Weekly Recap for Tuesday, November 1, 2016 from ProgressiveChristianity.org of Gig Harbor, Washington, United States "Do you believe apologies and reparations are widely unpopular in modern US culture? This and more in our Free Weekly Recap of our most viewed and new resources from last week." for Tuesday, 1 November 2016
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We delved into the topics of: Racial Healing, Immoral Equivalence, False Beliefs and Creation.
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Racial Healing in a Small Town
Frank LeskoThis is going to be one of those stories where the names and locations are kept anonymous to protect privacy. When it comes to racial and religious reconciliation, all too often the most heartfelt stories are also the most confidential.
It is a story that needs to be told, though. I will do my best to share the light and protect all parties.
My travels take me all across the US rural Southeast–to small towns and hollers, cities and hamlets, mountaintops, farms and empty lots. For some reason, my work has not yet taken me to the beach, but I have been to just about every other geographic feature in this region. I digress.
This story takes place in one of those small towns.
It is a story that needs to be told, though. I will do my best to share the light and protect all parties.
My travels take me all across the US rural Southeast–to small towns and hollers, cities and hamlets, mountaintops, farms and empty lots. For some reason, my work has not yet taken me to the beach, but I have been to just about every other geographic feature in this region. I digress.
This story takes place in one of those small towns.
Like so many locations in the rural Southeast, this town has had a long and difficult history along racial and religious lines. Many people are eager to move beyond the past they have inherited, even if they are not altogether sure how to do that. However, there is much work to be done and many levels of consciousness where this work still needs to happen.
This is a town with a ministerial association. For those not familiar with the term, this is a group where local ministers from various churches come together for dialogue and shared projects. It was not that long ago that mutual condemnation and shunning were the typical manner that churches from different denominations treated each other, so these ministerial alliances have been a huge force in moving beyond that. Pastors get together to break bread, organize events and discern ways to serve the community together.
It can take a tremendous bravery for folks to be willing to give this a try, especially when the history has been particularly difficult. After generations of misunderstandings and mistreatment–with much of it still a very living memory–folks cross religious, racial and ethnic lines to take the first steps toward fellowship with one another in faith. It takes real vulnerability, because doing this will often bring all those unhealed wounds and misunderstandings right to the surface. It takes faith to even try and an outpouring of grace to succeed, and that is exactly why the church can sometimes be the best way to bring a fractured community together.
Among their activities, this ministerial alliance in question has organized a community-wide Martin Luther King Jr. worship service. It has been going on for over 10 years with tentative but strong involvement from local churches, black, white and Hispanic. In fact, every church in town would participate. It was a growing and well-regarded annual occasion.
This is a town with a ministerial association. For those not familiar with the term, this is a group where local ministers from various churches come together for dialogue and shared projects. It was not that long ago that mutual condemnation and shunning were the typical manner that churches from different denominations treated each other, so these ministerial alliances have been a huge force in moving beyond that. Pastors get together to break bread, organize events and discern ways to serve the community together.
It can take a tremendous bravery for folks to be willing to give this a try, especially when the history has been particularly difficult. After generations of misunderstandings and mistreatment–with much of it still a very living memory–folks cross religious, racial and ethnic lines to take the first steps toward fellowship with one another in faith. It takes real vulnerability, because doing this will often bring all those unhealed wounds and misunderstandings right to the surface. It takes faith to even try and an outpouring of grace to succeed, and that is exactly why the church can sometimes be the best way to bring a fractured community together.
Among their activities, this ministerial alliance in question has organized a community-wide Martin Luther King Jr. worship service. It has been going on for over 10 years with tentative but strong involvement from local churches, black, white and Hispanic. In fact, every church in town would participate. It was a growing and well-regarded annual occasion.
All that came to a halt when a very unfortunate incident happened.
After an MLK Jr. worship service a few years ago, the assembled people shared food and fellowship. One of the African-American churches had led the assembly in music that day. During this fellowship, a white person was overheard complaining: “I wish those people wouldn’t sing so loud!” Word of this got back to the respective churches, and the African-American church that had sung that day became very upset. They subsequently withdrew from the ministerial alliance and from all such events in town.
It may be difficult to understand the kind of harm such a statement can carry if you do not share the same history of segregation, injustice and persecution. This is why it is so important for communities to listen to each other and respect each others’ feelings. Was this an offhanded comment of a single individual? It is easy to fear that perhaps this individual was speaking aloud the hidden thoughts of the larger community. It is easy to understand why a community that had experienced a long history of negativity toward them would not want to re-engage with this kind of negativity again, especially if the veil of politeness was masking a hidden racism that manifested as jokes told behind their backs.
Reconciliation can be a very fragile thing. People are silently wondering–can we trust you? Are we really going to put the past behind us and take real steps forward, or are we just going to keep reliving the past? This is true whether the reconciliation is religious, racial, ethnic or along other lines.
In another anonymous town in another anonymous location, I have seen a Catholic and Pentecostal church develop a robust and warm friendship. They were a model relationship and had many layers of connection over the course of a few years. Nevertheless, this partnership came to a screeching halt when old theological fears flared up and one community became worried about the influence and legitimacy of the other. In still other places, I have seen Hispanics and Muslims go from regular, friendly faces in the community to barely tolerated outsiders as larger cultural trends in American politics have a very real local impact on very real individuals. Islamophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric, so often bandied about in the media and on talk radio, often turns into real bruises on real people in towns all across this country.
Unity can be so fragile.
Going back to the first small town, all the hard work of building harmony together was suddenly eroded after one unfortunate incidence. This African-American church would no longer participate in activities with the other churches. The ministerial alliance continued with their services, but it was not quite the same. It was like a member of the family was no longer there. It was impossible to say the whole community was coming together when it was not.
Some of the pastors attempted to bridge the divide in the years since then, but the offended church was not interested in rejoining.
Until now.
Just a couple weeks ago, a group of white women from the community decided to go to this African-American church to attend their worship service. As is customary, there was a time for visitors to stand up, introduce themselves and talk about why they decided to attend worship.
They made an announcement. They said they heard there was a terrible insult. They said they were sorry and apologized. They invited this church to come back, saying, “We need you.” They invited them to attend the MLK Jr. Day worship scheduled for the following week and join in the service.
The women were not sure what impact this might have had. On the day of the MLK Jr. service, it looked at first like there was no sign of this African-American church returning and participating in the service. However, one woman saw the pastor and some congregations members sitting in the back. After the service, the women approached them and thanked them for coming. The pastor said he appreciated the invitation. He let them know there was not enough time for the whole choir to prepare, but they would do so another time in the future.
It is easy to feel the first steps toward healing have happened.
I was not privy to all the discussion in this community. I do not know what made this church take this step. Perhaps it was a combination of the healing effect of time plus the sum total of other attempts at reconciliation. Nevertheless, this encounter seemed to break the ice.
The power of a public apology is so powerful. These women were able to do what their pastors alone were not. They went out of their way to invite this church back, and their words and actions made it clear–the individual who made that comment does not speak for the whole community.
A public apology is one of the most rarely used tools at our disposal in our culture. We do it even more rarely for actions committed by others in the past. But these women recognized that even though they did not commit this insult, by being part of the community they have a responsibility to make it right.
