Catastrophe or Middle Way

 I started watching the series Cobra Kai on Netflix this week. It takes up the story thirty years later of the characters from the Karate Kid movie.  It starts showing us the defeated bully’s life as full of suffering and bitterness. And it shows Daniel the youth who overcame the bully as a seemingly happy successful person. (I look forward to see how this develops).  To some this may have seemed like a satisfying life trajectory of the two protagonists of that movie. It would have been my hope in seeing Cobra Kai that Johnny the bully would have learned compassion after losing. He seemed to acknowledge it at the end of the first movie. But then we would not have had a plot line for the new show Cobra Kai. But it started me thinking how often we get stuck in our way of being and find it hard to transform ourselves. How the impact of trauma and early life experiences so often mold us.

When we are young we just accept as experiences as they are because that is all we know of our world. And often we live our whole life with that same mindset of those childhood experiences. I know growing up in the Bronx and New York City there were potential dangers at every corner. In truth for the early part of my life, I did not care why the dangers were there, I just wanted to be protected from them. Being of short stature and little physical ability I learned that humor, negotiation and allyship helped me survive. Even once I would have to say that providence intervened via the help of total strangers to save me.

As I got older, I kept looking around corners for dangers. Although some of that fear is bias conditioned from a young age, some of it is real. There is real danger in the world.  Some people live their whole life in this protection mindset. If I have enough money I can move far enough way. I can build a wall around my housing development. I can be protected by the police from danger.  This mindset of protection can infect every aspect of peoples lives and they see every interaction as a battle to protect what they have and they use lawyers and a sense of shared loyalty to protect themselves from any challenge. Many people live their whole lives this way. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Somewhere along the line I changed. At some point, I started asking why is there danger? Why is there poverty? Why are drugs illegal which caused so much of the violence in my neighborhood (did we learn nothing from prohibition?) Some of my change was due to my Jewish upbringing which stressed helping the most vulnerable as we often were throughout history. I was raised with a penchant for critically thinking and to question everything. Some of my change was due to my Unitarian Universalist tradition that opened my heart and mind to new ways of thinking. A  large part of my change was the adoption of my children who are Korean and seeing how they were treated differently as they grew older. I protected them where I could, but there are things I could not protect them from. Another large impact on my thinking was my interaction with people who were different from me.  I learned that their experiences with the government were not the same as mine and I learned how systemically people were kept oppressed. But mostly, I would have to say I experienced that love overcomes fear. So I combined all of this and I learned and I changed.

We often shy away from the word evil in this life. But it is clear people do evil things. Time and awareness has changed my world view as to what were the evil things being done in the world. For me it is to cause harm to others for no reason. Those who would accumulate wealth at the expense of their fellow citizens causes harm for no reason. Not providing adequate health care even though we can afford it causes harm for no reason. Not providing adequate housing and education for our citizens (while people are building mansions) causes harm for no reason. Not providing enough food for those in need even though we have more then enough causes harm for no reason. Locking up people in jail for drugs (while we have easy legal access to much stronger pharmaceuticals) causes harm for no reason. Remember evil spelled backwards is live. I know that is trite but it gives me hope that things can be turned around. We can choose to live. We can choose to make things in this world better. One thing that is certain is we will all die. So how we live matters.

And so the question that comes to me now is how to combat People Who Do Evil Things (PHODETS). I was raised being taught that non violent action to appeal to the conscience of Americans was the way to achieve change. We saw it used by Gandhi in India. He had some victories with it, but in truth I believe World War II had more to do with ending Britain’s occupation of India. We saw it used successfully in the South to end Jim Crow laws by Martin Luther King Jr. He and many others died for it anyway. King also had the benefit of having the Black Panthers and Malcom X as an violent alternative that led White Americans to side with MLK Jr. History shows us more often then not, dictatorships crush non violent resistance. There are exceptions of course. Ultimately it comes down to the armed services. Now we are not a dictatorship in America yet. But the PHODETS keep talking as if they would not object to America being a dictatorship. So I can not rule out a violent response completely in the future. It is true fear of violence will put people in protection mode. But fear of violence can also bring people to an alternative. A Middle Way.

A Middle Way is not a compromise but rather a better higher alternative. Imagine the top of a isosceles triangle. In the middle, but higher then either polarity. I believe most people do not want violence. It is not too late to avoid this catastrophe that is approaching. We can and MUST VOTE. We must do whatever we can to make sure this election is legal. We must stand up to every indignation and malfeasance that PHODETS put forward. Every single one. We must use what our unique skills are and use them to promote a better way of being and living to confront Americans with an alternative to the PHODETS.

