Column
number. YrMoDa Not
all of Vern's courtesy replies are included
902. 111228 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Respect citizens of all
faiths
The Kansas City area has become known as
a national leader in promoting interfaith understanding. While we desire
the moral benefits of a safe and harmonious community, our reputation makes
us attractive to companies and institutes with a diverse work force.
So how does our
community respond when the faiths we cherish as Americans are misrepresented
in a civic situation?
In 2005, remarks
at the Kansas City Mayors prayer breakfast were offensive to many people.
Then-Mayor Kay Barnes declined to attend the following year to make clear
her view that all faiths should be welcome at such events. A collection
of news reports and commentary running some 10,500 words is on file at
Harvard University’s Pluralism Project as a case study of how we
responded to religious prejudice.
On Nov. 17 this
year, the speaker at the Independence Mayors Prayer Breakfast aroused similar
offense. The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council and others have expressed
concern. I was astonished when I saw the video. At least two groups are
planning programs to turn the damage into a positive learning opportunity.
In the meantime, numerous objections continue.
One constructive
voice is that of the Rev. Josef Walker, who spoke at the Dec. 5 meeting
of the Independence City Council.
As a resident
of the city, he has attended many of the yearly prayer breakfasts. At none
previously had he heard a member of one religion “openly, deliberately
and consistently attack another person’s faith,” he said, instead of bringing
the community together as Americans.
Walker told me
that a number of citizens fear speaking out now because theirs are minority
faiths. “This makes it incumbent on us Christians to deal with the problem,”
he said.
(I recall German
Pastor Martin Niemöller’s famous utterance in the face of rising Nazi
prejudice which concludes, “Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak
out because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one
left to speak out for me.”)
Walker also provided
the City Council with a fact-sheet correcting egregious misstatements by
the breakfast speaker. It was prepared by Syed Hasan of the Midland Islamic
Council. Hasan, who writes for The Star’s “Voices of Faith” feature, had
attended the breakfast.
Walker recommended
that the city’s human relations commission examine concerns about the breakfast
and that an audit assure residents that no taxpayer money was entangled
with the breakfast.
As the new year
approaches, let our hearts beat strong in civic commitment to a diverse
community with safety and respect for everyone of all faiths.
NOTES
The speaker was Kamal Saleem, who describes himself as a former Muslim
terrorist who has converted to Christianity. The authenticity of his autobiography
is very doubtful. The mayor of Indepdence is Don Reimal.
C
M writes
I was confused about the facts of the prayer breakfast controversy mentioned
in today's article. I have no recollection of the problem.
Vern
responds —
Most of the coverage (reports, comments, etc) has been in the Independence
Examiner, but here [attached] are three from The Star. The venue folks
were deeply embarrassed and issued a statement, and the Greater Kansas
City Interfaith Council also issued a statement.
Below I also include Josef Walker's report [attached] on favorable action
at the Human Relations Commission meeting last night. Thanks for your interest.
B
M writes
On December 28th you recently made a comment within
your interfaith section entitled, “Respect Citizens Of All Faiths”.
I believe you make reference to an ex-Islam person that converted to follow
God’s Son, Jesus Christ. I personally have heard him speak and of
his love for all people. He, along with other true believing Christians,
follow what Jesus taught before and after His resurrection. It is
obvious in His Holy Word that religion based government doesn’t work.
Jesus never demanded that people should follow Him blindly and only follow
Him by their own willingness of their heart. Jesus said beginning
in Luke 6:27 “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you – bless
those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”.
The Islam faith is both a religion and a form of government at the same
time. The Muslim faith outwardly declares war and death on those
that are not and will not convert to Islam. Muslims have the desire
to rule the earth by only their religion and they declare that there is
no room on earth for other faiths.
Any religion that allows practices that defies common logic and man’s own
inner consciousness is an absolute perversion of faith and religion.
The KC Star needs to examine and accurately report the true motives of
the interfaith groups that you report on.
Vern
responds —
Thank
you for writing.
I have watched the DVD of the Mayors Prayer Breakfast twice and taken notes
on what was said. I have talked to many who attended.
My opinion, having traveled in many Muslim countries and have many Muslim
friends in the Kansas City area, is quite different from yours. I have
also studied Islam in seminary and in other ways for over four decades
of my ministerial career and feel quite well-informed about the many inflections
and expressions of Islam, just as I know about the horrible things done
in the name of Christianity and the glories and splendors and blessings
of both faiths. I have studied the Islamic faith with Catholic, Protestant,
and Muslim scholars, and, as I say, have many Muslim friends locally, who
have
saved many lives and improved and enriched our community through their
work in medicine, teaching, sports, philanthropy, business, and many other
fields.
My concern is that the speech you heard perpetuated exactly the kind of
what I regard as misinformation and misunderstanding that I find in your
email which is, in my experience and study, terribly misleading and dangerous,
especially as we seek to develop public policy as Americans.
I am looking forward to occasions planned when those such as you will have
an opportunity to meet some of these wonderful local Muslims. In the meantime,
I hope you will consider reading legitimate material about Islam. A brief
book that would be a good start that presents Islam fairly is Karen Armstrong's
ISLAM: A SHORT HISTORY.
I am sure you want to be fair-minded and consider all perspectives, so
I hope you will read Armstrong's book and write me again. And I look forward
to meeting you at one of the events for the community where you'll have
a chance to meet real Muslims. I myself am a Christian and I have never,
in all my years and all my travels, ever had a Muslim try to convert me.
They express the utmost respect for my faith and are eager to work together
to make a better community and world.
Again, thank you for taking the trouble to write me.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
VOR
3
I had to research the remarks from the 2005 Mayor’s prayerbreakfast that
“were offensive to many people.” This is what I found from the KC Star
archives: “In his 10-minutespeech, Dunn (i.e., construction magnate Bill
Dunn Sr.) bemoaned "asharp downward trend" in the nation's values and denounced
illegitimatebirths, same-sex marriage, activist judges and the American
Civil LibertiesUnion.”
I have never been to a Mayor’s prayer breakfast, but Iimagine this is a
pretty good example of the challenge in putting on such anevent.
In short, how can speakers behonest about controversial aspects of their
religious beliefs without offendinga significant portion of the audience?
Inaddition to “illegitimate” births and same-sex marriage, there are a
whole hostof issues that could offend and divide the audience (including
audience memberswho share a common faith). Hopefully,speakers will
express their views with compassion for those with whom theydisagree, but
some controversy appears inevitable if there is going to be asubstantive
discussion of people’s beliefs.
Vern
responds —
Further research may lead you to additional reports and opinion about the
2005 event, or email me with your address and I'll send you the material
in the Harvard file. Thanks for your interest.
VOR
3
The Star article I cited was published in February, 2006,around the time
of the 2006 breakfast. The article said “Barnes is sticking by her decision,
announced last year, not to attend this year's event because of her displeasure
over remarksby last year's keynote speaker, construction magnate Bill Dunn
Sr.” You seem to be suggesting that The Stararticle was, at best,
incomplete. Icertainly have no reason to doubt you. Ifthere
was discrimination against certain religions or beliefs in the conductingof
the 2005 breakfast then, clearly, that should not have been tolerated.
Vern
responds —
Articles appeared in The Star 2005 Feb 12, Feb 23, Mar16; 2006 Feb 15,
Feb 29, Feb 23, Mar 1. Coverage also appeared in other places such as Ingram's.
Because this was a developing story, I do not mean to suggest that any
particular article was incomplete. A complete record includes, but is not
limited to, the full text of the Mayor's 2005 March 1 statement, correspondence
with the sponsoring committee, and other materials. I agree with you, if
I understand you correctly, that "discrimination against certain religions
or beliefs" should not be part of civic functions held under the banner
of public officials. The present case in Independence clearly violates
this principle, and the matter is now being pursued by the Independence
Human Relations Commission.
VOR
3
I just read Dunn’s comments as published in The Star on March 4, 2005.
I also read your column published on February23, 2005. While it was
certainly interesting to read those columns, I think The Star column I
referenced in myprevious comments captured the substance of the controversy.We
will just agree to disagree on this matter, and that’s OK. In your
column from 2005, you wrote: “There is a time and a place for expressing
one's personal beliefs, but the Mayors' Prayer Breakfast is not it.”
My opinion is that when people gather at a meeting with a religious focus,
that is exactly the time to be honest about one’s personal beliefs. I think
Dunn should have been more compassionate in his remarks and less confrontational,
and he should have spent more time acknowledging the good that can come
from people of diverse backgrounds working together. But, my basic
attitude is that remaining silent about our differences does not make them
any less real. And, I don’t equate a prayer breakfast to an eventsuch
as a funeral or a 9/11 commemoration, where emotions are extremely fragile.
People at a prayer breakfastshould be open enough to face the reality that
substantive differences do exist.
Vern
responds —
Again, thanks for your interest in this issue. Earlier in the Feb 23 column,
I write that "a line is crossed when a prayer breakfast becomes partisan."
It is in that context that I meant that "there is a time and place for
expressing one's personal beliefs, but the Mayors' Prayer Breakfast is
not it."
Religious differences are to be cherished, not hidden. Learning to do this
honestly and respectfully is a sign of maturing civic pluralism. A civic
platform should not be used to demean others, though it can well be an
opportunity for recognizing and celebrating differences in a way that helps
us think more deeply about the issues before us, including everyone as
part of the conversation, even if the speaker reverently and graciously
presents one's own perspective as one's best contribution to the larger
process acknowledging our different backgrounds and life experiences produce
varied insights into spiritual mysteries before which we can easily remain
modest.
The column concluded with full appreciation for the recognition of our
differences: "We should reclaim this event to celebrate our diversity of
faiths and our unity as heartland Americans." I completely agree with you
that "People at a prayer breakfast should be open enough to face the reality
that substantive differences do exist." In my opinion the speaker failed
to recognize and respect these real differences.
901. 111221 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Signposts for the future
As I was thinking about Christmas earlier
this month, I found myself at the Kansas City opening of an exhibition
of Buddhist relics, part of the Maitreya Project Relic Tour around the
world.
Arranged by Janet
Taylor at Unity on the Plaza, dozens of relics, some said to be thousands
of years old, were welcomed with inspirational speeches by Lama Chuck Stanford
and former KC Mayor Kay Barnes.
In the audience
of about 200, I recognized Buddhists from five local groups, but I suppose
most folks were not Buddhists.
All were invited
to view the relics close-up. Many chose to remove their shoes as they,
one by one, approached the collection. Folks began meditative viewing after
pouring water from a bamboo dipper over a small statue of the Buddha as
a baby, thus honoring him and his teachings about the reality of suffering
and the release from suffering.
Exactly what
this ritual meant was for each person to discover. As I watched for over
an hour, I thought about how each person has a life story with different
struggles and triumphs, and probably finds different meaning in this simple
rite, even if most might agree that in paying homage to the Buddha we are
reminded that in blessing others we are blessed ourselves.
The nativity
stories of the baby Buddha and Jesus differ. The one who became the Buddha
was the son of an earthly king and royalty surrounded him. Jesus was laid
in a manger, not a palace.
But both taught
with full knowledge of the disparities, spiritual and material, that afflict
our existence, and both are widely recalled more for the inspiring stories
of their lives than for the intricate theologies that later developed as
people puzzled out the meaning of their narratives.
I love to contemplate
theories of incarnation; but when we become as children, Christmas is more
a story of wonder than scholarly theses.
Relics are tangible
reminders of stories and traditions, stories of salvation from sin for
Christians and of enlightenment from ignorance for Buddhists. Relics are
sort of the square roots of symbols.
But even common
symbols can propel us into the timelessness beyond the calendar. Take,
for example, the star that sits atop many Christmas trees, a reminder of
the travels of those seeking a spiritual king.
It need not be
a meteorite, a relic from outer space. Even a plastic star can remind us
of the guidance we seek on our own journeys, and how our senseless travels
suddenly are illumined when we look up.
Maitreya is the
future Buddha. Christ will come again. Relics or symbols of stories of
the past may be signposts to a wholesome future.
900. 111214 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Faith & Beliefs @ 900
Q. Why are you interviewing yourself?
A. This is the
900th Wednesday for the “Faith and Beliefs” column and some questions need
answers.
Who are you?
Readers have
labeled me everything from an atheist to a fundamentalist believer. Some
people mistakenly think because I present this or that view in a
particular column, I must agree with it.
My doctoral work
at the University of Chicago, travel in Europe, Asia, South America and
the Middle East, friendships with local folks of every faith, parish ministry,
seminary teaching and a life-long interest in the sciences make me curious,
and admiring of those who ask questions about the meaning of life and how
to live with one another.
Who are your
readers?
The guy behind
the parts counter at the auto dealership, the seminary professor, the young
bride, the folks in minority faiths and atheists — I like to hear from
all sorts of people, whether they approve or condemn what I write.
You discuss
art, sports, music, literature, film, business, science, civic issues and
other topics. You range from the beginning of time to the latest thing.
What principles guide you in including them in a column on religion?
Two. First, my
professor, Mircea Eliade, believed we are called “to decipher and explicate
every kind of encounter with the sacred, from prehistory to our own day.”
He thought that secular phenomena arise from some obscuring of the sacred,
cracks in our sense of the whole, the holy. I try to point that out as
a step toward putting things together.
Second, I usually
write with a local focus, although sometimes these columns are picked up
by other publications. I was surprised when The Interfaith Observer asked
to reprint a recent column that listed three things we learned about how
to create a successful interfaith conference in Kansas City.
What column
aroused the most responses?
When I complained
about the anti-Semitism, the over-the-top violence and the crude penal
theory of atonement in Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie, “The Passion of the Christ,”
the emails were overwhelming.
Do you ever
run out of things to write about? How do you pick your subjects?
Each week I see
at least a dozen topic possibilities. I ask myself, “What do my readers
need to think about and am I prepared to present it?” — rather like the
pastor planning sermons based on what the congregation needs rather than
on one’s own interest. As I try to gauge what my readers would find helpful,
I’m always grateful for suggestions.
READER COMMENT
S
T writes
I just noticed your column in today's paper and thought I would write you
as you seem a well rounded person.
If a person is a Christian, is gambling against God's teachings?
I ask because I am a poker player and a Christian, but I find nothing in
The Bible specifically about gambling.
Thank you for your time.
Vern
responds —
Some gambling has a bad association with the soldiers who threw lots (Matt
27:35) for the garments of Jesus at the crucifixion.
The history of Christianity has generally shown disfavor on gambling.
Modern Christian views generally focus on more nuanced questions such as
whether gamblers are harming themselves or others by their gambling. Some
denominations, like the Methodists, have been particularly opposed to state-sponsored
lotteries because they feel that the poor and needy are sucked into the
unrealistic hope for riches and waste their money, even though some of
the proceeds benefit state programs. Catholics are often teased about bingo
games.
Other religions have various views. Islam, for example, generally prohibits
gambling. Judaism, while wary, has sometimes permitted gambling on certain
days.
A book that might interest you is Chances Are: Adventures in Probabilty
Theory by Michael Kaplan and Ellen Kaplan. While there is a chapter
devoted to gambling, the overall theme of the book is that life is full
of chances, and trying to make sense out of it sometimes gets people into
lots of trouble. The last chapter sums up the book with an implicit theology
surprising to come out of a mathematical study.
Perhaps you saw the Republican debate in which Rick Perry said he was not
a gambling man when Mitt Romney offered him a ten thousand dollar bet.
I am afraid I have not answered your question very well, as I do not think
there is a clear answer. It does seem to me that if you have the means
and harm no one and derive pleasure from poker playing (which can involve
the benefit of social relationships), your gambling is nothing to worry
about. Be sure that you do contribute to charity and otherwise find ways
to cherish those less fortunate.
Thanks for reading my column, and for writing me!
S
T writes again
Thanks for the book recommendation. And your letter, while it may
not have answered my question directly, shows there is no easy answer.
But that is the way it is for most things.
S
H writes
I read your 900th column in the KC Star last Wed. Wow! what an accomplishment—that
is over 17 years of great work. I can’t wait to see your 1,000th
column in less than two years. Congratulations for outstanding service
to the KC Faith community. It is sustained efforts like this that
has put Kansas City on the nation’s map as the leader in interfaith relations.
Best wishes for an enjoyable holiday season!
Vern
responds —
I appreciate your thoughtfulness in noting my 900th column for The Star.
I may not be Scheherazade -- but I think I'll go for 1001. I love the relationships
I've developed with my readers. Thank you for celebrating this milestone
with me! I am grateful that you and others think I have made some contribution
to interfaith understanding.
However, as you know, much work remains. I am deeply distressed by so many
who cannot understand why the Independence Mayors Prayer Breakfast was
so offensive and damaging, and I hope that early in the next year we can
repair some of the damage and maybe use the incident to move everyone forward.
Best wishes for the New Year to you . . .!
K
C writes
Something very important to write about.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/12/11-3
Vern
responds —
I have been an opponent of NCLB from the beginning. The emphasis
on testing rather than nurturing a love of learning is deplorable, as are
other aspects of the law and its effects. Thanks for this article!
D
T writes
Hope all is well with you and yours.
Here's a potential suggestion. Dr. William Ratliff was my theology professor
at Midwestern Seminary here in KC, when it was okay to think, discuss,
discourse, muse and otherwise imagine before the so-called fundamentalist
take over.
Most intriguing for me was our exploration of liberation and process theologies.
Where do we still see hints of these today? Liberation in Arab countries?
Process possibilities in "The Big Bang Theory"? Your thoughts?
THANKS!
Vern
responds —
Wasn't Milt Ferguson the president in those more charitable years? What
a beautiful succession of discriptors you provide:
think, discuss, discourse, muse and otherwise imagine
I'm no expert on liberation theology. In fact, I was not clear about the
difference between liberation theology and fiesta until I read Elizabeth
A. Johnson’s wonderful “Quest for the Living God.” She also has a
good chapter that deals (too briefly) on cosmology.
Your connecting the Arab spring with liberation theology is really intriguing.
Surely there are Christian and Muslim theologians working on this.
I'll be watching, and a column or more could appear -- thanks for the suggestions.
Will the Large Hadron Collider find the Higgs boson, the "God particle"?
(I'm still rooting for the yet-unanaylized data from Batavia!)
What is there if not process?
Thanks for reading and writing -- it'd be fun to discuss all this over
coffee sometime!
L
M writes
What a great article today. I love how you shared yourself on a personal
basis with your readers. I know your spirit and inspiration is still
with us at Gift of Life.
May the Holiday bring you and yours many blessings and a renewed energy
to bring our community together
Vern
responds —
I appreciate your thoughtfulness in writing about today's column!
You are most generous in assessing my participation on the board of GOL,
and please know I found you and the others to inspire me! I am grateful
to have met so many wonderful people through GOL and cherish continuing
good wishes. So I'm glad for this occasion to wish you and yours a blessed
holiday season as we all give thanks that we are given the opportunity
to help one another and strengthen our community.
M
S writes
Congratulations . . . .How did you manage to do that? It is a great accomplishment.
L
G writes
It is amazing to realize that you have birthed 900 columns. This
is kind of like Methuselah. May you live to see 1000!
Vern
responds —
Thanks . . . . I may not be Methuselah -- or Scheherazade -- but
I think I'll go for 1001. Then if The Star doesn't start paying again,
I'll use my time other ways, though I love the relationships I've developed
with my readers. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in celebrating this milestone
with me!
C
M writes
I'm a few days tardy, but what an achievement to have written your column
for 18 years (more or less). That you continue to find things to
write about demonstrates the breadth of your subject. I would be
interested in a column on what progress you feel has been made in interfaith
dialogue as well as how your views have changed over the years. Maybe you
ought to pull your best pieces for a book. Anyway, congratulations,
you should be proud
Vern
responds —
Thanks . . . for the congrats -- and also for the idea of an assessment
of interfaith progress since the column began and how my views have changed
over the years. And the book idea! I'll work on that. All good projects
for the new year !
D
H writes
Some time ago I read in your newspaper column (or perhaps Billy Graham's)
about serving God. You stated that you remembered a conversation
with a rabbi who said that it did not matter what occupation one had.
If the person would be honest and do their work to the best of their ability,
he/she would be serving God.
I am trying to locate that column as I obviously found it very meaningful
and wonderful advice for all. If it was your column, could you please
inform me as to how I might get a copy of it. I sincerely enjoy your
columns and thank you for your informative points of view.
Thank you for your time and assistance. Wishing you the very best
in the New Year!
Vern
responds —
I
certainly agree that honest work done in the service of others is a form
of worship. It can be menial or grand, private or public. I remember visiting
Japan some years ago and learning about a religious group that went from
home to home cleaning (Japanese-style) toilets as an act of devotion. One
of the reasons I admire traditional Christian monastic life as well as
some of the 60s hippie communes is that they recognize that all sorts of
labor is required to make a community flourish, and that everyone has an
equal part, even if different roles, in sacred service.
I have looked through my columns and do not find this idea exactly expressed
or attributed to a rabbi, but in 2004 I wrote a series of three columns
about work/play/vocations which you can review on my website at
http://www.cres.org/star/star2004.htm#490
http://www.cres.org/star/star2004.htm#491
http://www.cres.org/star/star2004.htm#492
Perhaps the idea you recall was in a Billy Graham column.
At any rate, I am grateful that you associate an idea that has been helpful
to you with my column.
If you do read the 2004 columns, I would be grateful to know if they are
of any use to you.
Thank you for reading and for writing me. I appreciate your holiday wishes
and wish that you may find this season to be a great blessing to you.
STAR WEBSITE POST
VOR
“As I try to gauge what my readers would find helpful, I’m always grateful
for suggestions.” Ok, here’s a current, localized version of a timeless
question: In a metropolitan area that can find $6,000,000 to send
a college football coach packing and hundreds of millions of dollars to
spend on an arts center that will overwhelmingly be used to entertain relatively
affluent people, why do we still have children coming to school who don’t
have 40 cents to buy a reduced price lunch (see “Hunger among teens often
goes unnoticed” on Sunday’s front page)? I know Jesus told us that
the poor will always be with us, but that doesn’t mean that both believers
and non-believers don’t need to fundamentally change their priorities.
P.S. Advance notice: I am not going to waste my time responding
to the troll who stalks The Star’s Faith articles.
Vern
responds —
I think the new Performing Arts Center (with its resident companies) is
often used to uplift very poor children. But the core answer to your question
in my opinion is exactly what I think you imply: We people of faith are
not applying the urgency of our traditions beyond our own selfish interests.
This is why I think interfaith challenge is essential to confront and heal
the problems of the environment, personhood, and society.
VOR
Thank you for the response, but I don’t think the resident companies
needed
a $250 million building in order to uplift very poor children. All
they had to do was hop in their cars and drive a few miles to perform at
the schools (which I am sure they already do to a certain extent) and interact
with the children. I think you correctly identified the reason we
spend millions of dollars on the wrong priorities, i.e., selfishness.
JonHarker
A single large church in South Overland Park has done more in the past
year for the disadvantaged than ALL of the atheist groups in the Kansas
City area have done in the past 20 years.
Vern
responds —
A single large church in Johnson County may contain more members, and members
of greater wealth, than all the tiny atheist groups in the metro area combined
over many years. No argument at all. And I would not be surprised if one
foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Bill is a non-believer)
does more in one month than the Johnson County church does in ten years.
899. 111207 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Views of Incarnation and love
“God doesn’t play dice with the world.”
Although the recent PBS series, “The Elegant Universe,” did deal with Einstein’s
famous objection to an interpretation of quantum mechanics, the programs
were sloppy scientifically, philosophically and religiously.
And the breathless
succession of claims — wow! amazing! unbelievable! surprising! — made the
series more sizzle than steak.
Still, the programs
did jiggle viewers’ minds to see space and time from different perspectives.
Are we really three-dimensional space creatures in time or merely a holographic
projection? Are there near copies of us in alternate universes?
After watching
one episode, I dreamt that there were several of me, one in KC, the others
at the Alhambra, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. Although I was able to
stay in touch with my selves via cell phone, getting enough sleep was a
real problem.
We can measure
the temperature of the sun, but we can never experience it because our
bodies cannot withstand it. We can do the math for quantum mechanics but
we can never experience the nature of a quark or comprehend quantum behavior
within ordinary logic.
Nor is the Christian
sizzling! claim that God became human in Jesus any more a matter of ordinary
logic. How can the infinite and omnipotent take on mere flesh with its
limitations? Ordinary language falls into contradiction, but those who
hold the meaning of Christmas dear find in love and sacrifice a profound,
wonderful and divine reality.
Why did the Eternal
enter into this universe as a person? Augustine said Adam and Eve disobeyed
God’s instructions. Through sexual reproduction, we inherit their original
sin.
(The doctrine
of original sin is not in the Hebrew Bible. The Genesis story never again
is mentioned in it. Christianity is unique among major faiths in developing
this teaching.)
Dominicans like
Aquinas said that God became human in Christ to redeem us from sin.
Franciscans like
Duns Scotus disagreed. They taught that even if Adam and Eve had not sinned,
Jesus would have appeared because God loves the world. The Divine Lover
seeks union with the beloved and so enters history to share the human experience.
Did God, from
before the beginning of time, so love us to will his Son into the elegant
universe regardless of whether our first parents sinned, or did he throw
the dice of freedom to Adam and Eve and plan to give his Son only if they
misbehaved?
I would not presume
to know the mind of God. None of my selves can even do quantum calculations.
But I’d prefer to think that if God is, God is less like a cosmic repair
man and more like an unbelievable! lover.
READER COMMENT
S
S writes
I enjoyed your column today, as per usual, but found myself wishing that
you had mentioned Irenaeus’s or Athanasius’s theology of the Incarnation:
namely, that God became human so that humans might become more like God.
(Divinization). Sin is thus understood as separation/alienation from God
– a breach which God has longed to heal from the first days of our disobedience
(as the BCP puts it.) God reached out to humankind through the Covenant,
through the Law and the prophets, through sending his Son. Humankind’s
capacity to misuse the gift of free will which God gave our First Parents
is the root of sin. We are so “hard wired” to that misuse that it may as
well be present in human nature, transmitted to us before we were born.
(And that’s as generous an interpretation of Augustine as I am capable
oft!!).
H
J writes
Great article today; you do a great job in showing the alternatives of
theology among the traditions. I appreciate you.
898. 111130 THE STAR’S
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Parallel lives, given for othersHindu
parallels
Many Christians are now observing Advent,
the season of preparation for the holy day of Christmas, a celebration
of the birth of the Christ-child believed to be the human incarnation of
God and the Savior of the world.
The juxtaposition
of the Christian story with Hindu themes may illumine both.
The Hindu Temple
in Shawnee recently hosted an interfaith gathering with extraordinary grace
and hospitality. The evening included prayers by the priests in the sacred
language of Sanskrit.
That led me to
recall the day before when the Philip Glass opera sung in Sanskrit, “Satyagraha,”
was transmitted live to cinemas here from the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Glass, who worked with Ravi Shankar, uses a musical language informed by
Indian techniques. The opera’s title is sometimes translated “truth-force”
and refers to Gandhi’s non-violent method of social change.
The opera opens
with the modern Gandhi placed anachronistically in a scene from the ancient
scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. The warrior Arjuna is distraught about the
battle which cannot be prevented. The god Krishna advises him, “Hold pleasure
and pain, profit and loss, victory and defeat to be the same; then brace
yourself ready for the fight.” Only by abandoning attachment to personal
desires can one align oneself with the truth.
The opera is
more a series of tableaus than an ordinary story. In the Tolstoy Farm scene,
workers learn self-purification, essential to resist the oppression of
the South African government. Tolstoy’s ideas on non-violent resistance
and the ethical teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, led Gandhi
to recover his own Hindu heritage.
In the act in
which Gandhi’s Indian contemporary, Rabindranath Tagore, appears, Gandhi’s
South African newspaper enables an informed population ultimately to resist
the Black Act, accept jail, flogging and death. (Between acts, a Met commentator
compared Gandhi’s burning of the South African registration cards to our
own political controversies.)
The final act
presents Martin Luther King Jr, who employed Gandhi’s methods to fight
for social change without violence in either the hearts or the acts of
those protesting discrimination. Both were assassinated.
As the King figure
gestures as if giving a speech, Gandhi sings the words of Krishna, “For
whenever the law of righteousness withers away and lawlessness arises,
then do I generate myself on earth.”
The parallel
promise of the Christmas carol that the “hopes and fears of all the years
are met” in Jesus suggests the universal beauty of lives given for others.
STAR WEBSITE POST
trapblock
We are wired for happiness when we live our lives for others. "For
whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for My sake and the gospel's will save it."
The divine life is counter-cultural... and can only be had 'on the fly'.
897. 111123 THE STAR’S
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Give thanks for silence
Regular readers of this column know I love
music. My friends know I love a good conversation. But background music
when I’m trying to enjoy a conversation in a restaurant can be annoying.
I certainly don’t like people chatting when a concert is in progress.
So while I am
grateful for both music and conversation, I also give thanks for their
absence. Silence is the ground from which music and conversation arise.
Of course silence
can be awkward, as recent incidents in the political world illustrate.
I do like the PBS Newshour’s weekly listing in silence on the TV screen
the names of uniformed Americans killed in service to our nation. And I
cherish the pauses, the silent moments, as my faith community worships.
Many faiths like
Buddhism and contemplative Christianity teach the value of silence. Unity,
whose world headquarters is here, is explicit in advocating “entering the
silence.”
One of the gifts
of wilderness camping is the silence through which one may actually hear
the voices of nature.
The architect
Frank Lloyd Wright, who in a sense created spaces more than designed buildings,
sometimes explained his work by citing the ancient Taoist text, the Tao
Te Ching: “The reality of a vessel is the void within it.” The magnificently
designed emptiness of the three halls of the Kauffman Center for the Performing
Arts make this point.
Emptiness creates
the possibility of something within it. Some theologians think of God this
way — God is not a being, not even a Supreme Being, but simply the ground
of being out of which all else arises, like the silence from which music,
speech and the sounds of nature can emerge.
As it is wholesome
for our souls to enjoy the gift of silence, so the mystics teach that our
spiritual health requires us to encounter the emptiness of God from which
the glories of creation arise. The emptiness of God is hard to experience
with the cacophony of abstract theological formulations bouncing around
in our heads. If the vessels of our minds and hearts are already filled
with ideas and determinations, where is the space for God to enter them
with fresh possibilities? “Silence is the language of God. All else is
poor translation,” wrote the Muslim mystic Jelaluddin Rumi.
At interfaith
gatherings, the richness of the many traditions is astounding. But a moment
of shared silence finds a singleness [within them] without blurring the
diversity.
So of the blessings
we count this Thanksgiving, let’s take a moment of silence to give thanks
for silence.
“Music
exists not in the notes, but rather in the silence between them.
Without the off-beats – the silent, restful moments – we would hear no
sound.” —Mozart
READER COMMENT
I
C writes
What
a splendid reminder and you stated it so convincingly. Thank you!
...and all is well...
D
Y writes
Thanks, Vern, for a great column. Happy Thanksgiving.
J
A writes
You had me at 'Thanks for Silence' in the FYI Section today. A thought
provoking, informative, clever and positive series of paragraphs to be
sure.
Might there have been a notion or two legitimately borrowed from a certain
dissertation on The Void?
M
G writes
THANKS. . .. (This is an unlimited, unqulified, all-encompassing
thanks) - Your article in the K C Star today made me think about one of
my favorite Biblical passages – Psalm 46:10 – be still and know that I
am God. I love astronomy but I am an amateur at it; however, I do have
a passion for it. I am also an amateur when it comes to religion – I certainly
am not an scholar but I am very passionate in my interest in theology.
In mixing the two interests here is something I have come up with and will
share it with you to store away along with thousands of other ideas you
come across. I am always very interested in your column in the paper so
hope you find some of this of interest.
D
writes
Enjoy your column re sweet silence,
G
P writes
Your article in the K C Star today made me think about one of my favorite
Biblical passages – Psalm 46:10 – be still and know that I am God. I love
astronomy but I am an amateur at it; however, I do have a passion for it.
I am also an amateur when it comes to religion – I certainly am not an
scholar but I am very passionate in my interest in theology. In mixing
the two interests here is something I have come up with and will share
it with you to store away along with thousands of other ideas you come
across. I am always very interested in your column in the paper so hope
you find some of this of interest.
Einstein’s ideas on time and space include the following theory which scientists
have been trying to prove. One I am most interested in says that as we
travel at a faster speed, time slows down. So in theory if a space traveler
were to go near the speed of light and travel to a near star system that
is 4 light years away from us and then return, he would come back to an
Earth that is several hundred if not thousands of years in the future.
Time for the traveler had slowed down while time here on earth had continued
at our normal pace.
If one reverses that example then one would also conclude that if one were
to get outside our pull of gravity and slow down then time would go faster
for that being. Of course it seems impossible for us to consider getting
outside the pull of gravity as gravity seems to be everywhere thus it seems
impossible for us to consider slowing down in time. Plus who would want
to have time go faster – age faster and die faster etc.? However,
this is where my idea of God comes in. To me God is bigger than anything
we can imagine and He/She is also not necessarily a physical being at all.
Thus one could imagine God as a Being who exists outside of the pull of
gravity and thus a Being who is completely motionless. For that Being time
would move so fast that He/She would experience all of time (eternity if
you will) every instant and all the time.
So when the Bible verse says “be still and know that I am God” it takes
on a whole new dimension. As I stated earlier, I am certainly not a Bible
scholar – I can tell that Psalm 46 talks about wars but it also seems to
be talking about a much larger void that God fills in our lives other than
winning wars for us. Be still can mean more than being quiet; it can also
mean being motionless. And now for scientists being completely motionless
can be a clue as to the magnitude of God. He/She is outside the pull of
gravity and time is eternal every instant. The other key term in Psalm
46:10 is “know” that I am God. God gave us a brain and we are just now
beginning to use our brains to know what our magnificent creation is made
of.
If you have not read “The Privileged Planet” by Guillermo Gonzalez and
Jay W. Richards then I highly recommend it. To me one of the most important
intellectual concepts we need to make as humans is to realize the difference
between (1.) religious centered research and (2.) scientific centered research.
Under column 1. we would have those who thought the earth was the center
of our universe. We also would have those who believe that the Bible is
to be interpreted literally as a history book – the earth is only 6,000
years old and creationism must be believed with all the miracles etc. sacred
“musts” to a real salvation. Under column 2. we would have Copernicus and
scientists who when looking at scientific evidence have a human moment
of awe. What they are learning about life becomes an experience when they
realize there is something out there much bigger than we can fathom with
our understanding at this time. Too many times scientists who express these
feelings are ostracized by their peers for being too emotional – too human
– too weak in their research. At the same time those believers snug in
their pews are put off by research and science and feel science has nothing
to share about the concept of God or the meaning of life.
I do like the idea of silence, meditation and for humans we all need to
learn how to be quiet and listen; listen to others, our enemies, our political
opponents, our family members etc. etc. etc. We also are silent when we
read, when we focus on the ideas of others in print. So I also like the
verse that talks about being still and knowing God. Thanks for reading
and listening. And thanks for all your columns and ideas that you put in
the paper all the time, keep it up.
A
J writes
Loved your column on silence, and it was a special column to read while
walking home on a crisp, fall morning with a slight breeze and partial
sunshine with leaves falling around me.
K
K writes
I have been meaning to write you about last week's column. But we've been
kind of busy this Thanksgiving weekend. We had a Siri Akhand Path
which is a 3 to 3 and a half day continuous uninterrupted reading of the
Sikh scriptures, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Very inspiring and just a
tad fatiguing.
Noting
your interest in the concept of silence within religious traditions, I'd
like to tell you of the Sikh way, or "shuniya". It can be loosely translated
as either "listening" or "silence" . In Jap-ji, Guru Nanak's Song of the
Soul prayer, which begins the Sikh scriptures, describing his enlightenment
experience, he extolls the the practice of shuniya or suniya in the pauris
(or verses) eight through eleven.
He says:
By listening or remaining silent we have access to all spiritual
powers, the enlightened masters, the heros and the yoga masters.
By remaining in silence (meditation) we can understand the earth and its
creation and access the akaashic ethers or records.
Death cannot touch (or worry if you prefer) the devoted "listener".
Those who meditate are in bliss for their pain and sins are forgotten,
erased, or do not matter!
The Gods are accessible even to the "foul mouthed sinners" who attempt
silence.
Those who meditate are in bliss for their pain and sins are forgotten,
erased, or do not matter!
All the yogas, all the scriptures are available to those who would remain
silent.
By meditation (silent listening) the truth is available, contentment achievable
and wisdom obvious.
This practice is equal to visiting all holy places and reading and reciting
scriptures.
It brings virtue to the highest and the lowest (even the blind find their
way)
In shuniya, the unreachable is within your grasp
Those who meditate are in bliss for their pain and sins are forgotten,
erased, or do not matter!
I
guess (and it is only a humble guess) what Nanak is saying is that we have
merely to quiet the mind and listen to the spiritually pure place within
ourselves to gain realization that we are all One and much of our discussions,
arguments, disagreements, wars, lawsuits, violence, political differences
are just ways to avoid the truth of our Oneness.
R
S writes
I'm looking for what I believe is one of your columns from the past few
month. The column spoke about the real challenge of interfaith work
is to understand the differences in our faiths and not always accent what
we hold in common. I'm doing a sermon on this on Friday night and
I would love to quote you in the sermon. Can you help? Thanks so
much,
Vern
responds —
I wonder if you could be recalling this column:
http://www.cres.org/star/star2011.htm#870
But I seem to write on this theme at least once a year, so if this is not
the column, lemme know and I'll suggest other possibilities.
At
any rate, there may also be material of interest at
http://www.cres.org/pubs/primers.htm
I am grateful to know you are a reader of my column!
896. 111116 THE STAR’S
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An 'interfaith exploratorium'
Several readers applauded my recent proposal
for an “interfaith exploratorium.” Our achievements and resources
in the arts and sciences here in Kansas City, with the surprising religious
diversity in the Heartland, capped by such a facility [a spiritual testament],
would be another feature making us a “destination city.”
But what would
an interfaith exploratorium be like? More than a museum of information,
time lines, maps and population charts, no matter how cleverly designed
in the latest interactive ways, it would present experiences engendering
awe, continuing into gratitude and maturing into a desire to serve others.
For example,
one exhibit might explore what it was like for the first human to domesticate
fire and to share it with companions. Fire provided light in the darkness,
protection from animals, the transformation of unsafe and inedible foods
into an expanded diet and eventually the ability to forge objects by heating
ores found in the earth.
No wonder fire
is a symbol of the divine in many faiths. Think of the bush that burned
and was not consumed in the story of Moses, the tongues like flames above
the apostles on Pentecost, the Hindu fire god Agni (we get the English
word ignite from a common language root), the Buddha’s famous “Fire Sermon”
and many other examples. The “WaterFire” installation on Brush Creek last
month rekindled some sense of wonder and delight, as well as danger, for
the thousands drawn to it, recalling in our secular environment something
of the fascination of the holy.
A very different
exhibit might begin with the Jains of ancient in India who may have been
among the first to develop the practice of ahimsa. That theme, cast
in the story of the Buddha, retold and inflected in many ways through the
ages in Manichean, Muslim and Christian tales and picked up by Tolstoy,
read by Gandhi, in turn studied by Martin Luther King Jr., is known to
us as non-violence, a method that has changed our nation. Such a display
would show that religions are not isolated from each other or mere systems
of belief, but influence and enrich each other as we seek our common humanity.
Other exhibits
might show how from ancient observations of the gods in the sky we get
the names for the days in our week; how the early Hebrew notion of immortality
applied to the group, not individuals, until the Babylonian Captivity when
Zoroastrian ideas influenced subsequent speculation; how what we call Hinduism
changed from locating gods above to finding the divine within; how different
faiths have interpreted sexuality and many other intriguing topics.
And certainly
there would be a chamber for us in our community of many faiths to engage
one other respectfully and to worship together. What exhibits would you
like to experience?
READER COMMENT
D
B writes
Your "Exploratorium" idea definitely sounds worth exploring. I believe
there would be a rather widespread interest among folks in the KC area.
Anything that might help to open up more dialogue should be worth the effort.
Do you know of any interfaith discussions currently being held in the KC
area?
Vern
responds —
Thanks for your support of this idea! Actually the Greater Kansas City
Interfaith Council (or its exec committee) is meeting tonight, I believe.
This is a long-term project and right now with so many interfaith events
this season during the Festival of Faiths, anything beyond consideration
might be unlikely.
We are fortunate to have a number of interfaith organizations and programs
in the KC area. Although this list is dated, it gives some idea of possibilities
for you to contact if you wish: http://www.cres.org/pubs/KCInterfaithOps.htm#OrgsList.
I'd suggest especially
The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council
The Crescent Peace Society
Cultural Crossroads
Festival of Faiths
Hatebusters
Institute for Interfaith Dialog
as
groups that might be willing to endorse the idea. Then getting the Chamber
of Commerce or a major philanthropy interested might be the next step.
Keep me posted; and if I can help, I will. If you want to send others the
link to The Star column, it is here: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/15/3266232/an-interfaith-exploratorium-for.html
MISCL NOTES. Ritual objects
foods sacred texts music art history Most Christians know very little
about the devlopment of the Jewish faith since the close of the Hebrew
canon charts compare teachings models of practices — mandala, mudra, mantra,
topics: water immortality of body etc isues environment/when a person/leagl
moral codes characetrr of communities, how organized worship spaces, practices
famous people in various faiths Cordoba, Agha Indian Mudghal Akbar
Vivekananda, KC history perhaps beginning with ill-fated MICA.ugly side
of history — colonialism, treatment of indians, slavery
895. 111109 THE STAR’S
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Giving credit where credit is due
I don’t think Roman Catholics get enough
credit for interfaith activities. While Unitarians founded the first global
interfaith organization in 1900, no single interfaith event may have had
more impact in our time than Pope John Paul II’s 1986 gathering of leaders
of the world’s faiths in Assisi, Italy.
Three years later, this led
to the founding of what is now the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council,
whose current convener is Catholic.
I may not always agree with
Paul F. Knitter, Raimon Panikkar, Karl Rahner, Thomas Merton, Hans Küng
and other Catholic theologians, but they have encouraged the world’s faiths
to understand one another.
Last month Kansas City’s
Redemptorist Catholic Church exemplified Catholic hospitality for interfaith
experiences when it hosted a magnificent performance of “Lament for Jerusalem,”
a work for chorus and orchestra by John Tavener. The text for the piece
is drawn from Jewish, Christian and Islamic writings, quite an interfaith
project.
I admit I was shocked to
find one sentence combining the Muslim respect for Mary with a Catholic
practice of praying to her, which Muslims do not do. Perhaps this is why
the Rev. Jarrett McLaughlin of Village Presbyterian Church wisely introduced
the piece by saying that the texts sometimes were in uneasy dialogue with
one another. Tension in interfaith encounter can be a healthy sign of genuine
engagement.
The style of the music, “sacred
minimalism,” recalled Arvo Pärt’s “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin
Britten,” which choreographer Ulysses Dove used for his ballet, “Dancing
on the Front Porch of Heaven.”
Before the music began, Zoya
Khan, a Muslim freshman at the Catholic Notre Dame de Sion High School,
spoke for several minutes. She is part of the city’s Interfaith Youth Alliance.
“Muslims have been targeted
ever since 9/11; and as a Muslim, I believe it is my job to teach others
of the true Islam and not the Islam depicted by the media or a handful
of extremists.
“Because of interfaith (encounters),
I have formed a stronger and deeper understanding of not only my own religion,
but also of others,” she said.
After the music, Shakil Haider,
chairman of the Midland Islamic Council, chanted from the Qur’an: “O mankind!
We . . . made you into nations and tribes (religions and cultures), that
ye may know each other . . . . Verily the most honored of you in the sight
of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous . . . .”
Following sacred music in
the welcoming Catholic edifice, such an Islamic utterance seemed a perfect
blessing.
CRES
website note: whose as in "the Greater Kansas City
Interfaith Council, whose current convener is Catholic" is
the correct genitive form of "which" and is less awkward than the more
cumbersome of which. Cf. Writers Guide and Index to English,
3d edition, p763 by Porter G Perrin.
READER COMMENT
R
B writes
With appreciation for your column today in the KC Star.
A
Catholic Priest writes
Greetings. Just a note to thank you very much for writing something positive
about the Catholic Church, which you got published in The Star. It was
uplifting--something we need for ourselves.
Vern
responds —
Thank you very much for taking the trouble to write. I do know about the
excommunication of Hans Kung, about Bishop Finn's decision to break the
covenant between the Catholic and the Episcopal Cathedrals in KC, and his
decision not to allow the consecration of the new Episcopal bishop, Martin
Field, at the Redemptorist Church, even though the preceding Episcopal
bishop, Barry Howe, was extended that courtesy. And I lament what has happened
to Shantivanam.
Still, I think it is important not to be overwhelmed by unrepresentative
events, and when I look at the interfaith traditions within Catholicism,
including Nostra Aetate, despite its limitations, and the efforts
of my many Catholic friends, it seems important that now and then that
I use my regular Wednesday column to recognize the overwhelming good will
within the Church toward those of other faiths.
It means a great deal to me that you that you found the column of value.
Especially when the local priests and people of the Catholic Church are
having to deal with unfavorable news reports, I am glad to have tried to
be a bit constructive.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
Malki_Tzedek
Sociological analyses are not enough to bring about justice and peace.
The root of evil is within man's own interior. The remedy, therefore,
has also to come from the heart. - John Paul II
There is in world history no teaching more radically humanistic than the
claim that God became a human being in order that human beings might participate
in the life of God, now and forever. - Fr. Richard John Neuhaus
The Catholic Church claims less authority than any other Christian Church
in the world. That is why she is so conservative. Protestant churches feel
free to change the deposit of Faith.
894. 111102 THE STAR’S
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Destination: Interfaith Kansas City
I remember not that long ago walking from
the newly opened Sprint Center, through the Power and Light entertainment
district, taking a path by the new H & R Block world headquarters building.
“Am I really in downtown Kansas City?” I could hardly believe it.
A year earlier Linda Hall
Library, already a world-class scientific research center open to the public,
expanded. And Liberty Memorial was enlarged, drawing national attention.
During the construction of
the Bloch wing at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, I walked by almost every
day and wondered, “Will I live to see this?” Now I show my out-of-town
guests not only the building and the art, but in their faces I place the
second edition of Richard Weston’s book about recent world architecture
because the cover is the Bloch building.
Now I’ve been to Kauffman
Center for the Performing Arts repeatedly. I heard the Kansas City Symphony
premiere “Fountains of Kansas City” by our own world-famous Chen Yi.
The Friends of Chamber Music
world premiere production, “The Darwin Project,” brought science, visual
art, music, science and religious questions in one unforgettable evening
at the Center.
There the Kansas City Ballet’s
world premiere of “Tom Sawyer” by our own William Whitener conveyed the
adventures of boyhood, a refreshing reminder of the innocence of wholesome
pranks, infatuation, guilt, redemption and just being alive.
But the exposition of “destination
Kansas City” was not complete in my mind until the conclusion of the Lyric
Opera of Kansas City’s opening production there, when folks whooped and
hollered like they do at the Met in New York.
Three points. First, Kansas
City is an arts town. (I didn’t even mention live theater.) The arts are
supported by institutions of business, memory and research.
Second, you can’t have religion
without art. Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann says the church “is historically
and intrinsically an artistic operation,” but that nowadays we are often
flattened
into literalism while art rounds us out with the mysteries of faith. Throughout
history, architecture, music and painting have helped folks praise God
[and contemplate what is worthy in our lives.]. [I think
the quality of KC art can make us soar.]
