Reference: pagan-space.blogspot.com
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Reference: pagan-space.blogspot.com
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
""SIGHTINGS" 3/19/2012"SIC TRANSIT..."-- MARTIN E. MARTY"Public religion," the rubric for these e-columns and the Center which issues them, often gets reduced to "religion and politics," but "public" has a broader reach. Included are, for example, the arts, education, and-yes!-dealing with God and church (and its analogs), in "theology" and "ecclesiology." This month two sensations in these received attention. One was the death of "Death of God" theologian William Hamilton, whose passing elicited a "New York Times" obituary. The other was Robert Schuller, who merely and largely passed from the scene after he was broken by and then broke with the leadership of the Crystal Cathedral in California. Both men were regularly called "sensations;" but today we would call them celebrities-a rare breed in theology and church life.Editorial comment on both evoked reflections such as "Sic transit"..." on how everything passes, or "De mortuis"..." the reminder not to speak ill of the dead or with" Schadenfreude", joy in others' misfortunes when they fall. Let me check in with the mention that I have no personal case against either. "Bill" Hamilton, almost fifty years ago, invited me to give the Rauschenbush lectures at his then-school, Colgate-Rochester Divinity School. That seminary became uncomfortable when the "Death of God" flap, promoted on a "Time" magazine cover, became a sensation. We remained friends, now at a distance, but I had thought rarely about him for decades and could not find him during a research project, even with Google's help. He had faded into teaching English and then retirement, if either is truly a "fading." It took eleven days for the"Times" to obit him.Robert H. Schuller was much, much more in the news in recent seasons, as the press covered him being "ousted" from leadership of the board at his invention, the pioneer, some say, of the still thriving mega-church movement and the continuing transformations of "self-esteem" theology, on which he acquired the patent (from Norman Vincent Peale). While mega-church and self-esteem are not my cups of tea, Schuller and I had some positive interactions. He cited me despite what I thought was a negative comment: that his message was not theology but a psychology of self-esteem.What happened? His moment passed, as everyone's moment passes. Countless non-crystal mega-church buildings, though none matched his, replicated his intentions. While many of these make bankruptcy news, few of them represented a multi-million investment and debt. As for self-esteem, the "Prosperity Gospel" preachers carry things so far that in contrast he sounds like the country preacher of Good News. Some coverage picked up on the theme of the folly of family ventures, since Schuller-vs.-Schuller battles led to his demise. Malinowski: "Aggression, like charity, begins at home."It is possible to greet these moments with sympathy and sadness-and it is then necessary to move on. While one has to gawk in awe at bold experiments and sensations, it might well be that what many will take from these passings is the opportunity to take a new look at the unsensational theologizing and ministries which more quietly guide the spiritual quests and community spirit of millions whom "Time" and "Times" seldom notice. Some of the religious leaders in seminaries, chapels and cathedrals may look up now and then, take notes, learn a bit, and then head back to the classroom or the sanctuary, where they can effect less noticed outcomes. Still, one hopes they do not lapse into timidity and passiveness, modes of being that also can limit leadership's effectiveness in religion.REFERENCESPaul Vitello, "William Hamilton Dies at 87; Known for 'Death of God', New York Times", March 10, 2012.Jeff Barnard, "God Is Dead Theologian William Hamilton Dead at 87," Huffington Post, February 29, 2012.The Rauschenbush lectures in 1963 were published as the book "Varieties of Unbelief" (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964) and Doubleday Anchor (1966) ), both of them certainly long out of print. "Sic transit, "and, since they are dead books, "De mortuis..."MARTIN E. MARTY'S biography, publications, and contact information can be found at www.memarty.com.
David M. Freidenreich's book, Foreigners and their Food (California 2011), analyzes how Jews, Christians and Muslims use food regulations to construct boundaries between "us" and "them." This month's Religion ">"How Could Their Food Not Be Impure?" here.
"Sightings" comes from the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Monday, 12 December 2011
One is the fact that the world of ATwF">SPOILER ALERT!