I am reminded of the actions of Pope Francis. He goes out of his way on regular occasions to apologize for the actions of some Catholics–or the Catholic Church as a whole–in the past. You can just Google search “Pope Francis apologizes” and you will find a quite a bit of material.
Most recently, Pope Francis apologized for the ways Catholics have treated other Christians throughout history. No, Pope Francis did not personally commit those grievous acts of violence against non-Catholics in previous centuries. But as pope, he along with all faithful Catholics carry the mantle of an inherited tradition. That means inheriting the good as well as the bad. It means a Catholic cannot be proud to stand on the shoulders of the robust intellectual and artistic tradition and the works of mercy of the saints without also living in the tragic legacy of unhealed wounds and tainted riches that have come from dubious sources.
Americans have a difficult time with this. We are quick to be proud of the traditions of our families, our nation and our churches. We are proud to stand on the shoulders of the noble people who have come before us. However, we distance ourselves from anything negative that comes along with that. Apologies and reparations are widely unpopular in modern US culture.
Whether we personally have committed negative acts directly or not, we as a community always bear responsibility for making it right. It may seem unfair to inherit someone else’s mess, but if we are quick to accept the good from our ancestors that means we also have to take ownership of the bad, too. It is a package deal.
There is always a danger in a story like this in portraying the white women as the heroes, which can run the risk of perpetuating a subtle racism rather than overcoming it. However, I think that is a risk worth taking, as long as we proceed with care and sensitivity. Not taking that risk and just doing nothing would be far worse.
Besides, I don’t see this story as one-sided. Both sides of this fracture have taken steps in bravery and vulnerability to work towards reconciliation. I admire people who are willing to do this very difficult but necessary work. Otherwise, the pain just gets passed down from generation to generation and it never goes away until someone engages with it. Just like Jesus healed through touch, we must also be willing to touch our wounds and the wounds of others for healing to happen. We must proceed gently. If we err, let’s make sure we always err on the side of apologizing too much and giving each other too many chances, rather than too few. Seventy times seven chances, actually.
Setbacks can bring despair, especially after the hard work of years can seem to evaporate in an instant. But setbacks are to be expected, as the path to reconciliation is rarely a straight line. Each setback affords us the opportunity to renew our commitment to each other. A setback can be a fracture or an opportunity for grace.
I suggest we keep this anonymous small town in our thoughts and prayers. They have certainly inspired me.
Let us hope that God continues to bless this work of reconciliation done in Christ’s name!
II Corinthians 5:17-20
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
READ ON ...
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Immoral Equivalence?
After an MLK Jr. worship service a few years ago, the assembled people shared food and fellowship. One of the African-American churches had led the assembly in music that day. During this fellowship, a white person was overheard complaining: “I wish those people wouldn’t sing so loud!” Word of this got back to the respective churches, and the African-American church that had sung that day became very upset. They subsequently withdrew from the ministerial alliance and from all such events in town.
It may be difficult to understand the kind of harm such a statement can carry if you do not share the same history of segregation, injustice and persecution. This is why it is so important for communities to listen to each other and respect each others’ feelings. Was this an offhanded comment of a single individual? It is easy to fear that perhaps this individual was speaking aloud the hidden thoughts of the larger community. It is easy to understand why a community that had experienced a long history of negativity toward them would not want to re-engage with this kind of negativity again, especially if the veil of politeness was masking a hidden racism that manifested as jokes told behind their backs.
Reconciliation can be a very fragile thing. People are silently wondering–can we trust you? Are we really going to put the past behind us and take real steps forward, or are we just going to keep reliving the past? This is true whether the reconciliation is religious, racial, ethnic or along other lines.
In another anonymous town in another anonymous location, I have seen a Catholic and Pentecostal church develop a robust and warm friendship. They were a model relationship and had many layers of connection over the course of a few years. Nevertheless, this partnership came to a screeching halt when old theological fears flared up and one community became worried about the influence and legitimacy of the other. In still other places, I have seen Hispanics and Muslims go from regular, friendly faces in the community to barely tolerated outsiders as larger cultural trends in American politics have a very real local impact on very real individuals. Islamophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric, so often bandied about in the media and on talk radio, often turns into real bruises on real people in towns all across this country.
Unity can be so fragile.
Going back to the first small town, all the hard work of building harmony together was suddenly eroded after one unfortunate incidence. This African-American church would no longer participate in activities with the other churches. The ministerial alliance continued with their services, but it was not quite the same. It was like a member of the family was no longer there. It was impossible to say the whole community was coming together when it was not.
Some of the pastors attempted to bridge the divide in the years since then, but the offended church was not interested in rejoining.
Until now.
Just a couple weeks ago, a group of white women from the community decided to go to this African-American church to attend their worship service. As is customary, there was a time for visitors to stand up, introduce themselves and talk about why they decided to attend worship.
They made an announcement. They said they heard there was a terrible insult. They said they were sorry and apologized. They invited this church to come back, saying, “We need you.” They invited them to attend the MLK Jr. Day worship scheduled for the following week and join in the service.
The women were not sure what impact this might have had. On the day of the MLK Jr. service, it looked at first like there was no sign of this African-American church returning and participating in the service. However, one woman saw the pastor and some congregations members sitting in the back. After the service, the women approached them and thanked them for coming. The pastor said he appreciated the invitation. He let them know there was not enough time for the whole choir to prepare, but they would do so another time in the future.
It is easy to feel the first steps toward healing have happened.
I was not privy to all the discussion in this community. I do not know what made this church take this step. Perhaps it was a combination of the healing effect of time plus the sum total of other attempts at reconciliation. Nevertheless, this encounter seemed to break the ice.
The power of a public apology is so powerful. These women were able to do what their pastors alone were not. They went out of their way to invite this church back, and their words and actions made it clear–the individual who made that comment does not speak for the whole community.
A public apology is one of the most rarely used tools at our disposal in our culture. We do it even more rarely for actions committed by others in the past. But these women recognized that even though they did not commit this insult, by being part of the community they have a responsibility to make it right.
I am reminded of the actions of Pope Francis. He goes out of his way on regular occasions to apologize for the actions of some Catholics–or the Catholic Church as a whole–in the past. You can just Google search “Pope Francis apologizes” and you will find a quite a bit of material.
Most recently, Pope Francis apologized for the ways Catholics have treated other Christians throughout history. No, Pope Francis did not personally commit those grievous acts of violence against non-Catholics in previous centuries. But as pope, he along with all faithful Catholics carry the mantle of an inherited tradition. That means inheriting the good as well as the bad. It means a Catholic cannot be proud to stand on the shoulders of the robust intellectual and artistic tradition and the works of mercy of the saints without also living in the tragic legacy of unhealed wounds and tainted riches that have come from dubious sources.
Americans have a difficult time with this. We are quick to be proud of the traditions of our families, our nation and our churches. We are proud to stand on the shoulders of the noble people who have come before us. However, we distance ourselves from anything negative that comes along with that. Apologies and reparations are widely unpopular in modern US culture.
Whether we personally have committed negative acts directly or not, we as a community always bear responsibility for making it right. It may seem unfair to inherit someone else’s mess, but if we are quick to accept the good from our ancestors that means we also have to take ownership of the bad, too. It is a package deal.