Third, it is time for Kansas
City to build upon our astonishing Heartland religious pluralism and surprising
expertise in many world faiths. Other cities have interfaith chapels at
their airports, but here we lag.
Decades ago Dallas opened
its Thanks-Giving Square, an interfaith center, a few blocks from its art
museum. Our recent achievements show that we can surely do better. How
about a world-class “interfaith exploratorium” in Union Station?
NOTE
2006 Linda Hall Library
2006 H & R Block
2006 Dec Liberty Memorial
2007 Oct Sprint Center
2007 Nelson Bloch
2007 Nov P&L
2011 Sep Kauffman Center
READER COMMENT
M
F writes
What a lovely idea. I'm in! I'm in!
D
N writes
Great idea . . . .
G
S writes
I loved your column this morning on the arts in KC. My sense of spirituality
is intimately connected to the arts and nature. How about a focus
on Science City--a project that still needs help--that would address issues
of science and spirituality?
B
H writes
I have followed your column for some time, and want to thank you for the
wonderful work you are doing in creating an awareness of the power of interfaith
commitment to Kansas City. My husband and I are members of the Walnut Gardens
Community of Christ and we celebrate with joy that we have two Jewish
daughters-in-law (who are like our own daughter to us). Our biological
daughter, Joy, is an Episcopalian, and her wife (married seven years
ago in Massachusetts), is the rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in downtown
Boston, MA. I thought you might enjoy reading our daughter's blog about
a recent interfaith service at their church. Thank you so much for the
prophetic ministry you are offering.
Vern
responds —
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your daughter's blog! I laughed and
laughed a good Episcopalian laugh! . . . . What wonderful parents you must
be to have raised such a daughter! Please let her know I think she is a
fantastic writer!
And thanks for your generous comments on my column! which means you are
perceptive, too!
With enormous respect for the peace-making witness of Community of Christ,
. . .
893. 111026 THE STAR’S
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Harvard studies faiths in KC
Kansas Citians are currently being interviewed
by Harvard University’s Pluralism Project about one of the most celebrated
outcomes of the 2001 Gifts of Pluralism conference I’ve been writing about
here the last two Wednesdays.
That outcome is “The Hindu
and the Cowboy,” a play based on actual stories of folks of all faiths
in our area. Playwright Donna Ziegenhorn trained interviewers to collect
some 80 stories, more than enough for several versions of the one- or two-act
drama, professionally produced 26 times in several venues around the metro
since 2003.
For her work in deepening
friendships and interfaith understanding through the play and the process
which produced it, Ziegenhorn will be honored Nov. 10 at the annual Table
of Faiths luncheon of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The play has also become
part of the annual Festival of Faiths which emphasizes special programs
each fall all around the metro. While some of those events have already
been held, many remain. For a complete list and details for the ones I
mention here, visit www.festivaloffaithskc.org or phone (913) 671-2320.
For the evening of Nov. 6,
the Interfaith Council, the American Friends Service Committee and Cultural
Crossroads have arranged for speakers and art at All Souls Unitarian Universalist
Church to help us reflect on what we have learned in the ten years since
9/11.
After lunch on Nov. 9, the
Council’s Vital Conversations book club at the Mid-Continent Library, Antioch
Branch, will discuss a booklet I wrote for the 10th Anniversary of the
Gifts of Pluralism conference. A PDF version can be downloaded from www.cres.org/gifts.
Nov. 20 the annual Sunday
afternoon Harmony Interfaith Concert will be held this year at the Pine
Ridge Presbyterian Church. The diversity of race, tradition, faith, culture
and musical styles make it a true celebration.
That evening, the 27th annual
Thanksgiving Sunday Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner will be held this year
at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center. Honored this year will be Barb
McAtee, Baha'i member and secretary of the Interfaith Council. For decades
she has lovingly labored to enhance interfaith understanding.
Since the Gifts conference,
interfaith organizations and programs have proliferated. They help us learn
and celebrate the astonishing religious diversity here in the Heartland.
It is no wonder a researcher
at Harvard’s Pluralism Project, visiting us here in 2007, said, “At the
Pluralism Project, we consider Kansas City to be truly at the forefront
of interfaith relations.” And no wonder Kansas City is still being studied.
892. 111019 THE STAR’S
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Faiths affirm three themes
Three themes found in all
faiths
Ten years ago this month the area’s only
major interfaith conference was held.
Last week I cited three reasons
for its success: the use of local instead of out-of-town experts, affordable
arrangements for a learning experience for folks on both sides of the State
Line, and using personal questions leading participants to appreciate one
another’s faiths rather than to argue which religion is correct.
Here are a few more details
and one reason the conference remains important.
Secular speakers such as
then-Congressman Dennis Moore, banker Clyde F. Wendel and “Hub” Hubbard,
retired director of the Solar Energy Research Institute, addressed community
resources and three crises we face — in the environment, in what it means
to be a person and in how society should be ordered.
With them, folks of 15 faiths
and non-believers joined in panel discussions. (By “faith” I don’t mean
Baptist or Methodist. I mean Hindu or Muslim.) Each faith prepared a display
booth and offered a workshop in two time slots.
The conference concluded
on Sunday with an interfaith worship experience and other activities leading
to a unanimous “Declaration,” edited from earlier comments. This document
set forth an understanding of Kansas City — the “Heart of America” — as
a model for others.
It also summarized religious
responses to environmental, personal and social crises, three themes that
the conference studied. Here is that portion of the document:
§ “The gifts
of pluralism have taught us that nature is to be respected rather than
controlled; nature is a process that includes us, not a product external
to us to be used or disposed of. Our proper attitude toward nature is awe,
not utility. . . .
§ “We have also
learned that our true personhood may not be the images of ourselves constrained
by any particular social identities. When we realize this, our acts can
proceed spontaneously from duty and compassion, and we need not be unduly
attached to results beyond control.
§ “Finally, when
persons in community govern themselves less by profit and more by the covenant
of service, the flow of history toward to peace and justice is honored
and advanced.”
To my mind, these three paragraphs
summarize the wisdom that the world’s primal, Asian and monotheistic faiths
have accumulated throughout the ages about nature, selfhood, and society.
These words remain important guides to a wholesome future.
I remain amazed that those
from so many traditions were so open to each other that themes salient
in only some faiths were found and affirmed within all faiths.
READER COMMENT
D
N writes
[G]ood to read the KC Star and, of course, ponder your words. . . .
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
randall.morrison90
Local atheists display their skills...
http://www.meetup.com/Provocat...
They are real jerks, IMHO
891. 111012 THE STAR’S
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Three tips for interfaith success
A few days before
the metro “Gifts of Pluralism” interfaith conference opened ten years ago
this month, as one of the planners, I said I thought the effort would be
a success if 50 people showed up. Some 250 folks participated and, at the
end, applauded.
The
results continue to reverberate and shape how many of us understand the
diversity of faiths in our area. A Kansas City Star editorial later called
the conference “a model for how to hold an interfaith conversation” about
concerns following 9/11.
Here
are three of several features that I think made the conference valuable
and worthy of imitation by interfaith leaders a decade later. Another time
I’ll outline some disappointments.
§
Local
speakers.— Early in the planning, the temptation to bring a “big name”
out-of town speaker was resisted, despite the thought that an outside guest
might boost interest. Over and over, interfaith authorities say that while
information is important, building relationships is primary.
Out-of-town
folks who appear for a speech and then leave may attract an audience, but
they do not often directly help the interfaith process as much as the featured
involvement of local experts who enlarge a circle of friendships before,
during and after a program.
A sponsor
of an interfaith panel earlier this year told me he asked a Christian to
discuss the Qur’an because no local Muslim was qualified. In fact, we have
nationally known Muslim experts who are part of our community. A chance
to build a key relationship was lost.
§
Arrangements.—The
“Gifts” planners selected the Pembroke Hill School campus on State Line
for the conference to emphasize the entire metro region as a community
bridging administrative divisions. It was accessible by public transportation.
The school location also emphasized the learning experience the conference
offered. And the venue kept the costs down. A $75 fee covered two days
and three meals, cultural entertainment, a 3-ring, 100-page printed notebook
and other materials.
§
Asking
questions.— With small group sessions following the major presentations,
folks met and learned about each other’s faiths. And not just by reciting
creeds.
Instead,
the Rev. David E. Nelson, a local “Appreciative Inquiry” expert, trained
the conferees to ask each other questions like, “How have you felt the
presence of the sacred in your life?” This question was especially fitting
because the conference subtitle affirmed, “In a world without direction,
we find the sacred.”
Such
personal questions lead not to theological arguments but to friendships.
And what better context for understanding others’ faiths is there than
friendship?
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
kcpeacenik
Wonderful suggestions. I'm kicking around ideas for a dedication
next summer of a private park and bird/butterfly sanctuary. I want
an invocation, something my own pastor might do, but I'm cognizant of the
other faith traditions in my community and might like to include them in
community.
My pastor had a study series about two years ago on other faith traditions
(and a later one on other Christian denominations) where faith leaders
were invited to our church and we had open, welcoming discussions and sincere
question & answer times -- we all learned much and appreciated much
from our neighbors, and for many, minds and hearts were opened.
I'm hopeful that more will proceed from efforts to include one another
in times when a spiritual moment is called for at an event or any time
people gather and wish to be inclusive. Thanks, I always like your
contributions as they frequently set me to thinking.
Malki_Tzedek
“Gifts of Pluralism” sounds like secret code for 'moral relativism'.
kcpeacenik
Ah yes, moral relativism. A good thing. Glad your mind is so open.
trapblock
Ah yes, moral relativism. An excuse for immorality.
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITES
The
Interfaith Observer November 2011
890. 111005 THE STAR’S
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"Darwin Project" offers wonder
I reconsidered my atheism when, in the
summer between high school and college, I heard about the Jesuit paleoanthropologist
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s reconciliation of evolution with faith.
Darwin then became more than
a gatherer of the facts of evolution and a weaver of them into an explanatory
theory. He now became a guide to the wonder — he used the word “grandeur”
— of how nature unfolds.
The section on nature in
Roman Catholic theologian Elizabeth A. Johnson’s “Quest for the Living
God” begins with the topic of wonder, and she quotes another theologian
who says that “Aquinas never knew Darwin’s theory of evolution, but he
would have no difficulty in understanding it as the way that God creates.”
Hers is not a naive or sentimental
account of evolution. Johnson relates predation and death, essential to
the evolutionary process, to scriptures such as Romans 8:22: “the whole
created universe groans in all its parts as if in the pangs of childbirth.”
In the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus she sees God’s “compassionate
solidarity with every living being that suffers” and dies.
Parallels can be found in
the teachings of other world faiths expressing the awesome mystery of nature.
So I was not surprised when
Jeremy M. Lillig, who with Nancy Cervetti, wrote “The Darwin Project,”
quoted these words from scholar James Carroll when I phoned him to ask
about the Friends of Chamber Music Oct. 14 production: “Religion and science
are both grounded in mystery.”
The evening performance,
a co-presentation of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, with
actors, choir, piano, string quartet, projections of works of art and original
photography — and even an actual fossil 16 million years old, tells the
story of Darwin’s discernment of the mystery of evolution.
At Cambridge, Darwin’s afternoon
walks often detoured to the chapel at King’s College where he came to love
chant and choral music. So the program in Helzberg Hall begins with choral
music from the Feast Day of St. Albert the Great, patron saint of science.
Darwin’s wife [Emma, née
Wedgwood] studied with Chopin. His great nephew was Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The musical and literary connections are many.
Some 40 people in the arts
and sciences created this program to celebrate the rich cultural context
out of which Darwin’s scientific achievement arose. I think the program
will demonstrate that discovering how evolution works removes no mystery,
but rather deepens it.
The point is not whether
one is an atheist or a believer. The point is whether one is filled with
curiosity and wonder.
READER COMMENT
MC
writes
You fill me with awe and wonder, never shock and awe.
P
B writes
A wonderful column today! It is filled with lots of fun facts (didn’t
know the Ralph Vaughan Williams connection) and sound insight into wrestling
with evolution and faith. I don’t know Elizabeth Johnson’s work but
a group of us are starting a spiritual reading group and we may have to
add her to the list. I am sorry that I will be out of town
on the 14th. It sounds like a wonderful program.
Your closing sentence is a perfect reminder to all those who end up on
one side of the argument or the other. Keep looking! Thank
you.
Vern
responds —
I hope the evening of the 14th -- as complicated as it is in terms of production
-- somehow will be repeated. So have a good trip, and maybe there'll be
another chance!
Thanks for you generous words about the column. It is fun learning new
connections, isn't it! Darwin was well-connected in other respects
as well.
I certainly recommend Sister Johnson's book, despite the fact that the
Bishops have written a Statement against it -- which, in my opinion,. shows
they cannot read, or if they can read, they cannot think, or if they can
think, they do not know their own Catholic heritage, or if they do, they
are more governed by present ecclesiastical politics. Oops, I did not mean
to be so uncharitable; they are no doubt doing their best. But I did read
her book and their statement, and it is clear which one is valuable, even
if I do not agree with everything she says. The spirit of the book is marvelous.
It reminds us of the mysteries and wonder out of which our desire to serve
others may be energized.
J
R writes
Regarding your column, as one is who is filled with curiosity and wonder,
I thank you. As for the rest of the unshakable truths of the ages, well,
I can only say: I believe in you.
Vern
responds —
Thanks for being affected by curiosity and wonder -- and a sense of justice,
too!
D
T writes
Wow! Chardin, Darwin, Vaughn Williams--whose works I sang in college--all
bring back good memories, especially in light of Chuck Lorre's hit comedy
"The Big Bang Theory". Laurie Metcalf plays a great fundamentalist mom
from Texas. Wish I could be at the performance. I will be officiating football
under those beautiful stars and sky at the same time.
Vern
responds —
Big Bang Theory is about the only sitcom I watch! I think Darwin would
watch it with us!
I hope the Darwin production will be repeated so you and others will have
another chance.
K
L writes
Just a quick note to let you know how much I enjoyed your thoughtful column
today. I believe a sense of curiosity and wonder are essential ingredients
in life!
Vern
responds —
Thanks for taking the trouble to write! I'm pretty proud to have you as
a reader!
P
B writes
which of de Chardin's books do you refer to in this latest piece in the
KC Star? I looked in Amazon books and found several of his books that sounded
like they would have the content you described: a reconciliation of evolution
with faith.
This is one of the central ideas that I seek to explain and revise within
myself. I welcome the thoughts of such a man as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
Help...
thanks for the ideas you offer each time I read you.
Vern
responds —
The book I heard about and then later read had just been translated into
English: The Phenomenon of Man. I would not call it an easy book, but I
found the theme inspiring. Now I am not so interested in the specifics
he outlines as the general notion of God as creative process.
This is confusing, but he is called "Teilhard" by those wishing to refer
to him by his last name, as you'll see in the Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teilhard_de_Chardin,
although an entry in the bibliography does not use the correct form, at
least at this time. His first name is Pierre and sometimes the title
Pere, French for Father, is also used.
His superiors would not permit the book to be published in his lifetime,
so he never knew the influence he was to have in religious circles, although
his scientific work was known. His expressly mystical writings
Thank you for reading my column and for taking the trouble to write! And
I am grateful to know that you are a regular reader of my Wednesday column!
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
B
M writes
Thank you for your constant efforts in your weekly column and your life
work to keep us open and aware of the richness of the living God present
and active in all of God's people.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
Malki_Tzedek
The sciences emerged and flourished precisely in the context of the great
Christian universities of the West. Copernicus - Priest, Mendel -
Monk, The Big Bang Theory came from a priest.
All
Truth comes from God... there can be no conflict.
Einstein declared: "the situation may be expressed by an image:
science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
ChrisW
The majority of the winners for the Nobel Prize for science are/were atheists.
For example, Watson and Crick who discovered the double helix structure
of DNA, Linus Pauling who made huge contributions to biochemisty,
and Richard Feynman, who was a quantum physicist, all won the Nobel Prize,
and all were unrepentant atheists.
It is not that all scientific knowledge comes from god. Rather, it
is still possible to believe in god and do good things in science.
trapblock
Well... I mean... He invented it!
ATF
Reading Teilhard's "The Phenomenon of Man" is what kept me, too, in my
early twenties, from giving up on faith. I found a way to hold trust
in both faith and science and to recognize that neither will ever have
some ultimate, final, total answer. They really are not at war with
each other; one does not supplant the other. Science illuminates
pieces of the mystery of God's creation and makes it more wonderous, more
complex, and therefore shows God is more wonderous and complex than we
ever dreamed. I also think that if we ever think we have pinned down
creation, we have made a mistake that will later come to light.
Steve
Greene
The remark "Religion and science are both grounded in mystery" is half
right and half wrong. Religious faith is "grounded" in mystery. (The problem,
of course, is that mystery can't "ground" anything, which is why it is
mystery.) Science on the other hand is grounded by rational analysis and
empirical evidence.
It never ceases to amaze me how much religious believers try desperately
to pretend religion and science are the same, despite the fact that they
are fundamentally different.
Vern
responds —
I quoted the word "granduer" from Darwin. This is the final sentence in
THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES: "There is a grandeur in this view of life, with
its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into
a few forms or into one; and that whilst this planet has gone cycling on
according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless
forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved."
"The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense
of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of religion as well as
all serious endeavour in art and science. He who never had this experience
seems to me, if not dead, then at least blind. To sense that behind anything
that can be experienced there is a something that our mind cannot grasp
and whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly and as a feeble
reflection, this is religiousness. In this sense I am religious. To me
it suffices to wonder at these secrets and to attempt humbly to grasp with
my mind a mere image of the lofty structure of all that there is." --Albert
Einstein, The World As I See It (1949)
The relationship between science and religion is historically and philosophically
complex, as I have learned from many encounters at research labs as well
as within religious organizations. I cherish my doctoral work at the Center
for the Advanced Study of Religion in an Age of Science at the University
of Chicago. A good introduction to this topic is the revised classic work
by Ian G Barbour: RELIGION IN AN AGE OF SCIENCE: HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY
ISSUES.
I am not arguing that science and religion are the same -- that is, as
I say, a complicated issue -- but rather that they both spring of the sense
of wonder which obviously motivated Darwin and Einstein and many other
scientists. One can be an atheist and still be motivated by such awe. The
point of my column is not that science and religion are the same, but that
if they are genuine, both arise from wonder.
JonHarker
Darwin was an elitist racist who never held an academic post, was independently
wealthy, and thought women were intellectually inferior.
He also promoted obscenities like "vaccination weakens the race", and the
eugenics policies of his cousin Franis Galton.
ChrisW
All of the founding fathers owned slaves, Lincoln thought blacks were inferior
and needed to be protected, and the civil rights act wasn't passed until
1964. Were most people before 1900 bigoted and at least a little
racist? Probably. You are exaggerating a few things,
but the point is that all men and women are products of their times.
Einstein developed a big chunk of his theory of relativity while he was
patent clerk. Does that make it any less valid? He was also
a terrible father and left his first wife. Does this make his science
any less valid?
You are replacing valid debate with ad hominem attacks. This is a
common fallacy used by people who wish to dismiss someone's ideas without
actually disproving them. Modern evolutionary biology has nothing
to do with 19th century race relations. Move on!
889. 110928 THE STAR’S
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Paths to peaceful coexistence
How do we move forward as a pluralistic
nation still shaken by 9/11? Experts visiting our town this month offered
some observations.
*Miroslav Volf, a Christian
who teaches at Yale, spoke at Central Baptist Theological Seminary here.
A native of Croatia, he saw up close the hatred and violence from the breakup
of Yugoslavia.
He warned against our becoming
the mirror image of those we identify as our enemies, and worried that
many who call themselves Christians “worship America more than the crucified
Christ.”
*The Crescent Peace Society
was formed five years before 9/11 to enhance understanding of Islam. This
year its annual Eid Dinner featured Corey Saylor from the Council on American-Islamic
Relations in Washington.
He reminded the ballroom
audience, perhaps of equal numbers of Muslim and non-Muslim friends, that
our nation was founded on [ciivic] ideals, not on a particular religion
or ethnic identity.
He cited polls that show
that even with the recent rise in Islamophobia, Muslims are still better
liked than Congress.
The dinner was held in southern
Overland Park. I mention this because Kansas City Mayor Sly James crossed
over the State Line to attend. Even interfaith activity is often inhibited
by State Line, and those who reach over it merit applause.
*How did the controversy
about Sharia suddenly appear from nowhere so that folks who never before
heard the word were suddenly afraid Sharia would be forced on them, and
politicians began advocating laws against something they knew nothing accurate
about?
Scholar and frequent TV guest
Reza Aslan was eager to address this question during his Rockhurst University
speech.
Aslan said a “cabal of seven
non-profit organizations” financed with 40 million dollars created a fake
study and marketed it <to Fox News>. Then the echo chamber took over.
However, after reviewing
earlier prejudice and violence against Jews, Catholics and others, for
which we now feel shame, he said he was certain that Muslims would become
just as much a part of the American story as those groups are now.
But education alone does
not overcome prejudice. Evidence will not convince the 20% of Americans
who think President Obama is Muslim that he is actually a Christian, he
said.
The real path to understanding
is through acquaintance. Most Americans know nothing about Judaism except
what they picked up from Seinfeld, he said. But Catholics, Protestants,
Jews and others have developed friendships, and he said this process is
more powerful than education in advancing American pluralism.
READER COMMENT
J
P writes
You have stated before that the Bible does not hold great authority for
you and that is your right. The statements that you quote as fact
are by misguided people miroslav volf is absurd Christians contray to your
belief worship Christ and they do pray for the US and its leaders. Then
corey saylor is very much misinformed to think that today Americans think
more highly of muslims than they do of congress granted many are disappointed
with our congress but to say they esteem muslins more is wrong
Yes Sharia is a new term but again contrary to your thinking most Americans
and especially Christians understand this term and what it means. We have
all read quotes both good and bad we see on the news how sharia law is
used in muslim countries
To say that America was founded on ideals shows a lack of knowledge of
America it was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, mostly by Christian
men this maybe offenseive to you but it is fact Check on the information
supplied by David Barton if you are interested.
I am not sure what your objective is to denigrate Christianity, when if
you have contact with these people to talk with them about accepsting Jesus
Christ as savior which I would think would be your top concern for these
lost souls.
You will be in our prayers.
Vern
responds —
You have substantial disagreement with Wednesday's column. It appears to
you that I do not adequately respect the Bible. I am not exactly sure about
statement about Miroslav Volf as I am unable to discern the structure of
the sentence about him or why you would point out that Christians pray
for the US and its leaders. The point Saylor made is not that Americans
think highly of Muslims; on the contrary, prejudice is deep, but recent
polls show that even Congress is less liked.
My experience is different from yours regarding general understanding of
Sharia as I have ill-informed folks writing me on the subject frequently
and most of the information in the media about Sharia is grossly inadequate.
That the US was founded on Judeo-Christian principles is not obvious to
me, though I am familiar with the Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians
and others who drew it up, with the political principles of the Iroquois
Confederation serving in some respects as a model. The Constitution prohibits
religious tests and does not incorporate any particular faith in the structure
of government; the text never mentions God; it is an entirely secular document
stating clearly that Constitution is ordained and established by the people
(it does not say ordained by God); and the Bill of Rights forbids governmental
establishment of any religion while protecting the free exercise thereof,
of all faiths and none.
My object is not to denigrate Christianity. For me to love Christianity
is to respect others as Jesus himself respected and commended those not
of his own tradition. You do seem to assume that other faiths would be
interested in salvation, which seemed to me to impose Christian categories
of thought onto other religions rather than seeking to understand them
on their own terms. Many Buddhists, for example, have no need for a Creator
God to explain the universe and do not affirm that each person possesses
an eternal soul; they have no wish for personal existence in heaven as
many Christians do, nor fear of such a hell.
I do not expect you to change any of your thinking as a result of my response.
I simply wanted you to know I have read your email, thought about it, and
wanted to express my appreciation for your taking the trouble to write
me, even though we continue to disagree and no doubt could engage in a
lengthy exchange, but probably to no different outcome. You are most welcome
to follow-up by making your criticism public by writing a letter to the
editor or an "As I See It" column? --http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/letters/.
And thank you for your remembering me in your prayers. I shall also pray
for you.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
Raza
Siddiqui
So, a couple of examples now taints the entire religion and its followers
? Strange how the religion of some of the worst criminals in history never
had their religion correlated with their crimes ?
Judaism, Christianity and Islam have the same roots - they are reaffirmations
of the same message - the oneness of a supreme being. There's not a whole
lot of difference from the Mutli-millennia old customs in Judaism and Islam,
both are practiced today.
As for so-called examples of violence in the Quran, its obvious many haven't
read the old and new testaments of the Bible and Torah; or would I be accused
of quoting out of context ? Even the holy book of Hinduism (Gita) propagates
intense violence against its adversaries.
In the Quran, God says "..I have made mankind different, so they may know
one another". It appears folks would rather exploit the differences than
our commonalities.
We should learn the many lessons from the past.
trapblock
You
will know them by their fruit...
Hal
Rogers
I think the problem facing Islam in the USA is that people DO understand
Islam, and are learning more every day. Any cult that teaches the sort
of 7th century tribal hatred toward others is dangerous, and will face
considerable backlash from formerly tolerant people who, at one time, welcomed
Peaceful muslims into their countries. Unfortunately, the search for "peaceful
muslims" tends to produce people who know very little about the history
of Islam, and the way it was spread by the sword, and continues to be spread
by violence and hate.
Malki_Tzedek
Where is the outrage from our government? Islamabad: September 26, 2011
The 8th grader Christian girl expelled from her school on accusation of
blasphemy on misspelling poetry term dedicated to praise Prophet Mohammad
fled from her hometown with her family for safety of life.
Malki_Tzedek
An Iranian pastor who has refused to renounce his Christian faith faces
execution as early as Wednesday afterhis sentence was upheld by an Iranian
court. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who maintains he has never been
a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his
faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court
ruled. Iran's Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether
Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.
Hal
Rogers
So much for "peaceful" and "tolerant" islam. Apostacy is simply leaving
Islam and adopting another more reasonable and tolerant religion. How this
is the job of a mob of Muslims to kill such people is beyond the scope
of understanding for civilized society, but it seems to fit well within
the tribal, 7th century belief system of the cult following known as Islam.
Is anyone surprised by this Iranian court proceeding? Where are the "moderate"
muslims in the USA denouncing this? Where is CAIR ??
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Spiritual journey has Missouri ties
If the Lord God offered me my pick of any
angel of heaven to spend an evening with, I would say, “No, thanks. Just
send me Huston Smith.”
That is how I began an evening
of conversation with Smith before an appreciative audience in Kansas City
some years ago.
Smith’s life-long, world-wide
spiritual journey is sketched in his autobiography, “Tales of Wonder,”
and Missouri has keys to the story.
Smith invited Martin
Luther King Jr to speak at Washington University in St. Louis before that
school was integrated. He introduced the nation to world religions on ETV,
the forerunner of PBS, and some 40 years later shared his wisdom in a 5-part
PBS series with Bill Moyers. He saw the founding of the United Nations
and the uprising in Tiananmen Square. He flew with Thomas Merton just before
he died, befriended the Dalai Lama and dropped acid with Timothy Leary.
Smith’s book on world religions
was my text when I first studied the subject. As a student over 40 years
ago, I first met Smith when he returned to the University of Chicago Divinity
School, where he had earlier obtained his PhD.
Smith was fresh from Tibet
where, with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, he had documented the multiphonic
chants of the monks, which Smith’s colleagues at MIT, where he was then
teaching, said was impossible.
Smith had enrolled at Chicago
because he wanted to study with Henry Nelson Wieman, known for his naturalistic
theology. [Wieman was born in Rich Hill, Missouri, studied at Park Univerity
and pastored in St. Joseph.]
Smith writes, “I thought
there was nothing better than Wieman’s philosophy. But then I discovered
there was something better. Wieman’s daughter. . . . I met, I marveled,
I married.”
The book discloses their
bliss and anguish as a couple, as parents and as grandparents.
Wieman who, many years later
was also my teacher, was, along with Paul Tillich, the subject of King’s
doctoral dissertation.
Smith was raised in China
where his parents were missionaries from Missouri. His graduated from Central
Methodist College in Fayette, MO. In 2005 Harold Johnson and I took Smith,
then 86, to visit his parents’ graves in Marshall, MO.
Smith’s own Christianity
began a deepening when he met the St. Louis Vedanta Society’s Swami Satprakashananda,
recommended by Aldous Huxley.
In the 1950s, Missouri’s
William H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina and grandfather of former
U.S. Senator Jack Danforth, offered Smith a gift to travel the world to
study religions up close. These adventures enlarged the outpouring of his
love.
Huston, every minute I’ve
spent with you has been like heaven.
READER COMMENT
Vern
responds —
C
C writes
I enjoyed your piece on Huston Smith. Athena just released the Bill Moyers
series you referenced on DVD. Please see the press release below. I thought
some of Bill Moyers other releases might interest you for future pieces.
Newest
release from Bill Moyers’ acclaimed library:
Featuring
enlightening discussions about world religion with an eminent scholar
BILL
MOYERS: THE WISDOM OF FAITH WITH HUSTON SMITH
On
DVD from Athena September 20, 2011
“Thoughtful and absorbing” —The New York Times
“Spiritual travelogue” —Newsweek
Silver
Spring, MD — A revealing exploration of world religions, the Emmy-nominated
interview program broadcast on PBS, Bill Moyers: The Wisdom of Faith with
Huston Smith arrives to DVD from Athena on September 20, 2011. Bestselling
author and professor of comparative religion Huston Smith (The World’s
Religions) sits down with legendary Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning
journalist Bill Moyers (PBS, NBC, CBS, Newsday) for a series of lively
and engrossing interviews about the universal truths of the world’s religions.
Broadcast in late 1990s, this series of conversations provides thoughtful
insights into the world’s largest religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—and how, taken at their best, they provide
universal truths that unite and define the human spirit. The 2-Vol. DVD
set includes a viewers’ guide, biographies, and more (5 episodes, $49.99,
www.AcornOnline.com). The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith is Athena’s
eighth release from Moyers’ acclaimed library of programs.
All religions, at their core, are the same: this remarkable claim is made
by Huston Smith, bestselling author and former professor of comparative
religion at Syracuse University, MIT, and the University of California,
Berkeley. Raised by Christian missionaries, Smith also practices yoga,
embraced his daughter’s conversion to Judaism, and, for a decade, adopted
the Islamic tradition of praying five times a day. He has traveled around
the world, visiting ashrams and temples, synagogues and mosques, zen masters
and swamis.
Smith’s book The World’s Religions has sold more than 2 ½ million
copies worldwide since 1958, and is considered one of the defining treatises
on the subject.
EPISODES: Hinduism & Buddhism, Confucianism; Christianity & Judaism;
Islam; A Personal Philosophy
BONUS FEATURES: 12-page viewer’s guide with an examination of god in different
religions and articles on religious rules, the concept of service, and
the Architecture of Faith; Biographies of Huston Smith and Bill Moyers
and a gallery of religious iconography, plus more at AthenaLearning.com
Street Date: Sept. 20, 2011
SRP: $49.99
DVD 2-Vol. Boxed Set – 5 Episodes - Approx. 276 minutes – SDH subtitles
. . .
Vern
responds —
Thank you for your kind words about my column! I certainly cherish the
Moyers programs and have often showed excerpts in my teaching. I am glad
to know they are now available on DVD!
I quote below an email responding to an earlier column from Jon Monday
who disputes statements such as this which appears in your press release,
"All religions, at their core, are the same: this remarkable claim is made
by Huston Smith,"
I thought you would want to know I have never heard Smith say this, and
in fact, I frequently quote Smith's discussion of this:
"How fully has the proponent [of the view that all religions are at their
core the same] tried and succeeded in understanding Christianity’s claim
that Christ was the only begotten Son of God, or the Muslim’s claim that
Muhammad is the Seal of the prophets, or the Jews’ sense of their being
the Chosen People? How does he propose to reconcile Hinduism’s conviction
that this will always remain a ‘middle world’ with Judaism’s promethean
faith that it can be decidedly improved? How does the Buddha’s ‘anatta
doctrine’ of no-soul square with Christianity’s belief in . . . individual
destiny in eternity? How does Theravada Buddhism’s rejection of every form
of personal God find echo in Christ’s sense of relationship to his Heavenly
Father? How does the Indian view of Nirguna Brahman, the God who stands
completely aloof from time and history, fit with the Biblical view that
the very essence of God is contained in his historical acts? Are these
beliefs really only accretions, tangential to the main concern of spirit?
The religions . . . may fit together, but they do not do so easily."
Religions of Man [1958], p 352-3
In a later edition of the book, as The World's Religions, Smith says this
view "founders on the fact that the religions differ in what they consider
essential and what negotiable." He then elaborates, p 385.
Thanks for writing, and congratulations on your part in making Smith's
wisdom more widely accessible!
--------
Original Message --------
Subject:
God Is Not One Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2011
From:
J M To: <vern@cres.org>
I read your post in the Kansas Star with interest and had these thoughts.
As an introduction, I wrote this review on Amazon when God Is Not One first
came out:
I work closely with Huston Smith and created and maintain his official
website. Stephen Prothero grossly misrepresents Smith's statements and
position on this subject.
Huston, Huxley, or Campbell have never said that "all religions are the
same" or anything like that. What they say is that there is one underlying
reality (call it God, Creator, Self, Ground of Reality, etc.) that the
different religions, in their distinctive ways, refer to.
To suggest otherwise is to ignore the very definition of God, or believe
that there is more than one God, or claim that only one religion has it
right, and the others have it wrong.
Prothero says that the one God idea was, "a defense mechanism developed
by Hindus to reject 19th Century Christian missionaries and fostered by
the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1893." The reality is that
the idea reaches back to the ancient Vedas which declared, "Truth is one;
sages call it by various names." This cannot be translated as "all the
religions are the same". The Vedantic version of this idea was expressed
by Swami Vivekananda at the 1893 gathering, but it was well established
by the Transcendentalist in the US well before then, and is also expressed
in the mystical branches of all the other religions.
When pinned on these facts, Prothero admits he's talking more about how
he, as a college student, and others have mistakenly interpreted the Perennial
Philosophy as "all religions are the same".
Prothero attributes Huxley, Smith, and Campbell as saying the differences
between the religions are, "accidental." I am not aware of any of these
three, or any Perennial Philosopher, saying anything of the sort. In fact,
they address the differences as being very real and important to the practice
of each faith.
Prothero says, "People don't lump communism and democracy as the same,
just slightly different. Why should they do it with religions?"
Again, no one but Prothero is saying the various religions are the same,
but in any case, Communism and democracy are the same in that they are
different means to govern people - religions are the same in that they
are different means to connect one's Self with its Source. It's a matter
of defining what the underlying subject matter is.
The ONLY way that Huxley, Smith, and Campbell say that religions are the
same, is that they are all religions.
Since I wrote that, I have heard from D S, who wrote the definitive biography
of Aldous Huxley and is working on the authorized biography of Huston Smith,
who pointed out that Huxley and Smith should not be lumped together in
any case, as Smith thought all religions were basically good, and Huxley
thought that all formal religions were basically corrupt and bad for spiritual
growth – and if any good came of them, it was in spite of the institutions.
Campbell had a whole other take on the subject.
Of course, I also heard directly from Huston, who adamantly states that
not only has he never said all religions are the same, but that neither
did Huxley or Campbell – both long-time friends of his.
A writer who was about to interview Prothero, who read my review, asked
me what she should ask. I said, If God is not one, is Prothero proposing
that there is no God, or that there are many Gods, or that only one religion
has it right, and the rest have it wrong. As far as I can imagine, those
are the only choices, if God is not one.
She did ask the question, and this was his answer, “I'm religiously confused
now. I don't have any real answers to any of these important questions.
I think the reason that I keep studying them is because I don't have answers…”
What stumps me is that someone who is confused about their main subject
can teach it, and be sought out as an expert on the field. He’s confused,
yet adamantly states that “God is not one”. How can he be so sure of that,
but be confused on the subject?
In your article you say, “I agree that religions are not different paths
to the mountain top; they are different mountains.”
Perhaps this is a matter of terminology or definition, but again, isn’t
the very definition of God: the One creator? To borrow your analogy, upon
what do the mountains stand?
I look forward to hearing from you.
E
W writes
I loved your piece in "Faith & Beliefs" this week regarding Huston
Smith. What a wonderful example Huston Smith has been regarding interfaith
work, science and compassion. Not sure why I pick these 3 things to highlight
but it just seems right.
I volunteer with an organization that uses all walks of spirituality/religions,
or no religion, to glean fields after the harvest. These activities gets
much needed fresh, local and nutritious food into food banks. I wish that
more efforts were made to integrate all types of faith beliefs in an effort
to support our community. This in turn builds compassion and understanding
rather than drawing the lines around "faith"/religion.
Thank you for acknowledging the gifts that Huston Smith has given the world
and what lucky person you are to have met such a gentle soul.
If you are interested in learning more about the gleaning group, please
visit http://www.endhunger.org/sosawest/. If you'd like even more information,
please be my guest on October 13 at Grace & Holy Trinity's Founder's
Hall, 13th & Broadway at 8 a.m. for a free breakfast. I'd love to have
you at my table, please just let me know!
Thank you again for your work to build interfaith.
Vern
responds —
Thanks for your generous comment on my column -- and congratulations and
thanks to you for the work you are doing gleaning!
For
information about the Interfaith Council, see http://www.kcinterfaith.org/
or the link on the home page of my website, http://www.cres.org .
I
may do a follow-up column about Smith as I have so many stories to tell.
I have never met a person who better fits the label "gentleman" -- and
brilliant at that.
I actually plan to be at GHTC at 7 that morning and possibly may be able
to stop by to meet you after my meeting concludes.
Again, thanks for the work you do and taking the trouble to comment on
this installment of my weekly Wednesday column!
M
F writes
Missouri Ties that Bind--How wonderful after breast gawking to be able
to read about you and Huston, meeting marveling and marrying, Martining
and Moyering, multiphoning and Methoding.
After dropping acid with Leary, did he need a plane to fly with Merton?
I often fly with Merton.
B
C writes
Sir: your column today was an interesting item with a good local angle.
Your reference to MLK's dissertation was a bit casual, given the dissertation's
controversial status. Perhaps you could do another column about your
assessment of the controversy surrounding Dr. King's doctoral studies &
eventual degree.
Vern
responds—
Actually I've mentioned King's dissertation in passing several times, as
Wieman was born in Missouri (Rich Hill).
While I have read some of the dissertation, I am not competent, nor do
I have the time, to produce an independent analysis of King's plagiarism.
My little window on the matter is that the ideas King discussed were accurately
analyzed and to great purpose, though I disagree with King on some points,
having studied with Wieman and also having spent a year studying Tillich's
Systematic Theology. I am also ill-equipped to judge how severely
the plagiarism should be condemned in the context of the time and preacherly
habits, how much deliberate, accidental, unconscious -- I am unable to
address such questions.
The column today, of course, was about Huston Smith, about which I am better
acquainted. I only met King once.
Thanks
for reading this installment of my weekly (Wednesday) column and for taking
the trouble to write. I wish I were sufficiently expert to address your
suggestion, but I am not, and I best admit it.
B
C writes again
Well said. Thanks & keep up the good work.
C
R writes [Dec 28!]
I am writing to thank you for your article of September 21.
I am a native of Saline County. When I was a teen-ager, I read Houston
Smith's first book on the religions of the world and had no idea of his
connections to this area.
In my middle years, I encountered his writing again and realized that I
knew two elderly Smith women. . .I thought they were both his aunts.
After reading your article, I began to ask questions and do a little research.
I knew his Aunt Bertha, the missionary to Korea, and I knew his mother.
Both went to a rural Methodist church near Marshall, Smith Chapel, named
for his ancestors who were early pioneers in the area.
Some young men in my Methodist church here in Marshall
>
cut wood every fall for the winter heating for his mother who lived a spartan
existence as a widow on the family property near Napton.
I recall someone saying they had been in the house and there was one bare
lightbulb.
I ordered "Tales of Wonder" on inter-library loan and I simply loved it.
After reading his comments about his parents, I can understand why they
lived without luxury. I am determined to read some
others of his books. I shared half a dozen copies of
your article with other local people, some of whom are distant relatives
of his. You added to my life. Thank you.
Vern
responds—
Your email was heart-warming to me! I am very grateful to took the trouble
to let me know that the column led you into discovering relationships and
to more of Huston's writings! Happy New Year!
887. 110914 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Be aware of what counts
The problem with the sacred—the source
of life’s meaning—is that it usually lies outside our awareness. So religions
have developed techniques to bring the sacred from the periphery into focus.
But techniques can fail.
A seeker complained to his teacher that nothing he tried—fasting, chastity,
charity—brought him Enlightenment. “Have you noticed the sunset?” the master
asked.
Disasters like 9/11 can suddenly
make us aware of what counts. When they work, religious techniques bring
us not only to the gate of awareness of what counts but open us to a cosmic
arena.
In 1995, many of us watched
in amazement as two Tibetan monks at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, over
a month’s time, constructed an intricate mandala of colored sand as a diagram
of the spiritual universe. In my bedroom I see a poster of that “Wheel
of Compassion” when I wake each morning.
“Mandala” is Sanskrit for
“circle.” As elaborated by Tibetans and others, this technique becomes
a way of presenting and integrating sacred powers within the hoop of the
universe. In Buddhism, a mandala is a two-dimensional picture of the multi-dimensional
home palace of the Buddha. A central image, perhaps a lotus, symbolizes
the final stage of Enlightenment.
After a sand mandala is completed,
it is destroyed or “deconstructed” despite its beauty, in keeping with
the Buddhist insight into Enlightenment that all things are impermanent.
Our desire for unchanging things, relationships and even an image of ourselves,
is a source of suffering.
The West has sometimes interpreted
the mandala as a meditative device to balance psychological powers, such
as the four modes of perception named by Carl Jung: thinking, emotion,
sensation, intuition.
Nine monks from the Drepung
Gomang College in India are now visiting the U.S. Hosted by the Rime Buddhist
Center here last week, they were constructing an innovative mandala at
the Volker Campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Mandalas are so traditional
that they must be formed from memory. The monks told me that the new mandala
was commissioned by the present Dali Lama. It departs from tradition by
placing and honoring symbols of world religions around the center.
I marveled at the monks’
patience and care as they, virtually grain by grain, created this novel
interfaith mandala as an emblem and example of compassion and peace embracing
all religions.
Now is the time for each
faith to find such vivid techniques within one’s own tradition to celebrate
the many ways the other faiths also direct our attention to what
really counts.
READER COMMENT
M
F writes
Wonder-full column today --
Colored sand
Fleeting glimpse
Sacred now
B
M writes
I read with great interest your "Be Aware of What Counts' column in today's
(9/14) kansasCity Star.
I was baptized as a Protestant in the Congregational church and attended
faithfully, but never managed to attain the source of life's meaning you
refer to as the Sacred. Wven now, after having read your column,
I am puzzled abut how to attain this mysterious thing that is outside
my awareness.
The obvious question I am leading up to is, "What ideas do you have for
how to pursue and reach that state of Understanding the Meaning of
life?
An age-old question, isn't it?
What is the meaning of life?
So, how about if you dash off a quick e-mail to me explaining the Meaning
of Life?
No? Well then, getting serious, have you any ideas on Where
I could find a guide? I am willing to believe that God exists,
but not that his presence constitutes the meaning of life, and that
our lives exist to serve Him.
To me, that seems to narrow it down to why some chunks of material were
knocked loose from our sun, and evolved into our planet, with life eventually
evolving on our planet.
As I write this note to you, my thinking is evolving. I don't know
if the question of why we exist on the Earth has an answer beyond the scientific
" Natural bio-chemical events created life in the ocean, etc." , But that
may be irrelevant. I am starting to see that the answer to Meaning
of Life starts with "Now that we are here what should we do to make our
lives relevant?
But yet, I feel that I am missing a big chunk of the puzzle.
So, maybe I have already found the path to follow, and my request
of you is simply to suggest a guide to help me focus on the other things
that are part of The Meaning Of Life.
Thanks for whatever you might suggest. I would very much appreciate it
Vern
responds —
The meaning of life, huh?
Well, I don't think there is a One-Size-Fits-All answer. The sunset mentioned
in the column doesn't work for you? -- or the awareness it represents?
For me, religion begins with experiences of awe and wonder, matures into
gratitude for those experiences, and manifests in service to others. You
might call it love.
But after working many years with many religions and traveling around the
world studying them, I appreciate the rich variety of responses people
have to a Mystery we can never understand. And even in our own culture,
the differences can be mutually enriching as we each search for a deeper
understanding or more intimate awareness of the sacred -- what really counts.
I have lots more to say about this -- but what is important is not the
way I work it out but your own search. I am glad for your openness
and processing, even as you wrote to me.
You request a guide to help you find the missing piece. There are so many
guides, without knowing you I hesitate to make a suggestion for fear of
steering you in a thorny or barren path, even if that path might be fruitful
for others.
But I can't see much harm in recommending the autobiography of my friend
Huston Smith, now 92 years old. In fact, I'll write about him a bit in
my column next Wednesday (incidentally, you can find all of my weekly columns
going back to 1994 on my website, as well as other information and contacts
that might be useful). You can find an advance draft of my column about
him (which doesn't begin to do justice to him, so I may write another)
on the right side of this page: http://www.cres.org/star/star2011.htm#888.
His autobiography, "Tales of Wonder," charts a path no one else can take,
but may somehow be suggestive. I especially like his account of his serious
Zen training, pages 127-134. The conclusion to his training, which surprised
him, is exactly the way I understand Zen from my own Zen teacher, Chen
Chi Chang. Smith's encounters with other religions lead to other angles
on the question you ask, as do my own experiences with other faiths. The
KCMO library has the book, and I imagine other libraries do as well or
can get it for you. . . .
Thanks very much for reading my column and your thoughtful response. I
wish I could be of more direct help to you via cyberspace, but at least
I want to do no harm. I certainly enjoyed reading your note, wish you well,
and would be glad to hear from you again.
886. 110907 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
In 2002, we healed one another
Baha’i, Sufi, Sikh and every other faith
joined in the first anniversary observance of 9/11, a day-long central
event with satellite ceremonies around the metro. I’ve previously written
about those sunrise and daytime activities.
881.
110803 9/11: Faiths link in crisis
-- That day and
the next Sunday
883.
110817 9/11 lessons still to be learned
-- metaphors;
local study
884.
110824 Shaping the meaning of 9/11
--
first
anniversary morning
In the evening, Jewish and
Muslim children sang together songs of peace, the scene as the CBS-TV special
opened its half-hour focus on how Kansas City responded to 9/11.
A few details to make a point,
and then a second point.
§ After an American
Indian prelude at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral that evening, an imam
chanted the adhan, the Muslim call to prayer. Later a Hindu sang a prayer
and a Kansas City pianist performed the jazz number, “Peace Piece.”
Barry Howe, then Episcopal
diocesan bishop, welcomed the multi-faith gathering including Bob Holden,
then Missouri governor, and his family. Speakers included Kay Barnes, then
Kansas City mayor, and Bill Tammeus, then Kansas City Star faith columnist,
whose nephew was killed in the 9/11 horrors.
After the main observance,
workshops and artistic offerings were presented, including performances
by a string quartet from the Kansas City Symphony and a dance from the
Kansas City Ballet.
I detail a few such items
to point out that, while interfaith offerings have multiplied in 2011,
the power of the 2002 civic and faith coordination is little evident now.
In 2011, a time of national political fraction and spiritual suspicion,
have we have lost what we were reaching for then?