We must adjust our values in this country. Our values should not be to have the biggest house and car and every contraption known to humankind. Our values as a country should be Justice, Equity and Compassion. We can grow and change. We do not have to suffer catastrophe to transform. We can choose to learn and be open to change and thus transform. At least that is my hope. Look around. Learn. Awake. We can reduce physical suffering by generosity of our spirit and our wealth as a country. We do not have to be bitter and suffer just because someone else is getting a little help. There is more then enough of creation for everyone.  We do not have to live always looking around corners for danger and figuring out ways to protect ourselves. We can choose to change. We can choose love. We can choose the Middle Way. The alternative is catastrophe.

My thoughts on the Tim Tebow Phenomenon

A recent article in the New York Times entitled "Tim Tebow’s Gospel of Optimism"  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/opinion/sunday/bruni-tim-tebows-gospel-of-optimism.html  and the response to it, has really forced me to go deep about my feelings about the Tebow situation and evangelicalism in general.  So here are the facts. His team was losing when he took over, and they are winning when he became the starter. With the exception of Green Bay, the quality of the teams they were playing at the beginning of the year were the same as after he became starter.  The facts that his stats are not good doesn’t interest me.  I have often said, “stats are for losers.”  Results are what matters, but even more so than results are how we relate to others, are we taking right actions in our professions.  I think Tim Tebow scores well in both of these areas.  Now I have to say that not being a big college football fan and living in Central Florida during the Tim Tebow era, his followers and supporters can be insufferable for their god like praise of him.  It may be deserved, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying to a non college football fan.  But now he is in the pros, and even thought he beat my Jets, and he often wins in unorthodox fashion, I have to say I actually looked forward to watching the game last Sunday against the Bears to see how it would turn out.  I have to respect the way he handles himself on and off the field, his competitiveness, his optimism, and his wins (although for all you conspiracy theorist, do we really believe that no offensive lineman on Denver held opponents the whole game vs. the Bears).  So as far as football goes, I am glad Tebow is playing and winning. I don’t know if it will last.  All I know is that it is fun to watch and it makes for good entertainment (which let us remember is what football is)

It is how Tebow handles himself off the field though that seems to bother more people, and I admit that I have had to reflect on why that is.  On the one hand, every interview I have seen of him, he seems like a likable guy, with a good sense of humor, and a deep faith.  I am not opposed to someone with a deep faith. He speaks to his faith, and how it has helped him throughout his life achieve what he has, and he gives credit to God for all his success.  Again, I would hope everyone’s faith could provide that for them.  I haven’t heard him say that God is causing the Broncos to win, but rather his beliefs and belief in God allows him to do his best and gives him resiliency and optimism in all that he does.    Again giving ones all, having resiliency and optimism are all good things.  I think it is important to note these traits can be obtained in ways other than the Christian Faith, but if that is what creates it for Tebow good for him.  If we don’t believe something is possible, then it more than likely it will never happen, or we will not even  attempt it. Optimism doesn’t mean we should be naïve, and cant be realistic.  (So I hope Tebow works on his throwing motion and practices more with his receivers)   Yes, Tebow’s success (as the author points to) goes against conventional wisdom and even logic.  But we can learn something from that.  I often have values that lead me in directions that others would consider illogical.  Yet internally they create a wholeness within me and my relation to the universe.

The thing I struggle with in this story though is the exclusivism.  The article states that Tebow has said that heaven is reserved for devout Christians.  I have never heard Tebow say this, although it is something I have heard many evangelicals say.  When people do say this I often ask them if they believe that Ghandi or the Dali Lama (clearly holy people) are not going to heaven?  Some say they are not, and some do religious gymnastics and say, that even if they don’t profess it, somehow, the spirit of Jesus is within them.  My religious beliefs lead me to accept the right of others to believe differently than I do.  I try to inform others about my religion as well, as it has helped me transform my life and helps me lead my life in accordance with my values. Due to this, I do not object to Tebow sharing his beliefs. (Are there any Unitarian Professional Athletes though)   So I guess the thing that I struggle with is do I have to accept someone whose beliefs are, that due to my beliefs I am going to hell. This exclusivism leads some Christians to cause others (even in their own religion)  extreme pain.  So I must stand up and speak truth when people of any religion use their religion to cause others pain.  I cant control what others think, but I can control how I think, and how I act towards others. 

