Spirituality and Practice offers a variety of resources on the spiritual practice of Joy. Here is an excerpt from Clowning in Rome: Reflections on Solitude, Celibacy, Prayer, and Contemplation by Henri J. M. Nouwen:
Our difficult and very urgent task is to accept the truth that nature is not primarily a property to be possessed, but a gift to be received with admiration and gratitude. Only when we make a deep bow to the rivers, oceans, hills, and mountains that offer us a home, only then can they become transparent and reveal to us their real meaning.
A friend once gave me a beautiful photograph of a water lily. I asked him how he had been able to take such a splendid picture. With a smile he said, "Well, I had to be very patient and very attentive. It was only after a few hours of compliments that the lily was willing to let me take her picture." < http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id=13524
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
SPREADING THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS AT A SCOTTISH PUB
Ecumenical News International offers "You might meet Jesus in a pub, says Scottish minister" by Trevor Grundy. Excerpt: "(Rev. Bryan Kerr) told The Scotsman newspaper on 22 December that the church had looked at new ways of getting the Christian message out beyond the confines of the church. In addition to the carol service, the pub's management will be serving a special beer brewed for those bursting with goodwill and festive song - Greyfriars Kirk Christmas Ale."
COPENHAGEN CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL WARMING -- 4
Democracy Now! offers "Leading Climate Scientist James Hansen on Why He’s Pleased the Copenhagen Summit Failed, 'Cap and Fade,' Climategate and More." You can see the video, hear the audio or read the transcript. It begins:
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Hansen, start off with why you weren’t at Copenhagen. I mean, this is your thing. It was the global warming summit of summits.
JAMES HANSEN: Well, they were talking about having a cap-and-trade-with-offsets agreement, which is analogous to the Kyoto Protocol, which was disastrous. Before the Kyoto Protocol, global emissions of carbon dioxide were going up one-and-a-half percent per year. After the accord, they went up three percent per year. That approach simply won’t work.
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Hansen, start off with why you weren’t at Copenhagen. I mean, this is your thing. It was the global warming summit of summits.
JAMES HANSEN: Well, they were talking about having a cap-and-trade-with-offsets agreement, which is analogous to the Kyoto Protocol, which was disastrous. Before the Kyoto Protocol, global emissions of carbon dioxide were going up one-and-a-half percent per year. After the accord, they went up three percent per year. That approach simply won’t work.
COPENHAGEN CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL WARMING -- 3
Avaaz offers "Copenhagen - The World In Action" rejoicing in the growing movement even as the Summit failed to produce the commitment needed to prevent catastrophe. It begins: "In Copenhagen, leaders didn't make history—but the world's people did. A year of unprecedented action on climate change reached unimagined heights in the last two weeks: thousands upon thousands of vigils, rallies, and protests; floods of phone calls and messages sent; millions of petition signatures—all calling for the fair, ambitious, and binding climate treaty we still need and still will win."
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
BEST SPIRITUAL FILMS OF 2009
Spirituality and Practice offers "The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2009" by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. How many have you seen? Thanks to the DVD we will see many of those we haven't seen yet as I put these films on my Netflix queue.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
SUSAN WERNER INVITES US TO HELP SOMEBODY
+ "Help Somebody" is found on the album THE GOSPEL TRUTH by Susan Werner.
Thank you John Shuck for embedding this in your sermon post, "The Fruits of Letting Go."
Thank you John Shuck for embedding this in your sermon post, "The Fruits of Letting Go."
GLOBAL WARMING DEMANDS RADICAL CHANGE OF BEHAVIOR
+ Shuck and Jive offers "Climate Change Demands We Live Differently" by John Shuck focusing on the impressive knowledge and wisdom of Theologian Sallie McFague. Excerpts:
John says: "It is time for radical change. It is urgent. To recall the words of a long-haired, locust eating desert prophet: 'The axe is at the root of the tree.'"
