The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is a brilliant little story written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It was first published in 1964. Shel Silverstein also penned stories like Take Ten (1955), Grab Your Socks! (1956), Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back (1963), A Giraffe and a Half (1964), Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? (1964), Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974), The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1981), Falling Up (1996).

The Giving Tree is, however, one of his best known stories.

Once there was a tree … and she loved a little boy.
And every day the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree … very much.
And the tree was happy.

But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, “Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.”
“I am too big to climb and play,” said the boy.
“I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money. Can you give me some money?”
“I’m sorry,” said the tree, “but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in the city. Then you will have money and you will be happy.”
And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time …and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy and she said, “Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and be happy.”
“I am too busy to climb trees,” said the boy.
“I want a house to keep me warm,” he said.
“I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house?”
“I have no house,” said the tree.
“The forest is my house, but you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy.”
And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time. And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak.
“Come, Boy,” she whispered, “come and play.”
“I am too old and sad to play,” said the boy.
“I want a boat that will take me far away from here. Can you give me a boat?”
“Cut down my trunk and make a boat.” said the tree. “Then you can sail away … and be happy.”
And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy … but not really.

And after a long time the boy came back again.
“I am sorry, Boy,” said the tree, “but I have nothing left to give you, my apples are gone.”

“My teeth are too weak for apples”, said the boy.
“My branches are gone”, said the tree. “You cannot swing on them -”
“I am too old to swing on branches,” said the boy.
“My trunk is gone,” said the tree. “You cannot climb -”
“I am too tired to climb,” said the boy.
“I am sorry,” sighed the tree. I wish that I could give you something…but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry….”
“I don’t need very much now,” said the boy,
“Just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired.”
“Well,” said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could,
“Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.”

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.

There are different interpretations of this story. Some say the tree is incredibly selfless and self-sacrificing, while others interpret the tree as a metaphor for irresponsible parenting. The boy is seen by some as an insatiable and greedy presence that only takes what he can from the tree and never reciprocates. Others see the boy as the innocent object of a deep nurture and love that is finally reciprocated when the boy return to the tree as an old man who simply wants to rest with the tree. There is validity to each of these interpretations.

Personally, I think The Giving Tree is a story that actually invites the reader to situate him or herself in the story. Once there the question then becomes, “Am I the tree or the boy? Is it one or the other, or am I both?”

So, are you the tree, the boy, or both? Is that a good or bad thing? Think about it.

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Become Who You Are

“Each person’s only hope for improving his lot rests on his recognizing the true nature of his basic personality, surrendering to it, and becoming who he is.” – Psychotherapist and author, Sheldon Kopp (1929 – March 29, 1999)

I am an intellectually curious person. I am a progressive thinker. My thoughts come to me in broad, sweeping strokes. For example, I am more interested in the universal role of myth than I am interested in devotionally adhering to any single myth; I am more interested in human religiousness more than I am interested in being an adherent to any one single religious expression; I am more interested in the attempt to somehow capture and animate the compiled vision, energy, passion, devotion and conviction that so inspired our world’s religious heroes and heroines more than I am interested in the unfortunate attempt to systematize and doctrinize the lives of these heroes and heroines; I am more interested in contextually living a life like these heroes and heroines lived more than I am interested in the attempt to live vicariously through them and then calling that vicarious vanity worship. <divergent rant> Personally, I think that sort of worship is complete bullshit. It’s just too lazy and too commercial to let them – our religious heroes and heroines – live our lives for us. </divergent rant> Again, my thoughts come to me in broad, sweeping strokes. That’s who I am; that’s me. This is an aspect of my basic personality. I am at my most peaceful best when I can simply become who I am in a place I was meant to be. I think every single person reading this is the same way too.

Sheldon Kopp is 100% right. I have to recognize who I am and simply become it. If I do so, I will naturally find the place where I should be because the simple act of becoming who I am will naturally lead me to the place I should be. When the “who I am” intersects with a “place I am meant to be” then everything works for the good. It’s when we try to be something or someone we are not and were never meant be that we start to wander and become lost. The sad part of being lost like that has everything to do with the reason why we became lost in the first place! More often than not, we become lost because we are not being who we are because someone else would have us be someone or something else. Someone else would prefer that we become someone or something other than ourselves. When we buy into that sort of thinking, we try to become someone or something that we are not and were not meant to be. We become lost for the sake of someone or something else. This is bad. We should never try to become someone else or something else for the sake of someone or something else. Make sense? In other words, always be and become who you are and you will find your way home!

In fact, becoming who you are is the only thing that will lead you home.

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Christmas Lights

We’ve all seen the image, right? It’s an image burnt into the most over-romanticized parts of our psyches. It’s the holiday vision of a warmly lit living room clogged with a gaggle of sweater-clad family members that span at least three – maybe four – generations. The jovial bunch maximize family benefit by intentionally situating themselves ’round a mahogany-stained coffee table decorated with a lovely scented pine cone/candle centerpiece and an over-sized coffee table book that no one reads. The intentional seating works! The face-to-face seating arrangement naturally encourages wide smiles and everyone secretly crosses their fingers and hopes for the return volley! But wait! Just as the tension of serving smiles and returning served smiles with even more smiles reaches its crescendo, someone relieves the building tension with a song! A random Christmas carol is confidently launched by the business savvy and financially successful older brother, and everyone joyfully accompanies him their heartiest singing voice! A younger sister who was just given a promotion at Goldman Sachs is happily sitting on the lap of her U. Penn alumnus who just so happens to be adored by everyone in the family – especially Dad! Young and old alike almost deify the matriarch with their praise for her mystifying and Martha Stuart-like ability to decorate for holidays. The six-year-old baby of the family is busy wowing his audience with his mastery of fourth grade level vocab as he solicits sips of eggnog from his aunties and uncles, who think he is just the cutest thing since sliced … oh I’ll spare you the cliche. This is Christmas? Really? Is it? Nah …

Family Christmas Unplugged

We’ve all experienced the reality, right? It’s a holiday debacle re-lived over and over again. A few dedicated family members do their best to show up at the patriarch’s house for a rubbery bite of over-salted ham and cold, lumpy mashed potatoes. The holiday decor is dangling half-assed from odd places in a living room that was never meant to hold more than four and a half people, tops. The regular no-shows claim they have too much work to do, or they simply want to stay at home so they can actually enjoy a rare break from their Scrooge-like boss who may-as-well pay them in beans. A ten year-old grudge between an older brother and a younger sister finally morphs into a semi-blown argument. A bitter aunt who was just fired from Wal-Mart launches into a tirade against “annoying Christmas music,” which she has been “listening to at work since late October, damn it!” The eight-year-old baby of the family finally grew back a pair of front teeth, and is showing progress with the speech impediment. The pet cat is busy shredding the obviously cheep and cheesy cloth-wrapped Christmas tree ornaments. Dad went AWOL and has been hiding in the garage for four long hours ago and shows no sign of returning for fear of coming face to face with his gay son and his partner, who did show up this year! Is this Christmas? You bet it is! You better be prepared! The following five tips will help you survive a family Christmas gathering. Read them; remember them.

Five Family Christmas Survival Tips

First of all, do not commit to the family Christmas gathering unless you are sure that you have an air-tight and time-tested excuse that can be used in a moment’s notice to get out of it. A really solid excuse will prove itself handy should the need to quickly change your plans actually arise. In other words, always have an escape route mapped out ahead of time. You should have an escape plan in hand before you actually commit to the family event.

Secondly, do try to preempt any and all conversation with the aunts and uncles you may run into before they preempt you! Remember, these people haven’t laid eyes on you or talked to you for a year or more! If they begin the conversation, then they can control the conversation! God knows where you could be led from there, or for how long! An hour-long talk about hand-made yard fountains would be terribly unfortunate! A three-hour rant about the superiority of conservative politics is not my idea of a great Christmas! Always maintain control of any dialogue between you and any long-lost aunts and uncles, so you can move on at will, if need be!

Third, never – I REPEAT: NEVER – ask any of your church going relatives about their religion, or how their church is doing, or who they voted for in the last election. Never, ever, never ask such crazy loaded questions at the family Christmas! There is a wise saying from ancient days that says there are two things one should never talk about with family: Religion and Politics. Don’t do it!!! Ever!!! You have been warned!

Fourth, don’t spend more than twenty dollars on individual gifts for family members you never see. Limit your gift-buying to twenty dollars, total. Shop only for your most important relatives! The hell with everyone else! Obviously, you should take care of Mom and Dad, who are unarguably the two most important relatives at any family Christmas gathering. Keep the gift for Mom and Dad under forty bucks. That’s it! Twenty dollars for gifts for the most important members of your family; forty dollars for Mom and Dad’s gift. Forget everyone else! No one else in your extended family would like what you might buy for them anyway, so just scratch them off the gift list and save your hard-earned cash money for the alcohol you’ll need as you recover from this entire holiday fiasco.

Finally, if you actually attend the family Christmas gathering, do try your best to ignore all the overtly obvious things about your family that annoy the living hell out of you. The family Christmas get-together only happens once a year, and only lasts for a few hours, so take the high road. Your nerves will be better for it, trust me.

Recovering From the Family Christmas

Recovery from the family Christmas gathering should take place in the peace and comfort of your own home. It usually requires a day or two of serious rest and relaxation followed by at least one night of heavy binge drinking. Your spouse will probably want to binge drink with you, in an attempt to self-medicate in preparation for the always hip and happening family New Year’s celebration taking place at his/her parent’s house. You should welcome your spouse into your recovery space and share your alcohol with him/her. Encourage your spouse/partner to keep his/her head up, and remind him/her that you are in this together! Be strong together! Together, we all can survive a family Christmas! Also, don’t be afraid to pray for the quick arrival of the day when your own children all grow up and your own family expands and everyone starts feeling terribly obligated to come to your house for the holidays. Lord knows, that day can’t come soon enough!