§ Toward a larger
point. In the morning waters brought from the 13 Interfaith Council traditions
had been poured from their 13 vessels into the pool across from City Hall,
along with waters from many rivers around the globe and from fountains
around the Kansas City area. Then from the pool, the mingled waters were
gathered into a large vessel and taken to the Cathedral.
In the evening, these mingled
waters were ladled out to each of the smaller 13 vessels for each member
of the Council to take back to his or her own faith community as ritual
words respecting each faith were spoken.
The waters symbolized our
tears. Mingled to douse the fires of hatred, they were meant to wash away
our self-righteousness and to purify our community.
God did not avert the disaster,
as slavery, the decimation of the American Indian, the Holocaust and more
recent horrors around the world have not been prevented.
But in the year following
9/11, we did see a sacred power transforming suffering into compassion.
To wash each other’s wounds is to touch the infinite, and thus to start
to heal.
NOTE: Photos from the events
mentioned in this series can be found at
www.cres.org/911.
with more photos at http://www.cres.org/911/911a/.
READER COMMENT
D
T writes
Am reminded of the words of another peacenik: "But if you want money for
people with minds that hate, all I can tell you is brother you'll have
to wait!" "Peace, like war, is waged."
J
S writes
Very much enjoy reading your weekly column in the Star. You are one of
the very few media writers at any level who realize how much the spiritual
aspects of our lives is so much more important than the physical… How it
really controls how we feel about ourselves, our communities and our nation,
and gives direction to our actions. You are also very keen on perceiving
how sometimes very subtle incidents wound us, or elevate us, spiritually.
Therefore, I, personally, am a little miffed about how you and most of
the current American media are focusing upon the tenth anniversary of 9/11
as the genesis of the current national zeitgeist, most apparent in our
economic decay and political fractiousness.To be sure, the event was sensational
and emotional… And it wears well in sight and sound when being told and
retold. Politicians are all too quick to focus on, and use, sensational
things like that, and, undoubtedly, there will be much of this over the
next several days.
However, I do not share that focus, or the importance accorded to the events
of 9/11. Sure, buildings were destroyed in spectacular Hollywood FX fashion
and the human cost was high. Very much like Pearl Harbor in 1941. But,
in that respect it is analogous to any natural destructive event such as
flood, fire or earthquake, hurricane, etc. It is mostly just physical damage.
When it is over people bind together, clear away the rubble and rebuild.
[Witness: Greensberg, Kansas] Their spirits have not been wounded to the
point of significantly affecting the national zeitgeist.
So, for a more accurate first cause of our present zeitgeist we have to
look for an incident that would have sufficient spiritual import to turn
it into what it is today. I suggest we need look no further than the evening
of December 12, 2000, the date the Supreme Court handed down the decision
in Bush versus Gore.
Everyone on television that evening, of whatever political persuasion,
spoke with a quivering, cracking voice accompanied by visual shaking:
shock. They perceived, correctly, that the American identification with
its most precious institution – democracy – had been trashed by those assigned
to preserve it. They perceived that the counting of the votes in so close
an election was a golden opportunity to demonstrate to the world that the
leadership of the most powerful nation on earth quite possibly would be
decided by one person's vote: the essence of democracy. And, the opportunity
was thrown away contemptuously by judicial ideologues to achieve their
arbitrary, selfish, venal desires: the same as in any Third World country.
Americans were truly hurt by that and I don't believe they have recovered.
The cavalier method used to decide Bush versus Gore is what now passes
for acceptable political style and discourse: getting one's way at any
cost by any method. Bush versus Gore changed the zeitgeist – it wounded
people spirits. And since there was no way to correct and reestablish Americans
sense of justice, hope was dashed. There was no way to recover what had
been thrown away.
So, I put the question to you with all respect. Just considering World
War II what has had a more lingering effect upon humankind: the bombing
of Pearl Harbor or the incomprehensible, horrifying evil unleashed by Nazi-ism
in the concentration camps of Eastern Europe? I submit, Pearl Harbor does
not trouble us anymore. It was a sudden, dramatic spectacular Hollywood
FX event in which lives were lost tragically. Yet, the evil of the concentration
camps remains inexplicable, and horrifying. It's current resurgence in
places like Kosovo: Rwanda, Sudan makes us all too aware that evil is insidious
and transient. It has small beginnings in one idea whose consequences are
not always easily predictable or identifiable.
Vern, what Americans are currently reaping isn't the destruction of 9/11.
It is the appreciation that an idea that produces Third World traits was
once used in this country and has become an acceptable method of political
style and discourse.
I'm very sorry I couldn't word this better. But, I'm sure you'll get the
idea.
Prayers, smiles and best wishes,
Vern
responds
—
While I think the Supremes have provided two body-blows to democracy in
the last dozen years -- the 5-4 Bush-Gore usurpation and the Citizens United
outrage, I would trace the problem back to Ronald Reagan's cynical use
of the slogan, "government isn't the solution; it's the problem." Others
would trace it back to Nixon; I suppose the Gulf of Tonkin lie from Johnson
could also qualify as a milestone in the mess we now see.
Sunday is the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and my focus has been on interfaith
response to that. Alas, we are not observing the anniversary of these other
outrages. As an astute reader, you surely can read in between the lines
of today's column about the degeneration since 9/11, even here locally.
And I commend my column on the
fifth anniversary of 9/11, which I summarized in the Aug
16 column this year.
I think if you reread today's column you will not find me "focusing upon
the tenth anniversary of 9/11 as the genesis of the current national zeitgeist,
most apparent in our economic decay and political fractiousness."
I specifically mention what has been lost since 2002 locally, not since
2001. However, that is surely part of the larger picture, so I won't quibble
too much about your complaint.
Given my circumscribed assignment, it is very difficult for me to venture
into the political arena. I hope you can understand the limits in my situation.
Instead, I am grateful to you for reading my column faithfully and thoughtfully,
and taking the trouble to write with such appropriate feeling.
I wish you would put your sentiments -- even complaining about me by name
-- in a letter to the editor as an "As I See It" column:
http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/letters/
Also I commend the material and links at http://www.cres.org/911/index.htm.
I do appreciate your writing and giving me a chance to applaud your words
and to clarify mine.
J
S writes
Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful and articulate reply to my
e-mail yesterday. I believe we are in agreement that the seemingly small
events that affect us spiritually are more profound, and lasting, than
sensational spectacles such as 9/11.
Your mentioning of Ronald Reagan's script that "government is the problem"
is a prime example as are the other examples you mentioned, such as the
Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. I truly believe they have no
idea of the ultimate consequences of their simpleton nostrums ... how they
threaten the Republic.
To what we have already mentioned I should like to add one or two more
examples. In the 1980 presidential debates between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy
Carter, Reagan's glib line "There You Go Again" is often cited with mirth.
To the popular media’s credit they now consistently point out that line
was delivered in response to a statement Carter made which was the truth.
However, what is often overlooked from that presidential debate is a line
delivered by President Carter that should now be mentioned daily. As I
recall it was during that debate that President Carter told the American
people that "if Ronald Reagan was elected then within a generation of Americans
will be at each other's throats". I foresaw the profound truth of that
prediction that when I heard the line spoken. Now, look what we have.
How prescient President. Carter was! But then, he has always been astute
to spiritual matters.
And, to the bizarre Supreme Court decisions in Bush vs. Gore and Citizens
United which have dealt a 1-2 punch of this nation’s soul, should be added
one more. I don't remember the name of the case and it has been little
remarked in the media. But, I remember the facts. They are simple.
I believe the case came from Chicago. Three or four black middle-aged men
were gathered peaceably conversing on a street corner. Two blocks away
a police cruiser turned the corner and started coming in their direction.
Seeing this, one of the black men left the group and sauntered on down
the street. The police cruiser came up alongside him and one of the officers
began interrogating him. The issue was whether the brief detention and
interrogation was constitutionally justified. There are no other facts.
The detainee was not running, there was no evidence the area was high crime.
There was no evidence any of the men had criminal records or past associations
with the police. That is the sum total of the evidence.
The issue before the Supreme Court was whether peaceably leaving a group
and walking away after spotting the police coming toward you was reasonable
grounds to suspect that criminal activity was afoot.The Supreme Court ruled
that it was a justified stop and interrogation.
Outrageous! Being a free man the detainee did not have to have any reason
for choosing to disassociate himself from his companions or the police.
The First Amendment guarantees the right of association. That means nothing
if one is required to give a reason to the police why you choose to associate
or disassociate from certain people.
More than anything else we have discussed this is the case most offensive
to me.
And, yes, I understood your Wednesday column to be mostly a lament that
the beautifully elegant way in which the spiritual community observed the
first anniversary of 9/11 has not been followed since.
Looking forward to reading more of your wonderful columns in the future,
. . .
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarker
Lets not forget that the 9/11 attacks were not an INTERFAITH effort.
The
participants were all Muslims.
vbarnet
Those killed on 9/11 were of every faith, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu,
Buddhist . . . and those of no faith at all. The column is about our response
to the horrors of 9/11 -- and also reminds us of horrors perpetrated or
permitted by Christians such as the Inquisition, the Crusades, the decimation
of the American Indian, the colonization and exploitation of South America
and Africa, the Holocaust, and other injustices, oppressions, and exploitations.
Jesus said, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you."
JonHarker
Those killed were of every faith, but those who carried it out were not...they
were all Muslims.
It was not an interfaith project. If you want to remind us of things
perpetrated or committed by Christians who were, according you your own
quote from Jesus, behaving inconsistently with his teachings, then I am
going to remind you that the followers of Muhammed listen to a man who
used warfare as a means of expansion.
(Oh, and as to the Holocaust, you know good and well that Hitler killed
millions of Christians...three million Catholics in Poland alone.)
vbarnet
No one to my knowledge has ever claimed the 9/11 terrorism was an "interfaith
project" so I remain puzzled why this idea is repeatedly set forth. The
column is not about the terrorists but about a response to it. Hitler killed
many people, many Jews, many homosexuals, many Gypsies, many political
dissidents who were Christian. No one said he did not kill Christians.
Christians often kill Christians. Muslims have killed many Muslims. As
I understand history, Muhammad did not use warfare as a means of expansion.
And Islamic rules for war are strict: one cannot attack non-combatants,
one may not pursue a fleeing enemy, one may not destroy property, one may
fight only defensively, not preemptively as we did in Iraq. Islam expanded
mainly because at the time it had a superior culture and non-Muslims wanted
to be part of it, sometimes converting, often not. Just as within Christianity,
a great variation by time and place, but generally speaking, Islam has
been less violent than Christianity since the conversion of Constantine.
It was the Christians, not the Muslims, who developed the concept of "holy
war."
885. 110831 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Rabbi an asset to our community
Eleven years ago a Jewish friend excitedly
told me I must meet her new rabbi. I did not then know how much I would
come to admire his gifts both to the Jewish community and to interfaith
understanding.
So when I learned recently
that Jacques Cukierkorn was asked to lead a new congregation here, I was
relieved that he had fallen in love with the area and declined an opportunity
to leave.
When I have asked Jacques
to speak at interfaith gatherings, his humor and humanity have appealed
to the audience so strongly that, even though I’ve warned him to bring
plenty of copies of his book, “Accessible Judaism: A Concise Guide,” his
supplies sometimes ran out.
He and former Kansas City
Star columnist Bill Tammeus wrote “They Were Just People: Stories of Rescue
in Poland During the Holocaust,” published in 2009.
Originally from Brazil, his
historical studies and travels to Jewish communities around the world give
him a wide perspective on Jewish and interfaith possibilities for the future.
I discovered this anew when
I recently attended a Temple Israel Sabbath service held at St. Thomas
the Apostle in Overland Park. The Episcopal church welcomed the Jewish
group because of its open policy and the relationship developed over several
years between the rector, the Rev. Gar Demo, and Jacques.
Now the new group has found
a permanent home, sharing space with the oldest synagogue founded in Kansas,
Ohev Sholom, in Prairie Village, an unusual model of cooperation between
Reform and Conservative congregations, but typical of the work Jacques
does in bringing folks together.
Whenever I have a question
about Judaism or a need <(as when I needed a Jewish lesbian to be a
panelist after a screening of a film)>, all I do is call Jacques.
Among the many rich expressions
of Judaism in our area, from Reform to Orthodox, Temple Israel now offers
a new style, which Jacques calls “concierge Judaism.”
“The idea is to give people
the tools and experiences to enhance their Jewish knowledge, practice and
commitment on their own terms. Rather than telling members what to learn,
practice and believe, our congregants can make decisions based on their
lifestyles, beliefs and preferences, while at the same time, each individual
is guided to reach one’s full potential.
“This model requires a major
commitment on the part of the rabbi to be readily available to his congregation,
which I am overjoyed to do,” he explained.
Our community is blessed
by this gifted leader and the new congregation as they continue to model
cooperation and innovation in our community.
READER COMMENT
A
P writes
Thanks for your column today about Jacques. Do you have his current
email?
J
C writes
Wow! Can't wait to meet this rabbi!
884. 110824 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Shaping the meaning of 9/11
We are still dealing with the failures
of Reconstruction after the Civil War, begun 150 years ago. We should not
be surprised that it is taking us a while to learn from 9/11.
For months after that day
of horror, interfaith leaders had intense discussions about how to frame
an observance of its first anniversary.
With some 50 cooperating
congregations and folks ranging from a student at Shawnee Mission East
High School to an executive at United Way, planners quickly decided that
revenge was an unthinkable theme, though anger and grief should be recognized.
They asked the Interfaith Council to take
the lead. The Council designed a full day of “Remembrance and Renewal.”
The day began before dawn
at Ilus Davis Park, at the pool across the street from City Hall, where
the 13 members of the Interfaith Council and 200 others had assembled.
At the other end of the park is the Federal Courthouse. This civic setting
contains a monument to the First Amendment.
A brass ensemble with percussion
from the Kansas City Symphony played and the entire event was broadcast
live on radio and portions later shown on national TV.
At sunrise the crowd, including
first responders, AmeriCorp volunteers and a youth choir, sang “America,
the Beautiful.”
The heart of the simple ceremony
was a water rite. Since water is important in all faiths and often used
in various rituals, all members of the Interfaith Council, American Indian
to Zoroastrian, brought containers of water from their traditions, and
poured them into the pool, to say that ultimately our lives flow together.
To answer the fireball of the previous year, fountains of tears washing
away wrath became the emblem of hope, refreshment and healing.
Since Kansas City is the
“City of Fountains,” waters from fountains in Independence, Lenexa, KCK
and elsewhere in the metro, previously consecrated at an interfaith conference
six weeks after 9/11, were mixed with waters from the Ganges, Nile, Thames,
Amazon and dozens of other rivers in a sacred collection, symbolizing how
peoples from across this planet have come to be part of our nation and
our city.
Then the mingled waters were
scooped up from the pool into vessels for distribution around the city
for evening events, about which I’ll write soon.
With police escort, the crowd,
carrying the vessels and a banner proclaiming “Hope,” processed through
the streets to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral where the day was spent
naming and praying for each victim of the terrorist attacks.
Ten years after 9/11, we
are still shaping the meaning of that day. It is up to us to bring good
out of iniquity.
READER COMMENT
D
T writes
This reminded me of Langston Hughes poem in which "my soul has grown deep
like the rivers". THANKS!
Anonymous
writes by snail mail
I read your column on 9/11 in the AUg 24 KC Star. When I read about the
water pouring event, I thought I must have been at a Jr Hi Summer camp.
I barely restrained myself from bursting out singin, "Kum Bah Yah."
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarkerJonHarker
9/11 was not an interfaith event. It was carried out my Muslims. Jesus
taught us to love our enemies. Muhammed taught his followers to make their
enemies submit.
hsitgon
The victims of 9/11 were of many faiths, including Muslims.
It is wrong to judge 2 billion people for the actions of a few who claim
to be part of that group. Remember, the terrorist in Norway several weeks
ago professed to be Christian. I believe Timothy McVeigh claimed the same.
Fred Phelps claims to be a Baptist. Hitler claimed to be Catholic. It is
no more accurate to believe the 9/11 terrorists represented all Muslims
than to believe that these four represent all Christians.
JonHarker
The Norway killer wrote a 1500 page manifesto in which he claimed to be
everything, including an atheist. McVeigh was an atheist. Phelps is is
insane. Hitler killed Millions of Catholicis, and expressed contempt for
Christianity to his private associates like Albert Speer and Joseph Goebbells.
Muhammed called for his followers to make the enemy submit. We are
submitting. Jesus called for his followers to love their enemies; and you
are rejecting him.
hsitgon
And actually, Tim McVeigh was raised Catholic. In 1996 (after the bombing),
he stated that he believed in God but had lost touch with his catholic
roots saying "I never really picked it up, however I do maintain core beliefs."
In 2001 he wrote a letter to a newspaper claiming to be agnostic (not atheist)
the day before his execution, but then when it came time to be executed
he requested and received the Catholic sacrament, the Annointing of the
Sick.
The Oslo terrorist, Anders Breivik, actually stated that he is "100 percent
Christian" but not "excessively religious", more of a "cultural Christian".
He also stated that he prayed to God to seek help during his attacks. He
stated that he wants the protestants to convert back to Catholicism. He
called for a Great Christian Congress to overthrow the current hierarchies
of the protestant and catholic demonimatinos and reform them into a new
European Church. He felt very strongly that that Christians should throw
them out of Europe and Hindus should throw them out of India. Basically,
he condemned all Muslims, and let that fuel his political and religious
stances that resulted in the murder of 77 people, mostly teenagers.
JonHarker
Hsit, you need to cite your sources. I refer to the Wikipedia article
on McVeigh, and he clearly stated that "science" was his God. He
was no Christian. And neither was the Norway shooter: his manifesto was
1500 pages and you can quote mine him to make him say anything. He
was nuts. And they certainly were not following the teaching of Jesus to
"love your enemies", now were they?
hsitgon
Sure thing. Since I'm not sure if the Star will let me post links to outside
media outlets, I'll place the article information in this post and then
do a subsequent post with the links.
In a CNN article entitled "McVeigh took last rights before execution",
published June , 2001, it is discussed that he was baptised into the Catholic
Church as a boy, and though he proclaimed himself an agnostic shortly before
his execution, he actually received Sacrament immediatley prior to his
execution, including confession and forgiveness of sins.
The statement about him believing in a God and maintaining core beliefs
was from a Time article entitled "A look back in TIME: Interview with Tim
McVeigh," published March 30, 1996.
Again, the links will follow.
hsitgon
The CNN article: http://articles.cnn.com/2001-0... The TIME article: (having
issues with this comment page freezing up every time I click on another
browser window, so will hit Post, then will edit in a moment with the TIME
link)
hsitgon
Yep, the post with the links went away. The articles are searchable
on google.
hsitgon
No, I do not reject Christ. You obviously know nothing about me,
and you are selectively ignoring a large part of Christ's message. Loving
our enemies was a prominant topic in his sermon on the mount. As was not
judging others, not focusing on personal gain and instead focusing on your
personal relationship with God.
Condemning 2 billion people for the behavior of extremists is not "loving".
Deciding that those 2 billion people are somehow your enemy contradicts
his restatement of the commandments, to "Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and all your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself."
You appear to be judging all Muslims, even the victims of 9/11 and their
family members, by the actions of the extremist terrorists. That does not
qualify as "loving".
You say that Phelps is insane; is that a clinical diagnosis? In my eyes,
he is a man who has taken a very evil stance and misuses passages of scripture
to justify his hateful behavior. The Muslims I know believe the same to
be true about the terrorists and extremist clerics.
The irony is, your claim that I am "rejecting" Christ because I disagree
with your condemnation of an entire group of people is very similar to
the stance of the Popes and other religious leaders (including John Calvin)
in the 1500-1600s, that because a group of people believed baptism should
be a personal choice made by someone old enough to make that choice, that
it was ok for the church to round up these men, women and children and
infants, torture, maim and murder them. If you can get ahold of the book,
read "The Martyrs' Mirror" (Full title: "The Bloody Theater or Martyrs
Mirror of the Defenseless Christians who baptized only upon confession
of faith, and who suffered and died for the testimony of Jesus, their Savior,
from the time of Christ to the year AD 1660", by Thieleman J. van Braght).
I have read portions of the massive book translated into English, and I
believe it is also available online (at least in part). The entire second
half of the book is about the brutal massacres of the precursors of today's
Mennonites, Amish, Friends, Baptists, and others at the hands of the other
Christian denominations of that day.
And after reading the gruesome details of what was done in the name of
the Church in the 1600 years after Christ, then tell me if you want Christians
and Christianity to be judged by the actions of the tormentors or by the
actions of their victims, the martyrs.
JonHarker
By supporting the Muslim religion, you deny Christ. His teachings
were diametrically opposed to Muhammed's.
I am not for doing anything to them, I am just saying they are wrong.
For you to pretend that they are not is not "loving' them. They are
following a false prophet, who did such things as marry an eight year old
girl.
The right thing to do is to stand for the truth, not excuse their wrongs.
As for asking me if I wanted Christians to be judged by the actions of
those you name, you have already done that.
The Church is not Christianity. The Popes are not Christ.
Christianity should be judged by the ethics of Jesus.
Islam will be judged by the ethics of Muhammed.
hsitgon
I am not supporting the Muslim religion, I am saying it is wrong to judge
all Muslims on the behaviors of the terrorists. You implied that
9/11 was a Muslim event, rather than a terrorist event. You did not acknowledge
that there were many different religions reflected in the victims, including
Muslims. I provided examples of people who claim to be Christian, who use
passages out of the Bible to support the evil that they do. And as I said,
my Muslim friends feel even more strongly about the extremist terrorists
than I do about Phelps and his ilk.
And according to Christ, Paul, and others, we will not be judged by the
title of the religion that we (or others) name us to be in, but by our
actions AND our relationship with God. Those who profess to be Muslims
will be judged on an individual basis, not as a group. Likewise, those
who profess to be Christians will be judged on an individual basis, not
as a group.
And the Bible specifically states that this judging is not going to be
done by us, but by God alone. We are not worthy to make that judgement.
883. 110817 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
9/11 lessons still to be learned
In the first of this series on the tenth
anniversary of 9/11 for us in Kansas City, I noted the grim coincidence
of the Interfaith’s Council announcement on that day of plans for the area’s
first all-faiths conference. I also recalled the large public interfaith
gathering for “Remembering and Renewing” on the following Sunday.
Here are two more interfaith
markers trailing that day of horror.
§ After several
weeks of sharing the shock and revulsion of 9/11 with folks of many faiths,
I wrote in this space that “In religious literature we can find at least
three metaphors to describe what happened Sept. 11: crime, war and disease.
Each metaphor has its virtue, and the situation is so complex that no one
metaphor is sufficient.
“One advantage of the disease
metaphor is that it suggests that all humanity is a body, and the ailment
arises from poisons such as greed, ignorance and hate. We then can ask,
What is the best prescription to effect the cure?”
While terrorism had previously
been considered a crime, the war metaphor instead became a costly reality,
and a cure has hardly been considered.
The Buddha said, “Hatred
does not cease by hatred but only by love.” Jesus said, “Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you.” It is a teaching found in many faiths, but
we make exceptions when we are threatened. We cannot see clearly when we
allow fear rather than faith to rule our lives. We have not yet learned
this lesson.
§Early
in 2002, Katheryn Shields, then Jackson County Executive, tasked a group
of faith and civic leaders to study concerns created by 9/11 within local
faith communities. I was elected chair. Our 35,000-word, 77-page report
was issued Sept. 10, 2002, just before the first anniversary. It can be
found at www.cres.org/study.
The task force included a
prominent black Protestant minister, an Islamic scholar, a Sikh leader,
the chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, a prominent
Buddhist leader, the rabbi of our largest Jewish synagogue and several
civic leaders. The County provided legal counsel and we hired a staff assistant.
Our months of study included
work with the FBI and public hearings in the five-county area we surveyed.
Portions of one of the public sessions were shown on network television.
For governmental units, religious
organizations and civic groups, the report included ten recommendations
involving a crisis response plan, a public education program and a tolerance
monitoring proposal, totaling 27 specific bullet points. None have been
fully implemented.
However, this intermittent
series may nonetheless reveal a positive conclusion.
READER COMMENT
M
F writes
And a cure has hardly been considered . . . . Powerful phrase there . .
. .
J
B writes
I really like your two articles on the upcoming anniversary of 9/11.
The universality of the teaching in religions, to love your enemy, combined
with the knowledge that “we make exceptions when we are threatened,” really
strikes a note with me. Seems not unrelated to the need for a truthful
mirror (that you wrote about elsewhere), aka community, that does the difficult
work of naming such truths to each other. I wonder if the growing
isolation of people (comfortable people in particular) in western societies
produces a greater likelihood of fearful responses to situations of threat
and difference. At any rate, thank you for these thought-provoking
articles.
R
W writes
I read your column this morning and wanted to share this website
with you. The quote is from Brian McLaren’s website (www.brianmclaren.net).
Brian is a leader in the Emergent Christianity Movement. His writings have
had a wonderful effect on my spiritual development.
A month from yesterday is the tenth anniversary of 9/11/01. One of my good
friends, Bart Campolo, is organizing a truly constructive way to commemorate
that day. The idea is simple - demonstrate a positive alternative to violence
by walking side by side with people of different faiths.
Perhaps you should consider being involved? You can find walks to join
- or how to organize one in your area. Learn more here: http://www.The911Walks.org/
----
"Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand.
It is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and
mercy." - Wendell Berry
Vern
responds —
I had a chance to meet and hear Brian in 2007, and respect his approach
greatly, so I am not surprised by your appreciation of him.
There are several different programs planned to observe the tenth anniversary
of 9/11 here in KC that I already have heard about, and I will be writing
about the amazing city-wide observance on the first anniversary here in
KC in one or two future columns. I like Bart Campolo's idea and hope you
will communicate it to the Interfaith Council--http://www.kcinterfaith.org/
-- there seems to be some problem with their website at the moment (Bob
Bacic, Convener --- --- ----). Also, do you know about our "Passport" program?
-- http://www.cres.org/passport/
Thanks for reading this installment of my weekly (Wednesday) column, and
for writing with your helpful comments! May I suggest you follow up publicizing
Bart's idea by writing a letter to the editor or an "As I See It" column?
-- http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/letters/
And thanks for the Wendell Berry quotation!
T
W writes
. . . In your opinion what is the root cause of our political dysfunction?
Vern
responds —
. . . In my
opinion: Theologically it is the overwhelming over-secularism in which
we are immersed. I do not mean secular in the political sense; I cherish
"separation of church and state." I'm speaking theologically, ie, fragmented,
broken, partial, unrelated, disconnected from a vision of the sacred;
the profane. This is evident in all dimensions of society, including religion,
much of which is actually secular as I have used the term. Politically,
as applies to this foolish idea of furthering disrespect for the offices
of those who should be bringing our nation together, it fails to get at
the sources of fragmentation, one of which is the corrupt influence of
corporate interests on the Supreme Court, on the Congress (both House and
Senate. and on their aids and the lobbyists), and within the Executive
Branch, though that currently is the least exposed to these influences.
The astonishing gap between the extremely wealthy and the growing number
of poor. and the decline of the middle class is the result of a capitalistic
system inadequately joined to an ethic of fairness and aid to those truly
in need. Part of this arises from the narcissism of popular culture fed
by the media, part of this is permitted by religious leaders who have abandoned
their prophetic roles. Part of this is the notion that we work for
money instead of providing useful goods and services to others (a loss
of a sense of vocation). This is a multi-dimensional problem because, in
my opinion, all things are interconnected. I oppose the suggestion you
have emailed because it is a false solution that would only increase the
power of the congressional staff and the lobbyists and demean the offices
which should be held in respect. When the solution you propose, were it
enacted, fails, it would only increase cynicism and hopelessness.
I will not
write much more here except to mention the most destructive decision by
the Supreme Court in the last few years: Please read my column and the
notes following it at http://www.cres.org/star/star2010.htm#807 .
To put these
few political words in a theological context, and for an overview of why
I think interfaith encounters may be one way toward progress, see
first, this
chart http://www.cres.org/index1.html#chart, and
second, this
text: http://www.cres.org/pubs/WorldReligsPiecesOrPattern.htm.
Most people
who disagree with such emails as you sent will not take the time to respond.
Please know I did respond not because I am certain of my perspective --
this is my opinion, but because I respect your good will and efforts
to make us aware of the situation, of our options, and of the challenge
we have to learn to govern ourselves.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarker
The 9/11 attack was not an interfaith event. The perpetrators were
all Muslims.
Vern
responds —
Interfaith responses to 9/11 were significant, nationally and locally.
Many Muslims, including local leaders who spoke on 9/11, noted that the
perpetrators had violated basic norms of Islam and had therefore exited
the faith.
JonHarker
Thats your interpretation, Vern, Millions of Muslims disagree.
JonHarker
Muhammed married an 8 year old girl, we would call that pedophilia.
Vern
responds —
I'm not sure how this comment relates to the column, but I have prepared
a response for any who wish to request it by emailing me at the address
given at the end of the column.
And It appears here:
I'm not sure how this comment relates to the column any more than reporting
that, in the words of Thomas Paine, God committed debauchery with an engaged
woman, Mary, or that David had a man killed so he could marry his wife,
or that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (political alliances,
procreation, property rights, honored servants, companionship, sexual opportunities,
love?), or that Abraham heard a voice telling him to kill his own son and
was prepared to do so.
Muhammad had but one wife (actually she proposed to him) while she lived;
after she died, he took many wives, some widows, in order to provide for
them. Aisha was the daughter of Abu Bakr who made the marriage contract
when she was 6 and he 50. Tribal and other alliances then were similar
to European Christian practices. She was not present at the marriage contract
and the wedding itself when she was 9 and then consummation with evidence
of puberty, which indicates an age beyond childhood.
If Christians can approve of an exceptional story in which God Himself
violates (in some non-Christian views) or blesses (in the Christian view)
a very young woman engaged to another, why cannot Muslims approve of an
exceptional circumstance which made Aisha ready for Muhammed and later
to her extraordiary role in the development of Islam after her husband's
death?
On the other hand, in the context of the time, non-Muslim scholars note
that such unions were part of the Bedouin culture. Many cultures in the
past and some today still recognize the development of puberty as readiness
for marriage. (See Ezekiel 16:4–8.) The Bible offers no age requirement
for marriage and often assumes decisions over a daughter are to be made
by her father. Many Biblical practices would be condemned by many Christian
norms today. Again, I have no idea how this topic relates to the column.
NOTE summarizing
selected material: While in the United States today the age of consent
varies among the states from 16 to 18 years of age, the traditions reached
back to canon law as young as 8. In practice, judges honored marriages
as young as 2 and 3 years.
Mary Hathaway was 9 when she married Williams in 1689 in the Virginia colony.
Sir Edward Coke in 17th Century England observed that "the marriage of
girls under 12 was normal, and even if she were only 9 and her husband
4, she would be entitled to dower.
By the 1880's most states in the USA set the age of consent between 10
and 12 years, but evidence exists that in Deleware of the age of consent
was only 7.
Malki_Tzedek
Islam has Alla which is master (slave owner) rather than Abba which is
Father.
Vern
responds —
The English word "God" becomes "Dieu" in French, "Gott" in German, "Dios"
in Spanish and "Allah" in Arabic. Christian translations of the Holy Bible
use the word "Allah" for "God" because that is what "Allah" means. "Ab"
and "Abba" in many Semitic languages means "father." In Islam, God is neither
male nor female, though, as in Christianity, often spoken of using masculine
grammar, though I think referring to God as Father in Islam is not as common
as in Christianity since God is beyond personhood. In Islam, one submits
only to Allah, to God. Some 1200 years before the United States ended slavery,
Muhammad encouraged slave owners to free their slaves and those who had
the means, to buy slaves in order to free them.
Malki_Tzedek
Like the Sanhedrin of Jesus' time, Muslims take offense at Christians calling
God 'Father'. I wonder if Ishmael held contempt for Isaac?
Vern
responds —
I've traveled the Muslim world for years and know many Muslims locally
and have never witnessed a Muslim being offended by a Christian referring
to God as "Father." Please share the experiences you are reporting or cite
scholarly studies. And I am sorry that I cannot understand the relevance
of Ishmael and Isaac to this discussion, so please clarify. Thank you.
Malki_Tzedek
Scott Hahn gave a talk where he referenced a discussion with a Muslim scholar
who was insulted at him referring to God as Our Father who asked him to
stop doing that.
I
understand that some Muslim's believe that Abraham took Ishmael up the
mountain and not Isaac. I was implying with my 'contempt' comment
that Muslim contempt for infidels started at the beginning with Ishmael.
Vern
responds —
Rather than a third-hand report, the citation and context would be helpful.
Malki_Tzedek
It
was part of his weekly satellite radio broadcast 'Scripture Matters Live"
that was put into a talk he gave called 'Un-holy War'.
Vern
responds —
This remains a third-hand report. Credibility is established by specific
and undisputed citation and context of the original conversation. I would
be grateful if this could be provided. Then we would compare this example
with the many contrary examples to make a judgment about how well the matter
in question is best characterized.
Malki_Tzedek
Vern,
I am not trying to debate you. The source is credible to me. I'm
not trying to denigrate Muslim views... I'm just trying to illustrate that
they are fundamentally different from a Christians.
Vern
responds —
Even if the credibility of the source could be established, one single
instance hardly outweighs the overwhelming testimony of others. As to whether
Islam is fundamentally different than Christianity -- it depends on how
one makes comparisons. Obviously Islam is much closer to Christianity than
it is to, say, Buddhism, because it, also like Judaism, is monotheistic
and considers Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others to be genuine prophets.
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITES
http://muslimnewsdigest.com/
882. 110810 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
A new center for social capital
Religions in all
times and places have employed the arts to answer the question, “What
does it mean to be human?” Often without words,
answers from music, dance and abstract plastic arts create personal and
communal resonances that shape our stories of the human spirit.
John
Donne, Dean of London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, offered a famous insight
into the human spirit when he preached “No man is an island.” Perhaps he
anticipated modern studies of “social capital,” described as the value
of our relationships and civic spirit.
Our
civic spirit is about to swell when a new performance space opens here
Sept. 16.
Jane
Chu, a musician and a doctoral candidate in philanthropic studies, is president
and CEO of the new facility. I asked her, “How will the performing arts
in this beautiful new building enhance and enlarge our understanding of
what it means to be human?” She replied:
“Music is
one of the most meaningful ways to experience being human. I started playing
the piano when I was eight years old. At age nine, when my father died,
I didn’t have enough words to articulate my grief. But music gave me another
language to express myself.
“That
same interest in music as a child motivated me to examine the ways others
use the arts to express themselves.
“From
the beginning, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has wanted to
be a place for extraordinary and diverse performing arts experiences, a
place to build social capital, and to increase our understanding of what
it means to be human.
“The
new Kauffman Center provides a role in honoring the many different ways
we can express ourselves and build our understanding of our human experience.
“Robert
Putnam and others have, in their own ways, emphasized that creating social
capital includes a sense of goodwill and trust. And social capital requires
a framework and places where we feel safe and comfortable enough together
to engage in the experience at hand.
“Social
capital can bring together different kinds of people with a shared purpose.
This is exactly what we want to do: to serve as a venue where people can
be comfortable enough to come together, to appreciate the diverse forms
of creative expression, and to use the arts to honor what it means to be
human,” she said.
Facilities
of various faiths offer their own particular artistic expressions of the
human story and human capital. Now, as never before in our city, the world-class
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts enhances a full exploration of
our spiritual capacities, individually and as a diverse community.
READER COMMENT
J
A writes
The new Performing Arts Center offers more than a spectacular venue for
multidimensional experiences. It also serves to focus thought for consideration
of important meaning, and for contemplations that can sail beyond the understood.
Your column today points to potential, and gently prods the reader to reflect
and to reach. Bravo!
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
'Spirituality' is not religion.
881. 110803 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
9/11: Faiths link in crisis
The single most salient event to shape
interfaith relations in our lifetimes may be 9/11. And six weeks later,
the only all-faiths conference to date in Kansas City was held. Next month
the tenth anniversary of 9/11 will be observed. This column is the first
of several to offer recollections and perspectives about these events.
Here are two.
§ Early in the
summer of 2001, the Kansas City Interfaith Council, which at that time
I headed, set Sept. 11 as the date for a press conference to announce plans
for the Oct. 27-28 “Gifts of Pluralism” interfaith conference.
That morning, just before
leaving home for the announcement at Pembroke Hill School, I turned on
the news and was horrified. I did not want to take a chance that the Muslim
member of the Council could not make it to participate, so I phoned another
Muslim leader as a back-up. I rushed to the school.
All 13 members of the Council,
American Indian to Zoroastrian, spoke to the gathered media with
new urgency about the critical importance of the interfaith conference,
as images of terror were repeated over and over on the TV near the platform.
Both Muslims spoke movingly
about Islam as a religion of peace, about their love for this country and
about the violation of their faith by the terrorists.
The “Gifts” conference, which
had been in planning for two years, suddenly became a far more momentous
opportunity than even the most ardent sponsors could have conceived.
§ The office of Dennis
Moore, then Kansas congressman, contacted the Council to arrange a more
immediate public event which Johnson County Community College agreed to
host Sept. 16 in the Carlsen Center.
That Sunday afternoon all
13 faiths presented an observance of “Remembering and Renewing.” Prominent
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders spoke, and the Council performed a
candle-lighting ritual.
But the most moving part
for many of the hundreds in the audience, some of whom had dared leave
their homes for the first time since that day of horror, was when each
person listened and spoke with someone nearby, one-on-one, in response
to this invitation:
Since “the tragic events
of Sept. 11, where have you seen signs of compassion, peace and hope? .
. . How can we nurture more of these signs, to insure that compassion,
peace and hope become our promise to the future?”
Interfaith understanding
comes by listening to ourselves and to others as we consider such questions
as persons of faith, and as a community of many faiths.
The strength thus generated
here following 9/11 led to national recognition. I’ll write about that
in a future column.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
It would be prudent if we read the Muslim scriptures ourselves to learn
for ourselves... its not that I doubt there are peaceful muslims... "you
will know them by their fruits".
JonHarker
9/11 was not an interfaith project. All of the hijackers were Muslims.
Vern
responds
—
Because their actions violated numerous Islamic principles, Muslims and
others dispute that the hijackers should be considered Muslims, a point
immediately made by the two Muslim speakers noted in the column. A similar
issue is whether Norway's Anders Brievik should be considered a Christian
just because his terrorist writings made Christian claims.
However, the responses in Kansas City, as the two examples mentioned
in the column, were clearly and undeniably "interfaith," as were many responses
to 9/11 around the nation.
880. 110727 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Three faiths, one nation
Confucius, Laozi and the Buddha greet you
as you open the doors to Gallery 222 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
They appear together in a single celebrated painting. An inscription on
it suggests the name for the free exhibition, “The Sacred Tripod: Buddhism,
Confucianism & Taoism in Harmony.”
You have to see it before the show
ends Aug. 14 because, although all 30 objects are drawn from the Museum’s
permanent collection of over 8,000 Chinese works from the last six thousand
years, only about five percent are on display at any one time.
The “tripod” is the three
faiths on which much of Chinese civilization rests. While we usually
think of religions as exclusive and competitive, these faiths were often
seen as complimenting each other, as they are again in today’s China.
Colin Mackenzie, senior curator
of Chinese art, cites a saying, “Confucian in office, Taoist in retirement
and Buddhist as death draws near,” to indicate how these faiths fit with
social, personal and ultimate stages of life.
A fine example is a stele
rubbing illustrating a public conversation scene from the Vimalakirti Sutra.
The Buddhist figure is presented “as an ideal personality embodying both
Taoist individuality and Confucian social responsibility as a family man,”
according to Ling-en Lu, who curated the show.
Behind Vimalakirti is a painting
of a landscape, a subtle sign that he is a cultivated man, unifying the
spontaneity of nature, social ritual and profound thought.
You don’t have to be a Buddhist
to enjoy other exquisite paintings and calligraphy from the Lotus,
Hua Yen (Avatamsaka) and Mahaparinirvana sutras.
And everyone will love Luo
Ping’s world-famous hanging scroll, “Hanshan and Shide.” These two eccentrics,
inseparable friends, are laughing and are likely to make you smile. The
painting reminds me of the Zen master who said, “There is nothing left
to you at this moment but to have a good laugh.”
Use the magnifying glass
the Museum provides to enjoy the details in “Mountains of Longevity in
the Sea of Felicity” and “One Hundred Immortals on a Journey.”
Some years ago I walked the
“Marathon Monk” route on Mt. Hiei, Japan. The swift Buddhist runners pause
and pray not just at Buddhist markers, but also in respect for Shinto sites
there.
Here in the West faithful
Jews practice Buddhist meditation. Committed Christians do Hindu yoga.
All of us use Arabic numerals, transmitted though the Muslim faith.
Art is a path that
leads to understanding other faiths, thus enriching our own. “The Sacred
Tripod” can inspire us individually—and as a pluralistic nation—to find
harmony.
READER COMMENT
J
P writes
Our Sunday lesson today was on tithing. The Rev. Patricia Bass told
how important it is to tithe the source of our spiritual food. As
part of the lesson, UCOP handed out $10 to each congregant, so we could
tithe another source that inspires us not just UCOP. I immediately
thought of your articles in the KC Star, and how much I enjoy them.
You pick tough topics without any black or white answers. I like
that - life is like that. You always give me spiritual food for thought!
May I donate my $10 to your organization? Should I send it to the
PO Box on your web page? Thank you!
L
S writes
I enjoyed reading your article in this morning's Star, as usual, and I
was, of course, interested in what you wrote about Mt. Hiei. A number of
years ago I had a wonderful visit to Mt. Hiei, early one morning when the
cherry blossoms were out.
But there has also been a lot of religious strife on Mt. Hiei, and violence
done in Kyoto by the warrior monks who lived there. A good summary,
which is quite accurate I think, is under "sohei" on Wikipedia. One
of the things I remember best from studying Japanese religious history
is how Mt. Hiei was completely razed by Oda Nobunaga in 1571 to quell the
warrior monks. Sometimes it is easy to overlook the dark side of
other religions, and even Buddhism has certainly not always been peaceful.
. . .
Vern
responds —
As you know, today the "Marathon Monks" are much loved in Kyoto, and some
of them are regarded as rock stars, although they eschew such attention.
I recommend the book, The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei, by John Stevens.
I had the chance to visit with T. Utsumi, one of the gyoja monks pictured
in the book, during my study there. He was as holy a man as I have ever
met. In my skepticism, I tried to trick him, but he was perfect.
I'm glad the horrible centuries of feuding and fighting are long over,
and that both you and I had pleasant encounters with Enryaku-ji.
I wish it were possible to have such pleasant encounters in the so-called
Holy Land today. . . .
T
S writes
I greatly enjoyed your piece in the Star Wed. 7-27. Here is what I put
on my FB:
There was an excellent article in the Kansas City Star Wed. the 27th of
July. Three Faiths, One Nation by Vern Barnet.
There is an art exhibit at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art right now on
Chinese History. In it there is a piece that has an inscription "The Sacred
Tripod: Buddhism, Confucianism & Taoism in Harmony".
He says that these three faiths are "What much of Chinese civilization
rests. While we usually think of religions as exclusive & competative,
these faiths were often seen as complimenting each other". Colin Mackenzie,
Senior Curator of Chinese art, cites a saying, " Confucian in office, Taoist
in retirement & Buddhist as death draws near," to indicate how these
faiths fit with social, personal & ultimate stages of life".
I have taken the time to read writings of many different religions. I find
them to be very full of wisdom & of great help while trying to navigate
this journey in life.
To me what is really sad is that America which was birthed on one faith
& religion is so divided. There are some 38,000 different Christian
denominations. None of which compliment each other. Instead they each puff
themselves up as the one true Christian Faith. They spend much time pointing
out all the things they see wrong in the other Christian denominations
& Religions as well. Jesus Himself said " By this shall all men know
you are my deciples, if you have love one to another". Jn 13:35. What all
men of this world see within the Christian church as a whole is not Love.
They can see hypocrisy, Division & Bitterness towards one another.
Many churches are unfortunately led by wolves in sheeps clothing. Dont'
allow yourself to be led astray. Be diligent to seek His truth. "He is
a rewarder of them that dilegently seek Him". Heb. 11:6b
May the God you serve bring peace to your life. Keep your mind open &
your eyes on Heaven. I myself am a servant of the God of Abraham, Issac
& Jacob. peace to you and yours, . . .
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarker
You have left out the ATHEISTIC FAITH on which Chinese civilization now
rests.
Vern
responds —
The show at the Nelson does not deal with modern history and does not include
art from "the atheistic faith" unless you consider Taoism and Buddhism
(which some might consider non-theistic faiths) and Confucianism (which
some might say treats the notion of divinity as a convention) as "atheistic."
However, in today's China, the government generally encourages religious
traditions so long as they do not challenge the government. This is a change
from previous policies.
879. 110720 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Wrestling with Job’s questions
A few weeks back a Christian, a Jew and
a Muslim met around a table to discuss Job. Job appears in the scriptures
of all three faiths.
Job is a righteous man afflicted
with disease and the loss of family and possessions. The story has fascinated
the West because it seems God unjustly allows Job to suffer. Why?
Why do bad things happen
to good people? In his play, “J. B.,” Archibald MacLeish reduces
the problem to two lines, understanding God as all-powerful: “If God, he
is not good. If God is good, he is not God.”
Rabbi Alan Cohen noted that
the book of Job, unlike much of Hebrew scripture, has a “minimal” liturgical
role in the synagogue. However, one line (Job 1:21) is often used at the
time of death: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the
name of the Lord.”
Milton Horne, professor of
religion at William Jewell College, added that the familiar phrase in James
5:11, “the patience of Job,” perhaps comes from a non-canonical version
of the story.
Rauf Mir, the Muslim member
of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. In the context of the story,
Mir said that the righteous is one who is content regardless of the adversity
one faces.
About a dozen others were
listening to the discussion. I asked Brandon Winstead, who has taught
at the Nazarene Theological Seminary and is an adjunct at the St. Paul
School of Theology, for his reaction because he has served as youth minister
in both wealthy and poverty-stricken communities here and elsewhere around
the county.
He said,. “The panel raised
key questions. What does evil say about the omnipotence of God? Is faith
worth the risk in the midst of human suffering?
“I wondered where youth find
a safe, supportive place to wrestle with these questions. I thought about
the kids I have known over the years. So many of them, regardless of their
racial background, class status or religious affiliation, found it extremely
difficult to express their doubts about a benevolent God in a religious
setting.
“Adults told them that their
issues were simply a result of immaturity, teen drama, or lack of knowledge
about the real world.
“The materialistic focus
in the rich communities and the despair and hopelessness sometimes found
in the urban core led them to air their doubts about God’s goodness instead
in poetry, coffee shop discussions, texting, rap, drunken episodes and
even murder.
["Churches, synagogues, mosques
and other religious institutions must do a better job in encouraging young
people in their urgent quests for faith," he said.]
All of us at some point in
our lives need to wrestle with the questions Job raises. I think a religious
community, especially for young people with their urgent concerns, is the
best place for such exploration.
READER COMMENT
B
S writes
Your latest column got me thinking about the following paragraph from a
Disciples of Christ youth ministry website that puts the Book of Job into
a delightful context:
[Can a question be a prayer? I imagine most prayers are questions:
Why God? How God? When God? Who God? We've only to look to the book of
Job or many of the Psalms to know this was true of our spiritual ancestors.
Sometimes, it's enough to ask the question and accept that easy answers
are not part of what we can expect from God. But perhaps if one person's
prayer can be a question, another person's prayer can be an answer.]