I recently read a quote/poem by Edwin Markham in Eboo Patel’s book Acts of Faith which was

            “He drew a circle that shut me out

            Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout,

            But love and I had the wit to win

            We drew a circle that took him in!”

So in addition to optimism, I will preach the gospel of love, love even for those whose beliefs are different than mine. I hope Tebow does well, and gives all underdogs in the world a reason to believe.  But if Denver faces the Jets again in the playoffs, I will be rooting against Tebow.

Proposed Outline for UU Theology for the 21st Century

One of the questions for my theology class was to propose and Outline for UU Theology for the 21st Century - this was how I answered it.....

Transformational Theology
Belief that due to our existence, existence can and should change for the better for
Ourselves
Our community
The larger community
The world itself.

Creation Theology
We can create a Heaven on this Earth by
Realization of divinity in all things
Creation of justice, equity, and compassion in all relations (not just human relations)
Accepting responsibility for our creative acts.

Revelation Theology
Remain open to new and different forms of wisdom
Remain in awe of the unfolding of existence.
Work towards the unfolding and development of our individual and communal potential

Covenantal Relational Theology
How we agree to act with one another both within and without our community:
Transparency
Training
Accountability
Intentionally engage with the larger community with creative dialogue and action
Support for each other during the journey through life’s passages

Awareness Theology
Conscious and mindful living in everything we do during our life journey
How do our actions impact ourselves, others and the earth.
Becoming aware of our culture
Becoming aware of other cultures
Understanding the difference between cultures, and becoming aware of how
those difference impacts our thoughts and actions.

Some musings from theology class

What do we most trust?

This is a multi-faceted question. The first thing I have to do is to step back and check myself, and remember it is not what I trust, but what UU has to offer in response the question. And yet, I do not think we can help but interject our own context into this (these) questions. Having said that, I think we as Unitarian Universalists trust our experiences. The struggle with this concept is that individuals experiences can be limited. Therefore part of what we have to offer (and I am already thinking how this will weave into the last unit question) is the ability to expand individuals and our community’s intellectual, spiritual, and justice seeking experiences.

Who are we?

This is a tougher one. Who we want to be may not necessarily be who we are. And I think that is part of our strength and weakness. We are willing to look consciously at ourselves in our current context and are willing to change who we are. Yet constant change makes it difficult to define who we to those unfamiliar with our religion. Often people look towards religion to be a stable guiding force in their lives. We should realize and accept that our willingness to challenge our own and society’s status quo is an inhibitor to many people. We have to accept that we cannot be all things to all people, but we can and must be respectful and realize that different people in our congregations are at different places on their religious journey. I am proud that we are a religion which is willing to engage the wonders, ambiguities, and horrors that comprise life. We are a religion which is willing to examine with reason and creativity all that is existence. We are a religion that is willing to confront life with an open heart and an open mind. We are a religion who care for and nurtures all creation. We are a religion which seeks justice for all and not just for some and we see this as part of our spiritual and religious life. (OK, I see a good sermon forming here).

What will get us through the night?

My friend used to tell me there are no atheists in foxholes and hospital beds. In truth, most people don’t deal with the ultimate questions of life until they are faced with such stark life and death situations. UUs constantly engage life and how we live our lives. We engage those ultimate questions about the meaning of life, not with easy platitudes of some otherworldly paradise, but with a serious examination in the present moment. Easy platitudes fall by the wayside in times of crises, because deep down I think people know there is more, and then it is too late, and they know there is no magical redemption for a life poorly lived. A life well lived with principle and integrity gets us through the day. Yet “in the dark night of the soul” the only hope we have is relationships. Relationships we have built over time, through shared experiences, shared joys and tragedies. Knowing that there are people who care, and specifically care about you. Recently I was rushed to the emergency room (it ended up being vertigo, but I didn’t know that at the time), and I have to admit my first thought went to some foreign otherworldly being to help me, and then I saw my wife, and I just asked her to hold me. My personal experience, and my experience in CPE is that in our moment of need, we just need somebody to hold us, to be with us so we know we are not alone.

What holds us together in religious community?
This to me is the easiest of the questions. It is something that Dr. Parker’s article spoke of quite eloquently. What holds us together is our covenant with each other including how we act with each other. Acceptance of and inclusion of others does not always mean we will agree with everyone else. So it is important to live our first principle which is “the inherent worth and dignity of each person”. I think it is important for missions and covenants to be constantly reviewed and renewed. As our community grows, each new person changes it and is changed by it. Therefore we must always keep that in the forefront and current. Yet this is not enough. Words are just words, and by themselves cannot hold things together. Taking actions together is critical to hold us together and to build relationships. Such actions include fellowship, worship and justice work.