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Hindu

A myriad of spiritual paths crisscross over the terra firma of the Indian subcontinent. A few of these paths could be called unified systems; Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, for example, are properly unified systems. The majority of these paths, however, can be called neither unified, nor systematic. The paths are simply too diverse to be legitimately categorized under one proper and unifying name. In spite of this fact, the Indian subcontinent’s colorful spiritual variety is usually lumped together under the name Hinduism. To make matters even more interesting, the name “Hinduism” wasn’t coined by indigenous people; it was originally derived from a term that was applied by foreigners and it was enforced in the nineteenth century by British colonial power. In spite of all of this, the everyday reality of the Indian subcontinent is built upon religious and spiritual diversity.

Sanatana Dharma is the name preferred today. Sanatana means “eternal” or “ageless” and implies that this way of being has always existed. Dharma is a term that points towards religion, duty, ethics, social well-being, and transcendental awakening. Sanatana Dharma is a spiritual expression built upon the understanding that the divine has countless faces. India, for example, hosts more than 330 million deities, according to Sanatana Dharma. The divine, for the Sanatana Dharma sojourner, is everywhere.

An introductory look at Hinduism – or any world religion for that matter – has to begin with the faith’s sacred literature.

The Vedas are the primary texts of Sanatana Dharma. The date of this sacred lit goes all the way back to 8000 – 6000 BCE, when the stories began being told orally. The Vedas are a collection of ancient and sacred that are comprised of four parts. The first and earliest are the Samhitas. The Samhitas are composed of hymns of praise and adoration to deities. The Brahmanas follow the Samhitas. The Brahmanas consist of directions and instructions for the ritual sacrifices to the deities. The third section of the Vedas is composed from the writings of those who withdrew to the forests to meditate. This compilation of forest writings is called Aranyakas, or “forest treatises.” The fourth and final section of the Vedas consists of teaching offered by spiritual masters who explain the transformational results that follow participation in the ritual process. this section of the Vedas is called the Upanishads.

The oldest of the Vedic scriptures – and among the oldest of the world’s scriptures – is the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda celebrates and seeks the blessings of the deities controlling the cosmos. These particular deities are called Devas. The major Devas include Indra (god of thunder and welcome rains), Agni (god of fire), Soma (god of sacred drink), and Ushas (god of the sky and celestial realms). The hymns directed to these deities are intensely devotional. A few examples of these hymns from the Rig Veda follow.

A Hymn to Agni (Fire)

How is Agni supposed to “bring the gods here”?

I call upon Agni, the one placed in front, the divine priest of the sacrifice, the invoker, the best bestower of gifts.

Agni is worthy of being called upon by seers past and present: may he bring the gods here!

Through Agni may one obtain wealth and prosperity day by day, splendid and abounding in heroic sons.

O Agni, the sacrifice and work of the sacrifice, which you encompass on all sides–that alone goes to the gods.

May Agni, the invoker who has the powers of a sage, true and most brilliant in glory, come here, a god with the gods!

Whatsoever favor you wish to do for a worshiper, Agni, that favor of yours surely comes true, O Angiras [member of a priestly family].

O Agni, you who gleam in the darkness, to you we come day by day, with devotion and bearing homage;

to you, ruler of the sacrifices, keeper of the Rta [cosmic law], brightly shining, growing in your abode.

So, be of easy access to us, Agni, as a father to his son. Abide with us for our well-being.

A Hymn to Indra (Sky)

What is Indra supposed to do for the weary, the weak, the needy priest (a Brahman, of course) and the singer?

The one who is first and possessed of wisdom when born; the god who strove to protect the gods with strength; the one before whose force the two worlds were afraid because of the greatness of his virility: he, O people, is Indra.

The one who made firm the quaking earth; the one who made fast the shaken mountains; the one who measured out wide the atmosphere; the one who propped up heaven: he, O people, is Indra.

The one who, having killed the serpent, released the seven rivers; the one who drove out the cows by undoing Vala, the one who generates fire between two rocks, victor in battles: he, O people, is Indra.

The one by whom all things here were made moving; the one who put in hiding the lowly Dasa color; the one who, like a gambler who has won the stake, has taken the enemy’s possessions: he, O people, is Indra.

The one who is the terrible one, about whom they ask “Where is he?” and they say of him, “He is not!” He diminished the enemy’s possessions like stakes [at a game]. Put your faith in him: he, O people, is Indra.

The one who is the impeller of the weary, of the weak, of the Brahman seeking aid, the singer; the one with goodly mustaches who is the helper of him who works the stones, who has pressed the Soma: he, O people, is Indra.

The one in whose control are horses, cows, villages, all chariots; the one who has caused to be born the sun, the dawn; the one who is the waters’ leader: he, O people, is Indra.

The one whom the two lines of battle, coming together, call upon separately, the nearer and the farther, both foes; even the two who have mounted the same chariot call upon him individually: he, O people, is Indra.

The one without whom people do not conquer; the one to whom, when fighting, they call for help; the one who is a match for everyone; the one who shakes the unshakable: he, O people, is Indra.

The Epics and Puranas

Hindu spiritual literature continued to be developed beyond the Vedas. The two major genres following the Vedas are called Epics and Puranas. The Epics and Puranas are long narratives and poems built upon heroic themes and visions. The Supreme is represented in anthropomorphic form in these works. Said differently, the one supreme God is expressed as various human-like deities because the Hindu resists assigning unalterable or rigidly fixed forms or names to Deity and ultimately believes that devotion and worship directed towards innumerable god-forms and god-names reaches the one supreme God. The one supreme God is usually called Vishnu. It is with this understanding, that the two great Hindu epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata – were created. What follows are small excerpts from these epic Hindu poems.

RAMAYANA : CANTO CXVI.: THE HERMIT’S SPEECH.

When Bharat took his homeward road
Still Rama in the wood abode:
But soon he marked the fear and care
That darkened all the hermits there.
For all who dwelt before the hill
Were sad with dread of coming ill:
Each holy brow was lined by thought,
And Rama’s side they often sought.
With gathering frowns the prince they eyed,
And then withdrew and talked aside.

Then Raghu’s son with anxious breast
The leader of the saints addressed:
‘Can aught that I have done displease,
O reverend Sage, the devotees?
Why are their loving looks, O say,
Thus sadly changed or turned away?
Has Lakshman through his want of heed
Offended with unseemly deed!
Or is the gentle Sita, she
Who loved to honour you and me –
Is she the cause of this offence,
Failing in lowly reverence?’

Ramayana is an epic Hindu poem that focuses upon the eternal play between good and evil. The conflict between good and evil is symbolically addressed in the poem’s depictions of an incarnate Vishnu’s battles. Lessons concerning the virtuous life and ideal relationships are taught all along the way. Vishnu incarnates as Prince Rama, a young man of virtue, honor, and respect. Rama’s goal is to kill Ravana – a ten-headed demon king of Sri Lanka. While Rama is busy with Ravana, the mother of his step brother works out a scheme to get rid of Rama so that her son can become heir to the king’s throne. Somehow, Rama’s step-brother’s mother convinces the king to banish him to the forest for fourteen years. Rama, being the young man of honor that he is, goes without argument because a son’s duty is to obey his parents. So, Rama and his wife Sita leave for the the forest. Later, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana the ten-headed demon king. Rama and his half-brother Lakshman recruit monkeys and bears to help them form a small army that will rescue Sita from Ravana and his demons. Hanuman the Monkey becomes the hero of the story because he symbolizes faith and devotion. The bloody battle ends with a face off between Rama and Ravana. Rama liberates Sita after he send a sacred arrow blessed with Vedic mantras straight through the heart of Ravava.

THE MAHABHARATA: BOOK 18: SVARGAROHANIKA PARVA

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Ye deities, I do not see here Radha’s son of immeasurable prowess, as also my high-souled brothers, and Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas, those great car-warriors that poured their bodies (as libations) on the fire of battle, those kings and princes that met with death for my sake in battle. Where are those great car-warriors that possessed the prowess of tigers? Have those foremost of men acquired this region? If those great car-warriors have obtained these regions, then only do you know, ye gods, that I shall reside here with those high-souled ones. If this auspicious and eternal region has not been acquired by those kings, then know, ye gods, that without those brothers and kinsmen of mine, I shall not live here. At the time of performing the water rites (after the battle), I heard my mother say, ‘Do thou offer oblations of water unto Karna.’ Since hearing those words of my mother, I am burning with grief. I grieve also incessantly at this, ye gods, that when I marked the resemblance between the feet of my mother and those of Karna of immeasurable soul, I did not immediately place myself under orders of that afflicter of hostile ranks. Ourselves joined with Karna, Shakra himself would have been unable to vanquish in battle. Wherever may that child of Surya be, I desire to see him. Alas, his relationship with us being unknown, I caused him to be slain by Arjuna. Bhima also of terrible prowess and dearer to me than my life-breaths, Arjuna too, resembling Indra himself, the twins also that resembled the Destroyer himself in prowess, I desire to behold. I wish to see the princess of Pancala, whose conduct was always righteous. I wish not to stay here. I tell you the truth. Ye foremost ones among the deities, what is Heaven to me if I am dissociated from my brothers? That is Heaven where those brothers of mine are. This, in my opinion, is not Heaven.’

“The gods said, ‘If thou longest to be there, go then, O son, without delay. At the command of the chief of the deities, we are ready to do what is agreeable to thee.’

The Mahabharata is the second epic Hindu poem. This story stresses the importance of family, duty, kingship, and the benefits of ascetic devotion and practice. There is also an very, very important underlying message in the Mahabharata. It is this: The happiness of others is essential to one’s own happiness. If there is an ethic to be drawn from the Mahabharata, it is that …

Also, it should be noted, that the mystical poem famously known as the Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Supreme Exalted One) is the eighteenth book of the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad-Gita is an incredible story. Everyone should read it, if it hasn’t already been read!

