The cool thing about the internet, is that so often while I am looking for one thing, I stumble upon something I hadn't been looking for, but that I might never have found if not for that search. It happened again last night, when I was searching for sites about the meaning of Our Lady of Guadalupe and found this: Arising from the work of author China Galland, the Images of Divinity Research Project (IOD) was founded in 1987 and is now sponsored by the Center for Arts, Education and Religion of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, CA. The Graduate Theological Union brings together nine schools of theology and many institutes to provide a stellar environment for spiritual and religious studies. The Project’s journey begins with China’s research into the story of the Buddha Tara. At a time in which it was commonly held that only men could become enlightened, Tara publicly declared that there was no such thing as male or female and then vowed to be enlightened only in a woman’s body. Further research led to another tradition little known to the West, the Black Madonnas of European Catholicism. Soon she discovered Black or Dark Madonnas in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Philippines. As the research continued, the veneration of dark, female divinities was documented in cultures including, but not limited to, Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, Native American, Haitian, Egyptian and African. China wrote the following about Healing Racism: Public discourse is becoming increasingly religious and theological and yet, it is not very diverse. Political leaders often make reference to the all-powerful male God of might who punishes “evil-doers” and rewards the righteous. We need to understand the power and the dangers of the intersection of politics and spirituality. We need to realize that our concept of the Divine has direct, profound political impact. We need to seize this historic moment to break up this western hegemony of religious imagery and bring forward the rich variety of forms of the Divine that have existed in the human family for thousands of years, especially, but not only, those that are dark and female, in order to bring balance and wholeness to the lives of everyone. We need to see images of these forms. At the same time we have to remember that female images of the Divine are not in themselves transformational. They can be used for oppression and exploitation, as well as empowerment. It is how the Divine is imagined in relationship to the human that is important. We must also have diverse models of women and men, but especially women, who are powerful, spiritually resourceful, compassionate and effective in the work of protecting and healing the world, including its environment and its children. We need to know their stories and to make them known to our children. Whether we seek to heal racism, protect the environment, promote peace or empower women, narrow religious and spiritual imagery creates stumbling blocks, instead of starting blocks for making us comfortable enough with our differences in order to understand and talk with one another.

Yesterday, I invited you to "Join Americans of all faiths by praying, meditating, or affirming the kind of country we want to become, each evening at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. When I first posted about a different sort of prayer team, I referenced Marcus Borg, who is a liberal Christian theologian. To provide another perspective on the potential power of prayer, I share the following from an interview with Dr. Larry Dossey: One of the best-kept secrets I've come across in the past few years is an organization in Salem, Oregon called Spindrift. If you look up the term "spindrift" in the dictionary it comes from an old Scottish word referring to the fuzzy spray where a wave breaks and meets the air. It's the interface between something ethereal and something concrete, which is how they chose the name. The people at Spindrift have performed experiments for over ten years, showing the ability of what they call "prayer practitioners" to make a difference in what happens in the development and metabolism of extremely simple biological systems, such as sprouting seeds and yeast cultures. They have measured the amount of carbon dioxide a yeast culture gives off to determine how active it is. One reason they don't work with human beings is that plants are much simpler. You can count sprouting beans, and do it time and time again to see if it's replicable. Beans don't change as drastically as humans. It far easier to work with yeast, sprouting beans, wheat seeds and so on. So that's what they have done. They have gone beyond showing that prayer works, and have examined the issue of which prayer strategy works best. They have tested two. The first is a directed prayer strategy, where not only do you provide God, Goddess or the Absolute with the diagnosis of the problem, but you provide the treatment too. You say, "John's got carcinoma of the lung, so make it go away." Or "Harry has a heart attack, we want to see it healed." This is the kind of petitionary prayer most of us grow up thinking is the only kind of prayer there is. But then they tested what they call a nondirected prayer strategy, which is completely open ended, and does not attach a goal to the prayer. They have several of these nondirected prayer strategies. The most famous prayer of this type is "Thy will be done." Another one they used is from the Beatles tune, "Let it be." My all-time favorite nondirected prayer strategy is the caption on the back cover of the first Whole Earth Catalog, "You can't put it together. It is together." One of the assumptions of this nondirected prayer strategy is that at some level, in some way, at some deep level of reality, things are just fine, perfect as they are. Over a decade, Spindrift has shown, and this is the bottom line, that both methods of prayer work. But working with these prayer pracitioners, they have shown that the nondirected prayer method is two to four times more powerful than the directed. How does prayer work? I don't know. I really have no idea how prayer works or who makes things we pray for happen. I am open to the possibility that our "thought energy" changes things in the physical world, which probably makes me the worst kind of heretic to some Christians. But I have read and heard enough about the power of affirmations and the effects of prayer that I can't dismiss it out of hand. Believe--don't believe--or believe in something totally different from what I do. It really doesn't matter to me. But think of it this way: even if prayer doesn't have any sort of supernatural effect, couldn't it have an effect on you? If you spend 10 to 15 minutes a day in peaceful relaxation, reminding yourself of the kind of country, and the kind of world you want to help create, maybe at some point you will find yourself about to make some snarky comment to someone you disagree with, and you will stop yourself. Maybe you will be ready to make some crass generalization about the other side, you will stop and ask yourself, "Is this the kind of us vs. them thinking that adds to the problem rather than helping to make things better? Right now, am I moving closer to or further away from What Really Matters--the kind of world I want to help create?" So the bottom line is this: If you want, in the way you want, I invite you to join me in praying, meditating, sending vibes or thought energy, or affirming the country you are already working to help create. Maybe it will help change the world, moving us closer to bringing about "The Great Turning". Maybe it will change you. Maybe it will just be a quiet time (we all need more of that) when you can remind yourself that you are united in intention and action with people who want to make things better. Whatever it ends up being, in the final analysis, "It couldn't hoit!"

