God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchins.
A first for me! I listened to this whole book on audio, read in its entirety by the author. This old dog is still learning new tricks!! I am old-fashioned enough to prefer printed pages, but it was interesting to hear the book, especially since it was read by the author and presumably included his own emphases and inflections.
Christopher Hitchins uses a life-time of experience and research to outline in great detail all the horrors done in the name of religion and God. His delightfully articulated knowledge leaves little room for disagreement. I found myself fascinated again and again at the ways he put things together and made sense out of vast sweeps of time and place. (I would never want to be drawn into an argument with this man! It would be a losing proposition.)
And Hitchins is indiscriminate; he is lambasting not only Christianity. While tending to focus on the three great monotheistic religions, he also has words for the pantheistic ones.
And yet, while agreeing with him thoroughly throughout the book, I am not in the least inclined to abandon my involvment in church. I know all this horrible history, and am still part of it. Despite its chequered past, church holds meaning for me and countless millions around the world. From the book I would expect Hitchins to think me imbecilic for such an illogical conclusion!
But, thank you Christopher Hitchins for this enlightening book.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
book review: The Family
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, Jeff Sharlet, HarperCollins, 2008.
Growing up in the United States we always suspected there were power people behind the scenes, and that the actual people in office were often not much more than puppets. This book reveals just a little of the powers-behind-the-thrones who pull the strings.
The scary thing about all this is that it is cloaked in the language and images of conservative, evangelical Christianity. It is about people getting together to pray for each other and pray for the people in power. It is about following Jesus and his call on each person's life.
Yet, there is something about The Family that doesn't "feel" quite right. Jeff Sharlet began uncovering some of it's more sinister aspects. For one thing, the "gospel" they are promoting is that of unrestrained capitalism. They are against any help to the poor and disadvantaged of society; they fight welfare laws. They believe that if men in power do the right things (that is, gain power and influence to enact the right laws and make the right corporate decisions) it will "trickle down" to the poor. Where have we heard this concept before?!!
God's leading, answers to prayer, are all couched in gaining power. Relationships are nurtured solely for the sake of access to powerful people. "The 'teachings of the Nazarene' for such politicians amounted to deregulation, the removal of government intervention from matters they thought firmly taken in hand by Jesus and His chosen representatives." (p142) "His chosen representatives", of course, are hand-picked to join The Family, also formerly called, The Fellowship. One cannot volunteer to join this group.
The Fellowship began under the leadership of Abram Vereide in the 1930's. Doug Coe took over after Abram's death in the late 1960's. Today, as Coe gradually retires, leadership is being assumed by Dick Foth. The main public event they organize is the National Prayer Breakfast. Vereide began this tradition during Eisenhower's presidency. Ike attended, as have presidents to this day.
But most of their work is behind the scenes, not only in Washington DC, but also around the world, as they seek one world order. "Jesus must rule every nation through the vessel of American power." (p218) Coe was anointed as Vereide's successor because, ". . . he would pray with anyone, and he would bless anyone, so long as they had the strength to submit their nation to God. That was his greatest virtue in Abram's eyes: he . . . never questioned whether Jesus really cared most for men with power." (p218)
If you want to know just a little about what is really going on in the halls of power in the US capital and around the world, I recommend this book. Sharlet has done a tremendous amount of research about the history of Vereide, The Fellowship, Coe and others. He infiltrated The Family for a few months to discover more of their inner workings. It all sounds so Christian, so righteous and Biblical, but oh, so sinister. God's Kingdom in their own image!
Growing up in the United States we always suspected there were power people behind the scenes, and that the actual people in office were often not much more than puppets. This book reveals just a little of the powers-behind-the-thrones who pull the strings.
The scary thing about all this is that it is cloaked in the language and images of conservative, evangelical Christianity. It is about people getting together to pray for each other and pray for the people in power. It is about following Jesus and his call on each person's life.
Yet, there is something about The Family that doesn't "feel" quite right. Jeff Sharlet began uncovering some of it's more sinister aspects. For one thing, the "gospel" they are promoting is that of unrestrained capitalism. They are against any help to the poor and disadvantaged of society; they fight welfare laws. They believe that if men in power do the right things (that is, gain power and influence to enact the right laws and make the right corporate decisions) it will "trickle down" to the poor. Where have we heard this concept before?!!
God's leading, answers to prayer, are all couched in gaining power. Relationships are nurtured solely for the sake of access to powerful people. "The 'teachings of the Nazarene' for such politicians amounted to deregulation, the removal of government intervention from matters they thought firmly taken in hand by Jesus and His chosen representatives." (p142) "His chosen representatives", of course, are hand-picked to join The Family, also formerly called, The Fellowship. One cannot volunteer to join this group.
The Fellowship began under the leadership of Abram Vereide in the 1930's. Doug Coe took over after Abram's death in the late 1960's. Today, as Coe gradually retires, leadership is being assumed by Dick Foth. The main public event they organize is the National Prayer Breakfast. Vereide began this tradition during Eisenhower's presidency. Ike attended, as have presidents to this day.