Click here: RETHINKING
YOUTH MINISTRY: Creating a Life of Prayer: Questioning
Keep up the good work.
A
C writes
Just wanted to say that you did a nice piece on the Job session and some
of the questions raised by the text and the discussion we had.
M
W writes
Thanks for the thoughtful column.
J
A writes
Likely the best sermon I ever heard was by a black minister on Father's
Day. He pointed out that the "feast" in Chapter 1 was actually an orgy
among Job's sons and daughters explaining why Job felt he should sacrifice
"in case a son may have sinned." (Note the lack of concerns that the daughters
may have sinned.) He concluded that Job wasn't a very good father and told
the congregation that he expected them to do better.
It's also interesting that Satan and the Lord are buddies in Job. It appears
to be a pagan, multiple god environment . Satan gets much of the blame
(Chapter 2 is titled "The 2nd assault of Satan.) but the Lord, who presumably
is the superior, has approved. The inescapable fact is that the Lord behaves
very badly in Job. Of course, it is also forbidden to acknowledge that
God can behave badly.
Vern
responds —
I've not encountered this perspective that Job was not a good father before,
as most folks seem to find that the text implies the opposite. But the
Bible can be read many different ways, as can so much of the world's religious
literature! Thanks for this new angle!
Your second paragraph does a very good job, in my opinion, of opening the
discussion of the problem as most of us read the Book of Job. . . .
D
M writes
Just read your artical Wednesday, July 20th, about the three different
religous leaders meeting to dicuss Job. These three major religion views,
I realize, are what most of the people believe. However, it's not what
I believe. Here are my thoughts.
I believe that God is a ball of PURE energy, a bright and glowing orb of
goodness and rightenous. We, or our souls, are little sparks of God's energy
that are sent out to learn the lessons of the universe. Whether we use
that energy for good or evil is up to us. That's why God gave us the freedom
of choice. Of course, there's always the temptations to give into, whether
it's lust, greed, jelousey, power, disbelief or whatever, God has left
it up to us to make the right choice for ourselves. Since I believe that
my relationship with my God is longer than this mortal body can last, I
beleive that I live on and on to do God's work and to keep working on my
own soul. I think it would be hard to learn all the lessons and virtures
of God in the 72.5 years that our mortal bodies last. I believe in reincarnation
because, I feel, that it will take several tries to once again become that
PURE spark of energy to be able to reunite with God.
Back to Job. To me, he represents someone who perhaps in a previous life,
wasn't a model of God's virtures. Maybe the afflictions he suffered that
were noted in the Bible, he had imposed on other people in a previous life
and now it was time for him to learn his lessons. Maybe he did, maybe he
didn't. That's between him and God. In my belief, if he didn't learn, he
would be back to try it again and again and again. The human part of us
is weak. That's why it's such a struggle to do the right thing, and why
now we live in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. It's so
much easier to be bad that it is to be good. It's so much easier to give
in to that human side of us than to listen to the soul or God part of us.
That's why I think we need more than one mortal lifetime to get it right.
God does not make us do anything. God is not evil or mean. God is good,
kind and patient. It's up to us how we live our lives, but He will always
is there to forgive, to listen, to understand. And to give us another chance.
I know that Christians believe that we only live once and then it's over.
I believe that is a very narrow view and very limiting to peoples souls.
If people could realize that they are in control of thier own destiny,
the world would be a different place for us to live. DO UNTO OTHERS is
the MOST important rule to learn, more than any other in the religious
world. I was born and raised a Catholic and I am glad that they gave me
the freedom to seek my own spirtiual journey. In my soul, I knew there
was more to God than the Pope, the Bible, and all the rules therein. As
backward as the Catholic Church is, the did not dismiss the theory.
Sorry I've rambled and thank you for reading my secular opinion. Thank
You for Your Time
Vern
responds —
You have obviously thought about some major theological issues, so I appreciate
your sharing a bit of your spiritual development with me. While there are
indeed many perspectives, I think it is important for people to find a
way that helps them deal with the perplexities of life that works for them
and is (as you say, DO UNTO OTHERS) helpful for others as well. I do not
think that a single perspective works for everyone.
So I welcome your comments on Job as they express how you make sense out
of the problem of evil in the world. And I am glad you have your eye on
the good! . . .
A
M writes
Fortunately I recieve Star from Wed thru Sun & am able to learn from
your columns.
J
P writes
Our Sunday lesson today was on tithing. The Rev. --- told how important
it is to tithe the source of our spiritual food. As part of the lesson,
--- handed out $10 to each congregant, so we could tithe another source
that inspires us not just UCOP. I immediately thought of your articles
in the KC Star, and how much I enjoy them. You pick tough topics
without any black or white answers. I like that - life is like that.
You always give me spiritual food for thought! May I donate my $10
to your organization? Should I send it to the PO Box on your web
page? Thank you!
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarker
Vern, if you believed in the God of the Bible, your questions would make
sense. But, from what I can tell, you don't. So why do you go on and on
about Him?
Vern
responds —
Dear JonHarker: The purpose of the column is to recognize the range of
faiths and beliefs in the Kansas City area and the world. Sincerely,
Vern Barnet
Malki_Tzedek
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the
Lord." Isaiah 55:8
When Mary and Joseph had lost Jesus at the Finding in the Temple... "And
he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I
must be about my father's business?" Luke 2:49
from EMAIL
to
one of the authors of "The Faith Club"
J
B writes
.
. . Thanks to all of you again, so much, for the book. It has certainly
had an impact on our lives and I know it will continue to do so.
Also, I want to thank Vern Barnett at the Kansas City Star for his assistance
on creating our survey, and his quick response and feedback when I had
questions. . . . .
878. 110713 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Technology shapes religion
Will technology effect spirituality in
the future? I put this question to the Rev. Robert Brumet, whose latest
book, “Birthing a Great Reality,” was published last year. He teaches at
the Unity Institute and Seminary.
“Two examples of technology
changing human consciousness are television and the internet,” he said.
“Now we have far more information
instantly available than ever before, bringing the world into our own homes.
“The medium has become more
than the message. It is changing the very way our minds work. For ages
we have communicated by story-telling. Story telling evoked imagination.
Even with radio, to participate in the experience of receiving information,
imagination was required.
“With television our imagination
has become more passive. We simply receive, rather than co-create, the
stories that we are given,” he said.
Unlike TV, video games require
participation. Brumet questions the behavior some games model.
“The internet has no censor,
no editor, and no credentialing body to validate the information we can
receive on line. All opinions are equally available for everyone, from
the profound wisdom of the ages to the most insane ranting imaginable.
“Private parts of individual
minds—as well as bodies—are now accessible to anyone.
“And almost anything on the
internet can be replicated or modified instantly. The term virus no longer
refers solely to a biological organism. Secrecy and safety are threatened
in ways never before imagined and we are vulnerable in new ways.
“And yet, democratic movements,
such as the ‘Arab Spring’ are made possible by these same technologies.
Time and space are rapidly shrinking, and we discover that we are not as
separate and insulated as we once believed.
“The paleontologist and Jesuit
priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) developed a theory of the
evolution of consciousness. An invisible sphere of human thought-energy
increasingly surrounds the earth, like the biosphere. Although he did not
specify a technology, his theory seems to point to what we now call cyberspace.
“He called this sphere of
information the noosphere (from the Greek, nous, mind). Technology strengthens
the noosphere.
“Indeed, technology and spiritual
evolution are intrinsically woven together,” Brumet said.
Some scholars think a pre-electronic
medium, the printing press, was a democratizing force that fueled, or even
created, the Reformation, so I think Brumet’s observation that technology
and spiritual evolution are entwined is important as we consider how to
use new media.
READER COMMENT
M
F writes
Well done! Using technology to affirm my spiritual love for both of you
[Robert, Vern] today!!!!
K
L writes
Can you please let me know the name of your newest book? I want to get
it for my brother. Thank you so much!
Vern
responds —
My
latest book, a collection of sonnets, was published in 1992, so I wonder
if you are thinking of Bill Tammeus, whose books are listed on his blog,
http://billtammeus.typepad.com/. I do have several other books in the works,
but I'm not ready to make any announcements yet. Thank you for your interest.
K
L writes again
My mom was actually looking for the book for my brother. She insisted it
was you, but I finally found the book she wanted, which was one you named
in one of your columns: "Religion and the Critical Mind: A Journey for
Seekers, Doubters, and the Curious," by Anton K. Jacobs. Thanks so much
for your suggestion. I found it by reading your blogs one by one.
Vern
responds —
Thanks for solving the mystery! And thanks for your valuing of my columns!
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
Malki_Tzedek
"Some scholars think the printing press was a democratizing force that
fueled,
or even created, the Reformation, so I think Brumet’s
observation
that technology and spiritual evolution are entwined is
important
as we consider how to use new media."
This
may be true but 'The Faith' is not a democracy and therefore not up for
a vote... the reformation was man-made.
JonHarker
Technology will allow complete control of mankind by a central power...making
the rule of the AntiChrist possible.
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITES
http://muslimnewsdigest.com/
for 2011 July 20
877. 110706 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
A complex path to freedom
Monday was Independence Day, but citizenship
means giving thanks every day for the blessings of liberty. Religious freedom
is the first guarantee in the Bill of Rights.
How did this blessing come
to us? Here are three points in a complicated history.
*As Constantine prepared
for the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, he saw a cross in the sky
with the words, “By this conquer.” He became emperor and converted to Christianity.
Pacifist Christians who opposed Rome’s oppressive and militaristic culture
became part of the empire.
Other religions were suppressed,
and centuries of tortuously entangling faith and government began, with
horrors such as the Crusades, the Inquisition and the enslavement and colonization
of others.
*The Peace of Westphalia
in 1648 ended the Thirty Years’ War and confirmed that a single church
could no longer dominate politics in Calvinistic, Lutheran and Catholic
territories. Your religion would be decided by the ruler of your nation.
This was the situation in
many of the American colonies. If you did not subscribe to the official
church, you were not a full citizen. In Boston, Puritans made celebrating
Christmas a crime.
*But when the colonies joined
as the United States, none of the different religions of the various states
were able to compel the others on the national level. Many of the founders
already favored toleration, which was the only practical settlement anyhow.
By 1833 all state religious establishments ended, and faith became a personal
matter.
But the balance between prohibiting
state control of religion and protecting its free exercise shifts as society
changes.
Americans of faith have argued
about slavery, evolution, prohibition and abortion.
The Catholic bishops of New
York recently illustrated the continuing tension between church and state
when they opposed “any attempt to redefine the sacred institution of marriage....
Marriage has always been, is now, and always will be the union of one man
and one woman in a lifelong, life-giving union. Government does not have
the authority to change this most basic of truths.”
However, in the past many
marriages were about property rights, not the sacred union described. Many
marriages involved more than one man and one woman (Solomon had 700 wives
and 300 concubines).
Marriage is both a legal
and, for many, a religious institution. While states do have authority
to change the civil meaning of marriage (as in permitting divorce and marriage
of mixed races, and now in places, same-sex couples), government cannot
tamper with the spiritual meanings of marriage. This is an American blessing
of religious freedom.
STAR WEBSITE POST
trapblock
“The Church, obedient to the Lord who founded her and gave to her the sacramental
life, celebrates the divine plan of the loving and live-giving union of
men and women in the sacrament of marriage. It is only in the marital relationship
that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good. A person engaging
in homosexual behavior therefore acts immorally.”
“To choose someone of the same sex for one's sexual activity is to annul
the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the goals, of the Creator's
sexual design. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union, able to
transmit life; and so it thwarts the call to a life of that form of self-giving
which the Gospel says is the essence of Christian living. This does not
mean that homosexual persons are not often generous and giving of themselves;
but when they engage in homosexual activity they confirm within themselves
a disordered sexual inclination which is essentially self-indulgent”.
“As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one's own fulfillment
and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church,
in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit
but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically
understood.” -Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
-----------
“Christians are,” Leo continues, “born for combat.” It is part of their
nature to follow Christ by espousing unpopular ideas and by defending the
truth at great cost to themselves. One of their main duties is “professing
openly and unflinchingly the Catholic doctrine”; a second is “propagating
it to the utmost of their power.” As many today insist, they should preach
the Catholic faith through personal example; at the same time, though,
they should also preach the faith “by open and constant profession of the
obligations it imposes.” A negative reaction from the public, far from
being a sign of mistaken ideas, can serve as evidence of exactly the opposite
fact. “Jesus Christ,” the pope points out, “has clearly intimated that
the hatred and hostility of men, which he first and foremost experienced,
would be shown in like degree toward the work founded by him.” -Pope Leo
XIII is best known for his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum,
876. 110629 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Religion begins with a vision
Is religion best understood by its ideas
or by originating experiences?
Eugene Lowry, professor emeritus
at the St. Paul School of Theology, and author of six books on preaching,
responds to this question, raised in an earlier column. is publications
are six books on preaching. He also was the Yale University Lyman Beecher
lecturer in 2009. He writes:
“The column set awe and ideation
on a collision course—asking which one is primary in formative power and
ongoing life of religious movements.
“Robert P. Roth, in his ‘Story
and Reality,’ writes, ‘The shift from animal existence to human civilization
did not really occur with the invention of tools and weapons . .
.’ but rather happened when people ‘conceived a vision of reality.’ He
named four stages to the process.
“‘First came the religious
vision, then the aesthetic expression of it, then the ethical emulation
of it, and finally the philosophical rationalization as explanation . .
. .’
“Following his lead, we might
understand the Exodus (when the Hebrew people fled Egyptian bondage) as
the Jewish ongoing vision of reality.
“Passover (the yearly ritual
meal commemorating the Exodus) is the aesthetic expression of this vision.
“The Ten Commandments present
the ethical emulation of the experience, rules by which to live.
“Rabbinic thought is the
explanation, the ideas growing from the tradition.
“The story of the Incarnation—God
become human in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—is
the Christian vision.
“The Eucharist (communion),
is the ritual aesthetic expression of this vision. The Great Commandment
(love God and your neighbor, Matt. 22:36-40) is the ethical emulation of
the story of God loving the world so much God entered it and became as
one of us. Then Church theology develops to explain all of this.
“Roth thinks the same process
operates in other traditions, first the story, then the ritual, next the
ethics and finally the explanation.
“To make it obvious, this
means that ideas about what happens follows after what happens. The problem
for the Jews was not some abstract idea, but rather their slavery in Egypt!
“The entire 4-stage process
happens culturally, corporately, not simply individually. This is because
individuals are formed by the group, not the other way around. Even something
as personal as the native language we speak arises from our group.
“Religions begin with a holistic
revolution of vision, a new story from the experience of a people, not
by an abstract reasoning process, as valuable as it may be. It all begins
with the vision.”
I think Lowry hit the mark.
READER COMMENT
E
B writes
Good stuff today. WHen we were very young, Gene Lowry and I were colleages
at First Methodist, Wichita. He as associate pastor, moi as drector of
music. Brilliant guy!
S
H writes
First let me say I wish they gave you more space in the paper. I
find your openness to other ways to dance so much more agreeable than,
say, the position represented by Billy Graham. That said, allow me
to ask what exactly it is about Mr. Lowry’s position that makes you think
he “hit the mark”? I, for one, don’t quite get what he is talking
about. I mean, in both the Jewish and Christian examples of the “vision”
which he says begins the religion-making process, the “vision” appears
to be no more than a story a group tells itself that makes the group feel
special. Okay, I guess, if a fiction with no basis in actual experience
qualifies as a “vision.” But surely a group buying into a feel good
story about itself does not represent the shift from “animal existence
to human civilization,” as Mr. Roth and Mr. Lowry would have it.
After all, didn’t our animal existence cease the moment the species became
self-conscious? And in that moment, didn’t the instinctive impulse
to reconnect with our source spring to life? And wasn’t that impulse
being satisfied for thousands of years before civilization and religion
appeared in the world? As I understand it, one characteristic of
tribal life around in the world is the tribe’s sense of its specialness.
If that qualifies as a “conceived vision of reality,” so be it, but I would
not agree that primal people are religious except in the broadest sense
of the word. Instead, as distinct from being religious, primal people,
I would say, are spiritual—creative, imaginative—playful, let’s say.
And they do not take their myths literally. They take them seriously,
to be sure, but they are perfectly willing to let other tribes have their
stories, too. Religion begins, I would argue, when the group takes
itself and its myths too seriously, when water becomes ice and the dance
becomes a march.
Furthermore, as Mr. Roth would have it, “first the story, then the ritual,
next the ethics, then the explanation.” According to Carl Jung, we
were doing things ritually long before we became self-reflective and needed
to account for our behavior with a story! That is, according to Jung,
our ritual behaviors have their genesis in the shape of the human mind,
and the germ or spark of these behaviors is most often our contact with
the environment, which is to say our moments of awe elicited by the wonder
inherent in the creation. To this day, I would argue, spiritual health
can be defined as the degree to which we are aware of and responsive to
the wonder, the mystery, in which we live, move, and have our being.
So it is that a person can be religious and not spiritual. He can
remain unresponsive to the wonder of creation and still be esteemed as
an erudite representative of his religious traditions. The position
which both Mr. Lowry and Mr. Roth really seem to be advancing, therefore,
is the legitimacy of reconnecting with God their way, via the head instead
of the heart, concept over percept. And doesn’t that reduce their
erudition to be mere propaganda for their particular faith?
So again, Mr. Barnet, in precisely what way does Mr. Lowry “hit the mark”
for you? I’d really like to know.
Vern
responds —
Thank you for reading my column and your generous words about my tiny space
in the paper.
And I really appreciate your giving me the chance to try to clarify the
intent of Wednesday's column.
To place it in context, the column to which Lowry referred appeared two
weeks earlier, and was really Lowry's agreement with me in the context
of the discussion of the latest book by Stephen Prothero:
874.
110615
I tried to make last Wednesday's column stand on its own, but obviously
it did not.
You, Lowry and I seem to be in agreement, opposing "the Western tendency
to understand religions largely through concepts and beliefs," as you put
it, "spiritual health can be defined as the degree to which we are aware
of and responsive to the wonder, the mystery, in which we live, move, and
have our being." Except for your distinction between religion and spirituality
(which I do not accept), your statement is akin on mine in the column,
"As I think about prehistoric humans being awe-struck with the sun, with
rivers, with fire, or about the wonderment a toddler feels trying
to grasp a stream of water from a faucet in the bathtub, I suspect different
religions begin with different arenas in which the sacred is unaccountably
experienced and valued."
In brief, we three seem to agree that experiences of awe and wonder are
basic to the spirit, not the theological concepts that develop, in Roth's
scheme, in the fourth stage. Because Lowry pointed this out, I thought
he it the mark.
The rub for me in what you raise is the troublesome phenomenon of the story
that "makes the group feel special" in, I think you imply with substantial
historical support, an unhealthy way, sometimes violent. I agree this is
a problem, though even in the Hebrew scriptures there are repeated admonitions
to treat the "stranger" well because the Hebrews were themselves "strangers
in Egypt." However, every normal person and every normal group as a story
which provides a sense of identity. My complaint is that stories of awe
and wonder are too often perverted into weapons against others. But this
is not always the case. It certainly is not typical of Buddhism or Taoism,
for example, and it would be open to argument as to whether the ministry
to the sick and poor carried out by good Christians and Muslims is more
characteristic of their faiths than the clear perversions.
You and I might disagree about Primal faiths (I do not think we have ever
left our animal nature) as we disagree about the terms "religion" and "spirituality."
(For various views and definitions, see my website at
http://www.cres.org/pubs/ReligionSpiritualityDescribed.htm
)
Perhaps I also value fiction more than some. I really like the statement
by insurance executive/poet Wallace Stevens: "The final belief is to believe
in a fiction, which you know to be a fiction, there being nothing else.
The exquisite truth is to know that it is a fiction, and that you believe
it willingly." A major problem in the way religion is currently understood
in the West is that the story is a factual, scientifc account of reality
in a naive sense, rather than a model of reality, which all stories --
or visions -- are. We can "be-lieve" them in the sense that the word was
originally used -- "to love," as in the related German word, "lieben,"
or the English word "credo," from the Latin, and earlier, the Greek, for
heart, as in cardiology -- give one's heart to -- a story. I commit myself
to a story which reconnects me to the awe and wonder (and totality of existence,
including its puzzles and horrors) in order to give thanks for existence
and to express that gratitude in service to others. You mention play,
and for me that is an essential characteristic of the liturgy. That is
one reason why I appreciate your citation of Jung who, in your words, says,
"we were doing things ritually long before we became self-reflective and
needed to account for our behavior with a story!" This reflects the
19th century debate among scholars as to whether the myth was ritualized
or the ritual was justified by myth. The way I put it is that the experience
of awe and wonder is primary, and we find ourselves dancing a jig, and
with that comes a story, an account of our dance. This vision, to use Roth's
term, is the first stage of the development that follows with the aesthetic
elaboration (liturgy), then the ethical ideas about how to live together,
then the theology: the final abstraction of the initial experience.
I actually tried to develop these ideas in last week's column, which, in
case you missed it, follows:
875.
110622
I hope you feel I have considered your kind email and found areas of agreement
and disagreement, and that the "conversation" has been useful to you. It
has been so for me. Thanks again.
J
F writes
First let me introduce myself, so this won't be coming from an anonymous
crackpot . . . . Anyway, I wrote a short piece about it, which I may post
to my blog . . . and then realized, as a non-Christian, that I didn't
know who to show it to, who might be interested, who might correct wrong
assumptions. So I picked you. If you choose to bother to read it, I'd be
interested in your comments. Obviously, I (non-religiously!) read your
weekly column in The Star. . . .
Vern
responds —
I don't mean to quibble about words, but in
my language, you seem deeply "religious." You care about justice and
about people, and even are brave enough to write about expanding Medicare!
I can't think of a single religion that does not require caring for one
another. So I question your description of yourself as "individualistic";
you seem motivated by a personal integrity that embraces the welfare of
others.
Alas, Christianity and many other faiths are perverted by sectarian and
political agenda, and it is a grievous situation that you describe . .
. so it is not too surprising that the situation has become what it has.
I'd be interested in the exact chapters/verses of the Biblical citations.
If I were with you, instead of what may be out-of-context quotations, I
might find a way to distribute or overlay Biblical passages which point
to the values that you and I share.
Thanks for your kind words about my column, and for your social justice
work as well as your healing profession itself. I am glad you wrote. .
. .
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
Christianity is not as much a religion as it is a relationship.
875. 110622 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Where did our religions begin?
“The Birth of Religion” is announced on
the cover of the National Geographic June issue. Inside we learn about
“the world’s first temple” in what is now southern Turkey, built some 11,600
years ago, 7,000 years older than the Great Pyramid of Giza and more than
9,000 years older than Stonehenge, which it resembles.
The article asks the question
whether religion led to farming or whether farming led to religion. I like
its headline, “Now the world’s oldest temple suggests the urge to worship
sparked civilization.”
But religion is older than
this temple and older than farming.
Rock art from 30,000 years ago indicates
religious sensibility, and intentional burials from 400,000 years ago are
configured to suggest religious intent. The mystery of fire, implicit in
many persisting religious rituals, goes back before its domestication perhaps
a million years ago.
The urge to worship began
even earlier, with the miracle of birth, the mystery of dreams, marvels
of the sky like lightning and clouds, and observations of the rising and
setting of the sun and phases of the moon.
To make my point, I could
take you on a wilderness camping trip. Or you could visit the new “Heavens:
Photographs of the Sky & Cosmos” show at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of
Art.
From the 39 photos, two examples,
one of the moon, one of the sun.
The famous “Moonrise, Hernandez,
New Mexico,” by Ansel Adams, presents that ephemeral and precious moment
of dusk when the sun still illumines the foreground as shadows gather behind
the vegetation. A church and other structures in a vast landscape remind
us that the human adventure is dwarfed by the majesty of distant mountains.
The transience of life itself is suggested by the many crosses in the graveyard.
And above the mountains,
near the center of the photo is the moon, in a vast darkness placing everything,
including the viewer, in an enormous and unutterable spiritual perspective.
We dare not look directly
at the sun, so Jerry Spagnoli used a pinhole camera to create “Yosemite,”
a surprisingly large ink-jet color print of what we cannot see with the
naked eye.
Just as the distant sun illumines
our world and makes all things possible, is there a spiritual power that
shines upon an inner, personal landscape, and presides over the process
of the nations throughout history? If this power is even mightier than
the sun, are our best ways of perceiving it as but through a pinhole?
Religion may have begun with
awe. In our distracted age, such art can help us renew our ability to feel
it. The Tao Te Ching warns, “Where there is no sense of wonder, there will
be disaster.”
READER COMMENT
R
A writes
Very much liked your column today!
K
writes
Wonderful piece! I had to write and tell you what a beautiful column you
wrote today. You captured the essence of the majesty of the photographs.
Well done!
R
L writes
I liked the subject matter in your column this week as I find that my interests
keep turning to the histories of religion and gods. Many people just want
to except and not have to think about the path(s) that brought them to
this juncture. You start looking and you see how adaptable and creative
man kind can be- none of which has any thing to do with correctness. I'm
beginning to think that Hadad Ba'al might have been among the best of the
old gods and by the new testament the god of the Jews had turned into Ba'al,
except for that strange but interesting temple stuff. I look forward to
getting more inspirations from your column. By the by, one of my favorite
verses in the Tao Te Ching is, " No face to meet and no back to follow,"
I always liked the thought that when we get to Heaven it will be what it
is, not what we think it is...Keep the columns coming.
E
B writes
Great column this morning! We have just retirned from the Utah Natl. Parks
(Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands) where the grandeur of God has
no equal. It certainly supported your statement that "worship began with
awe." Keep up the good writing!
H
writes
Plain and simple, the first religion began with Adam and Eve worshiping
God.
J
A writes to a third party with a copy to Vern
. . . A typically good [column] appears in today's edition . . . .
J
W writes to a third party with a copy to Vern
Vern writes the wonderful weekly spirituality column for the STAR (see
below).
R
L writes
I liked the subject matter in your column this week as I find that my interests
keep turning to the histories of religion and gods. Many people just want
to except and not have to think about the path(s) that brought them to
this juncture. You start looking and you see how adaptable and creative
man kind can be- none of which has any thing to do with correctness. I'm
beginning to think that Hadad Ba'al might have been among the best of the
old gods and by the new testament the god of the Jews had turned into Ba'al,
except for that strange but interesting temple stuff. I look forward to
getting more inspirations from your column. By the by, one of my favorite
verses in the Tao Te Ching is, " No face to meet and no back to follow,"
I always liked the thought that when we get to Heaven it will be what it
is, not what we think it is...Keep the columns coming.
P
B writes
Perhaps you saw the Newsweek article of March 1, 2010. It was "History
in the Remaking" and it included Gobekli Tepe, the world's oldest temple.
It is worth looking up if you have not read it. I would be glad to
mail you the article if not.
Please, keep sharing your interesting work. Understanding places
and times in a person's backgrounds can lead to peace or at the very least
tolerance.
Vern
responds —
I had not seen the Newsweek story, and I just now went on line and found
it and printed it out. So I won't ask you to send me the article, but I
am very grateful to you for writing me about it!
A few years ago I was just a few miles away from Gobekli Tepe at another
archeological site, but then I knew nothing of this ancient temple. Makes
me wanna go back!
Thank you for your encouragement for my column! Not everyone is as appreciative
as you. I like the way you express the purpose: "Understanding places and
times in a person's backgrounds can lead to peace or at the very least
tolerance." I'm grateful to have you as a reader!
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITES
TreeHugger.com
Niuzer.com
http://billtammeus.typepad.com/
for 2011 July 7
. . .
As my friend Vern Barnet likes to say, religion finds its roots in awe
and wonder, and that's certainly true. But is religion simply a made-up
response to the awe one feels looking at the creation or is there some
foundational truth or truths that call forth the religious response? It's
too simple to put it this way, but often science would say it's the first
while people of faith would say it's the latter. Whatever its origin, religion
is here to stay. The job of people of faith is to make sure it's a force
for good in the world, not (as it's often been) a force for evil. . . .
874. 110615 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Is it religion, concept, or both?
Does religion arise from experiences of
awe and wonder, or does it emerge as people seek solutions to fundamental
human problems?
This was one of the questions
posed last week at the “Vital Conversations” monthly book club conducted
by the Rev. David E. Nelson at the Mid-Continent Library in Gladstone.
The book was “God is Not
One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World and Why Their Differences
Matter” by Stephen Prothero, professor of religion at Boston University.
Nelson selected the book
because he thought “the title is provocative and we need to look at religions
from different angles.”
Several folks in the discussion
compared the book to Huston Smith’s 1958 classic, “The Religions of Man.”
But while Smith presents the best of the world religions, Prothero, who
cites Smith, seeks to complete the record by including the quarrels within
and among the world’s faiths and asks us to see religions “in all their
gore and glory,” a force for both good and evil.
To do this, Prothero identifies
a characteristic problem that each faith seeks to solve. For example, Islam,
which appears first in his book because he thinks it is most influential,
seeks to solve the problem of pride by submission to God’s will.
Christianity, number 2 on
his list, says the problem is sin and the remedy is salvation. His third
faith is Confucianism, concerned with chaos, resolved with social order.
He also treats Hinduism, Buddhism, an African tradition, Judaism, Taoism
and Atheism.
Prothero’s method of identifying
(1) the problem each faith seeks to solve, (2) with its remedy, (3) its
techniques for achieving the remedy and (4) its exemplars, aims to undercut
the view, in the Dalai Lama’s words, that “the essential message of all
religions is very much the same.”
I agree that religions are
not different paths to the mountain top; they are different mountains.
Still, I joined others who were somewhat uncomfortable viewing religions
as primarily responses to problems.
Some thought this approach
was overly “conceptual.” Religion is much more than just thinking about
problems. While Prothero would surely agree, his method too often seems
infected with the Western tendency to understand religions largely through
concepts and beliefs.
As I think about prehistoric
humans being awe-struck with the sun, with rivers, with fire, or
about the wonderment a toddler feels trying to grasp a stream of water
from a faucet in the bathtub, I suspect different religions begin with
different arenas in which the sacred is unaccountably experienced and valued.
This leads to giving thanks, expressed in sharing and service to others.
J
M writes
I read your post in the Kansas Star with interest and had these thoughts.
As an introduction, I wrote this review on Amazon when God Is Not One
first came out:
I work closely with Huston Smith and created and maintain his official
website. Stephen Prothero grossly misrepresents Smith's statements and
position on this subject.
Huston, Huxley, or Campbell have never said that "all religions are the
same" or anything like that. What they say is that there is one underlying
reality (call it God, Creator, Self, Ground of Reality, etc.) that the
different religions, in their distinctive ways, refer to.
To suggest otherwise is to ignore the very definition of God, or believe
that there is more than one God, or claim that only one religion has it
right, and the others have it wrong.
Prothero says that the one God idea was, "a defense mechanism developed
by Hindus to reject 19th Century Christian missionaries and fostered by
the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1893." The reality is that
the idea reaches back to the ancient Vedas which declared, "Truth is one;
sages call it by various names." This cannot be translated as "all the
religions are the same". The Vedantic version of this idea was expressed
by Swami Vivekananda at the 1893 gathering, but it was well established
by the Transcendentalist in the US well before then, and is also expressed
in the mystical branches of all the other religions.
When pinned on these facts, Prothero admits he's talking more about how
he, as a college student, and others have mistakenly interpreted the Perennial
Philosophy as "all religions are the same".
Prothero attributes Huxley, Smith, and Campbell as saying the differences
between the religions are, "accidental." I am not aware of any of these
three, or any Perennial Philosopher, saying anything of the sort. In fact,
they address the differences as being very real and important to the practice
of each faith.
Prothero says, "People don't lump communism and democracy as the same,
just slightly different. Why should they do it with religions?"
Again, no one but Prothero is saying the various religions are the same,
but in any case, Communism and democracy are the same in that they are
different means to govern people - religions are the same in that they
are different means to connect one's Self with its Source. It's a matter
of defining what the underlying subject matter is.
The ONLY way that Huxley, Smith, and Campbell say that religions are the
same, is that they are all religions.
Since I wrote that, I have heard from Dana Sawyer, who wrote the definitive
biography of Aldous Huxley and is working on the authorized biography of
Huston Smith, who pointed out that Huxley and Smith should not be lumped
together in any case, as Smith thought all religions were basically good,
and Huxley thought that all formal religions were basically corrupt and
bad for spiritual growth – and if any good came of them, it was in spite
of the institutions. Campbell had a whole other take on the subject.
Of course, I also heard directly from Huston, who adamantly states that
not only has he never said all religions are the same, but that neither
did Huxley or Campbell – both long-time friends of his.
A writer who was about to interview Prothero, who read my review, asked
me what she should ask. I said, If God is not one, is Prothero proposing
that there is no God, or that there are many Gods, or that only one religion
has it right, and the rest have it wrong. As far as I can imagine, those
are the only choices, if God is not one.
She did ask the question, and this was his answer, “I'm religiously confused
now. I don't have any real answers to any of these important questions.
I think the reason that I keep studying them is because I don't have answers…”
What stumps me is that someone who is confused about their main subject
can teach it, and be sought out as an expert on the field. He’s confused,
yet adamantly states that “God is not one”. How can he be so sure of that,
but be confused on the subject?
In your article you say, “I agree that religions are not different paths
to the mountain top; they are different mountains.”
Perhaps this is a matter of terminology or definition, but again, isn’t
the very definition of God: the One creator? To borrow your analogy, upon
what do the mountains stand?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Jon Monday, mondayMEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_monday
Vern
responds —
Thank you for writing, and my respects to Huston, who has been most gracious
to me on many occasions (for my column, with programs, and in permitting
a friend and me to take him to his parents' grave site in Marshall, MO).
I often quote Smith in saying:
"How fully has the proponent [of the view that all religions are at their
core the same] tried and succeeded in understanding Christianity’s claim
that Christ was the only begotten Son of God, or the Muslim’s claim that
Muhammad is the Seal of the prophets, or the Jews’ sense of their being
the Chosen People? How does he propose to reconcile Hinduism’s conviction
that this will always remain a ‘middle world’ with Judaism’s promethean
faith that it can be decidedly improved? How does the Buddha’s ‘anatta
doctrine’ of no-soul square with Christianity’s belief in . . . individual
destiny in eternity? How does Theravada Buddhism’s rejection of every form
of personal God find echo in Christ’s sense of relationship to his Heavenly
Father? How does the Indian view of Nirguna Brahman, the God who stands
completely aloof from time and history, fit with the Biblical view that
the very essence of God is contained in his historical acts? Are these
beliefs really only accretions, tangential to the main concern of spirit?
The religions . . . may fit together, but they do not do so easily."
Religions of Man [1958], p 352-3
I follow by saying Smith, like others (including myself), finds a common
thread among the mystical expressions of various traditions, but I do not
find the mystical expressions to be normative in all faiths. It is not
normative in Christianity and Islam, the world's two largest faiths, for
example, though the mystical thread is significant.
As for Prothero, I think my column levels a severe criticism of his "conceptual"
method, which I deplore.
I have numerous other objections, including his irresponsible misconstruction
of William Blake on page 1. The injection of unenlightening personal details
is sometimes too cute, irrelevant, and distracts from the passages of brilliance.
I could list a number of errors or questionable statements -- from confusing
Christians about Hinduism by unclearly calling the trimurti a trinity,
his misdating of the pyramids, etc etc etc. He needed a content editor
and a stylistic editor, in my opinion. The index is a mess. Unless it is
buried somewhere in the notes, I find no acknowledgment of the important
work of S Mark Heim (from down the street where he teaches), whose theme
he has apparently stolen or borrowed (and distorted).
There is much in the book that I do like, including his chapter on atheism.
So while I share in your outrage about Smith being misrepresented, it should
be noted that Prothero has been irresponsible elsewhere as well and misrepresented
others.
As for your question about my post-modern metaphor of different mountains,
no need to reify it or take it literally. I also think you may be subjecting
Prothero's book title to undue stress; it is a permissible, if inelegant,
rhetorical excess. Nor do I find Prothero's response to your question disqualifies
him from teaching if what he meant is that it is difficult for him to find
words to express the Inexpressible Mystery of existence. Perhaps this recent
column (May 18) (despite its localisms) will explain my perspective in
brief: http://www/star/star2011.htm#870.
My own attempt to understand how the religions of the world fit together
is charted at http://www.cres.org/index1.html#chart
and explained at http://www.cres.org/pubs/WorldReligsPiecesOrPattern.htm.
inspired,
in part, from Smith's statement, [B]ecoming God ”happens individually,
communally, and cosmically." —Huston Smith, The Soul of Christianity,
p124.
I very much appreciate your writing. And my highest respects to Huston,
who is a gentleman and a saint like no other, without whom my personal,
professional, and spiritual life would have been impoverished.
J
M writes again
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Just time for a few notes today –
I’m heading out to spend a couple of days at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Trabuco
monastery – where Huston first met Gerald Heard, who introduced Huston
to Huxley and pointed him to Swami Satprakashananda in St. Louis.
I didn’t mention in my email that for nearly 10 years I’ve been working
on the authorized documentary film of Huston – we’ve become very close.
I’ll pass along your best wishes to him. My wife and I communicate with
Huston a couple of times a week, mostly by fax, as his hearing is shot.
If you want to send him a note, his fax number is --- --- ----.
I’m obviously a big fan of Huston as well, and see him standing at the
front of a long line of Perennial Philosophers, giving context to the idea
of the real religious experience. That line extends back, in the US, through
Huxley, Campbell, Swami Vivekananda, the Transcendentalists, and many others.
I’ll just make one short comment about the puzzlement of how to reconcile
the various religions and seeming contradictions. The solution only comes
at the point of the transcendental experience – these questions and contradictions
melt away. As you suggest, the route to understanding this is through the
mystical branches.
I think Huston would say, and I totally agree, that the differences in
the religions are precious and absolutely necessary – which is why he reacts
so strongly to being accused of saying, “all religions are the same”. But,
at the point of the transcendental experience, arrived at by the various
methods, those differences drop in significance.
I have to go now – and will check out your links over the next day or so.
L
S writes
. . . I was, of course, happy that you wrote about Vital Conservations
and last week's meeting in your newspaper column for today. I agree that
religion is closely related to a sense of awe. And at the VC meeting, I
should have linked Tillich's emphasis on "ultimate concern" to your definition
of religion. But I also think that many people turn to religion at times
when they face a crisis. Thus, I like the statement I made at VC (which
is original as far as I know, but it probably isn't). The idea was (and
I am re-stating it here): Religion is not only the result of being awe-struck,
it also comes from being struck with the awful.
You might be interested in a post (on my other blog) about a fine book
on interfaith dialogue. It is at http://lifelovelightliberty.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/who-can-stop-the-wind/.
(The the previous post on that blog was a bit about God Is Not One.)
A
J writes
One of the most important books I've ever read was Dag Hammarskjöld's
Markings. This evening I've come across a quotation from the book that
made me think of the Vital Conversations discussion as well as your column
today. If you're not familiar with the quotation, I thought you might like
to know it:
“God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity,
but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady
radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all
reason.” -- p. 56, Hammarskjöld, Dag. Markings. Trans. Leif Sjöberg
& W.H.Auden. N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964.
A
message apparently forwarded through a series of emails:
Vern Barnet is a fine thinker who writes a Wednesday column for the KC
Star ... Faiths and Beliefs.
In writing about a book study of a work that attributes the rise of religion
to humans trying to solve basic problems -- pride, chaos, sin ...
Vern
ends with his fine (to me) interpretation ...
As I think about prehistoric humans being awe-struck with the
sun,
rivers,
fire,
or about the wonderment a toddler feels trying to contain a stream of water
from a faucet in a bathtub,
I suspect different religions begin with different arenas in which the
sacred
is
unaccountably experienced and valued.
This leads to
giving thanks,
expressed in sharing it in service to others. (KC
Str, 6/15)
thanks
that spills over and around for you this day,
G
L writes
Your last column was/is wonderful. I have an additonal affirmative
source you may be intrested in. I cannot find your telephone number in
the telephone directory, so if you can call me at xxx xxx xxxx, I"ll
be happy for a five minute call.
873. 110608 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
A need for diverse voices
I asked the Rev. Rob Carr, pastor of North
Oak Christian Church, why he thought so many people took a recent end-of-the-world
prediction seriously. This is his response:
“I can sympathize with lots
of those who gave credence to the radio Bible teacher who continues to
offer his listeners a date for the rapture (now October 21) based on his
understanding of the texts.
“As a college student I first
encountered the somewhat similar writings of Hal Lindsey. I was intrigued
for a time.
“I had grown up in mainline
Protestantism and had some grasp of Biblical content, but my Sunday school
teachers (not surprisingly) had not devoted much time to the apocalyptic
portions of the Bible. So I had little basis from which to evaluate Lindsey.
As I asked questions of campus ministers and my own pastor, I realized
Lindsey’s views were at odds with much Biblical scholarship.
“I can’t claim to know much
about the followers of this radio evangelist. But I hunch that many of
them have accepted his teaching because, like me 35 years ago, they lacked
a basis upon which to evaluate what they heard. This argues for the importance
of diverse voices and perspectives in faith communities that encourage
questions. This was the gift my church gave me as a young person.
“Modernity, driven by Newtonian
laws of physics, offered Western culture a sense of machine-like predictability
or mathematical certainty about the material world.
“Post-modernity has been
shaped by more recent 'new science' or 'new physics.' For example, subatomic
matter can behave in surprising and mysterious ways. Post-modernity is
more open-ended and more evolutionary in its approach than modernity.
“The radio preacher seems
to approach Scripture in a modern way, to predict the actions of a God
who has designed a machine-like universe and who has given us the Bible
to understand how the machine was put together, how it functions
and the mathematically predictable direction in which it is headed.
“Post-modernism is reclaiming
what the pre-modern writers and editors of Scripture seem to have deeply
understood: truths about God and the universe do not lend themselves to
simple formulations. They are most deeply expressed and experienced via
story and symbol, read and interpreted not in isolation but among a community
where differences are valued and questions are encouraged.
“In our search for truth
our task is not to choose between math or mystery, but to recognize when
it’s appropriate to utilize either or both of them to further our understanding
and spiritual growth.”
READER COMMENT
M
M writes to Rob Carr
Well
done, very thoughtful. I celebrate the math and mystery that you bring
to the world.
J
W writes
Yesterday's column was great - it provided my Facebook post today - thanks
for dispatching that task quickly :)
R
L writes
I wanted to tell you that I enjoy your columns, even when as todays most
was a quote from Rob Carr. It's important that someone is trying to get
relegion to share their stories. Which brings me around to why I am writting
today. I know how fond you are of parables, so here is one- This morning
when I went out to get the paper the sun was just rising. It shown a brilliant
orange, nestled in a u-shaped space between two darkened green trees. refelcting
it's light on the pearly gray sky, It really was quite striking, My camera
was on the desk next to the door so I picked it up and centered it on this
exquisite sight.- there was no sun in the view screen. I checked again
and it was still there as beautiful as before. I centered the pix where
it should be and took the picture. In the review screen I had the trees,
the sky, but no sun, I can tell you that it was there and how wonderous
it was- but it doesn't exist in the picture. I showed my wife and she said
I think I see a light spot. Telling others about your beliefs and religion
is a lot the same. It is hard to make someone else see the glory that you
see. Good luck with your calling.
R
R writes
Well, Rob Carr feels Hal lindsey views are at odds with "much biblical
scholarship".Whose biblical scholarship? I bet it is the same people who
say the bible does not condemn homosexuality and there is no hell,even
though this is plainly taught in scripture.Remember the scripture in the
new testament about the falling away and people who will not listen to
sound doctrine.No Vern,we don,t need "diverse voices,we need Gods Word
the way he said it.Let God be true and every man a liar. You might try
reading the bible if you are going to be commenting on scripture.
Vern
responds —
I appreciate people reading my column whether they agree or not. It is
clear you do not agree with the guest in my space today. The overwhelming
majority of Biblical scholars would agree with Rob, and, as concerns the
occasion of the column, the prediction of a date and time for the Rapture,
the Scripture reports Jesus himself saying, "But of that day and hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
(Matthew 24:36) It is from such knowledge of the Bible that folks can be
cautioned against the predictions which have been made repeatedly throughout
history, most recently by the radio preacher Harold Camping, who predicted
May 21, now passed.
I have myself taught in several seminaries including courses on the Bible,
so I am not completely ignorant of issues involved in understanding inspired
texts.
The fact of many denominations within Christianity and the multiple views
on various passages and indeed how to interpret Scripture suggests that
folks whop find Scripture authoritative disagree about what the plain meaning
of scripture is on matters you cite as well as many others. Perhaps diligent
communities, informed by scholars who understand the original language,
can discern the historical and literary circumstances and configurations,
may be a helpful guide as we modestly seek to understand God speaking to
us today through holy writ. I personally don't think the devil is
necessarily responsible for diversity, any more than the claim that he
is responsible for the light of the sun breaking into the diverse colors
of the rainbow.
Again, thank you for writing. I do not expect that my response will change
your perspective, but I did want to acknowledge your taking the trouble
to share your views with me.
C
M writes
I completely understand what your guest was saying. But what a lost
chance to explore the history of apocalyptic activity in Christianity.
Jesus, Paul and many in the early church looked for the end of times.
Through the middle ages and into the reformation there was always some
group standing on a hill waiting for the rapture. I believe the Millerites
were one such group, the members going home disappointed after selling
or giving away all their belongings. There will always be those who think
they can predict the end, though the gospels would say otherwise.
The thrust of Christianity is to the end of times when Jesus will return.
We say this as part of the eucharist. I believe people like the radio
preacher are a little bit crazy, but they do give the faith a little jostle
evey now and then, and they are marginal. Much better than some of
the secular religions out there that can do real damage. Scientism
seems to be one that believes science has all the answers, yet this has
not been particularly satisfying. A really interesting old book is
the "Anthropic Principal" written a number of years ago by two cosmologists/nuclear
physicists that traces the origins of religious and scientific thought
to our own times and includes great discussions on Aquinas, DesCartes and
others. One of the tenants is that the universe makes no sense unless
there is someone to observe it. I have it if you would like to read
it.
Vern
responds —
I wish I had more space to present a fuller picture of the subjects that
appear in my column, so I agree much more could have been done on the subject
of eschatological hopes in the Early Church and since, into our own time.
I wonder if the Anthropic Principle (of which there are, as you know, several
forms) may be a contemporary variation on the teleological argument. I'm
really interested in the material you mention as several years ago I heard
a lot about the Anthropic Principle at a week-long training conference
on science and religion. I agree with you that Scientism fails our human
needs. Thanks for your offer to lend me your book -- when I catch up with
my present booklist, I'll let you know and review the material -- I could
use a refresher!
I'm very grateful to Rob Carr for so skillfully presenting two reasons
for his reservations about predictions of the Rapture for my column, and
I'm glad what he did sparked your writing me, so I'm forwarding your comments
on to him as well.
I appreciate having you as a reader and thank you for taking the trouble
to write as you have!
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
We can thank
Martin Luther for this phenomenon...
St. Peter the
first Pope who Jesus gave the keys of His Kingdom to said, "This then you
must understand first of all, that NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE IS MADE BY
PRIVATE INTERPRETATION." 2 Peter 1:20
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITES
872. 110601 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE
"Tommy"s' religious upbringing
After a performance in which he played
the title role in “Tommy,” I told Samn Wright that I’d been waiting
40 years to see this show. As part of my 1970 500-page doctoral dissertation
I had written more about The Who’s “rock opera” than about theologian Paul
Tillich.
