Leveraged Intelligence

Religion and Spirituality

Part of the continuing Blogger’s Consortium series with simultaneous posts on the topic being done by Ashok, Grannymar and Ramana – in alphabetical order.  Ashok came up with this topic … ambitious fellow that he is.  I mean, this is a WHOLE LOTTA TOPIC!

Non-free media use rationale for Elmer Gantry (film)

Gantry was a hard living salesman and he consorted with drunks and whores.  But, he had a passion for life and he had an abiding belief in God.  A genuine belief in God.  The nature of that belief was tested and fleshed out when he became a revivalist preacher in the American Midwest of the early Twentieth Century, became a revivalist preacher because he was mightily attracted to Sister Sharon Falconer.  The problem was that Sister Sharon kind of was deluded that she was God’s chosen messenger while Gantry thought she would do just fine as a real human being sharing life and passion with him!  Ultimately, Gantry’s very real faith grounded in life was what carried him through while Sister Sharon’s delusions did her in!

I’ve always loved that movie, REALLY loved it.  And part of that is because it evokes so many of the forces of life’s spirituality that has formed my underlying beliefs.  Let me show you a picture of my father taken during World War II:

He was AWOL in Vancouver at the time.  If it didn’t endanger any men or hurt the war effort, he wasn’t really what you would call a fan of the rules!  Let’s face it, he could have walked straight out of Casablanca looking like that.  Later, he lost his older brother over Germany in that war and he was on the first wave assault ship heading across the Pacific to attack Japan when the bombs were dropped.  They were estimating with his guys 90 – 100% casualties, if you can imagine that!

He came back from that war hardened, really hardened.  A lot of soldiers return from war more than a little lost as human beings.  They can still live hard, but something is missing in their souls.  Then, along comes love:

Sister Sharon, step aside for the real thing!!  No delusions for this young woman, shown in a picture from Christmas 1945.  I say young woman, even though she was only 14 when the picture was taken.  Somehow, hard times grow you up fast and she was no stranger to hard times.  Very bright and quite beautiful – as is obvious – she took care of business!  Both feet were always planted squarely on the ground.

So, now God goes to work and places this ex-soldier in a diner with some friends, a diner where my Mom was a waitress.  She waited on their table, of course.  And, when one of the guys asked if she would go out with him, she told him flat out, “No … but I’ll go out with him!” pointing to Dad.

So, two good-looking bright people have now met.  The young woman raised as a Nazarene Christian – and, trust me, Gantry and his delivery had NOTHING on the Nazarene Christians! – and a young man who has just been molded in the crucible of Hell needing to find his way back home.  To make a long story short – because I intend to do some further work on parts of it in later posts about our family – Dad went back to college on the GI Bill to get a degree in Business and a Minor in Philosophy of Religion.  He had to reclaim his soul – and he had to do it his way, part of it in the classroom, part of it with Mom and part of it in bars on the tough side of town with his new in-laws!  I’d be hard put to judge which place brings you closest to God; the sanctuary, the Comparative Religion classroom, or the bar!  But, one thing is for sure, it is the love that ties it all together.

So, he studied and drank and fought and loved, and they shared life and had me and my sister.  Some of my favorite memories of my youth are sitting with Dad discussing religious ideas.  It was no holds barred.  As much as he was in love with Jesus, Dad was never a Holy Roller.  He behaved toward the Church a whole lot like he did toward the Army.  A lot of the rules were irrelevant as far as he was concerned and that was what he taught his boy.  But – and this was key – it wasn’t because he didn’t believe.  It was because he always felt the package presented was short of the truth.  And the truth he saw was earned in discussions with some really fine theologians; in studying other religions besides the one with which he was raised; in figuring out his own truths of life with his wife that he loved, with the kids that he taught and with the herculean task of reclaiming that which was rightfully his, his own loving spirit.

The Church and religions in general like to control and offer rewards and punishments.  Many are quite happy to peddle hysteria and snake oil like Gantry often did, but a life like my folks had inoculates you against their power grabs in such a way that you can separate the wheat from the chaff and feast spiritually from what religious giants offer.  But, it takes life’s forge to get you ready for that and sometimes it is earned with a black eye or a split lip or a philosophical discussion on a bar stool.

How did my folks win?  They put the truths of life, the love of people and their own spirituality first.  They had to.  It was survival for them.  But, note the important distinction here: they did not approach spirituality through religious understanding – they approached religious understanding through their spirituality.  And they threw something else out the window, the idea that being human is somehow bad, something to be escaped.  They embraced their humanity and celebrated life – and found God right in the middle!

This Group is a Karass

Karass: A group of people linked in a cosmically significant manner, even when superficial linkages are not evident.

Concept “created” by Kurt Vonnegut.