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The lost contest members are not humans, but "HYOOMANS". At the same time as they remove their animal-head hoods, they reveal themselves to be mutants. Brawny Ones, to be precise: level with scales, fins, and gills.
At the end, Finn wonders what is switch Susan's hat.
Finn: When about you, Susan? When are you? Was she a at all related me or an animal?
Jake: We're All Animals, Brother.
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Here is another quote from Elton Trueblood's Book Your Other Vocation:
"Our heresy has been to look upon the church as a society in which a few speak and many listen. Consequently, there has arisen the strange idea that the primary Christian observance of most people is that of listening to sermons. There are many who, when they try to reform a bit, piously undertake to do some sermon listening. Now sermons may be wonderful and some actually are, but the notion that listening to human words is an especially religious act is very far from self-evident. In practice sermon listening may be a vice, because it may be a substitute for a more effective witness.
Elton Trueblook goes on to quote John R. Mott from Liberating the Lay Forces of Christianity:
"A multitude of laymen are today in serious danger. It is positively perilous for them to hear more sermons, attend more Bible classes and open forums and read more religious and ethical works, unless accompanying it all there be afforded day by day an adequate outlet for their new-found truth."
Elton Trueblood later writes:
"We need to understand that the Christian witness lies not in some passive attendance, but rather in sharing the missionary effort at some point in human contact. In this case, at least, it is more blessed to gvie than to receive and men learn more of Christian truth by what they share than by what they hear.
This reminds me of a section I read in one of Martin Luther's sermons. It's rather lengthy, but it is one of the best quotes ever written.
"Who stumble at Christ? All that teach you to do works, instead of teching you to believe. Those who hold forth Christ to you as a law-maker and a judge, and refuse to let Christ be a helper and a comfoter, torment you by putting works before and in the way of God in order to atone for your sins and to merit grace...For if you desire to believe rightly and to possess Christ truly, then you must reject all works that you intend to place before and in the way of God...Before God no works are acceptable but Christ's own works. Let these plead for you before God, and do no other work before him than to believe that Christ is doing his works for you and is placing them before God in your behalf."
"In order to keep your faith pure, do nothing else than stand still, enjoy its blessings, accept Christ's works, and let him bestow his loe upon you. You must be blind, lame dead, dead, leprous, and poor, otherwise you will stumble at Christ...But those who intend to atone for sins and to become pious by their own works, will miss the present Christ and look for another, or at least they will believe that he should do otherwise, that first of all he should come and accept their works and consider them pious."
If we would stop there, we would be able to believe what is said about Martin Luther being "faith only." But he didn't stop there.
"In the second place, Christ teaches us rightly to apply the works and shows us what good works are. All other work, except faith, we should apply to our neighbor. For God demands of us no other work that we should do for him than to exercise faith in Christ...After this think of nothing else than to do to your neighbor as Christ has done to you, and let all your works together with all you life be applied to you neighbor. Look for the poor, sick and all kinds of needy, help them and let your life's energy here appear, so that they may enjoy your kindness, helping whoever needs you, as much as you possibly can with you life, property and honor. Whoever points you to other good works than these, avoid him as a wolf and as Satan, because he wants to put a stumbling block in your way, as David says, 'In the way wherein I walk have they hidden a snare for me,' (Ps 142:3)."
"But this is done by the perverted, misguided people of the Papists, who with their religious ceremonies set aside such Crhsitian works, and teach the people to serve God only and not also mankind. They establish convents, masses, vigils, become religous, do this and that. And these poor, blind people call that serving God, which they have chosen themselves. But know that to serve God is nothing else than to serve your neighbor and do good to him in love, be it a child, wife, servant, enemy, friend; whithout making any difference, whoever needs your help in body or soul, and wherever you can help in temporal or spiritual matters. This is serving God and doing good works. O, Lord God, how do we fools live in this world, neglecting to do such works, though in all parts of the world we find the needy, on whom we could bestow our good works; but no one looks after them nor cares for them...If you do not find yourself among the needy and the poor, where the gospel shows us Christ, then you may know that your faith is not right, and that you have not yet tasted of Christ's benevolence and work for you."
