Here is a list of the tweets of some of the Major World Religions that Stephen Prothero has been tweeting about. I am having my students pick 1 or 2 of them to unpack for one of their short assignments. Here are the ones he has done so far:
Islam 140: Allah told Gabriel told the prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Just 1 God, pray to Him 5x day, give alms, fast, hajj to Mecca. Submit! Ahh!
Judaism140: 1 God, 1 chosen people. Do the Law (all 613), tell the story (Egypt to Zion, exile to return), repair the world. 2010 in 97500!
Hinduism140: Goal=escape life/death/rebirth. How? Know u r God or love Vishnu/Shiva/Goddess (u pick) or offer work&breath 2 God. Om Apu Ahh!
Buddhism140: Life=suffering. Clinging=the disease. Nirvana=the cure. Path=let go(d), be good/wise/mindful. Buddha=dried shit. Wake up! Ahh!
Xianity140: Adam&Eve hungry so we=sinners. JC died&rose so we=saved. Is God3in1/Bible true/Kingdom coming/Pope Catholic? Believe/Love! Ahh!
Atheism140: Warning: religion=hazardous 2 ur health. There is no uknowwho but Freud & Marx is his prophet. Faith=D’oh. Be good w/o god(sic)!
Confucianism140: C says social harmony comes by self-cultivation. Heaven=silent, goodness speaks. So revere the old, do the rites. Be human!
Daoism140(Tao of Twitter): Confucius sucks. Ritual=empty. True Way=wu-wei, natural as flowing water. Be free, be qi, live 4 now 4 ever. Ahh!
Yoruba140: Ashe=power 2 make things happen. Gods have it. U2. So divine ur destiny. Connect w/ gods by sacrifice. Life=dance. U r the wise 1
Red Sox140: Church=Fenway. Fans=Faithful. Saints=Ted/Yaz/Fisk/Pap/Papi/Youk. Devils=NYYs. Redemption=2004/2007. “Gods don’t answer letters."
I think I am going to have my students unpack everything in the tweet and then evaluate the tweet’s accuracy. That should take them one page. Then I think I am going to have them comment on the overall effectiveness of the tweet in light of the religion. I don’t know how I am going to say this, but I want them to talk about the medium in connection with the content. I might have them read a couple of articles on Prothero and twittering for them to throw themselves against:
Not sure exactly how I am going to do this though. I got a couple of hours to think about it. For now, I am off to eat!
Thoughts whilst I gorge?
Update: This site has been down for the last few hours. In that time I finished up the assignment and posted it. This is the assignment:
Short Assignment 2 – Twitter and Major World Religions: Accuracy and Efficacy
Description: Boston University’s Stephen Prothero is attempting to do a Major World Religion’s course through Twitter this summer. [1] Your assignment is as follows:
- Pick one of his tweets concerning one of the major world religions we are covering this week or have covered so far.
- His twitter page is http://twitter.com/sprothero
- b. I have listed the tweets you can pick from at the bottom of this page.
- Quote and unpack everything contained within the tweet. This should take you ¾ – 1 page. Use the book or Google book searches (cited and linked) to do this.
- Hint: use/sign up for a twitter account and ask Prothero questions concerning parts of the tweet that you don’t understand. Incorporate your responses and reflect upon them in your paper.
- Grade Prothero’s tweet for accuracy. Put yourself in the shoes of an adherent of the religion. How would you feel having your religion reduced to those (particular) 140 characters?
- Lastly, read the following articles and reflect upon what Prothero is doing and how effective it is. Be sure to reflect upon the nature of what Prothero wants to do, the need to be respectful/accurate, and the limitations/advantages of the medium.
- News article 1: Religion 101, in 140 Characters
- b. News article 2: Tweeting on High
- Twitter.com is a micro-blogging service where messages/posts are limited to 140 characters. A tweet is one of these postings. For further information and reaction, please research new stories etc. for a reaction, utility, and analysis of the service. [↩]