Note: the following was inspired by the very partisan Presidential Prayer Team's latest effort, Pray the Vote. Rather than saying something negative about the PPT, I wanted to think of a positive, inclusive alternative. Something needs fixing. In my humble opinion, something needs to shift in our government, in the public consciousness--in all of our hearts. I truly believe that God, by whatever name you call him or her, can work miracles through us. God can use us as tools with which to build a more just, humane, caring and compassionate world. But we need to allow it. We need to be open, and to really listen for that "still small voice". We need, frankly, to get our egos out of the way. Whenever I think about creating a better world, I automatically think of the way Marcus Borg has explained The Lord's Prayer: The kingdom of God was utterly central to Jesus. One New Testament scholar has written: Ask any 100 New Testament scholars what was most central to Jesus' message, and all 100 will answer: The kingdom of God. We see this in the inaugural address of Jesus in Mark's gospel. It's in Mark 1:15. It's very brief and very pointed. It says simply: "The kingdom of God is at hand." The verse continues: "Repent and believe this gospel." The word "repent," though I don't want to linger over it today, means go beyond the mind that you have and then believe this gospel. For Mark, the gospel is the coming of the kingdom of God. We also see its centrality in the many parables and short sayings of Jesus that concern the kingdom of God. We see it, most familiarly in "The Lord's Prayer". Right up front in "The Lord's Prayer", right after we ask for the hallowing of God's name, we pray: " Thy kingdom come." The kingdom of God is not heaven. I think you all know that. But it's been easy for generations of Christians to imagine that the kingdom of God is about heaven because of the phrase that Matthew uses for this notion. In Matthew's gospel, the kingdom of God is regularly called the kingdom of heaven. That is because Matthew is, perhaps, the most traditionally piously Jewish of the gospel writers. And as a devout and pious Jew, he avoids using the word God out of reverence whenever possible. But when Matthew writes about the kingdom of heaven, he means kingdom of God. Thus, very importantly, the kingdom of God or Matthew's kingdom of heaven is something for the earth's. In a way, this is something we should have known for a long time from "The Lord's Prayer" itself, for when we pray "The Lord's Prayer," we pray: "Thy kingdom come on earth as it already is in heaven." We oftentimes miss that because we say that prayer in the nice cadences and nicely balanced couplets of Matthew's version of it. You know how it goes. "Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We leave those little beats of silence, and we miss the fact that every time we pray that prayer, we are praying: Your kingdom come on Earth. As my colleague, John Dominic Crossan, pungently and provocatively remarks: "Heaven's in great shape. Earth is where the problems are." That's why we pray for the coming of God's kingdom on Earth. So, what did this phrase mean? Well, Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God as both present and future. Its present meaning seems to be a power or presence and community that you can experience now. You can enter the kingdom of God, be in the kingdom of God according to the Gospels. But it is also spoken of as future, as something not yet here but still to come. All right, now, try to follow me on this. If any of the words in the excerpt above make little "Whoop! Whoop!" alarms go off in your head, (from Galaxy Quest: "I know that sound. That's a BAD sound!") please consider substituting or omitting the word rather than assuming what I write here is only for Christians. It's not. Christianity is the lens through which some of us see the bigger picture. I think there is a core meaning that people of many faiths, or even no faith in particular, can get behind. One is the idea of a better world--and I'll tell you what Borg says about that in a moment. The other is "go beyond the mind that you have." All of us, regardless of faith or party affiliation, need to be willing to go beyond the minds we have, and what we think we know. Often the minds we have are filled with biases and assumptions about people who are different from ourselves, but we don't recognize them as biases. Let me turn now to the way Marcus Borg describes what the "politics of the Kingdom" might look like: Let me provide you with some examples of what I think this might mean for our time as citizens and residents of this particular country--not a comprehensive list, but some for instances. I think it minimally means universal healthcare. It's just astounding to me that we don't have this in our country. There are countries in the world that are not as prosperous as we who do have that. If the argument is made that the quality of healthcare will go down for all of us if we make it universal, well, should I be entitled to superb healthcare if the cost of that is no healthcare for some people? A politics of the kingdom would also mean a concern about the growing gap between rich and poor in our country. That gap has widened dramatically in the last 40 years. Want a statistic? I know statistics can be distrusted, but try to listen to this one. In 1965, the wealthiest one percent of American families owned 23 percent of what are called family assets. Family assets are anything that can be owned by a family--stocks, property, etc. By 1995, the wealthiest one percent of families in our country owned 43 percent of total family assets. I think it is much more difficult to be a poor person in this country now than it was 40 years ago. It's not only that this wreaks havoc on the lives of the poor, but I think it is making our society an increasingly unstable society for all of us. Yet that gap is growing. The primary factor encouraging the growth of that gap is economic policy, and tax policy, in particular. If you have followed the tax bills before Congress over the last several years, all of them benefit primarily the wealthiest two percent of our population. We throw a sock to people making $50,000 a year or whatever so that everybody will feel good, but the real benefits go to those at the top who structure the system in their own narrow self-interests. A politics of the kingdom would mean concern about ecology, concern for the environment and the non-human world, for God loves the whole of creation, and the whole of creation belongs to God. A politics of the kingdom would also mean serious reflection about what it means to be an imperial power, for we are as a nation the imperial power of our time. Like it or not, that is who we are. We are the Rome of our time. We need to be as thoughtful, responsible and creative as possible about the use of our imperial power, for it can be used in two very different ways. We can use it to control the world in our own self-interest and to impose our will upon the world, or we can use it to build it up. It makes all the difference which we choose. All right, now I ask you this... Does that sound a good vision of what we should become as a nation? Do you believe that prayer, or affirmations, or "sending out vibes" works? Then lets join together, each in our own way, our minds and hearts, and pray a better country.

I just found out this morning that the National Hip-Hop Political Convention will be taking place in Newark, N.J. from June 16-19. After a few people (myself included) commented that we really didn't know much about hip-hop as a culture or a political movement, Kimmy Cash of Punx for Democracy and DIY Politics responded with some resources: I tell you with certainty Hip Hop is a culture and a political force. Just like there is a punk rock culture. It is VERY large and politicians should be very aware of it. If you want to know more about it I invite you to the following links BlackElectorate.com Urban Think Tank - Community for Hip Hop Culture, Rap Music, Black Culture, Black Music, Cultural Criticism & Popular culture Davey D's Hip-Hop Corner: The New Source For The Hip-Hop Generation Please inform yourselves. For more information on the punk rock culture, please go to A History of Punk The Women of 1970's Punk Punk rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia If you want more information, let me know. It's frightening to know that even within the left it remains unknown. It is a little embarrassing sometimes to realize how little I know about the various religious groups and cultures that exist in my own country. But I certainly enjoy the opportunity to learn. And it's good to be aware of the groups and events out there that can help invite people into the political process in ways that are comfortable, relevant, and meaningful for them. Let's try to keep each other informed about these things. Political activism isn't "one size fits all"--there are many talents and many temperaments. Fortunately there are probably almost as many ways to get involved and make a difference. Here's another upcoming event people should know about: League of Pissed Off Voters National Convention July 16th to 18th 2004 Columbus, Ohio This will be the FRESHEST voter organizing convention ever! You will come as a delegate from your local voter organizing group, hopefully in teams of two or more. We will start by presenting a skeleton 90 day plan for getting the progressive youth vote out in your community. You will then self-track into small working groups and consult with our resident KICK ASS voter organizing experts who will help you tailor your plan to the needs of the community you're organizing! You will leave certified as a League Voter Organizer. Click here for more information.

I posted the bulk of John Kerry--pick up the clue phone! at an anti-Bush web forum called The Smirking Chimp. I left off the religious part (the first three paragraphs) and posted essentially the same thing you can see over at the Dean Leaders blog, with the same hopeful, positive ending. So I was more than a little bit surprised to get this from the "board nanny". You get a clue. We have specifically asked the Kerry/Nader bashers et al to take their endless rage somewhere else. We're an ABB site. We know that a lot of people who will vote for Kerry resent the fact. Fine. It's done. Move on to the next thing, which is actually winning the election. This topic is locked I really was stunned. Endless rage? Hardly. I would have called it a mixture of tough love and stubborn optimism. From what I have heard, this type of censorship among Democrats is not uncommon, but I was still taken aback by the hostility I saw in that response. Before the discussion was shut down, I received a couple of supportive posts, but which indicated, "Uh-oh! You criticized "Mr. Electable." But other responses indicated that I should actually be doing something proactive rather than just complaining. I actually thought that's what I was doing. Why not address the issues that are sending up red flags, rather than just smiling and saying everything's okay? That was the purpose behind a post I wrote in April called "Tune-up before the big November road trip". See, I was sure that sort of thing actually was helpful. What's dangerous is when genuine concerns are censored for the sake of group unity. "Groupthink" has been implicated in some major human tragedies. Just one example is when engineers working on the Challenger space shuttle were pressured to reverse their "no-go" position, in spite of their concerns that the shuttle wasn't safe for flight that day. Most of us agree that is we see danger up ahead, the responsible course of action would be to alert people while there is still time to do something about it. But a lot of people in the Democratic party don't see it that way. They seem to think if we all just pretend everything is fine, put on a show of "unity" and never criticize Kerry or raise any concerns, we'll win in a landslide in November. The whole campaign won't just go careening off a cliff like Toonces, the Cat Who Could Drive a Car. I've seen a similar dynamic at play whenever I have tried to address the need for religious voices among the Democrats to counter exclusive, authoritarian version of Christianity that is espoused by Bush and much of his administration. It has been an odd experience sometimes, to feel so compelled to speak out from a religious position that is different from that of the Religious Right, but often finding myself feeling silenced and marginalized by liberals who, I suppose, have felt "burned" by mainstream religion in the past. A lot of people in the more general left wing forums seem to respond to me with something like "Shh! We don't talk about that here!" I certainly don't have the answer, but want to assert that this is an issue worthy of dialog, and that to be true liberals, we need to be accepting of liberal diversity. Here's another important point...you've seen above the way a forum leader responded to my post. Another example was when Charlie Grapski posted a petition to the DNC in the DNC blog comments. He was banned from posting on the blog, as were a number of other individuals who politely attempted to help him get a fair hearing. This is not about me having hurt feelings--I could certainly get past it if that were my only concern, and my life would be a lot easier. But I am already engaged in the process, and have made the decision to vote for Kerry, in spite of his shortcomings, because the prospect of four more years of Bush is too dangerous to risk. What about the people who are alienated and disenfranchised, who believe politics isn't about them, and that their votes don't really matter? Is the "get over it and fall in line" approach really likely to sway them? Or is it more likely to convince them that their cynicism about the political process was dead on? Those were, of course, rhetorical questions. The real question is, what can we do about this, if giving up is not an option, but we see that a single-minded "Anybody But Bush" approach is going to keep a lot of voters home in November?