Finally, there are the Puranas. There are in total eighteen Puranas; six are about Vishnu, six are about Brahma, and six are about Siva. The Puranas are something like scriptural commentary. They explain in deeper detail the abstract philosophical teachings found in the Vedas and Upanishads.

The Value of Sanatana Dharma Scared Literature

The collection of Sanatana Dharma sacred literature is obviously deep, and, as is the case with every other global religion, it is held as sacred by the Hindu people. Familiarization with the sacred literature of different faiths is a spiritual strength and benefit. In fact, it may just prove to be enlightening. The Hindu collection of writings is an excellent place to start nurturing this familiarization. Go, grow.

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The Sacred Stories of Indigenous People

If God camps with the oppressed, downtrodden, and spiritually humble, then God’s tent must be perpetually pitched with the world’s indigenous peoples. Many of the ancient and sacred ways of indigenous people endure to this day, but only because many indigenous people choose to continue to live off of the earth in non-industrial, simple, scaled-down cultures. There are more, however, who have decided to leave the non-industrial, simple lifestyles to their ancient ancestors. These people have been assimilated into developing culture(s) where they still spiritually adhere to aspects of their tribe’s traditional lifestyles, but only from within a very big shadow cast by industrialized and large-scale societies. Additionally, ancient indigenous people have endured and survived genocide, colonialism, mechanistic materialism, coerced conversions by missionaries from global religions, and the systematic destruction of their natural environments by those driven only by capitalistic economics and consumption. Given all of the above, it is amazing that indigenous people have survived at all. Surely, Divinity has smiled and continues to smile upon these tribes of simple, earth-based, and sacred people. They are, after all, close to God’s heart.

Indigenous people also have blessed the world with wonderful spiritual stories. Stories are an important part of all of our meaning making processes; we all create stories, universally speaking. Ignoring stories that have been written by our brothers and sisters the globe over is not a spiritual strength; it is spiritual weakness (pride). So, if you are not familiar with other people’s spiritual stories, here are a few sacred stories from a few of the planet’s indigenous tribes for your spiritual enlightenment.

Yoruba Mythology (Indigenous African): The Secret of the Fishing Baskets

Across a certain river a poor fisherman set a row of stakes, and on each stake was fastened a basket in which he hoped to trap the fishes as they swam down the river.

But his luck was very bad, and every evening, as he went from basket to basket in his canoe, he was disappointed to find that no fishes, or only a few very small ones, had been caught.

This made him very sad, and he was forced to live frugally.

One day he found a stranger lying asleep on the river-bank. Instead of killing the stranger, the fisherman spoke kindly to him, and invited him to share his evening meal.

The stranger appeared very pleased and ate and drank, but spoke no word at all, The fisherman thought: “He speaks another language.”

Quite suddenly the stranger vanished, and only the remains of the meal convinced the fisherman that he had not been dreaming.

The next evening when he went to empty his baskets, he was astonished to find them overflowing with fish. He could not account for his good fortune, and his surprise was even greater when the same thing occurred the next day. On the third day p. 51the baskets were again quite full, and when the fisherman came to the last basket he saw that it contained a single monstrous fish.

“Do you not know me?” said the fish.

“Indeed no, Mr. Fish. I have never seen you before!” declared the fisherman, nearly upsetting the canoe in his astonishment.

“Have you forgotten the stranger whom you treated so courteously?” went on the fish. “It was I, and I am the King of the fishes. I am grateful for your kindness and intend to reward you.”

Then the fish jumped into the river with a great splash. But ever afterwards the fishing-baskets were full every evening, and the fisherman became rich and prosperous.

Zulu Mythology (Indigenous African): The Council of the Birds

One day all the birds gathered together to decide which of them should be king. They agreed to hold a contest and the one who could fly the highest was to get the position.

Just before the competition began, the smallest of the birds hid underneath the wings of the eagle. When the eagle had soared high above the others, the small bird flew out from his hiding place, and flew even higher.

All the birds were very angry at the small bird’s trickery and decided to punish him. But before they could catch him, he flew into a hole in the ground where the other birds could not follow.

The owl was appointed to keep watch over the hole so that they could capture the little bird when he came out. But, after a while, the owl grew sleepy. First he closed his left eye and kept watch with his right, then he opened his left eye and closed his right. Once, however, he closed one eye and forgot to open the other and this is how the small bird managed to escape.

The owl was disgraced and this is the reason why the owl hides during the day and only comes out at night.

Cherokee Mythology (Indigenous Americas): The First Fire

In the beginning there was no fire, and the world was cold, until the Thunders (Ani’-Hyun’tikwala’ski), who lived up in Galun’lati, sent their lightning and put fire into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree which grew on an island. The animals knew it was there, because they could see the smoke coming out at the top, but they could not get to it on account of the water, so they held a council to decide what to do. This was a long time ago.

Every animal that could fly or swim was anxious to go after the fire. The Raven offered, and because he was so large and strong they thought he could surely do the work, so he was sent first. He flew high and far across the water and alighted on the sycamore tree, but while he was wondering what to do next, the heat had scorched all his feathers black, and he was frightened and came back without the fire. The little Screech-owl (Wa’huhu’) volunteered to go, and reached the place safely, but while he was looking down into the hollow tree a blast of hot air came up and nearly burned out his eves. He managed to fly home as best he could, but it was a long time before he could see well, and his eyes are red to this day. Then the Hooting Owl (U’guku’)and the Horned Owl (Tskili’) went, but by the time they got to the hollow tree the fire was burning so fiercely that the smoke nearly blinded them, and the ashes carried up by the wind made white rings about their eyes. They had to come home again without the fire, but with all their rubbing they were never able to get rid of the white rings.

Now no more of the birds would venture, and so the little Uksu’hi snake, the black racer, said he would go through the water and bring back some fire. He swam across to the island and crawled through the grass to the tree, and went in by a small hole at the bottom. The heat and smoke were too much for him, too, and after dodging about blindly over the hot ashes until he was almost on fire himself he managed by good luck to get out again at the same hole, but his body had been scorched black, and he has ever since had the habit of darting and doubling on his track as if trying to escape from close quarters. He came back, and the great blacksnake, Gûle’gi, “The Climber,” offered to go for fire. He swam over to the island and climbed up the tree on the outside, as the blacksnake always does, but when he put his head down into the hole the smoke choked him so that he fell into the burning stump, and before he could climb out again he was as black as the Uksu’hi.

Now they held another council, for still there was no fire, and the world was cold, but birds, snakes, and four-footed animals, all had some excuse for not going, because they were all afraid to venture near the burning sycamore, until at last Känäne’ski Amai’yehi (the Water Spider) said she would go. This is not the water spider that looks like a mosquito, but the other one, with black downy hair and red stripes on her body. She can run on top of the water or dive to the bottom, so there would be no trouble to get over to the island, but the question was, How could she bring back the fire? “I’ll manage that, said the Water Spider; so she spun a thread from her body and wove it into a tusti bowl, which she fastened on her back. Then she crossed over to the island and through the grass to where the fire was still burning. She put one little coal of fire into her bowl, and came back with it, and ever since we have had fire, and the Water Spider still keeps her tusti bowl.

Mayan Mythology (Indigenous Americas): Rabbit and The Coyote

This is a story of Uncle Rabbit and the coyote. The rabbit came to a big rock, and there he deceived the coyote. He was leaning on the rock when the coyote came by.

“What are you doing, brother?” the coyote asked the rabbit.

“Come here quickly, brother, the sky is falling down on top of us. Lean against the rock and hold it up while I go for a stick. We’ll prop it up with that,” said the rabbit to the coyote.

“All right,” said the coyote and began holding it up with all his might. Since the coyote was so stupid, he did exactly what the rabbit told him to. The rabbit had said that he was going to get a stick, but he went and left the coyote holding up the rock. When the rabbit didn’t return the coyote shouted:

“Come back, brother! The weight of the rock has made me tired.”

The rabbit still didn’t come back.

“No matter, I’m going to leave even though the sky may fall down on top of us,” said the coyote. But when he ran away he fell into a ravine. The rabbit never came back to the rock and the coyote was lost.

Later the rabbit came to a pond and saw the reflection of the moon in there. As the rabbit was very tricky, he was always deceiving the coyote. The dumb coyote always followed him and didn’t know that the rabbit was deceiving him. The coyote came to the pond where the rabbit was. When he saw the coyote coming he began to drink the water from the pond.

“What are you doing, brother? The coyote asked the rabbit.

“Look, brother, there’s a lot of food down there,” answered the rabbit.

“What kind of food?”

“Look,” the rabbit told the coyote.

The coyote looked in the water and said: “I see it. What is it?”

“There’s a cheese in the water,” the rabbit said to the coyote. “If we drink all the water we can get the cheese. Drink it, you’re big and you can finish all the water.”

“All right, brother,” he said, and began to drink the water.

“I’m going for a walk,” said the rabbit, and left.

The coyote continued to drink the water, but the rabbit was gone. The coyote’s stomach began to hurt him, and he got the runs. He wasn’t able to finish the water, so the coyote abandoned the effort and left.

Chinese Mythology (Indigenous Eurasian): The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains

The Taihang and Wangwu Mountains, which had a periphery of seven hundred li and were a hundred thousand feet high, originally lay south of Jizhou and north of Heyang.

The Foolish Old Man of the North Mountain, nearly ninety years of age, lived behind these mountains. He was unhappy about the fact that the mountains blocked his way to the south and he had to walk round them whenever he went our or came back, so he called the whole family together to talk about the matter. “What would you say,” he said to them,” if I suggest that all of us work hard to level the two mountains, so as to open a way to places south of Yu Prefecture and the Han River?” Many voices said they agreed to the idea.