Where are we going?
We are building the beloved community. That is our work, that is our vision. As Martin Luther King said “Although man’s moral pilgrimage may never reach a destination point on earth, his never-ceasing strivings may bring him ever closer to the city of righteousness. And though the Kingdom of God may remain not yet as universal reality in history, in the present it may exist in such isolated forms as in judgment, in personal devotion, and in some group life” [Struggle to Love (Harper & Row, 1961). p. 64]. Thinking about this in light of Rasor’s article, it is interesting to see the foreshadowing of post-modern theology of local actions but still with the hope of in the future as if a beacon from a far away lighthouse, the modernist thought of universal reality. I think humanity has this innate need for the modernist thought of a universal ideal. We define post modernity in terms of people shifting away from a universal. I wonder if our ongoing fragmenting and slide as a society towards consumer and personal narcissism is accelerated by such a post modern theology of life.

As we continue to expand our community we change others and are changed by others. As we experience other cultures we realize that we are interconnected with them. The question will be whether we act on such realization with fear or with love and compassion. With endless hope I believe we are moving towards the latter, but I am not blind to reality of the former. I often think that the path is long and hard (how is that for Protestant work ethic context), but in reality, it doesn’t have to be. I am left thinking though of the hymn WOYAYA and its lyrics

We are going,
Heaven knows were we are going,
But we know within.
And we will get there,
Heaven knows how we will get there,
But we know we will.
It will be hard, we know,
And the road will be muddy and rough,
But we will get there,
Heaven knows how we will get there,
But we know we will.

It speaks to the uncertainty and hope of humanity and our willingness to engage both on our journey of life. I admit freely, I am stuck in the context of my experiences that hard work leads to positive solutions. It is something I will continue to explore (but should I work hard at exploring it J?)

The Iceman Cometh - Free from illusions

When I look back on my life there are many writings that affected my life. However there was not one particular piece that created a single moment of insight as to my vocation. My pursuit of ministry has been a life long journey that leads me to this place and time. When I look back over my life, I thought of one particular play that I read that jump started a journey of searching for the truth. It is a play I have continued to think about throughout my life. When I first read Eugene O’Neil’s “The Iceman Cometh” in my late teens, I was cynical and pessimistic about the ways of the world. Due to the lens of experiences I had grown up with, I had given up on the idea that there was a God. I remember that once I started reading this play, I could not put it down and stayed up all night to finish it.

The characters in the story are down on their luck alcoholics. These individuals are on the lowest rung of the ladder in society. They maintain illusions about how they happened to be in such a predicament in their life, and more importantly, how they would change their life one day and redeem themselves and their life. There are certain pairings of individuals, an ex-policeman and a crook, two combatants from opposite sides of a war, a revolutionary and an individual who has a forsaken the concept of revolution, and a pimp and his hookers to name a few of the characters. One day, an old friend walks in the bar and tries to convince them that they will find peace only if they face their illusions and realize them for what they are. His concept is that once they see themselves for what they are, their true inner self, they will see that they are just alcoholics, and they will not need their illusions. As it turns out he believes this because he killed his wife and found peace because he no longer had the guilt of constantly lying to her and knowing she would forgive him. Upon killing her, he felt peace because he no longer had to keep up the illusion that he would reform one day. Yet when he made the cast of characters confront their illusions, they did not find peace. Reality was just too harsh and had become a living death. In the end, the message of the play is that we all need certain illusions to help us make it through life.

Now this may seem like a strange story as an inspiration for ministry. If I had read this story later in life, I might not have had the same reaction. Yet what it showed me was that we all create illusions for ourselves to help us survive in a harsh world. This started me on a search for my true inner self. This also changed my perspective in how I viewed all things in the world. I learned that instead of looking at superficial aspects of something in life, I had to investigate the root cause and complexity of all points of view to gain a true understanding of such a thing. Confronting an illusion will cause the death of that illusion. However, once dead, there is fertile ground for the truth (or possibly another illusion) to achieve life.

At that time in my life I was tempted to take the position that others were under the illusion that there was a God, and I needed to confront others with their illusion. Yet intrinsically I knew that tearing down other people beliefs or illusions would not help me. I needed to understand my illusions and my inner self. My lack of knowledge and experience in the world had led me to certain conclusions about the world. The realization that I didn’t have enough knowledge and experience was the first step to breaking the illusion. I knew if I maintained the illusion of the world that I experienced, I would never evolve spiritually as human being. Without knowing what the truth was, I shed the illusion and started on the search for knowledge and understanding of God, and the way God works in this world.

