Csquared Thoughts

sacred texts

Secular writer and editor Susie Bright directed attention to a cool Web site, the Internet Sacred Text Archive. The site contains a huge number of public domain texts from a wide variety of religious traditions. It's an amazing resource that I have just begun to explore. I suspect that for some texts, there are better, newer, copyrighted versions for which you'd need to buy the book. But as a starting point, a great place to begin an exploration of a wide variety of texts.

The subtext here is that the founder of the site is struggling with cancer, and is facing an uncertain future. But he is working to ensure that the site lives on, whatever happens with him. Details in a Santa Cruz Sentinel article.

The Porpoise Driven Life

I'm rather behind the curve on this one. This was making the rounds of the blogs I read back in February. But I still felt it worth publishing here. I found it to be laugh out loud funny!

How to think about Benedict XVI?

I'm not sure whether to love or hate Pope Benedict XVI. On his trip to Africa, he said that condoms helped spread AIDS, rather than help prevent it. Later the same week, he said religion must reject violence and that Catholics and Muslims should work together "to build a civilization of love."

I'm confused. I don't know what to think about his statements.

Insights anyone? FranIam? 

Thoughts on Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur begins today at sundown.

I've always had a great appreciation for this day on the Jewish Calendar. The idea of taking a whole day to reflect and repent is something that I can learn from. I get chills whenever I hear the Kol Nidre. My first wife was Jewish and I had the opportunity to attend the Yom Kippur service one year. It was a powerful experience.

The day also causes me to reflect on my own relationship with religion. I spent many years looking at other traditions, from Judaism to Buddhism. I've more than once seriously thought of converting to Judaism. But in 1996, when Religious Science wasn't working for me, I had an epiphany that told me I would be best off if I stayed within my own tradition. I grew up in the Methodist church, but didn't find that terribly attractive. I was attracted to much of what I knew of the Episcopal church, and first began exploring Episcopal services that fall. I've been in the Episcopal/Lutheran orbit of liturgical worship ever since.

I love the liturgical service, and I deeply value the opportunity to receive Communion each week. But I also love the Jewish approach of emphasizing each person's direct relationship with God, without needing an intermediary. There's a lot in that for me.

Still, as I learn more about the radical nature of who Jesus as opposed to the somewhat sanitized version we usually get, my respect for him and his mission has increased. But is he the savior? Well, I can't say yes to that with any conviction.

I know that humans have a strong spiritual and religious component in them, and I find that expression in music and liturgy and Communion. But literal belief, no. So while the more pared down and direct approach of modern, mainline Judaism makes a lot of sense to me, I guess I'll stay with my trinitarian roots.

But I'll always have the greatest appreciation for Yom Kippur.

One of the Signs of the Apocalypse?

Beliefnet.com now a Fox property

Well, probably not, but still....

What I Understand...What I Don't

Andy of Sinning Boldly briefly maintained a blog on baseball. It made me think about my own view of sports.

I can watch basketball (the Warriors are in the playoffs for the first time in 14 years), or hockey (the Sharks are in the playoffs again), or football (49ers and Raiders, umm...never mind), and pretty much, but not completely, understand the game. Terry, on the other hand, thoroughly understands basketball, and all its subtleties.

For me, it's baseball I know and understand. I grew up a Dodger fan, listening to Vin Scully pretty much since the Dodgers came West in 1958. After moving to the Bay Area in 1985, I started following the Giants in the early 1990's, and the A's as well.

Baseball I understand, thoroughly and completely. It's ingrained in a way that basketball, hockey, and football aren't.

So when I left the Religious Science tradition in 1997, I had looked at Judaism and Eastern traditions, and as much as they had attraction for me, I realized that I really needed to return to what I knew, to my roots, to Christianity. I came back to a liturgical tradition, not what I grew up with, but nonetheless returned to what I knew.

Leaving Church

James K.A. Smith, in his What I'm Reading blog, comments on Barbara Brown Taylor's recent book, Leaving Church.