But his wife had her doubts. “With your strength,” she said, “you could hardly remove a small hill like Kuifu. What could you do with the Taihang and Wangwu Mountains? Besides, where could you deposit the earth and rocks?”

“Carry them to the shores of the Bohai Sea and north of Yintu,” said several people.

The old man, helped by his son and grandson who could carry things, began to break rocks and dig earth, which they carried in baskets and dustbins to the shores of the Bohai Sea. The seven-year-old son of a widow named Jingcheng, one of the old man’s neighbours, came running up to offer his help. One trip to the sea took them a long time: they left in winter and came back in summer.

The Wise Old Man at the River Bend stopped the old man. He laughed and said, “How unwise you are! At your age, old and feeble as you are, you cannot even remove one hair on the mountain, let alone so much earth and so many rocks!”

The Foolish Old Man of the North Mountain heaved a long sign and said, “You are so conceited that you are blind to reason. Even a widow and a child know better than you. When I die, there will be my sons, who will have their sons and grandsons. Those grandsons will have their sons and grandsons, and so on to infinity. But the mountains will not grow. Why is it impossible to level them?” The Wise Old Man at the River Bend could not answer him.

The Old Man’s words were heard by a god with snakes in his hands. He was afraid that the old man would really level the two mountains, and reported the whole thing to the Heavenly God. Moved by the old man’s determination, the Heavenly God ordered the two sons of Kua’ershi to carry the two mountains on their backs and put one east of Shuo and the other south of Yong. After this, there were no more mountains between Jizhou and the Han River.

Japanese Mythology (Indigenous Eurasian): The Goddess of Mt. Fuji

There once was a boy named Yosoji. His mother was ill with smallpox.Yosoji went to a magician’s house an asked him what to do. The magician advised Yosoji to go to a stream at the foot of Mt. Fuji by the shrine of the God of Long Breath. The water in the stream was magical and it would surely cure his mother. Yosoji thanked the magician and headed off to Mt. Fuji. After walking for a short while, Yosoji realized he was getting near the shrine. But there were three paths. Yosoji wondered which one to take. As he was debating over the matter,a beautiful maiden appeared in front of him and led him to the stream. Yosoji drank some of the gleaming water himself, then scooped some up in a gourd to take to his mother. Before he left, the maiden said to him,” Come back in three days time. You will need more of this water.” After five more visits to the stream,Yosoji found that not only his mother, but the other villagers that had been lucky enough to get some of the water had been cured. They thanked Yosoji time after time but he knew that it was really due to the beautiful maiden that had been his guide that they were all well again. He wanted to thank her so he followed the path that led to the stream.When he got there, he discovered that the stream had dried up and was no longer there. Yosoji knelt down and wept bitterly, for he had loved this maiden dearly. Then he turned around and there she stood, smiling sweetly. Yosoji asked to know her name, but she did not reply.He asked again, but the maiden just kept smiling. Then, a cloud came down, enclosed her inside, and she floated to the very top of Mt. Fuji. Yosoji knew then that he had been helped by none other than the goddess of Mt.Fuji. He had been in love with the goddess of Mt. Fuji. Then, as the cloud was raised higher and higher into the sky, the goddess dropped down a branch of small pink blossoms, perhaps a token of her love for Yosoji. Yosoji knew he would always keep the branch and remember that his mother had been cured by the goddess of Mt. Fuji.

A Final Thought On the Importance of Reading Other People’s Sacred Stories

There are so many more stories to be read. The above are but only a small handful. There are so many more. Start looking for them. You may be surprised at how they teach you. After all, if God is who God is, then God is with the indigenous. What other credential is necessary to teach others?

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I know no faith except Christianity. I walk the Christ-path into the mystery of God, but I do not believe that God is a Christian. Christianity is a noble human system whereby millions of people have journeyed into the mystery of God and transcendence. The goal of faith is not to become Christian: it is to become whole.

Mark says that he never has been a big fan of John Spong, but the above quote resonates deeply. I agree, on both counts. Spong is OK, but the above quote is superb. The goal of faith is not to become Christian, but to become whole.

Quote taken from The Church Times Interview with John Shelby Spong by Terence Handley MacMath. The interview can be read in full at Church Times: Interview: John Shelby Spong former Bishop of Newark.

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God On Trial by PBS Masterpiece Contemporary

Last evening, I was scrolling through Netflix looking for a movie to watch when I noticed a film by PBS Masterpiece Contemporary titled God On Trial. The title was intriguing, but the synopsis of the movie was especially evocative. So, I sent it to queue and then hit play and I watched it, intensely. It is an incredible, thought provoking film.

God on Trial is a television play that takes place in Auschwitz during World War II. A group of Jewish prisoners are forced to go through an Auschwitz “selection” (i.e., a Nazi doctor separates the prisoners into two groups; one group will continue working and the other group will be exterminated in the gas chambers). The Jewish prisoners return to their barracks after the “selection” process is over, but they do not know which group was picked for labor or which group was picked for the gas chambers. It is from somewhere deep within that sort of torture, anxiety, and despair that one of their members stands up and suggests that they put God on trial for breach of covenant! God is obviously breaking the promise he forged with the Israelites! God is guilty of breaking his own promises! A number of other prisoners agree and a rabbinical court is established right there in the barracks. Witnesses are called; testimonies are given. The trial of God begins!

Screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce and director Andy DeEmmony deliver a 90 minute television play that effortlessly and naturally flows through almost every imaginable historical debate concerning the problem of evil (theodicy), a personal god that interacts in time, space, and history for the benefit of humanity (theism), and the concept of divine chosenness (election). In fact, the “trial” actually seems less like a trial and more like a theological, philosophical, sociological, ethical, spiritual, and scriptural debate. Regardless of the exact nature of the conversation shared in their barracks, these Jewish men engage the question of God’s covenant guilt or innocence with intellectual power and emotionally-charged energy. The stark and terrifying reality of their immediate situation is never too far removed from the immediacy of their theological, philosophical, and spiritual conversations. The trial is intense with raw emotion and very, very practical expression.

Anyone who is interested in history and theology would appreciate God on Trial. Those of us who are interested in the big philosophical questions that are expressed throughout the film will appreciate it even more. Every religious believer who takes seriously their faith should watch God On Trial. My suggestion: Watch it! It’ll be 90 minutes of your life well spent.

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The Copernican Revolution

The Christian Church has passed along a lot great things via tradition, but has it passed along enough greatness to be given a complete and unexamined pass on everything it cites as tradition? I would hope not. I believe in a Christian maturity that celebrates the best of the tradition while the worst of the tradition is simultaneously recognized and acknowledged for what it really is – utterly fallible.

Six good reasons to question church tradition: Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, left-handed people, vaccinations, and more recently, C. Darrow.

There are more than six good reasons to question church tradition, but the above six are pretty major. If you aren’t familiar with the above names and/or events, then look them up! You will be both amazed and enlightened! Can you think of any others?

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The Buddha's Parable of the Raft

The Buddha’s Parable of the Raft challenges one to consider the spiritual journey. Specifically, it asks us to be mindful of our present and what we need to journey through this very moment. The parable is a simple one.

A man is trapped on one side of a fast-flowing river. Where he stands, there is great danger and uncertainty — but on the far side of the river, there is safety.

Yet there is no bridge or ferry for crossing. So the man gathers logs, leaves and vines and is able to fashion together a raft, sturdy enough to carry him. By lying on the raft and using his arms to paddle, he crosses the river to safety.

The Buddha then asks the listeners a question: “What would you think if the man, having crossed over the river, then said to himself, ‘Oh, this raft has served me so well, I should strap it on to my back and carry it over land now?’”

The monks replied that it would not be very sensible to cling to the raft in such a way.

The Buddha continues: “What if he lay the raft down gratefully, thinking that this raft has served him well, but is no longer of use and can thus be laid down upon the shore?”

The monks replied that this would be the proper attitude.

The Buddha concluded by saying, “So it is with my teachings, which are like a raft, and are for crossing over with — not for seizing hold of.”

Sometimes we hold onto things that at one time during our journey were useful. We hold onto them for far too long. If the goal has been achieved then perhaps it is time to put down whatever we used to achieve it. Sometimes what we think is permanent is only temporary. Sometimes we attribute immutability to things that were only meant for transience. Yes. We have to look at most things like stepping stones leading us upward and onward towards deeper awareness and understanding.

This is the truth of The Buddha’s Parable of the Raft.

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Petrus' Pilgrimage

The following prayer was delivered by Paulos’ spiritual guide Petrus in The Pilgrimage: Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom. Petrus is a guide who isn’t afraid of his own vices. Petrus smokes cigarettes and loses his temper occasionally in colorful and explosive fashion. He is so comfortably human. His humanity is refreshing and inspiring. The spiritual/humanist teaching he offers to Paulos along the way on the Road to Santiago is meant to inspire self-discovery and self-mastery and self-awareness. This inspirational effort is so very obvious in the following prayer offered by Petrus (Paulos joining him in the sacred and reverent moment).

It was two o’clock in the afternoon, and there wasn’t a sound to be heard as Petrus began to pray aloud:

‘Pity us, O Lord, for we are pilgrims on the road to Compostela, and our being here may be a vice. In your infinite pity, help us never to turn our knowledge against ourselves.

‘Have pity on those who pity themselves and who see themselves as good people treated unfairly by life – who feel that they do not deserve what has befallen them. Such people will never be able to fight the good fight. And pity those who are cruel to themselves and who see only the evil in their own actions, feeling that they are to blame for the injustice in the world. Because neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “But the very hairs of your head are numbered.”