Another thing I learned from this play was that you have to have a plan. Clearly these characters were flawed and at the end of the line. My perception at that time in my life was that although flawed, if I did not change, that I would end up at the end of my life in much the same manner as these characters. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I knew I had the ability to change. I knew it would be a long and arduous task, but if I focused on end result, I could persevere and succeed. Later in life I have learned to enjoy the road throughout the journey. This did teach me though that we have to choose the path carefully, and make sure we are heading in the right direction. We may have to adapt and take detours along the way, but we must think in advance which way we are heading. I also learned that answers are not instantaneous. The search for the truth can be a long journey until we find the answer. When we reach the destination it may not hold the answer we expect. The answers we receive also may raise new questions which will lead us off on another journey. Yet it is just that search for truth and meaning with love in our hearts and an open mind that will put us in touch with the divine and will eventually give us salvation.

Although this play has a bleak outlook on life, it makes me constantly reassess my self and my actions, to make sure that I am following a path that is right for me and is not based on illusion. This play showed me the need for discernment that continues today through deep thought about life. I do sometimes think that I create an illusion that living a moral, ethical life that is God centered is better because I fear the consequences of actions that society would deem immoral. Yet this is an illusion I would be happy to live with.

I read a story in a book that said that God was playing hide and seek with humans, but we were not looking. Well my driving search for truth about myself, has forced me to face the fact that I believe in a divine presence in the universe. It also forced me to face the fact about myself that I want to do good, and I want to help make the world a better place to live. I also want to help others see this light of goodness in the world and in their lives. My search for truth has shown me that there are many paths to reach this divine presence. There is great knowledge and insight we can learn from different world religions that can lead us on this path. In addition, there are many underlying truths that are similar in many world religions that can bind us together as we evolve as humans.

One of the last lines of this book, one of the characters states “Be God, there’s no hope! I’ll never be a success in the grandstand – or anywhere else! Life is too much for me! I’ll be a weak fool looking with pity at the two sides of everything till the day I die! May that day come soon!” These lines have always haunted me. I have for much of my life looked for balance and tolerance in this world. Yet sometimes we must act as a counterbalance to society at large to maintain such a balance. We must be willing when necessary to take a stand. We must take a stand for righteousness and justice when the rest of society stands idly bye. So just as this character has stood in the grandstands of life watching the game but not intervening, and at the end of day wishing for death, I submit that we cannot just sit idly bye and watch others manipulate the world for their own means. We must take action to educate and change the world, to help shape the world in the image of the divine. Although I do not agree with the message that the play offers, the ideas offered within it sparked such deep thought within me. These thoughts started me on my journey and continually keep me honest along the way.

Intentions

I just wanted to touch on the issue of Intention and its importance to ethics.

It is a critical issue, which I have struggled with all my life. Really just how important are intentions as opposed to the actions taken or the results of those actions. There is the old adage that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Does intention matter? Without proper action, intention may be immaterial, or even harmful. In a simple example, I may intend to lose weight so that I can live a healthier life. Yet if I do not do the requisite study of nutritional education, or exercise and / or change my eating habits, it really doesn’t matter what my intention is, I will not lose weight.

What if someone who is torturing someone has the good intention of thinking they are saving lives. Does it really matter what the intention is, if the act itself is unethical. Suppose someone steals money but does it with the intention to give it to charity. Does that make the act of stealing any less unethical. What about a doctor or pharmaceutical company whose intention is only to make money, but they save thousands of lives.

Is it the intention, the act itself, or the result of that act that determines the ethics of the situation?

Ah, these are the questions that have plagued minds for millennium.

Descriptions of Salvation

I was recently asked "what descriptive word for salvation (justification, redemption, ransom, etc) you prefer and indicate its usefulness in today’s world."

There is of course an assumption that salvation is necessary, and the concept of salvation is useful to society today. Looking at the world from a multicultural and pluralistic perspective I cannot start out with that assumption. As is required from different cultural contexts, translation of words into other words that can be meaningful is necessary to bridge understanding among different groups of people. The word salvation, as well as most of the words describing salvation is so laden with history and assumptions that its mere use negates its usefulness to many.

