Richard Dawkins, 'God of the Godless' quite interesting and worth a read..

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/15/richard-dawkins-interview-appetite-wonder

What is the purpose of Education in Society?

This is a topic I have been interested in a long time, and I feel this Video (A poem/rap) explains everything I feel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-eVF_G_p-Y

Please reply with what you think after watching.

Teacher's are being made to wear a hijab even if they are not Muslim

This article was in the Mirror and thought it was interesting..what people opinions on this? should they be made to wear one even if they are not Muslim?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teachers-forced-wear-hijab-al-madinah-2288901

Al-Shabab Attack on Westgate Shopping Centre: Religiously Motivated?

Today, David Cameron has said of the attack on the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi, Kenya "these appalling terrorist attacks that take place, where the perpetrators claim they do it in the name of a religion; they don't. They do it in the name of terror, violence, extremism and their warped view of the world."

Here is a link to the story so far, with an interesting paragraph towards the end which states that Al-Shabab, the organisation claiming responsibility for the attack, freed Muslims as the attack was only aimed those of a  non-muslim faith. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24193059

The BBC news website also provides a good summary of who Al-Shabab are:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15336689

I'm just wondering who agrees with David Cameron? If we go by the social constructionist definition of religion, then surely Al-Shabab themselves fit the description? If Al-Shabab are carrying the attack out in the name of their religion, because that's what they feel they need to do as it is a meaning they have given to their religion themselves, then a social constructionist definition would say we cannot argue with that. Can we also justify it from a Functionalist's point of view? It could be argued to carry out all the functions of a religion identified by Durkheim, Malinowski and Parsons. Even before we take in to consideration any of this, Al-Shabab originate from the Union of Islamic Courts and imposes a strict version of Sharia law in areas under its control. Does this make it a religion, or could it be classified as an arm of a religion (Islam)?

Mummified Baby

Amanda Hutton 'starved four-year-old son to death'

The Mummified body of a four-year old boy was found in a cot in his mother's bedroom almost two years after he starved to death. Hamzah Khan was still dressed in baby clothes when police discovered the corpse as even though Hamzah was four years old at the time of death the malnutrition that caused his death meant that he still fitted into clothes aged 6-9 months.

The court case against the mother, Ms Hutton, is manslaughter by two accounts of gross negligence after having failed to feed her son and failing to seek medical advice.

The most shocking aspect of this case comes with the death of the child, Ms Hutton claims when she returned from the supermarket one day Hamzah was near to death, she said she sought to revive him but to no effect, she then placed the child in his cot, but then instead of calling for assistance e.g calling 999 she made calls to a pizza delivery and placed an order. After the death of Hamzah she then continued to claim benefits for him up until the discovery.

If you are shocked by this story here's two more facts:
Ms Hutton was an abuser of alcohol and cannabis and the father of the child was separated from Ms Hutton and now lived elsewhere.

It begs the questions about drug and alcohol abuse in the UK, and the rising cases of separation between parents; how can a father not have contact with his child in all that time; do we require tighter restrictions on drug and alcohol laws? Was the factor in her not disclosing the death connected with the increase rise in fraudulent claims, and was this money funding her addiction or was she living on the poverty line?

Is religion giving way to spirituality? YOUR OPINIONS

I read this article from a sociology review;

Heelas and Woodhead say that secularisation is undermining religion. Spirituality is based on personal experiences of the sacred and it growing in the place of religion.

Heelas and Woodhead use the term 'holistic milieu' for activities that that are spirtitual but not religious. They conducted research in a town called Kendal, they aimed to compare 'New Age' practices with traditional church going. When measuring holistic milieu they counted participation in activities they considered to have a spiritual dimension, these activities involve yoga, dancing, massage, homeopathy, councelling and spiritual healing. It could be argued that these activities are what people participate in during their leaisure time. Therefore it raises a question of how spiritual is spirituality? Using their sample, they found that fewer than half of people said that their involvement actually had anything to do with spiritual growth.


What are you opinions on this, do you think religion is giving way to spirituality?

WHYYY???!!!!!

I found this article and i thought it was very interesting, i personally think that the uk is losing its religion because there is much less importance placed on it, whereas many years ago religion was of great importance and was the key source of shared values, however nowadays there are other things that help to keep the shared values like tight-knit communities and clubs etc. http://planetivy.com/uknews/56411/atheism-why-the-uk-is-losing-its-religion/

Christian B&B owners Hazelmary and Peter Bull 'forced to sell up'

A Christian couple who became embroiled in controversy after refusing to let a gay couple stay in a double room at their guesthouse say they have been forced to sell up What do you think ?????????? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10320111/Christian-BandB-owners-Hazelmary-and-Peter-Bull-forced-to-sell-up.html

Does religion deserve special protection under the law?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-23551019

What examples can you find of religions enjoying special privileges or protections under British law?  Do you agree that religion should have a special status in 2013?

Is scientology a religion? Is science? Is football?

Should veils be banned?

Please read the following articles:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24112067

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24109186

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24112904

Do you agree with the decisions and points raised in these articles?  What is your view on the role of religious symbols in public life and modern society?

Welcome A2 sociologists

The blog is a tool for continuing your discussions of sociology outside of the classroom.  It helps you build debating and analysis skills and it is expected that you will spend a minimum of 30 minutes of your 6 hours a week reading and posting on the blog.

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