There is always a danger in a story like this in portraying the white women as the heroes, which can run the risk of perpetuating a subtle racism rather than overcoming it. However, I think that is a risk worth taking, as long as we proceed with care and sensitivity. Not taking that risk and just doing nothing would be far worse.
Besides, I don’t see this story as one-sided. Both sides of this fracture have taken steps in bravery and vulnerability to work towards reconciliation. I admire people who are willing to do this very difficult but necessary work. Otherwise, the pain just gets passed down from generation to generation and it never goes away until someone engages with it. Just like Jesus healed through touch, we must also be willing to touch our wounds and the wounds of others for healing to happen. We must proceed gently. If we err, let’s make sure we always err on the side of apologizing too much and giving each other too many chances, rather than too few. Seventy times seven chances, actually.
Setbacks can bring despair, especially after the hard work of years can seem to evaporate in an instant. But setbacks are to be expected, as the path to reconciliation is rarely a straight line. Each setback affords us the opportunity to renew our commitment to each other. A setback can be a fracture or an opportunity for grace.
I suggest we keep this anonymous small town in our thoughts and prayers. They have certainly inspired me.
Let us hope that God continues to bless this work of reconciliation done in Christ’s name!
II Corinthians 5:17-20
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
READ ON ...
-------
Immoral Equivalence?
Jim BurkloJesus taught that lust is as bad as adultery. Covetousness is as bad as theft. Anger is as bad as murder. His was an “argumentum ad absurdum” against anybody claiming to be morally pure, which was a real social problem in Israel in his time. The wealthy, leisured Pharisees used countless fussy purity codes to bludgeon into submission the mass of common people who could not afford the time and money to comply.
Jesus’ message has been taken out of that context by modern fundamentalists to suggest that each of us is a hopeless sinner, condemned to eternal hellfire for even the least dereliction of thought or deed, and that only by reciting certain magic words can a person be saved from doom. The remedy for sins of any size is the one-sized “sinner’s prayer”.
From acceptance of this dogma it is a short hop to conclude that because both Clinton and Trump have lied, they are equal in their sinfulness: “They’re both lying liars, so phooey on them – I’m not voting for either!”
Now is the time for an alternative theology.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” said St Paul in Romans 3:23. Existentially, humility and repentance are called from us all. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump should manifest the same meekness and desire for rectitude before God and their fellow citizens. But the enormous difference in moral turpitude between them still matters a great deal.
On occasion, Hillary Clinton has lied, or at least obfuscated the truth. She’s certainly swept embarrassing facts under the rug, as evidenced by the WikiLeaks revelations. She’s made mistakes and shown true contrition for them. But the volume and nature of Trump’s lies is unprecedented. He doesn’t sweep anything under the rug: he blatantly lies, then lies about his lies, then doubles and triples down with further denials. His rare apologies lack any sense of contrition. His initial support for the Iraq war is well-documented, but he barks denial when confronted with this fact. His promotion of the outrageous and manifestly racist “birther” idea that our President wasn’t born in the US continued well into his campaign. His political platform has little factual basis. Lies issue forth from him so thick and fast that neither his supporters nor his detractors can keep track of them, and this dampens the public outrage that ought to result. He lies spectacularly, and then turns around to call Clinton “lyin’ Hillary”, mesmerizing the public into believing that he’s no worse a liar than she.
But he’s a worse liar, and a worse sinner, by far. For him, lying and cheating is standard business practice. It’s fundamental to the way he would govern the country. Clinton’s lies matter, and she’s been called out for them, appropriately. But lies are not the foundation of her political platform nor will they be the basis of her administration. She argues her platform positions with verifiable details. She’s a wonk, a fact-junkie, almost to a fault.
All have fallen short of the glory of God. But some have fallen a lot shorter than others, and that makes a real difference when we are choosing our leaders. When it comes to the exercise of humility, that difference does not matter: every sinner ought to be as contrite as the next. But when it comes to deciding who is going to lead the most powerful nation on earth, it’s a huge mistake to presume an immoral equivalence between the candidates. Especially this time.
READ ON ...
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False Beliefs Behind Science and ReligionTitle
Jesus’ message has been taken out of that context by modern fundamentalists to suggest that each of us is a hopeless sinner, condemned to eternal hellfire for even the least dereliction of thought or deed, and that only by reciting certain magic words can a person be saved from doom. The remedy for sins of any size is the one-sized “sinner’s prayer”.
From acceptance of this dogma it is a short hop to conclude that because both Clinton and Trump have lied, they are equal in their sinfulness: “They’re both lying liars, so phooey on them – I’m not voting for either!”
Now is the time for an alternative theology.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” said St Paul in Romans 3:23. Existentially, humility and repentance are called from us all. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump should manifest the same meekness and desire for rectitude before God and their fellow citizens. But the enormous difference in moral turpitude between them still matters a great deal.
On occasion, Hillary Clinton has lied, or at least obfuscated the truth. She’s certainly swept embarrassing facts under the rug, as evidenced by the WikiLeaks revelations. She’s made mistakes and shown true contrition for them. But the volume and nature of Trump’s lies is unprecedented. He doesn’t sweep anything under the rug: he blatantly lies, then lies about his lies, then doubles and triples down with further denials. His rare apologies lack any sense of contrition. His initial support for the Iraq war is well-documented, but he barks denial when confronted with this fact. His promotion of the outrageous and manifestly racist “birther” idea that our President wasn’t born in the US continued well into his campaign. His political platform has little factual basis. Lies issue forth from him so thick and fast that neither his supporters nor his detractors can keep track of them, and this dampens the public outrage that ought to result. He lies spectacularly, and then turns around to call Clinton “lyin’ Hillary”, mesmerizing the public into believing that he’s no worse a liar than she.
But he’s a worse liar, and a worse sinner, by far. For him, lying and cheating is standard business practice. It’s fundamental to the way he would govern the country. Clinton’s lies matter, and she’s been called out for them, appropriately. But lies are not the foundation of her political platform nor will they be the basis of her administration. She argues her platform positions with verifiable details. She’s a wonk, a fact-junkie, almost to a fault.
All have fallen short of the glory of God. But some have fallen a lot shorter than others, and that makes a real difference when we are choosing our leaders. When it comes to the exercise of humility, that difference does not matter: every sinner ought to be as contrite as the next. But when it comes to deciding who is going to lead the most powerful nation on earth, it’s a huge mistake to presume an immoral equivalence between the candidates. Especially this time.
READ ON ...
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False Beliefs Behind Science and ReligionTitle
Chuck TurnerThis is a follow-up to the 4-Part Series which offer a practical path to loving your life every day.
Until five hundred years ago, thinking people assumed that truth was largely based on pure reason, revelation, and intuition, Since then we have discovered that it comes almost exclusively from evidence. But our concepts of truth, minds, and God are still based on pre-Renaissance beliefs, ignoring what science has discovered about information processing and the brain. By re-thinking them, we can open the door to a better world.
Truth. We still hold tightly to the notion that there is an absolute Truth. Science deals in theories and approximations rather than truth. Even principles such as E = MC2 are merely theories, forever subject to being replaced or modified. Truth is an invented standard for beliefs, and almost all beliefs about the world are expressed in invented, imprecise meanings. Mathematics and symbolic language use precise meanings, but they only tell us about the real world when we combine them with ordinary language.