But most of their work is behind the scenes, not only in Washington DC, but also around the world, as they seek one world order. "Jesus must rule every nation through the vessel of American power." (p218) Coe was anointed as Vereide's successor because, ". . . he would pray with anyone, and he would bless anyone, so long as they had the strength to submit their nation to God. That was his greatest virtue in Abram's eyes: he . . . never questioned whether Jesus really cared most for men with power." (p218)
If you want to know just a little about what is really going on in the halls of power in the US capital and around the world, I recommend this book. Sharlet has done a tremendous amount of research about the history of Vereide, The Fellowship, Coe and others. He infiltrated The Family for a few months to discover more of their inner workings. It all sounds so Christian, so righteous and Biblical, but oh, so sinister. God's Kingdom in their own image!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Sign of Jonah
I know there are some of you Biblical literalists out there who will say that the prophecies in Revelation and Daniel must come true, they are inevitable. Destruction and upheaval are foretold and will happen (see previous post).
But hold on a minute! There are a couple things I want to say about that.
First, those two books especially, are written in a genre called apocalyptic. There is a lot of symbolism, numerology, literary conventions which go with apocalyptic writing. In today's world we don't always understand all of this; and we certainly do not often take it into account. So we must be very careful about interpreting these writings. There are thousands of preachers out there declaring confidently that "this" is what they mean. And they come up with a thousand different interpretations all proudly proclaimed as God's Word. Please, please, please, dear reader. When you encounter one of these, take the words with a huge grain of salt, if you take them at all.
The second thing I want to say is scriptural. Jesus says, "No sign shall be given to [this generation] except the sign of Jonah." (Luke 11.29)
Jonah is an "Old" Testament prophet sent to the evil city Nineveh to proclaim judgement on it. His message (at least what is recorded of it in scripture) was one line: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3.4) This prophecy was not proclaimed as conditional, as in, "If you don't repent, you will be destroyed." Nope. It was, "Destruction is coming." Period.
Well, the people repented, and God relented.
And Jonah got angry! He wanted to see the destruction of Nineveh.
I believe the "sign of Jonah" principle still applies today. I believe that no matter how certain seem the prophecies outlined in scripture, if people repent, even a small percentage (a "tipping point"), God will not bring about his judgement. We have a part to play in our future. It is not set in stone. The Earth does not necessarily have to endure all the dire predictions proclaimed so vociferously by so many. God is still the Source who is full of grace, who still relents.
And, as in Jonah's story, I believe there will be Christians today who will get resentful if these prophecies don't happen in the way they anticipate. Get a grip, people! What is more important here? Our "precious" little interpretations of scripture, or what God chooses to do?
As I have said before, we live in interesting and exciting times. I look forward to seeing what Source has in store for us! I want to have an open mind to see God at work, not be so close-minded that I miss him when he appears (the problem of the pharisees).
But hold on a minute! There are a couple things I want to say about that.
First, those two books especially, are written in a genre called apocalyptic. There is a lot of symbolism, numerology, literary conventions which go with apocalyptic writing. In today's world we don't always understand all of this; and we certainly do not often take it into account. So we must be very careful about interpreting these writings. There are thousands of preachers out there declaring confidently that "this" is what they mean. And they come up with a thousand different interpretations all proudly proclaimed as God's Word. Please, please, please, dear reader. When you encounter one of these, take the words with a huge grain of salt, if you take them at all.
The second thing I want to say is scriptural. Jesus says, "No sign shall be given to [this generation] except the sign of Jonah." (Luke 11.29)
Jonah is an "Old" Testament prophet sent to the evil city Nineveh to proclaim judgement on it. His message (at least what is recorded of it in scripture) was one line: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3.4) This prophecy was not proclaimed as conditional, as in, "If you don't repent, you will be destroyed." Nope. It was, "Destruction is coming." Period.
Well, the people repented, and God relented.
And Jonah got angry! He wanted to see the destruction of Nineveh.
I believe the "sign of Jonah" principle still applies today. I believe that no matter how certain seem the prophecies outlined in scripture, if people repent, even a small percentage (a "tipping point"), God will not bring about his judgement. We have a part to play in our future. It is not set in stone. The Earth does not necessarily have to endure all the dire predictions proclaimed so vociferously by so many. God is still the Source who is full of grace, who still relents.
And, as in Jonah's story, I believe there will be Christians today who will get resentful if these prophecies don't happen in the way they anticipate. Get a grip, people! What is more important here? Our "precious" little interpretations of scripture, or what God chooses to do?
As I have said before, we live in interesting and exciting times. I look forward to seeing what Source has in store for us! I want to have an open mind to see God at work, not be so close-minded that I miss him when he appears (the problem of the pharisees).
The Tipping Point
Following up on my previous post, my wife, Peggy, and I have had numerous discussions about the coming shift in our world. Currently two possible threads seem possible. One thread says that the coming historical culmination will contain violent upheaval. Another thread moves more along the lines of a gradual transition to a higher plane of existence, a spiritual evolution, if you will.