‘Have pity on those who command and those who serve during long hours of work, and who sacrifice themselves in exchange merely for a Sunday off, only to find that there is nowhere to go, and everything is closed. But also have pity on those who sanctify their efforts, and who are able to go beyond the bounds of their own madness, winding up indebted, or nailed to the cross by their very brothers. Because neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “Be ye therefore as wise as the serpents and as harmless as the doves.”

‘Have pity on those who may conquer the world but never join the good fight within themselves. But pity also those who have won the good fight within themselves, and now find themselves in the streets and the bars of life because they were unable to conquer the world. Because neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “He who heeds my words I will liken to a wise man who built his house on rock.”

‘Have pity on those who are fearful of taking up a pen, or a paintbrush, or an instrument, or a tool because they are afraid that someone has already done so better than they could, and who feel themselves to be unworthy to enter the marvelous mansion of art. But have even more pity on those who, having taken up the pen, or the paintbrush, or the instrument, or the tool, have turned inspiration into a paltry thing, and yet feel themselves to be better than others. Neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.”

‘Pity those who eat and drink and sate themselves, but are unhappy and alone in their satiety. But pity even more those who fast, and who censure and prohibit, and who thereby see themselves as saints, preaching your name in the streets. For neither of these types of people know thy law that says, “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.”

‘Pity those who fear death, and are unaware of the many kingdoms through which they have already passed, and the many deaths they have already suffered, and who are unhappy because they think that one day their world will end. But have even more pity for those who already know their many deaths, and today think of themselves as immortal. Neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “Except that one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

‘Have pity on those who bind themselves with the silken ties of love, and think of themselves as masters of others, and who feel envy, and poison themselves, and who torture themselves because they cannot see that love and all things change like the wind. But pity even more those who die of their fear of loving and who reject love in the name of a greater love that they know not. Neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.”

‘Pity those who reduce the cosmos to an explanation, God to a magic potion, and humanity to beings with basic needs that must be satisfied, because they never hear the music of the spheres. But have even more pity on those who have blind faith, and who in their laboratories transform mercury into gold, and who are surrounded by their books about the secrets of the Tarot and the power of the pyramids. Neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

‘Pity those who see no one but themselves, and for whom others are a blurred and distant scenario as they pass through the streets in their limousines and lock themselves in their air-conditioned penthouse offices, as they suffer in silence the solitude of power. But pity even more those who will do anything for anybody, and are charitable, and seek to win out over evil only through love. For neither of these kinds of people know thy law that says, “Let he who has no sword sell his garment and buy one.”

‘Have pity, Lord, on we who seek out and dare to take up the sword that you have promised, and who are a saintly and sinful lot scattered throughout the world. Because we do not recognize even ourselves, and often think that we are dressed, but we are nude; we believe that we have committed a crime, when in reality we have saved someone’s life. And do not forget in your pity for all of us that we hold the sword with the hand of an angel and the hand of a devil, and that they are both the same hand. Because we are of the world, and we continue to be of the world, and we have need of thee. We will always be in need of thy law that says, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, you lacked nothing.”‘

Petrus ended his prayer. As silence prevailed, he gazed out over the field of wheat that surrounded us.

Petrus’s prayer is so inspirational. It moved me. It moved me in my humanity. That’s all I can say. Go, and be moved.

Coelho, Paulo. The Pilgrimage: Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom, A. New York: Harperone, 2008.

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Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho is an amazing writer. Admittedly, I say this having only discovered him and his books three days ago or so. I also have only read The Pilgrimage (I’m almost finished reading it). Today, I purchased The Alchemist; a dear friend just handed me a copy of By The River Piedra I sat Down and Wept last evening when our paths crossed at a local cafe. So, it’s a very premature statement that I make, but I am confident in its truth nonetheless. I will be spending the next few days working my way through Paulo Coelho’s stories. When I complete my journey through them, I’m sure I’ll repeat my proclamation of Coelho’s gift and talent, especially if The Pilgrimage is any indication of what is to come.

Paulo Coelho’s personal story is amazing. Paulo, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was actually institutionalized three times by his parents who believed him to be mentally deranged. Paulo escaped from the mental institution on three different occasions. He went on to become an incredible writer. He wrote The Pilgrimage, The Alchemist, Brida, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Fifth Mountain, Veronika Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym, Eleven Minutes, Like the Flowing River, The Valkyries and The Witch of Portobello. Paulo is also known for pirating his own books via peer to peer file sharing. He was finally caught pirating his own books by his publisher (HarperCollins) when an executive recognized the notes included in pirated copies were identical to the notes from Coelho’s personal manuscripts. The Alchemist has sold more than 65 million copies.

I’m enjoying The Pilgrimage, a lot. The story itself is wonderful, but I’ll remain silent on that so as not to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. I’ll only say that if you need to be inspired as regards journey and discovery, then you should read The Pilgrimage. One of the most fascinating aspects of the story is what Coelho calls “RAM Practices.” RAM Practices are spiritual exercises that are introduced as the story’s journey unfolds. A few examples follow.

The Seed Exercise

Kneel on the ground. Then seat yourself on your heels and bend forward so that your head touches your knees. Stretch your arms behind you. You are now in a fetal position. Relax, releasing all your tensions. Breathe calmly and deeply. Little by little you will perceive that you are a tiny seed, cradled in the comfort of the earth. Everything around you is warm and delicious. You are in a deep, restful sleep. Suddenly, a finger moves. The shoot no longer wants to be a seed; it wants to grow. Slowly you begin to move your arms, and then your body will begin to rise, straightening up until you are seated on your heels. Now you begin to lift your body up, and slowly, slowly you will become erect, still kneeling on the ground.

The moment has come to break completely through the earth. You begin to rise slowly, placing one foot on the ground, then the other, fighting against the disequilibrium just as a shoot battles to make its own space, until finally you are standing. Imagine the area about you, the sun, the water, the wind, and the birds. Now you are a shoot that is beginning to grow. Slowly raise your arms toward the sky. Then stretch yourself more and more, more and more, as if you want to grasp the enormous sun that shines above you. Your body begins to become more and more rigid, all of your muscles strain, and you feel yourself to be growing, growing, growing – you become huge. The tension increases more and more until it becomes painful, unbearable. When you can no longer stand it, scream and open your eyes.

Repeat this exercise for seven consecutive days, always at the same time.

The Speed Exercise

Walk for twenty minutes at half the speed at which you normally walk. Pay attention to the details, people, and surroundings. The best time to do this is after lunch.

Repeat the exercise for seven days.

The Blue Sphere Exercise

Seat yourself comfortably, and relax. Try not to think about anything.

1. Feel how good it is to be alive. Let your heart feel free and affectionate; let it rise above and beyond the details of the problems that may be bothering you. Begin to sing softly a song from your childhood. Imagine that your heart is growing, filling the room – and later your home – with an intense, shining blue light.

2. When you reach this point, begin to sense the presence of the saints (or other beings) in which you placed your faith when you were a child. Notice that they are present, arriving from everywhere, smiling and giving you faith and confidence.

3. Picture the saints approaching you, placing their hands on your head and wishing you love, peace, and communion with the world – the communion of the saints.

4.  When this sensation becomes strong, feel that the blue light is a current that enters you and leaves you like a shining, flowing river. This blue light begins to spread through your house, then through your neighborhood, your city, and your country; it eventually envelops the world in an immense blue sphere. This is the manifestation
of the great love that goes beyond the day-today struggle; it reinforces and invigorates, as it provides energy and peace.

5. Keep the light spread around the world for as long as possible. Your heart is open, spreading love. This phase of the exercise should last for a minimum of five minutes.

6. Come out of your trance, bit by bit, and return to reality. The saints will remain near. The blue light will continue to spread around the world.  This ritual can and should be done with more than one person. When this is the case, the participants should hold hands while they do the exercise.

The RAM Exercises are a fascinating aspect of an even more fascinating story. It’s a great book. It reads like a parable for personal spiritual growth and self-discovery. If you are looking for these things, Paulo Coelho is a good place to start. You will not be handed spiritual growth and/or personal discovery, all wrapped up nice and neat for you to simply possess at will, but you will most definitely be inspired to start your own search for them.

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Create Something Beautiful

A healthy and vibrant spirituality can have beneficial effects upon one’s physical well-being. Spirituality is an aspect of human life and living that can neither be denied, nor ignored. Spirituality is a vital part of the trichotomy that we call “being.” We are all composed of three parts: body, mind and spirit. As is the case with most complex living things in this world, if a single internal component of our trichotomy suffers, then our entire being suffers in some way. We are often urged to care for our bodies and minds, but we ignore our spirits. We would do well to nurture our spirituality, while we care for our minds and bodies. This is holistic being.

If you struggle with spiritual practice, or find it difficult to actually exercise your spiritual impulses for lack of practical experience, fret not; it’s actually very simple once you get started. In fact, once you do actually start, you will probably coast right along as if you have been doing so for years. Why? Well, because spirituality is an instinctive human quality! We all crave and need spirituality, and we all know how to satisfy that need. More than a few of us, however, may need a catalyst to get started. I happen to have a such a catalyst for you right now! When you are prepared to begin, simply read on!

First, you will have to set apart a time during the day when you can dedicate yourself to your spiritual practice. Block-off an hour wherein you will be assured of zero interruptions. You literally need to refuse to be interrupted! It is important that you have time wherein you can simply be you, and focus on your spiritual being. so, refuse to be interrupted for this part of your day. That means: No children, no spouses, no phones, no clocks, and no obnoxious sounds like automobiles or cell phone alarms (if you can help it). This is your time to care for your spirituality. It is the sacred portion of your day. Treat it as such! Everyone around you must have this fact made explicitly clear to them. So, do so now. Go on! Let everyone know that this is time for you and that they may not interrupt you. When you are finished telling everyone that this is your sacred time, come back and read the directions below to continue.