A meaning has no content, except as part of an entire mental model of the world. A meaning like apple depends on meanings about color, nutrition, seeds, and so on. When we say that a belief is true, we ought to mean that it works powerfully within our model of the world. But we sometimes have two competing models, each one having advantages and disadvantages. Until modern times, we believed that Euclidean geometry was the Truth. It still has its advantages, but so do various non-Euclidean geometries. Relativity theory and quantum theory provide the same answer to many (but not all) questions. Each of them has its advantages.
Our scientific model is so powerful that you might assume that it can be perfected. To the contrary, we know that it will never quite work. Its foundation is the notion of causality, which fits imperfectly with reality. With the subatomic particles of which everything consists, causality does not work at all. Each time you repeat an experiment, you get any of thousands of results. The best we can do is to predict a statistical distribution of results. And causality does not even quite work with big things. ‘Randomness’ simply means “what is left over beyond what any causal theory can account for.”
Truth is sometimes said to be the correspondence between a belief and the facts of the matter. But you cannot quite lay one on top of the other, because facts are physical, and beliefs are meanings. Instead, we assess the truth of a belief by its power to predict, such as what will happen in an untested situation. Where each of two models has its advantages, or where they predict identically but cannot be combined, it might never be possible to prove that only one of them is true. We are about to discuss that as to brains versus minds. A better approach is to say that any model must be internally consistent, and with two conflicting but equally powerful models, there might be no way to tell whether only one is true. Truth is merely a construct, which means an invented concept. Other examples of constructs are causality and the center of gravity of an automobile.
Minds. The notion of a single Truth leads us to try to make sense of minds, free will, and good by the principles of the physical sciences. But it is unlikely that the laws of physics work tell the whole story for nonphysical things. One popular solution is dualism: in addition to the physical realm, there is also a nonphysical realm, occupied by spirits, souls, and qualia. Another solution, accepted by some scientists and philosophers, is that there are no such things as minds, free will, or good. But there is a third possibility that makes far more sense than either dualism or radical materialism.
The problem arises when we assume that there must be a real entity in the world behind each of our valid constructs. This, of course, is nonsense. An automobile has a precise center of gravity, not because there is any such entity in the physical world, but because we invented that construct such that everyone would agree on its location. The construct of a curvature of space works precisely, but there is no need to assert that empty space has an actual bend to it, as if emptiness had a shape. Time is a construct of unlimited value, but no one will ever capture any of it in a bottle. Such constructs have enormous truth value, without which we could not understand the world. But we don’t need to worry about whether there are metaphysical entities that correspond to each construct.
The brain is a physical entity, understood by causal principles. Like a computer, it simply does what it is programmed to do, with no need to be conscious or have free will. The mind, of course, freely envisions what you want and chooses the best way to pursue it. And yet mind and brain seem to precisely mirror each other. This paradox is stumping science and philosophy. But it disappears when we accept that there could two valid but irreconcilable models. The mental model uses different constructs, such as minds, free will, and good, and they are every bit as valid as time and the curvature of space. Both models are powerful, and we can only speculate whether there are actual metaphysical entities that correspond to the constructs of either one.
Besides our causal model, people have always used an intentional model. It is extremely powerful, and has some major advantages, but it is time that it be made more precise, using the scientific method. It revolves around the construct that there is a standard of objective wisdom with some upper limit that we might call ideal wisdom, although it is almost certainly rather fuzzy. We must accept the validity of objective wisdom in order for there to be personal understanding or any basis for choosing what to do next. Evolution just naturally selects those intentional creatures with a greater capacity for objective wisdom about surviving and thriving.
Do not get stuck on whether there are metaphysical entities behind minds, free will, or good. A Venus’ flytrap has no brain, but our intentional model makes sense of it as recognizing that this fly might be food, and then intentionally trapping it. The same behavior can be explained with our causal model, and each has its place.
The causal model portrays us as robotic, conditioned to do whatever makes survival more likely. The intentional model portrays us as rational, seeking to survive, and sometimes seeking happiness. It has constructs such as meanings, beliefs, and desires. The notions of truth and minds are our own inventions, serving vital purposes, as do the constructs of our causal model.
God. There is value in the various beliefs about God as a Being with a Mind, ruling from a nonphysical realm such as Heaven. We relegate those beliefs to faith, because they go beyond what we can learn from the evidence. But there is substantial evidence that God is a valid (and central) construct of our intentional model, without dealing with whether God is a Being.
In the intentional model, you are an “I” who relates to the world from a personal perspective, in a particular place in space-time, with a particular history and a particular model of things. This “I” is a valid and necessary construct, and the same is true of “we”, as in, “We want to move to Vermont.”
You have a mental model of the world. It is the lens that brings things into focus when you pay attention to them. When you see a red object, your model might assert that it is an apple, and that it is desirable for filling your empty belly. You intend to develop wiser beliefs and desires, so that your lens can serve you better. The Victim and Welcoming Perspectives are two different lenses that reveal rather different realities.
Each of us uses a personal lens. As you grow in wisdom, your lens improves in the direction of being an ideal lens, as a limit. Ideal Wisdom is our construct for that ideal lens. As the ideal of the lens used by your community, it brings the importance of the common good into focus. Since there can only be wisdom from a perspective, it is natural to conceive Ideal Wisdom as God, a Being with an Ideal Mind, beckoning each of us to become higher selves and recognize the importance of the common good. We have no scientific basis for determining whether God is a Being with a Mind or merely our personalization of a valid scientific principle. But we do know that Ideal Wisdom is profoundly valid as a construct. That is, we know a great deal about God, without addressing matters of faith.
Summary. Some of our fundamental concepts take forms that no longer serve us. Truth is centrally important, but as our tool rather than a metaphysical ideal. Minds and causation are just as valid constructs, so that there is no conflict between a robotic brain and your personal free will. And God is central to having lives that work, whether or not as a Being with a Mind.
Visit Chuck Turner’s website here: WelcomingPerspective
READ ON ...
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Liturgy Selection
- Click here to read Part 1.
- Click here to read Part 2.
- Click here to read Part 3.
- Click here to read Part 4.
Until five hundred years ago, thinking people assumed that truth was largely based on pure reason, revelation, and intuition, Since then we have discovered that it comes almost exclusively from evidence. But our concepts of truth, minds, and God are still based on pre-Renaissance beliefs, ignoring what science has discovered about information processing and the brain. By re-thinking them, we can open the door to a better world.
Truth. We still hold tightly to the notion that there is an absolute Truth. Science deals in theories and approximations rather than truth. Even principles such as E = MC2 are merely theories, forever subject to being replaced or modified. Truth is an invented standard for beliefs, and almost all beliefs about the world are expressed in invented, imprecise meanings. Mathematics and symbolic language use precise meanings, but they only tell us about the real world when we combine them with ordinary language.
A meaning has no content, except as part of an entire mental model of the world. A meaning like apple depends on meanings about color, nutrition, seeds, and so on. When we say that a belief is true, we ought to mean that it works powerfully within our model of the world. But we sometimes have two competing models, each one having advantages and disadvantages. Until modern times, we believed that Euclidean geometry was the Truth. It still has its advantages, but so do various non-Euclidean geometries. Relativity theory and quantum theory provide the same answer to many (but not all) questions. Each of them has its advantages.