"This one clings to his religous ceremonies and his own works, that one is scraping all to himself and helps no one. Even those who gladly hear and understand the doctrine of pure faith do not proceed to serve their neighbor, as though they expected to be saved by faith without works; they see not that their faith is not faith, but a shadow of faith, just as the picture in the mirror is not the face itself, but only a feflcetion of the same, as St. James so beautfifully writes, saying, 'But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he behjoldeth him self, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was,' (James 1:22-25). So also there within themselves many behold a reflection of true faith when they hear and speaak of the Word, but as soon as the hearing and speaking are done, they are concerned about other affairs and are not doing according to it, and thus they always forgeth about the fruit of faith, namely, Christian love, of which Paul also say, 'For the kingdom of God is not in work, but in power,' (I Cor 4:20)."
We are at a crossroads. We can continueto go to church, listen to sermons, sing praise songs, and think that we are right with God. But none of those are things that make us right with God. They do not even matter to him.
Elihu, the young one who was not reprimanded in the end by God, said to Job:
(Job 35:6-8 NASB) "If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him? {7} "If you are righteous, what do you give to Him? Or what does He receive from your hand? {8} "Your wickedness is for a man like yourself, And your righteousness is for a son of man."
If we want to do something for God, then we need to do it for our neighbors. Our righteousness and wickedness do not effect God. They do, however, build up or destroy others.
(Mat 25:41-46 NASB) "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; {42} for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; {43} I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' {44} "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' {45} "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' {46} "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
God could care less if we listened to a bunch of sermons, sang a bunch of songs, or attended church every Sunday of our lives. We show him our love by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, nursing the sick, visiting the prisoners, and housing strangers. That's how we show love to God.
Let us put everything else in their proper perspective. The large gathering of believers needs to be an equipping time, but not just for the sake of equipping. What good would it do for a military to hand out guns and ammo every week to the same people that received them the week before when they never go out and use them? They would just have a useless, although maybe collectible, collection of guns. Many of us have a novel and intellectual faith, but we are called to much more than head knowledge about the Kingdom of God. We are called to live out the Christian life from the time we leave the gathering to the time we reassemble. It's not what we do at the gathering that shows if we truly love God; it's what happens in between them.
Credit: just-wicca.blogspot.com
I reacted poorly when my Grandma Jessie died. Like most people, I loved my grandma. She used to make the best parched corn, would crack walnuts for me, let me drink out of her old metal cup, pick cherries and raspberries with me, and give me butterscotch mints. Having grown up across the street from her house, I spent a few hours there most everyday. I took many naps on that couch on which this picture was taken. But after a long battle with melanoma, she died. Instead of growing closer to God, which she would have wanted, I hardened my heart toward Him.
I was fifteen when she died. I should have been old enough to handle it properly, but I didn't. Like many people who struggle with God after the death of someone, I had a faith that did not properly understand death and suffering.
My father shared with me a similar story of struggling with God over death. He had prayed for his father to stop drinking, but his father never did. He eventually died of liver problems when my father was twenty-one. From that point until much later in his life, he stopped living his life for God, a God who he felt did not answers his prayers for his father to be delivered from alcoholism.
Death. It's not just a destroyer of life; it can also be a destroyer of faith.
Two Sundays ago, Diane Schuler, 36, of West Babylon, New York, was driving her two children and her three nieces home from a weekend camping trip in Sullivan County when she inexplicably entered the northbound Taconic going south. While we were sitting around enjoying and sharing a meal with friends, tragedy destroyed two families.
The result was the worst accident in Westchester County in 75 years. Killed with Schuler were four children in her car and three men from Yonkers in an SUV. The only survivor was Schuler's five year old son Bryan. Dead were Emma Hance, 9, Alison Hance, 7, and Kate Hance, 5, along with the driver, 36-year old Diane, and her two-year old daughter, Erin.