I asked Karen Paisley, who
directed the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre’s ingenious production, why
she decided on a large cast of nearly 30 actors. She told me that many
of those auditioning for parts said things like “I’ve wanted to be in this
show all my life.” Such comments from 24-year olds are especially delicious
for those of us who remember the excitement of the 1969 album release long
before they were born.
In my dissertation, I compared
“Tommy” to Handel’s oratorio, “Messiah.” Both works are concerned with
suffering and salvation. Both are centered around a redemptive figure for
the world. Both use explicitly Christian language.
But Tommy’s story is far
more psychologically centered. The life and teaching of Sufi master Meher
Baba shapes the work.
Baba was born in India in
1894. His schoolmates nicknamed him Electricity. For the last 44 years
of his life, he practiced silence and never uttered a word; he taught through
gestures and an alphabet board.
He gave special attention
to people others considered crazy but who he thought were “intoxicated
with God,” echoed in the opera’s line, “sickness will surely take the mind
where minds can’t usually go.”
Baba died the year the album
was released.
Just as many interpretations
of scripture are worth considering, so “Tommy” can be understood from many
perspectives. Pete Townshend, its creator, has himself reworked and reinterpreted
the material.
As a child, Tommy witnesses
a murder that his parents want to keep secret, so they tell him he never
saw a thing and won’t say a thing about it. Paisley calls this “the original
sin of the story." I call it adultism, when an adult, not the child’s actual
experience, defines and enforces “reality”—a key word in this story of
liberation.
In keeping the secret, Tommy
becomes blind, deaf and dumb. Others torment him.
All attempted cures fail.
His remaining sense of feeling enables him to become a “pinball wizard,”
a messiah, but the cult that develops around him, like Jesus, ultimately
deserts him.
His cure begins when his
mother smashes the mirror transfixing Tommy, which I interpret as a release
from the concealment of truth imposed upon him by his parents--the sin--and
he discovers his unlimited self in his caring for others.
Visit www.metkc.org
for updates on the performance schedule.
NOTES:
I disliked
the 1975 Ken Russell movie: it was a sacrilege.
A precise word
for the particular adultism inflicted on Tommy is omerta,
a requirement that prohibits divulging certain information.
Interesting
articles about "Tommy" can be found at
www.thewho.net/articles/.
READER COMMENT
B
K writes
You're quite right about the MET. I discovered them for myself a
few years ago, and have attended about every play since. It's a great company
and a wonderfully small space. Every time I leave a performance, I find
myself thinking that it was the best one yet!
K
A writes
For all the wisdom you have dispensed over the years, the one that gets
people to send me emails is your commentary on Tommy today! Great job.
. . .
M
writes
Wow. Fascinating column today. You never cease to amaze me with depth and
breadth. . . .
D
C writes to a third party with a copy to CRES
. . . I want to be sure you've seen/heard about Vern's article in today's
KC Star, "Tommys' Religious Upbringing". You've been major supporters of
MET and Vern is a long time family friend. I wasn't impressed by [other]
articles about the play until his article gave me a whole new perspective.
. . . .
R
C writes
I’ve just read and enjoyed your article on “Tommy.” I am a longtime
follower of Meher Baba as well as a longtime friend of Pete, and over the
years I have developed an organization called MEHER BABA INFORMATION, which
is a non-profit information clearinghouse for literature by and about Avatar
Meher Baba. We would be delighted to have a copy or two of the original
newspaper article, if you could provide it, for our archives, and in return
I’ll be happy to send you one of our books about Meher Baba. Our
website is
www.MeherBabaInformation.org
and our mailing address is
MEHER BABA INFORMATION
P.O. Box 1101
Berkeley, CA 94701.
Many
thanks! With best regards,
Rick
Chapman
MEHER
BABA INFORMATION
Vern
responded, and then . . .
R
C writes again
Hi, Vern, what a swell message! I’m delighted both with the pdf and
especially with the tear sheet or hard copy of the article for our archives.
(You’re now immortal, sort of....) Born in Wichita just when things
were getting interesting, I celebrate my Kansanisity and its automatic
endowment of a generous portion of common sense and non-coastal sensibilities.
I’d like to leave the book selection to you: each of my recent books is
described (and pictured) on the Meher Baba Information website (www.MeherBabaInformation.org),
so simply let me know and it’s on its way—here’s a list, descriptions online:
INTRODUCTION TO REALITY
MEHER BABA—THE COMPASSIONATE ONE
MEETING GOD IN HUMAN FORM
THE SEVEN SECRETS OF LIFE
STEALING HAFIZ
Tough
choice, I know, but keep in mind that we’ll likely not run out of the others
in case you want to come back for more!
Best
regards,Rick
P.S. Gathering that you’re a Who fan, you’ll be familiar with Pete’s
WHO CAME FIRST, Pete’s first commercial solo album, and the earlier HAPPY
BIRTHDAY and I AM albums, non-commercial projects of the London Baba group
which were distributed through Meher Baba Information in the U.S.
Things were exciting in the extreme back then, late 60s-early 70s, but
believe it or not, the wave appears to be returning, and I’m thinking that
it will be bigger than ever. The 60s were unique and special indeed,
but they can’t have existed just to be lost in history, don’t you think?
[Rick Chapman -- MEHER BABA INFORMATION]
J
B writes
Just
rereading your article from [2010] August 18..."I fear for my Muslim friends..."
Has the killing of Bin Ladon had an impact on the feared upcoming violence
now and into this fall? Have your concerns increased or decreased?
Vern
responds —
I hope your book club is rewarding.
I don't know how to calculate my concerns. The "Arab Spring" may be more
important than the death of bin Laden, but no one can say for certain how
that will play out. I continue to worry about the Saudi totalitarian compact
with the Wahhabi and the intransigence in the Israeli-Palestinian situation,
all of which affects us in the US as well as others around the world. The
continuing settlements have made important kinds of interfaith activities
difficult. On the other hand, there are now better resources for understanding
than before. I hope your group continues to be part of them. The local
9/11 ten-year observances fall short of what I think is needed, but the
ones I am aware of are nonetheless positive.
J
B writes again
Thank you so much. Our meeting on Monday is "Facing our Communities"
and I'm giving your article as a handout; also, the one you wrote on July
28 "Knowledge Conquers Fear".
We have one more meeting to go, and I just received an update from Priscilla
Warner a few minutes ago on what the authors are doing now, the books they
have coming out, etc.
I will send you a final report on the growth of our group, post survey
results and attitude changes.
I do appreciate so much your assistance and continuing dialogue in the
KCStar. It is quite common for someone to ask "Did you see what Vern
said last week about ...?" And what a good conversation we have!
Was hopeful that Daisy Khan might be coming to Kansas City this summer.
Any chance?
J
F writes
Vern, can you explain to me the main source of tension between the Sufis
and the Salafis, or point me to someone who can?
Vern
responds —
As I understand it, to grossly simplify: Sufis are more focused on the
interior spiritual experience (though there have been exceptions) and the
Salafis are concerned to reform Islam with what they understand as original
Qur'anic and Sunnah teachings (as opposed to the system of precedent as
it developed) as the basis of personal and political decisions and behavior.
One form of Salaf is the Wahhabi power in Saudi Arabia, another is the
modernist reform movement in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood. The word "Sufi"
has many meanings. As a movement, it has been in and out of favor with
officials throughout history, but in one sense, many Muslims can claim
to be Sufi insofar as their heart is full of devotion to God. There are
many theological issues that Islamic philosophers and theologians have
dealt with over the centuries concerning whether Sufism is a correct expression
of Islam, so difficulties between Sufis and Salafis are not unique.
I am no expert, and my characterization could be marked with error. For
further direction, you might contact ---, the Muslim member of the Interfaith
Council, or scholar ---, both of whom, as you'll see, are receiving a copy
of this email so they can correct my characterization.
J
F writes again
Thanks, Vern. That helps a lot.
871. 110525 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Teen's actions are an act of faith
I don’t meet many 18-year olds who are
as determined as Russ Helder to become a priest, and even fewer who can
discuss the mystery of entering sacred space and time.
Russ, who graduates this
week from Pembroke Hill School, serves his church as an acolyte, and he
initiated a prison ministry for his church.
I’ve run into Russ many times
in the past year and he is consistently cheerful, even buoyant. When I
asked how he can be so cheerful when the world is full of wickedness and
suffering, he said he is “always depressed about the world.”
His cheer comes from faithfulness
to God in working to make things better. But “rather than letting the reward
for our actions be their results, we see our actions as acts of faith in
themselves.” This means loving others as God loves us — unconditionally,
regardless of results we may or may not see.
Russ interprets “The Maxtrix”
movie as a way of describing the illusory world based on prejudices, desires
and possessiveness that people fight to maintain because they think it
brings happiness.
Ministry, whether by laity
or the ordained, can help free us from these delusions of seeking happiness
in the creation itself, and instead guide us to peace within the love of
the Creator. This love means caring for each other, and applies for people
of all faiths and those of none, Russ says.
Russ, who is mastering Latin
and studying the organ, says that for him worshipping and committing oneself
to the “Lord of Heaven and Earth” is best done through a liturgy with a
heritage of careful design and intellectual stimulation, with the best
offerings of beauty in music, language, movement, gesture and the physical
setting.
Russ especially cherishes
the liturgical churches, Episcopal, Catholic, Lutheran and others, because
of the care they bring to worship, and particularly the experience of God
in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist one enters sacred time when the suffering
and joyous resurrection of Christ are always present and in which we partake
and participate, transforming our everyday lives with sacrificial love.
Last summer Russ studied
the “philosophy of mind” at Stanford University. He traveled to Turkey
on a school trip and to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip. He is
considering school this fall at Macalester College, noted for its
many students from abroad.
Interfaith relationships
“couldn’t be more important” because “no sect has a full grasp of God.
Each religion has things to teach the others, and cooperating in our diversity
brings us closer to the full truth,” he said.
To him and all those now
graduating and considering their vocations: Godspeed.
Trying to change
the world is part of our faithfulness to God, but rather than focusing
on the results of our efforts, the acts of faith are in themselves worthy.
STAR WEBSITE POST
trapblock
Where Peter is, there is the Church. St. Ambrose
870. 110518 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Let's celebrate our differences
I don’t want to be invited to another “interfaith”
event where the keynote speaker drones on, saying that what we have in
common is so much more [important] than our differences.
A recent such speaker cited
her husband as a special person. I wondered why she married that particular
man. Since what we have in common is so much more important than our differences,
why couldn’t she have married me or the man in the office adjoining hers
or just about anyone, male or female?
Actually, I like the differences
between men and women. I like the differences between Hinduism and Islam.
I am grateful that Steely
Dan sounds distinct from Mozart. I like how the new Roxy Paine branching
structure, “Ferment,” outside the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, differs
from the 2,900-year old branches of the Assyrian “Winged Genie Fertilizing
a Date Tree” inside.
I don’t want French cooking
and Chinese and Arthur Bryant’s to taste the same.
You invite me for dinner.
In accepting, I tell you that I have a serious allergy to, say, avocados.
I arrive. You’ve prepared
an elegant avocado-crab-grapefruit salad. I pick around the avocado. Insulted,
you say, “The avocado is food, and like all other food, it is nutritious.
You are being silly, focusing on the difference between the avocado and
the crab.”
But my life depends on noticing
such differences. I’d decline your next invitation.
To tell a Christian that
his faith is really not that much different from a Buddhist’s, or that
what Jews and Sikhs have in common is more important than any difference
between them is as questionable as marrying the next person who gets on
the bus.
I once had a call from someone
who started reading this column. She said she just loved it.
“Why?” I asked. She said
she liked my message that all religions are basically the same. I asked
her how many religions she was acquainted with. She replied she didn’t
need to learn about any religion other than her own because they all say
the same thing.
How would she know?
In the 15 years since that
call, much misinformation about some faiths has multiplied through
the internet and by emails, so I can understand why folks would want to
say to themselves, “Surely this can’t be true. Surely we are basically
the same, and all religions must teach peace and justice.” Yes, they do.
And all people need to eat.
But as our tastes may vary,
so our spiritual diets may differ. [We need not forbid grocers from selling
avocados. Buddhists need not be outlawed.] You don’t get harmony if everyone
sings the same note. Instead of fearing differences, let’s give thanks
for them. Invite me to meetings where our varied paths to the sacred are
displayed and celebrated.
READER COMMENT
C
M writes
A strength of Chrisianity is the development of theological differences
and interpretations within a central framework of belief. This has
been true since the religion's earliest days. In spite of the agreements
at Nicea and Chalcedon early on, the church was able to expand in all directions
under different interpretations of the trinity and the person of Jesus,
for example, in the early Syriac Church . We tend to think
of Western Christianity, and its reformation, and protestant splits in
more modern times, but theological controversy is a hallmark of Christianity
throughout history and the many differences emerging have allowed accomodation
to local interests. There is really no "orthodoxy" in Christianity
and this has made it the most successful religion in the last 100 years.
I await the developments in Asia, Africa and S. America as a new emergent
church evolves.
Vern
responds —
Your point is well taken! In fact, there was probably more diversity --
at least a wider range -- in what Christians thought and practiced within
the First Century than there is today! We tend to think that the
"funnel of belief" has widened over the ages, where the funnel was actually
quite large at the beginning, as the early letters of Paul partly indicate.
And during the Middle Ages, wonderful controversies were maintained within
the church, with the probability that power issues, rather than the filioque
dispute, led to the split in "1054." Certainly the church is changing in
Asian and other cultures (as well as the changing culture in which we live),
and the tension between local adaptations and mondialized proscriptions
will continue. Thank you for pointing this ecumenical parallel to interfaith
experience!
I am interested in your assessment that Christianity has been the most
successful of religions in the past 100 years.
C
M writes again
My source is Diarmaid MacCulloch, author of the recent "Christianity, The
First Three Thousand Years". Writing at the conclusion at page 1016
is this statement. "Most of Christianity's problems at the beginning
of the twenty-first century are the problems of success; in 2009 it has
more than two billion adherents, almost four times its numbers in 1900,
a third of the world's population, and more than half a billion more than
than its current nearest rival, Islam." I recommend the book. MacCulloch's
discussion of early church history in the east is fascinating. Remnants
still exist. Although there is indifference to religion in Europe,
Canada, Australia and much of the United States, there is a cycle of ups
and downs throughout history. Now, too many secularists believe that
Christianity is the enemy. The irony is that many Western values
have been shaped by our religious traditions, a fact often ignored by the
misinformed.
Vern
responds again —
Thanks for the reference!
K
P writes
To be honest Vern, I have to disagree that our differences are more important
than our commonalities. There are many, many differences between us, not
only for you and I, but betwixt all people. I see no need to emphasize
and study and work and worry them like a portion of overwrought bread dough,
and knead it into a tough, tasteless oblivion. If a choirmaster at a European
cathedral were to listen to a ragi (musician) who normally played at the
Golden Temple in Amritsar. He might well appreciate the differences of
tone, scale and rhythm, but i think he might be a bit more interested in
those things he could more readily understand like the meaning of the words
and the way in which they refer to the deity. After that "understanding"
blossoms, then too will appreciation of what is different.
The one thing that I do know with certainty is that Sikhism is as different
from Buddhism as it is from Christianity and Paganism. What I prefer to
glory in is how each of them worships what or if they do "worship"! I think
we all share the common humanity that enables us to recognize the infinite
within the finite. Our world is mortal and temporary and sometimes degrading.
Spiritual pursuits as we find them offer us a respite from the reality
of everyday human behavior such as war, greed, lust, etc. I think to know
that you and I share a common belief in a "better" spirit is comfort and
solace in the face of a life that as the philosopher says, is "nasty, brutal
and short."
I
Vern
responds —
Thank you for taking the trouble to write and share your perspective on
the question of commonalities and differences. I like the fact that your
subject heading uses the words, "I beg to differ!" as you promote the idea
of commonality.
I can only reiterate my point. Yes, it is true that "all religions must
teach peace and justice." -- "And all people need to eat. -- But as our
tastes may vary, so our spiritual diets may differ." I think it is terribly
disrespectful to ignore the special genius and qualities of each faith,
put them in a metaphorical blender and expect them to be alike. I urge
you please to reread the column. I do not think you will find the sentiment
you attribute to me, "that our differences are more important than our
commonalities," appears anywhere in the column. To be it is obvious that
both differences and similarities are important. Take the food analogy.
Obviously my host is correct in saying that all food is nutritious, but
I would also be correct in saying, that in the case of an allergy to avocados,
my life depends on noticing the differences. Similarly, respecting differences
between and among faiths is essential if we are to understand each other.
I seriously question if it is useful for a Hindu vegetarian to ignore the
meaning of the Christian love of the Eucharist, the very body and blood
of Christ, or for an Orthodox Jew to violate his or her prohibition on
blood, or the Muslim to be forced into drinking the wine/blood. These are
not trivial differences but are avenues by which the sacred is disclosed.
This does not mean we must fight; on the contrary, you know that I believe
we are mutually enriched by differences within our common humanity. Please
do not read into my column what I did not say.What I objected to is the
view that commonalities are MORE important than our differences. Again,
to quote myself, this time with emphasis:
"To tell a Christian that his faith is really not that much different than
a Buddhist’s, or that what Jews and Sikhs have in common is MORE important
than any difference between them is as questionable as marrying the next
person who gets on the bus."
I grant that some scholars like my friend Huston Smith often find AT THE
CORE of each faith a commonality. I respect this view, but I disagree because
mysticism is not at the core of normative Christianity, Judaism, or Islam,
for example, even though some might wish it to be. I'm looking at the facts.
And even Smith writes,
How fully has the proponent [of the view that all religions are at their
core the same] tried and succeeded in understanding Christianity’s claim
that Christ was the only begotten Son of God, or the Muslim’s claim that
Muhammad is the Seal of the prophets, or the Jews’ sense of their being
the Chosen People? How does he propose to reconcile Hinduism’s conviction
that this will always remain a ‘middle world’ with Judaism’s promethean
faith that it can be decidedly improved? How does the Buddha’s ‘anatta
doctrine’ of no-soul square with Christianity’s belief in . . . individual
destiny in eternity? How does Theravada Buddhism’s rejection of every form
of personal God find echo in Christ’s sense of relationship to his Heavenly
Father? How does the Indian view of Nirguna Brahman, the God who stands
completely aloof from time and history, fit with the Biblical view that
the very essence of God is contained in his historical acts? Are these
beliefs really only accretions, tangential to the main concern of spirit?
The religions . . . may fit together, but they do not do so easily.
I deeply resent the laziness of people who have decided all religions are
basically alike and then show no interest in learning about them, such
as the caller to which I referred in my column.
Yes, we are all alike -- we are alike in that we are different. To neglect
either pole of this paradox is to demean the richness of humanity and the
divine diversity with which the human race has been blessed.
Again, thank you for initiating an important exchange of perspectives.
Do feel free to complain or comment about the column on The Star's website
or in a letter to the editor. I would be more pleased for additional discussion
of this question to take place than for only my own perspective to be therein
represented.
869. 110511 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Public servants should seek 'great
harmony'
In the polite and
mutually respectful general election mayoral contest between Sly James
and Mike Burke, Confucius would find considerable virtue.
Outside
the Council chambers on the 26th floor of Kansas City City Hall stands
a statue of Confucius, given by sister city Xi’an, China. An inscription
underneath the image reads, in part, “Public officials are selected according
to their wisdom and ability. Mutual confidence is promoted and good neighborliness
cultivated.”
Those
of good character, the quotation continues, “do not like to see wealth
lying idle, yet they do not keep it for their own gratification. They despise
indolence, yet they do not use their energies for their own benefit. .
. . This is called the Great Harmony.”
One
element of “the Great Harmony” is civility. No religion is more explicit
about how one person modeling thoughtfulness can affects the social order
than Confucianism. Decorum, alas, is often absent in politics these days,
but the statue reminds us that real community is not possible without manners.
In
ancient China, the ruler was regarded as the son of Heaven. Confucius
adapted this idea by insisting that a ruler’s success depended on his gravely
and reverently facing south to honor Heaven, which might be roughly translated
into our terms as honoring our cosmic heritage.
Since
the ruler acknowledged he was dependent on something greater than himself,
and thus showed respect, those around the ruler were inclined by his example
to show respect to him. And those around the ruler’s associates showed
respect to them, all the way down to children imitating respect for their
parents and for one another.
Confucius,
of course, wanted the respect to be heart-felt. And now we know from neuroscience
that behaving in a certain way even when we do not feel it can eventually
produce the feeling the ritual behavior indicates.
One
Saturday morning, I opened the mail that had piled up on my desk during
a very busy week. I discovered an urgent matter that required me run a
complicated errand when I had planned on staying home. I was grumpy.
I was
even grumpier when I discovered I needed gas which added another unwelcome
step to my morning itinerary. My tasks now seemed endless.
After
impatiently pumping the gas, I went into the station to pay. The clerk
looked at me, smiled and said, “Good morning.”
I suddenly
realized I had been greeted not as an economic unit but as an actual human
being. The clerk’s polite comportment helped me recover myself. The self
exists only in relationships, honored in even such trivial rituals.
By
the way, the statue on the 26th floor of City Hall faces south.
READER COMMENT
R
D writes
Thank you so much for your column in the K.C. Star this morning about Confucius.
I rarely cut articles out of the newspaper and save them but this one is
now hanging on my refrigerator. It is a reminder of how I can create my
own "trivial rituals" that are inspired by collective traditional rituals
to bring spiritual healing to myself so that I can share it with my community
and to create Sacred space in all that I do. I am not an academic scholar,
a theologian, or even an ecstatic Shaman, but I have learned that no matter
how humble my talents are I have the ability to be a co-creator and to
be a participant in the beauty of nature. Thank you for all of your teachings
and gifts to the Kansas City community.
Vern
responds —
Thank you for your kind email. I am proud to have you as a reader! I'm
glad you especially liked this morning's Confucius column and that it is
on your refrigerator! I like your point that everyone can be a co-creator.
I appreciate your taking the trouble to write, and may many be blessed
by your work.
T
S writes:
Good column. You have a very pleasant, stirring prose style.
Vern
responds —
Thanks for reading the column and for taking the trouble to send me your
kind note!
868. 110504 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Finding meaning in the practice
At springtime each year, my friend John
Shelton asks me “What is the meaning of Easter?” Each year I evade the
question. The words are too difficult.
After hearing the Easter
Vigil sermon of the Rt. Rev. Martin S. Field, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese
of West Missouri, Shelton told me, “I guess we now have an answer.”
Citing award-winning author
Nora Gallagher, Field wondered “whether we in the church spend too much
time discussing whether we do or do not believe in the resurrection, and
by so doing, miss the point.”
The point, Field said, adapting
her phrase, is “practicing resurrection.”
As an example, he told of
Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s response when, during the era of apartheid, the
notorious armed South African Security Police invaded the cathedral where
Tutu, recently released from jail, was preaching. The congregation was
terrified.
Tutu paused, said he served
a greater power, and invited the oppressors to join the “winning side.”
His resurrection message transformed the cowering crowd into such rejoicing
that the astonished police made way for worshippers dancing out of the
cathedral and into the streets. Apartheid’s spiritual cessation ultimately
led to its political end.
Field’s sermon reminded me
of my years at the University of Chicago. One Maundy Thursday during the
Vietnam War, the dean of Rockefeller Chapel invited students into the huge
Gothic chancel. His homily challenged us to ask how we follow Jesus.
The question shook me to
the depths.
Could I partake of the
Eucharistic gifts, to become a member of the body of Christ, unless I were
willing to love as Jesus loved — which meant, at times, condemning the
iniquity of Christ's own age? How could I witness for holiness in the midst
of a war I believed was based on lies, killing multitudes of innocent Vietnamese
and corrupting the political life of our nation? My earlier Navy service
made me especially agonize over those in U.S. uniform being killed and
maimed.
How could I say the war was
over while it raged?
At a Sunday service, with
several other students, I ended my complicity with the war system by surrendering
my draft card, placing it on the altar. The FBI soon contacted me and its
investigation led to my draft board withdrawing my deferment. But eventually,
with millions of others protesting, the war ended.
Whatever our faith or none,
we can be entombed in some remote past, or we can practice living outside
distress or privilege and embrace the call to live beyond ourselves. Not
words but our practice is what counts.
READER COMMENT
P
writes
Thanks for your review of the motion picture "Of Gods and Men." You
might
remember me as having taught for nearly 30 years on the faculty of [seminary].
I am now a Family Brother of the Trappist Order, and am in charge of the
Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center location]. When the event happened in
Algeria, it was a shock to all of us. It is probably as
close
to having saints as our order has had in a century. They were for
real.
I hope all is well with you and your interfaith work.
L
writes
. . . A personal spiritual note has been appearing more in your columns
in recent months, and this morning especially. I hope that many who
have followed the column faithfully, and who have marveled at your reflections
on the doings of all other religious traditions, now appreciate the singularity
and importance of your own experiences. I do and appreciate the sensitivity
of your sharing both privately and publicly. It's the revelation the instructor
in religious studies at the university doesn't have to make.
I don't expect a whit of change in the breadth and depth of your understanding
and appreciation of all traditions, and expect current experiences will
bring increased insight into the way any one tradition can illumine the
divine mysteries (the sacred, what is the most important thing in our lives)
while also being illumined by the shared experience of others. And I expect
the sensitivity of these relationships will also be intensified. . . .
C
M writes
.
. . . I'm keeping up with your column. You're a lot of fun. . . .
C
B writes
I read your column every week in the Kansas City Star and have found them
to be pretty interesting. I appreciate the call to treat all religions
with respect. I did have a question regarding how to do this, particularly
with religions that have competing truth claims. I am most familiar with
those between Christianity, Islam and Mormonism. Each of them claim that
their books are the inspired truth from God/Allah and no other. How does
one from one of those groups show respect toward those of the other even
though that person feels that their books are not truly inspired? How does
someone outside either of those faiths show proper respect toward adherents
of one of those faiths, if one believes that all of the books are fine
and offer truths for us to benefit from? Isn't that disrespectful of their
views toward their "scriptures"? When I say, I love the writings of your
prophets and value them with the writings of these other faiths, aren't
I diminishing their beliefs in some way?
Since you have a lot of experience in interfaith dialogue, I was wondering
how you handle this. Thanks.
Vern
responds —
Christianity and Islam are sprawling traditions, with many viewpoints within.
Many Christians would say that the Bible is the authoritative word of God
mediated through human lives and language, but that does not mean that
scientific and historical statements found in the Bible are there as factual
reports. The Bible demonstrates the stories of God working through the
Hebrew people and, later, the early church, and from those stories (which
are sometimes contradictory in their message, many believe) we have materials
from which to discern God's will for our own time. Following the Gospel
of John, the Word (Logos) is not the Bible but Jesus. Muslims accept the
Bible (the Torah [Tanakh] and the New Testament Testament) as the word
of God, but they often say that the text has been corrupted from its original
form. The Qur'an, almost all Muslims believe, contains the actual words
of God speaking in Arabic. But those words are poetic and subject to much
interpretation (hence for main legal traditions in Sunni Islam alone),
mediated by the Sunna/the Hadith, etc. The Qur'an occupies a place in Islamic
thought much as Jesus does in Christianity, so a comparison of Bible to
Qur'an is apples and oranges. I know many Christians who cheerfully grant
that the Qur'an is inspired and almost all Muslims would grant that the
Bible is inspired. The Qur'an commands respect for "people of the Book,"
originally interpreted to be Jews and Christians, and later enlarged to
include Zoroastrians, etc. One passage says that God created different
peoples so they could know (benefit from) each other; the differences are
created by God. Historically, Christians have been less tolerant, sometimes
murderously exclusive (think Spain in 1492, for example), though nowadays
the media present an opposite picture. From my travels and studies, it
seems to me that the historical pattern still holds, but with severe exceptions.
Your question can be approached from many angles with different answers,
so here I am just proposing one because I have much on my desk to attend
to yet today. Christians say God is love. Imitating God certainly includes
loving those who are different from us.
You are not ultimately responsible for the feelings of others. No Muslim
I know feels diminished if I place the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita or the
Heart Sutra on the same level as the Qur'an, nor need anyone, any more
than my enjoying both Chinese and Italian food need insult the Chinese
or the Italian. Getting to this place of mutual respect is what interfaith
work is about, building friendships. In Kansas City metro I am fortunate
to have received awards of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and
Buddhist communities, and never once have I been asked to hold their scriptures
superior to my own. Conversion is not an issue.
I do not know enough about Mormonism and its many splinter groups to make
appropriate comment.
A 2-page text about interfaith in Kansas City: http://www.cres.org/pubs/UnityMag2011MarApr.htm
A link to some thoughts about interfaith work: http://www.cres.org/pubs/primers.htm
A serialized explanation of why I think it is important: http://www.cres.org/pubs/WorldReligsPiecesOrPattern.htm
Thanks for writing. I appreciate knowing you read my column. I'll keep
your questions in mind and perhaps over the course of time be able to address
bits and pieces of an answer to your inquiry better than I have just now.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
The disciples were transformed by their conviction that God had raised
him up, many giving their lives in witness to this truth; such a commitment
is impossible from a conspiracy of fond hopes. - Thomas H. Groome
JonHarker
"Each year I evade the questions".
Yep, Vern, thats what I have always said.
And yet you keep writing about it. And its amusing how you shift from that
to a political rant about the Vietnam war, and give a confused account
of your military service.
Since you are rambling, I will ask, do you know many of the members of
the local Vietnamese Community...like those who had to run for their lives
after the Communists took over and began slaughtering people? Even the
liberal media admit that there were mass executions, and I have talked
to people who saw it.
What do you like best about the Communist system? Its Official Atheism
or its outright attempts to eliminate religion?
JonHarker
As Vern admits, each year he evades the question.
And in doing so, although he does not realize it, he gives his answer.
867. 110427 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Nuns' prayers fill an empty space
Without the nuns, Kansas City would not
be as it is — in providing for the poor, in peace-making, in education,
in career transition, in health care, in human rights, in representing
humane and loving concerns.
One of Kansas City’s own,
Sister of Mercy Donna Ryan, whose multiple ministries include work through
St. James Catholic Church on Troost, recently joined 40 other members of
her order in Phoenix to pray at St. Joseph Medical Center.
This is the hospital where
a decision in late 2009 to save the life of a 27-year old mother of four
led to the excommunication of Sister Margaret McBride who served on the
ethics panel deciding that the woman’s emergency medical condition required
termination of her 11-week pregnancy.
After Phoenix Bishop Thomas
J. Olmsted learned of the procedure, he announced that the nun was “automatically
excommunicated.” He stated that “an unborn child is not a disease. . .
. The Catholic Church will continue to defend life and proclaim the evil
of abortion without compromise, and must act to correct even her own members
if they fail in this duty.”
New York Times columnist
Nicholas D. Kristof quoted a doctor at the hospital saying that McBride
“is a kind, soft-spoken, humble, caring, spiritual woman whose spot in
heaven was reserved years ago. . . . The idea that she could be ex-communicated
after decades of service to the Church and humanity literally makes me
nauseated.”
Four Sisters of Mercy founded
the hospital in 1895 especially for the poor. Because of this case, Bishop
Olmsted decreed that the hospital could no longer be considered Catholic.
Although it remains part of the Catholic Healthcare West system, Mass is
no longer celebrated in the chapel where Ryan and her sisters gathered
to pray, she said.
The gathering was not only
a gesture of solidarity among the sisters but also an opportunity to renew
their commitment to their mission of serving others.
While this particular service
of saving a mother’s life led to emptying the hospital of a proclaimed
Catholic presence, Ryan composed a poem, used at the gathering, that reinterprets
that emptiness:
“Empty space is not absent
space. Empty space is purified, prepared for presence. Stripped of all
that takes attention to the surface of things. We are left rather to hunger
for the depth of within-ness. . . . Space that is empty makes room for
Transforming Light,” she wrote.
Whether you side with the
Sisters of Mercy or with the bishop, the quiet presence of the nuns from
all over the country praying in a room emptied of Catholic sacrament, may
seem, paradoxically, holy. I’m glad Kansas City was well represented.
READER COMMENT
P
D writes
Thank you so much for this morning's column in the "Kansas City Star'.
I can't think of anyone group that is doing a better job of alienating
Catholics than the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. In addition
to the excommunication of Sr. Margaret McBride the Vatican investigation
of women religious orders only in the US is another travesty.
Vern
responds —
I really appreciate your taking the trouble to write me and let me know
the column was meaningful to you. I read the independent theological analysis
of the situation requested by the bishop. It was a thorough study of the
situation with application of Catholic teaching. It came down squarely
on the side of McBride, and yet the bishop, like much in the Church, seems
immune to either reason or a common sense of basic human feeling. I am
so sorry the faithful women religious have to be examined by the patriarchy.
J
S writes
Thanks so much for your sensitive article. How sad Bishop Olmsted is so
caught up in the letter of the rule, rather than the sprit. Years
ago I was given a very thick procedural manual . On the first page
in large letters it said “Nothing in this Manual supersedes the use of
common sense. “
In a related item, a recent PEW research study revealed that the largest
Christian group is the Roman Catholic, second place to the Baptist, third
place former Catholics.
Vern
responds —
I really appreciate your taking the trouble to write me and let me know
the column was meaningful to you. Bishop Olmsted requested an independent
theological analysis of the situation. It was a superb and thorough study
of the application of Catholic teaching. It came down squarely on the side
of McBride, and yet the bishop, like much in the Church, seems immune to
either basic human feeling or the common sense your procedural manual began
with. I had not seen the Pew study; thanks for mentioning it! -- No wonder
that the third largest faith group consists of former Catholics -- what
a shame for such a wonderful and rich tradition to be abused so often by
many of those in the current hierarchy. My faithful Catholic friends keep
telling me, "The Church is not the hierarchy; it is the people," but a
lot of the people get discouraged by the clear bull-headed and mean nonsense
such as demonstrated by Olmsted.
D
R writes
The article was perfect.
J
K writes
Hi Vern, I’m not sure if you remember me but we met years ago while I was
serving as the . . . . I was impressed with your perspective and
the breadth and depth of your knowledge when we met, and I have followed
your column over the years and enjoy it very much. I can’t begin to tell
you how many times I have read one of your columns and have said
to myself, “You ought to send him a note and tell him how much you enjoy
his perspective and efforts to get us to think.” I thought the same thing
when reading your recent column about Sister Ryan and her efforts with
the St. Joe Medical Center in Arizona. I remember being outraged by the
actions of the bishop back then, and was glad you wrote about the recent
activity of Sister Ryan. Thank you for all you do!
Vern
responds
—
I do remember you with pleasure and gratitude, and now I write with added
pride in knowing you are one my faithful readers! I was glad Sister Donna
Ryan permitted me to write about the situation as I am certain her witness
is creating some discomfort in certain circles. I am glad for your a sense
of moral outrage, and thankful for your contributions to civic life and
particularly . . . .
H
M writes
I too am glad we were represented. Well written.
Vern
responds —
Thank you for letting me know the column was meaningful to you. We are
fortunate to have Sr Ryan in Kansas City, and many other devoted workers
of faith.
I appreciate your taking the trouble to write me!
J
B writes
Your today's column is excellent as usual. My father's family was
Catholic and I grew close to a great aunt, a teaching nun who would visit
from Texas in the summer. I also took piano lessons from the nuns.
I'm sure you can guess that I consider the excommunication of Sister Margaret
McBride terribly poor judgment.
Vern
responds —
Thank
you for your thoughts about my column in today's paper. I read the independent
theological analysis of the situation requested by the bishop. It was a
thorough study of the situation with application of Catholic teaching.
It came down squarely on the side of McBride, and yet the bishop, like
much in the Church, seems immune to either reason or a common sense of
basic human feeling. Would that the patriarchy kept a closer eye on pedophile
priests.
M
S writes
I was so pleased to read your article in the Wednesay edition of the Kansas
City Star regarding the Nun's prayers.
T
M writes
Another good column yesterday. I like the deft touch you employ so
easily and regularly. I’d be inclined to just bash the church for
its over-the-top actions, which isn’t nearly as effective as your approach.
A
J writes
Thanks,
Vern, for the copy of your column on the Nuns' prayers. It's terrific.
A
L writes
Loved your column...Donna Ryan is a personal friend and it was lovely to
see her and her sisters written about as only you can! Thank you
for giving time to such wonderful everyday acts of GOODNESS and COMPASSION....
Vern
responds —
I'm grateful to Sr Donna for giving me permission to write about the prayers
she and her sisters offered. Thanks for writing!
I
M writes
How is your spring progressing?? Tired of rain yet? or welcoming every
reminder that everyday it is getting further and further from being cold
enough to snow?
With the change of seasons always comes a strong current of significant
events. I have recently lost 2 employees, one to cancer, and one
apparently took his own life.. I have a grandfather who is in and out of
hospitalization these past weeks, as is the same situation with 4 of my
friends, slowly but surely losing loved ones.. Everywhere around me, I
see currents of similar behaviors and situations flowing in a synchronous
migration that rises to the surface long enough to be noticed, then fades
from view again, sometimes as abrupt and brief as the behavior of drivers
on a single night on my way to work (6 cars blew by me tonight on my way
to work doing at least 20 mph over the speed limit and flow of traffic,
all driving dangerously, cutting lanes, tailgating, passing on the shoulder..
normally there is only 1 or 2) ..
Sure, calendar events play a role in behaviors, as do local influences
such as concerts or promotions that encourage or influence behavior in
a predictable or parallel fashion, but I am more and more convinced that
there is definitely more at play than just the superficial stimulants and
explanations for these synchronous changes in behavior. Years ago,
my cousin wrote to me about my thoughts on synchronicity. Her timing
was amusing because I had recently been musing on why some events all come
to fruition at the same time and how it resembles the output of a refinement
process or program. My cousin and I used to talk a lot about philosophical
and spiritual matters, but at that time we had not spoken for over a year,
and that pattern seems to be holding even today. She and I are on
opposite poles of spiritual inquiry and explorations, yet we keep coming
to the same topics and the same revaluations in synchronous cycles.
I may seem to be rambling here, but in the interests of keeping this as
brief as possible (I certainly do respect your time and attention) I am
just hitting the high points of the thought processes and personal notes
that bring me to the point of committing my thoughts to (virtual) paper...
A group of nuns, praying in an empty room.. a place stripped of blessing,
and cleansed of distraction.. spirituality in humans is changing again,
(some more) like it did in many dark chapters of human "history".
My problem is that although I feel this change in the wind, I have no idea
where it will take me, or you, or any of us.. (I gave up tarot cards for
Lent).. I feel like a sailor on a dark and moonless night, knowing there
is a storm somewhere, but having no idea when it will overtake me or where
it might send me. In this moment, yes, I am concerned. Worry
about the future, those I care about, those close to me, nags at my mind,
but at the same time I am energized, alert, watchful.. I both dread and
anticipate with excitement the wave that I feel building in world events,
disasters, politics, right down to personal experience at work and home..
something is moving in the dark just beyond my vision and every sense I
have is screaming at me to be more alert than I have ever been in my life.
My question is;
Could it be that something is about to happen? that like every other animal
on this planet I am responding to subtle changes that awaken instincts
bred into every animal that has evolved to survive on this planet?
Or
Is something happening to ME to make things I observe seem more significant
and present a perception of impending significance?
I hope some of this makes sense.. it would take me pages and pages to tie
everything together neatly and bring you to where I am in some semblance
of organized communication. I just want to type an e-mail, not a
doctoral thesis.. and I am certain you would probably prefer some lighter
subject matter once in a while.. I suppose you are constantly bombarded
with people coming to you for answers.. and while I am happy enough to
seek my own answers, I sometimes like to know if I am wandering out in
left field .. and I don't really even like baseball..
Maybe I just need a bonfire, a well companied bed under a starry sky, and
a new tattoo..
Vern
responds —
I
enjoyed reading your poetic email up until the point you put me on the
spot by asking my opinion! If you removed your question marks, you would
be like one of the Hebrew prophets who beautifully expressed the quandary
of his time. Alas, I am no prophet! but I understand both the personal
and social/global portents -- but what do they mean?
About
all I can offer are
1.
This link to a recent NYTimes
column referring to Yeat's famous poem, The Second Coming: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/opinion/26iht-edcohen26.html
2.
the What Is Synchonicity The Movie web site link, at the end of my "signature"
below.
3.
my opinion that there are more than enough tattoos already.
Please
send me any answers as they occur to you!
Vern
Cast
member of future WhatIsSynchonicityTheMovie
I
M
writes again
Glad to hear from you. I always get a nice little jolt seeing a response
in my inbox, much preferred to the sea of spam trying to convince me to
make parts of myself bigger or smaller, humans are funny animals.. .. I
suppose that means I respect your insight and opinions enough to be excited
whether you agree with me or not, so long as we "talk".. thank you for
that.
I also got some unexpected input yesterday morning from a facebook friend,
--- in ---.. she had posted a really interesting photo of the setting sun
casting shadows through her window, and we were musing about what we saw
in the light and shadows projected on the wall.. I checked the thread tonight
for further comments and there was a link to "Interfaith of Topeka" on
her wall, so I clicked it.. top post on that wall is a link to "Synchronized
Universe" posted by Jackie Lakin.. made me smile that my unfolding topic
is a relative discussion of itself.. from my point of view anyway.
So it appears that 2 things are front and center in my experience these
days..
1. Synchronicity, cause, effect, or both.. I think I still have something
I blasted down on paper shortly after talking to my cousin about the topic
several years ago.. I may revisit that and see how I feel about it now...
2.The significance of Interfaith Relationships, what my role is as an over-opinionated
layman, and where to find fellowship to explore it..
Many years ago now, my wife and I have had some very negative experiences
that ended our relationship with an organized "church" but, from some late
night conversations this weekend, we both feel the need to find fellowship
somewhere.. we just approach it with terrible trepidation.
I appreciate your time spent reading my many rants and musings and offering
your comments. I did impose a bit by asking your opinion, but sometimes
I feel that I talk to much and ask too few questions.. I don't believe
I expected a pat answer, but exactly what you generously offered.. a direction
and resources from which to draw my own conclusions on a topic at the front
of my mind.
Thank you Vern, yer allright..
Oh, and if there was any spiritual significance attached to just 1 percent
of the tattoos out there today, interfaith spirituality would have more
of a mainstream following than Oprah. Ink, piercings, scarification,
sweat lodges.. our ancestors used these things as milestones, markers on
a life journey, focal points from which to find a path through an unsure
and frightening journey through life... if only those willing to endure
such an ordeal for a fad, would find something of relevance for their life.
Pity really.. I mourn lost potential wherever I see it.
Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.. or is that "gather ye rosebuds while
ye may.."
Vern
responds again —
A beautiful day to recall the Herrick poem!
I live steps from a tattoo parlor, and I remember being tempted by my peers
on leave in the Navy. You are right about so much religious symbolism in
tattoos. I found this old column meditating in part on Sean Vasquez and
his Sacred Body Arts Emporium:
186. 980318 THE STAR’S HEADLINE: Are fashion and faith a search for
identity?
NEW YORK—In 1970 the Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima demonstrated his traditional
values by seppuku,
The video is part of a show of the work of Gianni Versace, the famed designer,
murdered last year.
Versace said, “I think beauty will save the world.” But these extravagant
dresses seem more the “insulting splendor of the rich,” a phrase Georges
Bataille uses in his essay on expenditures, rather than the path to redemption.
In his Theory of Religion, Bataille says faith is “the search for lost
intimacy.” The excess of the video and the rest of the exhibition suggests
that fashion is used to create a personal identity by drawing attention
to oneself. To some extent we all do this.
But does the fashion which draws attention [to ourselves] ultimately [reveal
us or conceal us,] recover or defeat faith and intimacy?
Now on Canal Street, I meet Sean Vasquez at his Sacred Body Arts Emporium.
Vasquez, whose tattoo work is documented [even in a Russian magazine],
shows me his arm which displays both the Christian Virgin of Guadalupe
and the Buddhist figure Manjusri.
As I talk with him and his staff, and mentally review what I know of tribal
cultures, I think that perhaps tattooing, like fashion, is a search for
personal identity.
Will fashion and tattoos save us? Do they help us to discover sincerit
ritual disembowelment. Here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a video
portrays his suicide with fashion pumps cascading from the actor’s abdomen.
It mocks Mishima’s ultimate sincerity. y and lost intimacy? or do they
distract us?
I share the worry that the tattoo replaces the real ordeal.
STAR LETTER|TO THE EDITOR (PRINT
EDITION)
Don’t
take relativist path
In Vern Barnet’s column in the April 27th Star, he expresses sympathy with
a nun excommunicated from the church. The excommunication stemmed from
her decision while working at a Catholic hospital to allow an abortion
for a woman in an emergency medical crisis.
This situation brought to mind a childhood friend, who was advised by her
doctor to have an abortion because he believed her child would be born
disabled. My friend’s belief in the sanctity of life would not allow her
to follow through on that advice. Months later her child was born healthy
and whole.
I realize these situations are not direct comparisons, in that my friend’s
health was never threatened. Mr. Barnet’s judgmental column is a typical
relativistic response. It did not specify the end result, though the assumption
implied that the mother’s life was spared. That is cause for joy.
But this nun took a relativist’s route. We’ll never know if there would
be twice the joy had she not played God.
Relativism is a very slippery slope. The church has remained consistent
in its position of supporting life. I suspect that is why she was excommunicated.
Joyce Kallenberger, Weatherby Lake
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
Abortion is evil any time... any where.
"Dr. Paul A. Byrne, Director of Neonatology and Pediatrics at St. Charles
Mercy Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, disputes the claim that an abortion is
ever a procedure necessary to save the life of the mother, or carries less
risk than birth.
Dr. Byrne said, "I don't know of any [situation where abortion is necessary
to save the life of the mother].
"I know that a lot of people talk about these things, but I don't know
of any. The principle always is preserve and protect the life of the mother
and the baby."
Byrne has the distinction of being a pioneer in the field of neonatology,
beginning his work in the field in 1963 and becoming a board-certified
neonatologist in 1975. He invented one of the first oxygen masks for babies,
an incubator monitor, and a blood-pressure tester for premature babies,
which he and a colleague adapted from the finger blood pressure checkers
used for astronauts.
Byrne emphasized that he was not commentating on what the woman's particular
treatment should have been under the circumstances, given that she is not
his patient.
"But given just pulmonary hypertension, the answer is no" to abortion,
said Byrne.
Byrne emphasized that the unborn child at 11 weeks gestation would have
a negligible impact on the woman's cardiovascular system. He said that
pregnancy in the first and second trimesters would not expose a woman with
even severe pulmonary hypertension - which puts stress on the heart and
the longs - to any serious danger.
"The only reason to kill the baby at 11 weeks is because it is smaller,"
which makes the abortion easier to perform, he said, not because the mother's
life is in immediate danger.
"I've done this work just about as long as neonatology has existed," said
Byrne. "The key is we must protect and preserve life, and we have to do
that from conception to the natural end."
-
Peter J. Smith
If abortion isn't wrong, what is wrong? - Mother Theresa
VERN
responds —
"On August 5, 2010, Bishop Olmsted requested that CHW obtain an independent
moral analysis of the case. He specified that the analysis be 'based upon
the objective and universally valid moral principles in play, and their
application in this most grave situation, to the moral analysis provided
by the NCBC [the National Catholic Bioethics Center from which the bishop
also requested a moral analysis]. Understandably, such moral principles
would be consistent with, in particular, the teaching of Veritatis Splendor
and Evangelium Vitae." -- from the Catholic Healthcare West website
An
Independent Moral Analysis by Therese Lysaught, PhD, is a 24-page, single-spaced
document, with copious footnotes and citations, historical and contemporary,
presenting a view supporting the decision to save the life of the mother.
