Dayer-Berenson's Analysis

Culture, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is stated as “The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that dpends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. The customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious or social group. The set shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. The set of values, conventions or social practices associated with a particular field, activity or societal characteristic.” Of these four definitions, I shall be focusing on the second one to discuss what makes up the culture of American Indians.The culture of the various tribes that made up the Native Americans is one of close knit families, highlyspiritual peoples and living together as one with the land they lived on. They believed in spirits, worshiping and honoring them. Some settled into single locations while others were nomadic, but all had a focus on working with the land around them. Because there are so many varying tribes that make up Native

A culture can be defined as a way of life of a group of people- their behaviors, beliefs, values that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. It also includes the customs, arts, literature, morals/values and traditions of a particular society or group (Virginia Encyclopedia). Culture can also be considered as a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in places or organizations. This topic is of huge importance to our society mainly in the state of

I was raised in a Christian home where my parents taught God’s Word as our guide for life. Every single evening, we all prayed together as a family, usually standing in a circle with all six of us holding hands. It was usually brief, but it was not taken lightly, and it gave me a strong sense of security in God and family. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”, Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV). My parents firmly believe this, and they showed it, as not only did we pray together, but we also had family Bible studies and attended church together. My parents also gave us a good sense of high moral standards. I remember, when trying to figure out how much I should do for a “needy” friend of mine, my mother reminding me that we were called to be servants, but not slaves! I have remembered that ever since and now, finally, I have learned to say no to other’s expectations of me when I feel it necessary, without feeling too badly about it.

When I first saw in the syllabus the type of paper we would be writing for this course I thought about what culture means to me. What was the culture of my family? Where did we come from? How did we end up in Virginia? How did we end up believing some of the things we believe? To me culture was basically how I was raised—my behaviors, beliefs, values, and ideas cultivated during my youth and its evolvement as I grew into an adult. This truly was to be a very interesting and involved quest for information. Though I attempted to use websites such as www.genealogy.com and www.ancestry.com, I found most of the information from a couple of the adults in my family. Adults? I, too, am an adult, but in my family, age comes

Moving to the United states was a very hard transition for my family not only economically but also on our believes. It was hard to find a church where we felt comfortable and for a while we didn’t go to church at all. Moreover, after a few years we settled down and my mom had become very interested in Christianity. There was a beautiful Christian church with wonderful people where we used to go for a

Culture gives definition to a group of people’s way of life. Culture defines people; It is who the people are. The Navajo Indians are a group located in the southwestern part of the United States with a distinct culture. They originated there sometime between the year “1200 and 1500” (Craats 4). Unlike the beginning of their residence in the United States, different aspects of the culture have changed, but the Navajo people still remain a culturally rich group of people.

Born and raised in Marion, Iowa and into an evangelical church, my parents “Baby Dedicated” my life to christ. At age 5 my family moved to New Covenant Bible Church. When I was young I didn't think much of church, it was just something you did and was merely going through the motions. But when I hit middle school my parents made me go to church every Wednesday and Sunday. Key phrase, made me. At this point in my life I didn't like church, at all. As I grew older, I wanted to be at church less and less. And I dreaded going every time Sunday morning rolled around. I had the mindset that the world had more to offer me than Christ did. And so I made excuses and put up fights and soon I rarely went to church. My family went but I stayed

They practiced practical Christianity and help all night bible studies that I was required to go to every month. These people practiced dress reform, veganism and abstain from wordly entertainment. Being in that environment, surrounded by those people, I was protected. Nothing from the out side could get to me. I wasn’t allowed to use the internet freely, we had daily family worships where everyone had to learn a new verse everyday and we changed our diet and style of dress. I thought that I believed it. I thought that I was in it for the long haul. However, when I graduated High School (homeschooled 10th-12th) and went to Southern, I was exposed to everything and basically stopped doing everything that I was doing at home. I realized that I did all those things because my parents didn’t give me a choice and it was tradition. My parents we’re having a real and thriving relationship with Jesus while I was just following them. I was full of biblical information, I knew verses and theories and spirit of prophecy passages but I still don’t know God. I know that God will take care of us and that he guides us and I know all these promises but I don’t have any real