The use of the word ransom has such negative connotations in society today. The concept of redemption although a more commonly used phrase today presupposes sin and guilt. I like the Hebrew concept of sin described as “missing the mark”. Thus sin is not living up to fullest potential as humans, or in the manner that God has called us to. Most humans do not consider themselves sinful (whether they are or not). If one does not consider themselves sinful, there is nothing to be redeemed from. Therefore I do not think most people would react to this description. I feel the description of justification will not be useful because it is a theological construct for Christian Salvation that does not have the same impact in the Vernacular. In our culture the use of the word justified indicates that someone’s actions were correct. If someone needs to be saved, they are being saved because they did something wrong. Therefore intuitively the use of this word does not resonate for me. I like the description that described justification as “a change of status in our relationship with God”. I think this is an important concept. At some point in our life we need to come to an understanding for ourselves separate from what we have been indoctrinated with in our youth. Relating it to salvation, though is a challenge as I think our relationship with God changes over time and that would mean there would be multiple salvations.

The first description I feel would be useful would be re-creation When I first thought of this I looked at the word as recreation as in leisure activities. Immediately I thought what a unique theological concept. Salvation through leisure. And although I came back to reality after a moment, the thought of taking time to enjoy the splendors of the world that God created could be a form of salvation, and certainly something that people could relate to. I do find it interesting that the words are homographs, but I do think the concept of re-creation is something that people can relate to. People have experienced creation within their lives. People have created children, shelters, food, and artistic expressions of ideas. This last is one of the things that make humans uniquely human. Humans have also had the opportunity to re-create their lives. We use the phrase second chance, or a do-over. We are constantly changing our lives, every day with every decision we make. People have the opportunity to re-create their view and perspective on the world every day. Seeing the world through the perspective of others can help us better reconcile differences with others (reconciliation is another description of salvation that is useful, although I think it is a subset of re-creation.) Even people who have had horrible experiences in this world can and often do use those experiences to change the world and help others avoid the same experiences. I think this is another factor in the development of salvation that is critical when we recreate while working with others.

If we were made in the image of God, why would we not have the same ability (on a smaller scale) to create and recreate? I believe in the Unity of God with all of God’s creations, and if we are one with God, we should have the ability to create. And just as God had the ability to create, God also had the ability to destroy such as displayed with the Flood. Yet always in the Jewish Scriptures, God recreated humans, or allowed humans to re-create themselves and try again and again, after each failure, to try to rise up again to strive for the maximum potential of humanity.

I was moved by a statement attributed to the Cappadocians that When God assumed a human form and nature, the purpose was not only to participate in human life, but also “to enable man to participate in divine life”. God did participate in human life in Genesis directly and though human actions throughout the Jewish Scriptures. Although I would argue that the divine spark is within each human being, although that is different and not as comprehensive as participating in divine life.

Another important description of salvation is deliverance and liberation. I think this description is something that people can relate to. Many people have felt the sting of oppression and marginalization in some way in their lifetime. Dealing with this is the great need for religion. Salvation can be seen as the hope for deliverance and liberation from oppression. As the world becomes more connected, people will become more aware of the disparity in power which will create conflict. Such conflict will lead to the need for reconciliation amongst all people. I like the concept which speaks of both vertical and horizontal elements of reconciliation. I think before we can reconcile with God, I think humanity needs to reconcile with each other. I think both humanity and God need to meet halfway in the abyss. I think it will take entering into the abyss for humans to reconcile with each other. Entering into the abyss is a matter of unconditional trust. It is a trust that there is a purpose in the universe and that purpose is working towards justice for all. I believe that by entering the abyss in search of reconciliation and justice within humanity, we will find our reconciliation with God and only then will we have salvation.

Some thoughts on Constantine and Post-Christianity

There is no question in my mind that the “Church’s” ascension was due to the support of Constantine. It is good to be emperor and it is good to have the emperor’s power supporting you. Constantine publicly showed his support for Christianity including lavish spending of various building projects. I think money unfortunately influences people’s actions and their focus. Constantine wanted the support of Christians to solidify and fight for his empire. On the one hand, one has to admit that prior to Constantine’s actions, Christianity was growing and had a committed following, otherwise Constantine would not have done what he did. Yet the ramifications of his actions were soon felt.

I think just as important for Christianity was Constantine’s edict of Toleration. Prior to this Christians could be killed for merely being a Christian. I do believe this led many to keep closer ties to Jewish nature of the religion. Jews may have been persecuted for political reasons. Yet due to the ancient nature of their religion they were not persecuted for being Jewish. I think to avoid persecution; Christians tried to have Romans view them as a Jewish Sect. Once the toleration of Christianity was accepted it allowed Christianity to more formally create their own unique theology and separate themselves from Judaism as a completely separate religion. It also allowed them to live their life and reflect more with the fear of becoming martyrs. I think this in and of itself opened the religion up to others as death was no longer a deterrent to entry.