The above is the definition supplied by the Urban Dictionary.  I was acquainted with the term because years ago I read it in Vonnegut’s book Cat’s Cradle and the term stayed with me.  Along those lines, Wikipedia expands the explanation to include:

The people can be thought of as like the fingers that support a cat’s cradle.

This is all part of a religion that he invented for the book called Bokononism.  The foundation of Bokononism is that all religion, including Bokononism and all its texts, is formed entirely of lies; however, if you believe and adhere to these lies, you will live a happy life.  These lies are called foma.

Here are some of the other interesting parts of his “created” religion:

• duprass – a karass that consists of only two people.  The two members of a duprass always die within a week of each other.
• granfalloon – a false karass; i.e., a group of people who imagine they have a connection that does not really exist. An example is "Hoosiers"; Hoosiers are people from Indiana, and Hoosiers have no true spiritual destiny in common, so really share little more than a name.
• wampeter – the central theme or purpose of a karass
• foma – harmless untruths; lies that bring one comfort
• Busy, busy, busy – words Bokononists whisper upon witnessing an example of how interconnected everything is
• zah-mah-ki-bo – fate, inevitable destiny

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I seem to simultaneously be part of more than one karass right now and have been parts of still others in the past.  Or, has it been one karass with different faces?

In any case, we used the concepts freely in the 70’s – and many of them have stood the test of time for me.  The karass seems to me to be a gathering that serves somewhat like a cosmic tuner and I can actually feel a difference around certain groups.  What think you?

Do you think karasses exist?

Do you think we are one?

If so, what is our wampeter?  What are our foma?

Are you part of a granfalloon?

Do you believe in zah-mah-ki-bo?

The only part that I don’t even put up for debate is … busy, busy, busy!

You can read about this totally fun – but thought provoking – romp at this link to Wikipedia or by reading Vonnegut’s delightful book, Cat’s Cradle.

The Wooden Spoon: A Modern Parable

A group of people gathered weekly at their local place of worship.  They were followers of a humble man with heart that wouldn’t end and in celebration of that humility, they partook of weekly communion in fellowship by eating soup with a wooden spoon.  Everyone was served a bowl and the nourishment reminded them of what they shared as a community and they went forth renewed.

Some went forth to their art studios, grabbed their chisels and paint brushes, inspired and refreshed to create great works of beauty and meaning.  Others took up musical instruments and produced enchanting and uplifting melodies.  Still others went to gardens and grabbed shovels and trowels and pruners, bringing forth fruits, vegetables and beautiful shade trees.

But, there was another group who insisted that their leader only wished them to use wooden spoons for everything, because that was what he showed them as a tool of shared sustenance and fellowship.  They forgot that he was himself a carpenter by trade.

So, they came to the art studio with their spoons and their insistence.  Unfortunately, they were unable to carve any marble and found themselves only able to scoop a little mud or clay into unrecognizable forms.  The paint smeared when spread with the spoon.  They were very angry and said that artistic endeavors were bad!

So, they marched as a group to the music studio and found that the only sound they were able to produce was a cacophony of clacking sounds when they whacked their spoons together.  Again, they were angry and insisted that the musical instruments were an abomination.

Last, they went into the garden.  They did a little better here.  They could dig small holes with the spoons, provided the earth was soft, and they were able to plant small plants.  Of course, they couldn’t prune anything and the plants became unruly.  And, it took a long time to plant a shade tree, trust me.

Then, worst of all, they discovered that one of their members had used tools for paleontology, had uncovered some preserved soft tissue from a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a 65 million year old Earth stratum, and immediately dipped their spoons in ink, writing very large:

Noah lived with dinosaurs!

The flood of Noah was 4350 yrs ago. This T- rex lived, died, and was buried (protecting it) 4350 yrs ago.

Or do you believe that this T-rex died 65 million yrs ago and still has "stuff" coming out of its blood vessels.

http://creation.com/still-soft-and-stretchy#_ftn4

The Creation Museum
Petersburg, KY
"Prepare to Believe"

Unfortunately, one of the parishioners had a sense of humor and asked the obvious question:

Why didn’t Noah collect two of each kind of Dinosaur like he was supposed to?

Again, they were quite angry.  And, the worst part is that using their spoons now spoiled the taste of the soup!

To All of My Friends, I Wish You a Happy Easter

As I reflect upon one of the most important days of the religious tradition in which I was raised, it strikes me that those of us who reach out to those around the world, to those we now have as personal friends, we will not have been raised in the same traditions.  Does this mean we should hide our upbringings?  Or, does this mean we should insist upon our own approach to what we see as that which lies behind our universe, that others should be pitied or condemned?  If so, then how can these be friends?

I would not have written this when I first started this blog.  You needed time to come to know me, to trust my intent.  I am NOT a Bible-thumping judgmental bigot.  I was raised by a mother who was Nazarene and a father who was Methodist, two Christian Protestant churches of very different nature.  Perhaps more importantly, my father and I have discussed our religious views since I was very young.  He has a minor in Philosophy of Religion and his favorite class was Comparative Religions.