Our scientific model is so powerful that you might assume that it can be perfected. To the contrary, we know that it will never quite work. Its foundation is the notion of causality, which fits imperfectly with reality. With the subatomic particles of which everything consists, causality does not work at all. Each time you repeat an experiment, you get any of thousands of results. The best we can do is to predict a statistical distribution of results. And causality does not even quite work with big things. ‘Randomness’ simply means “what is left over beyond what any causal theory can account for.”
Truth is sometimes said to be the correspondence between a belief and the facts of the matter. But you cannot quite lay one on top of the other, because facts are physical, and beliefs are meanings. Instead, we assess the truth of a belief by its power to predict, such as what will happen in an untested situation. Where each of two models has its advantages, or where they predict identically but cannot be combined, it might never be possible to prove that only one of them is true. We are about to discuss that as to brains versus minds. A better approach is to say that any model must be internally consistent, and with two conflicting but equally powerful models, there might be no way to tell whether only one is true. Truth is merely a construct, which means an invented concept. Other examples of constructs are causality and the center of gravity of an automobile.
Minds. The notion of a single Truth leads us to try to make sense of minds, free will, and good by the principles of the physical sciences. But it is unlikely that the laws of physics work tell the whole story for nonphysical things. One popular solution is dualism: in addition to the physical realm, there is also a nonphysical realm, occupied by spirits, souls, and qualia. Another solution, accepted by some scientists and philosophers, is that there are no such things as minds, free will, or good. But there is a third possibility that makes far more sense than either dualism or radical materialism.
The problem arises when we assume that there must be a real entity in the world behind each of our valid constructs. This, of course, is nonsense. An automobile has a precise center of gravity, not because there is any such entity in the physical world, but because we invented that construct such that everyone would agree on its location. The construct of a curvature of space works precisely, but there is no need to assert that empty space has an actual bend to it, as if emptiness had a shape. Time is a construct of unlimited value, but no one will ever capture any of it in a bottle. Such constructs have enormous truth value, without which we could not understand the world. But we don’t need to worry about whether there are metaphysical entities that correspond to each construct.
The brain is a physical entity, understood by causal principles. Like a computer, it simply does what it is programmed to do, with no need to be conscious or have free will. The mind, of course, freely envisions what you want and chooses the best way to pursue it. And yet mind and brain seem to precisely mirror each other. This paradox is stumping science and philosophy. But it disappears when we accept that there could two valid but irreconcilable models. The mental model uses different constructs, such as minds, free will, and good, and they are every bit as valid as time and the curvature of space. Both models are powerful, and we can only speculate whether there are actual metaphysical entities that correspond to the constructs of either one.
Besides our causal model, people have always used an intentional model. It is extremely powerful, and has some major advantages, but it is time that it be made more precise, using the scientific method. It revolves around the construct that there is a standard of objective wisdom with some upper limit that we might call ideal wisdom, although it is almost certainly rather fuzzy. We must accept the validity of objective wisdom in order for there to be personal understanding or any basis for choosing what to do next. Evolution just naturally selects those intentional creatures with a greater capacity for objective wisdom about surviving and thriving.
Do not get stuck on whether there are metaphysical entities behind minds, free will, or good. A Venus’ flytrap has no brain, but our intentional model makes sense of it as recognizing that this fly might be food, and then intentionally trapping it. The same behavior can be explained with our causal model, and each has its place.
The causal model portrays us as robotic, conditioned to do whatever makes survival more likely. The intentional model portrays us as rational, seeking to survive, and sometimes seeking happiness. It has constructs such as meanings, beliefs, and desires. The notions of truth and minds are our own inventions, serving vital purposes, as do the constructs of our causal model.
God. There is value in the various beliefs about God as a Being with a Mind, ruling from a nonphysical realm such as Heaven. We relegate those beliefs to faith, because they go beyond what we can learn from the evidence. But there is substantial evidence that God is a valid (and central) construct of our intentional model, without dealing with whether God is a Being.
In the intentional model, you are an “I” who relates to the world from a personal perspective, in a particular place in space-time, with a particular history and a particular model of things. This “I” is a valid and necessary construct, and the same is true of “we”, as in, “We want to move to Vermont.”
You have a mental model of the world. It is the lens that brings things into focus when you pay attention to them. When you see a red object, your model might assert that it is an apple, and that it is desirable for filling your empty belly. You intend to develop wiser beliefs and desires, so that your lens can serve you better. The Victim and Welcoming Perspectives are two different lenses that reveal rather different realities.
Each of us uses a personal lens. As you grow in wisdom, your lens improves in the direction of being an ideal lens, as a limit. Ideal Wisdom is our construct for that ideal lens. As the ideal of the lens used by your community, it brings the importance of the common good into focus. Since there can only be wisdom from a perspective, it is natural to conceive Ideal Wisdom as God, a Being with an Ideal Mind, beckoning each of us to become higher selves and recognize the importance of the common good. We have no scientific basis for determining whether God is a Being with a Mind or merely our personalization of a valid scientific principle. But we do know that Ideal Wisdom is profoundly valid as a construct. That is, we know a great deal about God, without addressing matters of faith.
Summary. Some of our fundamental concepts take forms that no longer serve us. Truth is centrally important, but as our tool rather than a metaphysical ideal. Minds and causation are just as valid constructs, so that there is no conflict between a robotic brain and your personal free will. And God is central to having lives that work, whether or not as a Being with a Mind.
Visit Chuck Turner’s website here: WelcomingPerspective
READ ON ...
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Liturgy Selection
CreationAutumn….the harvest…. the fall equinox…. days grow shorter and we are reminded of nature’s cycle moving inexorably toward winter yet again. We celebrate the abundance of the earth and at the same time share our concern about humanity’s impact on the planet. It begins with acknowledging that we are part of Creation, or as Chief Seattle said so well many years ago, “Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”
Celebrating the Presence of God
Celebrating the Presence of God by John Schimminger
Celebrating the Presence of God
Celebrating the Presence of God by John Schimminger
Liturgy for a Season Celebrating the Presence of God in His Created World
John Schimminger, St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church, Buffalo, New York
Collect 1 (use for 1 or 2 weeks)
O God, you are the creator and the very breath of all creation. You have created all, seen all and declared all that you have created to be good. Now we pray to you: breathe upon us again, giving us the wisdom to see your face in every flower, in every mountain, in every creature of the sea, the land and the air, in every molecule and every galaxy, in every storm and every sunset, in the Earth which sustains our life, and in every human being. Amen.
Collect 2 (use for 1 or 2 weeks)
O God, you are our Mother and our Father: creating us, nurturing us, teaching us, inspiring us, defending us, raising us up, sending us out, restoring us when we fall, sustaining us with your love and endowing us with the Earth’s abundance. Grant us always your wisdom and strength so that we may grow into our inheritance as your children and faithful stewards of your creation. Amen.