Ready? O.K. Your first spiritual exercise is a beautifully simple one. In the time that you have set apart from the busyness and confusion of your regular day, I want you to go now and create something beautiful. Yes, actually create something beautiful. It doesn’t matter what you create, but it has to be beautiful. I doesn’t matter how you create it, or what you actually use as far as materials are concerned. Whatever you do, just make it beautiful. It can be a drawing, a poem, a story, a sculpture, a wood carving, origami, a quilt, a meal, etc., etc. You are only limited by your own imagination. Go, now! Use your hands to create something beautiful! Think about what I am saying; think about what you are doing. Think about what I am saying and what you are doing as you now move toward the sacred time that you set apart for your spiritual care. Think about how the care for your spirit affects your mind and body. Live holistically. set aside time for you so that you can take care of your spirit and be whole.

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Garden of Eden

I have contemplated the concept-idea of a “Garden of Eden” for more than a few late nights. The metaphorical center of human beginnings, purity and perfection is an important product of Hebrew myth-making. The Garden is still an important element/idea in many, many movements and expressions that identify as Judeo-Christian.

Perfection reigns in the Garden of Eden, according to the texts (i.e., no Sin in humanity + no Sin in the world [nature]). Animals do not eat each other in the Garden of Eden. This is the inference in the text of Genesis 1:29-30, which says:

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

The animals that approach Adam to receive a name seem quite cordial to humanity and one another – most likely because Yahweh declared that the green plants were to be their food, not humans or one another. That part of the story can be found in Genesis 2:19-20, which says:

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

Then the Fall occurs. Suddenly, the entire human race and all of creation is tainted with Sin – Sin with a capital “S.” Human beings begin killing each other; animals begin eating one another. It’s all quite a carnivorous, nasty mess, it seems. Everyone and everything becomes a flesh-eating predator. This violence, it seems, is one consequence of the fall.

So, with this very literalistic interpretation firmly in our grasp, I now present the reader with a wild question: “In the pre-fall Garden of Eden did the Zebra have stripes and did a lion have sharp teeth and a very short intestine designed for flushing out enormous amounts of cholesterol earned by swallowing a lot of flesh?”

Do you understand the question? Why would a zebra have stripes in the Garden of Eden if lions did not hunt them? Why would a lion have flesh shredding teeth and a digestive system tuned for carnivorous consumption if it did not tear and swallow flesh? This is so silly and obvious not many actually consider it, but do give it a moment’s thought, if you have a free moment to offer to thought. The above question may sound rediculous at first but it does matter and it holds much relevance for today’s theological and religious discussions.

Either nature is, as the biblical myth presents it, fallen and a consequent ‘thorn’ in the metaphorical ’side of God,’ and groans for his return, or it is a thing of incredible naturalistic adaptability and consequently pragmatic, as Darwinism suggests.

I know this is an over-simplified contrast, but the dichotomy is not my own; it is a product of the dual sided debate upon which I am focusing/founding this article. Personally, I side with the Darwinians/Naturalists and will continue to do so unless a Biblical literalist can actually choose one of the following and substantiate their choice: 1.) Lions in the pre-fall garden were toothless and today’s sharp teeth and carnivorous digestive systems are merely “EVOLVED” products of suddenly corrupted natural system which found its catalyst in the fall (Zebras had no stripes at all, due to the obvious lack of the need to hide from flesh eating predators); 2.) Pre-fall garden lions and zebras were originally created in the form in which they appear today – teeth, stripes, digestive systems, and all – in spite of their having absolutely no use for such things. This choice seems absurd, and is an opening to much more serious theological questions which threaten the whole concept of a pre-fall utopia, but I will make it available. 3.) Pre-fall garden lions and zebras were originally created in the form in which they appear today – teeth, stripes, digestive systems, and all – and instinctively made use of them to hunt and hide.

Would a literalist, in his or her attempt to salvage the myth of a pre-fall garden utopia (i.e., the myth of a world which is more perfect than the one existing right now at this very moment outside of your window), actually argue for evolution – or even a hyphenated version – and chose the first option? If so, the truth within the myth will have to be repositioned and the story will have to be reinterpreted for our own time. Is that necessarily a bad thing?

Or, would a literalist choose the second option and smother/hide/spin the absurdity with ‘faith’ in a god who knowingly prepared the natural world into which we were placed for self-destruction (a self-destruction that exists in relation to the pre-fall utopian setting)?

Or, would a literalist chose the third option and totally gut their understanding of myth and work to create a new and more meaningful myth?

Lions and zebras may sound silly, but the question is a serious one. None of the above options are easy for the literalist who points to the past and future but never the present for examples of a model world, but a present choice must be made if we are going to draw authentic meaning from the well of our lives and existences.

A Quick Word Re: The Two Judeo-Christian Creation Stories

There are two creation stories in Genesis. This is basic, introductory, 1st year Bible College information, yet, a lot of people are not aware of it, or they just don’t want to discuss it for whatever reasons. In spite of all of that, it’s true; there are two creation stories in Genesis.

The First Creation Story is found in Genesis 1 – 2:3

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was [a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

The Second Creation Story is found in Genesis 2:4 – 25

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth [b] and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth [c] and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams [d] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- 7 the LORD God formed the man [e] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin [f] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

There are important differences between the two creation accounts in Genesis. I’ll leave it up to you to find them. I’ll say this much: Those who like their women subordinate really focus on the second creation story. That should be enough impetus to push us all towards deeper investigation, study and understanding.

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Robert Bellah

My copy of Michael H. Barnes’ In the Presence of Mystery: An Introduction to Human Religiousness finally arrived from the equally mysterious and always entertaining Amazon Used and New Book Store. Purchasing a used book from an Amazon Seller is an adventure! One never knows for sure what the packaging holds until it finally arrives and is opened. It’s a gamble; it’s a game. For example, when I opened the package holding my copy of Barnes’ In the Presence of Mystery, I discovered that a book with a big, obnoxious, white circle glued to its front cover was inside. To make matters worse, the big, white circle was decorated with bold red text that unceremoniously spelled out the words: “DESK COPY.”

Ah, DESK COPY! The fact that someone sold me a free book doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I don’t care. The white circle glued to the book’s front cover is, however, an unacceptable aesthetic complication. Purposely placing a permanent blemish on a book’s front cover like that is sacrilegious, in my opinion. Happily, this aesthetic mess isn’t a total wash. The body of the book itself is in excellent condition. It contains no markings, highlights, or unidentifiable stains. Wonderful. I’ll ignore the terrible cover and its big white circle and focus upon the content of the book itself. It’s solid.

The book is worth the read. I was provoked in thought before I even made it through the book’s introduction. Barnes introduces his readers to Robert Bellah’s “Theory of Progressive Forms” in his intro. Bellah, a sociologist, held to a theory built upon the idea of a developing religion that evolves alongside the personal cultural, conscious and spiritual development of the individual. Said differently, religious evolution mirrors the lives of the individual adherents of the religion, according to Bellah. So, as an individual moves through his or her own developing religious expression — beginning with Primitive and maturing through Archaic, Historic, and, hopefully, Modern stages — the larger religion to which they belongs matures alongside of them.

It’s an interesting theory and I think it is true in that human beings are the authors of religion. It’s not clear to me, however, that it actually works out, as far as religious progress and evolution are concerned. I mean, a lot of people would have to simultaneously process through the stages together before real, influential change could be introduced to an established religion, religious system or even a Christian denomination. It seems to me that those who do process through these stages finally end up leaving whatever religion, system or denomination they were part of because they no longer can honestly function within it. In other words, they out grow it. It seems to me that the people who do manage to process through Bellah’s Stages are so outnumbered by the people who do not process through that they are forced to depart and search for a community that fits. They start over.

So, the question I am left asking has to do with our human patterns, historically speaking. It seems as if we – humanity – used to operate according to Bellah’s Theory of Forms, but did we stop for some reason? Are our religions still developing as we consciously and culturally evolve and we are just missing it? If we are not evolving, what happened? Why did we suddenly stop doing it like we have always done it? Maybe we are living in the midst of a huge and developing process and don’t realize it? Do we care?

STAGES OF CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT

4.) MODERN: Complex civilization, most aware of the ultimate mysteriousness of the universe and life; approaches ultimacy with hope and openness; symbolic and tentative theology; a concern for the worldly well-being of others and trust in the future; basic value morality.

3.) HISTORIC: Highly complex civilizations in which people search for the ultimate single Power or Being that encompasses all else; comprehensive and dogmatic theology; hope for a perfect other-worldly existence; universal laws morality.

2.) ARCHAIC: Towns with class structure in a larger world, with great and distant gods demanding worship; grand myths; dreams of idealized earthly life; acceptance (and taboo) morality.

1.) PRIMITIVE: Small groups living in a one-possibility local world, with magic and spirits at hand all around; folktale-myths; a concern to live happily; taboo (and acceptance) morality.

Each new stage incorporates previous ones in various ways, all building on the same basic human intelligence, moral capacity, and emotions. So, while it is true that individual development tends to follow patterns similar to these, it should be noted that real life is much more irregular, complex and messy than this neat schema.

(Michael H. Barnes, In the Presence of Mystery: An Introduction to the Story of Human Religiousness [Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1984], 6.)

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Meditation Spirituality

We all need regular, quiet, and tranquil space/time. We all need a sacred spot where we can escape the busyness and clamor of our daily toil, even if only for a moment or two. We all need to make time for deep meditation and inward centering. We need a sacred moment in a sacred space. Most of us have already discovered and laid claim to such a realm and we visit it often. Some of us rarely – if ever – visit this place. The cordoning off of sacred space and time is not a terribly difficult act, but the act of simply doing so — the simple act of starting — can be a huge challenge for a number of reasons. The good news is that there is spatial potential everywhere! It’s all around us! One need only look for it, and be creative. Finding your sacred space is the easy part; knowing what to do once you settle into it is another story.