Sallie says: "Global warming is not just another important issue that human beings need to deal with; rather, it is the demand that we live differently. We cannot solve it, deal with it, given our current anthropology. It is not simply an issue of management; rather, it demands a paradigm shift in who we think we are. This is certainly not the only thing that is needed, but it is a central one, for without it we cannot expect ourselves or others to undertake the radical behavioral change that is necessary to address our planetary crisis." --Sallie McFague, A New Climate for Theology, p. 44
John says: "It is time for radical change. It is urgent. To recall the words of a long-haired, locust eating desert prophet: 'The axe is at the root of the tree.'"
Sallie says: "Global warming is not just another important issue that human beings need to deal with; rather, it is the demand that we live differently. We cannot solve it, deal with it, given our current anthropology. It is not simply an issue of management; rather, it demands a paradigm shift in who we think we are. This is certainly not the only thing that is needed, but it is a central one, for without it we cannot expect ourselves or others to undertake the radical behavioral change that is necessary to address our planetary crisis." --Sallie McFague, A New Climate for Theology, p. 44
COPENHAGEN CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL WARMING -- 2
+ From Ecumenical News International:
Copenhagen bells ring, candles flicker, archbishop links love to climate
Copenhagen, 14 December (ENI). Bells pealed as a warning on climate change after the Archbishop of Canterbury told a church service in Copenhagen, attended by people from major faiths and Christian denominations, that humanity can only show love to all by making the earth a secure home. Archbishop Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the 77-million strong Anglican Communion, preached the main sermon before Danish royalty, Denmark's prime minister and religious leaders in a packed Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen's Lutheran cathedral. "We cannot show the right kind of love for our fellow humans unless we also work at keeping the earth as a place that is a secure home for all people," Williams said at the 13 December service described as "an ecumenical celebration for creation".
A more detailed report is offered by ENI at http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=3616
Copenhagen bells ring, candles flicker, archbishop links love to climate
Copenhagen, 14 December (ENI). Bells pealed as a warning on climate change after the Archbishop of Canterbury told a church service in Copenhagen, attended by people from major faiths and Christian denominations, that humanity can only show love to all by making the earth a secure home. Archbishop Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the 77-million strong Anglican Communion, preached the main sermon before Danish royalty, Denmark's prime minister and religious leaders in a packed Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen's Lutheran cathedral. "We cannot show the right kind of love for our fellow humans unless we also work at keeping the earth as a place that is a secure home for all people," Williams said at the 13 December service described as "an ecumenical celebration for creation".
A more detailed report is offered by ENI at http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=3616
Monday, December 14, 2009
SUPPORTING THE PALESTINIANS -- 8
+ Israeli occupation a 'sin against God', say Palestinian Christian leaders
Jerusalem (Ecumenical News International) - Palestinian Christian leaders have issued a call for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, which they described as, "a sin against God and against humanity", and have appealed for support from the world's churches. " Injustice against the Palestinian people, which is the Israeli occupation, is an evil that must be resisted," the Christian leaders said in a document that was almost two years in the making. "Resistance is a right and a duty for the Christian. But it is resistance with love as its logic," they said. "It is thus a creative resistance, for it must find human ways that engage the humanity of the enemy." The initiators of the statement, made public at ar meeting in Bethlehem, have referred to the text as the "Kairos Palestine" document. "Kairos" is a Greek word used in the Bible for a God-given time of challenge, grace and opportunity. The organizers said that their statement echoes the Kairos document that South African churches issued in the mid-1980s, and which helped galvanise churches and the wider public in a concerted effort that eventually led to the end of apartheid.
A more detailed report is offered by ENI at http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=3612
Jerusalem (Ecumenical News International) - Palestinian Christian leaders have issued a call for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, which they described as, "a sin against God and against humanity", and have appealed for support from the world's churches. " Injustice against the Palestinian people, which is the Israeli occupation, is an evil that must be resisted," the Christian leaders said in a document that was almost two years in the making. "Resistance is a right and a duty for the Christian. But it is resistance with love as its logic," they said. "It is thus a creative resistance, for it must find human ways that engage the humanity of the enemy." The initiators of the statement, made public at ar meeting in Bethlehem, have referred to the text as the "Kairos Palestine" document. "Kairos" is a Greek word used in the Bible for a God-given time of challenge, grace and opportunity. The organizers said that their statement echoes the Kairos document that South African churches issued in the mid-1980s, and which helped galvanise churches and the wider public in a concerted effort that eventually led to the end of apartheid.
