I found this link through a diary on Booman Tribune: 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!" |
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 11:26 AM
Monday, October 03, 2005
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. 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. |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 11:12 AM
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
From Building the Beloved Community |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 11:54 PM
Monday, May 09, 2005
A spirited spat steals church calm |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 7:57 AM
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. |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 12:26 AM
Sunday, May 08, 2005
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."
"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."
Worship is our centering place and the focal point of our lives together. 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
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. |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 7:31 PM
Mother's Day Diaries |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 3:54 PM
Update on the East Waynesville story. Not quite sure what to make of this, but I pray for healing for all involved. |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 3:42 PM
Saturday, May 07, 2005
New recommended Kos diary by AHiddenSaint about HR 235: |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 8:02 PM
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... |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 6:37 PM
Yesterday I posted a link to this article: Church Split In North Carolina Shows Dangers Of Partisan Politics In Pulpit, Says Americans United |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 3:57 PM
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: |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 10:45 AM
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. |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 10:16 AM
Friday, May 06, 2005
Comment on the "no Dems allowed" church in North Carolina: |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 7:34 PM
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? |
Posted by Renee in Ohio at 5:36 PM