Early Christianity flourished with diversity of ideas, worship, doctrines, and beliefs. Before Constantine summoned the Council of Nicaea in 325, even the question as to the divinity was a deep conflict among different Christian groups. In fact, even after the finalization of the Nicene Creed, there were bitter disputes on this issue amongst Christians. I do not believe Constantine really cared about the theological dispute as much as he wanted unity amongst the Christians. Yet Nicaea was a turning point in Christianity. Although there had been other councils before, this was the first council that was convened by an Emperor. It set the structure in place to bind religious and political wills together. Over the years, religious leaders and therefore their religions have fallen under the sway of political tyranny with devastating consequences for the world. For years Emperors and Popes used each other for their own ends. This in many ways corrupted the original message of Jesus. The Protestant Reformation was a search for this lost purity of early Christianity. Ironically, it allied itself with governments to obtain their freedom from the Catholic Church. This set in motion even more violence in the name of what is true religion. In any event the Reformation shows that even though there are political corruptions of Religion, independent thought in search of truth still finds a way to surface.

In the sense that every new member of group affects and changes the group, of course adding more members to Christianity will change the nature of the Christianity. This is the inherent nature of groups. If something is the truth, if an event is meaningful to you (as I am sure the events of Jesus life were meaningful to his followers) it is natural to want to share it. But others who did not have that exact same experience will never understand it in the same way as the original person experienced it. This brings up the age old debate as to whether one has to experience something for it to be real. Well, I don’t think so, but I think someone has to experience something for it to be as meaningful for that person as the original person. A person in Alaska could be experiencing snow. Yet if I always lived in Florida, I can intellectualize what snow is, but I cannot understand it in the same way as the person who physically experienced snow. That does not make snow non existent. So if we did not live and witness the experience of the life and the miracles of Jesus, doesn’t mean they didn’t occur and doesn’t mean they are not true. It just means we cannot understand it in the same way as his direct followers. Therefore we need to find different ways to understand the experience of Jesus. My point is that it is inevitable that the world changed Christianity and will continue to change Christianity as everyone experiences life (and Jesus) in different ways. Often we are indoctrinated into the religion of our birth and remain within it for social reasons as opposed to real belief. For religion to be understandable, and thus meaningful, it has to be something that one can imprint in their heart and soul. Most people look to religion to help them understand their existence. Can someone really understand their existence through rote acceptance of dictated rules. If so, I would argue that such an attitude leads to superficial and superstitious actions and thoughts that are not truly believed. In order for an individual to truly believe in their heart, I believe this can only be attained through experience, and in lieu of direct experience through introspection and understanding through reason.

One can never know how Christianity would have turned out had Constantine’s acceptance of it not occurred. It had already been trying to form an ecclesiastical structure prior to Constantine. Yet I think without the power of the emperor, it could have fractured into multiple sects. At the very least, it would not have had the far reaching political impact it had. Whether this is good or not would require a dissertation. I have heard some argue that the existence of Constantine was God’s plan to expand Christianity. I feel that he tried to eliminate religious liberty. He choose Christianity as the religion he believed could help him achieve his goals. He then started persecuting other religions. I think what we have found is that God’s will cannot be thwarted by human means. When we try to prevent religious liberty, it consequences are violent and in the long term it moves people away from Religion.

I think in the world today, we have more religious diversity than ever before in history (or maybe we are just more aware of our diversity). People may have to succumb to power structures at times, but intuitively, they understand that God is God and God cannot be captured in words or buildings or food or songs. God is in our hearts and souls. All those other items are just means to help us understand God. To help us understand how to live and how to create a Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Since these other apparatus’ are created by humans they are subject to human error and again, I think people intuitively and experientially understand this. People evolve, religions evolve, the Church evolves, and maybe even God evolves. I envision Post Christianity as an evolution of the ecumenical trends we are already seeing in the religion today. This evolution of Post Christian ecumenicalism will include other religions as well. It will focus on relating the teachings and religious beliefs of Jesus with other world religions. With the advent of the electronic age we are entering a new Pentecost which will allow all people to again communicate with each other. As we can better understand each other, we can move in the direction of learning the underlying universal truths that can save the world.

Thoughts on Salvation

Thoughts on Salvation.

Just finished Joel Green’s book “Salvation” Not exactly light bedtime reading, but certainly lots of food for thought, especially for a divinity student.