I just found out about this web site--thought it might be of interest: Foundation for Contemporary Theology On our personal spiritual journeys, we find times in which we are dispirited and adrift. Exposure to the thoughts of contemporary theologians can provide new ways of thinking about God, the Bible and belief. We are given the opportunity to shape fresh theological understandings for our journey.

I was so glad to find this article in Sojourners. No one ever talks about the fact that there are people who are "pro-life" without buying the whole anti-gay, pro-death penalty conservative package that often is assumed to go along with a pro-life stance. I may be an anomaly, but I'm not alone! No Place to Stand When you're Christian, progressive, and "pro-life," voting your conscience is often easier said than done. What does it mean to be "pro-life"? For some, the term is understood very narrowly as the opposition to abortion, particularly through legal sanction. Others are committed to reducing the number of abortions, truly making them rare, but favor policies that don’t criminalize abortion—and prosecute women and/or their doctors—to do so. And as U.S. Catholic’s Heidi Schlumpf explains in this article, many people, on both sides of the legality question, see a genuinely pro-life stance as one that embraces respect for the human person at every stage—a position that’s hard to find in today’s polarized politics, and one that cries out for broad (and civil) dialogue across our various divides. Here's an excerpt from the article: So pro-life progressives are forced to make compromises, often major ones. In some elections, Roth has voted for a write-in candidate as a protest. Other years, she shops around for a moderate Republican or a Democrat who’s at least open to seriously considering the abortion issue. When in doubt, she tends toward the Democratic Party, believing its social agenda is more likely to decrease the social and economic pressure that leads to abortion. Roth created a web site called Leftout: A Haven for Progressive Prolifers

I just saw this posted in the comments of another blog and thought I'd share: Global Prayer for Oneness June 8th The Global Oneness Commitment is an eight-year project with the goal of uniting people around the globe to mutual actions in order to not only save what we have, but to transform the planet thru an increase in spiritual awareness - a new consciousness creating a joyful home for all its inhabitants and sincere respect for all forms of life. The project is synchronised with the twin Venus Transits of 2004 and 2012. It starts with the first Venus transit of June 8th 2004 and ends with the second Transit June 6th 2012. The eight-year project is initiated by the Global Oneness Foundation based in Stockholm, Sweden, in association with the Times Foundation based in Delhi, India. Join with millions of people in a 15-minute prayer for oneness at the Venus transit 8th of June 2004 10.00-10.15 AM GMT. (06.00-06.15 AM New York City, 12.00-12.15 PM Central European time, Stockholm/Amsterdam)

"Think God" At the moment, Demetrius and I are getting set to update a flyer we put together for July 4 last year. It has quotes from people like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, and was designed to remind people of an earlier vision of what it means to be patriotic--one that doesn't mean blind agreement with the president. In a thread on the Majority Report blog, people are helping us out. in the spirit of the talk about Thomas Jefferson-- post your favorite quotes that illustrate the best of what it means to be an American. This sort of effort to reclaim the meaning of patriotism made me think of the somewhat parallel need to reclaim what it means to be a person of faith. As I mentioned in "What is religion for?" the following comment, or some variation on it, has been used by a number of progressive ministers. “Tell me about the God you don’t believe in and I’ll probably tell you that I don’t believe in that God either.” It made me think that after finishing the 4th of July flyer, maybe we should set about doing one for progressive religion--sort of a general invitation to dialog and exploration. Titled something like, "You don't believe in God?....Which one?" It could include some quotes from a variety of rabbis, priests, ministers and theologians (both amateur and professional) about the nature of God. Maybe some of the many names and metaphors used to describe God. It would include a statement to the effect that one's choice of a belief system is an individual matter, and that the intention of the flyer is not to promote any particular religion. Rather, it is meant to be an invitation to explore a diversity of views people may not even know exists, and make an informed, individual decision about what they believe or don't believe. What are some intriguing quotes about or concepts of God that you have encountered?

So, what is a religion anyway? I remembered something that Forrest Church had written, but had to Google to make sure I got it right. Here it is: Religion is our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die. I found that quote in a sermon he gave called "Born Again Unitarian Universalism". Here are some excerpts: Is there no such thing as an evangelical Unitarian Universalist? In my book there is. For me, evangelical Unitarian is not an oxymoron. I loved what young Matthew Diaz said to the people of All Souls in his credo statement last year. He stood up tall and proclaimed, "I believe in magic." Indeed. The magic of life, riddled with mystery, imbued with wonder. He sounded just like our birthday boy, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson believed in miracles. Not in the stopping of the sun. Not in the parting of the Red Sea. But in the miracle of the sun shining upon this earth and the miracle of the oceans teeming with life. The miracle of a newborn child. The miracle of consciousness. The miracle of hope. Fundamentalist and orthodox believers find their miracles in Scripture. Secular materialists discount the very idea of miracle. Unitarian Universalists follow Unitarian sage Ralph Waldo Emerson and say "All life is miracle," from "the blowing clover to the falling rain." Religious experience springs from two primary sources, awe and humility. Neither awe nor humility is served by those who refuse to go beyond the letter–either of scripture or of science–to explore the spirit. Fundamentalists come in two basic varieties. Right-wing fundamentalists enshrine a tiny God on their altar. Fundamentalists of the left reject this tiny God, imagining that by so doing they have done something creative and important. Both groups are in thralldom to the same tiny God. For me, this statement rings very true. I remember hearing Mark Belletini of First Unitarian Universalist Church saying something similar. Actually, he related a discussion he had with a woman who was an atheist, thought there was nothing of value in the Bible, but came to realize that she was letting someone else define the type of God she did or didn't believe in. She came to a similar realization as the one Forrest Church describes, and said, "I was being a fundamentalist in my nonbelief." I have read the words of a number of ministers, rabbis, and priests who, when someone tells them, "I don't believe in God" respond by saying, "Tell me about the God you don't believe in--I probably don't believe in him either." One of my favorite bits of wisdom about religion comes from Forrest Church's cathedral analogy: The acknowledgement of essential unity is a central pillar, the central pillar, of Unitarian Universalism. In contrast, fundamentalists, perceiving the Light shining through their own window, conclude that theirs is the only window through which it shines. They may even incite their followers to throw stones through other people’s windows. Secular materialists make precisely the opposite mistake. Perceiving the bewildering variety of windows and worshippers, they conclude there is no Light. But the windows are not the Light; the windows are where the Light shines through. This same metaphor offers an easy to remember description of Unitarian Universalism, perfect, in fact, for that dinner party. One Light (Unitarianism) shines through many windows (Universalism), illuminating human minds and hearts in many different ways. In our congregations we honor this truth by encouraging our members to reflect on the Light through whatever set of windows they find most illuminating. We only require that this same freedom be honored for others. If this latitude strikes your neighbors as nebulous or not serious, describe what happens in our congregations in terms they may find it more difficult to reject out of hand. Our churches, societies, and fellowships are nothing less than spiritual laboratories for the practice of E pluribus unum, out of many, one. To appreciate how enlightened this approach to religion is, consider this. If your neighbor disagrees with your personal theology, short of changing your mind–a prospect that may not delight you–you have only four options. You can convert, destroy, ignore, or respect her. Fundamentalists of the Right usually attempt conversion, but sometimes–as we know first hand from recent experience–they choose to destroy in God’s name. Fundamentalists of the Left (secular materialists) tend to ignore such disagreements as irrelevant, but they too may choose destruction. One need witness only the gulags and crematoria to recognize that religious zealots alone have not cornered the market on muting the exercise of religious and political freedom by resorting to mass murder. In the United States of America and as reflected in Unitarian Universalism–a quintessentially American faith–following the principle of e pluribus unum, we embrace the fourth option: mutual respect. There is only one caveat to abridge such respect. We do not and must not permit stone throwing in the cathedral. More thoughts about the definition of religion can be found on the Religious Tolerance web site. This website's essays use a very broad definition of religion: "Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life." Thus we would consider Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Native American Spirituality, and Neopaganism to be religions. We also include Agnosticism, Atheism, Humanism, Ethical Culture etc. as religions, because they also contain a "belief about deity" -- their belief is that they do not know whether a deity exists, or they have no knowledge of God, or they sincerely believe that God does not exist. What is your definition of religion? What is religion for?

So, tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday. I have been thinking about Pentecost for the past few weeks. For me, that is pretty unusual--every other year it has come and gone and I haven't really given it a second thought. Why is this year different? Something about the day tugs at my consciousness. fire wind spirit inspiration Being open to something more? The big picture? Yes, I think a lot of us need to be reminded of that--myself included. I don't think any of us has the whole answer to "life, the universe, and everything". Yet, especially in this election year, we can see a lot of binary, black and white thinking. Us versus them. I don't think anyone can ultimately win when we set it up as us versus them. Somehow we have to realize that it's all us. There is no "them" that we can truthfully set completely outside of our sphere of concern and connectedness. One thing I discovered recently, in my exploration of the meaning of Pentecost, is that the story of the Holy Spirit coming to the apostles at Pentecost can be seen as a reversal of the tower of Babel story. Some thoughts from the Rev. Ron Robinson on the meaning of Pentecost: Pentecost is the Greek word for Judaism's Festival of Weeks that occurs fifty days (hence pente) after Passover. It is a celebration of the end of harvest and for God's spirit of abundance. It is a commemoration of God's giving to Moses the ten commandments. And it is said to be the birthday and day of death of King David. So it is a time of great expectations for how God continually acts in history, especially as a community-forming and liberating power. In the Pentecost story, Jesus' disciples are in Jerusalem at the time of the Festival of Weeks. They are trying to regroup after the loss of their leader and after the betrayal of one of their own members. Where they are in the story is a little unclear and how many there actually are is unclear. But it says they were all together in one place. That sense of unity is significant because as we will see, for Luke, this story is a kind of reverse to the Tower of Babel myth. In that story early in Genesis, the people of the earth were all together as one people and all spoke the same language and all had the same uniformity of thought. This made them feel like the Gods so they decided to build a mighty tower up to the Heavens to show off their Godly status. The tower would be a kind of Temple to themselves. What happens whenever we build temples to and for ourselves alone? They come crashing down around us. The people of Babel then became the peoples of the world, all with different languages and not able to understand each other--not without effort anyway, and without knowing our own limits and how we need one another, which is why I have read the Babel story as more of a long-term blessing than curse. In the Pentecost story, however, as they are all gathered in one place, and gathered as I suspect out of their sense of weaknesses and loss much different from Babel, and gathered more as separate individuals turned inward on themselves more than any sense of themselves as a community focused outward, with such as them the story says God acts again-but this time to build up and not to tear down. That's right, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place." Why had it not occurred to me before that Pentecost was a Jewish holy day before it was a Christian one? The New Testament doesn't refer to Easter or Christmas, because those holidays developed and were named long after the writing of the Gospels. To actually mention the day of Pentecost means that it was already a holy day to the Jewish people before the "tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them." Duh. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that really hadn't occurred to me before. The Rev. Judith Quarles explains, in her sermon "Unitarian Universalists on Fire": Pentecost has its origins in the Hebrew festival of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, which originally celebrated the closing of the spring harvest. Shavuot is held 50 days after Passover, and it commemorates God’s giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses. It is an important time for Jews. The Christian Pentecost took place during Shavuot, presumably as all the early followers of Jesus were gathered for celebration. As you heard in the reading from the book of Acts this morning, tongues of fire descended upon the people, and they were given the ability to speak in the many languages of the area. It is interesting that Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts, may have purposely echoed the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments in his account of the happenings. In one place in the Book of Exodus, God’s arrival is announced by thunder and lightening and general uproar, and God comes down the mountain to the Israelites in fire. There is even a document contemporary with the New Testament writings that refers to the tale that angels from heaven speaking in a variety of tongues brought the tablets of the Law down to the Hebrew people from the top of the mountain. Biblical scholar Raymond Brown explains that these parallels had theological meaning for the new Christians. In the case of Moses and the giving of the Torah, God was announcing a covenant with the Hebrew people. And in the case of Pentecost, God was making evident a new covenant, this time with Gentiles as well. ... According to doctrine, the Holy Spirit was given to Christians to replace the presence of Christ in all his humanity. The Rev. Miriam Hathaway, pastor of the first Presbyterian Church here writes in her newsletter column, "Pentecost is the day when we recognize God in action in our personal lives and in the life of the world....The Holy Spirit rouses us from our lethargy and fills our hearts with new courage and our bodies with new strength." That last part makes me think of John Kerry. A while back, some of us who were Dean supporters sent him a letter and questions. I never expected to get a personal response addressing each and every question, but some sort of token acknowledgement would have gone a long way. I know that he is the only way we have right now of getting the dangerous Bush administration out of power. I would like to be able to support him, but so far I can only do so indirectly, by helping to make people aware of the damage Bush has done to the economy, the environment, our global reputation, etc. I would much rather have a positive focus than a negative one. So this is my prayer for John Kerry...I pray that now, at this time of Pentecost, he will allow the Holy Spirit to rouse him from his lethargy, filling his heart with new courage and his body with new strength. I pray that he will be open to the movement of the Spirit, and realize that it can be found in unexpected places. "Conventional wisdom" is not always wise. David Bennett, in another Pentecost sermon, illustrates the importance of remaining open: If in 1968 someone had asked which country would dominate watch making in the 1990s, most people would have certainly said Switzerland. This is because Switzerland had dominated the world of watch making for the previous sixty years. They led the way in discovering new ways to manufacture better and more durable watch parts. They developed the best waterproofing techniques. In fact, in 1968 the Swiss made 65% of all watches sold in the world, and laid claim to 90% of the profits. However by 1980, in Switzerland, watchmakers had been laid off by the thousands, and the Swiss controlled a paltry 10% of the watch market. Why? The Swiss ignored an important new development, Quartz Movement. Ironically a Swiss invented Quartz movement, but it was rejected because it had no mainspring or knob. It was too much of a paradigm shift for them to embrace. It was too new and too strange. ... A past that was so secure, so dominant, so revered, was destroyed in a little over ten years because of an unwillingness to open up to renewal. Past successes had blinded them to the importance of seeing the implications of the changing world. In short, as they declined very rapidly, they were so confident in past accomplishments, they could not even see the decline happening right before their eyes. Bennett connects the story of the Swiss watchmaker's with the importance of the church being open to the movement of the Spirit, even though we often feel that the last thing we want in our lives is more "fire and wind". I think the better and preferable path is that we release the Holy Spirit within us, and experience the mighty Wind. By opening ourselves to the miraculous expectation of divine deeds of power, we put ourselves on the line. What then comes will not always be pretty, much like the tornado aftermath I witnessed. Structures might be shaken, and old ways of doing things changed. The result will not always be harmonious with the rational culture of our mainline churches, but it will be fully harmonious with the strange and new experiences of the earliest Christians, whom the Holy Spirit rushed upon almost 2000 years ago. Anyway, I suppose my prayer for John Kerry is my prayer for all of us. May we all... Be open. Listen. Receive. Recognize the gifts we have given--which may not be gifts we asked for. And may we be ready and willing to use these gifts in ventures that unite, repair, restore, and heal.