In the eulogy, Warren Hance, the mourning father of the three children, stated, "Love your children. Cherish your children. Kiss your children. And do not forget..." I cannot fathom his pain, and it's seems almost shallow to say in his hurt, but Jesus would say the same message to him that he says to us during our struggles: "Stay faithful to me even through the pain."
When the physical world around us does not equal spiritual truth, we need to never give in to the physical facade. Death will come. Jesus warned that his death would come (John 13: 18-19, John 14:28-29, John 16:1-4). John ended the book with the warning that his death would come (John 21:20-23). They both encouraged people to not lose faith because of death. The physical laws of this world cannot contain God. When Jesus died on the cross, the resurrection was not far behind.
The disciples did not have the hindsight after the crucifixion that the completed Gospel gives. Before the resurrection, physical reality controlled them. They were expecting a physical kingdom that would take over the nations of the world. They were expecting Jesus to be the emperor that united the world under the banner of Israel. They had forgotten that the warnings of Jesus concerning his death and the prayer in which Jesus taught them to pray.
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught them to pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). His kingdom is partly here and his will is partly here, but it is trying to break through more and more. Each of us should be about living in the spiritual reality, transforming the physical facade around us into that reality as much as we are able. We need to live in the resurrection where the limitations of this world have no hold.
It took the resurrection and the Holy Spirit to give the apostles the boldness to stand firm and bring about about God's kingdom and his will. After the crucifixion and before the resurrection, Peter denied Jesus despite faithfully following him and adamantly proclaiming him the Messiah before his death. The physical death of Jesus destroyed all of their dreams of what they thought was going to happen. Those dreams were crushed on Golgotha. But the resurrection gave these guys the strength to stand up for what they knew was right no matter what life threw their way. And tragedy would come their way. Church history teaches that all of them, save John, were crucified just like Jesus. John was exiled to the island of Patmos.
Jesus gives us hope, hope to continue on when life seems to say we need to quit. He warned us that life will not be a bed of roses. We need to live in the promise that "all things" will be worked out for our good (Romans 8:28). Better days are ahead no matter what we are facing.
At my baptism in 1988, my Grandma Jessie gave me a Bible and wrote this in the inside cover.
Dear Grandson Regan,
"Lo - I am with you always."
With the right attitudes and God's help you can cope with anything.
Train yourself to think spiritually with hope and optimism and enthusiasm.
Shape your life in His love.
Much Love,
Origin: religion-events.blogspot.com
I was fifteen when she died. I should have been old enough to handle it properly, but I didn't. Like many people who struggle with God after the death of someone, I had a faith that did not properly understand death and suffering.
My father shared with me a similar story of struggling with God over death. He had prayed for his father to stop drinking, but his father never did. He eventually died of liver problems when my father was twenty-one. From that point until much later in his life, he stopped living his life for God, a God who he felt did not answers his prayers for his father to be delivered from alcoholism.
Death. It's not just a destroyer of life; it can also be a destroyer of faith.
Two Sundays ago, Diane Schuler, 36, of West Babylon, New York, was driving her two children and her three nieces home from a weekend camping trip in Sullivan County when she inexplicably entered the northbound Taconic going south. While we were sitting around enjoying and sharing a meal with friends, tragedy destroyed two families.
The result was the worst accident in Westchester County in 75 years. Killed with Schuler were four children in her car and three men from Yonkers in an SUV. The only survivor was Schuler's five year old son Bryan. Dead were Emma Hance, 9, Alison Hance, 7, and Kate Hance, 5, along with the driver, 36-year old Diane, and her two-year old daughter, Erin.
In the eulogy, Warren Hance, the mourning father of the three children, stated, "Love your children. Cherish your children. Kiss your children. And do not forget..." I cannot fathom his pain, and it's seems almost shallow to say in his hurt, but Jesus would say the same message to him that he says to us during our struggles: "Stay faithful to me even through the pain."