Collect 3 (use for 1 or 2 weeks)
O great God of all creation, you have created us, humanity, and you have given us power greater than any other of your creatures. You have given us a share in shaping the future of your creation itself. We know that you have done this in your infinite wisdom, though we have time and again failed to show wisdom in our use of this power. Deliver us, O God, from our arrogance, from our selfishness, from our ignorance, from our ingratitude. Open our eyes and our hearts to your will for the salvation of all your creatures. Open our eyes and our hearts to a clearer understanding of the work you have given us to do in continuing your great enterprise of creation. Help us to grow into our inheritance as your children and show us the way to being good stewards of your precious Earth. Amen
Prayers of the People
Let us pray to the Lord, the God of all creation, saying, “Open our eyes and our hearts.”
O God, bless the whole of your creation, the immensity of which confounds our imagination. Create in us the capacity for wonder that we may more fully comprehend the holiness of your natural world. Grant us true humility that we may have compassion for every creature you have made.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless all your people throughout the Earth, in every community and nation. Give us the vision to recognize that we are one race and one species, and one only among your numberless creations.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless our Bishops Rowan, Frank (or Katharine) and Michael, all ministers of the church, both clergy and lay people, and all in this gathering today. Help us all to discern our role in your creative work and to undertake our unique ministries within the community of God.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless the Earth with your abundance; with good will among all nations; with civil, political, social and economic justice; and with peace for all peoples of the world. Give us the vision and the will to share the Earth’s abundance fairly with all people, to find and follow the paths of peace.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. Give us the strength and courage to work for the relief of suffering wherever we find it.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless all those who yearn for meaning and purpose, love and compassion, whether they call these by the name of God or by another name. Give us the humility and the inspiration that we need, that we may be the incarnation of your love in our actions toward all members of the fellowship of being, both human and nonhuman.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless the lives and good deeds of all who have departed from us in death, especially _____________________. Grant us both the wisdom to remember the lessons they have taught us and the strength to carry on their good works.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless those friends and family members experiencing sickness or other troubles whom we hold within our hearts today, especially _______________________. Help us to remember that it is only in ministering to others that we can truly show our love for you.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless those whose birthdays and anniversaries we celebrate this week, especially ______________________. Help us to remember that in celebrating each other we become closer to you.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
O God the Creator of all, the Spirit of all, the Healer of all, your kingdom and power and glory shall be forever and ever.
Amen.
Confession of Sin
O God of compassion and love, you have given humanity power beyond that of any other creature. But in our brokenness we have often failed to be good stewards of that which you have given into our care. You have shown us your endless generosity and power in providing to us the many resources of the Earth. But in our spiritual blindness we experience fear and insecurity in the face of this abundance. We struggle to follow your ways of generosity and compassion, but we often lose our way, falling into the sins of greed, gluttony, arrogance, wastefulness, tribalism, racism, classism, nationalism, and other forms of bigotry, deceit, theft, neglect, pollution, wanton destruction, even murder and war – all out of blindness and fear. We forget that the world is yours, and there is more than enough for all.
We neglect the poor, the sick, the old, the dying, the oppressed, the imprisoned – or we allow those in power to neglect them without raising our voices. And we allow the continued abuse of your natural world in order to serve our unholy appetite for ever more acquisition and consumption.
We look upon our failures and our brokenness and regret them. We repent and resolve to take up again our task of caring for your world and all its creatures, including our fellow human beings.
In the name of Jesus the Christ, who has shown us the way of justice and compassion, look kindly upon us and forgive us. Crack open our hearts, O God, and fill them with your spirit, that we may become the face of your compassion in the world. Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving
It is right and a good and joyful thing to give thanks to you always, Creator God, because you have made the world in all its magnificence and abundance. You have given humanity power and responsibility over the Earth, and you have shown us through the incarnation of your love in Jesus Christ the way of reconciliation through faith and compassion.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels, with all the company of the heavens, and with all the creatures of the Earth, who forever sing their hymns to proclaim the glory of your name:
Sanctus
The Eucharistic Prayer
O God our Creator, out of nothing but yourself — your Love, your Word, your Breath — you have made the natural world of which we are a part. You are yourself the Wisdom within the natural world. You created the cosmic forces, the energy and the matter of the universe: atoms, molecules, gases, stars and galaxies. In days made out of eons you condensed the Earth from solar dust, cooled it, carved out its oceans, continents, mountains, valleys, plains and plateaus, and brought together the elements of life. Over days made out of ages you brought forth the many species of life upon the Earth: microbes and plants, fishes, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Among them you created humankind, endowing us with self-awareness and making us partners in the unfolding of creation.
But we were overwhelmed by our own powers. Our wisdom was insufficient to control our appetites, and we began to despoil the Earth and abuse each other out of fear and greed.
Yet in the fullness of your time you sent into the world the embodiment of your Love in humanity, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Christ, who showed us the Way which leads to the reconciliation of all things: the Way of love, compassion, justice, forgiveness and peace.
On the night before he was handed over to suffering and death, he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, “Take, eat: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine and, when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is with us always.
Christ will come again.
In this sacred rite of praise and thanksgiving we celebrate, O God, the saving work of Jesus by which he has shown us the path of reconciliation. Recalling his life, teaching, death, resurrection and ascension, we offer you these gifts of bread and wine. Breathe upon them now, sanctifying them to be for your people the very presence of your Love in flesh and blood, the holy food and drink of reconciliation with ourselves, each other and your whole creation. And breathe your Spirit into us so that, having partaken of this sacramental meal in faith, we may serve you in unity, constancy, and peace, and may dwell now and always in the joy of your everlasting kingdom.
All this we ask through the Christ, who is the human and cosmic incarnation of your Love.
By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of your Holy Spirit all honor and glory are yours, Creator God, now and forever. Amen.
Post Communion Prayer
Eternal God, Creator of the world, Mother and Father of humanity, hear us now. You have graciously invited us to be partners in your ongoing work of creation. Through the teaching and example of Jesus you have shown us the way to overcome our fears and to be reconciled to ourselves, one another and your whole creation. And you have fed us with spiritual food in this sacrament of unity. Send us now into your world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you, embracing the world with the fullness of your compassion, in the name of the Christ. Amen.
The Blessing
Now may the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, fill our hearts. And may our eyes be opened to the holiness and abundance of his created world. And may the blessing of God who has breathed life into the world, God who is the wisdom within nature, God who is the way of reconciliation, enfold us and remain with us this day and forevermore. Amen.
John Schimminger, St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church, Buffalo, New York
Collect 1 (use for 1 or 2 weeks)
O God, you are the creator and the very breath of all creation. You have created all, seen all and declared all that you have created to be good. Now we pray to you: breathe upon us again, giving us the wisdom to see your face in every flower, in every mountain, in every creature of the sea, the land and the air, in every molecule and every galaxy, in every storm and every sunset, in the Earth which sustains our life, and in every human being. Amen.
Collect 2 (use for 1 or 2 weeks)
O God, you are our Mother and our Father: creating us, nurturing us, teaching us, inspiring us, defending us, raising us up, sending us out, restoring us when we fall, sustaining us with your love and endowing us with the Earth’s abundance. Grant us always your wisdom and strength so that we may grow into our inheritance as your children and faithful stewards of your creation. Amen.
