I found this link through a diary on Booman Tribune: God told me to invade Iraq, Bush tells Palestinian ministers President George W. Bush told Palestinian ministers that God had told him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq - and create a Palestinian State, a new BBC series reveals. Bush is a scary, scary man. Nabil Shaath says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …" And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it.'" At least when these guys were on a mission from God, it was funny. One thing I have noticed about the stories in the Bible about God talking to people and giving them a mission of some sort, is that they are usually reluctant at first. Moses is told that he will lead the people, and he tries to beg out of it--"You don't want me. I'd be no good at that sort of thing. I've got this stutter, you know." Jonah, as my kids learned in the Veggie Tales movie, was told "Go to Ninevah." Jonah says, "Gotcha!" and promptly sets sail--in the opposite direction. Whether these stories literally happened, or are an allegorical expression of the faith experience of a people, what stands out to me is the fact that God is often seen commissioning people to do things they find difficult. Challenging. Scary. Seemingly impossible, or at least implausible. God seems pretty unlikely to say, "Attack Iraq, kill thousands of people, get oil contracts for your rich friends." I don't think Bush needed any higher power to tell him to do that. But apparently he needs to invoke a higher power to justify it. Who does God call, and for what purpose? And what does the call sound like...or feel like? Susan B. Anthony once said, I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. That quote reflects my thinking to some extent. Again, in the Bible, we really don't see examples of God calling an individual for some person, where the person says, "Cool! That's what I was planning to do anyway, but now I've got your Divine Stamp of Approval. That's really going to come in handy!"

A week or so ago, I received an email from Don, a member of my parish. It was Joan Chittister's most recent column, entitled A simple, doable, soul-changing project. I always appreciate reading Joan's thoughts when I find the time, and as it turns out, this particular column addresses an issue I've been meaning to look into in more depth. In her article, Joan gives some background on the interfaith group known as the Tent of Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah and the opportunity they see before us for increasing mutual respect and understanding between the three Abrahamic faith traditions. In other periods of history, this group would have made unlikely bedfellows. The first is a small Jewish community that has always been against the oppression of Palestinians. The second is a small group of Muslims who are opposed to the fundamentalist definition of "jihad" as military struggle rather than as the interior struggle to be holy. The third is a small group of Christians who have no doubts about the sins of Christianity against both these communities and, even more, a memory of Francis of Assisi, who in the midst of a Crusade against Egypt, crossed the battle lines to talk to Sultan Malik al-Kamil. Francis, to convert the Egyptians, tried to strike a bargain: He would go into a fiery furnace and, if he came out alive, the Egyptians would convert to Christianity. Al-Kamil's answer to Francis was a gentle and a wise one. Gambling with one's life, he argued, is not a valid proof of one's God. Then, both of them wiser, he spared Francis' life and sent him on his way again. Like Francis, these people have decided to do what their governments won't do. They are stepping across battle lines. They are reaching out as friends to one another in formal, public ways. They are listening to the spirit in the heart of the other. They call their project The October Surprise. The surprise is that the Jewish High Holy Days, the Islamic Month of Ramadan and the Christian feast of St. Francis of Assisi who opposed the Crusades and learned from an Islamic teacher, all come in October. Even the heavens, it seems, are calling all of us to do penance, to be peaceful, to become the human community we are meant to be. But how? The group, after praying together themselves, encourages a public day of fast and prayer on Oct. 13 for all of us -- Christian, Muslim and Jew alike. They are asking congregations, organizations and families, to host members of the other communities in order to celebrate these common feasts together. They are suggesting that we all hold teach-ins to honor one another and to come to know our common teachings on peace, on kinship with the earth and all its creatures, on openness to the wisdom of others. Here is a link to the Tent of Abraham, Hagar and Sarah web site. The introduction reads: The Tent of Abraham, Hagar, & Sarah is a gathering of Jews, Christians, and Muslims who have been building a 'Tent' of shared spiritual concern for peace, justice, and healing of the earth. Arising from this effort has been a call to take part in 'God's October Surprise'. Click to read more about October Surprise: A Call to Share Sacred Seasons. Here is the groups Call to Action/Gathering Statement.This link leads to a printable (PDF) flyer explaining the "October Surprise" and the opportunity we have before us. On this page, you can search for an event in your area, or add your own to the database.

From Building the Beloved Community On May 9th through the 20th, the Rockridge Institute, together with People for the American Way, Tikkun, Christian Alliance for Progress, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Muslim Peace Fellowship and a coalition of religious organizations, will be hosting an online dialogue on religious values and progressive political debate. Also joining us in the conversation will be scholars and noted leaders in the religious and spiritual community. Progressives from all faiths and perspectives are invited to participate. We want to explore the common ground between spiritual and secular progressives-to talk about who we are and why we believe what we do. What do spiritually progressive values have to say about policy issues like the environment, healthcare and war? How do spiritual progressives frame their beliefs? What unites the progressive movement? Why has this unity been so difficult to achieve? And what action can we take to promote our shared values? More information here.

A spirited spat steals church calm Ousted nine whose politics didn't suit pastor return

I'm offering this link without comment--no time to really read and digest it before bed time, but at the moment this is the top recommended diary on Daily Kos. From the looks of it, it provides some insight into the situation at East Waynesville Baptist Church that may not be readily available from mainstream media accounts. Blog-Journalism: My Interview with Deacon at East Waynesville Baptist Church by southlib

We sure are hearing a lot of the "house divided" church and religion stories lately, aren't we? We've got East Waynesville Baptist church where the pastor allegedly kicked out 9 members because they voted for Kerry (although he now says that was a misunderstanding). We also have a diocese in Texas telling parishioners at St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church (who are unhappy about the elevation of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop, and want to disassociate from the national Episcopal Church) to leave by June 1. From the National Catholic Reporter, we learn that "Jesuit Fr. Thomas J. Reese, editor for the past seven years of America magazine, a premier publication of Catholic thought and opinion, has resigned at the request of his order following years of pressure for his ouster from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith." The new Roman Catholic Pope, Benedict XI, appears to have little tolerance for the whole idea of tolerance. In Saul Landau's recent Counterpunch article, I found this quote: "We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism," Ratzinger warned in his last homily as Cardinal, "which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires." Dictatorship of relativism? Is that sort of like a "tyranny of the minority"? In the most recent church newsletter, our rector commented on Benedict XI's disdain for "religious relativism" as well as "indifferentism", and imagined how the new pope might judge our church if he read our vision statement... Worship is our centering place and the focal point of our lives together. We worship in ways that comfort us when we need it and open us to new possibilities, inspirit us and free us. We struggle to be a multicultural, multi-generational Christian community in which each and all of us feel able and challenged to be ourselves with unvarnished authenticity and to support the authenticity of others. We wrestle with and nurture the tensions that arise from our differences such as: our conflicting impulses toward tradition or innovation in our worship; our divergent ideas of the relative authority of clergy and laity; and the competing attractions of serving and being served. We pray that St. Stephen's will be a home from which we can live out God's will for our lives. But he went on to say that what we are not indifferent, but rather "passionate about that which we know. He added, "The truth we hold out is the truth we know without condemning or belittling other truths. I find that very open and welcoming, not indifferent or relative. We are also, as I am reminded every week when I open the bulletin, an "Open Table" church, which means All people are welcome around God's table. Spiritual wisdom is revealed through many religious traditions. Our path is a commitment to understanding and following the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and discerning the meaning of the title "Messiah." No person, no sacred text, and no religious institution holds the definitive wisdom about God. Our understanding of God and the Christian faith are best served by open inquiry, scholarship, service, and worship. We are asked to seek, to love, and to serve God in all people, the communities in which we live, and the nations of the world, and perhaps especially with those with whom we seem to have the most conflict. It also means that you are welcome to share in the bread and wine of Communion, because, as a member of The Center for Progressive Christianity we Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus's name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God's feast for all peoples In other words, all are welcome. Even the ones who voted for Bush.