A more detailed report is offered by ENI at http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=3612
Friday, December 11, 2009
COPENHAGEN CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL WARMING -- 1
+ Democracy Now! offers an interview with Naomi Klein who believes "the fate of the planet rests on a "Mass Movement for Climate Justice."
+ My friend John Preston offers "Countdown to CO2PENHAGEN", a very informative article for the Presbyterian Global Eco(n)-Justice e-Newsletter. Excerpts:
+ Care2MakeADifference offers "COPENHAGEN: 10 Million Strong, and Growing".
+ Care2MakeADifference offers "COPENHAGEN: The 7 Things Scientists Want You to Know About Climate Change".
+ My friend John Preston offers "Countdown to CO2PENHAGEN", a very informative article for the Presbyterian Global Eco(n)-Justice e-Newsletter. Excerpts:
- In the past, environment and social justice were too often separate tracks. Eco-justice acknowledges the inter-connections between environmental and social justice. Climate change exemplifies this as we see those already impoverished in the world encountering and suffering the impacts of global warming most severely, in the form of fatal droughts and floods. The developed world, as the major climate polluters in the world, is coming to recognize our responsibility for this suffering. More of us are accepting our moral obligation to support the current and future victims of climate change. The term for this cushioning is adaptation, which includes the social justice side of the equation.
- Wendell Berry in a recent essay entitled "Inverting the Economic Order" radically questions the basic paradigm of developed world economics. His agrarian perspective is a key to sustainability and the faithful stewardship of creation. Berry's way of looking at the economics of our earth is to understand that nature comes first, land use second, the manufacturing economy third, and the consumer and financial economy last. He charges that we of the developed world has exactly inverted this order, to our detriment.
+ Care2MakeADifference offers "COPENHAGEN: 10 Million Strong, and Growing".
+ Care2MakeADifference offers "COPENHAGEN: The 7 Things Scientists Want You to Know About Climate Change".
Thursday, December 10, 2009
SUPPORTING THE PALESTINIANS -- 7
3rd Annual Bethlehem Prayer Service
Christ is Born, Glorify Him!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
9:30 AM Gathering, 10:00 AM Service (All times are Eastern Standard Time.)
A joint simulcast service with the people of Bethlehem at the Bethlehem Chapel of the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC
Are you in the DC area? Then you are invited to join worshipers in the Bethlehem Chapel.
If you are elsewhere, we encourage to you gather with others in your own community to watch the service by internet as it is broadcast live at http://www.nationalcathedral.org/.
In Bethlehem, behind the wall that separates neighbor from neighbor, patient from hospital, student from school and farmer from land, Palestinian Christians continue to bear witness to their faith this Christmas, as they have done for generations. Once again, let us join our voices with theirs in seeking and offering hope for a better future.
Prayers, readings, and hymns alternate between Washington, DC and Palestine via the internet, bringing together people of different lands, languages, and ethnic backgrounds in celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace.
Participants in Washington include the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church; the Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, Episcopal bishop of Washington; the Rt. Rev. Richard H. Graham, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod; the Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of the Cathedral, and the Rev. Canon Stephen Huber, Cathedral vicar.
In Bethlehem, participants include the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem; the Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb from Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.
Sponsored by:
Ad Hoc Committee for Bethlehem, Bright Stars of Bethlehem, Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, Sharing Jerusalem, Washington National Cathedral and the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace
For updated information about the service, go to Bright Stars Bethlehem.
Christ is Born, Glorify Him!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
9:30 AM Gathering, 10:00 AM Service (All times are Eastern Standard Time.)
A joint simulcast service with the people of Bethlehem at the Bethlehem Chapel of the Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC
Are you in the DC area? Then you are invited to join worshipers in the Bethlehem Chapel.
If you are elsewhere, we encourage to you gather with others in your own community to watch the service by internet as it is broadcast live at http://www.nationalcathedral.org/.