My biggest challenge with the Christian idea of salvation is that only through Christ can people be saved. I guess it depends on the definition of what Christ means. Does it mean only through love and peace, and connection to the interrelated universe? Or does it mean literally accepting that the physical person/God Jesus died for our sins. The latter just does not resonate intuitively with me. I have met people who I believe are peaceful, loving people that I have to believe if there is a heaven, they will enter it. Does anyone believe that the Dali Lama will not be granted access to heaven because he has not accepted Jesus as his personal savior.

On the one extreme of course is atheism which believes that we live eternally by the works we do and how they affect the world after we have left. Whether true or not, I do believe we are always apart of what we have created while we were here for good or bad. On the extreme of salvation theology are the radical Universalists who believed everyone was saved upon death. This created controversy even within Universalism, as many felt it gave people too much leeway to act indiscriminately in this world without consequences.

I did like many of the concepts that Green put forward, in particular that we find salvation within community. It is an interesting question, as our society is often besieged by messages of personal relationship with Jesus (God) and personal salvation. Yet I think of all the twelve step programs are with groups of people. People have historically always grouped together to achieve their desired end. The question is what is the desired end. I think when all people have the common end of creating a loving, just and righteous world then we will have heaven on earth. The point Green makes is that the purpose of community is to bring people to consciously change their thinking to bring this about. Can it be done differently? What if everyone in the world just meditated peacefully? Not sure of the answer to that, but I can say there is a difference meditating in a group versus meditating individually. There is a certain energy that is created by being with others in a common practice. It is unexplainable to me logically, and I can only speak to my personal experience about this but I find it to be true. Ultimately I believe life is about creation. Do our actions end in creating a more just world. The point of this whole intellectual thought process is if it ends up in action towards creation of heaven on earth. (Interesting that the saying creates the acronym HOE – a garden implement for digging, weeding, turning over the soil. We need to dig deep within ourselves, and turn ourselves over to create this. I am sure I am not the first person to come up with this, but I see future sermon out of it!!).

I thought Green’s comment that “to transform the imagination is to transform human existence.” I actually like this concept although it has elements of new age philosophy within it. I do not think we can just self actualize what ever we are thinking. I do believe though that if we think we can do something, we are more likely to be successful than if we don’t think we can do something. I also think that we often are not aware of what we are capable of, and thus we have to stretch and test our boundaries to find that answer. This to me is also the concept of jumping into the abyss. It is the unknown. Often we fear the abyss, but really what we fear is the unknown. I think this speaks to our fear of God as well. Even Green says on page 106 “Disclosure of the will of God meant standing at the threshold of fresh ways of conceiving God’s work, and stepping across it”.

Salvation theology really is something that is created because we fear the unknown of what will happen when we die. We also are trying to understand why we are suffering in this world, especially when we often see apparent injustice all around us. Salvation is human’s way to deal with this. Again what are we being saved from. Sin? Sin is redefined generation by generation, society by society. Doesn’t this speak to the relative nature of what sin is? I ask the question of myself, is there an absolute sin, just as we ask are there absolute truths. To me, sin is separating myself from the reality that I am inter- connected to the universe. I realize that everything I do has consequences to everything else in creation. When I forget this, my actions can result in harm to others. This to me is sin.

Green speaks of forgiveness as well as part of salvation. I find this meaningful as it brings me back to the liturgy of Yom Kippur. Forgiving others for their sins against us. Asking others to forgive us for our sins against them. Forgiving ourselves. I think this is an important part of salvation.

What do I believe in the end. I think we intuitively know right from wrong. I agree this can be also be taught right from wrong within community. Of course the challenge is that different communities think different things are right and wrong. When we all come to the same realization, (of course I think if everyone agrees with me J, but really I mean when we understand our place in the universe) we will know peace. This may never happen in a hundred more lifetimes, but each generation (or each lifetime) we should try to move closer to this. (I wasn’t thinking of reincarnation when I wrote that, but really upon re-reading it, it has that ring to it) When we align ourselves with the universes will for ourselves, that is when we will find peace within. We must constantly educate ourselves, and learn and evolve. We must work towards creating a peaceful loving world. We are not perfect. But we need to work towards perfection. Even if we never reach it, even if we know we will never reach it, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I believe in a benevolent universe, so maybe that is grace. I believe in my heart, if I try to live a good life and harm no others, if there is a heaven, I will go there, whether I believe in the deity named Jesus, Buddha (not technically a deity, but you know what I mean), Yahweh, Allah or Zeus.

In the end, hopefully I will find out when I die, or maybe not.