The parents eagerly desired the pregnancy to be successful and at first
resisted an intervention. The presentation in the comment above ignores
two medical conditions that complicated the pulmonary hypertension. The
Analysis concludes:
"It
is my opinion that the intervention performed at St. Joseph’s Hospital
and Medical Center on November 5, 2009 cannot properly be described as
an abortion. The moral object of the intervention was to save the life
of the mother. The death of the fetus was, at maximum, non-direct and praeter
intentionem. More likely, the fetus was already dying due to the pathological
situation prior to the intervention; as such, it is inaccurate to understand
the death of the fetus as an accessory consequence to the intervention.
I conclude that St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center acted in accord
with the Ethical and Religious Directives, Catholic moral tradition, and
universally valid moral precepts, in working to respect the sanctity and
dignity of life, first doing what they could to foster the lives of both
the mother and the child and then, when it was clear the child had begun
the dying process, to do what they could to save the mother."
The
full Analysis can be found on the Catholic Healthcare West website or I
will forward it or the
link to anyone contacting me through the email address at the end of
my column.
VOR
I firmly believe that St. Joseph’s Medical Center took the morally correct
action in terminating the pregnancy. That said, I also think this statement
by Therese Lysaught is absolute nonsense: “it is inaccurate to understand
the death of the fetus as an accessory consequence to the intervention.”
Given the Q&A below from the Catholic Healthcare West website, it is
abundantly clear that the medical personnel knew that the death of the
fetus was an accessory consequence to the intervention. Tragically, this
was yet one more situation where people had no good options to choose from.
Q. Would St. Joseph’s do the same thing again? Is there anything you could
have done differently?
A. In this tragic case, the treatment necessary to save the mother’s life
required the termination of an 11-week pregnancy. Had there been a way
to save both the mother and the fetus, we would have done it. We are convinced
there was not. We would do the same thing again.
VERN
responds —
As I understand it, the fetus was dying before the intervention. Therefore,
given the theological apparatus of the Catholic Church, which Dr Lysaught
details, the death of the fetus was not caused by the intervention and
therefore was not an accessory consequence thereof. Dr Lysaught discusses
this matter in the context of language used by Pius XII, Aquinas, William
J. Murphy, Jr.'s insights into Veritatis Splendor, Fr. Martin Rhonheimer,
and Germain Grisez. The question of "accessory consequence" is not just
a physical but more a moral issue, and in Catholic theology can appear
to be somewhat technical. I am no expert on Catholic theology, but as I
understand the situation with respect to the teachings of the church, the
death of the fetus was not an accessory consequence of the intervention.
VOR
I appreciate your civil response, and I will try to be relatively brief
in my response. We agree that St. Joseph’s took the correct action in terminating
the pregnancy. We apparently disagree on the appropriate way to defend
the hospital’s actions. You wrote “given the theological apparatus of the
Catholic Church, which Dr Lysaught details, the death of the fetus was
not caused by the intervention.” First, there is absolutely no doubt that
the intervention was the immediate cause of the fetus’ death. At the point
of the intervention, the fetus may have been “dying,” but it was not yet
“dead.” I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that aspect of things played
a role in the bishop’s actions. I assume that, at a minimum, he wanted
the hospital to give the fetus longer to live in hopes that the situation
would miraculously improve. In any event, the bishop obviously does not
believe that the theological apparatus of the Catholic Church justified
the hospital’s actions.
Second, just from briefly reading Lysaught’s and others’ writings, this
whole debate on exactly how the theological apparatus pertains to abortions
seems dangerously close to degenerating into the equivalent of “how many
angels can dance on the head of a pin?” Many of the distinctions they make
between acceptable and unacceptable terminations of pregnancy seem extremely
arbitrary, and more focused on academic dueling than the reality that the
lives of a mother and fetus were at risk.
To me, the issue is heartbreaking but simple. Given that the mother was
almost certainly going to die if the pregnancy continued, the induced abortion
was the morally correct decision. I don’t need legions of theologians and
lawyers to figure that out for me.
VERN
responds —
Two points and a summary:
1. I am not a Catholic theologian, and I am simply reporting and trying
in brief to explain the result of the independent Catholic evaluation.
2. I certainly can understand why the distinctions sometimes made can be
regarded as splitting hairs or arguing about how many angels can dance
on the head of a pin. However, this was the kind of analysis the bishop
requested; and the news, it seems to me, whether you appreciate the technical
analysis or not, is that the bishop disregarded the assessment he requested.
In the column, I am not defending or criticizing the theological basis
on which the procedure was justified or condemned. Although I'm not sure
the actual medical facts are fully factored, I appreciate your perspective
and respect your disagreement with the theologian's independent analysis,
though I also admire the integrity of that effort within the Roman Catholic
tradition.
Thank you for writing with obvious concern and intelligence.
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITES
India
Times
NEB
Roadrunner
Wopular
866. 110420 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
A terror movie of another kind
There is no better day than Good Friday
for the prize-winning film, “Of Gods and Men” to open here at the Tivoli
Cinemas. Christians and Muslims will want to see it, as will anyone interested
in living spiritually with the terror of our age.
Based on events in the 1990s
in Algeria, the film shows how French Cistercian monks serving a poor Muslim
community are caught between a military government and terrorists who slaughter
foreign workers.
As the movie begins, the
affection among the monks and the Muslims is signaled when a boy’s father
invites the monk physician, and all the monks, to a khatna (circumcision)
celebration.
In a surprisingly lyrical
scene, we see a young Muslim woman, urged by her father to marry a certain
young man, confide in one of the monks. She asks him, “How do you know
when you’re in love?”
The monk replies, “There’s
something inside you that comes alive. The presence of someone. It’s irrepressible
and makes your heart beat faster, usually. It’s an attraction, a desire.
It’s very beautiful. No use in asking too many questions. It just happens.
Things are as usual, then suddenly — happiness arrives, or the hope of
it.”
She asks, “Have you been
in love?”
“Several times,” says the
monk. “And then I encountered another love, even greater. And I answered
that love. It’s been a while now,” he says, referring to his sixty years
as a monk.
As the story progresses that
love is tested unto death.
Quotations from the Qur’an
and the simple music of monastic daily devotions frame this film with a
spiritual maturity, eloquence and relevance far, far deeper than Mel Gibson’s
“The Passion of the Christ.”
On Christmas eve, the abbot
turns back the sudden demands of the terrorists by asserting the monastery
will admit no one with guns. But he cannot control what happens outside.
At one meal, one monk reads
the following as the others eat:
“Accepting our powerlessness
and our extreme poverty is an invitation, an urgent appeal to create with
others relationships not based on power. . . .
“Weakness in itself
is not a virtue. (It expresses) a fundamental reality which must constantly
be refashioned by faith, hope and love.
“The apostle’s weakness is
like Christ’s, rooted in the mystery of Easter . . . . It is neither passivity
nor resignation. It requires great courage and incites one to defend justice
and truth and to denounce the temptation of force and power,” the text
concludes.
This message of fulfillment
by making oneself empty through service answers the spiritual poverty of
our age.
NOTES:
*** Trappists form the Order
of Cistercians of the Strict Observance.
*** According to the filmmaker's
press materials, 2009 November 20, "Declassification of certain French
documents, after the former French Defense Attaché in Algiers affirms
that the seven monks were the victims of a mistake make by the Algerian
army," and not by the terrorist group."
*** The book The Monks
of Tibhirine by John W. Kiser contains Ibrahim Younessi's analysis
that "Islam says you can kill only those who threaten you.You never kill
women, children or religious people unless they are themselves in combat."
READER COMMENT
P B writes
Your movie review was very intriguing (Of Gods and Men), particularly,
the reference to Mel Gibson’s movie. . . . [Gibson] and his father have
the most amazing vision of Christianity, which almost disregards the resurrection
in favor of this horror-filled Passion, replete with thinly-veiled anti-Semitic
references. There is something almost childish in their relationship
to their faith in which unfortunately I find many Catholics are stuck.
Somewhere around the fourth grade, they memorized the Baltimore Catechism
and feel that would nurture them for the rest of their lives.
Catholics like to brush off their Latin for the season so, “Resurrexit
sicut dixit!” He has risen as he said he would or something like
that. Not sure about Episcopalians!
Vern
responds —
I agree with you about Mel's approach to Christianity. I got more mail
from the column I wrote
about "The Passion of the Christ" than anything I've ever written.
One of my favorite Episcopalians favors the Latin, but the chancel window
(photo attached) at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral uses -- you guessed
it -- English. But I do like the way the word "risen" is placed above the
others!
Thanks for reading my column and for writing!
E
M writes
Your column in the KC Star is one of my favorites and I've been a faithful
reader of yours for years.
I am increasingly distressed with negative, divisive comments regarding
Sharia law and am asking you to explain it more fully. I'm searching
for specifics. Are there readings you could suggest as reference material?
What does Sharia law command of the Muslim people? How do you interpret
what it means in terms of "threatening" the American way of life?
Thank you for your time and the light you are able to shine on this topic.
Vern
responds —
Thank you for your kind words. I am proud to have you as a reader!
I want at some point to do a column on Sharia. I've sketched some thoughts
at
http://www.cres.org/star/star2010.htm#sharia
(left-hand column)
and
I've included several articles below my own summary which come at the question
from different perspectives.
If you have any difficulty accessing this material, write me again, please.
I hope this is useful. Please let me know.
Again, thank you for reading my column faithfully!
A
L writes
I read your column and just had to go see the movie....invited my friend,
Pat, also! It was powerful...
I also asked a women's group that I belong to to see it and we are going
to talk about it at our next session, so I need your help! First
of all, I didn't quite understand the letter that was written in the movie
...who
wrote it and to whom was it sent......we also couldn't tell which other
monk had stayed behind with the elderly one who hid under the bed?
WHat kinds of questions or thoughts would you suggest for me to give the
women ahead of time so our sharing can be RICH and MEANINGFUL for us....
HOpe EASter is cracking open with lots of ALLELUIAS of different colors,
textures and meanings for you!
much peace,.... I continue to read your column faithfully.....thank you
always for the challenge and wisdom and knowing that you share.......
Vern
responds
—
. . . .
I need to see the movie again before trying to answer your question about
the letter. As I remember, a letter was sent to urge someone to leave the
country but the person didn't have a photo required for obtaining a passport.
Or was there another letter, later in the movie?
I attach the presskit which has some interesting material you may wish
to share. The questions below may generate others. These are off the top
of my head, and it's been several weeks since I previewed the movie.
1. What scene sticks most in your mind? What was the most threatening scene
for you? What was the most inspirational? What did you not understand or
found confusing?
2. Did Christian do the right thing in refusing to help the terrorists
when they arrived on Christmas Eve? Should he have acted without consulting
the other monks? How did his leadership change during the movie?
2. Have you ever been in a situation where you or something you valued
greatly was threatened and you were uncertain about what to decide how
to respond to the situation?/ If you had been the monks, how would you
have voted? -- to stay or leave?
3. What was appealing to you about monastic life? the service, being
close to the ground, the daily offices, the people's love of the monks?
4. What does the movie say about how Christians and Muslims, when left
unmolested by oppressive governments and violent opposition groups, can
live together?
5. According to a recent report, as I understand it, the monks were killed
by mistake by the government, not the terrorists. Does that make a difference
in considering this movie based on history made before this fact came out?
6. How would you have responded to the young girl who asked, "Have you
ever been in love?"
7. The column quotes most of a passage read during a meal about powerlessness
for Christians. Do you think this message accurately expresses Christian
/ religious insights? Why is such an approach so unusual in our secular
culture? How does one respond to a culture where human relationships
are often based on power and the economic and political system is also
based on power, exploitation, deception, and greed?
-----------
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/21
‘Of
Gods and Men’: Humanity amid the horror | 3½ stars
By
ROBERT W. BUTLER
The
Kansas City Star
Lambert Wilson plays Brother Christian, abbot of a small Trappist monastery
in wartorn Algeria.
Durng the 1996 Algerian civil war, Islamic rebels kidnapped several Trappist
monks and beheaded them.
You might expect the film based on the incident, “Of Gods and Men,” to
be the tremendously dramatic story of pious men bravely facing death in
the name of their religion.
And it is. Sort of.
But filmmaker Xavier Beauvois is far less interested in the monks’ deaths
than in their lives.
The bulk of this sublimely beautiful work simply depicts the brothers going
about their daily chores. They garden, prepare meals, harvest honey and
sell it at a local bazaar. Several times each day they gather in the chapel
of their modest monastery for prayer and chanting.
Most important, they serve others, providing desperately needed medical
services to the impoverished villagers who share their wooded mountain.
The film is less melodramatic than observational — it reminds of the superb
documentary “Into Great Silence.” It’s an attempt to capture the essence
of monasticism: self-sacrifice, introspection, obedience and achingly lovely
moments of quiet brotherhood.
The film’s only onscreen violence comes early when armed jihadists show
up at a construction site manned by a Croatian crew and methodically slash
the guest workers’ throats.
News of the atrocity quickly reaches the Trappists — Frenchmen who realize
their tenuous position in this former French colony. These noncombatants
are caught in the middle, beholden to neither the secular government nor
the Islamic rebels. In fact, both sides see the European holy men as interlopers.
Over meals the brothers discuss their situation. Some say that they never
signed on for martyrdom, that they’re thinking of going back to France.
Others are resigned to whatever fate awaits them; they won’t abandon the
people who depend upon them or the faith that sustains them.
When a rebel leader demands that the monastery’s doctor treat a wounded
comrade, the brothers face a conundrum. By providing medical care, they
may be defying the will of the Algerian government, but are they also fulfilling
the will of God?
Two characters stand out. The head monk, Christian (Lambert Wilson), is
a quiet middle-aged man who leads by example. He stays up late studying
the Qur’an, not because he hopes to convert the locals but because he wants
to better understand the people he has vowed to serve.
The aged Luc (Michael Lonsdale), the monastery’s physician, daily treats
dozens of patients. He doesn’t seem all that God-fearing. Luc might even
be an old humanist — he can be grumpy toward his fellow monks and at one
point lets fly with a string of profanities. But he has endless patience
with the women and children who inundate his clinic.
While the film gravitates around these two individuals, it’s obvious that
extreme care has been taken in casting all the roles. Fear, resignation,
amusement, concern — these haunting faces don’t need much dialogue to definitively
nail their characters.
There is terror in this film, certainly. But what you’ll remember about
“Of Gods and Men” is its joyful depiction of brotherhood. Dying in such
company might not be so bad.
A
L writes again
My Spiritual Sisterhood had a wonderful morning with "Of Gods and Men"...thank
you for all of your input.....Now I have suggested that we do the same
with the film I AM...I saw it and was so moved!
So now I am once again seeking any kind of reflection that you might help
us with...in particular there were so many quotes used....Rumi, Emerson,
etc.....and I was wondering if you have seen anything written about this
film that would include any of this kind of input...it was dark in the
theater and there was no way to write anything...plus...I was so immersed
and just trying to keep up with the next thought that was coming......The
SUN is SHINING today.....
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
Father Robert Barron (of You Tube fame) suggests with the scriptural title
(check your old testament) the message is a warning to 'false gods' and
the evil done in their name. Take that however you like. Contrasted with
the freedom of complete trust in Jesus Christ in the face of said false
gods.
Perhaps a re-viewing is in order as this art might even be edgier than
you thought...
Vern
responds —
Actually the title of the film comes from Psalm 82 (81 in the Vulgate),
verses 6 and 7:
"You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men
you shall die, and fall like any prince."
I previewed the film several times before writing the column and transcribing
the English text that I used from the subtitles. The film is indeed "edgy."
trapblock
I apologize Vern. My last comment was snotty and unnecessary.
I know you are well versed in Holy Scripture... I get defensive when I
feel Jesus is ignored or under-emphasized (not an indictment of you but
of all of us).
He is not an ingredient, not even a 'key' ingredient, in the formula for
our lives. He IS 'the life'... Everything is an ingredient in Him." - Peter
Kreeft
Vern
responds
—
No apology necessary, but nonetheless of course accepted. The movie is
about sacrificial love which Christians find perfectly revealed in Christ.
The monks, in their human struggles, even as Christ struggled in the garden,
bring their best efforts to understand and imitate divine love. They did
this not by preaching but through lives of sacrificial service. A blessed
Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter to you.
JonHarker
Vern, you deliver mixed messages, depending on the group you speak to.
At a Skeptics Meetup you defintely derided Christianity.
Do you believe the Resurrection was a literal event, that Jesus really
rose from the dead?
Prediction...you will not give a direct answer but try to avoid answering
either way.
Vern
responds —
I
have prepared an answer for you too long to appear in this space. Email
me at the address at the end of my column and I will respond this time.
Anyone else wishing to see the response can do the same. In the future,
I will not respond to questions that do not relate to the column under
which you write. Best wishes, Vern Barnet.
JonHarker
again
Vern, since this is Easter weekend the question DOES relate to your column.
And, as predicted, you did not give a direct answer.
Vern
responds again —
The column is about a film, not my personal approach to the question you
asked. I have nonetheless prepared an answer, too long for this space.
If you wish, you can easily obtain it as I indicated above. Best wishes
and Happy Easter to you.
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITES
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World
News
muslimnewsdigest.com/
2011 April 23
865. 110413 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Ties boost faith friendshps
A Florida man who claims to be Christian
burns a Qur’an and thereby incites Afghans claiming to be Muslim to kill
uninvolved U.N. workers. Similar senseless horrors seem to equate religion
with hatred and violence.
How can the various traditions
best purify themselves of such iniquity?
One powerful answer is the
development of interfaith friendships. Consider the American situation.
Our laws protect every faith. And traditions originating elsewhere, including
Christianity, are now part of the American story, our neighborhoods, our
workplaces. We can be a model of loving diversity for other nations.
As a doctoral student at
the University of Chicago, I learned about global interfaith activities
and later traveled abroad and even made presentations at several international
interfaith conferences.
But I became disillusioned.
Although I will always esteem scholarship, the meeting of intellectuals
once a year did not seem to produce much progress on the ground, where
ordinary people rubbed shoulders with each other every day.
That is why planners for
the Gifts of Pluralism interfaith conference here ten years ago avoided
bringing expensive, big-name speakers to town. Instead, using local experts
seems to have sparked much of the growing interfaith activities in our
town. Getting to know our neighbors is far more important than hearing
famous speakers untethered to our life as a community.
Almost every week now at
least one interfaith program is offered here, a remarkable change in the
ten years since the community conference.
Some programs are one-time
events. Others are extended series, like the current 10-week program Dowe
Harris planned for the Shepherd’s Center at South Broadland Presbyterian
Church Fridays at 11 a.m. (For information, call 816-444-1121.)
Harris used the Greater Kansas
City Interfaith Council’s Speakers Bureau to schedule local leaders in
American Indian, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and other faiths.
Many of these leaders are
also scholarly, speak excellent English, know not only their own particular
branch or denomination but also their entire tradition, and understand
the kind of questions likely to be asked about their faiths by those of
the majority culture.
For example, from the more
than a dozen mosques, the Kansas City area can boast nationally-recognized
Muslim leaders, scholars and writers that would be the envy of many communities
our size.
We cannot expect peace elsewhere
unless we know and learn to love our neighbors here at home.
READER COMMENT
D
H wrote
I read your article every Wednesday in the KC Star newspaper, and was so
surprised you mention the series of religions we are currently having at
the South Broadland Presbyterian Church. I was hoping you would say something
about our series in your weekly article and you did, by the way you layout
your article, was so professional. By mentioning all the people that help
coordinator this series, was very generous on your part. I am so grateful
you gave credit to the Greater KC Interfaith Council Speakers Bureau, Shepherd
Center, South Broadland Presbyterian Church, and mentioning the individual
religions and my name. As you know our group (Shepherd Center) is a interfaith
organization, and it has been our dream to have a series of religions for
several years, and now our dream has come true.
We started the series on April 1st with Susan Choucroun on Judaism,
and April 8th with Dr. Kara Hawkins and we had very good attendance. So
I expect the remaining religious speaker's attendance will have the same
responds. If the series is successful, then we will get together with Dr.
Kara Hawkins (GKCIC) ,and have another 10 week series with new religions.
Vern, I personally want to Thank You so much for your kindness in your
article. --Dowe Harris, Shepherd Center Committee
P
B wrote
I just finished reading your column this morning. It was very thought-provoking
and one that generates lots of water cooler discussion-violence perpetuated
under the guise of religious zealotry. This time of the year is a
particularly rich season for interfaith activities. I attended a
Seder last year and it takes a bit of courage to show up at a Jewish temple
and rub shoulders with the regulars. --PB
R
W wrote
This
is Fr. Richard Rohr's daily meditation from this morning. I think it addresses
a lot of the issues in your column this morning.
TRUE TRANSFORMATION
Early-stage religion is more about belonging and believing than about transformation.
When belonging and believing are the primary concerns, people don’t see
their need for growth, healing, or basic spiritual curiosity. Once
we let the group substitute for an inner life or our own faith journey,
all we need to do is “attend.” For several centuries, church has
been more a matter of attendance at a service than an observably different
lifestyle. Membership requirements and penalties predominated, not
the change-your-life message that Jesus so clearly preached.
Membership questions lead to endless arguments about who is in and who
is out, who is right and who is wrong, who is worthy of our God, and who
is not. Such distinctions appeal to our ego and its need to feel
worthy and superior and to be part of a group that defines itself by exclusion.
The church ends up a gated country club, giving people a false sense of
superiority. This is why Jesus walks to those on the edges: the handicapped,
the sinners, the excluded ones.
From On the Threshold of Transformation: Daily Meditations for Men
M
O wrote
I'm sure you're right that familiarity with members of other faiths tends
to improve respect and understanding of one another's points of view, traditions,
etc. It's good that you and others like you devote so much time to
facilitating those interactions.
Here's my (small) complaint about the article. The rather pathetic
Florida preacher and the Afghans whom he incited to kill UN workers do
not just "claim" to be, respectively, Christian and Muslims -- they are
members of their faiths. Just as more than a few somewhat nasty folks
belong to UU churches and fellowships, nearly all faiths are stuck with
pretty much whoever signs the book. You and I may not like it, but
it's not up to us to decide for any faith who its members are.
VERN
responded
When folks tell me that Catholics are not Christian, or that so-and-so
cannot be right in using the label that person applies to oneself, I often
respond somewhat as you do, which is why I worded the sentence as I did,
reporting, rather than judging. Perhaps you read the sentence not as a
statement of fact but as an irony or reproach. It is not necessary to read
it as more than a report.
And when a bishop who excommunicates a life-long devoted nun who serves
on a hospital ethics panel and decides that a fetus which is poisoning
the mother must be aborted to save the mother's life as the fetus itself
cannot be cured, I'm inclined to receive the witness of the nun who claims
to be Catholic as worthy of respect, even if she is formally excommunicated.
But I also respect Muslims who say when terrorists violate the Qur'an's
requirements for behavior that the terrorists have exited Islam, as a way
of saying: Those actions do not represent how we understand and live our
faith, but rather violate it.
I see no need for me to get into the argument you raise, as to whether
the preacher or the Muslims were what they claim they were. I think it
is sufficient for my point simply to report what their claims were, and
you, the reader, can decide for yourself. So I reject your (small) complaint
that these folks do not just claim particular identities
as something that needed to be part of the column, or, if you implied this,
that the wording was somehow misleading or inadequate.
Then there are situations where "just signing the book" fails completely
to indicate certain faith's understanding of their membership. Unless your
mother was a Jew or you go through a rather deliberate conversion process,
you are not a Jew. Period. Other faiths have various ways of deciding who
is "in" and who its not. You don't go into a sanctified Mormon Temple unless
you are a Mormon, and the process for deciding whether you are a Mormon
is a lot more rigorous than signing some book. In an increasingly diverse
global situation, these questions are sometimes controversial even within
several religious groups.
Nonetheless, this is why I generally think that in circumstances such as
the column dealt with, reporting self-attribution without judgment can
be appropriate.
I hope this is helpful.
And thank you for your kind words about my efforts in the interfaith field!
M
O wrote again
Can we now assume that your future columns will identify someone as a Jew
if and only if he can prove to your satisfaction that he has a Jewish mother?
That a Roman Catholic will identified as such only after you have been
convinced that she has not been excommunicated? That Muslims can
only "claim" to be Muslims until they produce evidence that they have done
whatever Muslims must do to be certified as such (I have no idea what that
is)?
I will take you at your word that there was no "irony or reproach" intended
in your choice of words. But that's not how it came across to me.
VERN
responded again
Thank you for letting me know how the way I worded the column came across
to you. Different readers (even headline writers) bring their own experience,
knowledge, concerns, and agenda to what they read, just as writers do to
what they write. The breath of my background enables me to consider a greater
range of viewpoints than some folks without similar experience, and so
they will read what is designed for that wide view from the narrower perspective
their experience provides. Of course I keep trying to widen my own understanding,
and so I welcome communications from readers. However, I guess I'm a bit
of a Postmodernist or Deconstructionist when it comes to communication
theory.
I wrote: "A Florida man who claims to be Christian burns a Qur’an and thereby
incites Afghans claiming to be Muslim to kill uninvolved U.N. workers."
If I had written, "A Florida Christian burns a Qur’an and thereby incites
Afghan Muslims to kill uninvolved U.N. workers," I would have received
complains from at least Christians and Muslims telling me I had no right
to identify those people with the religious cited because they were violating
the very principles of their faiths.
If I had written, "A Florida man disowned by many Christians burns a Qur’an
and thereby incites Afghans who many Muslims denounce to kill uninvolved
U.N. workers," I would have received complains from at least Christians
and Muslims telling me I had no right not to accept at face value the identify
those people themselves used.
So I chose a middle path, an accurate report.
However, people can read into the wording their own experience, knowledge,
concerns, and agenda. And you have every right to do so. My columns sometimes
act as Rorschach ink blots, and when I am fortunate to hear from readers,
I sometimes learn about them as much as myself.
In my previous reply, perhaps I've failed in my convoluted explanation
about religious identity. It's a complicated question, and rather than
wading in deeper, maybe I best let it be for now.
M
O wrote a third time
Well, here are the "facts" as I see them: The Florida Christian minister
was compelled by his beliefs to burn a single copy of a Qur'an. This
act was regarded by Afghans was sufficiently offensive to their Muslim
sensibilities to justify rioting with such ferocity that several UN workers
with no connection to the minister or to the act itself were killed.
Since I'm neither Christian nor Muslim, I don't have a dog in this fight.
But the fact of the matter is that the behavior of both the individual
minister and the Afghans was motivated by their religious beliefs.
One hopes that most adherents to both Christianity and Islam are appalled
by acts done in the names of their faiths; however, we both know that many
Christians applauded Rev. Jones' act and many Muslims firmly believe the
Afghan Muslims' behavior was completely justified and the results were
celebrated.
It's sad that the great teachings of the world's religions so often are
overshadowed by the ugly behavior of their members.
VERN
responded a third time
And the point of the column was that interfaith understanding is a powerful
antidote to the violence we both condemn.
With limited space, I tried in one single sentence of 24 words, to describe
this particular situation. Using your wording of two sentences of 53 words
would have required removal of other text. Perhaps in your judgment this
should have been done.
M
O wrote a fourth time
I don't want to beat this thing to death. I hope you know how much
I admire your efforts to increase understanding and cooperation among people
of different faiths. That said,in my opinion it doesn't help, in
the long run, to avoid candor when it comes to dealing with inevitable
conflicts. The Muslim response was disproportionate to the injury;
it doesn't help to pretend otherwise.
Keep on keepin' on!
VERN
responded a fourth time
You are correct -- of course--: the "Muslim" response to the burning
of the Qur'an was disproportionate, and obviously so even from the bare
facts recited in my opening sentence. Stating something so evident is unnecessary
and would gobble up my precious space in print. A book was burned; uninvolved
people were killed because of it. How much more obvious could the disproportionality
be? It is horrific that burning a book could lead to murder, and even more
horrific that the people murdered were in no way involved with the burning
(and some, at least, probably Buddhist or Hindu, not Christian). I don't
know anyone defending the murders or guilty of pretending otherwise, certainly
not my Muslim friends, or avoiding candor on this point. Do you? Is there
anyone likely to be reading my column who would need it explained that
it is not nice to murder people as a response to an act by a fool condemned
in advance by officials in the US government? I assumed that one sentence
for anyone with any humanity would be sufficient to "peg" my basic column
theme to a significant "current event" and remind readers of the urgency
for folks with different faith backgrounds getting to know each other personally.
I'm sure many readers understood the implication, even with the limited
space I had, that if the Florida preacher had Muslim friends, he might
not have been so stupid.
If I were writing a political column, I would have bitterly complained
about Karzai's role in inflaming some of the Afghan "religious" leaders
who in turn inflamed the murderers. I think the complicated political dimension
of the atrocities deserves more attention than it has received.
Thank you for your kind words about my interfaith efforts. And I appreciate
having you as a reader.
And remember, please, that you are invited to write a contrary view, a
supporting statement, or a sideways amplification in the Letters section
of the paper or under the column on The Star's website.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarker
While you are talking about Koran burnings, how about a word for the Christians
being persecuted in Officially Atheistic States?
A local atheist group, that you have spoken to, regulary posts verbal attacks
and ridicule on their site, and ridicules Christians in their meetings.
Any word to your friends there?
VERN
responded
Like most people, I condemn all religious violence regardless who the persecutor
is and who the victim is. Thanks for the reminder that a few people may
need to have this restated.
Joe
in reply to JonHarker
Christianity was FOUNDED on religious persecution. I'd think a little "name
calling" would be a welcome reinforcement to your beliefs.
Or do you just feel so entitled that you believe everyone should do what
you want? Just like the Muslims demanding that no one burn their holy book.
Speaking of which, I just downloaded several copies each of the Bible,
the Korah, and the Torah. I then selected them all and pressed Shift-DEL.
UMAD?
Joe
in reply to vbarnet
"Like most people, I condemn all religions."
Fixed.
JonHarker
in reply to Joe
The statement that Christianity was founded on religious persecution is
utterly false.
The early Christians were routinely persecuted by the Roman Empire.
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for Apr 16, 2011
864. 110406 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
He knows is Roman Catholic Stuff
What is the future of the Roman Catholic
Church? No one can better answer this question than John L. Allen, Jr.,
the prize-winning senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter,
senior Vatican analyst for CNN and a frequent commentator for other media.
He completed his masters
degree at the University of Kansas in 1992. He returns Apr. 11 at 7:30
p.m. to the Kansas Union where he will discuss ten “megatrends” from his
sixth book, “The Future Church.”
He wrote me that, fresh from
a trip to Ireland, he’ll “probably also have some thoughts on how Ireland
is reacting to what is probably the most massive sexual abuse crisis anywhere
in the Catholic world.”
I asked him how he worked
in such a way as to gain access to sometimes secretive Vatican sources
while maintaining objective and fair reporting.
“I know my reporting sometimes
strikes people as favorable to the Vatican and to the bishops, but that’s
honestly not my aim. (A lot) of reporting on the Catholic Church is so
sloppy, and the Church itself is often so bad at PR, that any halfway balanced
presentation is going to end up making them look better than they usually
do,” he said.
I wondered how his work affected
his own spiritual life.
“Most people assume that
knowing how the sausage is ground is hazardous to your spiritual health,
but in my case it’s had the opposite effect. I already knew there were
politics and careerism and petty jealousies in the Church before I started
this gig, so there weren’t too many scales to fall from my eyes.
“The surprise has been how
much more I’ve discovered. . . . I’ve seen how the Catholic faith has inspired
ordinary people to do mind-blowing things, such as serving the poor and
healing divisions and fighting corruption and saving souls.
“My experience has helped
me to see beyond the normal preoccupation with scandals and division and
heavy-handed exercises of authority, as important and unavoidable as those
stories are, to how much more there is to Catholic life.
“In the end, that’s deepened
my faith rather than causing some existential crisis,” he said.
Allen praised his preparation
in Lawrence. “The Department of Religious Studies, in my humble opinion,
is one of KU’s crown jewels,” he said. His training “taught me to think
sympathetically yet critically about religious realities, and it gave me
the tools to frame the right questions and to know where to look for answers.
Moreover, several of the professors under whom I studied have become sources
for me because they’re world-class experts in their fields,” he said.
For my full interview with
him, see www.cres.org/allen.
STAR WEBSITE POST
trapblock
"When we speak of the Church we cannot ignore the fact of Christ's rejection,
which never should have been. We cannot ignore the terrible means by which
we came to salvation; the consequences have penetrated deep into existence.
Accordingly, we have neither the Church we might have had, nor the Church
we on day will have. We have the Church scarred by that most tragic of
all decisions.
Nevertheless,
she is and remains the mystery of the new creation, Mother constantly bearing
and rebearing heavenly life. Between Christ and herself flows the mystery
of love. She is his Bride. When St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians
speaks of the mystery of Christian Marriage, he grounds it in the greater
mystery of Christ and his Church. (The image should not be used lightly,
for it is indeed a "high mystery" and renders the sacrament of human marriage
only the more impenetrable.) The Church of the Holy City of the Apocalypse,
blazing in an unutterable mystery of beauty and love, when suddenly transformed
into a shimmering Bride, she steps down to receive the Bridegroom.
All this exists, and with them the flaws, the abuses, the rigors. We have
no choice but to accept the whole, as it is. The Church is a mystery of
faith and can be experienced only in love."
--Fr. Romano Guardini - from The Lord - 1954
863. 110330 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Involve all faiths in public issues
I try to know folks
from every faith tradition and keep up with their concerns.
A couple
weeks ago I ran into Sheikh Aasim Baheyadeen. After exchanging personal
greetings, I asked him if Al-Inshirah Islamic Center was experiencing any
distress because of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee hearings
about Islam in America.
I was
also concerned because some state legislatures, including Missouri’s, are
considering matters that seem to arise from misunderstandings of Sharia,
Islamic law.
It
is the kind of question I’ve asked folks of many faiths many times since
I chaired the Jackson County Diversity Task Force following 9/11.
Baheyadeen
replied that I might be called on for help.
A day
or so later, Imam Bilal Muhammed asked me to join him at a media conference
at Community Christian Church.
At
that meeting, Muhammed began by recognizing the disasters in Japan, and
then spoke to the issue:
“Leaders
in the Muslim Community feel it our obligation to protect our Muslim public
living in this great land, the land we love and proudly call home, from
living under a cloud of suspicion.
“While
we share an agreement with Congressman (Peter T.) King that ‘The responsibility
of this committee is to protect America from a terrorist attack,’ we register
strong objection to the singling out of the Islamic American community
for and in these hearings,” he said.
Christians
joining Muhammed and other Muslims with supporting remarks were the Rev.
Bob Hill, host minister, and the Rev. Sam Mann of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
Speaking
from Jewish Community Relations Bureau/ American Jewish Committee was Rabbi
Alan L. Cohen.
I suppose
I was included because of my work with other religious traditions as well.
I make
the point about the various faiths being represented because it is a healthy
model for interfaith cooperation addressing a public issue.
If,
on the other hand, you are studying the Bhagavad Gita, it makes sense to
include a Hindu among your presenters. If Christians want to experience
a seder, best not try a do-it-yourself version. Ask a rabbi about what
the seder means for Jews, and maybe get invited to a Jewish home.
As
it turned out, folks after the media event wanted photos of the occasion.
[Outside the church the cameras were aimed.]
In
the background was Giralda Tower on the Country Club Plaza, a scaled replica
from what was once a minaret attached to a mosque in Seville, Spain — another
kind of reply, a Kansas City response, to any who question the beauty of
Islam.
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for 2011 Apr 3
862. 110323 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Looking for spiritual authority
When a seminary professor is elevated to
dean, why not celebrate with a lecture of interest not only to the particular
school but to folks everywhere concerned with the future of religious leadership?
That’s what Robert E. Johnson
did when he spoke last fall on “Theological Education in an Age of Transition”
as the new dean of Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Other area seminaries
sent faculty members to listen and respond.
Johnson previously taught
in Russia and Brazil. His book, Global Introduction to Baptist Churches,
was published last year to mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of the
Baptist movement, the largest world-wide label for evangelical Protestants.
He also edits The American Baptist Quarterly.
The lecture begins some 2600
years ago, when worshipers of Yahweh, captive exiles, awoke to a strange
land, Babylon, with strange rituals. Johnson traces the twists and turns
of the “theological vocation of spiritual ministry” from that ancient scene
of drastic change through history and into a future we are making.
I was so impressed that I’ve
placed his full text and his illustrative chart along with a follow-up
interview with him at cres.org/johnson.
In our fragmented age, where
can we find the spiritual authority to address our troubles?
In the interview, Johnson
suggests that no longer can we depend upon a resident “theological expert”
to guide us. While he frankly addressed theological stagnation and dissolution,
his lecture finds a path forward.
That path is itself a process.
He says, “The student cannot be given a definitive theology, but can be
assisted with the tools for the process of a lifetime of theological exploration
and development.
“The student cannot be given
the definitive model for devising the successful church, but can be assisted
with the tools for understanding the faith community in context, and growing
in leadership skills that evolve over a lifetime of ministry,” he says.
Johnson is intrigued by the
concept of a global village. He believes “Diversity has the power to generate
new community. . . in new, better and healthier ways.”
Nowadays, “We can no longer
think only in nationalistic terms, or even in regional terms. In every
instance the local and national has to be interpreted in relation to the
global. Consequently, theological education . . . must pursue its tasks
in light of the whole of humanity.
“Truth cannot reside complete
in my group, my church, my denomination, my country, my race, nor in any
one group, church, denomination, country or race,” Johnson says.
If God is Lord of all, how
could it be otherwise?
READER COMMENT
J
E writes
As usual, I always read anything that I can get my hands on that you write.
I was particularly intrigued by your comments in today's issue of The Star
about Robert E. Johnson. As you know, the Baptists, particularly
Southern Baptists, have been characterized by their devotion to The Bible
and it presumed inerrency.
In my later years I have really enjoyed the thoughts of theologians like
Bishop Spong and Bart Erman who point out very persuasively that "The Bible"
is a very human book and was not created by God as divine revelation.
I just wonder how Reverend Johnson proposes to share these kinds of empirical
facts to his faithful Baptist members? I am not being critical or
cynical; just honestly curious. It just seems to me that Christianity
will never reach its moral potential until it comes to grips with an honest
understanding of its origins.
VERN
responds —
Thanks for continuing your generosity about my columns. You might be especially
interested in Johnson's answer to my "interview" question #3 at http://www.cres.org/johnson/.
I'm sure you'd also find his full lecture of interest http://www.cres.org/johnson/#text
-- and if you don't have time for that, do at least glance at his chart
at http://www.cres.org/johnson/#chart which seems interesting and suggestive
to me. I think Spong and Ehrman and Pagels and Brueggemann and Crossen
many others are at last making their way into the minds and hearts of sincere
and open Christians. I think Professor Johnson's work seems to create a
context for both minister and congregation to explore questions about the
Bible that make it far more valuable than a reinforcer of previous prejudice.
J
E writes again
You are correct in observing that, particularly as a Baptist, Johnson is
trying to open the door to "more truth and light" about the Bible, etc.
I wish him every success, but I am afraid that like many others who start
to speak out about theological weaknesses in their own churches, he will
be sidelined, reprimanded, punished, excluded, fired, etc. such as so many
others have experienced before him. He certainly has my admiration.
C
R writes
The Holy Bible and asking for the Holy Spirit to Guide you is all the Spiritual
Authority any person needs. We need to be sure to tell prople to read from
and pray for guidance only the King James version of the Bible. The Holy
Spirit will teach. All other version eliminate the name "Lucifer" from
Isaiah 14. While the other versions may contain some truth, they all also
have errors when one compares Scripture with scripture. The devil truly
tries to deceive and is helped when his name is not in Isaiah 14.
Further, the word Baptist originated with the term Anabaptists who along
with many others opposed infant baptism and still do as all should today.
Biblical Baptism can occur only after one has received Jesus Christ and
become born again. Romans 6: 1-9 explains this fact. In addition Baptists
were never a part of the Protestant movement period. I am surprised that
Helen Gray lets you publish the lie that Baptists were and are Protestants.
Baptists have nothing to do with Protestants and were even in the Dark
Ages persecuted and murderted by Protestants and Catholics. You and Robert
E. Johnson need to study church history. You all need to understand Matthew
13: 33. The three mearusres of meal in that parable are the Protestants,
the Roman Catholics and the Greek and Eastern Orthdox churches.
VERN
responds —
Thank you for reading my column and taking the trouble to write me about
it.
Here are my responses to your thoughts.
I prefer the best original Hebrew and Greek texts to the English translation
done in the name of King James.
By the way, did you know some scholars think that the king was a flaming
homosexual? He often said, "Christ had his John, and I have my George."
The George was George Villars, Earl of Buckingham. Their bed chambers had
a secret passageway connecting them. Other scholars deny any sexual relationship,
but the King was also associated with Esme Stewart and Robert Carr romantically.
The name "Lucifer" is not Hebrew but rather Latin in origin. The Hebrew
text echoes material in Canaanite myths, specifically the myth of Helal,
the Day Star, son of Shahar or Dawn, mentioned in Ugaritic texts. The point
is that Dawn cannot compete with the Sun, which is a way of saying that
the defeated lesser light will be cast into the Pit of Sheol.
Most scholars consider Baptists to be Protestant. A very few Baptists
do not, just as some Protestants do not consider Catholics to be Christian.
These views are highly prejudicial and deviant. I have scores of books
by Baptists and other church historians and they overwhelmingly consider
Baptists as Protestants. Baptists certainly are not Catholic, either Roman
or Orthodox. The Anabaptists were in fact on the left wing of the Protestant
Reformation. There were no Baptists in the sense in which the term is commonly
used during the "Dark Ages"; the Anabaptists originated in the Modern Era,
though some like the Hussites and Waldensians prefigured the Anabaptists
in some of their beliefs. The origin of Baptists is complicated by time
and county. Some claim that Baptists have existed since the Early Church,
but most scholars find this view misleading.
I would suggest you read Robert Johnson's full lecture at cres.org/johnsonbefore
further comment; and even better, read his book. If you'd like to write
me again, please do so after reading this material and studying your Bible
carefully. Thank you.
Again, I appreciate your responding to my column with your thoughts and
I hope my reply merits your consideration.
STAR WEBSITE POST
JonHarker
Of course, the keep point is that he beleives "God is Lord of all".
Atheists who try to subvert that can only bring ruin, as shown by the fact
that every atheist government becomes a totalitarian dictatorship that
murders believers of all kinds, and tends toward self destruction.
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITE
cbts.edu/topic/global-christianity/central-seminary-deans-book-honored-/
861. 110316 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
KC's Interfaith image examined
What do Kansas City mayoral candidates
Mike Burke and Sly James think about the interfaith reputation Kansas City
has gained throughout the country?
That reputation began to
build when, in 2002, CBS-TV devoted a half-hour special to how the metro
area responded to the 9/11 attacks. It grew with an article that year in
the National Catholic Reporter.
In 2005 the Rockefeller Foundation
funded the development of Kansas City Interfaith Council into an independent,
stand-alone organization.
In 2007 Harvard University’s
Pluralism Project and Religions for Peace-USA at the United Nations Plaza
selected the metro as the site for the nation’s first “interfaith academies”
for an international assembly of scholars.
A Harvard researcher said, “we
consider Kansas City to be truly at the forefront of interfaith relations.”
With leadership from Kansas
City, a multi-faith spiritual rehabilitation program at the U.S. Penitentiary
in Leavenworth, KS, has been cited as the model for other such programs
of the federal government.
In 2009, the North American
Interfaith Network convened here for its annual conference.
In
the current issue of Unity Magazine, distributed nation-wide, at its
editor’s request, I told stories illustrating why Kansas City has become
a model for interfaith relationships.
What role does a mayor play
in the social concord of such interfaith developments?
Mayor Kay Barnes appeared
on the CBS special and supported interfaith activities in many ways. An
exemplar, she declined to attend the Mayors Prayer Breakfast the year after
sectarian remarks came from the platform. She insisted on reforms to assure
respect for all faiths.
I asked the two current candidates
for their thoughts.
Burke said, “One of my joys
in campaigning for mayor has been attending worship services of all different
types, meeting people of the Muslim faith, attending African American services.
This has really impressed upon me what wonderful faith communities we have
in Kansas City.”
He cited area seminaries
and world headquarters as part of “our rich heritage” and says Kansas City
is a “great location” for religious meetings.
James said, “I believe our
diversity is part of our strength as a city.”
James believes that “building
a stronger interfaith community could be an important part of our long-term
vision as a city. One thing we can do to raise our national profile . .
. is to lead by example. By bringing people from diverse faith backgrounds
to the table in our city, we send a message to the rest of the country
that Kansas City respects all beliefs,” he said.
CANDIDATE COMMENT
A. [of Sly James campaign]
Vern, Thank
you for passing this along. It's a nice piece.
Hopefully we'll
see you on Tuesday!
Mike Burke
Thank you for
the link, Vern, and for this wonderful column.
I truly appreciate
your time.
NOTED
Muslim
News Digest for 2011 Mar 20
READER COMMENT
IKC
wrote
Saw your piece on this. Any word on his position how to interfaith with
non believers?
VERN
responded
My position is set forth at cres.org/pubs/Freethinkers.htm
I do not know how Sly James would respond specifically.
Here is his complete response to my questions:
What
would you do as mayor to assure and promote the safety of, and respect
for, people of all faiths?
As mayor, my job will be to work on behalf of everyone in Kansas City,
and that includes people of all faiths. I believe our diversity is
part of our strength as a city. As I have throughout my career and
this campaign, when I’m mayor I will seek the input and counsel of diverse
individuals, representing different backgrounds, ethnicities, and faiths.
What
might you do to raise the profile of Kansas City as a national leader in
interfaith activities within our own community?
Kansas City is fortunate to be home to many diverse communities of faith,
and I believe that building a stronger interfaith community could be an
important part of our long-term vision as a city. One thing we can
do to raise our national profile in that respect is to lead by example.
By bringing people from diverse faith backgrounds to the table in our city,
we send a message to the rest of the country that Kansas City respects
all beliefs.
Furthermore, by working together to propel our city forward we can have
a positive impact on our efforts to improve our schools, make our streets
safer, create a more vibrant local economy, and make sure our city government
is accountable to the people.
860. 110309 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Spiritual lessons from YouTube
How about a class
on spirituality based not on the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita or the Qur’an
or Buddhist sutras but rather on YouTube videos?
I recently
visited such a class, called Attention Deficit Dharma, at the invitation
of high school theater teacher and musician Victor Dougherty. It is one
of the offerings of the American Buddhist Center, housed at St. Garabed
Armenian Church in Westport. The class meets about twice a month.
The
first video of the evening lasted less than three minutes, beginning with
a quotation attributed to Norman Vincent Peale: “Change your thoughts and
you change your world.”
The
video was a humorous animation of a samurai trying to meditate with a fly
buzzing around his face. I remember such a situation when some years ago
I was studying meditation at Mount Hiei, Japan, so I was fascinated to
hear class members share their own struggles with their meditation practices.
Many
thought the fly was an apt metaphor for a troublesome thought that will
not leave you. One person summarized the lesson this way: “What we resist
persists.”
The
class of 16 that night included a grandfather and his grandson. We sat
around a circular rug with a TV monitor showing the videos from a computer.
Dougherty
encourages the participants to pause the video clip “if something within
it peaks their curiosity, tugs on a heart string or has any kind of an
emotional charge.”
He
says folks learn from each other, stimulated by the clips.