In Bethlehem, behind the wall that separates neighbor from neighbor, patient from hospital, student from school and farmer from land, Palestinian Christians continue to bear witness to their faith this Christmas, as they have done for generations. Once again, let us join our voices with theirs in seeking and offering hope for a better future.
Prayers, readings, and hymns alternate between Washington, DC and Palestine via the internet, bringing together people of different lands, languages, and ethnic backgrounds in celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace.
Participants in Washington include the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church; the Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, Episcopal bishop of Washington; the Rt. Rev. Richard H. Graham, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod; the Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of the Cathedral, and the Rev. Canon Stephen Huber, Cathedral vicar.
In Bethlehem, participants include the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem; the Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb from Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.
Sponsored by:
Ad Hoc Committee for Bethlehem, Bright Stars of Bethlehem, Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, Sharing Jerusalem, Washington National Cathedral and the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace
For updated information about the service, go to Bright Stars Bethlehem.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
ADVENT 2009 -- 1
+ Let's catch up with a series of Advent posts on the Presbyterian Welcome blog:
An introduction was posted on November 29, the first Sunday in Advent:
Advent Begins...
At church this morning, you may have heard someone read this:
“So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” -- Luke 21:31
When do you know that God's kin(g)dom is near? Every day during advent and up until the new year we will be posting sentences much like this one, each written by a different member of our community. We've got the official leaders of the LGBT Presbyterian movement, some of our member church pastors, board members, and many other less well-known but even more special voices to add. Please leave your comments during this time, either on the blog or via facebook, as we continue to expand and explore what it truly looks like for God's reign to be realized on Earth.
Advent: day 1
A friend of mine wrote this on her Facebook page: "At home, really sick. If I were straight and married to my domestic partner, I'd have insurance and I would go to the doctor and they would tell me whether or not I have H1N1. Instead, we have to have an affidavit notarized when she gets back and then send it to NYC and we might eventually get covered. Annoyed. Really, really achy." I found this heartbreaking, especially as one who enjoys the double privileges of both heterosexuality and marriage. Neither sexuality nor marital status should be the gauge by which we determine whether or not someone deserves health care. Everyone deserves health care, period. When health care is a reality for all -- for all -- then I will know the kingdom of God is near.
-- Rev. Ian Doescher, Calvary Presbyterian Church, Portland Oregon
Advent: day 2
When a developmentally delayed teenager who can barely form a coherent sentence affirms his faith and is received as an active member, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- John Edward Harris, North Church, Queens, Flushing NY
Advent: day 3
When I see hatred reduced to struggling for survival against love, I will know that the reign of God is near.
-- Jenny Howard, Louisville Seminary, Louisville, KY
Advent: day 4
When cynics' hearts melt, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- Rose Darling, Broadway Presbyterian Church Liaison to Presbyterian Welcome, New York City, NY
Advent: day 5
When I see the faces of my small congregation on Sunday mornings, in all their variety of age and color and culture and orientation, when I remember their hopes and fears and joys, sorrows, and triumphs and see that we are all still here together, I know that the kindom of God is near.
-- Rev. Bob Brashear
Pastor, West-park Presbyterian Church
Manhattan, Upper Westside
Advent: day 6
When I see a deer watching me through my window, defying the odds of all kinds of weather, traffic, and suburban development, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- Laura Cunningham, Pastor, Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church, Pearl River, NY
Advent: day 7
When I think of the people God has blessed me with, those who have brought me this far, I know the Kingdom of God is near.
-- Mieke Vandersall, Minister Director, Presbyterian Welcome
Advent: day 8
When people comment on preachers’ theology or insight or eloquence or even humor, and not their sexuality, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- Pam Byers, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, San Francisco
Advent: day 9
When everyone realizes & embraces themselves (and others) as created in God's image, unconditionally loved by God, and as children of God ...and all of us treat each other as sacred, then.......I know the kingdom of God is near.
