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Religious Set Phrases and Walker Percy's Theory of Language
by
Karey Perkins
RESULTS
Demographic Information:
Person I:
Statistics: 29, White, Male, Never Married, No children, From Atlanta
Religion: Catholic, attends religious services once a week
(5) close to family, (4) religious, (5) spiritual,
Other beliefs: Pretty much what the church and Pope say is the way it is to me…or at least the
way I try to see it.
Person II:
Statistics: 35, White Male, Divorced, No children, Born New Jersey, lived in Northwest and west, including Oregon and California, Lived in Atlanta 3 years,
Religion: Originally Catholic, now no religious affiliation, Never attends services
(3) close to family, (1) religious, (5) spiritual
Other beliefs: amalgamation of Eastern beliefs.
Person III:
Statistics: 42, White Male, Never Married, No children, Born in Carrollton GA, Lived in Atlanta 14 years
Religion: Born Southern Baptist, No religious affiliation now, Never attends services
(2) close to family, (4) religious, (4) spiritual.
Other beliefs: I changed from Southern Baptist to Mormonism then experimented with
Zen/Taoism. I now focus on a "new age" philosophy of a universal spirit channeled
through individuals.
Person IV:
Statistics: 43, African-American Male, Remarried, Four children, two live with interviewee
Born and raised in Kenya, Lives Buford, GA now, lived in Mid-Atlantic (PA, VA, NC)
for 12 years.
Religion: Born Mormon, Now member of conservative, traditional Baptist church, attends services once a week.
(5) close to family, (3) religious, (5) spiritual.
Other beliefs: Born again Christian.
Person V:
Statistics: 36, White Female, Never married, No children, Born Murphy NC, Lived in Atlanta 5
years
Religion: Born Episcopal, now Methodist/Episcopalian, Attends services quarterly.
(4) close to family, (1) religious, (1) spiritual.
Other beliefs: Really confused about where I stand. Hate Bible thumpers.
Person VI:
Statistics: 33, White Female, Divorced, One child living with interviewee, Born/raised in
Philadelphia, Lived in Atlanta 12 years.
Religion: Jewish. Attends services once or twice a year.
(4) close to family, (1) religious, (4) spiritual.
Other beliefs: Reincarnation, Buddhism
Person VII:
Statistics: : 29 White Female, Never married, no children, Born New Jersey, Lived Atlanta 28
years.
Religion: Catholic. Attend services quarterly.
(3) close to family, (2) religious, (5) spiritual.
Other beliefs: Strongly believe in higher spiritual being, IE: God and the positive and negative
forces in the world…almost on a mathematical yet spiritual level.
Selected responses to selected phrases:
"GOD IS LOVE":
Person I: Well probably any time I feel a general statement like that about religion in public I feel awkward, a little out of place or maybe uneasy, just because I've always been brought up that you don't really talk about stuff like that in public, outside of church. And even in church I feel a little goofy about it. But, uh, intellectually I guess it makes sense.
Person II: Well it's kind of simplistic but I would say it's probably already on the right track towards the overall meaning of God…. I'm sure as in all religions it would mean different things to different people so I can say what would it mean to other people, people who use it in a certain way, who would force or push there views. I see it as a sort of oneness, that would be my personal take on it. [Is that what you think that person would be trying to convey?] Um, I'd say probably more like than NOT, that they probably had some inkling of that idea.
Person III: It sounds like a motto, that doesn't really evoke much to me. That just doesn't, I don't think of anything when I hear that. It's a spontaneous type of statement, just something that you say, like God Bless You, or something like that. You know, it's fairly meaningless.
Person IV: So to me first it would be a true statement. The second it would be….well it's comforting to me. My opinion of them, I would tend to think that they subscribe to the same definition I have of God being personal, being divine, being all knowing all powerful, and all that….
Person VI: Can I tell you what I think about them first? OK, total idiot, total hokemeister, like out in left field, hippie, like no clue about the real world. You know, just peace love, God is love, let me eat some vegetables and go smoke some pot. That's what it makes me think of, and I think depending on the context…I mean I don't think there's anything wrong with the statement. Like I think it's a good theory, it's a good statement, you know, but it's sort of meaningless I guess in the grand scope of things. You know sort of hokey. Like OK, and what does that mean? So God is love. And that solves my problems…how? And that lets me find love how? And that gets me closer to God because? Like I'm not seeing that, it's sort of meaningless. …. It's too out there, it's too esoteric, it's not like specific, it's not like saying, you know, like, when I'm in love I feel closer to God, or the way I feel about God is the way you feel about a love relationship. I mean something like that might be more specific. This is just sort of (high voice) "God is love." Like out there in left field. I don't feel like that's a heartfelt statement someone would make because it's not well thought. It's a saying. They've said it before, they're saying it again, just spouting it off, it's not heartfelt. Even though it's supposed to be. I mean, basically the two main words in the phrase are God and love. It's a lot less stronger than saying "I love God." You know. Or God Loves me. Those are all stronger statements, much more personal. God is love is flighty or out there.
"JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS":
Person I: [How would you feel.] Lucky. (laugh) Um, I don't know, the main thing is, outside of being in church, they've always had weird connotations to me. The phrase. It just always seems like something a religious zealot would say outside of church. Or a fanatic would say. Again, I would say it's something I would feel uneasy hearing outside of church, from anybody other than a priest. In church, it's within context, so it would feel good and peaceful and loving and proper.
Person II: If in fact Jesus, there is a real Jesus, which I tend to believe that there is, I don't believe he died for our sins. I think that he just died, and then … its sort of a metaphor I suppose in giving us the answers that we need and why there's sin and why bad things happen and all. I would tend to think that the person who said that, is um, uh, (I don't want to say this especially on tape) but Iwould think that they're not too bright if they say that, especially if they say it with sort of a dogmatic quality, which it often seems to be associated with
Person III: I think that's sort of an aggressive statement to me, that someone is blatantly displaying their religion or their personal religious beliefs. I take it sort of a challenge, I think of the person, he's kinds of challenging me to some degree. The meaning of it is is that this person is a Christian, and he has this particular view, and he's trying to proselytize me. He's aggressively challenging me to accept his personal belief..
Person IV: Again, to me it would represent a true statement, number One. Number Two, it also speaks to the, it accurately relates the human nature, the depravity of all human beings and the need for redemption, and it would be a statement that I would agree with completely and be able to relate to….My assumptions would be if these were things that the person were saying out of conviction, if these were things that they mean, then I would feel a kinship with this person actually. Within the Christian community that would be a brother or a sister, simply because they are way to specific for somebody to express these if they had not came to the same conclusions. Those may be assumptions that are not true, but those would be my feelings about the person.
Person VI: OK, no. (laugh) Not mine. I'm Jewish, for God's sake. He didn't die for my sins. [but if they meant he did die for your sins?] Well, usually, well first of all, that statement is a guilt invoker first of all. Jesus died for your sins therefore you should behave in a certain way because somebody suffered for you. Guilt invoker, not necessary. And when they're saying it to somebody like me, they're saying it because they want to convert me usually. They're saying it because they think I'm a non-believer, which I am, and they're saying it because they want to convert me. So "Jesus died for your sins" is like, why don't you understand this, why don't you have faith in this and there again, the person saying that is usually pretty…. (end).
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