By now I suppose most people have heard that George Bush believed he was doing "God's will" when he ordered the attacks on Iraq: According to Abbas, Bush said: 'God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.'' 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 recently learned in the Veggie Tales movie, was told "Go to Ninevah." Johah 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!" No, the God I meet in the Bible told Abraham to leave his home and move to a strange new land. "Just trust me," God assured him. My mission--all of our missions--are not as clear as Abraham's seemed to be. But we're reading the story long after the fact. Maybe God's will wasn't as clear and straightforward to Abraham, Jonah, or Moses at the moment of their calling as it is to us in retrospect. So how do we know what is being asked of us? God has never spoken to us from a burning bush, or sent angels to deliver important messages to us. I once heard in a sermon by Unitarian Universalist minister Mark Belletini that Carl Jung, when asked on his deathbed about God, said that God is whatever crosses the path of his life that he cannot walk around. Maybe our "calling" is that cause or effort that we just can't seem to walk away from, no matter how hard we try...even though we know our lives would be so much easier if we only could.

Since the beginning of May, I have meant to post something about Mary, the Mother of Jesus--this is, after all, considered to be her month. I haven't yet been inspired to write anything, but I thought I would share some words from Kathleen Norris. I really appreciate her example as someone reclaiming Mary from the dogma built up around her, that I often felt was intended to keep women "in their place. Norris has a different insight about the meaning of Mary... The Serene Contradiction of the Mother of Jesus Why I reclaimed the virgin mother as a significant figure in my faith. I think that many Protestants, if they think about Mary at all, get hung up on what they are supposed to believe about her. And she doesn't make it easy. It's as if her calm visage belies our seeking after labels. Is Mary a cultural artifact or a religious symbol? A literary device or a theological tool? A valuable resource for biblical exegetes or the matrix of an extrabiblical piety that we, as Protestants, must avoid at all costs? The point about Mary is that she is all these things, and more, always more. She is poor yet gloriously rich. She is blessed among women yet condemned to witness her son's execution. She is human yet God-bearer, and the Word that she willingly bears is destined to pierce her soul. Had we a more elastic imagination, we might be less troubled by Mary's air of serene contradiction. But ours is a skeptical and divisive age. We are more comfortable with appraisal than with praise, more adept at cogent analysis than meaningful synthesis. Mary is useful to us as a corrective to our ordinary state of mind, the epitome of "both/and" passion over "either/or" reasoning. She has a disarming way of challenging the polarities that so often bring human endeavors to impasse: the subjective and objective, the expansive and the parochial, the affective and the intellectual. Mary's designation as both virgin and mother, for example, no longer seems to be an impossible "model" for women that justifies their continued oppression within church and society. Instead, Mary constitutes a challenge as to what is possible for me, as a married, childless, Christian woman: to what extent can I remain "virgin," one-in-myself, able to come to things with newness of heart, and in what sense must I become "mother," losing myself in the nurture and service of others and embracing life's circumstances with the ripeness of maturity? This Mary is a gender-bender; she asks the same question of any Christian man.

Petition from Howard Dean, Democracy for America Tell Congress we want to count every vote--sign the petition We must act now to ensure that our voting systems produce accurate and verifiable results. Some states are planning to use machines that will not allow voters to verify their choices. This means that any flaws in the machine or software will never be caught -- and no recount will be possible. And the head of the largest e-voting machine company -- who is a major contributor to George Bush and has promised to deliver Ohio to him -- asks that we just trust him. Today we call on Congress and the states to require any electronic voting machine used in this election to produce a paper trail -- one that allows voters to verify their choices and officials to conduct recounts. Click here to sign the petition. And, if you want to help us in our efforts to keep unverifiable electronic voting machines out of Ohio, our Citizens' Alliance for Secure Elections would be grateful for any donations you could make toward the Ohio e-voting litigation fund. If you can't afford to make a donation, helping us spread the word is also a valuable, much appreciated contribution.

I just received this in an e-mail: Lights for Human Dignity: "Recent images from Iraq have disclosed actions that are horrific and dehumanizing. These actions violate core civic and religious values that are embraced by people of every heritage, including our commitment to basic human dignity and the spirit of creation. We encourage people of faith and good will to reflect prayerfully on how we can demonstrate compassion to all victims of violence and foster reconciliation within our human community. We also invite participation in a public acknowledgement of our anguish and our need for self-examination. On the Sunday night before Memorial Day (May 30th), as we prepare to remember the sacrifices made by those who have fought our nation's wars, please turn on the lights or light candles in your houses of worship and in your homes. Leave them on through the night, until the dawn comes on Memorial Day. By this simple action, we can demonstrate to the world that we share common values as people of faith and as patriots. We will also bear witness to our commitment to peace and good will in Iraq, in the United States, and around the world. " Click here to see the list of participating organizations and to add your own. You can also download a printable PDF flyer to print and share and listen to the radio PSA or read the transcript.

Betty wrote in the comments to my May 17 post: Thanks for acknowledging the contributions of the UUs - the longtime courageous stand has taken its toll, but now seems as though it was worth it all. The Boston-area congregations must be estatic right now. You're very welcome Betty. I have the highest respect for Unitarian Universalists and the work they do for social justice issues of all kinds. Which is why I found it disturbing to learn through The Village Gate that a Texas UU church is being denied tax exempt status. But according to the office of Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a Denison Unitarian church isn't really a religious organization -- at least for tax purposes. Its reasoning: the organization "does not have one system of belief." Click here to read the article in the Star Telegram. As I noted in the comments at The Village Gate: Well, this is fascinating. And predictable. We were hearing a while back that Republicans wanted to go after 527s and PACs because they are working to get Bush out of office. Unitarian Universalists are certainly known for working for social justice--at our local chapter of B.R.E.A.D. (Building Responsibility, Equality and Dignity)the local UUs are the largest congregation in attendance. And, knowing the hostility Texas Republicans have against separation of church and state, as well as social justice programs it is hardly a surprise that this is happening in Texas. But that doesn't make it okay, and I think more attention needs to be drawn to this sort of bullying.

Locally, as a way of celebrating the first day same sex couples will be allowed to marry in Massachusetts, we have an Interfaith Rededication and Solidarity Ceremony, which is taking place at an area Unitarian Universalist church. The priest from the Episcopal church I attend (which is a member of the Episcopal GLBT organization Integrity) will be one of the clergy participating. Discussing this online sent me on another Googling expedition, and I thought I would share some links to the various GLBT organizations from different faith traditions... DignityUSA "works for respect and justice for all gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons in the Catholic Church and the world through education, advocacy and support." Soulforce an interfaith movement committed to ending spiritual violence perpetuated by religious policies and teachings against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people. The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews Witchvox: Gay Witchcraft "There are literally thousands of gay and lesbian witches out there, and they offer not only a unique perspective, but a unique energy as well." Al-Fatiha Foundation "dedicated to Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning, those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity, and their allies, families and friends. Al-Fatiha promotes the progressive Islamic notions of peace, equality and justice." Whosoever: Online news journal for gay, lesbian and bisexual Christians. Every other month Whosoever takes a look at issues affecting gay lesbian and bisexual Christians and how they can respond to the world with the love of Christ. More organizations can be found here,in the Google Directory. And you can read more of my posts about the historical events taking place in Massachusetts today in my blog at The Village Gate.