Mother's Day Diaries Reflections on being a Mom in America by SanJoseLady Mothers Day, more than carnations by janinsanfran MY MOTHER..MY HEROINE..HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY by LOBALUNA It's Just Another Day... by Cali Scribe The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids On Mother's Day by SusanHu

Update on the East Waynesville story. Not quite sure what to make of this, but I pray for healing for all involved. Pastor Says Ouster a Misunderstanding Calling it a "great misunderstanding," the pastor of a small church who led the charge to remove nine members for their political beliefs tried to welcome them back Sunday, but some insisted he must leave for the wounds to heal. The Rev. Chan Chandler didn't directly address the controversy during the service at East Waynesville Baptist Church, but issued a statement afterward through his attorney saying the church does not care about its members' political affiliations. "No one has ever been voted from the membership of this church due to an individual's support or lack of support for a political party or candidate," he said. In other worship house divided news, TerranceDC's diary, Church Door Swings Both Ways, covers the story of an Episcopal diocese in Texas that is telling 90% of one congregation to leave: Almost 90% of the congregation at St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church in Midland, Texas, want to disassociate with the national Episcopal Church. Instead, diocese officials have given the unhappy parishioners until June 1 to leave church property.

New recommended Kos diary by AHiddenSaint about HR 235: The bill that will make us a Theocracy - HR 235

I just saw in a post on Democratic Underground that there were people on C-SPAN from a group called African American Ministers in Action. I think I missed most of the discussion, but I found their web site. Hadn't heard of this group before today, but I'm glad to know about them. And I'm really glad to see them address the following... The Black Church and the Contract with Pharaoh Anyone who celebrates the prophetic role of the Black Church in American history should be appalled at the growing phenomenon of Black pastors embracing the Bush administration and its cynical use of religion to mask policies that will further brutalize people already left behind. It is easy to understand why the President's political strategists have their eyes on the Black church. Black voters have voted in overwhelming numbers against Republican candidates in recent decades, and getting more of those votes is part of Karl Rove's plan to build a permanent Republican majority. The Black Church carries a mantle of moral authority that President Bush wants draped across his shoulders. Read the rest here.

Yesterday I posted a link to this article: Church Split In North Carolina Shows Dangers Of Partisan Politics In Pulpit, Says Americans United Click here for the official web site in support of this legislation. This page on the site could be of use to us Representatives of the 108th Congress are listed below, organized by state. Those that have registered their support for this important legislation are listed in bold. Phone numbers of each Representative are also provided. Voice your support of the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act - HR.235 by calling your representative, or by registering your personal support here on this site. Or conversely, one might use the very same list to contact our representatives and register our opposition to the bill.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, and so far I have not found the inspiration for a fitting diary. Who knows? I still might have inspiration descend upon me like a dove, but in the meantime I'm going to link to other Mother's Day diaries and articles I come across: Our Rebel Mothers - A Small History and Rememberance by tikkun Here's my Tribute to Mothers entry from last year. Please post your own favorite links, quotes, and thoughts on mothers and Mother's Day.

There is an article in the Asheville Citizen-Times today that gives some more detail about what happened at the East Waynesville Baptist Church and what the potential consequences could be. About 20 members of the 400-member East Waynesville Baptist Church voted the nine members out at a recent deacon meeting, which turned into an impromptu business meeting, according to congregants. Chan Chandler, pastor of East Waynesville Baptist, had been exhorting his congregation since October to support his political views or leave, said Selma Morris, a 30-year member of the church. “He preached a sermon on abortion and homosexuality, then said if anyone there was planning on voting for John Kerry, they should leave,” she said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard something like that. Ministers are supposed to bring people in.” Also, over at Democratic Underground, there is a link to the segment on Keith Olbermann's Countdown, where Keith interviewed a member of the congregation by phone.

Comment on the "no Dems allowed" church in North Carolina: Interfaith Alliance Deplores North Carolina Pastor Banishing Democrats Today, in response to news media reports that a North Carolina church had "excommunicated" any members who did not vote for President George W. Bush, the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance, issued the following statement: "This sad spectacle is the predictable consequence of the Religious Right’s insistence on measuring a person’s religion by social-political litmus tests. Not only does the pastor’s reported action violate both the spirit and substance of the United States Constitution’s provisions of religious liberty, it also offends the conscience of people who understand religion in terms of the realm of the spirit, not votes in a presidential election. "I understand the pastor called for repentance on the part of those who didn’t vote for the president. The screaming need is for repentance among those who would tie religion to partisan politics." And this is from Americans United of Separation of Church and State: "This is an outrage," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "Houses of worship exist to bring people together for worship, not split them apart over partisan politics. "I think there is an important lesson here for the whole country," Lynn continued. "Americans do not expect to be ordered to vote for certain candidates by their religious leaders." Religious Right groups have been pressing evangelical churches to get deeply involved in partisan politics, Lynn said, and this kind of controversy is the natural outcome. Lynn said matters will become even worse if a bill now pending in Congress becomes federal law. H.R. 235, a measure introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), would allow clergy to endorse candidates from the pulpit and still retain a tax exemption of their house of worship. "Introducing partisan politics into our churches is a terrible idea," said AU’s Lynn. "I hope this incident in North Carolina will cause our members of Congress to reject Rep. Jones’ bill."

Last time I checked, excommunication was just a Catholic thing. Isn't it? Last night there was a recommended diary on Daily Kos by georgia10 entitled It Begins: Dems "Excommunicated" From Church? For those that thought that there has not been a full scale war lanched against liberals; for those who didn't take the radical right's promise to "eradicate liberals" seriously, I present to you, Exhibit A: East Waynesville Baptist Church has just kicked out all its Democratic members. Yes. You read that right. If you didn't vote for Bush, you had to "repent your sin". And finally, they figured why deal with the liberal sinners at all... That sounded a little fishy, but on the other hand, I've been reading georgia10's diaries for quite a while--ever since she was writing up excellent summaries of the Ohio recount action late in 2004. I know that she is very careful about reporting responsibly. She wrote that several long time Democratic Underground members had attested to seeing news reports about what happened at East Waynesville. As those reports have become available online, georgia10 has updated her diary to add links to them. She has also put up a new action-item diary, Democratic Church Purge Part II: Action. In other news, see Ohiocrat's diary, Catholic Church Declares War on Democrats Kansas governor, Kathleen Gilligan Sebelius, was invited to give a commencement speech at her high school alma mater, Summit Country Day in Cincinnati. That is, until the Archbishop of Cincinnati, Daniel Pilarczyk, told the school to "un-invite" her. Why? Because Sebelius is pro-choice. And finally we have this from the Palm Beach Post: Diocese employee says judge in abortion case should be denied communion An employee of the Diocese of Palm Beach said Thursday that Palm Beach County Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Alvarez, a Catholic, should be denied communion for allowing a 13-year-old foster child to have an abortion. This is becoming more and more disturbing. If you are a a Democratic officeholder and person of faith, I guess you are officially "fair game" for this kind of public shaming. If you're a Republican, apparently you get a free ride. Why is that? Maybe the Democrats are not as willing to "go there" with regard to using a Republican's faith as a weapon against him or her. Who knows, maybe they actually take seriously that part where Jesus said "let he who is without sin cast the first stone". Of course, if we do get tired of taking the "high road", we might point out that there are some Methodists out there who aren't too pleased with the way George W. Bush represents his faith, and feel that he should repent... Or, on a more positive note, check out this new diary at MyDD by Jerry Meek, Dear Internet: Help Free Our Churches. ...I put out the following statement responding to press reports about the shameful activities in the Waynesville church. "One of the Bible's most repeated commands is to 'Love your neighbor.' If these reports are true, this minister is not only acting extremely inappropriately by injecting partisan politics into a house of worship, but he is also potentially breaking the law and threatening the church's 501(c)(3) non-profit status." Ok, so we put out a statement. That's great for the press. But what about everyone else? What else should we be doing? Give me your ideas about how North Carolina Democrats and citizens can free our churches. Post comments in this thread. And if you just want to show solidarity, link to this post or the North Carolina State Democratic Party site from your own blog. Wouldn't it be amazing if the internet spoke loudly and clearly about this?