Collect 3 (use for 1 or 2 weeks)
O great God of all creation, you have created us, humanity, and you have given us power greater than any other of your creatures. You have given us a share in shaping the future of your creation itself. We know that you have done this in your infinite wisdom, though we have time and again failed to show wisdom in our use of this power. Deliver us, O God, from our arrogance, from our selfishness, from our ignorance, from our ingratitude. Open our eyes and our hearts to your will for the salvation of all your creatures. Open our eyes and our hearts to a clearer understanding of the work you have given us to do in continuing your great enterprise of creation. Help us to grow into our inheritance as your children and show us the way to being good stewards of your precious Earth. Amen
Prayers of the People
Let us pray to the Lord, the God of all creation, saying, “Open our eyes and our hearts.”
O God, bless the whole of your creation, the immensity of which confounds our imagination. Create in us the capacity for wonder that we may more fully comprehend the holiness of your natural world. Grant us true humility that we may have compassion for every creature you have made.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless all your people throughout the Earth, in every community and nation. Give us the vision to recognize that we are one race and one species, and one only among your numberless creations.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless our Bishops Rowan, Frank (or Katharine) and Michael, all ministers of the church, both clergy and lay people, and all in this gathering today. Help us all to discern our role in your creative work and to undertake our unique ministries within the community of God.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless the Earth with your abundance; with good will among all nations; with civil, political, social and economic justice; and with peace for all peoples of the world. Give us the vision and the will to share the Earth’s abundance fairly with all people, to find and follow the paths of peace.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. Give us the strength and courage to work for the relief of suffering wherever we find it.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless all those who yearn for meaning and purpose, love and compassion, whether they call these by the name of God or by another name. Give us the humility and the inspiration that we need, that we may be the incarnation of your love in our actions toward all members of the fellowship of being, both human and nonhuman.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless the lives and good deeds of all who have departed from us in death, especially _____________________. Grant us both the wisdom to remember the lessons they have taught us and the strength to carry on their good works.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless those friends and family members experiencing sickness or other troubles whom we hold within our hearts today, especially _______________________. Help us to remember that it is only in ministering to others that we can truly show our love for you.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
Bless those whose birthdays and anniversaries we celebrate this week, especially ______________________. Help us to remember that in celebrating each other we become closer to you.
Open our eyes and our hearts.
O God the Creator of all, the Spirit of all, the Healer of all, your kingdom and power and glory shall be forever and ever.
Amen.
Confession of Sin
O God of compassion and love, you have given humanity power beyond that of any other creature. But in our brokenness we have often failed to be good stewards of that which you have given into our care. You have shown us your endless generosity and power in providing to us the many resources of the Earth. But in our spiritual blindness we experience fear and insecurity in the face of this abundance. We struggle to follow your ways of generosity and compassion, but we often lose our way, falling into the sins of greed, gluttony, arrogance, wastefulness, tribalism, racism, classism, nationalism, and other forms of bigotry, deceit, theft, neglect, pollution, wanton destruction, even murder and war – all out of blindness and fear. We forget that the world is yours, and there is more than enough for all.
We neglect the poor, the sick, the old, the dying, the oppressed, the imprisoned – or we allow those in power to neglect them without raising our voices. And we allow the continued abuse of your natural world in order to serve our unholy appetite for ever more acquisition and consumption.
We look upon our failures and our brokenness and regret them. We repent and resolve to take up again our task of caring for your world and all its creatures, including our fellow human beings.
In the name of Jesus the Christ, who has shown us the way of justice and compassion, look kindly upon us and forgive us. Crack open our hearts, O God, and fill them with your spirit, that we may become the face of your compassion in the world. Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving
It is right and a good and joyful thing to give thanks to you always, Creator God, because you have made the world in all its magnificence and abundance. You have given humanity power and responsibility over the Earth, and you have shown us through the incarnation of your love in Jesus Christ the way of reconciliation through faith and compassion.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels, with all the company of the heavens, and with all the creatures of the Earth, who forever sing their hymns to proclaim the glory of your name:
Sanctus
The Eucharistic Prayer
O God our Creator, out of nothing but yourself — your Love, your Word, your Breath — you have made the natural world of which we are a part. You are yourself the Wisdom within the natural world. You created the cosmic forces, the energy and the matter of the universe: atoms, molecules, gases, stars and galaxies. In days made out of eons you condensed the Earth from solar dust, cooled it, carved out its oceans, continents, mountains, valleys, plains and plateaus, and brought together the elements of life. Over days made out of ages you brought forth the many species of life upon the Earth: microbes and plants, fishes, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Among them you created humankind, endowing us with self-awareness and making us partners in the unfolding of creation.
But we were overwhelmed by our own powers. Our wisdom was insufficient to control our appetites, and we began to despoil the Earth and abuse each other out of fear and greed.
Yet in the fullness of your time you sent into the world the embodiment of your Love in humanity, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Christ, who showed us the Way which leads to the reconciliation of all things: the Way of love, compassion, justice, forgiveness and peace.
On the night before he was handed over to suffering and death, he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, “Take, eat: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine and, when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is with us always.
Christ will come again.
In this sacred rite of praise and thanksgiving we celebrate, O God, the saving work of Jesus by which he has shown us the path of reconciliation. Recalling his life, teaching, death, resurrection and ascension, we offer you these gifts of bread and wine. Breathe upon them now, sanctifying them to be for your people the very presence of your Love in flesh and blood, the holy food and drink of reconciliation with ourselves, each other and your whole creation. And breathe your Spirit into us so that, having partaken of this sacramental meal in faith, we may serve you in unity, constancy, and peace, and may dwell now and always in the joy of your everlasting kingdom.
All this we ask through the Christ, who is the human and cosmic incarnation of your Love.
By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of your Holy Spirit all honor and glory are yours, Creator God, now and forever. Amen.
Post Communion Prayer
Eternal God, Creator of the world, Mother and Father of humanity, hear us now. You have graciously invited us to be partners in your ongoing work of creation. Through the teaching and example of Jesus you have shown us the way to overcome our fears and to be reconciled to ourselves, one another and your whole creation. And you have fed us with spiritual food in this sacrament of unity. Send us now into your world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you, embracing the world with the fullness of your compassion, in the name of the Christ. Amen.
The Blessing
Now may the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, fill our hearts. And may our eyes be opened to the holiness and abundance of his created world. And may the blessing of God who has breathed life into the world, God who is the wisdom within nature, God who is the way of reconciliation, enfold us and remain with us this day and forevermore. Amen.
read more
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Giving Thanks with All Our Hearts
Giving Thanks with All Our Hearts by Roger Courtney
We recognise that life is a gift and a joy to be lived in all its richness
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We celebrate the abundance of plants, flowers, vegetables and fruits that we are fortunate enough to enjoy
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise that the earth provides all the resources it needs for all of its people to live a fulfilling life, if they were shared fairly.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise the incredible beauty of the earth.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise that we have only borrowed this world from our children and it can provide for future generations if we stop selfishly plundering and damaging its abundant resources.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise that we are lucky enough share this planet with a wonderful and diverse array of other living beings who are also entitled to lives of dignity and fulfilment.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts.
Amen.