I noted in a post on another blog last night that women who become saints are often listed under either the category of "virgin" or "martyr". Few were married or had children. This morning I read that one of the new saints was an Italian pediatrician who died a week after giving birth to her fourth child. From Yahoo News: Pope John Paul II named six new saints Sunday, including a woman who became a symbol for abortion opponents because she refused to end her pregnancy despite warnings that it could kill her. The Vatican has long championed the case of Gianna Beretta Molla, an Italian pediatrician who died in 1962 at the age of 39 — a week after giving birth to her fourth child. Doctors had told her it was dangerous to proceed with the pregnancy because she had a tumor in her uterus, but she insisted on carrying the baby to term. In proclaiming her a saint, John Paul praised her "extreme sacrifice" and her simple but profound message. "May our era rediscover, by the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, the pure, chaste and fertile beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine calling," he said. This is disturbing to me, but maybe in a way that is different from most people here. I guess I am sort of an odd bird among progressive Christians in that I do believe abortion is wrong. I wince at much of the rhetoric of people who are outspokenly pro-choice--much of it overlooks that there is a second human being involved in the equation, whose life is ended without ever being given a choice. But as I have gotten older, almost nothing seems black and white any more. I know that making abortion illegal is not the answer, but I do think we need to be working to decrease the frequency with which it occurs. Anyway, I'm just trying to say that this is a complicated issue for me. I have recently become interested in reading the stories of the saints again. I have become better able to stop worrying about which parts of the stories are fact, and which are embellishment, and I have been able to look past the things I find disturbing (such as how many of them practiced severe self-mortification, which in the context of their times and cultures was viewed very differently than it is today.) I try to look past all of this to find the human being struggling to be holy and do good. And there is always some sort of lesson one can take away from their stories. (That probably holds true for any human's story.) One saint for whom I have developed a greater appreciation is St. Catherine of Siena, and one day I plan to devote a whole post to my thoughts about her. Another saint I have been able to rethink is Saint Maria Goretti. She was the patron saint of my home parish and my grade school as I was growing up. She died, stabbed to death in defense of her virginity, at the age of twelve. Maria Goretti has been described as a model of purity for today's youth, because she chose death rather than sin. Lured by the passions of his day and nurturing the dark side of his soul with impious reading and thoughts, Alessandro Serenelli had been a thorn in lovely Maria's side. He propositioned her on several occasions and harassed her with impure suggestions. On July 5, 1902, he would be denied no longer. As she once again rebuffed his sexual advance, shouting, "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!", Alexander lunged to the deed, stabbing Maria 14 times. It was only years after I had left that church and school that I really thought about this--what kind of model is this to hold up for children in elementary school and junior high (the school went from kindergarten through eighth grade)? What if one of my classmates had been sexually abused by a family member or trusted friend. How would she hear this story? I don't remember anyone ever saying that it would not have been a sin if Maria had given in in fear. But recently I was reading her story in a book of saints, and it was emphasized that an important part of her story, and what makes her truly a saint, was her forgiveness of her attacker, even as she lay dying: Doctors in Nettuno tried to save Maria's life to no avail. After 20 painful hours of suffering during which she forgave and prayed for Alessandro, Maria entered Heaven fortified with the Last Sacraments. Her last earthly gaze rested upon a picture of the Blessed Mother. It was July 6, 1902. Almost fifty years later on June 24, 1950, Pope Pius XII stood on the steps of St. Peter's in Rome and pronounced Maria Goretti a Saint and Martyr of the Universal Church to half a million people. He proposed her as the Patroness of Modern Youth and set July 6th as her feast Day. Her mother, and her murderer, attended the canonization ceremony together. Here is Alessandro's story, and a letter from him about the impact Maria had on his life. It truly is a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption. And we do need models of forgiveness today, since many of us seem to be less than generous in doling out forgiveness. Saints are human, just like the rest of us. When we look at their lives, we usually see human beings who were flawed, as we are, but who were trying to do God's will the best they could. So, I suppose what bothers me is the message the Church sends in its decision to elevate certain people to sainthood. Going back to the new saint that prompted me to write today, Gianna Beretta Molla was clearly a kind, admirable human being: She diligently dedicated herself to studies during the years of her secondary and university education, while, at the same time, applying her faith in generous apostolic service among the elderly and needy as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. After earning degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and thereafter gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor. While working in the field of medicine--which she considered a "mission" and practiced as such--she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the "very young" and, at the same time, expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected on her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself "to forming a truly Christian family." She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on 24 September 1955 in St. Martin's Basilica in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi; in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life. On the one hand, it is refreshing for me to read the story of a woman who had a career and a happy marriage, and who clearly allowed herself to experience real joy in this world. But would Gianna have been considered worthy of sainthood if she had "only" been a devoted, loving wife and mother, caring doctor, and generous servant of humankind who "gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly, and the poor"? I would think so, but since Pope John Paul II praises her "extreme sacrifice", and all the stories about her canonization refer to her as a "pro-life heroine", it is clear that she would never have been deemed worthy of sainthood were it not for the way her life ended. Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla, protectress of mothers and families, died in 1962 as a martyr of maternal love . In September of 1961, at the age of 39, Blessed Gianna was pregnant with her fourth child when physicians diagnosed a large ovarian cyst which required surgery. The surgeon suggested that Gianna undergo an abortion in order to save her own life. Gianna's decision was prompt and decisive: "I shall accept whatever they will do to me provided they save the child." She underwent the surgery but her fate was sealed. The following year, on Good Friday, Gianna was admitted to Monza Maternity Hospital. Her daughter, Gianna Emanuela, was born the next day but Blessed Gianna expired seven days later, on April 28, 1962.

After reading Allen's post at The Village Gate about Bishop Michael J. Sheridan (who recently stated that voters who support candidates or legislation that goes against church teaching should be denied Communion)it was nice to find a story about voting in which Catholics were the good guys. The bad guy is, not surprisingly, another "son of a Bush." Pax Christi USA >> News >> Statements: "Following criticism from Governor Jeb Bush, the national coordinator of Pax Christi USA said that "assuring the integrity of the election process" is the reason that his organization will be inviting international election monitors to Florida to oversee the 2004 presidential election. "What I hope that Governor Bush understands is that the sanctity of every vote and the dignity of every voter is at the heart of our effort to make sure that the 2004 elections are conducted with the utmost integrity," said Dave Robinson, national coordinator of Pax Christi USA, a national Catholic peace and justice organization. After a press conference outside the Florida Supreme Court in which Pax Christi USA announced its plans to bring international election monitors to Florida, Governor Bush told members of the media that Pax Christi USA's plans are "an organized effort to try to create doubt about our election system." "This is all part of some politically motivated thing that tries to scare people to somehow think their vote is not going to count," said Governor Bush. "That's hogwash, hogwash." "It was our great hope that Governor Bush would welcome the monitoring of the elections," said Carol Ann Breyer, state coordinator for Pax Christi Florida. "This is an excellent opportunity to show that the mistakes of the past have been corrected and that this great state can conduct a fair and transparent election, an "election in the sunshine," so to speak. "

Just heard about a new organization/web site and thought I should pass it along... FaithfulAmerica.org aspires to be an online wing of powerful, new progressive faith movement, like the ones that fought for independence, abolition and civil rights.

Those wacky "Fools"... From the "Oddly Enough" news section on Yahoo (which currently also has articles about Australians being encouraged by their government to have more children, and prostitutes in the Czech Republic seeing a drop in business): 3D Church Opened to Woo Internet Faithful Christians in Britain opened a zany 3D Internet church on Tuesday, billed as a first chance for believers to log on and worship interactively. Bishop of London Richard Chartres gave the inaugural sermon -- via a speech-bubble from his cartoon persona -- at the first service on the "Church of Fools" at www.shipoffools.com. "No one has ever before created a stand-alone church where you can log on as a worshipper and join in however you like -- to kneel, cross yourself, sing hymns or shout 'Hallelujah,'" Web site deputy editor Stephen Goddard told Reuters. Whoops--in the article above the forgot the hypens in http://ship-of-fools.com Click here to visit the virtual church. For anyone who missed it, the Ship of Fools people recently did an internet reality game show based on Noah's Ark.

I don't know how many of my readers are Douglas Adams fans...he wrote the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, among other things. Demetrius and I have the old BBC tv series on video, and probably have the whole radio show on tape somewhere, as well as the original three books in the trilogy (later there was a fourth, and a fifth book to the trilogy.) We know entire passages from the book and the radio show by heart. You know how some couples have a song that they consider "their song"? Well, we don't really have a song, but the Hitchhiker's Guide has always been "ours" in a way. Expressions from Adams' books have worked their way into our everyday vocabulary. Douglas Adams died suddenly on May 11, 2001. He was at the gym, and it was apparently a heart attack. Completely sudden and unexpected. Although after that it seemed like we started hearing of more cases of people who were not that old and in reasonably good shape dying suddenly. I'm thinking more recently of John Ritter, but there were at least a couple of others, I'm pretty sure. I remember reading the headline on Yahoo that day and just feeling completely stunned. Right away, I wanted to tell Demetrius. He was at a meeting of the central Ohio humanists group. I told him, and he shared it with the rest of the group. Adams was an outspoken atheist, so I think there was a "kindred spirit" connection for the group--a "He was one of us" sort of thing. Plus, a number of them were fans as well. After that I started Googling for stories about what happened--it was later said to be a heart attack, but we were pretty much hearing "collapsed at the gym" that day. (Isn't going to the gym supposed to be a healthy thing to do? We were struck by the morbid irony of this for a while: "Gee, I should go to the gym today and keep up that healthy exercise habit--except that I might die suddenly if I do!" In the process of searching for stories, I found out about his more recent projects, including internet projects, that I had never heard of. I discovered that he was a huge Macintosh fan and couldn't stand Microsoft Windows. I found that he was a founding director of h2g2, formerly The Digital Village, a digital media and Internet company with which he created the 1998 CD-ROM Starship Titanic. And I found this video he made of his 5 year old daughter Polly. That was when the tears came for me--watching this video that a doting dad made of his little girl. Click here to read about the video (John Cleese did a cameo in it) and to watch it.