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. Over the past month I have done a number of diaries about this topic, with the hope of encouraging a progressive, inclusive response to what has become  a very right wing, exclusive event. National Day of (Theocon) Prayer National Day of Inclusion "Under God" vs. the Golden Rule National Day of Prayer Ohio Action I have been checking the web site of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State on a fairly regular basis over the past few weeks, hoping to find that the group, led by United Church of Christ minister Barry Lynn, was planning an event for tomorrow. Today I found the following headline: Americans United Plans Oklahoma City Event To 'Let Freedom Ring' On National Day Of Prayer For too long, the National Day of Prayer has been held captive by the Religious Right. This year, Americans United for Separation of Church and State is planning a rescue. "Let Freedom Ring: A Celebration of Freedom of Conscience," an event sponsored by the Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United, will be open to Americans of all faiths - as well as those who don't pray. "America is a nation with rich diversity, and we want to celebrate that fact," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, who will be in Oklahoma City to speak at the event. "The National Day of Prayer has become an excuse for the Religious Right to practice exclusion and peddle bad history. We want to offer an alternative." The Oklahoma event, which is being cosponsored by Mainstream Baptists of Oklahoma and the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma, will take place on the South Steps of the State Capitol in Oklahoma City on May 5 at 11 a.m. AU's Lynn is a United Church of Christ minister. Speakers from the Jewish, Islamic, Pagan and non-theistic communities will also participate. Read more here. Tomorrow is also celebrated as the National Day of Reason by a number of nontheistic groups. Find local events here. And click here for the list of National Day of Reason endorsers. My favorite group names are the Holy Church of Happy Goodtimes and the Round Earth Society. ;-) I share these links with you in honor of my favorite Atheist. Mind you, I think he was wrong about the "no God" thing. I hope he was wrong--'cause I'd really like to meet him when I get to wherever it is we are all going after this Earth gig. A couple more inclusive events I have found: City prayer breakfast will bring faiths together Day of Prayer diversifies Please share links for other events, if you know of any.

As I promised in a recent diary, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how and why I came to think of my search for my Right Path in life as playing "God's Clues." I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic schools through twelfth grade. Technically, I suppose, I went to a Catholic university, although the education there didn't seem especially religious in focus. Most of my friends there, including the one I ended up marrying, were not Catholic. But Demetrius was such a sweetheart of a guy, he agreed to have a Catholic ceremony and raise our kids in the Church. So, then, everything was settled. If You Want To Make God Laugh, Tell Him Your Plans. Sure, I'd started to question some things by the time I was in college, but my faith was a part of my identity. Later, after my grandmother died, the Catholic church took on a new signicance as a way I could still feel connected to her. It helped to be involved in a progressive (university affiliated) congregation with good music. But I did get a little concerned at the notion of trying to teach a child what I had been taught. Sure, I could reinterpret some of it so that it made sense to me, but could I explain it to my own child? Thankfully, I figured, religious education would be able to help with that. By the time our son was in kindergarten and old enough to start in the religious education program at our church, he had been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.  In school, he had an I.E.P (Individualized Education Plan), which was always a "work in progress" to some extent, but there were people we could turn to when problems came up. At church, there were no such resources, so if there were behavioral issues during Sunday school, someone would just come to get me out of the service. It got to the point where, even though I would always hope for the best, I could pretty much count on my church time being interrupted. I won't call it my "worship" time, because by that point I would take advantage of that quiet time to map out my plans for the week--jotting down little notes in the white space on the weekly bulletin. What professionals did I need to touch base with regarding my son? What books or resources might be helpful? In a last ditch effort, I tried to contact one of the priests, who also happened to be a psychologist. I had spoken to him once, and he seemed famliar with the issues. I wrote, I left phone messages, but I couldn't get a response. Finally, I stopped and thought, maybe Someone is trying to tell me something. If it was really important to God that I remain in the church, would it be this difficult? A clue! A clue! Between my daughter and my son, we'd been a Blue's Clues household for a few years already. For anyone not familiar with the show, each episode had Steve trying to figure out what his puppy Blue wanted. Either Blue lacked that special "Lassie" gift for being able to bark important information in a way that her human companions could understand, or it was because Steve was, as the actor once put it, "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer", but Blue would communicate by leaving pawprints on various clues. At the end of the show, Steve would sit in his "thinking chair" and try to piece the clues together to figure out what Blue wanted. So one day, I pondered this whimsical thought...maybe God leaves clues. Maybe God is always helping us along by leaving clues, but we often miss them, because in the grand scheme of things, we can be about as dense as Steve was on that show. Let's face it, we humans can be a pretty clueless bunch. By comparison, I was suprised when I learned that rats developed "specific hungers" for substances missing in their diets, such as salt, protein, or fat. The key experiment, the "self-selection" or "cafeteria" study, gave the rats 10 or so choices of various nutrients. Richter monitored the animals' intake of the substances as related to deficiencies in their diet. Animals deprived of vitamins in their diets would specifically seek them out when given the choice. I don't know about you, but I will readily admit to not having this kind of "food sense". I eventually concluded that at least part of the reason rats were able to outsmart us in this area is that rats generally don't watch T.V. commercials. They are not constantly exposed to major, orchestrated efforts from the outside to override what they know on the inside. Maybe there are things we really "know" on some level, but don't recognize that we know these things. Maybe it just feels easier and safer to accept the truths we receive from these outside sources. But every now and then someone comes along and tries to shake some sense into us... "He also said to the multitudes, 'When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 'A shower is coming'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? And why do you not decide for yourselves what is right?'"  (Luke 12:14, 54)