Dougherty
told me, “I originally was searching for footage of some of my favorite
teachers, Eckart Tolle, Pema Chodron, Jack Kornfield, Gangaji, Jon Kabat-Zinn
— but what I found was so much more! For evidence of a global shift in
consciousness you have no farther to look than YouTube.”
He
wanted to share the videos and also learn from what others thought about
them, so he developed the class.
“Some
of the videos are funny, some sad and some leave you going “huh?” — but
all provide good discussions for people opening up to their own higher
consciousness,” he said.
The last video, only 42 seconds long, showed one monk proudly levitating
himself above another, and then a third monk higher than either of the
first two. When the video disclosed itself as a commercial for a
product to energize the body and mind, the foolishness of the spiritual
competition was clear.
“Well,
at times we do try to show our spiritual superiority,” someone said. Everyone
had a good laugh.
I’ve placed links to the videos I saw that night with other information
at cres.org/attention or call
816.210.3378. Tonight’s class runs 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
STAR WEBSITE POST
trapblock
If you want the Truth then check out Father Barron's You Tube posts. It
might also be under 'Word on Fire'.
NOTED ON OTHER WEBSITE
http://paper.li/dharmadots/2011/03/09
859. 110302 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Hindi dedication may be a first
I’ve visited the
Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Shawnee many times since the 1985 bhumi
puja (groundbreaking ceremony), but the rite I witnessed Feb. 12 was different.
In fact, participants from the Kansas City Bengali Association wondered
if the event were unprecedented.
A statue
created by an artist with a Christian heritage was venerated in an annual
Hindu festival with Hindu priests accepting it and honoring the non-Hindu
artist as well. No one knew of any other such interfaith collaboration.
The
Bengali Assocation’s Bhaswati Ray said, “I see this event as a bridge to
open up our minds and to greet people from other cultures.”
The
statue portrays Saraswati, the goddess of learning, the sciences and the
arts. Westerners might find partial parallels by thinking of Luke, patron
saint of artists, physicians and students, or the Greek muses from which
our word museum derives.
During
the elaborate ceremony with chants and food offerings, I noticed a small
boy holding a student’s slate with both English and Devanagari (Sanskrit)
characters, fitting for Saraswati as a role model for education.
As
a graduate student, the artist, Laura Harris-Gascogne, had gone “temple-hopping”
around India. She now teaches at Johnson County Community College.
The
artist followed a tradition in presenting Saraswati with four arms. One
hand holds mala (beads or lotus seeds, like a rosary), another a book.
The other two hands play the vina, a kind of lute. At her feet is a swan,
said to be able to separate milk from water, a metaphor for Saraswati’s
ability to discriminate the eternal from the transient.
Of
course the four arms do not mean Hindus are anatomically ignorant. This
is, after all, an image of divinity, and all images are inadequate.
Yet
through the consecration ritual the deity can be awakened within the image
as we ourselves are awakened.
Westerners
might compare the transformation from statue to goddess with rituals like
weddings where the performance of certain words and actions creates a new
reality, a marriage from two single people.
Harris-Gascogne
told me that in India she “found the figurative forms to be the most curious
and auspicious elements of the temples, . . . how the yogic forms often
appeared anatomically impossible, yet how they flowed seamlessly in stone
as if alive and moving.”
She
also said that she tries to capture “a universal spirituality” that starts
with “the beauty of the human form, . . . spiritual in and of itself.”
While
the provenance of this Saraswati is unique, discerning the divine through
human actions is a universal theme.
CRES
WEBSITE ONLY NOTES: Saraswati images with two hands can be found
in Bengal, but four arms are more common in Southern India.
In Bengal, one practice involves creating images from unfired clay and,
following the annual festival, allowing them to dissolve in a sacred river.
Some have suggested this demonstrates the goddess returning to her source
-- the source of all things. Others suggest this means that Hindus understand
that the physical object is not the final manifestation of divinity, and
its destruction is a refusal of "idolatry" in the Western sense of that
term.
"Saraswati" derives from saras, flow and wati, woman -- thus
connoting the flow of alluring knowledge like a river, so important in
India as the source of life. Now an invisible river, the Saraswati joins
the Ganga and the Yamuna at Prayag (Allahabad) where, at their confluence,
Triveni Sangam, with the invitation of Pandurang Athavale, I had the pleasure
of addressing 500,000 folks at the Tirthraj Milan, following the Kumbh
Mela, in 1986.
INTERVIEW
WITH LAURA HARRIS-GASCOGNE
A pleasure
to meet you Saturday Congratulations on Saraswati!
Thank
you... It was a real amazing experience and a pleasure to meet you there.
. . . I also enjoyed looking at your website, www.lauragascogne.com/.
I could see your affection for Indian forms, shapes, and twists, and even
decoration. (Did you go to Khajuraho?)
I
did visit Khajuraho...via a 6 hour bus ride from Jhansi...I recall it being
the hottest part of my time in India, but worth it completely.
1. When you visited India during graduate school, what intrigued you about
the contortive and mystical qualities of figurative Hindu temple sculptures?
I found the figurative forms to be the most curious and auspicious elements
of the temples, and also how much they varied from the central part of
the country in the state Madya Pradesh down to the Dravidian South, in
Kerala and Tamil Nadu. What I found to be most intriguing was not only
how the yogic forms often appeared anatomically impossible, yet how they
flowed seamlessly in stone as if alive and moving. While "temple-hopping",
throughout India, I remember thinking how I might go about creating
forms in clay that were inspired by this concept of precariously balanced
forms, and yet have them possess a quality of weightlessness at the
same time. For me, it's almost impossible to deny feeling a spiritual
presence when a heavy material such as stone or clay has been transformed
into figurative piece in such a way, and that quality is what I most admired
and wanted to metaphorically portray in my work.
2. When you were given the chance to create a murti for the Bengali Assn,
how did you decide on Saraswati?
Bhaswati Ray, a member of the Association, came to the JCCC Art department
in mid December 2010 seeking help in the making of a sculpture of Saraswati,
the Hindu goddess of Art and Learning. When Bhaswati and I became acquainted,
I informed her of my travels to India and my interest in Indian temple
sculpture. Once I learned that she was from the east Indian state
of Bengal, I remembered reading in Stephen Huyler's Gifts of Earth how
the ceremonial murtis (icons) there were made on a large scale from unfired
clay and straw dug from the Gangetic plain, and then allowed to dissolve
in a sacred rivers such as the Ganges following the ceremony. Since it
was too expensive and difficult to ship a clay murti in time, I told Bhaswati
right away that I would make the piece since I was comfortable handbuilding
figure sculptures. Both Bhaswati and I found it to be an amazing consequence
that I had recently begun to develop connections in Bengal a year
or two earlier with the intent of studying folk terracotta sculptures there
at some point.
Bhaswati did not inform me that the piece was for Saraswati Puja, or the
Holy day of Saraswati. She only told me that it was for the Bengali Community
Center, that she needed the sculpture to be at least two feet in height,
that it was fine to fire the piece, and that I had about a month to get
it finished. It was only after the piece was built and fired that I learned
the what the purpose of the sculpture was to be.
3. From the advance notices, I understand you are Christian. If you are
comfortable answering, how is your own spiritual life enriched by
acquaintance with Hinduism? The Bengali Assn considers it a singularly
important act, perhaps unprecedented, of interfaith comity for a Christian
to create a Hindu sculpture. In what ways does your work express or model
the affection folks of different faiths can have for each other's traditions
and expressions? Do you consider it an honor to have been asked to perform
this service for the Bengali community here?
It
is correct that my childhood had Christian (Anglican-Episcopalian) roots,
but I do not practise or subscribe to any organized religion. My stepfather
of 20 years was English, and had done medical charity work on a Fulbright
in Burma for a year, during which time he formally became a Buddhist. I
was reared believing that Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion, and
this was reinforced by the fact that my stepfather continued to practice
Anglican Christianity. His interest and practise of Buddhist philosophy
and meditation led to my own curiosity of Asian art and culture. So I guess
that was the seed that started my lifelong interest in Asian, namely Indian
sculpture, where, ironically, Buddhism had its origins.
I
traveled most of my childhood, which became rather eccentric after my mothers
fifth marriage to my stepfather, a retired medical professor from England.
I was twelve when we expunged everything we owned to live on a sailboat.
The travels I partook in transformed me from a low-income non-cultured
kid from Cobb County, Georgia into a curious explorer. So by the time I
got into graduate school, going to India alone to visit temples was not
too daunting. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the closeness
to the culture I experienced living on $10 a day for two months there,
traveling on crowded buses, trains and rickshaws. I stayed in everything
from Buddhist monasteries in Sanchi to Dravidian Hindu-Shaivite hostels.
Despite all this, I felt an affinity with the Indian people like I had
nowhere else. Despite all the physical discomforts, I felt very comfortable
with the culture. I guess my love of the Indian people and the art and
culture of India is what made the Saraswati project for the Hindu Association
an easy decision for me, and yet a very big honor and extremely humbling
at the same time. The Puja was so beautiful and touching, and I could not
help but feel a spiritual aura and connection during the ceremony. I developed
a real friendship and connection with Bhaswati Ray throughout this whole
process and her friendship and connection to the beautiful Bengali community
in Kansas City has been so invaluable. I treasure it very much and always
will.
In
my own figurative sculpture, I try to capture, for lack of better words,
a universal spirituality without the confines of religion. I've tried tinkering
with religion in my work, and it always seems to come out trite and dishonest.
I guess it starts with the idea that the the beauty of the human form is
spiritual in and of itself, and through appropriating the memories from
my travels and life experiences, I am left with a lot of room for many
possibilities in my work.
858. 110223 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
New Ideas on God, really
If you think the Bible is not just a book
of stories about the past but also offers guidance for the present and
future, you will want to hear Walter Brueggemann when he speaks at the
Village Presbyterian Church Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Brueggemann, professor emeritus
at Columbia Theological Seminary, author of 60 books hundreds of articles
and featured on PBS, has been called “the world’s leading interpreter of
the Old Testament.”
Brueggemann’s theme here
is “The Church Where God Has Now Put Us.”
I asked him how he explains
a new method of studying the Bible, “rhetorical criticism” which finds
historical and other forms of analysis inadequate to the full theological
possibilities of Biblical texts.
He said it “watches for how
words are placed and function in a text, assuming that the whole of the
text is an artistic offer that evokes fresh imaginative possibilities.
Attention is given to parallels, repetitions, disjunctive turns, the name
of God, etc.”
For example, a historian
might say that the temple-centered society of ancient Judah was terminated
by Babylonian captivity, but Brueggemann’s method makes it possible to
say it was upset by God, even as he notes ways in which the text shows
God had resisted kingship and temple worship.
This is not a fundamentalist
or literal reading of scripture, but rather an imaginative interpretation
which can be instructive as we consider the contemporary situation with
church, state and culture.
When I asked Brueggemann
for a perspective on today’s social issues, he said, “A top-down political
economy is out of bounds for biblical faith. . . .Prophetic faith warns
against arrogance and the assumption that the powerful can have life on
their own terms. God, in the Bible, is closely allied with the well-being
of the marginal, and any state or power that disregards that will end in
big trouble.
“It is crucial to develop
a capacity for self-criticism, and that capacity remains underdeveloped
for most of us when we have wealth and power,” he said.
In his reading of the Bible,
“the earth belongs to God, not to any of us. It must therefore be honored,
respected and cared for. And the economy must be organized to protect the
earth.”
When I wrote Brueggemann,
I asked him what he’d like my readers to know about him. He responded,
“I grew up in Blackburn, just outside Marshall, Missouri, an hour from
KC. That is still the ‘home of my heart’ and I am glad to be ‘back home’
again.”
For information visit villagepres.org
and click on “Visiting Scholar” or call 913-262-4200.
Q &AWITHDR
BRUEGGEMANN
1. You have
been associated with "rhetorical criticism." How would you explain this
method to my readers?
Rhetorical
criticism is a study that watches for how words are placed and function
in a text, assuming that the whole of the text is an artistic offer that
evokes fresh imaginative possibilities. Attention is given to parallels,
repetitions, disjunctive turns, the name of God, etc.
2. How
important are interfaith relations to the future of the church? How should
they be pursued and with what attitude? How important are they? (I'm asking
specifically about interfaith rather than ecumenical relations, but feel
free to comment on that as well if you wish.)
Clearly interfaith interaction is crucial for the future. It is imperative
that we seek to understand and communicate and learn from each other, and
give up the idea that any one of us has a monopoly on the truth of faith.
3. What models
of the church may be most appropriate for our situation today in dealing
with political and economic issues such as universal health care as we
build toward the city of God? What are the Biblical, historical, and/or
theological resources for such considerations? Is there a Biblical basis
for democracy as a form of government?
Biblical faith does not endorse any form of political organization. But
it surely believes that the marginal and weak must have a voice in order
to maintain dignity, respect and security. A top-down political economy
is out of bounds for biblical faith.
4. What wisdom
from the scriptures and theology can inform foreign policy issues such
as our support for Israel and our relation to oppressed, exploited, and
threatened peoples around the globe? How do those of us in the church learn
to see ourselves better when others accuse us of creating, supporting,
or ignoring conditions which violate human dignity?
Prophetic faith warns against arrogance and the assumption that the powerful
can have life on their own terms. God, in the Bible, is closely allied
with the well-being of the marginal, and any state or power that disregards
that will end in big trouble. It is crucial to develop a capacity
for self-criticism, and that capacity remains underdeveloped for most of
us when we have wealth and power.
5. What
is the role of the church in guiding our relationship with the land, the
earth as God's creation?
Biblical faith is very strong in the conviction that the earth belongs
to God, not to any of us. It must therefore be honored, respected, and
cared for. And the economy must be organized to protect the earth. War
is one of the great devastators of the earth.
What would
you like my readers to know about yourself and/or your forthcoming presentations
here?
I
grew up in Blackburn, just outside Marshall, Missouri, an hour from KC.
That is still the "home of my heart" and I am glad to be "back home" again.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
VOR
“Prophetic faith warns against arrogance and the assumption that the powerful
can have life on their own terms. God, in the Bible, is closely allied
with the well-being of the marginal, and any state or power that disregards
that will end in big trouble.” That’s not a new idea. Jesus said basically
the same thing 2000 years ago, only much more succinctly: “It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God."
857. 110216 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Zoning issue smacks of bigotry
A Laotian Buddhist group wants to purchase
property in Johnson County, but some neighbors object. Is this just a typical
zoning issue or a case of subtle religious bigotry?
The Greater Kansas City Interfaith
Council, representing virtually all faiths in the metro area, explored
this question in a statement [left column]
last week. In part, the council said: “Our community is threatened when
any faith is misrepresented. . . .
“We also understand that
two plans for the use of the property have been approved by the professional
staff of the county, that all similar plans and purchases in similar neighborhoods
have always been approved for over a dozen Christian institutions, but
that unfavorable sentiments expressed by some of the neighbors indicate
that they may not be accurately informed about the Buddhist faith, appear
to ignore our American tradition of religious liberty and may damage the
interfaith civility the council seeks to assure for all who live in the
metro area.”
The statement concludes by
urging the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners “to take whatever
steps may be appropriate to assure that both proper . . . zoning requirements
are met in accommodating the Buddhist group, parallel to requirements for
all other faiths and that the principles of religious liberty are fully
respected . . . .”
I’ve read through relevant
public documents including a transcript of the Northwest Consolidated Zoning
Board’s meeting with constituents Jan. 24 — 62 pages long.
Many of the objections about
light pollution, water pressure, traffic noise, sewage, rural character,
open spaces, fires, floods, wildlife, livestock and water run-off seem
to have been satisfactorily addressed by the Johnson County Department
of Planning, Development Codes staff.
Other concerns—about gongs,
animal sacrifice, “spirit worship” and “up to 87 days” of festivals each
year—seem unusual topics for a zoning hearing and suggest a lack of knowledge
of the Buddhist group, which has met in Olathe for 15 years.
One speaker treated the Buddhist
group a social club. She said, “The bible teaches that churches are not
to be social clubs, but are (1) a place where Christians gather together,
to learn of and worship God. (2) A place for any who are struggling and
unsaved can hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
At least eight other Buddhist
groups have been practicing in the metro area, most for decades. They make
excellent neighbors.
Beyond upholding the Constitution’s
guarantee of religious liberty, getting to know folks of other faiths can
be a gift that deepens our own spiritual life.
READER COMMENT
L
wrote
It
was a good article. Sure hope this whole matter gets a positive review.
Publicity like the article and now maybe more TV coverage will help.
C
wrote
It
was an excellent article. The Laotian Buddhist community greatly
appreciates your support.
K
wrote
Thank you for today's column. . . . . I think that the Christians who object
for various reasons really need to be studying their Bibles a little more
deeply and find out what Jesus really said.
C
wrote
Thanks for bringing this to mine - and the Council's attention. This is
something the public should know about. . . .
I plan to attend and speak at the County Commissioners meeting on the 24th.
. . . . Thanks for your work and diligence on this matter.
R
wrote
Thank you for your comments. After being informed of the predominant
tone of the initial Zoning Board hearing I was disgusted by the outright
bigotry of people who profess to be otherwise. If those with negative
views attended just one gathering at the Rime Buddhist Center they would
see for themselves the peace and openness that this particular faith offers.
F
wrote
Dear Sir: I would like to thank you for your most excellent article
on the 16th of February. I would like to present my two cents on
this matter.
I would add that any opposition to this Temple Project, beyond legitimate
zoning issues, is un-American and harms the City of Olathe and the Kansas
City Area.
First less than 30 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor Franklin Roosevelt,
in an address to Congress, defined the ideological goals that the United
States was fighting for. These are the Four Freedoms. The second
is the Freedom of Worship. The Fascists' record towards the Jews
and Christian Clergy who opposed Fascist repression requires no further
discussion.
However it is important to review the religous issues of the Cold War.
Perhaps the younger or uninformed do not understand that Ronald Regan did
not just snap his fingers and the Soviet Union fell. The Cold War
lasted more than forty years. This fight was against Communism.
One of the main reasons for fighting Communism was its repression of religous
freedom. For instance:
Vladimir Lenin said religion was the opiate of the people.
The Communist Chinese say that religion is poison.
These two statements are examples of Communist oppression against people
exercising their religious freedom. Communism is a Godless system/government.
Communists tell their people to believe that technology and engineering
will solve all of mankind's problems. Just believe in the Government
and it will make everything alright. Are most Americans willing to
accept this? I think not.
During the Cold War the United States fought two wars against Communism,
Korea and Vietnam. Why? One reason was for the defense of religous
freedom. This was so important to President Eisenhower that he had
the Pledge of Allegiance changed to include the clause "One Nation Under
God".
Many of the Laotians who want to build this new temple came to this Country
for one simple reason. Had they not fled Southeast Asia when the
United States abandoned Vietnam the Communists would have killed them.
Why? Because many Laotians fought alongside United States Armed Forces
during the Vietnam War. These Laotians were told that America was
a land where all people exercised their right to worship as they thought
fit. They are now wanting to redeem part of their American Dream.
Now some of the residents of Olathe have decided that unless the Laotians
build Christian Churches they will build no churches at all. This
is bigotry against Buddhists and Buddhism straight up. Nothing else!
This dishonors all Cold War Warriors and the American People. When
will the fire bombings and lynching's begin?
If this is allowed to continue Olathe will find itself in the news as a
city of ignorance and intolerance. It already has in the Kansas City
Star.
Think not? It can happen. I lived in Indianapolis when Ryan
White died. Ryan White was a hemophilic who had contracted HIV from tainted
blood. He was also a young child who attended middle school in Kokomo,
IN. Now some of the good people of Kokomo decided to reward Ryan
by expelling him from school because of ignorance about how HIV/AIDS is
contracted. Because of their actions Ryan White became a national
poster child for HIV/AIDS patients. Thank God that a school district
in a nearby city invited Ryan and his mother to live in their town and
let Ryan attend school with their children. Because of this city's
action it proved to the country that Indiana was not a land of ignorance
and bigotry.
Want another example? Look at Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist
Church. He and the members of his church have gotten the national attention
they so desperately need. Protesting at the funerals of American
Service Men who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Many
of the people on the East and West Coasts think that the people of Kansas
and the Mid-West are back woods hicks that have no education or sense.
It's a land of Dorothy and the Wizard of OZ.
So go ahead Olathe oppose the building of the Laotian Temple and who knows
you can do all of the people of Kansas City proud. Make this part
of the country a waste land for ignorance, intolerance and bigotry.
P
wrote
Again the worst instincts come out for display.
These people ought to be considered as if they were just another Christian
church looking to expand.
Instead, they are subjected to the ignorant litmus test of "Christianity
is the only way, and the only way we limited morons understand"
Nothing that the Buddhists do in the course of their "worship" , really
in the course of their being a community, is subject to a veto by folks
who don't bother to understand them.
And the very statement of disapproval goes completely contrary to what
our master, Jesus, taught and practiced.
That is the irony and the idiocy
Vern
replied —
Thanks for taking the trouble to write -- and to write so forcefully.
I was especially glad to read your statement that "These people ought to
be considered as if they were just another Christian church looking to
expand."
The Constitution makes no distinction between the various faiths and guarantees
equal protection.
While some of the folks at the Jan 24 meeting possibly have legitimate
zoning questions (although they seem to have been addressed by the County
professional staff), it seems clear from the tone of others that there
is considerable misunderstanding about the Buddhists.
Again, your point about the example of Jesus seems very appropriate --
if I were looking for a religion and some of the folks calling themselves
Christian behaved in such discourteous and ignorant ways, I would not be
very drawn toward them.
Thanks for reading my column, for taking the trouble to write me, and for
your concern about this issue!
S
wrote
First let me thank you and all the others at the Greater Kansas City Interfaith
Council for your work.
I just spoke to . . . who is a member of the group that wants to build
the temple. I have been apart of the Lao community in the Kansas
City area since 1975. I know them to be outstanding members of the
community. The opposition to the temple certainly smacks of bigotry.
My wife and I are leaving to return to Laos in a few hours. We have
been trying for over 6 years to get approval for a health improvement project.
It appears that we have finally been successful. I am sure that at
least part of the opposition is because I am a foreigner and we are Christians.
I am sure that many who oppose the temple would be highly critical of the
way the Lao government treats Christians.
I do not think that my friends will want to fight if the next meeting does
not go their way but if they do I might be able to generate some community
support from Lao Christians and friends of Lao. Please let me know
if there is anything that I can do.
I would like to get a copy of the transcript if it can be easily emailed
to me.
Thank you again for your efforts.
bigrig1969@hotmail.com
wrote
You are grossly misinformed. The heart of this issue is not who this is
or what religion this is. This is about a fundamental change to the zoning
of our neighborhood that would be the foothold to allowing commercial development
in our rural area.
Also, I would like to point out that while you said that you had read the
Zoning Board minutes from the last meeting you obviously missed the point
that the County Planning Department had grossy mis-stated several facts.
Facts that those from the neighborhood exposed as baseless and blatant
misinformation. Perhaps you should re-read the minutes and look at what
the outside Planner hired by the neighborhood had to say about the proposed
CUP.
Maybe next time you should look at the issue with impartiality and without
needing to cultivate an attention grabbing headline for your article.
Vern
replied —
Dear Unsigned Correspondent -- Thank you for reading the column this morning
and for writing. I recognize there are two sides (at least) to this issue
and in no place does the column say one side is right and the other is
wrong. I am reporting a controversy highlighted by the Interfaith Council.
The Council itself calls on respect for zoning while also desiring to assure
that the Buddhists are treated in the same manner that those of any other
faith would be treated.
As I understand the situation, the Buddhist group is not asking for Commercial
zoning but rather respecting the RUR zoning classification.
I have read and reread the documents and recognize that it is possible
for different interpretations to be made of them.
I do not write or even suggest headlines. Headlines are written by those
who prepare the page, taking into account such things as ad space, story
placement, typographical consistency and variety, and other matters that
I have no knowledge of or control over.
I am glad that your own opposition to the Buddhist's request has nothing
to do with religious bias, and I would urge you to help those who obviously
have religious concerns (such as have in fact been voiced) to become better
acquainted with that faith and its practitioners.
Again, Unsigned Correspondent, thank you for taking the trouble to write.
B
wrote
Come
on, Vern: The United States is filled with people who have a small brain
attached to a big mouth. Good examples are:
people who like to tell you that poor people are poor because they are
too lazy to get jobs, and
those who will tell you that the best way to manage a child is to beat
him until he respects you.
I was at the Zoning Board meeting on January 24th, and distinctly remember
several members of the above-noted group sharing with us observations
such as the "social club" dissertation, and a variety of other observations
that" these Buddhist people do not seem to be Good Christians", and
will therefore be rejected by God and become unwelcome in Olathe.
It
was this same group of morons that suggested the Buddhists will bang gongs,
engage in animal sacrifice, and engage in all maner of other horrid things
that no self-respecting Christian would do.
Those of us (most everyone else in the room) who respect
Buddhism as a worthy religion that is certainly equal to the other world
religions cringed when we heard those idiots trying to reject the
Buddhists because they were the wrong religion.
I was at the meeting because I am a neighbor of the site (across the street
and two blocks West). I will not address the various comments regarding
water pressure, sewage, water runoff, etc. because although most of the
comments make sense to me, I think it best to defer to the JoCo department
of planning because they know far more about such things than do I. I also
will not comment on parades and bell ringing because I have no first-hand
or specific knowledge that those things will occur, or be a problem if
they do.
I do share the other's concerns about light pollution and traffic, solely
because it seems to me that there is a significant possibility of them
being a problem.
In fact, the primary objection of the majority of us neighbors is that
we feel it would be like plopping a Walmart down in our community.
WE feel that a project of this size will unavoidably bring
with it unwanted noise and traffic. None of the people I have discussed
it with has the slightest care about Buddhists or how they practice their
religion. Our sole concern is the disruption to the community that anything
(Walmart, Boy Scout Camp, Christian Mega-curch, or whatever.) will bring
to the area.
So, Vern, thanks for listening to me. I read your column regularly, and
thank you for elequantly expressing your thoughts on the Buddhist church.
Vern
replied —
Thanks for taking the trouble to write. I was especially glad to read in
your note that many folks at the Jan 24 meeting respect Buddhism. I certainly
detected some of that in reading through the transcript. I also noted the
comments from [name last name, address], recognizing the great deal of
emotion in the room and advancing the view that "this CUP will violate
the health, safety and welfare of our community."
That, it seems to me, is a legitimate question and the neighbors certainly
can question the professional staff's report. But any anti-Buddhist rants
deserve no place in such a discussion, and I think that is what the Interfaith
Council was saying -- this issue should be decided on its merits, not out
of prejudice. That certainly was the tack I took in the column, although
folks have interpreted it various ways.
Thanks for your generous words about my column. I'm proud to have you as
a regular reader!
C
wrote
I am writing you in response to your article "Zoning issue smacks of bigotry,"
from February 16, 2010. As a resident of the community in which the proposed
conditional use permit (CUP) is being suggested, I find your article offensive
and biased, and as an attorney, I find your lack of evaluation of the applicable
zoning ordinances--which is the real issue regarding this zoning matter,
NOT religion--ignorant.
I was at the meeting in which you quoted the one--out of dozens--of residents
who brought up religion. That you say my entire neighborhood is bigoted
is flat out wrong and disrespectful. Had you been at the meeting, perhaps
you would have learned that the neighborhood is zoned residential-rural/agricultural
and many of the residents of the neighborhood still farm and/or raise livestock.
Our concerns have NOTHING to do with religion--and in fact, most of us
stated this was so, yet you ignored that fact in your article. Rather,
our concerns are based upon violations to the health, safety, and welfare
of our community, which the zoning regulations were promulgated to protect.
The proposed CUP violates multiple provisions of the current zoning regulations
(you also brushed this aside in your article without questioning whether
the planning board are experts in this area, nor did you mention the engineer
that provided a report that had greatly different results than the planning
board's report). The other residents and I have legitimate concerns
regarding traffic, sewage, watershed, and other issues. For example, a
parking lot of the size that is being proposed will greatly increase runoff
into the neighboring creek, which will greatly increase flood risk to the
neighboring homes. Additionally, the large amount of traffic that is increased
raises safety concerns--if you have ever lived in the country, you would
know our pets are not on leashes and as we don't have sidewalks, we walk
and ride our horses on the roads. If you had really read the minutes,
you would have seen that these were our concerns, not "subtle religious
bigotry." If you had delved into the history of our neighborhood
you would have learned that we have successfully objected to three other
conditional use permits--a juvenile halfway house, a corporate retreat,
and a cell phone tower. Please don't tell me you are going to accuse
us of ageism, bias against the upper socio-economic class, or God forbid,
bigotry against cell phone providers.
Furthermore, if you would have been at the meeting you would have learned
that property already has one variance in a neighborhood where variances
are generally not allowed--in fact, one of my neighbors has to tear down
her mother's house, the house she grew up in, because the zoning board
would not issue a variance. I understand you are not an attorney,
but for the county commission to issue a CUP on top of a variance does
not follow precedent and is generally not allowed. Additionally,
it is likely that putting such an large CUP in an area zoned rural-residential
is spot zoning, which is illegal.
So, basically you are accusing me, my neighbors, and the Olathe zoning
board of bigotry because we don't want to violate Kansas law? Like
I mentioned before, I understand you are not an attorney. However,
you are a journalist, so please get your facts straight.
Vern
responds —
While I certainly appreciate your writing about my column,. I respectfully
suggest there are other ways of reading it than the interpretation you
seem to be conveying. I would invite you to re-read what I actually wrote.
1. First, I did read your testimony, included below, from the last meeting.
I read the entire transcript of the Jan 24 meeting, the Nov 28 staff report,
the Nov 15 minutes, and other materials.
2. I do not write headlines: http://www.cres.org/star/guestcol.htm#headline
3. The question seems to be whether the critical issue is zoning or religious
bias. I did not side with one view or the other. Calling me ignorant does
not change the fact that I did not even try to evaluate zoning ordinances;
I am not competent to do that. I reported on the dispute. It is not my
place to judge zoning ordinances as seem to be applicable in the area of
dispute. I did report the fact that many of the use issues seem to have
been addressed by the professional staff.
4. You write me thus: "you say my entire neighborhood is bigoted." Where
do you find such a statement? Again, I urge you to read what I actually
wrote. Some folks, comparing my column with your statement, might wonder
if you could possibly be over-reacting. Not only did I not make the
statement which you attribute to me, neither did the Interfaith Council
make such a statement.
5. Both the Council and I advocate the fair application of zoning to this
particular applicant, without prejudging the situation except to say that
religious bias is inappropriate. Surely you agree with that, especially
if you are correct that most of the opposition has nothing to do with religious
bias. The Council stated its hope that "zoning requirements are met in
accommodating the Buddhist group, parallel to requirements for all other
faiths and that the principles of religious liberty are fully respected."
Do you find fault with this balanced statement?
6. You ask me to get my facts straight. I have reviewed my column and your
letter and I find no misstatements of fact. I have pointed out that you
seem to have misstated what I actually wrote.
7. In my opinion, even a single instance of religious bias -- and there
certainly are several indications in the transcript -- deserves to be condemned
and a better way envisioned. That is what my column was intended to do.
It does not characterize all opposition to the application and in fact
lists many reasons other than religious concerns that the neighbors raised.
I hope this clarifies what I actually wrote and my intent, which seems
consonant with yours, namely, that the application be approved or denied
on the basis of legitimate concerns, and that religion is not a legitimate
concern.
I appreciate your giving me a chance to respond to your "consideration"
(last word in your statement).
[NAME,
address] appeared before the zoning board and made the following
comments:
Ms. [NAME]: I just wanted to remind everybody, there’s a lot of emotional
charge in this room, and everybody is speaking from their heart. I want
to remind you all that everything they say, everything that we say, that
our community says, is about the fact that this church does not meet
the
zoning ordinances. It doesn’t. I mean, it may have to do with pollution,
it may have to do with nuisance, it may have to do with view. Applicant’s
counsel has brought up many other applications for CUPs, which is fine
and all, but that doesn’t matter with our CUP. It doesn’t make a difference.
The ordinance itself says that other CUPs can’t be used as grounds to admit
or deny this one. So, what we need to remember is to take into our consideration
our argument that this CUP will violate the health, safety and welfare
of our community. I want to make sure that gets taken
into consideration.
P
writes
I
can understand why you might suggest this to be the case from the few details
you have gleaned.
I hope you attend the meeting tomorrow night so that you can be fully informed
as to why the neighbors are resistant. (I for one am completely opposed--and
I have a Zen Buddhist monk as a dearly beloved cousin. To suggest
that this is because of the faith is similar to saying that I disagree
with you because you are a white male--utterly irrelevant!)
The church's attorney compared apples to oranges in his case.
1. The rural churches he cited are on busier through streets; the Buddhists
want to locate in a non-easy access area.
2. The property being discussed is zoned as residential and agricultural;
the church is circumventing law by coming in commercially under the argument
"but it's a church."
3. Those of us who chose to live in a rural, residential zone are having
the very lifestyle we signed up for impinged upon by bringing in more traffic,
energy usage, signage-not-under-Johnson-county-code (to name a few).
The religion itself does not matter--this location is not suitable for
Baptists, Mormons, Jews, Islamists. We don't want a Quik Trip or
a gas station either. You have completely missed the point.
I challenge you to 1) drive by and see where this location is and 2) sit
through the entire meeting tomorrow evening. The surrounding neighbors'
arguments are far more compelling than you have insinuated in the article
you wrote in the Star.
Thank you for considering looking at both sides of the issue.
Vern
responds —
I've received lots of mail on this column, and I appreciate everyone, including
yours. I'll do my best to respond briefly, and you can also read the other
material on my website where I have posted your email as well. You ask
me to visit the site. I do not have a car but I have studied the area using
maps and GoogleEarth. I have read the appropriate documents.
1. I do not write headlines. Please see http://www.cres.org/star/guestcol.htm#headline.
2. You ask me to attend the hearing. I have a long-standing church commitment
am unable to reschedule to attend the hearing which was originally set
for the morning.
3. I recognize that neighbors may have legitimate zoning/nuisance concerns.
I listed some in the column, noting also that the Planning Staff seems
to have found that the applicant has met the requirements. I am not qualified
to making zoning judgments.
4. It is clear from reading the transcript of the meeting and other materials
that religious prejudice is a part of the opposition by some people. The
column gives an example. My position is that when religious prejudice appears
in public discussions, it is often appropriate to identify it as such.
5. Neither the Interfaith Council nor I suggest either approval or denial
of the application. We both say that religious prejudice should not be
part of the process used in deciding this matter.
6. You say I "completely missed the point." I wonder, if you re-read what
I actually wrote, if you might discover that I have not missed the point
about religious prejudice, and that I make no point about the outcome except
that it should be arrived at on the merits without reference to religion.
That the planning staff has one opinion and you and others have another
opinion is in itself not newsworthy. It is the religious prejudice that
is the issue for me.
7. You want me to look at both sides of the issue. I am not going to do
that because I am not competent to judge zoning issues, one side or the
other. I have written within my area of competence and will not go outside
of it. I hope the column is useful in helping the neighbors to focus exclusively
on appropriate issues which can be reasonably discussed with input from
the law, the zoning requirements, the professional assessment, precedent,
and neighbor sentiment.
I do appreciate your writing, and writing politely, and giving me a chance
to seek to clarify my intent in writing the column, which has perhaps been
misunderstood or over-interpreted.
P
writes a second time --
Thank you for your response, Mr. Barnet.
We might have to agree to disagree, because of the following responses
I've made under those you've enumerated below:
3. The neighbors do, indeed, have legitimate zoning concerns (and I'm not
even including the "nuisance" portion). This is actually a key component
of the issue with the current zoning/planning staff. In a perfect
world, we would have a perfect planning staff; in this case, we strongly
believe that they are bending current laws and holding the word "church"
over our collective heads. The composition of the planning staff
is flawed.
4. If you did, in fact, read the entire meeting transcipt [which I did
attend], it is NOT clear that religious prejudice is a part of the opposition......and
that is where I believe that the premise of your position (and the media)
is flawed. The opposition to which you refer are words used by the
temple's attorney. He is the one who suggested this--not one person
opposed to the temple intimated, said, inferred or wrote otherwise.
And this is where the dominoes began to fall. Curtis Howard made
this accusation, then his unjustified comment made the headlines, then
he "won" public sentiment by virtue of speaking an untruth. [I'm
shaking my head here.] While I do understand that when "religious
prejudice appears in public discussions it is your position to identify
it as such," I believe that you did not present the facts accurately.
5. I agree. The neighbors agree. Please understand that
Mr. Howard has created the misperception by announcing a bold-faced lie.
6. I must de-bunk this point due to the fact that I believe that
by incorrectly addressing #4 (above), the subsequent series of points are
moot.
7. I completely understand what you are saying......yet the transcripts
do show the myriad of exceptions being given by the planning staff.
We (the neighbors) are also concerned about precedence. If this were
altering your own personal way of life, you would be singing from my hymnal.
* This is what is so interesting (to me) about journalism.
I shared your response with a few neighbors......none of them from the
same background or intent as I........and we must all have misunderstood
or over-interpreted. This tells me that perhaps you wrote in a way
that could be modified with clarity and ease of interpretation. Perhaps
what you meant to say is clear to you. We only read bias in your
words, and the bias is based on an untruth. And that is why I thought
(and still think) that you missed the point.
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I am literally
praying for the JoCo Commission to make a wise decision and one based on
fact. (Considering the unprecedented amount of opposition to the
vote, I would seek land elsewhere if I were the applicant! But I'm
more of a peaceful person.)
Vern
responds a second time —
According
to the minutes transcript, this was heard at the meeting, from which I
quoted in my column the material I have highlighted:
Jeri
Jackson, 11780 Moonlight Terrace, appeared before the zoning board and
made the following comments:
Ms. Jackson: Good evening. I speak for myself alone. Should the second
proposal for a Buddhisttemple campus be approved? No. The proposal is for
a campus that would hope to grow, by their own words. Having said that,
alleged smaller size isn’t the issue. Concept is. Continuing concerns are
being heard this evening, including whether the campus would
at some point house an educational center, per the customary use of a Wat
Lao facility. This CUP represents a changed use of property from residential
to commercial-institutional. If only one neighbor was adversely affected,
it would be too much to expect. Multiple revisions and CUP cycles of this
proposal couldn’t make it better. It’s the wrong thing, wrong place, wrong
time. It makes no sense. We’re on the side street of a side street, but
we’re five miles from the edge of any town proper.
I’m told that the recently paved roads had a direct impact on why we’re
here this evening. Importantly, this proposal is commercial and that spiritual
entities operate in some ways like businesses. Take up space and use resources
like businesses. And attract businesses as time passes. The result of all
this? Death of a very special rural area with all of its wide-open spaces
and pleasant, relaxed way of life. Johnson County’s land use plan cites
the importance of protecting the rural character of the unincorporated
areas. Such protection must be purposed, or it won’t happen. There is still
time.
Folks out here should not have to spend valuable time and money protecting
the rural lifestyle they bought when they moved out here. We shouldn’t
have to be looking over our shoulders, wondering what will the planners
want to do to us next.
Last but not least, reading from the plan, one’s right to worship cuts
both ways. I see in the plan, in the staff report, multiple references
to churches and how they benefit society, and that churches are generally
considered to be integral to neighborhoods as gathering areas. Generally
and historically, churches are a benefit to communities. The fact is, not
all are the same. Some are harmful. The bible teaches that churches are
not to be social clubs, but are (1) a place where Christians gather together,
to learn of and worship God. (2) A place for any who are strugglingand
unsaved can hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Is a mere social gathering
place reason enough to begin turning our area into something else? It seems
to me that’s what this plan says. We may as well call it a church, a mosque,
a synagogue – whatever. It almost seems like the word “church” has been
used conveniently to make it more palatable, when what they’re really saying
is any of these, come say, come saw, they’re just gathering areas anyway,
one or another. It doesn’t matter.
So, I ask that you all reject this CUP because to approve it for gathering,
for gathering’s sake, change for change’s sake, or diversity for diversity’s
sake, would be irresponsible. Please reject this CUP. There are other issues.
So I do not understand how you can say these were the words of Mr Holland.
They are not attributed to him nor do they sound like him.
Because this is a factual issue, you should demand that the record is corrected
if you believe it is in error and that Ms Jackson did not speak the words
ascribed to her.
And if that were the only instance of prejudice I found in the transcript,
I would not have written the column. I suspect the Interfaith Council would
not have made its statement, either.
It is not surprising at all to me that those to whom you showed the column
shared the same perspective on it as you, especially given the headline,
which I did not write. People with a shared point of view tend to interpret
articles from a similar perspective, or if they guess your perspective
from the manner in which material is put before them, they are naturally
inclined to agree, especially with the headline. That is true on
the other side as well, as you might glean from the responses I've put
on my website. I am not a schemer who tries to say you neighbors are bad
people and write that in such a way as to evade responsibility for saying
that.
What I hope for, and where we agree, is that the decision should not be
made on the basis of religious prejudice but rather within applicable legal
protections for both the applicant and the neighbors.
I just had a call -- as I was completing this response to your email --
from someone in the area involved with commerce. My caller asserts that
she encounters religious prejudice in the area frequently. If her assessment
is correct, it is important for folks like you to work with your neighbors
and perhaps with the Interfaith Council to eliminate it.
Please don't judge journalists by me. I am not a member of The Star staff.
I write from home. I am a columnist, not a news reporter. I appear in the
features section of the paper. Still, I want to be absolutely accurate
in what I write. Since 1994, when I began the column, I have not always
been perfect, but I have been meticulous in owning mistakes. For that reason
I appreciate you writing me, as I want to examine any claim that I erred.
You have not convinced me that anything I wrote is wrong, even if you continue
to disagree, which is a right I respect.
P
writes a third time --
Actually, you don't have to respect my point of view--I STAND CORRECTED.
I had forgotten about Jeri Jackson! She was an EMBARRASSMENT to the
neighbors--in fact, a collective sigh went out as she spoke! I APOLOGIZE
to you!! If this passes, I hope that she understands that she did
it!
HOWEVER, Curtis Howard, in his opening remarks, bluntly stated that he
believed that the prejudice was because of their faith. Speaking
as a child [insert snicker here], "he started it."
But now I know that you'll take a call and believe the caller according
to what she runs into in her business. Vern, I want to trust your
experience and passion for what you do--I really do. Perhaps at the
very core here is a style--inductive vs deductive reasoning. I am
presenting inductively; you are presenting deductively:
http://atheism.about.com/od/criticalthinking/a/deductivearg.htm
Arguments can be separated into two categories: deductive and inductive.
A deductive argument is one in which it is impossible for the premises
to be true but the conclusion false. Thus, the conclusion follows necessarily
from the premises and inferences. In this way, it is supposed to be a definitive
proof of the truth of the claim (conclusion). Here is a classic example:
1. All men are mortal. (premise)
2. Socrates was a man. (premise)
3. Socrates was mortal. (conclusion)
As you can see, if the premises are true (and they are), then it simply
isn't possible for the conclusion to be false. If you have a deductive
argument and you accept the truth of the premises, then you must also accept
the truth of the conclusion; if you reject it, then you are rejecting logic
itself.
An inductive argument is one in which the premises are supposed to support
the conclusion in such a way that if the premises are true, it is improbable
that the conclusion would be false. Thus, the conclusion follows probably
from the premises and inferences. Here is an example:
1. Socrates was Greek. (premise)
2. Most Greeks eat fish. (premise)
3. Socrates ate fish. (conclusion)
In this example, even if both premises are true, it is still possible for
the conclusion to be false (maybe Socrates was allergic to fish, for example).
Words which tend to mark an argument as inductive — and hence probabilistic
rather than necessary — include probably, likely, possibly and reasonably.
It may seem that inductive arguments are weaker than deductive arguments
because there must always remain the possibility of their arriving at false
conclusions, but that is not entirely true. With deductive arguments, our
conclusions are already contained, even if implicitly, in our premises.
This means that we don't arrive at new information — at best, we are shown
information which was obscured or unrecognized previously. Thus, the sure
truth-preserving nature of deductive arguments comes at a cost.
Inductive arguments, on the other hand, do provide us with new ideas and
thus may expand our knowledge about the world in a way that is impossible
for deductive arguments to achieve. Thus, while deductive arguments may
be used most often with mathematics, most other fields of research make
extensive use of inductive arguments.
Vern
responds a third time —
Thanks
much! As a former teacher of logic (as a grad student), I appreciate the
refresher course! And in exchange I attach an image of the first page from
one of my most favorite books of all time [cover and first page of
Chances
Are . . . Adventures in Probability by Michael Kaplan and Ellen Kaplan
discussing how, until 1660, one had to reason either deductively or inductively,
and afterward probability/statistics provided a third way of reasoning].
P
writes a third time --
Interesting!
I'm still bugged about Jeri Jackson and why she "gets to" represent the
supposed neighboring views.........Does this mean that Fred Phelps represents
Christians, too?
K
writes
I am the author of the Reformed Buddhist Blog, and was curious if you had
a link to the Northwest Consolidated Zoning Board’s meeting with constituents
Jan. 24 record? I've looked through the JoCo website for links, but was
unable to find it.
Thanks for the article and your help!
Vern
responds
Here is the link:
http://planning.jocogov.org/minutes
Thanks for your good work!
STAR LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Buddhist
temple flap
A Laotian Buddhist temple has been in a residential part of Olathe since
1997 and its officials are now trying to expand it by purchasing a 10-acre
tract of land in a rural area of Olathe. The group has a 30-year plan for
the land including a temple, residential buildings for monks, and a park
and walking trail that are open to the public (2/16, FYI, “Zoning issue
smacks of bigotry”).
There has been an extremely vitriolic response from the rural neighbors
around the proposed site. A zoning hearing last month was packed with Olathe
residents protesting against the construction of this temple. There were
things said like, “Will there be any animals sacrificed?” as well as sneers
and heckling from the audience because of the Laotian peoples’ heavy accents.
I implore the residents of Olathe to make your voices heard to let these
people know we are Americans who do not approve of religious intolerance.
This unbridled bigotry and lashing out at what we do not understand are
both childish and abhorrent.
The hearing on this matter is at 9:30 a.m. Thursday on the third floor
of the county administrative building in Olathe. I encourage other religions
to support these kind people.
Eric
Fitch, Independence
NOTE:
Because of the expected interest, the hearing has been rescheduled to 5:30
pm.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
steamy_pete
ignorance bred with change gives birth to fear. Hopefully ignorance is
not allowed to prevail.
Baphomet_665
Obviously, this is a shining example of Christian 'tolerance' so often
championed by the fervently religious in the US. Of course, by tolerance
they mean 'putting up with' others' viewpoints until such time that they
cannot readily ignore it.
When did we become a society of idiocy? I seem to remember something about
religious oppression in Europe that, in part, caused a group of people
to abandon their homeland in order that they might enjoy greater individual
freedom.
Oh, and reality check here. . . I have not EVER been into a Judeo-Christian
church (any of the 10,000 denominations) that was NOT treated like a social
club. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that many people DO treat
their church as a social club, and then proceed to conduct themselves in
whatever way happens to please them once the services are over.
I would rather attend a Buddhist temple than a Christian church . . . and
I'm not Buddhist. They're nicer people.
JonHarker
Oh yeah, Baphomet, and atheists are really tolerant of Christians. Your
bigotry is showing.
But I will say this, I would rather be around Buddhists than atheists,
the Buddhists are nicer people.
Baphomet_665
As usual, you mistook most all of what I said... and I'm NOT an atheist.
Nice, guess, though.
Where's that other cheek you're supposed to give me?