-- Michael J. Adee, Executive Director & Field Organizer, More Light Presbyterians, Santa Fe, NM
+ I offered an Advent reflection on December 2: "Wake Up for Advent"
An introduction was posted on November 29, the first Sunday in Advent:
Advent Begins...
At church this morning, you may have heard someone read this:
“So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” -- Luke 21:31
When do you know that God's kin(g)dom is near? Every day during advent and up until the new year we will be posting sentences much like this one, each written by a different member of our community. We've got the official leaders of the LGBT Presbyterian movement, some of our member church pastors, board members, and many other less well-known but even more special voices to add. Please leave your comments during this time, either on the blog or via facebook, as we continue to expand and explore what it truly looks like for God's reign to be realized on Earth.
Advent: day 1
A friend of mine wrote this on her Facebook page: "At home, really sick. If I were straight and married to my domestic partner, I'd have insurance and I would go to the doctor and they would tell me whether or not I have H1N1. Instead, we have to have an affidavit notarized when she gets back and then send it to NYC and we might eventually get covered. Annoyed. Really, really achy." I found this heartbreaking, especially as one who enjoys the double privileges of both heterosexuality and marriage. Neither sexuality nor marital status should be the gauge by which we determine whether or not someone deserves health care. Everyone deserves health care, period. When health care is a reality for all -- for all -- then I will know the kingdom of God is near.
-- Rev. Ian Doescher, Calvary Presbyterian Church, Portland Oregon
Advent: day 2
When a developmentally delayed teenager who can barely form a coherent sentence affirms his faith and is received as an active member, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- John Edward Harris, North Church, Queens, Flushing NY
Advent: day 3
When I see hatred reduced to struggling for survival against love, I will know that the reign of God is near.
-- Jenny Howard, Louisville Seminary, Louisville, KY
Advent: day 4
When cynics' hearts melt, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- Rose Darling, Broadway Presbyterian Church Liaison to Presbyterian Welcome, New York City, NY
Advent: day 5
When I see the faces of my small congregation on Sunday mornings, in all their variety of age and color and culture and orientation, when I remember their hopes and fears and joys, sorrows, and triumphs and see that we are all still here together, I know that the kindom of God is near.
-- Rev. Bob Brashear
Pastor, West-park Presbyterian Church
Manhattan, Upper Westside
Advent: day 6
When I see a deer watching me through my window, defying the odds of all kinds of weather, traffic, and suburban development, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- Laura Cunningham, Pastor, Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church, Pearl River, NY
Advent: day 7
When I think of the people God has blessed me with, those who have brought me this far, I know the Kingdom of God is near.
-- Mieke Vandersall, Minister Director, Presbyterian Welcome
Advent: day 8
When people comment on preachers’ theology or insight or eloquence or even humor, and not their sexuality, I know that the kingdom of God is near.
-- Pam Byers, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, San Francisco
Advent: day 9
When everyone realizes & embraces themselves (and others) as created in God's image, unconditionally loved by God, and as children of God ...and all of us treat each other as sacred, then.......I know the kingdom of God is near.
-- Michael J. Adee, Executive Director & Field Organizer, More Light Presbyterians, Santa Fe, NM
+ I offered an Advent reflection on December 2: "Wake Up for Advent"
Thursday, December 3, 2009
THE GREAT TURNING
+ Don't miss this! Shuck and Jive offers Christine Fry's "The Great Turning" which begins:
You've asked me to tell you of the Great Turning
of how we saved the world from disaster.
The answer is both simple and complex.
We turned.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
SUPPORTING THE PALESTINIANS -- 6
+ Here are several items dealing with what the Palestinians are up against:
Go to #1
Go to #2
Go to #3
Go to #4
Go to #5
- Haaretz offers "Why is Israel laying claim to an Arab home in Jaffa?"' by Dana Weiler-Polak. An email from a former resident of East Jerusalem says:
- The history of what is now Israel/Palestine is the subject of an upcoming book, Across The Wall, which offers us a new and hopefully constructive way to deal with the conflicting narratives of the Israelis and the Palestinians. The blurb at Palgrave MacMillan says:
- Haaretz offers "Israel stripped thousands of Jerusalem Arabs of residency in 2008" by Nir Hasson. It begins: "Last year set an all-time record for the number of Arab residents of East Jerusalem who were stripped of residency rights by the Interior Ministry. Altogether, the ministry revoked the residency of 4,577 East Jerusalemites in 2008 - 21 times the average of the previous 40 years."