The Hardest Part: Getting Started!

Moments of meditation or self-centering can be the most stressful and uncomfortable experiences for those who are brand new to the spiritual discipline. Stress and discomfort are not the goals meditation or self-centering. In fact, the point of the discipline is to relieve such things, not increase them! Many individuals, however, do not know what to do when they suddenly experience a restlessness or frustration that distracts them from the potential spiritual benefit available to them in their sacred space/time experiences. So, they quit, before they ever really get started. Many, many people who try meditation or self-centering succumb to the frustrations of starting and they fail before they actually really begin to experience the benefits of spiritual discipline. How can this be avoided? The simple answer: “Use a template!”

A Template for Times of Meditation

First, settle into your sacred space. Start by concentrating on a personal prayer, thought, mantra or ideal. Personally, I use this moment to think upon my understanding of the fullness of God (e.g., righteousness, justice, love, sacrifice, neighbor, peace, compassion, etc.). I open myself up to such spiritual virtues and the very personal challenge each one of them carries towards me and carries me towards. It is in the collision of personality and virtue that spiritual growth occurs.

Next, after you finish your prayer, read a bit of sacred literature. Presently, my personal choice for meditative readings is a collection of the synoptic sayings of Jesus of Nazareth. “The Essential Jesus: Original Sayings and Earliest Images” by John Dominic Crossan is a great source for these early sayings. Open your text, whatever it may be, and read it aloud, to yourself. Read it aloud! Read it slowly. Think deeply about the message being expressed. Listen. Simply, listen.

Third, put your reading away and prepare yourself for a few more moments of deep contemplation. Yes, listen for God’s word for you today. Remember, you began your time with a prayer that was meant to center you and open you up to the possibilities of spiritual growth. You have also just finished reading a portion of sacred literature. Is there an ancient and universal call being expressed to you in the fusion of the two? Are you being challenged with higher spiritual virtues? Are you being deeply inspired to simply rest in who your are and celebrate who God has created you to be? Look closely for your personal revelation. Watch for your revealed potential. See it! Own it. Rest in it.

Fourth, take some time for reflection. Think about your time spent in prayer. Reflect on your reading of sacred literature. Think about how doing both – praying and reading – challenged and inspired you today. Sit for as long as you need to and reflect upon your entire experience. What did it accomplish? Was it edifying? How will it change your day or evening? What will you do when you rise from your sacred/time space and enter into the rest of your day? Why will you do it tomorrow?

Finally, grab a journal – or better yet, a blog – and record whatever reflections and/or answers you collect during the fourth step! This is a very, very important step. Recording our personal reflections is important because it helps us process our experiences, it nurtures self-discovery, and it gives us the ability to look back at ourselves from a different place in life, at a later time. Sometimes we can only become aware of how much we have grown by looking back at where we’ve been in the past. If we can’t look back, then we have lost something special. So, start journaling! It’s an important aspect of a healthy spiritual life.

A Vibrant, Living Faith Needs Nurturing and Sustaining Care

Daily meditative practice is one way to care for your living faith. An individual beginning the discipline should not be discouraged by the discomfort of not knowing exactly what to do. The above is only a suggestion – a template – to get you started. There are many others that you can find. Use whatever you feel comfortable with, but remember that the point is to help you to begin caring for your living faith. We all have to start somewhere. So, start!

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I love it! I love all of the wonderful and crazy people in this video. My dear friend Chris and I watched this video together this morning at my table while we drank our coffee and talked about our own community. The video was a deep joy given to us at precisely the right time. It was perfect!

Things have been difficult here, but seeing and hearing and knowing all of your stories and journeys encourages us very deeply. We are all striving towards the same goal and is helpful to personally know that and see it and hear it. I hope and pray that even more emerging people and communities sprout up to challenge the status quo and offer this welcoming and contagious love to everyone. It is beyond transformational. This work is awesome and very, very hard, but knowing all of you are out there personally wading through it is huge. Thank you, all.

Huge blessings to you all, and a big thanks Croghan for posting this where we could find it.

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Arjuna and Krishna

I am stuck on the Battlefield of Kuru, perilously parked between two warring clans of a royal family in northern India. Rest assured, it’s a poem; in case any of you are wondering what what I’m talking about, or fearing for my personal safety. This is not just any poem, however, but a Sacred work revered by millions of adherents to one of this planet’s most recognizable religions – Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita is embedded within Book Six of the Mahabharata, a national and sacred epic of India. The Mahabharata is attributed to the sage Vyasa (540 to 300 B.C.E.). Bhagavad Gita is an important read for anyone interested in Hinduism or the study of world religions.

The Bhagavad Gita is an epic poem that places its reader alongside Arjuna and Krishna (God incarnate) in the midst of a battlefield on the verge of exploding in blood. Arjuna is a soldier preparing to fight a civil war against brothers, cousins, and kinsmen. Just as the two clans raise their weapons to strike one another, Arjuna requests that his charioteer (Krishna) roll down and park them exactly between the two warring sides so he can look over the men he will be fighting. When he see the men up close they no longer look like enemies to be killed in battle, but more like the brothers, cousins, and kinsmen they actually are. Arjuna then drops his own arrows and bow and sinks down into his chariot, and refuses to fight.

It is right there – between the two warring but frozen parties, whose weapons are raised dangerously high above their heads, poised to strike one another – that the reader takes the form of a quiet but very present participant in an incredibly deep spiritual conversation between Arjuna and Krishna. Time is frozen all around the three of us (Arjuna, Krishna, and “The Reader”) but the spiritual conversation carries on in the midst of the suspense. The reader does nothing but watch and listen …

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Pelagius Art

The age-old question concerning how individuals are actually reconciled with God haunted Martin Luther during his formative years as a Christian until he finally and stubbornly submitted to grace. Grace, he finally realized, was the only answer for his deeply theological question.

Justification by faith in this grace was the sole bridge uniting an unrighteous and estranged humanity to an all righteous and holy God, at least for Martin Luther, who was merely the catalyst of some small movement presently referred to as the Protestant reformation. His was a theology founded upon faith; in other words, a supernatural intervention by God would be required if an individual would be justified – or ’saved’ – from eternal punishment. This intervention was made tangible for the whole world in the Gospel (i.e., the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ). The salvific aspect of Luther’s soteriology was accomplished in Christ; the life of discipleship still exists in the present/future life of the Christian, and subsequently requires work. This is Luther’s understanding of Soteriology. His position was a new one, at least for the time. Not all were in agreement with him. In fact, there were four soteriological camps to which a good Christian could align, and all claimed to be representative of the correct Augustinian interpretation of the doctrine. These four groups can be referred to as Augustinian, Pelagian, Lutheran, and the “Orthodox” (i.e., Catholic Church’s official position).

First of all, the Pelagians were more than willing to embrace their role as the theological/soteriological antithesis of the Augustinians, and, consequently, to Luther as well.

The Pelagian understanding of soteriology contrasted that of Augustine as far as human agency was concerned. The Augustinian believed the individual was plagued by original sin and looked toward the grace laden intervention of God as the only hope for rescue from eternal damnation. This hope was fulfilled through Jesus Christ’s salvific act on the cross. God now can extend his offer of salvation to whomever he so chooses. Those to whom the offer is extended need not work for their salvation, but freely accept it through grace. The transaction is already complete. The Pelagian, however, believed not in original sin or the total uselessness of human nature. Salvation, for the Pelagian, could be attained through an equal combination of grace and human agency, or “works.” This salvation was also available to any who desired it, whereas the Augustinian schematic seems to rely on predestination. Pelagians claimed a much more relaxed soteriological system. Individuals were basically good, and played a very important role in their salvific journeys. Pelagians, as a result, would have disagreed with Luther and his familiar sounding (Augustine) soteriology. Luther embraced the theological idea of original sin, corrupt human nature, and the individual’s need to accept the grace of God made possible by Christ and his cross. Humanity could not, according to Luther, participate in the salvific process, save accepting it freely as a gift.

Luther mimicked the Pelagians’ comfort concerning their relationship with Augustinians in his own antithetical relationship with the Orthodox Catholic Church, which suddenly began to advertise a soteriology all its own.

Luther’s famous 95 theses could arguably be a by-product of his base theological understanding concerning salvation and the conflict of such with the not only the concept of indulgences, but also the established and Orthodox Church responsible for their sale. Theses 1-10, for example, are entirely focused upon soteriological constructs. The list of 95 is – almost in its entirety – singularly dedicated to soteriological argument. A few of the theses wander from this theme, such as section which begins with “Christian are to be taught” (theses #42), which seems to be focused upon practice more than theology (Luther, Ninety-Five Theses or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences 83). Obviously, the list, and its soteriological catalyst, was considered hostile by the Catholic Church. Imagine the scandalized expression on the faces of the church leaders as they read Theses #52: “It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as security” (Luther, Ninety-Five Theses or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences 83).

Luther also expresses a seemingly slight modification of certain aspects of Augustinian soteriology (i.e., predestination/election) in small book attached to a letter for Pope Leo X, in Rome.

Luther, in this small book, seems to relinquish the firm Augustinian penchant for double and/or negative predestination, albeit slightly. Luther writes:

“…Rather ought Christ to be preached to the end that faith in him may be established that he may not only be Christ, but be Christ for you and me, and that what is said of him and is denoted in his name may be effectual in us. Such faith is produced and preserved in us by preaching why Christ came, what he brought and bestowed, what benefit it is to us to accept him” (Luther, The Freedom of a Christian 104).