Having children can really change your perspective on a lot of things. Of course, most of you (at least those who have children) already knew that. And having a child that is high-maintenance, spirited, active-alert or… (insert your favorite euphamism for "difficult" here) can really shake up the way you see life, the universe and everything. Thinking about my religious/spiritual journey, for example, I am almost certain that I would still be in the Catholic church. I plan to expand on that in an upcoming diary. Working title: "God is a blue puppy." Anyway, here are two basic lessons children can teach us about the art of persuasion: --Taking something away goes a lot more smoothly if you do so by offering an alternative. --If you really want them to take what you have to offer, you can’t force it. You need to act like you don’t care one way or the other, and let them "discover" it on their own. The first lesson isn’t really specific to anything I experienced with my own kids—more of a general truth I think works for both kids and grown people. (Probably works for dogs too, now that I think of it.) Here’s the scenario…toddler has, in his or her clutches, a forbidden object. Maybe it’s something breakable, or maybe it’s something that actually endangers the child. You have two choices. You could a)having the advantage in both size and strength, forcably pry the contraband from the tyke’s tiny hands b)entice the child with something else You’re better off going with B here, because if you choose A, the child is likely to tighten his or her grip, resulting in either damage to the item or injury to the child. I would suggest that people do not outgrow this impulse to cling tightly to anything someone is trying to take away from you. The threat of loss only serves to make it seem that much more valuable. Back when I was in college, I was still Catholic, and also still of the mind that, in order to be a Christian, I had to believe in the literal truth of most of the Bible stories. My views at the time would have been consistent with what Marcus Borg has called “soft literalism” Softer forms of literalism are willing to grant that not all of the biblical stories are to be understood in a literal-factual way. For example, the six days of creation might be understood metaphorically, perhaps as geological epochs; and the story of Jonah spending three days in the belly of a big fish may be a parable rather than factual history. But soft literalism affirms that the really important events in the Bible happened more or less as they are described. For example, the sea really did part in two to permit the Hebrew slaves to escape the Egyptians in the time of the exodus, Jesus really was born of a virgin, and he really did walk on water, multiply loaves, and so forth. The stories of "the spectacular" matter to both hard and soft literalism. Indeed, Christian literalism is to a large extent a literalism of the spectacular. For the earlier paradigm, "the miraculous" is central to the truth of Christianity. Anyway, at one point in college, I sat in on a theology class Demetrius was taking. Given that this was fully 20 years ago, I can’t remember much in the way of details, but what stands out is that the professor was trying to provide evidence that events in the New Testament did not happen as recorded. I also recall that I didn’t take too kindly to that. But twenty years later, I am now quite comfortable with notion that the New Testament is not a literal history of the life of Jesus and the early church. I came to that place through my own exploration of faith, my discovery of The Center for Progressive Christianity, and my reading of such authors as Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and Bishop John Shelby Spong. The reason I was able to release my tight grip on “soft literalism” is that a positive alternative had been offered. That professor 20 years ago, as I perceived it, was trying to take something valuable away from me—specifically my beliefs (which were an important part of my identity), and my sense that I had a coherent understanding of how the whole general mishmash works. And he had offered nothing in its place. This experience has given me a better awareness of the pitfalls inherent in any attempts to convince people that, as the Weird Al song says Everything you know is wrong Black is white, up is down and short is long And everything you thought was just so Important doesn't matter Now, on to the second thing children can teach us about the art of persuasion… If you really want them to take what you have to offer, you can’t force it. You need to act like you don’t care one way or the other, and let them "discover" it on their own. Our first born has taught us this lesson many times over in his nearly 12 years on this Earth. Food was a lot more likely to be rejected if we actually put it on his plate, but the same item became infinitely more appealing if he put it on his own plate. At mealtimes, we discovered, the thing to do was to make healthy, appropriate food available, and allow him to "forage" for them. We later discovered that a similar dynamic held true for education. There was about a three year period that we homeschooled him (starting at the end of his kindergarten year.) By that point we had discovered, for example, that it took a team of experts, a behavior plan, and a superhuman level of patience just to extract a measly two sentence journal entry out of him. But the very same child, left to his own devices, taught himself the Hebrew alphabet over spring break. We were reminded of the dialog in the Hitchhiker’s Guide radio series when the characters were aboard Disaster Area’s stunt ship: TRILLIAN: Hey, that sounds better! Have you managed to make some sense of the controls? FORD: No, we just stopped fiddling with them. I think this ship has a far better idea of where it’s going than we do. With our son, we found that when we backed off a bit (did less "fiddling with the controls") we actually got a lot more high quality work out of him. So we turned to the "foraging" model again. I would go to the library and check out a whole bunch of books and CD-ROMs, and just make them available to him. If an activity was freely chosen, he was willing to pour a tremendous amount of time and effort into it, but the activity was someone *else's* idea, that very same energy might go into fighting it. Counterwill is the name for the natural human instinct to resist being controlled. Although not unique to humans, this dynamic is certainly the most complex and developed in our species. The counterwill instinct is, in essence, an allergy to coercion. In other words, most humans have this "you're not the boss of me" impulse to some degree. Our son was just blessed with an extra helping or two (or ten) which has allowed us more opportunity than most to observe the phenomenon "up close and personal". I have definitely seen it in the area of religion. It was at the times our son was around people who clearly *wanted* him to believe in God(de) that he was most resistant to the idea. But when he was in religious education at the local Unitarian Universalist church, his "I don't believe in God!" was met with, "So? A lot of people here don't." It was only then that he became more open to considering the possibility of a supreme being. Maybe this seems counterintuitive to a lot of people, but I've discovered that if I *want* my son to become a Christian one day, my best chance of achieving that outcome is by letting go. Don't push, don't try to indoctrinate, but make the information available if he wants it. Answer questions if he asks them. Of course, he still may choose to keep his distance from religion, but trying to force my belief system on him would just about guarantee that outcome. A couple weeks ago in Under God vs. The Golden Rule, I noted that I take issue with the Christians who aggressively push to have their belief system treated as more "legitimate" than all others not in spite of my faith, but because of it. What I have discussed here points to a reason they should *want* to back off a bit. The more you push, the more you risk pushing people away.

The following is from The Other Paper's cover story this week A year ago, Blackwell's candidacy looked like a hopeless vanity project. He'd backed off after promising to run against Taft in '98 and had been a thorn in the side of his fellow Republican officeholders ever since. But while others were dismissing his chances, Blackwell was very publicly taking up conservative causes, notably opposition to high taxes and gay marriage. He made enemies on Capitol Square, but he made friends among the Republican grassroots. Suddenly, he's the man to beat. "If you look at the polls, he's definitely the front runner," said Jordan, a Blackwell supporter. "He did a great job leading our efforts to define marriage the way it's supposed to be defined, and he's doing an outstanding job advocating Republican principles." To the Republican old guard, the idea that religious folks are deciding the future of their party is maddening. "That's probably the only group that gives his candidacy any legitimacy," said Republican lobbyist Neil Clark, "and I hope they're proud of that." They are. This past week has been a coming-out party for evangelicals in Ohio politics. Tuesday was Ohio Family Lobby Day at the Statehouse, where Christian-right organizations shared strategies for getting more of their priorities passed in the state legislature. The event was organized by Greg Quinlan, a Dayton-area activist who says his Christian faith has cured him of his homosexuality. The Statehouse rally came three days after Pastor Rod Parsley hosted two national celebrities of the Christian right for a Central Ohio rally. Professional liberal baiter Ann Coulter--who's on the cover of this week's Time magazine--and perennial candidate Alan Keyes came to Parsley's World Harvest Church to help with a flashy launch of the pastor's new book, Silent No More. "Values voters, as they've been called now," Parsley said in an interview prior to Saturday's event, "I do sense that those people are stirred up. I do sense that they recognized they had a voice, and they recognized that their vote counted and that one vote is important, and I don't think that there's any turning back in them at this point." ---- More on the Religious Right in Ohio Politics here.

There's a great diary on Social Justice Sunday by Glenn Smith over at MyDD... I just finished a live interview with FOX, up against Rev. Albert Mohler from the "Justice Sunday" event. Of course, FOX had him live on camera while I was on via telephone (hiding from the wind noise in my rent car) with my picture on screen. DriveDemocracy was described by FOX as "protestors." Mohler was a late switch. I was supposed to be on with Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. So I wasn't quick enough to remind viewers that Mohler is the fellow who said "I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is a false Church." Click here for the rest. And click here for another diary Louisville Oscar just posted this one at Kos Pharisees, Sadducees, & Scribes: Religion And Politics in America

There was a town hall meeting on Social Security in Columbus today with Senator Harry Reid, Senator Byron Dorgan, former Senator John Glenn, and Mayor Mike Coleman. I only found out about this meeting last night, but I did manage to attend. Details here.

I've mentioned in the past that a group within my church started meeting after the November elections, trying to figure out how to respond as progressive people of faith. Last week there was another meeting of that group, and I attended so that I would have the opportunity to talk to others about Social Justice Sunday and the Break the Silence bus tour. I was surprised to find that, in a group that is very motivated and tuned in to precisely this sort of issue--being a visible, vocal alternative to the "Religious Right"--no one in attendance had heard of either of these events. Given that George Lakoff's diary about Social Justice Sunday is no longer visible on the front page of Daily Kos, and given that Justice Sunday/Social Justice Sunday is in fact this coming Sunday, I am posting about this again in the hopes of generating some more interest. Below, I have included information about the Social Justice Sunday event in Louisville, Kentucky, and the National Council of Churches' response to Frist's "Justice Sunday" event. Here are the details on the event in Louisville: Social Justice Sunday WHAT: Social Justice Sunday - Faith and Freedom Vigil WHEN: 2:30 pm, April 24, 2005 WHERE: Central Presbyterian Church 318 W. Kentucky St. Louisville, Kentucky CONTACT: Clergy and Laity Network and DriveDemocracy Progressive Religious Communities, our leaders and our community friends are gathering to witness: OUR OUTRAGE over the attempt by the Family Research Council and its radical Christian Right colleagues to highjack the judicial selection process for their politiclal/theocratic agenda OUR DISMAY Senate Majority Leader, Senator Bill Frist, is lending his name and influence to the Family Research Council's claim of universal support from "people of faith" for its strategy, thereby giving false religious credentials to a thinly veiled political agenda OUR POSITIVE COMMITMENT to defend and strengthen our social context in its commitment to fairness for all people, free of biased religious doctrines and prejudiced attitudes which are inimical to a mature religious understanding of the standards of inclusiveness and justice in American life The Social Justice Sunday invitation is available at the Building the Beloved Community. Please distribute the invitation to all progressives. And here is the response from the National Council of Churches: Disagreeing Without Demonizing NCC General Secretary Challenges Planners of 'Justice Sunday' for Attacking Fellow Christians A partisan political campaign to change the Senate filibuster rules has taken a detour through church-state territory, and NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar has challenged the tactics as "dangerous and divisive" to the nation's religious and public life. In a statement issued Tuesday, Edgar says: "We are surprised and grieved by a campaign launched this week by Family Research Council and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who said that those who disagree with them on President Bush’s judicial nominees are 'against people of faith.' "This campaign, which they are calling 'Justice Sunday,' should properly be called 'Just-Us' Sunday. Their attempt to impose on the entire country a narrow, exclusivist, private view of truth is a dangerous, divisive tactic. It serves to further polarize our nation, and it disenfranchises and demonizes good people of faith who hold political beliefs that differ from theirs. Update: I just saw this post on MyDD Bound for Kentucky