I just checked the comments in the Dean blog and saw this update from Katie Thomsen on our voting machine situation in Ohio. At the April Meetup we were told that this lawsuit was a possibility, if all else failed to stop the purchase of Diebold machines: A message from DFA Columbus: Many of you are already aware of the very dire situation we’re in regarding the purchase of electronic voting machines for 31 Ohio counties. Right now, the only way to stop the purchase is to file a lawsuit to halt the purchase of these machines in time for the ’04 election. CASE (Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections) needs donations in order to cover legal fees. They’ve been working with The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in California, to set up a fund for Ohio litigation on the electronic voting issue. You can pay two ways: 1. Go to the EFF website http://www.eff.org and pay by credit card online. IMPORTANT: Indicate in the "notes" section that your donation is for "Ohio E-Voting Litigation." 2. Send a check payable to Electronic Frontier Foundation and mail it to: Electronic Frontier Foundation 454 Shotwell Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415-436-9333 IMPORTANT: Be sure to write on your check that your donation is for the "Ohio E-Voting Litigation." EFF is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations to EFF are tax deductible, to the extent permissible by law. Please do this today. Give $100 if you can. If you can’t, give $20 and find 4 other people to do the same. We all are working very hard to get Bush out of office. That’s not going to happen if these machine purchases are not stopped. It’s as simple as that. Thanks to everyone! And please spread the word! Some Background on the Voting Situation: Ohio is about to making a huge mistake. In spite of all you may be hearing from the media about boards of election having second thoughts regarding the purchase of new machines, many counties are poised to purchase these flawed DRE machines for 2004. These DREs will not offer a Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) meaning voters will have no way of knowing if their vote has been recorded correctly. Also, there is no mechanism for a recount. These machines have recently been decertified in California but Ohio is moving ahead to purchase them anyway. For more, please visit http://www.verifiedvoting.org http://www.ohiovoters.org Also, check out Democrats for Ohio for updates.

A Tribute to Mothers A day late because my internet connection was down all day yesterday. I hadn't even been thinking about doing a Mother's Day post, until I heard a variation on this joke: Thomas Edison's mother: "Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!" Hearing mention of Thomas Edison's mother, albeit in the context of a joke, reminded me of what a hero that woman was, though many people probably do no know it... Edison's mother, Nancy Elliott, was originally from New York until her family moved to Vienna, Canada, where she met Sam Edison, Jr., whom she later married. When Sam became involved in an unsuccessful insurrection in Ontario in the 1830s, he was forced to flee to the United States and in 1839 they made their home in Milan, Ohio. Edison was a poor student. When a schoolmaster called Edison "addled," his furious mother took him out of the school and proceeded to teach him at home. Edison said many years later, "My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I had some one to live for, some one I must not disappoint." At an early age, he showed a fascination for mechanical things and for chemical experiments. Temple Grandin, Ph.D. Temple Grandin is an adult with autism who parlayed her different way of thinking into a successful international career designing livestock equipment. She also designed and built the so-called "squeeze machine," which helps many people with autism relieve the anxiety commonly associated with disorder. The author of several books- including Thinking in Pictures, about her life with autism- Grandin attributes some of her success to early intervention. ... Temple Grandin's mother was recently a speaker at an autism conference: Eustacia Cutler - Temple Grandin's Mother Speaks Out - Ms. Cutler will address Temple's childhood and the challenges that she faced. Accused of "over-reacting", Eustacia proceeded on her own to where the doctors declared she had done a job that put the entire staff of The Children's Hospital to shame. "It is as rare as if Temple recovered spontaneously from leukemia." A graduate of Harvard University, with TV documentaries on retarded and emotionally disquieted children to her credit, Ms. Cutler will also explore the effect of autism on the identity of siblings and parents. Temple Grandin dedicated her book, Thinking in Pictures, to her mother. In a time when children with autism were often institutionalized, Eustacia worked tirelessly to provide Temple with what she needed to become a healthy, high functioning member of society. How many other mothers, whose names we will never know, work just as tirelessly every day, with and on behalf of their special needs children? Most of these children will not grow up to dedicate a book to their mothers. Some may never even capable of thanking their mothers for their years of sacrifice, dedication, and advocacy. Let us all, as a society, remember to thank the mothers of challenging children. Let us do all we can to help them in their struggle in any way we can--instead of blaming them for their children's behavior. What if, every time we saw a child having a tantrum in public, rather than trying to figure out what mom did wrong, we imagined what it must be like to be in her position, at this moment in time. In other words, could we train ourselves so that empathy becomes a more natural response than judgement? And, depending on the situation, we could offer a sympathetic smile, or even a kind word. Maybe something like, "Parenting is really hard work, isn't it? Often our children don't thank us for our efforts, so I'd like to say thank you so that you hear those words from someone--because you really do deserve it!"

The following is from Network's (a Catholic social justice lobby) response to Bush's State of the Union address. NETWORK's Legislative HotNews The President addressed the nation with his assessment of the state of the union and his initiatives for the final year of his term in office. NETWORK wished that the nation had heard an articulation of policies and possibilities that are based in the principles we find in the Catholic social justice tradition. The overarching Gospel principle is the obligation to attend to the poor. The moral fabric of a nation is determined by how well it provides for those who are poor in its midst. Have the President’s policies shown a special concern for the 35 million people in this nation who are poor and vulnerable? Amid the list of the proposals, nothing was outlined which would address the growing number of homeless families with children who seek safe and decent housing; the 14 million children of low-income working parents who cannot get affordable child care; or the cost of health care for the 44 million people without health insurance. Where will people who are struggling to move off welfare to pursue the elusive American dream find jobs that pay a livable wage, given that real wages have fallen and 2 million jobs have been lost since 2001. “Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and binding agreements.” (Pope John Paul II) Peace is the fruit of justice. Has this Administration demonstrated mutual respect and collaboration in international affairs? Has the principle of justice for all been upheld? Has our nation brought about greater peace and justice by waging a pre-emptive war based on faulty reasons? Does the building of new nuclear weapons make us or the world more secure? If the United States rejects diplomacy as a way to work with other nations how will peace be waged? We are one human family and we wished that we heard how we are called to work globally for peace with justice. Government is an instrument to promote human dignity and build the common good. All people have a right and a responsibility to participate in political institutions so that government can achieve its proper goals. We wanted to hear that there is room and a need for open debate in our political process and that democracy is healthier when common ground is sought. How is it that “you are either with us or against us” became a way to deal with our neighbors? How is it that our politicians have become so polarized that differing opinions make an enemy of the other? Wouldn’t true leadership work to bring us together for the sake of the common good? The goods of the earth are gifts from God, and intended for the benefit of everyone. There is a "social mortgage" that guides our use of the world's goods, and we have a responsibility to care for these goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users. How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship. If this were our guiding principle would we seek to conquer and militarize space? How does the proposed energy policy match the care of creation called for by our teachings? Click here to read the rest. And go here to see their list of priority issues. Wonder if Catholics Against Kerry is familiar with these priorities, which are organized under the broad categories of economic equity, global peace and security, and reordering budget priorities. It makes their focus on Kerry's abortion stance seem rather narrow and counter to the values emphasized by Jesus.