LKC
Hi,
I live up the road in Leavenworth, KS. I was raised a Baptist in Liberty,
Mo. I loved my church and upbringing. Mostly I love my mother who LIVES
her faith through loving kindness. As an adult, I was pleased at how the
practices of meditation in Buddhism enriched my spiritual life. I feel
a closeness with the teachings of loving kindness and compassion that are
at the heart of Buddhist teachings. I did not know this about Buddhism
before reading some books by the Dalai Lama. I recently became a member
of the Rime Center Monastery in Kansas City after taking classes there.
Having been raised a Baptist, I understand exactly where the opponents
in Olathe are coming from. I heard this kind of discussion among the adults
in the churches I grew up in. I was raised that only ONE religion was the
right one -- and that was Baptist. (TOLERATED the Methodists and the Presbyterians,
etc., but were wary of the Catholics because they had all these statues
and you weren't supposed to worship statues, according to many of those
in my church.) These beliefs were taught with fierce conviction and struck
fear into the hearts of those who would disagree - that only those who
were Christians would go to heaven. Yet, I ALSO heard every Sunday how
we Christians had been persecuted and had suffered gravely at the hands
of those who would not tolerate the teachings of Christianity -- jailed,
even killed. This hate was a terrible tragedy that was inflicted upon Christians.
Would we, after attaining the right to worship without fears, turn around
and inflict the same suffering upon others? It is a moral dilemma that
some are facing now. The Laotians are beautiful, peaceful people. In Leavenworth,
we have many different people of so very many countries. We have residents
from Thailand, Korea, Japan, and countless other countries, partly perhaps
because of the luck of our neighbor Ft. Leavenworth. We are proud of our
diversity. Please, Olathe Christians, I beseech you to consider, through
prayer, what your position is on this situation. WWJD. Finding God has
many pathways. Love, kindness, compassion to you as you work through this.
FOLLOW-UP NEWS REPORTS
Fox-4
TV Story Link Feb 18
Buddhist
Group Claims Discrimination Behind Zoning Problems
Buddhists
take case to county
By IAN CUMMINGS
The Olathe
News Feb 23
A Buddhist
association will ask the Johnson County Commission on Thursday to keep
alive its proposed move from Olathe to rural Johnson County.
The commission
has set aside extra time and space for a public hearing on the issue, which
earlier drew dozens of comments as well as accusations of religious intolerance
and unsuitable development.
The Lao Buddhist
Association of Olathe has maintained a church at 721 Spruce St., Olathe,
since 1997. The association wants to move to a 14-acre plot of land west
of Olathe, a zone where churches need conditional-use permits. The Northwest
Consolidated Zoning Board voted unanimously to recommend denial of the
permit at a meeting Jan. 24. That meeting lasted five hours and drew 160
people, 40 of whom spoke publicly, according to the county.
On Thursday,
the seven county commissioners can vote to deny the permit or — with a
super-majority vote of six members — return it to the zoning board for
further consideration. The board may also continue the meeting to a later
date.
The applicant
on the permit request is Urban Architecture Studio and the landowners are
Alfred and Jeannie Rolf.
Curtis Holland,
the attorney representing the applicants, said most of the church members
are of Laotian descent and from Olathe, De Soto and surrounding communities.
He said many of them do not speak English.
Holland said
the permit request faced more opposition than any case he had ever been
involved with, including cases involving landfills, quarries and the Kansas
Speedway.
“I think it’s
not a question of what it is, but who it is,” Holland said.
Dean Palos,
director of the Department of Planning, Development and Codes, said the
zoning board’s vote was in response to criticisms made by members of the
public.
“We’re now
very clearly aware that the neighbors are opposed,” Palos said.
The department
of planning has recommended that the requested permit be approved. Palos
said the department had found no problems with the requested permit, which
involved an addition to an existing structure but no new buildings.
“We felt that
it was a compatible use,” Palos said. He added that many churches are located
throughout the unincorporated area.
Cindee Johannsen
of Olathe said she has opposed the permit.
“Our concern
is that once you’ve got development started, it’s just going to expand,”
she said.
The Lao Buddhist
Association has withdrawn an earlier permit request, submitted in November,
which described future plans to build new structures.
Palos and Holland
both said the new permit was reduced in scope and involved no new structures
on the property.
Public hearing
The County
Commission meeting has been moved from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
It will be in the commission’s hearing room on the third floor of the Johnson
County Administration Building, 111 S. Cherry St., Olathe. Public comments
will be limited to three minutes for individuals and 30 minutes for the
attorneys. The board of commissioners has asked citizens attending the
meeting to use the east entrance on Cherry Street.
The county will provide
additional seating in the hearing room, as well as television and audio
transmission of the meeting to Room 200 on the administration building’s
lower level. The meeting will be broadcast on the Internet at www.jocogov.org.
Johnson
County vote gives Buddhist temple proposal another chance
By ALEXIA LANG
Special to The Star Feb
24
A vote tonight
by the Johnson County Commission kept alive a proposal by a local Buddhist
association to move its temple from Olathe to a rural location nearby.
Before an overflow
crowd, the commission voted 6-1 to send the proposal back to a county zoning
board, which earlier had rejected the request.
Residents crowded
into two meeting rooms and lined the hallways outside the meeting room
doors tonight. More than 25 residents spoke against allowing the Lao Buddhist
Association to purchase and occupy 14 acres at 29500 W. 119th Street, which
is west of Olathe in an area where churches need a conditional use permit.
A handful of
people spoke in favor of approving the permit.
The request,
made on behalf of Urban Architecture Studio and landowners Alfred and Jeannie
Rolf, came before the commissioners after the permit was denied Jan. 24
by the Northwest Consolidated Zoning Board. That meeting lasted five hours
and drew 160 people, 40 of whom spoke publicly, according to the county.
Dean Palos,
director of the department of planning, development and codes, said tonight’s
request was a scaled-down version of what was originally proposed. The
plan no longer includes a future 9.600-square-foot worship space, a separate
Buddha temple or a ceremonial gateway, among other smaller elements.
Palos said
staff is recommending approval of the request.
“We felt it
met infrastructure requirements as well as we felt it was compatible with
the area,” he said. “We know many disagree with us, especially on the second
point.”
The commissioners
had the options of denying the request, continuing discussion to another
day or returning the request to the zoning board with a summary of items
that need to be reconsidered.
Curtis Holland,
the attorney representing the applicants, said the permit request has faced
more opposition than any case he has worked on.
“This case
has generated a lot more interest than most church applications, I’m sure
you agree,” he told commissioners. “... This is nothing more than an application
for a small church. “
Holland noted
that neighbors of the association’s current location have spoken favorably
of them.
BLOGS
The
REFORMED BUDDHIST 110225
Johnson County, Kansas -
The Nasty Side of Entitled Community Ownership
GREAT
PLAINS BUDDHA 110225
Johnson County, Laotian
Buddhists and White Privilege
856. 110209 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Human love can be divine
Valentine’s Day usually means romantic
love, but sometimes even erotic love can be interpreted as a spiritual
consummation.
Jews have often seen the
Song of Songs as the love God has for Israel. Christians, who may know
the scripture as the Song of Solomon, have often understood its sensual
poetry as the love of Christ for his church.
Many Hindus celebrate the
passion between the god Krishna and his consort Radha. Krishna may enchant
the world, but Radha enchants Krishna. United as one being, Krishna-Radha
evokes the human fervor for the divine.
We sometimes speak of marriage
partners as one flesh, and one may introduce one’s spouse as “my better
half.”
This metaphorical unity between
partners is expanded in the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Lev.
19:18 and Matt. 22:39) and suggests a level of commitment few of us can
summon. Yet in extraordinary moments and circumstances, sometimes people
will give even their own lives for another or for a cause larger than themselves.
Mystics of many faiths report
experiences in which love becomes so overwhelming that they no longer sense
their identities as separate beings.
Love seems to involve a kind
of trust that vaporizes barriers that normally define who we are. With
the beloved, we are able to shed inhibitions that otherwise clothe and
mask our inmost being.
Some mystics write about
this love as a nakedness or even an emptiness so complete that the self
is consumed in love’s fire.
Some years ago in New Delhi
I saw Yamini Krishnamurthy dance a story that arose from Gandhi’s love
of the Indian untouchables. She danced the part of a devout worshipper
of the god Shiva as well as the part of Shiva himself, whose cosmic dance
is
portrayed in bronze in the middle of the Indian temple room at the Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art.
The devotee was an untouchable
in the north of India. He desired to behold Shiva dancing on the altar
in his temple at Chidambaram in southern India, a thousand miles away.
The devotee, often hungry,
walked all the way, overcoming many obstacles. At last he came to the temple
on the other side of the road.
But because he was an untouchable,
he was not permitted to cross the road to see the object of his pious journey.
Then Shiva, perceiving the
man’s selfless passion, left dancing on the altar, exited the temple, crossed
the road and consumed the man into himself. The ecstatic untouchable was
united with the divine.
The love on the altar of
our hearts ignites in glorious consummation when it dances across the roads
of prejudice and separation.
READER COMMENT
J
wrote
I want to thank you for writing the Wednesday articles on Faith and Beliefs.
It is wonderful to live in a community where this kind of encouragement
and enlightenment is available in a daily newspaper. I look for it
each Wednesday and say a quiet Thank You, that you never hear. Just
thought, I'd take the opportunity to do it now.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
Our
society's view of love is often a counterfeit one. St. Thomas Aquinas suggests
that true love derives less from emotion and more from decision. It is
an act of the will as much as the heart. Love, according to Aquinas, is
willing the good of another.
855. 110202 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
So why are you arguing?
The mailbag was overflowing before I went
to bed last Wednesday in response to my column that day. I had written
about my failure, after years of trying, to find common ground with a persistent
correspondent concerned that I am leading readers astray. I called it quits
with that reader.
Like some other critics,
he insists on understanding religion largely in terms of true or false
statements.
Instead, I try to appreciate
the meaning statements have in the lives of those who make them, and whether
they assist folks in serving others compassionately.
Sharing our stories can enlarge
us, but winning a theological argument is not likely to make us better
people.
? The first post asked,
“So why are you arguing, Vern? After all, that is what you are doing, and
for years you have argued against various aspects of Christianity.”
Good point. Indeed, I have
questioned aspects of my own beloved tradition and of other faiths I also
admire when they are used to justify ignorance, oppression or violence.
Most emails were favorable
and expanded on last week’s column. Here are excerpts from two:
? “Perhaps you could
advise (your critic) that your definitive statement on the topics in question
will be presented . . . if and when the Almighty provides you with the
facts on the afterlife, including a dissertation on how . . . other traditions
have it wrong.
“I suspect this advice could
come by way of golden (or) stone tablets . . . or email; probably not enough
available characters in a Twitter account.
“Failing that, we must rely
on the written records of several traditions, which are not internally
consistent but seem to have a lot of plain guidance for dealing with others,
and most seem to agree at least in the broad sense. As John McCutcheon
puts it, what part of ‘love your enemies’ do you people not understand?”
? “(In your column,
you wrote) ‘Words can point to a sacred reality, but words cannot capture
that reality. Our vocabulary is puny in comparison.’ Bravo!
“Sometimes though, words
hit the bulls eye, and yours this morning did just that, again.
“Your critics need not worry
about your soul nor the souls of your readers—you continually do justice
to truth by offering a rational, sober and non-superstitious peek at the
whole of reality.
“It’s easy to articulate
the physical side of reality, but to do so about metaphysical reality is
a gift—one which you have and I appreciate very much! The need for literal
and absolute doctrine is a dependency of our species, and people like you
are the directors of rehab.”
It feels a little immodest
to do this, but I’m posting comments from all perspectives at cres.org/comments.
Many are surprising and instructive.
READER COMMENT
H
writes
Vern, your columns are delightful for many reasons, not least among them
being their openness to many traditions. I am a Catholic Christian
because, well, it just seems to fit my needs so well. However, my
vision of God as omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent simply does not
comport with the idea that God somehow left more than four billion people
out of the mix when deciding who gets the prize. The relationship
between God and God’s creation is unavoidably the law of the universe.
Whether or not I get it figured out right or not won’t do much to alter
that law, and I enjoy the comfort that your affirming columns give me.
Anyway, people of a fundamentalist Christian bent are in a logically untenable
dilemma. Anyone who reads chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew’s Gospel
either has to reject out of hand the direct instructions of Jesus or admit
that they simply cannot follow Jesus and look into Scientology or something.
Leo Tolstoy took those chapters to heart and managed to get himself excommunicated.
“…resist ye not evil” is an instruction from Jesus which, if followed,
would completely do in our political system, to say nothing of our defense
budget. I get Matthew’s point, I love the philosophy, but I am plenty
comfortable piously loving my neighbor and letting my soldiers and police
resist the dickens out of evil on my behalf. If I and most honest
Christians find it impossible to follow the direct commands, delivered
in the imperative voice, of Jesus, none of us should proclaim that people
of other faith traditions have it all wrong and will suffer for their error.
So that’s where you come in – a voice of reason in a field of mystery.
Thanks.
D
writes
Please keep trumpeting the word! I grew up within the arena of the
mindset of your critic. Fortunately, I had epiphanies with significant
persons of faith: parents, friends, seminary professors, authors and mentors
. . . .
These experiences have taken my faith to a level I never imagined and sometimes
seems unfathomable to those from my early life whose spiritual life has
stagnated, become stratified or otherwise become the true/false, dualistic
mindset that seems to rely on cliches, platitudes or easy answers that
rarely address life's issues in an authentic manner.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
trapblock
God says to us in the Old Testament, “Today I have given you the choice
between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven
and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life,
so that you and your descendants might live!"
Yes, mankind is absolutely free to choose between good and evil... he is
not free to determine or change what is good and what is evil. There can
be no ambiguity about that... so seek The Truth (not one of many).
JonHarker
So why ARE you arguing, Vern?
Is it just to keep donations coming in to CRES, or what?==
Vern
replied
—
I have responded to the first question from JonHarker in the column itself.
Concerning the second question, which has persisted from previous posts,
for the record I respond. In none of the 850+ columns that have appeared
has there ever been an appeal for donations for CRES. To my knowledge never
has CRES received a single contribution in response to a column. For years
I have been a full-time volunteer for CRES. Since 2004, when CRES asked
the Interfaith Council, which CRES had hosted since its founding in 1989,
to become independent, CRES has been downsizing with the pleasure of seeing
other, new organizations taking over interfaith leadership in various ways.
THE CRES 12-page color monthly publication, MANY PATHS, ended in 2008.
The last special program CRES offered was Apr 18, 2009, and the 25th and
last CRES-sponsored Interfaith Thanksgiving Sunday Family Ritual Meal was
Nov 22, 2009. So the answer to the second question is No. The column not
only does not "keep" donations "coming in to CRES," to my knowledge it
never has generated even one single donation to CRES. My purpose in all
my work, including writing for The Star, is not to build an organization
but to assist folks in learning about all faiths.
I do post comments in my real name.
Vern Barnet
JonHarker
Actually, Vern, you did not really answer the question about why you are
arguing.
As to donations, your answer seems a little misleading, since CRES does
in fact get donations, does it not?
And your column provides publicity, does it not?
Vern
replied —
I cannot improve upon the answer given in the column to the first question:
"I have questioned aspects of my own beloved tradition and of other faiths
I also admire when they are used to justify ignorance, oppression or violence."
If this is unsatisfactory, it will have to be unsatisfactory.
To the second and third questions: CRES has never solicited or received
donations through my column. Yes, the column does provide publicity, in
the last three months, for example:publicity for Jews, Christians, the
Bible, Hindus, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther
King Jr, Henry Nelson Wieman, Park University, Brookdale Presbyterian Church
in St. Joseph, Paul Tillich, the University of Chicago, the Hallmark Hall
of Fame, Alfred Jacob Miller, Ilus Davis Park, City Hall, Charles Evans
Whittaker U.S. Courthouse, Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Islam, Kauffman
Center for the Performing Arts, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson
County Community College, Kansas City International Airport, atheism, Romans,
African art, Matthew, Luba initiation rituals, Albert Schweitzer, Elvis
Presley, the Chewa, Dennis Moore, the Pledge of Allegiance, American Indians,
Zoroastrians, Harvard University’s Pluralism Project, Jelaluddin Rumi,
Turkey, Sufism, Buddhism, the Bhagavad Gita, Rabindranath Tagore, Thanksgiving,
Abraham Lincoln, the Kansas City Art Institute, the University of Notre
Dame, Epicurus, Lucretius, Erasmus, Luther, Voltaire, Marx, Nietzsche,
Durkheim, Freud, Bertrand Russell, Postmodernists, and others. I do not
use the column to publicize my organization for which I am a full-time
volunteer. I focus on building interfaith understanding, not on building
an institution, which, as I previously explained, is deliberately moving
toward shutting down as other organizations take over various aspects of
interfaith work.
I feel I have responded to such questions faithfully and sufficiently and
it is unlikely I can spend the time to do so again.
Vern Barnet, my real name
854. 110126 THE STAR’S
PRINT HEADLINE:
Arguing about faith brings no profit
Regular readers of this column know I passionately
promote religious dialogue. We are often enlarged and deepened in our own
faiths when we are stimulated by others’ experiences.
But I don’t think winning
an argument is helpful. Disputes about God, for example, are not likely
to make us better people. Sharing experiences of awe, mystery, alignment,
perspective, fitness, love, service, holiness—these are more likely to
transform us than a theological contest.
Words can point to a sacred
reality, but words cannot capture that reality. Our vocabulary is puny
in comparison.
In the West, this insight
is expressed by the very name by which God reveals himself: Yahweh, which
means “I am what I am” or “I will be what I will be,” a way of saying God
is best named when specific descriptions are avoided.
In the East, one of many
parallels is found in the Tao Te Ching, “The way which can be spoken is
not the Way.”
But some folks are displeased
with this column’s approach and want a definite statement of a particular
literal doctrine on such topics as God, sin and afterlife.
One correspondent who has
written me for years says his “persistence is rooted in compassion and
love for (me) and the readers (I) influence.” He sees religion as expressing
facts and divides statements into right and wrong.
For me religion is far more
glorious than mere factual assertions. When Jesus is called “the lamb of
God,” no one should think Jesus is covered with wool. The image makes sense
in the context of the Israelite sacrifice tradition of substituting animals
to expiate sin. To treat the statement that Jesus is the lamb of God as
a fact misses the point.
While the bread and wine
of the Eucharist are deeply meaningful to many Christians as the body and
blood of the Savior, they are poor images for someone from a vegetarian
culture who might find the idea revolting and even cannibalistic.
Imagine the plight of a 6-year
old girl raped nightly by her father. To insist she must think of God as
her heavenly father only adds to the abuse.
Are religious statements
mere facts or as signs to something beyond facts and images? Facts are
like shadows on the wall, but genuine spiritual experiences are full-color,
3D with sounds, smells, textures and presence.
While I appreciate my critics’
concern for my soul and the souls of my readers, after many attempts and
failures at finding common ground, I can only tell them this:
“Arguing brings no profit.
Please do not insist that your words must be my words. I am blessed to
hear your own stories. I am happy you have found a spiritual path that
nurtures you. Please, now go in peace, but go.”
READER COMMENT
M
writes
I liked your latest article.. Conflict seems to be the gatekeeper to the
constant fist-fight between entrenched dogma and revolutionary epiphany.
Were it not for the audience to this ever evolving pugilistic contest of
wills and ideas, we would all still believe that the sun rotated around
the earth and that evil spirits or divine will granted health or brought
disease. It is not the fighters in this process that decide the path
of truth, but the consensus of the audience. The fight may change,
but it is always on.
Humans, as inquisitive and investigative as the modern monkey-man may be,
are as addicted to resisting change as they are driven to seek out and
explore strange new ways to argue with each other. While the animal
instincts of man (oh yes...and woman too!!) drive us to tooth and claw
conflict where sniffing and posturing fail, it is the sometimes-open eye
of self awareness that drives us to attempt to resolve those conflicting
sensual worlds into a harmonious tribal heartbeat of understanding.
We fight.. with the formost intention to unite. It is only the perversion
of ego that leads to the loss of this ultimate goal of normal conflict
of ideology, the misled attachment to what is "mine" and the resulting
perception that you are trying to take something from me..
If both sides accept what the human ape is trying to do, carry the conflicting
concepts to reasonable levels of debate and ritualized "combat" and then
sort through the reasonable compromises leading to a harmonious truth,
it would be frightening how quickly our world could change. Once
you realize that banging rocks together with some violence can in fact
produce a tool that changes life entirely, you learn how to bang the rocks
properly to produce a result you can use.
Do you think someday we might embrace the barbaric along with the enlightenment
and therein find a wellspring of healthy human truth? I would love
to live in a world where we attend a fancy dress dinner party for our favorite
charity, then go home with our freinds and beat drums in celebration and
dance naked around the fire in the moonlight.. and both behaviors are appreciated
and accepted as human.
L
writes
This is a long overdue thank you for your always thought-provoking and
interesting columns! My husband and I have been on an surprising
spiritual journey the past several years, leaving a large mainstream denomination
to first spend time with others who were ostracized from the same institution
in a small group/home church setting, and finally landing in a small church
that is a wonderful fit (and with which you are familiar, Southwood United
Church of Christ in Raytown; we very much enjoyed your Interfaith Thanksgiving
service message). I loved today's column, and will probably send
it out to that same small group we continue to meet with weekly.
The Tao Te Ching quote had an effect on me similar to when I contemplate
what is beyond the universe...mind blowing. Loved it.
As humans, we are limited. We tend to limit God as well, putting
him/her in a box that we can understand and contemplate without blowing
our minds. My husband, Dave, and I have become fans of Donald Miller,
whose "Blue Like Jazz" surfaces frequently in our conversations.
This is not an exact quote, because we've loaned out our book I can't copy
it, but the gist of it is: We don't know if we are right, and the
chances are tremendous that we're not, but we know our Creator has the
answers. And that's all that matters.
Thank you for your voice.
K
writes
I enjoy your column and know you would not wish to be confrontational with
your persistent correspondent. Perhaps you could advise that your
definitive statement on the topics in question will be presented in your
column if and when the Almighty provides you with the facts on the afterlife,
including a dissertation on how worshippers of other traditions have it
wrong. I suspect this advice could come by way of golden tablets
with a messenger, stone tablets without a messenger, e-mail (probably not
enough available characters in a Twitter account). Failing that,
we must rely on the written records of several traditions, which are not
internally consistent but seem to have a lot of plain guidance for dealing
with others, and most seem to agree at least in the broad sense.
(As John McCutcheon puts it, what part of "love your enemies" do you people
not understand?)
R
writes
You really don't want people to leave you alone do you? Let me at least
say that I did/do like today's column and will in all probability will
add it to my cut out collection. Most people do tend to get up set by facts,
and if you read history instead of pages from religious examples you get
a completely different picture. I thought for a while about the remark
you made sometime back about Moses and after a little reading found out
you were right about the Jews becoming Jews in the sixth century BC and
that in all probability Abraham, Joseph and Moses were works of imagination.
I find that most of the old testament was not written neither when nor
where we have been taught it was. But we are told it is all right to believe
in things that are not true. Personally I find it fascinating that most
of Christianity is based on Zoroastrianism and I just don't understand
why this upsets people, but it is really fun to present these "facts."
Then when they start to turn red I point out that you probably don't want
to hear about Jesus' twin brother or his wife Mary of Magdala and his daughter.
I realize with your extended knowledge of all the other religions that
you can have this much fun with all the religions, but then the powers
that be would probably not let you write your column anymore. I have realized
that while I remain with the . . . Church my religious bent has turned
towards Pantheism only with a little more personalization. Enjoying it
while I can, . . .
D
writes
I am speaking as a (former) opinion writer who was often told by readers,
in effect: "Interesting article, but I still don't know whether you liked
the show" ...
I had to enjoy you, forever striving for balance and understanding, finally
throwing up your hands and quoting, "Please, now go in peace, but go."
It is always impressive when someone who fully understands the blurred
boundaries between right and wrong reaches the point of putting one's foot
down. In effect: "I WILL continue to seek common ground; on that I will
not compromise!"
Nicely done, Vern.
T
writes
“Words can point to a sacred reality, but words cannot capture that reality.
Our vocabulary is puny in comparison”.
BRAVO!
Sometimes though, words hit the bulls eye and yours this morning did just
that. (Again) Your critic(s) need not worry about your soul nor the
souls of your readers – you continually do justice to Truth by offering
a rational, sober and non-superstitious peek at the whole of reality.
It’s easy to articulate the physical side of reality but to do so about
metaphysical reality is a gift - one which you have and I appreciate very
much! The need for literal and absolute doctrine is a dependency
of our species and people like you are the directors of rehab. Keep
up the great work!
Just seems like you might be in the mood for some “fan” mail.
A
writes
I loved your column, “Arguing About Faith…” I have attached a recent
blog that I wrote because of similar disappointments in the faith community.
Enjoy the read and thanks again for your column!
BLOG:
http://www.crackedpotts.blogspot.com/
I've
been reflecting lately on the origin of my faith in God and it seems that
unlike some, I'm unable to really pinpoint a day or time when I had that
"aha" moment. All I know is that at a very young age I would listen
to the voices of the meadowlark and the red-winged blackbird; curious to
know what made them sing. I believe that God's voice in the wind
called me away from the angry voices of people to come out and dance
with the little stream on the edge of town. It was God who called me to
safety then and it is He who calls me to a deeper place today. It
was God and it is God.
I went away to a monastery recently to reflect on this faith and some things
occurred to me. For many years I worshiped in an evangelical setting.
I don't know how many times a congregation would rejoice when they learned
that someone had come out of "Catholicism" to the true Christian experience.
So many times I would hear pastors refer to the "other" denominations in
a negative light; as if to say that "our way" was the only way. It
bothered me then and it bothers me today. While I was in prayer with
the nuns at the monastery I was in awe of the reverence while we were singing
the Holy scripture. It was a solemn time; a sacred time. It
was a blessed form of worship. God is alive in the Catholic church
just as He is in other paths of faith. I say paths because in my
observation of faith settings over the years, we are really all on a significant
journey to seek the ultimate experience or path to find meaning for our
lives as it relates to God. Why are we here? How can my life
bring meaning to another? Who is this "One" who made us all in His
image; while we are all so very different are we from one another? We all
are in pursuit of the perfect way to worship this God, yet not one of us
can claim the identity of another seeker when we attempt to identify our
individual relationship with God. Why? I believe it's simply
not possible. Our walk with the living Christ is as unique as the
finger prints on our hands and as unique as the very DNA of our souls.
We are uniquely and individually designed. That is something in which
to celebrate.
So what makes us think that there is but one approach to the blessed presence
of God and the worship we bring? I hope I never know the answer to
that question, because once that happens I fear I too will stop seeking
the special place that I long for. A place I began seeking as a little
girl; a place in my soul that makes me know the unending presence of the
living Christ, Emmanuel, God with us!
Blessings to you, my unique and wonderful friends.
Amy --http://crackedpotts.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-way.html
T
writes
We
think alike. An academic, I have just completed a manuscript, The Face
of God Opens to Humanity: Being Human, Being Religious.
PhD
writes
I wanted to express my empathy related to “Arguing About Faith Brings No
Profit” on January 26th.
Sounds like some of the fundamentals are really after you—my sympathies.
I can imagine some of the responses you must get since I hear about some
of the hate mail . . . . receives!
I think your outlook and approach is pretty perfect and I always enjoy
reading your columns! “Sharing experiences of awe, mystery and alignment…”
is very much in keeping with my attitude. Literal interpretations don’t
work and sometimes we need to embrace mystery and accept what the Tao says
about the way which can be spoke is not the Way! . . .
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarker
So why are you arguing, Vern? After all, that is what you are doing, and
for years you have argued against various aspects of Christianity.
And that touch about telling people to "go" is hilarious.
Maybe they should. And stop reading your column, too. How about that/
trapblock
Almighty and merciful God, grant that the anxieties of this life may not
impede us as we hasten to meet your Son. Fill us instead with your heavenly
wisdom so that we may come to be united with Him. Amen
POSTS ON TEXAGS.COM
senorchipotle
-- posted 11:03p, 01/27/11
what i get out of this story is this guy doesn't want people questioning
their beliefs. he doesn't want people to ask why, and keep asking why until
they get an answer. he's saying there is no answer, so you should stop
asking questions and just have faith because it makes you feel better.
professor
gradoo -- posted 7:49a, 01/28/11
Reminds me of when Carl Jung traveled to New Mexico (taos) and tried to
get the Indians to talk about their religion... most of the time they would
walk away, remain silent, or sometimes start crying. It was THEIR religion,
not Jungs.
opk
-- posted 8:06a, 01/28/11
senorchipotle: quote: what i get out of this story is this guy doesn't
want people questioning their beliefs. he doesn't want people to ask why,
and keep asking why until they get an answer. he's saying there is no answer,
so you should stop asking questions and just have faith because it makes
you feel better.
Really? That is not my perception at all. [...to be cont'd]
853. 110119 THE STAR’S PRINT HEADLINE:
Let's heal, not wound
I don’t know if violent speech causes violence.
Still, I’m pretty sure that talk of death panels, blood libel, reloading,
second-amendment remedies and on-air contemplation of murdering one’s opponents
— such talk fails to burnish the “shining city on a hill,” a phrase Ronald
Reagan adapted from Jesus to characterize America as a religious nation.
While the conversation about
our language is occurring in the political arena, people of faith might
examine the language of religion as well, because, as the Reagan quotation
illustrates, faith talk and political talk can overlap.
Case in point: A respected
local minister, in honor of King, in these very pages within the last month
wrote, “We have to fight for what we know is right. . . . We have to fight
for the dream and we have to fight to keep the dream alive. . . . We have
to fight poverty . . . . We have to fight for the education of our children.
. . .”
Why must we fight? Why not
speak of healing or working for what is right? The fight metaphor often
divides us into good and evil, friends and enemies; the healing metaphor
brings us together.
The scriptures of many faiths
use both metaphors of violence and of healing. They are our heritage, ways
of knowing who we have been. But will we, without any sense of irony, “win
the war against violence” or, to use Lincoln’s phrase, “bind up the nation's
wounds”?
The Rev. Martin Luther King
Jr., killed by an assassin’s bullet after many threats, used not a single
violent metaphor in his famous “I have a dream” speech. He was able to
move the nation without recourse to such language.
His famous 7,000-word “Letter
from the Birmingham Jail” addressed his opponents as “men of genuine good
will” and never uses the word “fight” as an injunction, as the local minister
has done. The word “enemies” appears only in quoting Jesus, “Love your
enemies.”
King’s non-violent method
of social change required self-purification, not demonizing the opponent.
Even in hymns, we unconsciously
perpetuate violence, as in this favorite:
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal master, leads against
the foe;
forward into battle, see his banners
go!
Jesus told Peter to put away
his sword. Perhaps it would it be more Christlike to sing this:
Onward Christian servants,
healing wounds of war,
True peace for the fallen his love
can restore.
Christ the humble shepherd seeks all
souls to save;
we his church perform his work as He
rose from the grave.
Religion should heal and
restore, not wound and kill.
________
NOTE: Here are re-worked
second and third verses:
Pride and power resist Him; wealth and lust deceive;
but the wounds of Jesus call us to believe:
He can cure the wicked, make the thoughtless whole
when our ministrations by His grace can heal the soul.
Our physician, Jesus, tends us with great care,
Therefore let us cherish everyone one in prayer.
We bring His elixir to each pain and strife,
Abundant holy water, it can cleanse and bring new life.
This column was posted on
2ARights4All.com.
READER COMMENT
A
writes
Great column today! Thanks.
K
writes
I enjoyed today's column - as usual. As a Lutheran, we sang "Onward
Christian Soldiers" often, and I shuddered at the terms battle and
soldier. I was young during WWII, but I remember when the young
man next door returned with shell shock which we now call PTSD. I
organized a parade with a band using kitchen utensils when we heard the
war was over. Vern, could I use the more appropriate words
at my church the next time I have the chance?
I also shuddered when my granddaughter and her husband (both brainwashed
in the Navy, (she from [ ] and he from [ ], so that makes a difference,
too ) bought "toy" plastic guns for their three children, ages 3,
6, and 9. I said what I needed to say about affecting little
brains, but it had no effect. GUNS for Christmas??? What is this world
coming to? (The favorite phrase a little old lady friend and I use,)
J
writes
Good word in yesterday's paper! I've had this conversation with friends
more often recently as the Lord is changing my heart, so this was very
cool to see in my daily news.
'Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.'
'Life and death are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall
eat the fruit thereof.'
Jesus himself said,' I came that they might have life...'
How do we, who claim to love and proclaim this same Jesus, so often justify
such deadly rhetoric?
This was a refreshing message to read on my lunch break at work.
Thank you for the encouragement. Blessing and abundant life to you.
A
writes
Thanks for your column that ran in last Wednesday’s Star. I was especially
moved by your observation that ML King’s speech and Letter from Birmingham
Jail contained no violent imagery or metaphors. Thanks for all you
do to make KC a welcoming place for all and to position religion as a healing
source.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
VOR
Barnet makes a good point, but he won’t win this battle. The Bible is full
of violent images, so people who consider themselves religious feel justified
in thinking and speaking in such terms. In particular, it is tragic that
Jesus wasn’t more consistent in preaching his "turn the other cheek" message.
Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not
come to bring peace but a sword" (Matthew 10:34).
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling
there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of
those selling doves. (Matthew 21:12)
trapblock
Nice but a little soft Vern. Your solution is not practical without a common
deference toward Natural Law. Many of us are relativists and have gotten
very good at suppressing our consciences (where Natural Law is known by
all of us). In the letter you speak of MLK wrote: "To put it in the terms
of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted
in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality
is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." Our country’s
forefathers new this as well. As long as we let 'special interests' unmoor
us from Natural Laws your vision is impossible because we are not singing
"Kumbayah" from the same sheet of music.
Our Blessed Lord told us to love our enemies he did not say don’t have
any. I can (in fact I am commanded to) love those people around me who
choose to create their own morality but I cannot call an evil a good (Isaiah.
5:20-21).
JonHarker
The remarks of VOR both Quote mine and Misrepresent the bible, and he knows
it...thats why he does it!
He is a well know local atheist who had frequently remarked that Christians
need to "Shut Up", "Crawl Under a Rock", and "Die".
There is nothing consistent about his own vile rantings, and he need not
be taken seriously.
VOR
JonHarker is an idiot and a liar, and his rantings are totally predictable.
Not only have I never misquoted the Bible, I have never “remarked that
Christians need to "Shut Up", "Crawl Under a Rock", and "Die".”
JonHarker
in reply to VOR
BS. You post exactly those things under a variety of names.
Coward.
And I said you QUOTEMINED the bible...look it up. That means you ignore
history and context.
You are so predictable! LOL!
VOR
in reply to JonHarker
“BS. You post exactly those things under a variety of names.”
In addition to being moronic and incapable of telling the truth, you are
delusional. That is a total and complete lie, and you have absolutely no
evidence to substantiate that smear (since there is no evidence). But,
in your fantasy world, I guess it is ok for Christians to lie.
Now, save the rest of your venom for the Faith section tomorrow. In addition
to being totally predictable, you are now boring me.
Milarepasmoon
Vern, as always, makes a valid argument. He points out that much social
change has been made thru nonviolent means. I think that the mitigating
factor that makes mankind change from a natural compassionate indivudal
is the state of too many men with to few resources. Without basic needs,
or if a man feels a threat to those needs, it becomes easy to create a
just war.
JonHarker
in reply to Milarepasmoon
Kings methods would not have worked against Hitler.
Sometimes you have to fight. The Jews iin world war two did not fight,
and were almost exterminated by Atheistic Evolutionists.
852. 110112 THE STAR’S PRINT HEADLINE:
Where King found some inspiration
What is religion? What is God’s nature?
How should I live my life?
Martin Luther King Jr explored
such questions in his 1955 doctoral dissertation. (Some passages may have
been plagiarized, but the viewpoint is always King’s own.)
Brilliantly, King compared
and criticized two 20th Century theologians who rejected the traditional
idea of God as a person. One was German-born Paul Tillich for whom religion
involved an “ultimate concern.” He thought of God not as a being, supreme
or otherwise, but as the “ground of being” itself.
King compared Tillich with
Henry Nelson Wieman, who said religion was not so much about an “ultimate
concern” as an “ultimate commitment.” For Wieman, God was neither a being
nor the ground of being, but a process, a creative event.
Wieman was born in Rich Hill,
about two hours south of Kansas City. He graduated from what was then Park
College.
He later wrote that there,
one evening, “looking at the sunset over the Missouri River,” he had the
most ecstatic experience of his life. He could not sleep all night, “walked
in that ecstasy for days” and decided to devote his life “to the problems
of religious inquiry.”
Exactly 100 years ago Wieman
began his first pastorate — at Brookdale Presbyterian Church in St. Joseph.
Travel, more study and teaching
led him to the University of Chicago. After retirement, he returned there
in 1967 to teach one course, and I was able to study with him. That same
year in Washington, DC, I met Martin Luther King Jr. [I did
not known then that King had written about Wieman.]
For Wieman, God is that power
which can transform us as we cannot transform ourselves, to save us “from
evil and leading (us) to the best that human life can ever reach.”
In Wieman’s best-known phrase,
God is “creative interchange,” when people interact with each other in
such a way that new realities are created, leading to enhanced life for
everyone.
King sometimes played on
Wieman’s phrase. In accepting the Nobel Prize, King spoke of “creative
turmoil.” In another speech, King praised “creative maladjustment” to evils
like discrimination, religious bigotry and taking “necessities from the
many to give luxuries to the few.”
Here in practice, if not
in theory, is where Wieman and King are aligned, for as in the civil rights
struggle, King believed that bringing people together, even in disagreement
and at some cost, could ultimately lead to a transformation from evil that
would not occur otherwise.
Of the many books Wieman
wrote, the title of one is especially poignant as I think about King’s
own decision about how to live his life: “Man’s Ultimate Commitment.”
READER COMMENT
S
K writes
Good work in the Kansas City Star this morning. I read your work
nearly every week, almost always good, this morning's exceptional.
You expressed "different" theological ideas without apology and in ways
that should be understood by most of your readers. Well done.
M
writes
I have always loved the concept of god as an event or interaction, not
a person.. I suppose it comes from the more significant Events in my life
impressing me with a sense of higher spiritual complexity at work.
I can see and feel the event, so it is more real (to me) than the influences
driving it.
Newtonian Physics state that an object at rest tends to stay at rest.
Anyone with children in front of a television can testify to that.
If we really and truly seek to understand more complex and divine ideas
and influences, it is my personal opinion that interfaith interaction is
the key to achieving a spiritual compound that feeds the variety of human
animals currently locked in constant conflict. Just as bringing some
elements together results in different reactions, bringing together the
elements of different faith sets will react in different ways. Some
produce heat, animated release of energy and precipitate undesirable elements
(evil) as the base spiritual elements react.. some reactions draw upon
latent energy around them, reorganizing and stabilizing into a strong matrix
with properties stronger than either spiritual idea standing alone.
Some spiritual elements just won't combine on any sub-atomic level, and
the resulting mixture is stable, but can always be divided again with the
proper mechanical process. And yes.. mix some elements, no matter
how carefully, and you blow up the lab and kill the researchers.
Messy and wasteful at best.
Until we understand each spiritual idea in it's entirety, where it came
from, what it does in the hearts and minds of those who hold it dear, and
how it interacts with every other spiritual element, we cannot hope to
find the spiritual Philosopher's Stone with which to transform all manner
of human interactions into golden harmony. We must be willing to
dissect and analyze with an unbiased eye the very heart and truth of what
and who the human animal is, what led to us having such things as "beliefs",
and only then hypothesize on global human solutions.
Some people have labeled these human spiritual elements "Memes", and the
field of Memetics is in it's infancy. I personally BELIEVE that putting
refined spiritual elements in the particle accelerator of interfaith study
will help us define and understand how the basic memetic makeup of the
human animal can be resolved into what may very well be the next significant
step in human evolution. What would be more natural than for a self
aware living thing to take personal action to directly influence it's own
evolution? Would that mean we finally found God, or discovered the elusive
answer to the question "Why am I here"??
Hope you enjoy the snow and ice. Stay warm, spring is just over the
horizon.
Vern
responds —
Thanks
for your note. I enjoy the wit -- "Anyone with children in front of a television
. . ." -- and the insights -- such as about the particle accelerator of
interfaith study. The
three arenas of great crises in our time -- the environment, personhood,
society -- have their resolution in the three families of faith, primal,
Asian, and monotheistic. If only we can move beyond the shallow "we are
more alike than different" level of conversation and really employ and
apply the different memes of the sacred, we would find our spiritual evolution
propelled in marvelous ways. Thanks for writing, and writing so well.
STAR WEBSITE POSTS
JonHarker
Unlike Tillich, King believed that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was
a literal, historical event.
trapblock
Holy Cow Vern! How can you talk so much about God and MLK Jr. and not mention
Jesus Christ? He is the key to understanding God... He is God... He became
man so we could understand... Everything spoken of here is conjecture...
Vern
responds —
Thank you both for pointing out a limitation of the column. Indeed, Jesus
was very important for King, although his dissertation was not about Jesus,
and although King welcomed Jewish as well as Christian supporters, and
although he was himself enormously influenced by the modern Hindu Gandhi.
And both Wieman and Tillich discuss Jesus; Tillich, for example, devotes
the entire second volume of his three-volume Systematic Theology to
Jesus. Speaking of Hinduism, with its Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman
perspectives, one might find parallels within the 2000-year history of
Christianity as one contrasts the faith's normative and mystical theologies,
which bear on the understanding of Jesus Christ in Christian soteriology.
JonHarker
Trapblock, Vern doesn't talk about Jesus Christ because he is not a Christian
that I am aware of. He spoke at a local atheist meetup that I managed to
slip into (chuckle) and made that pretty clear.
JonHarker
Vern, the limitations are really with the column. They are with you. And
what you choose to emphazie; we know you are not a Christian, so why the
coy avoidance of the issue?
And sure King was influenced by Gandhi's methods, but guess who Gandhi
got his inspirations from in that regard.
Yep.
Jesus Christ; Gandhi talks about it in his autobiograhy. (And your so called
"parallels" between Hinduism and Chrsitianity are ad hoc speculations on
your part...if you are going that route, I find "parallels between your
work and Militant Atheism.)
Trapblock, Vern doesn't talk about Jesus Christ because he is not a Christian
that I am aware of. He spoke at a local atheist meetup that I managed to
slip into (chuckle) and made that pretty clear.
Vern
responds —
In the distant past, in Asia, somehow the notion of ahimsa, non-violence,
developed, perhaps with the Jains. The idea became part of the Buddha’s
teaching. As stories about the Buddha grew, he was called Bodisaf, Yudasaf
and Josaphat. The Manichees retold the story, and the Muslims transmitted
it to the Christians in the tale of Barlaam and Josaphat. Tolstoy was converted
to non-violence and social service by this now-Christian tale. By reading
Tolstoy, and then discovering the Jesus of the New Testament, Gandhi was
stirred to explore his own Hindu tradition, particularly the Bhagavad Gita.
And King studied the Hindu Gandhi, first in divinity school. King developed
his own technique for social change in part from Gandhi’s elaboration of
ahimsa. Gandhi called it satyagraha, “truth-force,” a tool of such spiritual
energy it helped to liberate India from the British raj.
Later King wrote, “While the Montgomery boycott was going on (1955-56),
India’s Gandhi was the guiding light of our technique of non-violent social
change.” He regarded Gandhi as “probably the first person in history to
lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals
to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale.”
Gandhi himself had been assassinated long before King went to India, but
when King was a child, Gandhi had said, “It may be through the Negroes
that the unadulterated message of non-violence will be delivered to the
world.”
The underlying point of what I try to write is that, regardless of one's
faith, we can learn from one another and love one another. In that spirit,
I offer this reply. While I do not see the relevance of my personal practices
to the column I have written, and I may not be worthy to be called a Christian,
I worship often more than once a week and accept the eucharist as the most
holy gift of the Body and Blood of Christ, even as I respect atheism and
find much to applaud among religious skeptics. Ahimsa, non-violence, in
deed and in word, may be an ethic to which we in this conversation might
strive. Rather than scorn, showing love toward one another might be a better
witness of faith.
JonHarker
in reply to Vern Barnet
Hindus have engaged in massive violence, and have a reprehensible class
system.
Hindue tradition would not have served Gandhi well, thats why had to turn
to Jesus for a method.
Vern
Barnet in reply to JonHarker
Gandhi's source for satyagraha was the Indian tradition I outlined. The
very term -- if you understand it -- indicates the method of non-violence
rooted in the Indian tradition which King adapted with credit to Gandhi.
For further information, you might want to examine the work of Harvard's
Wilfred Cantwell Smith. I have studied in India and am somewhat familiar
with its history and culture. I am also familiar with the horrors of wars,
the Inquisition, the oppression, the enslavement, the exploitation, that
has occurred in Christendom. Jesus remained an inspirational figure for
Gandhi, but the last word he spoke was "Ram," the name of a Hindu deity.
Gandhi -- and Martin Luther King Jr -- exemplify the kind of global appropriation
of religious resources to make a better world.
851. 110105 THE STAR’S PRINT HEADLINE:
Stories can show us truths
Thursday is Epiphany on many Christian
calendars when the story is told of the magi — or three kings or wise men
— who, bearing gifts, came from the East followed a star and found the
Christ child. This feast day celebrates the manifestation of Christ to
the gentiles.
Except nowhere does scripture
state that the men were kings, or three or gentiles. Still, tradition
has given the story beauty and power.
Another Christmas story,
an opera about the magi and a crippled shepherd boy, appeared in 1951 as
the first Hallmark Hall of Fame TV broadcast.
As a child, I was so delighted
with “Amahl and the Night Visitors” that I told one of my teachers that
I wished it were true. She said it was in the Bible.
It is not.
And when I first saw “The
Indian Guide” at the “Romancing the West” exhibition at the Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art, I wanted it to be true, too.
But it isn’t.
The 30 works of Alfred Jacob
Miller are often, as one of the labels puts it, “imaginative fabrications”
from his trip west from Westport in 1937.
The American Indian guide
stands before what seems to be two lost men, seated, perhaps in awe
of the primitive man of nature, a man wise in ways that escape civilization.
But the Indian image is actually
a dark-skinned version of Roman models.
In the show’s catalog, curator
Margaret C. Conrads writes that the Indian appears “majestic, generous
and virtuous, without specific tribal affiliation or evidence of the disease
or forced removal” of Indians from their lands.
The images contain geographic
and ethnic errors, inaccurate costumes and other mistakes.
But they are beautiful. And
they helped to shape our ideas, movies and literature about the West.
Conrads told me that Miller
and his generation “grappled with the competing principles or ethics of
his day,” on one hand, “the desire to expand the country across the West,
Progress with capital P,” and on the other hand, “recognizing Indian life”
as inherently valuable, worth honoring and protecting.
“In the end, of course, the
expansion of the West won out,” Conrads said.
Are we, the civilized, the
lost men in the picture?
Despite the inaccurate details
of Miller’s works of the West and our embellishments of the stories of
the magi from the East, they endure because we find in them truth about
our struggles and our ideals.
As the magi found divinity
in a human child, so Miller found the sacred in savages, perhaps as his
journey led him to find a better part of himself.
The exhibition concludes
Jan. 9.
READER COMMENT
R
W writes
One of the best lessons learned in 68+ years is things do not have to be
factual to be true.
What theological corners we Westerners have painted ourselves into - what
contortions we put ourselves through trying to get the "facts" to fit.
We spend far too much time trying to figure out the "how" instead of the
"why".