When the physical world around us does not equal spiritual truth, we need to never give in to the physical facade. Death will come. Jesus warned that his death would come (John 13: 18-19, John 14:28-29, John 16:1-4). John ended the book with the warning that his death would come (John 21:20-23). They both encouraged people to not lose faith because of death. The physical laws of this world cannot contain God. When Jesus died on the cross, the resurrection was not far behind.
The disciples did not have the hindsight after the crucifixion that the completed Gospel gives. Before the resurrection, physical reality controlled them. They were expecting a physical kingdom that would take over the nations of the world. They were expecting Jesus to be the emperor that united the world under the banner of Israel. They had forgotten that the warnings of Jesus concerning his death and the prayer in which Jesus taught them to pray.
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught them to pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). His kingdom is partly here and his will is partly here, but it is trying to break through more and more. Each of us should be about living in the spiritual reality, transforming the physical facade around us into that reality as much as we are able. We need to live in the resurrection where the limitations of this world have no hold.
It took the resurrection and the Holy Spirit to give the apostles the boldness to stand firm and bring about about God's kingdom and his will. After the crucifixion and before the resurrection, Peter denied Jesus despite faithfully following him and adamantly proclaiming him the Messiah before his death. The physical death of Jesus destroyed all of their dreams of what they thought was going to happen. Those dreams were crushed on Golgotha. But the resurrection gave these guys the strength to stand up for what they knew was right no matter what life threw their way. And tragedy would come their way. Church history teaches that all of them, save John, were crucified just like Jesus. John was exiled to the island of Patmos.
Jesus gives us hope, hope to continue on when life seems to say we need to quit. He warned us that life will not be a bed of roses. We need to live in the promise that "all things" will be worked out for our good (Romans 8:28). Better days are ahead no matter what we are facing.
At my baptism in 1988, my Grandma Jessie gave me a Bible and wrote this in the inside cover.
Dear Grandson Regan,
"Lo - I am with you always."
With the right attitudes and God's help you can cope with anything.
Train yourself to think spiritually with hope and optimism and enthusiasm.
Shape your life in His love.
Much Love,
Grandma Snyder
Origin: religion-events.blogspot.com
Friday, 9 December 2011
"The mission of HLI is to promote and defend the sanctity of life and family around the world according to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church through prayer, service and education."
As an aside, Father E. became "notorious" last year when he went head-to-head with Sean Hannity regarding Catholics in the public arena who claim to be Catholic but consistently deny Catholic teaching.
His ministry also provides excellent helps for us to live a godly life in Christ Jesus.
I recently ordered a bunch of these: "A Practical Guide for the Sacrament of Confession" for just 10 cents a piece! Despite being Catholic for over 4 years now and going to confession almost monthly (sometimes more, sometimes less), I still get a bit anxious over the prospect of revealing my sins to my priest. Yet, I have never left the confessional regretting receiving the sacrament of reconciliation. I always leave rejoicing knowing that I am as clean as a baby's bottom that has just been baptized (I probably mixed a few metaphors there) but you get the idea. I especially enjoy the moments after confession when I come before the Blessed Sacrament to pray and do penance.
So why do I get anxious? Silly things like:
* Do I remember the Act of Contrition? Even though I know I only need to have a prayer from a contrite heart, I still like to pray the Act of Contrition. But I don't have it memorized.
* Did I perform a good examination of conscience beforehand to prepare?
* Will the priests think less of me after I tell them the crazy stuff that I think about?
* Add your own "The practical guide contains everything I need to make a good confession including the procedure in the confessional, the act of contrition and an excellent outline for an examination of conscience. They are small enough to keep in my wallet and keep several around the house, so when Saturday afternoon rolls around I have no excuse to not walk over to Church and receive forgiveness of my sins from Jesus through his Church. Head over to Father Euteneur's site and check out his pamphlets, and send him a little extra quid for the ministry!
Finally, from an apologetics point of view, The God Fearin' Fiddler has an interesting post regarding the early Church and its practice of the sacrament of reconciliation.
Source: mysteryvoodoo.blogspot.com