church and its ideals surrounding LGBTQ+ people, it also aims to show adherents the wrongs of the past and how they can improve going forward with their past failings in mind. The article influences society in general to support changing the catholic church for the better, showing them the church has room to grow despite it’s current outlook. Resource 4 - ‘‘I will never be considered human’: the devastating trauma LGBTQ+ people suffer in religious settings’ The article by The Conversation ‘‘I will never be considered human’: the devastating trauma LGBTQ+ people suffer in religious settings’ discusses the experience of LGBTQ+ people in religious settings, this also discusses a transcendent worldview. This article was written based on an interview with 24 LGBTQ+ people who had been in a range of conservative Christian denominations. It describes the reality that these people have had to live through or are living through as they go through their life being told “being gay is not real” and that “It’s a disease that can be healed”. Often the people who are inflicting the harm are the ones that should be providing safety and protection one interviewee describes that “the last thing that you expect is full-on bullying from your own Christian teachers and leaders”. This article was written on The Conversation, a nonprofit organisation, by Joel Hollier a gay pastor who previously held a conservative veiw. Information throughout the article is easily accessible and well sourced, many primary sources such as quotes are used, this proves the articles validity. This source is likely unbiased because of the position of the writer and publisher, both have little to gain from the article and therefore have no reason to bias the information. The text reflects aspects of the religious tradition as expressed by some adherents this can be seen through the primary sources and quotes, it also challenges those same adherents on their beliefs. The article could influence religious adherents to be more open minded about people that identify as LGBTQ+, it aims to show them the wrongs of their current culture and make them reconsider it. The article could also enlighten the general public about issues happening behind closed doors at Christian schools and about supporting their child through whatever they are going through. Bibliography Luscombe R.(17/2/22). Thousands of baptisms invalidated by priest’s use of one wrong word. Phoenix, AZ: The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/usnews/2022/feb/16/arizona-baptisms-invalidated-priest-uses-one-wrong-word Roy and Perkins (16/2/22). War on religious freedom: We must stand up for Finnish Christians facing trial for their faith. Austin, TX: Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/religious-freedom-trial-finland-christians Asiedua K. G. (2/14/22). This Black Gay Priest In New York Is Working To Change Catholicism From Within. New York, NY: HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/blackgay-catholic-priest-nyc_n_620aca37e4b0e224afcb9952 Hollier J. (8/2/22). ‘I will never be considered human’: the devastating trauma LGBTQ+ people suffer in religious settings. Sydney, Australia: The Conversation https://theconversation.com/i-will-never-be-considered-human-the-devastating-trauma-lgbtqpeople-suffer-in-religious-settings-176360