I looked to see if Joan Chittister had any comment on the new pope yet, but so far she does not. But the site she writes for, the National Catholic Reporter, has several articles. Here are two of them Hero of church's conservative wing becomes Pope Benedict XVI The Vatican's enforcer: A profile of Cardinal Joseph Ratizinger From the second ("enforcer") article: His record includes: * Theologians disciplined, such as Fr. Charles Curran, an American moral theologian who advocates a right to public dissent from official church teaching; Fr. Matthew Fox, an American known for his work on creation spirituality; Sr. Ivone Gebara, a Brazilian whose thinking blends liberation theology with environmental concerns; and Fr. Tissa Balasuriya, a Sri Lankan interested in how Christianity can be expressed through Eastern concepts; * Movements blocked, such as liberation theology and, more recently, religious pluralism (the drive to affirm other religions on their own terms); * Progressive bishops hobbled, including Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen of Seattle, reproached by Rome for his tolerance of ministry to homosexuals and his involvement in progressive political causes, and Bishop Dom Pedro Casaldáliga of Sao Félix, Brazil, criticized for his political engagement beyond the borders of his own diocese; * Episcopal conferences brought to heel on issues such as inclusive language and their own teaching authority; * The borders of infallibility expanded, to include such disparate points as the ban on women's ordination and the invalidity of ordinations in the Anglican church.

Here is the blog I put up that is more specific to my geographic area: Progressive Christianity in Central Ohio

April 24 is Social Justice Sunday Here is the press release Friday, April 15 – A coalition of progressive religious leaders and organizations today expressed outrage that Republican leaders are attacking the faith of Democrats and progressives in a cynical, partisan effort to win support for a handful of extremist judicial nominees. "Such an action is immoral, deceitful, and beyond the pale of even politics as usual," said Rev. Albert M. Pennybacker, Executive Director and Chair of Clergy and Laity Network and coordinator for the Building the Beloved Community Coalition. "We call on Senator Frist to immediately cancel his plans to attend the event, and we urge all Republicans to condemn this wholesale attack on the religious practices of their political opponents." According to the New York Times, Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist will join an organization called "The Family Research Council" in a national telecast on April 24. The Council is calling it "Justice Sunday," are saying Democrats want to use the Senate filibuster "against people of faith." "As people of faith, we protest the religious manipulation of the filibuster issue, said Pennybacker. "Attacks by Republicans on the religion of those who differ politically are offensive in America." The Clergy and Laity Network will sponsor a national prayer vigil on April 24 and is inviting citizens of all faith traditions to protest this unprecedented attack, which is add odds with America's religious traditions. The CLN and DriveDemocracy are the coordinators of a national coalition of more than 65 religious organizations. Their national "Breaking the Silence" campaign kicked off April 4 at Riverside Church in NYC and is continuing with a national tour of America.

The National Day of Prayer has become a vehicle to promote a right-wing agenda. Although it is billed as a "government-proclaimed day is offered to all Americans, regardless of religion, to celebrate their faith through prayer", the National Day of Prayer Task Force asserts that "our expression of that involvement is specifically limited to the Judeo-Christian heritage and those who share that conviction as expressed in the Lausanne Convenant." Instead of the exclusionary events that have become typical of the National Day of Prayer celebrations around the country, we should be affirming and celebrating the religious pluralism that exists in the United States. May 5 should be a National Day of Inclusion.

First of all, a little parental brag--my 9 1/2 year old daughter sang with her youth choir in church last Sunday and she totally rocked. In a robed, Episcopalian way, I mean. Okay, "rocked" is kind of a weird word for it, but it's the first thing that comes to mind in attempting to describe the parental pride welling up inside me. She sings with a church youth choir, and I am already impressed that she is learning how to sing in "parts" (soprano, alto, etc.) which is something I didn't do until high school. But Sunday there were only three girls present, and she was the only alto, so she effectively had her first "solo" for a couple lines. She got through it by thinking about her kitty-cat, she says. When it was over, she beamed at me, and I responded with a burst of silent but enthusiastic applause. It's amazing to see how grown up she is getting to be--especially in contrast with the baby being baptized at today's service. Wow--has it been that long? Three different priests were in attendance, and each of them said a portion of the baptismal prayers/blessings. I found my attention riveted on the Associate Rector, Mother Rebecca, in her robes and very pregnant. I couldn't help smiling at this distinctly motherly image of God. I thought back to something I read by by Marcus Borg that has really stayed with me... "...watching my wife in her role as an Episcopal priest distributing the bread of the Eucharist one Sunday morning. Among the people kneeling at the altar rail was a four-year-old girl, looking expectantly at my wife's face as she bent down to give her a piece of bread. My wife has a beautiful face and a wonderful smile. As I watched the young girl, I suddenly wondered if my wife's face was filling her visual screen and being imprinted in her mind as an image of God, much as the face of the male pastor from my childhood had been imprinted on mine And I was struck by the difference: an image of God as a male authority figure shaking his finger at us versus an image of God as a beautiful woman bending down to feed us." I really love the way Borg expressed that--his thoughts about images of God as well as the obvious affection and pride when watching his wife "at work". More and more, I have been making a conscious effort to say "She" when talking about God. The moment at which this really became a conscious decision was one Sunday afternoon when I was driving through town and saw the Kerry/Edwards signs for the first time...the ones with the words "For a stronger America". I thought "Wow--that's just testosterone-y, isn't it?" And for me, well, just everything is connected--one thought leads to another and another. These big concepts of leadership and authority, whether we are talking about religion or politics, just sort of blur together for me. (Makes it hard for me to write a diary in any sort of linear fashion!) But it troubled me to see how much we have accepted that, of course, leadership of any kind has to be "male"...even to the point of defining Ultimate Reality as male. And since everything we do or say starts ripples that can affect everything else, calling God "She" seemed as good a place to start as any. At this point, I suppose I should explain my "misspelling" of God in the title of this diary. This is how Katy Scott explained it: Dear _____ and others who have not yet read my explanation for the spelling of Godde. Christian Feminist writers became very uncomfortable with the traditional God. It was understood in the present RCC/Christian environment that God=Male connotation. Now we all say we understand that God the Creator/Sustainer is a Spirit and has no sex, BUT we humans, being who WE ARE, through time "inferred" maleness to God. One of our common sins being our giving to Godde OUR human qualities and foibles (same as the Greek and Roman, etc. -- all the great Pantheons of gods throughout time) and not letting Godde be Godde, Mystery. So the Feminist writers introduced the word Godde: God for the "male characteristics" and de extending the meaning toward Goddess for the "female characteristics;" but wise women as they are, they stopped the spelling here. I really like this spelling as the best I have read, Godde is inferred to be "not only male and/or female, but more -- open ended into eternal Mystery." To our eye when we read it, the spelling is "incomplete" just like our knowledge of Godde, who is Mystery, and who is more than male and female and all that our present theologies can describe. Just some thoughts I wanted to start to share, as much of the world is focussing on the death of the  "Holy Father". Being a mother has had a very important effect on the way I think about the One in Charge. One thing Demetrius and I discussed a while back, when we were both going to the Unitarian Universalist church in Columbus, was this whole notion of God as parent and faiths/nations as squabbling children. I know this isn't terribly original, and many other people have certainly expressed something similar, but the significant thing was that this was a shared "aha" moment between two people who had always thought about religious matters from very different perspectives. Anyway, it went something like this. As parents of small children, it's not that we are "good" and they are "bad", but that we can understand some things that they just can't "get" from their own limited perspective. Our job is to care for them and guide them the best we know how. And at their stage in life (preschool/early elementary at the time), there was really nothing material we needed that they could give us. Sure, if they made us something with glitter and glue and paper, we would say thank you and gush about what a lovely thing they had done for us. But did we need it? No. (And I'm sure Demetrius would be happy to share with you his feelings on the subject of glitter.) If you asked us, though, what we wanted more than anything from our kids was for them to just STOP FIGHTING FOR TEN FREAKING MINUTES!! I imagine Mother Godde feeling much the same way--surely she appreciates the sentiments behind our glitter and glue creations (rituals, prayers, observances we follow) but she doesn't need them. But, a few minutes of peace? Seeing her children interact with kindness and respect? Now that would be priceless!