This statement arguably could go either way (i.e., double or single predestination). It however is at least reflective of contemporary Lutheran theology and the debate concerning Luther’s single or double predestination. The existence of a debate is at least a hint of some sort of departure or adjustment of Augustinian predestination by Luther. Luther does seem softer on the issues, at least when compared to dedicated Augustinians. Thomas Bradwardine, a late medieval theologian, Augustinian, and fighter of all things Pelagian, for example, expresses the Augustinian position regarding predestination and election, as he writes polemically – and with a tone characterized by negative-predestination – against the semi-Pelagian Abbot Joachim of Flora:

“How can it be possible for man’s own capacity to be the cause of predestination or reprobation when sometimes, between two of equal capacity, one is chosen and one is abandoned or, at other times, the one of lesser capacity is chosen while the one of greater is abandoned? How can despair and misery be the cause of divine predestination when, as I suspect many men who in this world live in despair, misery, and poverty are ultimately rejected, while others who have always enjoyed high station, prosperity, and wealth are predestined unto life?” (Bradwardine 40).

There arguably is a division or separation occurring between Augustinians and Luther as regards double and single predestination and the incorporation of such into the large theological scope that is soteriology.

There are clear divergences and differences between the four soteriological groups (i.e., Augustinian, Pelagian, Lutheran, and the “Orthodox”). After all, this was the late medieval period of the Church and a revolutionary reformation was building momentum. Times were changing and so were institutions, especially the Church. It was for this reason that theology became so drastically important. Luther’s Soteriology was radical because it was different from the established soteriology of the Augustinians, the Pelagians, and the Catholic hierarchy – especially the Catholic hierarchy. Luther’s annunciation of his theological understanding carried more political and cultural weight then it normally would because of the period and its social upheavals and subsequent tensions. Luther, for example, was not the only one who would have been angry over the selling of indulgences, he just happened to be the one to open the proverbial levee. A call to reform accompanied by new or adjusted theology (even if the adjusted meant going back to a historic original) in this period would have been a dangerous game to play.

In conclusion, I have to admit that this material raises questions concerning the overall social, political, and religious climate of the late medieval period. The Catholic Church, by this time in history, played such a major – an almost all consuming – role in everyday life that its decisions and actions would have been followed by widespread consequence – for good or for ill. Again, Luther couldn’t have been the only disgruntled person living in the period. I am interested in the larger undercurrents of the time, and how these factored into the reformation. I am guessing that a much larger catalyst – larger than Luther – was the big spark of the reformation. This information would not only prove beneficial for a more holistic understanding of one of the most important events in history, but it also would be very helpful for us to use to gauge our own contemporary religious position(s) and development(s). After all, those who don’t recollect history are destined to repeat it, right?

Works Cited:

Bradwardine, Thomas. The Cause of God against the Pelagians. A Reformation Reader : Primary Texts with Introductions. Ed. Denis Janz. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1344.
Luther, Martin. The Freedom of a Christian. A Reformation Reader : Primary Texts with Introductions. Ed. Denis Janz. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1520.
—. Ninety-Five Theses or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. A Reformation Reader : Primary Texts with Introductions. Ed. Denis Janz. Minneapolis, MN:
Fortress Press, 1517.

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Care for Your Spirit

Living life in a society shaped by thirty-second commercials is difficult. The pace is exhausting. We move from one state to the next at breakneck speeds until that late day in autumn arrives when we all are struck silly by the realization of another year spent. Sooner or later, the sprint must halt, even if for only a brief moment. We must embrace the cessation and find a slow oasis within which we can inhale so deeply so that we can then listen so carefully to the relaxed exhale.

Find a space in the course of your day to simply sit down and relax with yourself, by yourself. Turn the cell phone off; leave the laptop behind; unplug the iPod for a bit. Do not bring anything to this space save your “I” and a willingness to show it as much love and care as you do the many, many other important responsibilities that you face during your daily journey. Simply sit. Sit. Close your eyes. Relax. Give your reflections the freedom to lead you through a brief time of personal lucidity.

Then, and most importantly of all, while you continue your sit, remember to savor the life that you are living. Know that you are a blessing and that you are blessed.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“A sort of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ for global economics … a powerful description of how Western policies since colonialism have subjugated Third World countries.” – Charles Masters, The Hollywood Reporter

THE ECONOMIC CRISES PUSHES AN ADDITIONAL 53 MILLION PEOPLE INTO POVERTY

WILL WE EVER SEE ‘THE END OF POVERTY?’

A NEW DOCUMENTARY OPENING IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE STARTING NOVEMBER 13 PROVIDES THE ANSWER

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LOS ANGELES, CA (October 2009) – In February, the World Bank issued this stunning report: the spreading global economic crisis is set to trap up to 53 million more people in poverty in developing countries; this is on top of the 130 – 155 million driven into poverty in 2008 by soaring food and fuel prices, bringing the total of those living on less than $2 a day to over 1.5 billion. This dynamic, where the rich are bailed out – or carried by – the poor is the focal point of a new documentary film directed by Philippe Diaz, which has been impressing critics and economic justice activists worldwide and will be released in US theaters nationwide.

Award-winning actor and activist, Martin Sheen, provides the narration for THE END OF POVERTY? that connects the dots from colonialism to modern times in an indictment of the creation of the free market system – the system now blamed for the worst global recession in decades.

After premiering at Critics’ Week during the Cannes Film Festival and subsequently invited to over twenty-five international film festivals, the film will open in New York City on November 13, 2009, and in Los Angeles on November 25, 2009 with a platform release to include runs in Seattle (WA), Portland (OR), Austin (TX) with additional markets to follow including Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. The film was produced in association with the New York based non-profit, Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, and will be distributed by Cinema Libre Studio.

“There has been a lot of dialogue in the last few years about ‘the end of poverty’ with technology or micro-financing positioned as the new ’solution,’” says filmmaker Diaz. “For example, economists such as Jeffrey Sachs cheerfully suggest that poverty can be ended with increased transfers of capital and technology (such as improved mosquito nets), the film shows why that kind of thinking is simplistic at best, harmful at worst. More foreign aid does nothing to rectify the cumulative problems from centuries of exploitation.”

Filmed in the slums of Africa to the barrios of Latin America, THE END OF POVERTY? explores how the true causes of poverty stem from actions taken during and since colonial times to perpetuate exploitation: first by forcing people from their land and their access to natural resources, then through unfair trade, debt repayment and unjust taxes on labor and consumption. This system was carefully built and maintained by free market policies, resource monopolies and structural adjustment programs by the World Bank, the IMF and other international financial institutions.

The documentary features: Nobel prize winners in economics Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz; expert authors Susan George (”Another World Is Possible If”), Eric Toussaint (”The World Bank: A Never Ending Coup d’Etat”), John Perkins (”Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”), Chalmers Johnson (”Nemesis: The Last Days of the America Republic”), Brookings Institute fellow and author, William Easterly (”White Man’s Burden”); government ministers such as Bolivia’s Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, and leaders of social movements in Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Kenya and Tanzania.

The film has since been embraced by activists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide for its ‘direct talk’ about the role of debt, free trade, and neo-liberal policies and poverty. Groups including: Action Aid Greece, Amnesty UK, ATTAC (Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions to Aid Citizens), CADTM (Committee for the Abolition of the Third World Debt), Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), InterAction, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Jubilee USA, Jubilee Australia, Make Poverty History, Share the World’s Resources (STWR), Tax Justice Network, Transnational Institute, and the UN Millennium Campaign have screened the films as part of their anti-poverty campaigns in the past year.

Synopsis: Narrated by Martin Sheen, The End of Poverty? is a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, revealing that poverty is not an accident. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies — in other words, wealthy countries exploiting the weaknesses of poor, developing countries such that today 20% of the planet’s population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate.

Produced by Cinema Libre Studio with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 104mins, 2008, USA, documentary in English, Spanish, and French with English Subtitles. Learn more at www.theendofpoverty.com

More information as well as clips and images for download are available at www.TheEndofPoverty.com with additional information to be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Theatrical roll-out includes the following theaters/cities:

NEW YORK – Starts November 13

City Cinemas Village East Cinema (181-189 Second Ave. (@ 12th St.)

LOS ANGELES – Starts (Wednesday) November 25

Laemmle’s Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, 90046)

Culver Plaza Theaters (9919 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90232)

PORTLAND, OR – Starts December 4

Living Room Theaters (341 SW Tenth Avenue, Portland, OR 97205)

SEATTLE, WA – Starts December 4

Regal Meridian 16 (1501 7th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101)

AUSTIN, TX – Starts December 18

Regal Arbor Cinema @ Great Hills (9828 Great Hills Trail Suite 800, Austin, TX 78759)

About Cinema Libre Studio:

Cinema Libre Studio has been a leader in the distribution social issue films that tackle timely issues. The company is a haven for independent filmmakers offering one-stop shopping for production and distribution. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company is best known for distributing social-issue documentaries that include: Outfoxed, Uncovered, WMD: Weapon’s of Mass Deception, Darfur Diaries, The Future of Food, A River of Waste, Desert Bayou and The Beautiful Truth. The company has recently released the films of French auteur Jean-Jacques Beineix and has partnered with Iranian director Masoud Jafari Jozani to bring the first film crew to shoot in US since the Iranian revolution. For more information, please visit www.cinemalibrestudio.com.

Media Contacts:

Screeners are available upon request – please include complete shipping address in reply!

There will be a press screening in New York:

Wednesday, October 28 at 6pm at Magno Review 1 (729 7th Avenue, 2nd floor, NYC)

>> Please RSVP to Sasha Berman at SashaBerman@mac.com<<

New York and LA Media:

Sasha Berman
Shotwell Media
2721 2nd St. # 205
Santa Monica, CA 90405

tel. 310-450-5571
fax 310-450-5577
email: SashaBerman@mac.com

Other requests: Publicity: Cinema Libre Studio 8328 De Soto Avenue, Canoga Park, CA 91304 Ph: (818) 349-8822, press@cinemalibrestudio.com

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