In response to my post of spiritual and religious understanding links, someone at the Majority Report blog pointed me to a page on the Catholics Against Kerry web site. The owner of the site is encouraging people to write to his Archbishop. It might be a good idea for some of us to write to Archbishop O'Malley and point out how Bush promotes the "culture of death" far more than Kerry does. The site includes the following quote from O'Malley: "I have not said for whom I shall vote, but I will tell you for whom I will not vote. I will not vote for any politician who will promote abortion or the culture of death, no matter how appealing the rest of his or her program might be. They are wolves in sheep’s garments, the K.K.K. without the sheets, and sadly enough, they don’t even know it. If I were ever tempted to vote for simply selfish reasons, tribal allegiances, or economic advantages rather than on the moral direction of the country, I should beat a hasty retreat from the curtain of the polling booth to the curtain of the confessional." Click here for the contact information. I don't think it would do any good to write criticizing the church's anti-abortion stance, but I think it would make sense to point out the extent to which Bush is promoting a "culture of death" and how much higher the death toll could get if he is allowed to have four more years.

So, today I'm exploring interfaith religion/spirituality links. You know, tolerance, mutual understanding and respect, what connects us type sites. Actually this started from an effort to put together a home page for my kids. It has a mix of fun and educational links--some things they chose, and some that I chose, available for them to "discover" on their own. I realized that what is missing at this point is some sites that deal with religion or spirituality. But, especially with a son who seems downright allergic to all things religious, I figured I would need to find just the right angle. So I'm trying to find some reasonably unbiased (e.g. not promoting one particular faith tradition) sites that are designed to help kids learn about the different ways people worship and believe. As usual, this foray of hunter-gathering on the web has led me to discover things other than what I was looking for. So, I'll share the links I've discovered here. And, if you know of any sites that fit what I started out looking for, could you let me know? Thanks. Pluralism Project Homepage Adherents.com a growing collection of over 41,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations -- references to published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc. Religious and Sacred Texts The Joy of Sects "The earth's spiritual traditions are a rich repository of wisdom, practical advice, and healing knowledge, as well as art, music, and mystery. This site is a place to explore all those dimensions, ask questions, and engage in dialogue. " Earth Renewal "Whether or not they know it, most of the world's religions and philosophies start from the same point. Like spokes emanating from a wheel's hub, they converge upon and diverge from a common center." Peace Seed "This site is dedicated to the concept that when one studies different religious traditions, one is struck by the repeated similarities of basic truths." The Cauldron and the Cross "This place is for those who have found or wish to find common ground between the Cauldron and the Cross, away from theology and dogma, perhaps try to eliminate misconceptions, break down barriers, maybe learn something." Fellowship of the Earth "congregation of the Universal Life Church. Dedicated to those who follow Earth Spirituality. Proud of our cultural and spiritual diversity. Educating against religious intolerance. Providing a community network of those with similar beliefs. Celebrating the Earth and Her seasons. Promoting kinship and respect for all. An Ark Called Earth "We hope to capture and preserve a glimpse of how members of all faiths and nationalities, all ages and cultures viewed their own spirituality, our planet and humanity's future at the turn of the latest millennium." Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance International Association for Religious Freedom For the Common Good: "A web site to inform about ethical, spiritual and global issues and to seek humane solutions to the challenges of globalisation." Interfaith Studies: This website will bring you into touch with issues, organisations and initiatives for inter-religious understanding and co-operation.

Anyone who is not familiar with this blog, or hasn't read it for a while, I hope you will check it out and bookmark it. Too often the war is just an abstract concept for us. It became more concrete when we were forced to look at actual pictures of the torture that has gone on. It seems like we don't face the genuine, unedited horror if we can at all avoid it. I fear that many may soon retreat into the abstract, theoretical way of thinking and talking about what our government and military are doing in Iraq. But right now, while we are paying attention, I think it is important to actually hear the voices of the people who are living this reality thousands of miles away. Baghdad Burning Just Go... People are seething with anger- the pictures of Abu Ghraib and the Brits in Basrah are everywhere. Every newspaper you pick up in Baghdad has pictures of some American or British atrocity or another. It's like a nightmare that has come to life. Everyone knew this was happening in Abu Ghraib and other places… seeing the pictures simply made it all more real and tangible somehow. American and British politicians have the audacity to come on television with words like, "True the people in Abu Ghraib are criminals, but…" Everyone here in Iraq knows that there are thousands of innocent people detained. Some were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, while others were detained 'under suspicion'. In the New Iraq, it's "guilty until proven innocent by some miracle of God". People are so angry. There’s no way to explain the reactions- even pro-occupation Iraqis find themselves silenced by this latest horror. I can’t explain how people feel- or even how I personally feel. Somehow, pictures of dead Iraqis are easier to bear than this grotesque show of American military technique. People would rather be dead than sexually abused and degraded by the animals running Abu Ghraib prison. ... I'm avoiding the internet because it feels like the pictures are somehow available on every site I visit. I'm torn between wishing they weren't there and feeling, somehow, that it's important that the whole world sees them. The thing, I guess, that bothers me most is that the children can see it all. How do you explain the face of the American soldier, leering over the faceless, naked bodies to a child? How do you explain the sick, twisted minds? How do you explain what is happening to a seven-year-old? ... I sometimes get emails asking me to propose solutions or make suggestions. Fine. Today's lesson: don't rape, don't torture, don't kill and get out while you can- while it still looks like you have a choice... Chaos? Civil war? Bloodshed? We’ll take our chances- just take your Puppets, your tanks, your smart weapons, your dumb politicians, your lies, your empty promises, your rapists, your sadistic torturers and go.

Arianna Huffington has a petition to Kerry on her site. I think the letter is quite good. I was disappointed, but not surprised, that we never got any acknowledgement of the letter and questions I sent from myself and some fellow Dean supporters. But since this is from someone higher profile and therefore has the opportunity to attract the kind of media attention that would pressure Kerry to respond, I am more optimistic that Kerry will at least "hear" it and respond in some way. Dear Senator Kerry, We all want to send George Bush home to Crawford, Texas, in November. He seems convinced that the way to win is by playing on our fears. You can prove that the answer lies in appealing to the 'better angels of our nature.' Let Bush own September 11th and the politics of fear. You should own September 12th - the spirit of generosity and community that poured forth in the aftermath of the attacks - and the politics of hope. Offer voters a bold moral vision of what America can be. A vision that is bigger than the things that divide us. A vision that brings hope and soul back to our politics and appeals to more than voters' narrow self-interests. A vision that makes America once again a respected force for good in the world. Instead of adopting the familiar - and failed - Republican-lite swing voter strategy, you can reach out to and inspire the fifty percent of eligible voters who have given up on voting. If you do, you will win not in a toss-up but a landslide. Senator Kerry, I'm ready to vote my hopes and not my fears. So please: Go Big, Ask More! " Click here to sign the petition.

Americans United: Progressive Leaders In Oklahoma Sponsor Alternative 'Day Of Prayer' Event This is very cool, I think... "Weary of the partisan political overtones and the narrow religious cast to the National Day of Prayer, a group of progressive religious leaders and church-state separation activists in Oklahoma City will hold an inclusive celebration of religious freedom this year. On May 6, the same day as the National Day of Prayer observances, the Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United, Mainstream Baptists and other advocates of church-state separation will sponsor a truly interfaith event on the steps of the Capitol Building in Oklahoma City. ... The “Interfaith Day of Prayer and Reflection” in Oklahoma City event will include more than 20 religious groups and is also open to non-theistic organizations. It will be a celebration of religious liberty as a key human right and will conclude with a period of silent reflection, during which participants may pray or not, as their consciences dictate. It will also involve the singing of the National Anthem. Prescott and his supporters also drafted an alternative proclamation and submitted it to Gov. Brad Henry. The alternative resolution celebrates “the religious diversity and freedom of conscience which served as an integral part of the foundation of our state and our nation” and expresses the hope that “this day may encourage Oklahomans to affirm our civic unity while respecting the diversity of religious beliefs and practices within our community.”"