From the web site of the Clergy and Laity Network United for Justice. This event is tomorrow, at Riverside Church in New York City--please share this with anyone who might be interested. After weeks of death watches, I'd like to spread the good news that religious voices from *diverse* traditions are coming together in a service and rally of public witness. A Community of Conscience is gathering across our country! In a witness to the nation it will convene at the Riverside Church in New York City, on April 4, 2005. The date reclaims the great antiwar sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence!" For too long, attacks on freedom and justice by religious voices from the right have gone effectively unanswered. Greed, fear and imperialism have been endorsed. Beginning now progressive religious communities are organizing. Their respected leaders are speaking out. Others are joining in. Please add your voice! Click for the details.

There is a very thoughtful diary on the recommended list at Kos, called "late night thoughts about John Paul II" by kid oakland. Here is part of it... ---- He loved us...both in the particular sense of how he cared enough to "show up" and in the general sense that he was a man who saw his mission as embracing the good of everyone. He saw humanity as a whole. Worthy, imperfect, but essentially, one. That is, to put it bluntly, not a particularly common worldview, and it is a viewpoint whose message was not lost on millions of people. On some level, though it was through his Christianity that he arrived at that vantage point, there is something powerful in it, nevertheless. I am convinced that the challenge of the 21st century is to build a sense of our human community. That is the challenge posed to us by our history and by the defining event that opened this century....9/11. As a living embodiment of the 20th Century, its struggles and nightmares...as a man who grew up in Nazi occupied Poland, and found his vocation under Soviet domination...Karol Wojtyla had a powerful lesson to teach the world...implicitly, simply, in his actions and words. We are one. Our future is intermeshed with that of our brothers and sisters. We are equal. That is the start point. I think this is true. Perhaps not in the way this Pope would have us all accept...or affirm. But in a way that his life force and mission was truly oriented towards....and in a way that all the great paths, the spiritual and philosophical traditions of humankind, aspire to illuminate on some level. Our oneness, equality and interdependency is something we are left with in this new era. In this new century. It is something that binds us and highlights the powerful question of what, if any, legacy we will leave for our children on this planet. John Paul's absence, like that of the Dalai Lama when he dies, will make his presence, a presence we have long since taken for granted, all the more significant. It is no small fact that a man who was celibate, who never had children of his own, became in the end more of a father than he might ever have expected. He was, at the end of the day, a "great" man, someone who lived a significant life, whether one agreed with him or not. He tried to be a force for good. He tried to embody love as best any of us can, ie. through his own limitations. When one sees beyond some of the outer trappings...the robes and the ceremonies...this becomes more clear. John Paul was certainly not unique in his vision, but he did sustain, for his lifetime, the core of his message...a message of humanity and love. There are many other great men and women among us. Some of them known, some of them unknown. The challenges we face....all of us, together, are just as profound...and the terrain does not avail us of easy answers or unifying creeds. Now it's their turn. Our turn. With our feet squarely planted on the ground. It is time to say goodbye...and thank you...to Karol Wojtyla.

Today is Holy Thursday, the day that Christians around the world commemorate the Last Supper. That's the day that Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his twelve friends, the Apostles, before being crucified on Good Friday. If you know nothing else about the day, you know what you've learned from Da Vinci's famous painting...Jesus got together with twelve of his closest friends, and requested a table for 26 so that they could all sit on the same side of the table. In some Christian churches (such as Catholic and Episcopalian ones), the focal point of the service is the Eucharist or Holy Communion, which commemorates the Last Supper. And today in Catholic churches all around the world, there are 7 and 8 year olds receiving their First Holy Communion just like I did on a Holy Thursday (mumble mumble) years ago. It's a very important day in the life of a Catholic child. We would prepare for it starting at the beginning of that school year. We learned the church's teaching of transubstantiation--that when the priest said "The body of Christ" and you said "Amen" you were saying that you truly believed that a flat, flavorless wafer had been transformed before your eyes into the *actual* body of Christ. I have mixed feelings about First Holy Communion these days. On the one hand, it's a fond memory--dressing up in the pretty white dress and finally being one of the big kids who could receive Communion. Adding to the feeling of "celebrity" for me that day was the fact that *my dad* was chosen to be one of the twelve apostles and have his feet washed by the priest. (Dad had actually balked at being chosen and didn't want to do it at first. At the age of 8, I couldn't understand why he was less than thrilled with the notion of having his feet washed in front of the whole congregation.) But on the other hand, over the years I really struggled sometimes with what I was supposed to be saying "Amen" to. To be a "good Catholic", it seemed that I was supposed to *make* myself believe something that defied all logic. When I was 14, an alternative medical practitioner had determined that I was allergic to both wheat and milk. Since I was supposed to avoid anything with wheat in it, my parents asked the priest if they could bring a rice cake to be blessed for my Communion. He had agreed--there was no question as far as the priest was concerned of such a thing not being a "valid" Communion--but in my own mind that was the beginning of my first "crisis of faith". By asking to have a rice cake blessed instead of the traditional wheat-based host, was I admitting that I didn't really believe? That was a tough question for me. Fortunately, we eventually concluded that I wasn't really allergic to wheat, at least not in a way that would require a change in my Sunday habits. So I was able to push that particular conundrum to the back of my mind for a while...but the seeds of doubt had been planted. As I have explained elsewhere, several years ago I embarked upon a period of exploration and church-hopping, and finally ended up joining the Episcopal church. When I discovered that there was no official First Communion celebration for Episcopalians, I was a bit wistful that my daughter wouldn't experience that particular rite of passage. (Okay, so I'm shallow. I wanted to see her in the dress. It's a girlie thing.) But at the same time, it was a relief not to have to pretend to believe something I really couldn't make myself believe. Until I discovered The Center for Progressive Christianty and scholars like Marcus Borg, it had seemed like the only options open to me were believing and not believing. Neither of those options felt right to me. I knew that I believed *something*, but every year as the Easter season rolled around, I became aware that there were some things I just couldn't make myself believe. As "God" says in the Jack Chick parody tract, "Why would I need to sacrifice Myself to Myself to allow Me to change a rule...I made Myself?!" On the other hand, my faith has always been a part of who I am. And Easter in particular is a meaningful time for me. When I was growing up, I often spent the latter part of Holy Week with my grandmother--attending services on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, taking the basket of food to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday, and having Easter dinner after church on Sunday with the family. And on the table there was *always* butter in the shape of a lamb. When I moved to Ohio for grad school and couldn't easily make it home for Easter, I really missed the traditional celebration. And after my grandmother died, the need to incorporate some elements of the Easter of my youth became even more powerful. Luckily, we now have stores in the area that sell lamb shaped butter. We usually go to brunch, either at a restaurant or more recently at church, but I always make one of the cream pies I used to make with my grandmother. ...do this in remembrance of me Those words are spoken during the breaking of the bread during the Holy Eucharist. Remembrance. That alone is important. Even on days when I'm not sure *what* I believe, I believe it is important to *remember* in some tangible way--performing some actions of remembrance. I don't know what happens after we die. I truly don't. I could *say* I believed, but it wouldn't be true. And God certainly isn't going to be fooled by my "faking it". When Marcus Borg spoke here in Columbus, he said something about being "agnostic" about the afterlife and what it might entail. Here is what he said in a Beliefnet interview: Do you believe there is an afterlife? You know, I’m very happy to leave that up to God. That’s very politic of you. Well, the answer is that I’m convinced when we die we die into God, but I don’t know what that means in terms of survival of a personal identity or reincarnation. I’m not inclined to believe in reincarnation, but I have no idea what happens after death. So how do you now look at faith? Faith is not primarily about believing a set of claims to be true—that’s what goes with the earlier vision of Christianity. The understanding of faith that goes with the emerging vision is about a relationship of trust in God and faithfulness to God. The ancient meaning of the word “believe” is “to commit oneself, to be loyal to.” The Middle English word is “beleve,” and that means to love or be loved. So faith is about loving God and loving that which God loves--which is the whole of creation. One thing that really struck me about Marcus Borg when I met him was that he had a gentle, peaceful presence. He is (to me, anyway) clearly a man of faith, but is at peace with his "unknowing". I'm getting to the point that I'm at peace with that too--to the extent that I don't worry about what happens after I die. And I liked his words about "dying into God". I don't know what it means, but I'm happy to let God handle the details. I've got enough to worry about trying to live up to what Jesus taught. Love my enemies? Um...okay, I'll try. Could I just love them sort of *sarcastically*? Not good enough? Dang. Jesus set some pretty high standards, and if I really try to live up to those, I've got enough on my plate without worrying about the next life. So I'm content not to think about it too much in terms of what happens after my own death. When it comes to loved ones who have gone before me, though I must admit that I would really *like* to be reassured that they are in some sort of Heaven. But I don't have that particular kind of faith that I can tell you just what kind of mansions they inhabit in the place called Heaven. I really do miss Grandma this time of year. At Easter, more than any other time of year, memories come flooding back to me. And it just feels right to do something in remembrance--I feel more connected to her even though she is not here with me physically. It helps the memories come alive, and makes her feel more present to me. Note to self...I need to get to the store in the next couple days. It's time, once again, to buy pie fixin's and lamb shaped butter.

