Howard Thurman and the Ancestors

           The lecture my freshman seminar class heard this week was entitled "Howard Thurman and the Ancestors". The speaker was Dr. Alton Pollard, III. He began by speaking about religion. Religion is the phenomenon that describes the sacred or devine. He then went on to discuss the definition of freedom. Freedom is the right to do what you want, whether beneficial or hamful to yourself. He said that everyone is free to choose their own religion and beliefs.
           Dr. Alston Pollard briefly discussed the beliefs and teachings of Howard Thurman. Howard Thurman was an American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. Moreover, he was the dean of theology and the chapels at Howard University. He said that we extract concepts and notations so that the religious experience makes sense to the mind. In the short video of Dr. Thurman he said that religion can become the source the propaganda and take over people's minds. The nature of the religious experience is contagious. He explains that religion can be caught like the measles or chicken pox.

          At the end of the lecture Dr. Alton Pollard played the song "Ship Ahoy" by the O'Jays. This song and video was very powerful and inspirational. The video showed pictures of slaves that were beaten and sold during the slave trade. It shows masters whipping African American children and slaves trying to escape. Our ancestors were not free. They were enslaved and forced to live according to their masters' rules. Our ancestors did however use religion as guidance. Religion gave slaves hope and strength.
          Overall the lecture given by Dr. Alston Pollard was intriguing however it could have been more organized. It was hard to grasp the central theme of his presentation and PowerPoint. It was difficult to make a connection between the people and ideas he discussed. I did enjoy the lecture, however, and I somewhat learned more about the history of religion.

Post by Sasha Joseph