I don't much agree with his perspective, but it prompted me to respond directly to him, since that blog doesn't allow comments. I had read Leaving Church some months ago, and had meant to blog on it. I never got around to it, so I'll share my comments to Dr. Smith, which pretty much said what I wanted to say in my blog anyway:

I'm a rather big fan of Barbara Brown Taylor, but then I'm a self-admitted left-leaning liberal, so I appreciate her perspective. Still, I have to admit the book, which I think was meant as a cathartic exercise for her as much as anything, was not completely ingenuous. What she refers to only obliquely is that someone somewhere (I forget who or where) declared her "one of the ten best preachers in the English language." This resulted in busloads of tourists coming to hear her preach, and her own congregants feeling displaced in their own church. Good for her career, not good for her role as rector to that congregation.

I have to say, though, that as someone who once considered studying for the vocation of Episcopal priest, reading Leaving Church made me realize I couldn't handle it. The 4:00 a.m. phone calls, bailing someone out of jail, being with the family of someone dying. I couldn't do it. Sunday morning, the Eucharist, the celebration, yes. But there's a lot more to the job than that, and it's not something I could handle. So I'll just stay in high tech.

By the way, as Dean Alan Jones of Grace Cathedral points out, the title is Leaving Church, not Leaving the Church.

Salvation

When I drive by the local Baptist church in town, I often think of the message they had on their signboard a few years back, when Survivor was in its first season.

Actually a bit surprising coming from a Baptist church, but the pastor in those days was an OK guy

We lost a husband and wife as members at Good Shepherd a while back. During adult education, the husband was trying to get Pastor Koch to admit that those who didn't believe would be condemned. Pastor would not bite, and maintained the position that, while he did not know, he believed that somehow in God's plan there must be a provision for salvation of unbelievers. They decided to find another church more compatible with their beliefs.

Somewhere in Madeleine L'Engle's non-fiction (let me know if you know where this is) she says something to the effect of, "I'm not a Universalist, but I don't believe God would condemn anyone to hell." I'm not sure what part of that makes her not a Universalist, but I agree.

In this life, by our our beliefs, actions, and attitudes, we can create our own hell.

In the next life I have to believe there is salvation for all.

For the Time Being

In his blog Fors Clavigera, James K.A. Smith reprints a the famous long passage from near the end of W.H. Auden's oratorio, For the Time Being. I commend the whole passage to you.

Let me quote one portion here:

Once again As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed To do more than entertain it as an agreeable Possibility, once again we have sent Him away, Begging though to remain His disobedient servant, The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.

A bit depressing, but as true now as when it was written in 1944. The Incarnation is important, and I often think we give it short shrift in relation to Lent and the Passion. We need to savor the season while it is here. Still, Auden goes on to say:

The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory, And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now Be very far off.

And I can't help but notice that Lent starts early this year. Ash Wednesday is 21 February. Maybe we need that season to really integrate the actual Vision into our lives.

But we're not there yet, so let's do all we can now to experience the joy of the Incarnation. Epiphany isn't until 6 January, so we still have plenty of time to enjoy the season.

Happy Holidays

Advent 3
3rd Day of Hanukkah

I'm tired of the Christian Right saying that we should stop saying "Happy Holidays," and make more specific Christmas greetings this time of year.

My first marriage was to a Jewish woman. We attended Friday Shabbat services at the synagogue. We attended High Holy Days services on Yom Kippur. We celebrated the Passover Seder with her cousin's family. I continue to remain in touch with her cousin since Ruth's death in 1989.

Today I work in a diverse environment. Many of my co-workers are from India. They may be Christian, but they are more likely to be Hindu, or members of another Eastern religion. Many of my American colleagues choose not to have a religious orientation.

I consider myself a Christian, and I observe Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. I appropriately say "Advent Blessings" and "Happy Christmas" to my fellow worshipers. But I honor and respect those who don't observe Christian holidays.

So it is without any guilt that I clearly say to those who don't choose the path of Christianity, "Happy Holidays!"