Someone just posted a link to this as a comment to my diary at The Village Gate. I'm passing it along for anyone who would like to sign up and/or help spread the word.... The Peace Not Poverty Write-In ------------------------ On March 30, one million people will gather here to create a written Declaration for peace and justice and against the Iraq War. This site explains how we'll do it and why it must be done. A MORAL MISSION We will return America to its true moral mission and restore its historic commitment to the common good. We must do more for those among us who suffer from poverty, hunger, inadequate health care, and educational disparity. The progressive movement is now at a turning point. Dozens of progressive religious leaders and organizations are rising as one to speak out against war and greed, and to build what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the Beloved Community. The Beloved Community promotes non-violence, social justice, fair and equal treatment under the law, care for the environment, and freedom. A COMMUNITY OF ALL The Peace Not Poverty Write-In will use a new online writing system called Synanim. This unique technology enables even a million people to synthesize consensus and identify leaders. It will enable you to engage with others and to lift your voices together for peace and justice. On April 4, the resulting Declaration will be read at the Beyond Iraq service in Riverside Church, New York, by the consensus leader. This event will mark the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech against the Vietnam War in 1967. And it will mark the re-awakening of a nationwide community of conscience with the launch of the Break The Silence Bus Tour. This Tour will mobilize a movement that affirms the real freedoms of the Beloved Community -- not just freedom from control, but freedom to love, freedom to live well, and freedom to embrace life with others, for the common good of all. Join this important effort, right here online. The Peace Not Poverty Write-In is your opportunity to contribute your voice, your heart, and your resources. With your help, these powerful events will be the historic turning point of this new millennium.

Thank you, Dale, for pointing out this piece from Digby. It's on the front page of Kos now as well. Very troubling... By now most people who read liberal blogs are aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. A 68 year old man was given a temporary reprieve by the Texas courts just yesterday. So, Mr. Delay, can you explain that ethical system of yours that leads you to say "Mrs. Schiavo's life is not slipping away - it is being violently wrenched from her body in an act of medical terrorism" but not go to the mat to save a 6 month old boy in your own state whose mother wanted to *choose life*? And I found this to be particularly galling... Republicans defined their extraordinary efforts in the context of the sanctity of life: “A society is judged by the way that it treats its most vulnerable citizens,” said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. You mean vulnerable citizens like Baby Hudson? I just read the story, and it sounds like the baby's really was hopeless (a fatal genetic disorder characterized by a tiny chest and lungs too small to support life.) But still, these are the words of his mother: "I wanted life for my son," Hudson said Tuesday. "The hospital gave up on him too soon." There are a lot of gray areas in these situations. But at least I admit that. It would be nice if people like Tom Delay could also admit to the limits of their knowledge in such complicated, heartbreaking issues--rather than using these issues for political grandstanding.

I just read Pastor Dan's Word for the Week over at Kos and wanted to share a bit of it here. Good reflection for Palm Sunday... For most of the history of the church, believers would attend services throughout the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, where they would hear of Jesus' rejection by the same crowds who had welcomed him, and of his betrayal, trial, and eventual execution. These days, though, many Christians skip Holy Week and go directly to Easter. Which is to say from triumph to triumph. So, many churches have taken to celebrating the day as "Palm Passion" Sunday. The stories of Jesus' suffering, traditionally reserved for Good Friday, are placed next to the remembrance of his "ticker-tape" parade to remind the faithful that the path to the resurrection goes through the cross and the tomb, not happy, cheering crowds. It's a useful reminder for those who seek political change in their country. Many of my progressive friends have expressed frustration lately; they'd like to see things moving more quickly against the Bush administration. They begin to despair that things will ever change in our country. I've taken to reminding them that success and rightness are separate things; we don't do what is right only because we think it can carry the day. Thousands marched against the war in Iraq yesterday, the practical effect of which is almost nothing, especially with an administration as smug and entrenched as this one. So why do it? Because the war is wrong, and somebody needs to say so. We need to say so. Click here for the rest of Pastor Dan's diary.

Quick reminder about today's peace vigils in commemoration of the two-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. I want to make sure people found out about them so that they could make last-minute plans, if so desired. Visit http://www.sojo.net/ to find a peace vigil near you. Click here to read an essay by David Batstone of Sojourners, reflecting on the events of the past two years and what they say about us as a nation.