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Giving Thanks with All Our Hearts
Giving Thanks with All Our Hearts by Roger Courtney
We recognise that life is a gift and a joy to be lived in all its richness
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We celebrate the abundance of plants, flowers, vegetables and fruits that we are fortunate enough to enjoy
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise that the earth provides all the resources it needs for all of its people to live a fulfilling life, if they were shared fairly.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise the incredible beauty of the earth.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise that we have only borrowed this world from our children and it can provide for future generations if we stop selfishly plundering and damaging its abundant resources.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts
We recognise that we are lucky enough share this planet with a wonderful and diverse array of other living beings who are also entitled to lives of dignity and fulfilment.
All: We give thanks with all our hearts.
Amen.
read more
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Benediction
Benediction by Francis Macnab
May the God you see in all the colors of creation
arouse in you a sense of awe and wonder.
May the God who is a sacred presence be real to you.
May the God who is a source of inspiration and courage
keep calling you forward.
May your God go with you, and bless you.
Amen.
Francis Macnab in “The Historical Jesus Goes to Church”
Used with permission of Polebridge Press
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Benediction
Benediction by Francis Macnab
May the God you see in all the colors of creation
arouse in you a sense of awe and wonder.
May the God who is a sacred presence be real to you.
May the God who is a source of inspiration and courage
keep calling you forward.
May your God go with you, and bless you.
Amen.
Francis Macnab in “The Historical Jesus Goes to Church”
Used with permission of Polebridge Press
READ ON ...
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Events and Updates
Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World
Online eCourse by Charter for Compassion starting November 7th. The course includes a self-assessment of Emotional Intelligence skills and a final Action Plan for using those skills for a more compassionate world.
Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World
Because compassion begins with you . . .
Join Us on a Path to a More Compassionate World
I want to live in a world . . .,
where compassionate action is first to arrive when anyone is suffering or in pain—in hamlets, villages, towns, suburbs, cities, and countries throughout the world
where people of varied beliefs, lifestyles, languages, and cultures will truly listen, empathize, and reach out their hands to help one another in the spirit of compassion
where all people work to resolve our differences without violence, where we protect the innocent and learn how to forgive the guilty, and where compassion is our energy source for creating a peaceful world in which all people have compassion for the Earth and all life that exists on our beautiful planet
I’ve created an online course for a community of learners who share these hopes. Will you join us?
Click here for more information and to register
Topics of this Course
The course structure follows the five major aspects of Emotional Intelligence as defined by the Success Model of Emotional Intelligence. It includes a self-assessment of Emotional Intelligence skills and a final Action Plan for using those skills for a more compassionate world.
Week One: Introduction
• Overview of Emotional Intelligence in current models
• Contagion of emotions
• Self-assessment in Emotional Intelligence skills
• Success Model of Emotional Intelligence
Week Two: Awareness of the Self
This is where it all begins:
• Being able to identify your own emotions
• Being conscious about your intentions as you act and speak
• Observing your typical reactions to others and your environment
• Recognizing how you are perceived by others
Week Three: Actions of the Self
Building self-awareness allows you to:
• Develop self-compassion
• Manage your emotions in a way that allow you to maintain equilibrium
• Express your emotions appropriately
• Plan and anticipate how to cope with difficult situations
Week Four: Awareness of Others
By being more aware of your own emotions and being able to manage them, you
become more aware of the needs and emotions of others, by observing and
understanding their:
• Words
• Actions
• Facial expressions
• Body language
Week Five: Interaction with Others
The ability to successfully interact with other people builds on your awareness of
others’ emotions. If you have well-developed skills in this dimension, you are able to:
• Utilize that awareness to build strong relationships, teams, and support networks
• Empathize in interactions with other people
• Act with compassion when you become aware of another’s pain
Week Six: Resilience
It is resilience as much as any other aspect of EI that is the basis for your ability to
maintain equilibrium and balance amidst inevitable changes and even crises that you
encounter over a lifetime. Resilience can be enhanced and cultivated to create a rich,
full life—and to extend your hand to others in need. Resilience includes:
• Optimism
• Flexibility
• Creativity
• Self-motivation
• Ability to earn from mistakes and to recover from setbacks
Week Seven: Create Your Action Plan for a Compassionate World
• Can Emotional Intelligence make a difference?
• Why compassion?
• What can one person accomplish?
• Join us at the Charter for Compassion International
• Action Plan for Using EI Skills for a Compassionate World
Click here for more information and to register
Images
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Events and Updates
Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World
Online eCourse by Charter for Compassion starting November 7th. The course includes a self-assessment of Emotional Intelligence skills and a final Action Plan for using those skills for a more compassionate world.
Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World
Because compassion begins with you . . .
Join Us on a Path to a More Compassionate World
I want to live in a world . . .,
where compassionate action is first to arrive when anyone is suffering or in pain—in hamlets, villages, towns, suburbs, cities, and countries throughout the world
where people of varied beliefs, lifestyles, languages, and cultures will truly listen, empathize, and reach out their hands to help one another in the spirit of compassion
where all people work to resolve our differences without violence, where we protect the innocent and learn how to forgive the guilty, and where compassion is our energy source for creating a peaceful world in which all people have compassion for the Earth and all life that exists on our beautiful planet
I’ve created an online course for a community of learners who share these hopes. Will you join us?
Click here for more information and to register
Topics of this Course
The course structure follows the five major aspects of Emotional Intelligence as defined by the Success Model of Emotional Intelligence. It includes a self-assessment of Emotional Intelligence skills and a final Action Plan for using those skills for a more compassionate world.
Week One: Introduction
• Overview of Emotional Intelligence in current models
• Contagion of emotions
• Self-assessment in Emotional Intelligence skills
• Success Model of Emotional Intelligence
Week Two: Awareness of the Self
This is where it all begins:
• Being able to identify your own emotions
• Being conscious about your intentions as you act and speak
• Observing your typical reactions to others and your environment
• Recognizing how you are perceived by others
Week Three: Actions of the Self
Building self-awareness allows you to:
• Develop self-compassion
• Manage your emotions in a way that allow you to maintain equilibrium
• Express your emotions appropriately
• Plan and anticipate how to cope with difficult situations
Week Four: Awareness of Others
By being more aware of your own emotions and being able to manage them, you
become more aware of the needs and emotions of others, by observing and
understanding their:
• Words
• Actions
• Facial expressions
• Body language
Week Five: Interaction with Others
The ability to successfully interact with other people builds on your awareness of
others’ emotions. If you have well-developed skills in this dimension, you are able to:
• Utilize that awareness to build strong relationships, teams, and support networks
• Empathize in interactions with other people
• Act with compassion when you become aware of another’s pain
Week Six: Resilience
It is resilience as much as any other aspect of EI that is the basis for your ability to
maintain equilibrium and balance amidst inevitable changes and even crises that you
encounter over a lifetime. Resilience can be enhanced and cultivated to create a rich,
full life—and to extend your hand to others in need. Resilience includes:
• Optimism
• Flexibility
• Creativity
• Self-motivation
• Ability to earn from mistakes and to recover from setbacks
Week Seven: Create Your Action Plan for a Compassionate World
• Can Emotional Intelligence make a difference?
• Why compassion?
• What can one person accomplish?
• Join us at the Charter for Compassion International
• Action Plan for Using EI Skills for a Compassionate World
Click here for more information and to register
Images
Start:
November 7, 2016
End:
December 19, 2016
Location:
Online eCourse
Organization:
Charter for Compassion
Website:
http://charterforcompassion3.pagedemo.co/
READ ON ...
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