Obviously these two are mutually exclusive. Which path is it to be?
Looking at world events, it sure seems the upheaval thread is more likely. Violence increases, wars continue, cultural upheaval is the norm, nothing appears certain. The growing gap between rich and poor has always been an indicator of social unrest, so why should our age be any different? There is greater inequity in so many areas of life, especially economic, than ever before. This has got to lead to conflict between the have-nots and the haves. And people in developing countries now have access to media allowing them to become increasingly aware of these inequities. Higher awareness fosters unhappiness and dissatisfaction with these inequities.
On the other hand, we are aware of increasing numbers of people growing spiritually. There is a greater spiritual awareness and hunger than ever before. People are rushing to experience spiritual growth in unprecedented numbers. More and more people want to know about the spiritual dimensions of life, and experience and participate in what God/Universe/Source is doing.
But looking at the overall picture, the numbers of these latter seem so small compared to those involved in the paths of violence. How can we hold any hope that the spiritual evolution will ever catch up with and surpass the violence spectrum?
Then one day Peggy ran across the concept of a "tipping point" in her reading. This caused a huge spark of hope to flare in us. The essence of a tipping point, in this case, is that it doesn't necessarily require an equal number of spiritually evolved people to overcome the violent ones. In other words, we don't need to wait and hope for a 50-50 split. It only requires a small percentage of spiritually mature to influence and change the world's course, to overcome the evil in this world.
Well, if that is true, then we can have hope! I don't know what the "magic" number might be, but even if it is as high as 10%, that sounds a whole lot more hopeful than 50%.
I thought of the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham bargains with Yahweh for the salvation of the cities. He begins by asking Yahweh if he could spare the city for the sake of fifty righteous people within it. "And Yahweh said, 'If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.'" (Genesis 18.26) Abraham keeps bargaining, obviously realizing there is little chance of finding fifty righteous in such a sinful place. He bargains down to 45, then 40, 30, 20 and finally 10. "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it," says Yahweh. (Gen 18. 32)
There's the principle. A small percentage of righteous people will be salvation for the whole. And I believe this principle is still at work. If enough people begin to awaken spiritually, and seek their part in the salvation of the Earth, it can be saved. A "tipping point" of spiritually mature people can lead this Earth through a natural transition to a higher plane of existence. It does not have to undergo calamitous upheaval and destruction.
"As anthropologist Margaret Mead famously said, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.'" (The Great Awakening, Jim Wallis, p.65)
Obviously these two are mutually exclusive. Which path is it to be?
Looking at world events, it sure seems the upheaval thread is more likely. Violence increases, wars continue, cultural upheaval is the norm, nothing appears certain. The growing gap between rich and poor has always been an indicator of social unrest, so why should our age be any different? There is greater inequity in so many areas of life, especially economic, than ever before. This has got to lead to conflict between the have-nots and the haves. And people in developing countries now have access to media allowing them to become increasingly aware of these inequities. Higher awareness fosters unhappiness and dissatisfaction with these inequities.
On the other hand, we are aware of increasing numbers of people growing spiritually. There is a greater spiritual awareness and hunger than ever before. People are rushing to experience spiritual growth in unprecedented numbers. More and more people want to know about the spiritual dimensions of life, and experience and participate in what God/Universe/Source is doing.
But looking at the overall picture, the numbers of these latter seem so small compared to those involved in the paths of violence. How can we hold any hope that the spiritual evolution will ever catch up with and surpass the violence spectrum?
Then one day Peggy ran across the concept of a "tipping point" in her reading. This caused a huge spark of hope to flare in us. The essence of a tipping point, in this case, is that it doesn't necessarily require an equal number of spiritually evolved people to overcome the violent ones. In other words, we don't need to wait and hope for a 50-50 split. It only requires a small percentage of spiritually mature to influence and change the world's course, to overcome the evil in this world.
Well, if that is true, then we can have hope! I don't know what the "magic" number might be, but even if it is as high as 10%, that sounds a whole lot more hopeful than 50%.
I thought of the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham bargains with Yahweh for the salvation of the cities. He begins by asking Yahweh if he could spare the city for the sake of fifty righteous people within it. "And Yahweh said, 'If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.'" (Genesis 18.26) Abraham keeps bargaining, obviously realizing there is little chance of finding fifty righteous in such a sinful place. He bargains down to 45, then 40, 30, 20 and finally 10. "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it," says Yahweh. (Gen 18. 32)
There's the principle. A small percentage of righteous people will be salvation for the whole. And I believe this principle is still at work. If enough people begin to awaken spiritually, and seek their part in the salvation of the Earth, it can be saved. A "tipping point" of spiritually mature people can lead this Earth through a natural transition to a higher plane of existence. It does not have to undergo calamitous upheaval and destruction.
"As anthropologist Margaret Mead famously said, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.'" (The Great Awakening, Jim Wallis, p.65)
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