Have you noticed that parents are often “guilty until proven innocent”? Liberals and conservatives both make snap judgements—they just make different ones. Conservatives will argue that there is no such thing as ADD—only parents too lazy to discipline their children. These kids don’t need Ritalin, they just need to be smacked more often. Liberals will still blame the parents, but say that it is because parents are too self-involved and don’t give their kids enough attention, they overschedule them, they use television and video games as babysitters. If parents respond, “Hey, that’s not the way it is!” then they must be defensive, making excuses, etc. Some on the right criticized Hillary Clinton for using the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Conservative talking heads scoffed, “No, it takes a *family* to raise a child.” Apparently Rick Santorum liked that comeback so much that he has written a book using that statement in its title: It Takes A Family: Conservatism And The Common Good. The problem with this sentiment is this: families do not exist in a vacuum. Public policy can make their job easier or painfully, unneccessarily difficult. The attitudes, words, and actions of neighbors, school personnel, and the larger community can help or hurt. The specific example that prompted me to write this diary is the tenor of the (judgemental) comments many have made about Noah McCullough, a 9-year-old presidential trivia buff and his parents. Noah will travel to a handful of states ahead of visits by the president and will go on radio programs, answer trivia questions and say a few words about Social Security. Though he is obviously not an expert (and not really a lobbyist, either), officials say the effort is a lighthearted way to underline Mr. Bush's message. In diaries that discuss this boy, I have been saddened to see the way posters have repeatedly jumped to some conclusions about about this boy’s home life without even reading all the way through one *article* about him. Here is a typical statement: The kid is obviously very bright, but also raised in a GOP-Christian-Bush-worshipping family. Yet, the New York Times article excerpted above says "He's very patriotic and very Republican," said Noah's mother, Donna McCullough, a former teacher and self-described Democrat. "It's the way he was born." "He's very patriotic and very Republican," said Noah's mother, Donna McCullough, a former teacher and self-described Democrat. "It's the way he was born." When a Kos poster retorted that “no one is born that way”, that’s when a light bulb went off for me. I showed the story to my husband, and he saw it too. No one is born that way? Oh, yes they are! That could *so* easily be our son. I think most parents will discover, sometimes to their dismay, that they do not have as much power to shape the personalities of their children as they thought they would. As Kahlil Gibran wrote: They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. And that is true of the “neurotypical” kids. Parents who have a child who is in some way “wired” differently are continually surprised by the things their child will say and do. Demetrius and I are the parents of an 11-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He is a walking, talking paradox. When he was very young we used to refer to him as “a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a diaper.” Raising him has already been an amazing journey—a true education like nothing else I have ever experienced. I always thought that I might write about the experience one day. What I have learned from him, and how the experience of raising a child who possesses unique gifts and challenges has changed the way I think about everything, from parenting to basic human nature to the nature of God. But somehow I always thought I would write about this at some point in the distant future—you know, looking back after weathering all the years of turbulence. Yet, after reading about Noah and seeing some of the reactions people have posted, this seems like a good time to share some of our insights. There are two reasons. On a more abstract level, the rush to judgement has showed that while critical thinking skills are so important to understanding the world today, neither liberals nor conservatives seem to use them on a regular basis. We are thinking critically when we ·weigh the influences of motives and bias ·consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives, ·remain open to alternative interpretations ·recognize our own assumptions, prejudices, biases, or point of view Certainly there are numerous examples or wingnuts, repugs (insert your favorite epithet here) failing to use critical thinking skills. But the rush to judgement regarding Noah and his parents (not just here but in a number of other blogs and forums) has shown that Republicans have far from cornered the market in this area. But on a less abstract and more “touchy-feely” level, this is a plea for compassion and understanding. I ask this in the name of parents everywhere, whether or not their children have special needs or challenges. Most of us are doing the best we can with the resources we have. If you were to ask us what we needed to help us do our jobs better, you would probably hear a wide range of responses: good, affordable child-care, better communication with schools, parenting classes and support groups, more flexible work schedules and family-friendly work places, etc. But I doubt if you would find too many parents who would say, “More criticism, please!” In a separate diary, I will share some of the similarities we have seen between our son and Noah. The purpose is not, as I have stated before, to “diagnose” Noah, but to encourage you all to remain “open to alternative interpretations”. Not all children who spout right wing talking points have been indoctrinated by their parents. Sometimes children can display these attitudes in spite of their parents efforts to encourage open-mindedness. Noah's political leanings are hardly the product of his parents' influence. While Chris McCullough calls himself a fence-sitter, Noah's mother, Donna, is a Democrat. His father constantly emphasizes that "not all Republicans are good, and not all Democrats are bad," much to Noah's annoyance. There is a piece called “Welcome to Holland” that many parents of children with disabilities have probably heard. In a nutshell, the experience of giving birth to a child with a disability is compared to spending months looking forward to a trip to Italy. You research, plan, prepare, and eagerly anticipate what it will be like when you finally arrive in Italy. When you finally land, the flight attendant says, “Welcome to Holland.” It’s not what you planned for, but once you adjust to your disappointment, there are things to enjoy about Holland. It’s not a bad, dirty place—it’s just not the place you thought you were going. I think that analogy works better for some diagnoses than for others. If you give birth to a baby with Downs Syndrome, it is apparent right away, and you can begin the process of learning your way around “Holland”. But I figured out that I needed to make some changes to the “Holland” analogy to get it to work for Asperger’s Syndrome. You plan for your trip to Italy, you take your flight and land in Holland, but you still think you’re in Italy. You wonder why the map you brought with you isn’t helping you find your way around. You wonder why you’re not seeing any of the famous landmarks described in the guidebook. It’s very confusing. Once you do figure it out, it can be such a relief. Finally you know what the problem is, and you know which maps and guidebooks you need to buy. But there are still a lot of folks who are in Holland but don’t know it. Some of them may be starting to wonder why they are seeing so many windmills and tulips in Italy…

I almost missed this wonderful diary, because the title, Thank you for helping my family made me think it was about a blog community pulling together to help someone (as I have seen them do) rather than an effort to put a human face (that of the author's grandmother) on the issue of Social Security. Thank you to Maura in VA for giving the heads-up as to what the diary was really about. Click here for the pictures and the story, which ends like this: We all have people who are close to us that benefit from the help that Social Security gives us. Social security is far more than a retirement program. It is Americans standing together to honor their past, and Americans standing together to ensure their future. It is the public expression of our collective goodwill. I am very angry that people, who for years have wanted to kill Social Security, now are speaking as if they alone can save it. Social Security is an extension of the goodwill of the American people. It honors the past and promises the future. These people pushing for radical reform intend to bleed dry the goodwill of the American people and replace it with another investment account that starts $2 trillion in the red. It is an amazing display of hubris. In the twilight of our lives or when family tragedy strikes, Social Security is there; you are there extending a helping hand to your fellow Americans, to your family. Asking people to stand alone at these times, in the wealthiest nation in history, is selfish and mean. Americans are not selfish and mean. If you would like to lend a hand in saving Social Security, please stop talking about dollars and cents and start showing people the faces of those benefitting from Social Security. Thank you again for the help you have given my family.

I've posted some links recently addressing budgets as moral documents. Here, Joan Chittister, OSB, weighs in, asking, Is this kind of Christianity Christian? National budgets are a nation's theology walking. In an era in which we call poverty "low-income" and hunger "lack of food security," the number of poor, according to the U.S Census Bureau, is increasing and the number of hungry in the richest country in the world has been rising steadily for four years. To pay for a war we should never have fought -- at least not for the reasons they gave us -- this budget is slashing domestic programs. The budget of this Christian presidency cuts food stamps. It reduces support for subsidized housing. It suggests pillaging social security. It reduces environmental enforcement programs and scientific research in a scientific age. It even reduces veteran's health benefits. Clearly, the country is in danger of going the way of all oligarchies; power and wealth are sucked to the top, while those on the bottom bleed. We can call it "Christian" as it collapses. And all the while, we watch more food lines forming, more homeless on the streets, more environmental degradation and more of the elderly living destitute lives. More than that, according to the budget analysis done by Bread for the World, (www.bread.org) while we honor our tax breaks to the rich in this country, we are not keeping our promise to fight HIV/AIDS around the world or to support the Third World development programs that might really make us secure in the future. From where I stand, it seems that the poor who will be most affected by these budget cuts have no political voice with which to protest them and the rich can hardly be expected to object since they are benefiting from them That leaves only the Christians -- the pastors and the bishops and the Religious Right -- who worked so hard to put this administration into office, to require that the rest of the Christian agenda finally be faced. Otherwise, forget the prayer in schools, the definition of marriage, or the fight against abortion. We lost the Christianity of this Christian nation a long time ago.

I've seen a few things in the past several days that I want to draw people's attention to, but didn't really have much comment to offer, so I have held off on posting. Rather than let stories come and go without a mention, I thought I should just go ahead and do a general "some stuff you might be interested in" post. First of all, I highly recommend checking out Accessible Airwaves, which is "A Campaign by the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ Inc." There is a guest entry there by Rev. William Sloane Coffin about CBS and NBC's refusal to air a UCC ad that included an image of a same-sex couple holding hands. I have been hearing for a while that Coffin is very ill and near the end of his life. It is truly an inspiration to see him continue to do Good Work wherever and however he is able to. On an entirely different note, I wanted to share this story about a "Men's Night Out" at Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. I found it linked in a Kos diary entitled "Was Allawi Iraq's Kerry?" (The diary author, dddemocrat, notes that Allawi and Kerry both failed to stem the tide of radical fundamentalists.) An excerpt from the conservative blogger, locomono, who shared, in words and pictures, what he found disturbing about the Men's Night Out in the Kentucky Baptist church: Even as I had already taken these photographs of something that I clearly know is wrong, hell we ended with “I‘m proud to be an American”, after a sermon and a combined rendition of all the services anthems. I was conflicted. I knew, and know that almost all of the people I’m depending on to bring this to light disagree with me on virtually every issue. I wasn’t going to release this unless they were recruiting. They were. Jesus himself only got mad once. It was because merchants were using the church to sell their wares, he flipped their tables, seized a whip, and attacked them. This day the answer to “what would Jesus do?” is grab one of the m-16s laying around and start kneecapping. Speaking of "what Jesus would do", I just found this web site called Jesus Politics today. There are a number of interesting posts there, including: Presbyterians and the Federal Budget Charles Haynes on Buster Bunny The Most Polluting Nation on God's Earth The Political Jesus and the Crazy Jesus Anyway, it looks like a blog with a lot of good "food for thought". And finally, yesterday I made a first attempt to start a dialog about the need for genuine dialog--the kind where we listen and genuinely try to understand where the other person is coming from instead of just trying to make sure that our side "wins". I have no idea how we get there, but I think we at least need to start talking about it.