- Haaretz offers "EU envoys: Israel trying to sever East Jerusalem from West Bank" by Barak Ravid. It begins: "A classified report drafted by European consuls in East Jerusalem and Ramallah slams Israeli policy in East Jerusalem and recommends that the European Union take steps to strengthen the Palestinian Authority's status in the city."
Go to #1
Go to #2
Go to #3
Go to #4
Go to #5
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
WAKE UP FOR ADVENT
+ Yearning for God offers "Wake Up for Advent" quoting Christine at Abbey of the Arts:
I invite you to awaken right now – begin by breathing in the beauty of this very moment. Pause for just a moment and allow your breath to bring you to the present until it opens before you in all of its expansive grace. Consider taking on a practice for Advent of cultivating presence, of saying no to something you find draining to create a holy pause in the day so you might discover the poem written in a grain of sand.
I invite you to awaken right now – begin by breathing in the beauty of this very moment. Pause for just a moment and allow your breath to bring you to the present until it opens before you in all of its expansive grace. Consider taking on a practice for Advent of cultivating presence, of saying no to something you find draining to create a holy pause in the day so you might discover the poem written in a grain of sand.
SHUTTING DOWN COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS
+ SHUT DOWN THE COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS + I usually like what Chris Hedges has to say and the follwing is no exception.
There are some 614 coal-fired power plants in the United States, and it is up to us to shut them down. No one in the White House will do it. No one in Congress will do it. And no one at the coming U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen will do it. We will build local movements to carry out acts of nonviolent civil disobedience to halt the burning of coal, or the polar ice caps will continue to dissolve, the Greenland ice sheet will disappear, the glaciers in the Alps, the Himalayas and Tibet will melt, and widespread droughts, rising sea levels and temperatures, acute food shortages, disease and gigantic mass migrations will envelop the globe. We are killing the ecosystem on which human life depends. One of the major polluters is coal, which supplies about half of the country’s electricity. NASA’s James Hansen has demonstrated that our only hope of getting our atmosphere back to a safe level—below 350 parts per million CO2—lies in stopping the use of coal to generate electricity. We are currently at 390 parts per million carbon dioxide.
A Colleague led me to this statement. You can find it at http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/refuse_allegiance_to_coal_20091123/
There are some 614 coal-fired power plants in the United States, and it is up to us to shut them down. No one in the White House will do it. No one in Congress will do it. And no one at the coming U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen will do it. We will build local movements to carry out acts of nonviolent civil disobedience to halt the burning of coal, or the polar ice caps will continue to dissolve, the Greenland ice sheet will disappear, the glaciers in the Alps, the Himalayas and Tibet will melt, and widespread droughts, rising sea levels and temperatures, acute food shortages, disease and gigantic mass migrations will envelop the globe. We are killing the ecosystem on which human life depends. One of the major polluters is coal, which supplies about half of the country’s electricity. NASA’s James Hansen has demonstrated that our only hope of getting our atmosphere back to a safe level—below 350 parts per million CO2—lies in stopping the use of coal to generate electricity. We are currently at 390 parts per million carbon dioxide.
A Colleague led me to this statement. You can find it at http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/refuse_allegiance_to_coal_20091123/
GREENING THE MOHAWK VALLEY ONE CHURCH AT A TIME
+ MAKING OUR GREEN ECONOMY COME ALIVE AND THRIVE is the slogan of Green Local 175 which is led by Richard Morris. He is now spearheading an effort to get churches in the Mohawk Valley invoved. I attended a meeting last night as a Presbyterian representative. We also had a Lutheran, a Catholic and 3 Unitarians. We hope to recruit more people and build momentum for a greener Mohawk Valley and planet.