Every holiday Dayon looked forward to conducting a small production at her grandmother’s house, which involved a lot of singing. Her family applauded and cheered them on as she directed the younger generation to produce a memorable performance. As time passed, she became a member of the church choir, then the school choir, leading her to become a member of the church praise team. Through commitment and dedication, she became one of the lead singers during Sunday morning worship services. Leading worship involved Dayon gathering songs, communing with God, and preparing the team for song ministry. During praise and worship, Dayon was vocal in her passion to lead people into the presence of God. Dayon was naturally a quiet person in other settings, which made her aware that God was the true leader in as she led the congregation to express their praise physically and spiritually without fear.

Before my sister and I were born, my mother’s family was Presbyterian and my father’s side was Episcopalian, however they’re families were never as religious as our family was when my sister and I were baptized into the Catholic church as the age of seven. When I was a little girl, my family decided to attend my father’s Episcopalian Church, which mainly had to do with his parents’ approval of our family. However, we didn’t attend that church for long, and I know this because the only memory I have was looking down at my vermillion velvet shoes and the way they matched the color of the carpet of the church. When my sister and I were five, my mother decided to send us to St. Mary Catholic School. In second grade, my sister and I were baptized

Growing up, I was raised extremely conservative Christian. Family was my anchor, my support group, my light in the dark until the day my faith contradicted my love for my father. Everything my father needed was nothing my family gave, except for me. On the day my father told the family his news, everyone was outraged. People stormed out, started to yell. I gave him a hug. Told him I loved him. He cried. To this day, only his kids and his husband support him. My grandparents don't talk to him, unless it's a matter of the grandkids.

My mom once told me when I was young and ignorant, “Faith is the foundation of a beautiful friendship with the one person who will always remain by your side”. These words were expressed even more profoundly every Sunday in the echoing corridors of a small church by a priest I had yet to know or even care about. Preaching with his perplexing words in which I could only muster barely a fourth of my full attention span listening to. Thus, the term faith did not exactly resonate with me until many years later. My early years were filled with the teachings of the bible in Sunday school and later on as well in middle school during Friday night sessions. Unfortunately, my mom was an extremely strong enforcer of our faith for she was also raised Catholic from birth, but my dad on the other hand has a more scientific approach to how the world came to be. The years I spent in Sunday school blurred into an everlasting line of bleak nothingness just a ticking clock waiting till an end. Even today I do not remember anything that occurred within those taxing sixty minuets of constant bible studies it’s as though I lost the key to the inner workings of my childhood. Nonetheless, there have always been unbelievably great role models in my faith such as my mom, youth ministers, and friends who encourage me to be open to my faith. However, it’s always been my own restrictions that prevent me from furthering my relationship with God. So when my sister suffered her first severe

In my later teen years, I moved to the United Kingdom and lived with my mother’s brother and his family. My new family was not a church going family and

Growing up I always lived in a religious household. We always prayed before we ate, prayed before we went to bed, and always went to church on Sunday and Wednesday night. While I never questioned these actions and never tried to rebel against them, I still didn’t understand the importance of them either. I was merely walking in my parents footsteps, doing what my parents told me, singing along to the children’s songs in Sunday school, gave a tithing of my allowance every Sunday, but my life was void of the real meanings of my actions. This went on for years. Because I had not yet read through the Bible to understand why these actions had any meaning, they were just things I did all the time and I thought that was normal and that was what it meant to be a Christian.

The early years of my adulthood were as transformative as the textbooks and articles explain. In just a few short years everything from my friends to my worldview changed. In adolescence, I was “the good Christian girl.” My faith was a core part of my identity. Most of my close friends were either from church or from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization at my high school. I wasn’t “popular”, but I had plenty of friends. I didn’t smoke, drink, or take anything stronger than Nyquil, and that was only in the recommended dose to treat the ailments listed on the bottle. I dated “good Christian boys,” and promised to abstain from sex until I was married, even donning a “True Love Waits” ring on my left ring finger as an outward symbol of my commitment to “purity.”