So, when I was pegged by my church to write a Mission Statement for our church, I reflected within, sought God in my fashion and this is what I wrote for our church’s mission:

Our Church’s Mission Statement

After much prayerful consideration, we have set the Mission of Mt. Eden Presbyterian Church on four pillars:

• Service
• Prayer
• Stewardship
• Worship

These are the means that God has rewarded our use of in the the past and we believe it to be the means He wishes us to employ in the future.  Through service to the needs of our congregation and community we seek to step beyond the self-interest which so often blocks us from residence in God’s Kingdom and to bring relief to people in pain.  With prayer we listen for guidance from the Lord and appeal for His intercession on behalf of those needs we find around us.  These acts bring us true treasures; spiritual, human and financial, that we must cultivate and care for with loving hands and hearts and replant for generations to come.  Our gathering for worship is one of our great joys and rededications, an offering and harvest for that which we sow, a celebration to be shared.

We don’t seek to judge, but to invite.  We don’t look to teach, but to seek and share.  We don’t ask for uniformity, but a reflection of the diversity we find all around us.  Our Mission is to use these means to bring God’s presence to our community and to bring our community to God’s presence.

When I resurfaced – for this came out of me all in one pass – I had to think, “This will be a real challenge to my church.  I wonder what they will want to modify?”  To my amazement, this was accepted by unanimous vote with the suggestion by someone that it need not even be discussed!  That gave me a very good feeling about that church itself, not a feeling I have always had toward churches.

A little study has shown me that I am not alone.  The current Pope is pretty conservative in this area, but I bring you the words of a recent Pope:

Pope John Paul II

When he visited Morocco in August 1985, he addressed a group of thousands of young Muslims in Casablanca at the invitation of the King of Morocco. His brief was to encourage them to be good young people, committed to their religion. He said to them:

"We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection … The Catholic Church regards with respect and recognizes the equality of your religious progress, the richness of your spiritual tradition. We Christians, also, are proud of our own religious tradition … I believe that we, Christians and Muslims, must recognize with joy the religious values that we have in common, and give thanks to God for them … In general, we have badly understood each other, and sometimes, in the past, we have opposed and even exhausted each other in polemics and in wars … I believe that today, God invites us to change our old practices. We must respect each other, and we must also stimulate each other in good works on the path of God."

The celebration of a World Day of Prayer for Peace on October 27, 1986, when the Pope prayed not just with other Christian leaders but with leaders of the world religions, each praying in their own way and in silence together for peace in the world, marked a new stage in relationships between the Catholic Church and other world religions. Never before had an event such as this taken place.

I want to invite all of you in your own way, whether you are believer, atheist, pantheist or agnostic to share in a common effort on this day.  As always, I seek to convert and judge no one, even those who seek to convert and judge, but rather express the truths I find.  Seek the truth that you find within yourself and in the world, then express the best you find.  Seek to better the cause of all life.

Would you share with us some of the things you in your personal beliefs, habits and traditions do to reach out to loved ones, humanity and the divine?

And I ask that you do one thing in excess: Love!

Don’t Repent, Sinner…I’m Enjoying Your Ways!

We are a confused, guilt-ridden lot carrying around some of the phoniest concerns ever poured into a human head.  My great grandma was a Nazarene and I’m telling you that I don’t think she spent much time in the New Testament.  No, sir, the old ways were good enough for her.  You see, you had Heaven and you had Hell – and you better make your choice right now!  Amen, sister!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against my great grandmother.  I loved my great grandmother.  My great grandmother was a friend of mine.  And, reader, you’re no great grandmother!  I spent hours at her place and, trust me, she was good stock.  That’s where I learned to set up dominoes in long lines and tip the first to watch that exquisite cascade of destruction.  That’s where I watched Oral Roberts heal folks.  Why, we were close!

So, what does she go and do when I’m about 20?  She sends me a letter saying she has just about lost me.  Now, I had to ask Mom what this was about.  Mom told me, “Oh, don’t worry, she’s done that to all of us.”  Calm as you please.

Of course, she HAD just about lost me.  She had no way to verify it, though.  I was busy cutting as wide a swath as the lawnmower of my id could manage.  Kind of like Clark Gable in the movie San Francisco.  Kind of…without a lot of the charm.  I was seeing a whole lot of the world as the Barbary Coast at that point.  I was probably lucky to make it back to civilization at all.

But I look back with some kindness on that young man.  He was sincerely trying to figure out what the world and people and God were about and how it all intersected.  He was accumulating that treasure trove of experiences that make this older man a whole lot less judgmental and a whole lot more supportive.

You didn’t lose me, great grandma.  I remember what you taught me.  I love you for it.  And I love that young guy you helped put on the path.  He was wild, but what else could he be?  He was carrying your genes!