Friday, November 20, 2009
SUPPORTING THE PALESTINIANS -- 5
My friend and colleague, J. Mark Davidson, Pastor of The Church of Reconciliation in Chapel Hill, NC offers these important thoughts on the video, I AM ISRAEL, which was removed from the website of The Israel/Palestinian Mission Network which is closely affiliated with The Presbyterian Church (USA):
I looked at the video yesterday, and it stayed with me all day, and I thought about my reactions to it, and about what to say about it to you. Then this morning, I read that it had been taken down off the IP Mission Network webpage.
Basically, I think it is best that it was removed. Here's my thing:
a) it wasn't "anti-semitic," because anti-semitism, at least the way it functions in the public mind, is hatred of Jews because of their Jewishness; this is reprehensible and we should always repudiate it and renounce the anti-semitism in Church history, etc. But this video was not hatred of Jews because of their Jewishness, it was rage against Israel because of 60 years of oppression and dispossession;
b) I noticed that the question of whether the video should be kept on the site or removed tended to get played out on the plane of Israeli-Palestinian power politics: AIPAC and its allies might have been behind the accusation that it was anit-semitic, therefore we should stand against AIPAC's tactics and kept it posted on the site, etc. We have to find a way to get past this rut-worn polarization; it only feeds the conflict, and distracts thought and energy from the central issues;
c) everything said in the video about Israel's treatment of the Palestinians is accurate; the case for keeping the video up on the site is to get the word out about the Palestinian rage and frustration about Israel's oppression; the Palestinian viewpoint is a narrative and a perspective largely shielded from the American public;
d) my problem, though, with the video was that although the words were accurate, they weren't "true." Truth is something larger and deeper than facts. Laying out all these Israeli atrocities and violations of international law under the banner of the Israeli flag and a dark sound track and the words, "I AM ISRAEL" engages in what I call "enemy-speak". It can only invite defensive and self-justifying rhetoric from "the other side" and we end up keeping the conflict well-fed, we strengthen the well-worn conflict grooves in the brain;
e) one could as easily have done a video "I AM PALESTINE" and pictured the Palestinian flag and a dark sound track and 6 minutes of shrieking Israeli mothers mourning, like Rachel, their lost children, and said that Palestinians were bloodthirsty terrorists who brainwash their young and turn them into suicide bombers and send them onto crowded buses to kill Israeli seminarians and schoolchildren. And we would be outraged on behalf of the Palestinians, because that does not tell the whole truth about who the Palestinians are;
f) if we are going to post an "I AM ISRAEL" video that is not filled with "enemy-speak", wouldn't it have the face of Jeff Halper, ICAHD founder and my candidate for a modern Isaiah in our midst, or historian-in-exile Elan Pappe who wrote courageously about Israel's campaign of "ethnic cleansing", or for that matter, the conductor of the Israel Philharmonic or Israeli poets or Rabbis for Human Rights, etc. In the same way, we would insist that an "I AM PALESTINE" video should show the face of Naim Ateek or Jonathan Kuttab or Hannah Nashrawi, or gifted Palestinian pianists and poets and painters, and their centuries-long connection to the olive trees, and so forth.
g) there will be no true, just, and lasting peace in this deeply troubled land until everyone refrains from "enemy-speak", yes, speak truth to power, yes, challenge our own government to pressure Israel to end the occupation, return the dispossessed land, tear down the wall, etc., but not, in the process and in the name of so much suffering, dishonor that suffering by engaging in half-truths and distortions that undermine the Golden Rule and in the end break the commandment not to bear false witness.
So, I think we have to get beyond the video sound-bite, feel-good, enemy-speak, lash-out "journalism"; it cannot sow the seeds of peace which are built on the foundation of truth, justice, and love.
+ See my previous "Supporting the Palestinians" posts:
Go to #1
Go to #2
Go to #3
Go to #4
I looked at the video yesterday, and it stayed with me all day, and I thought about my reactions to it, and about what to say about it to you. Then this morning, I read that it had been taken down off the IP Mission Network webpage.
Basically, I think it is best that it was removed. Here's my thing:
a) it wasn't "anti-semitic," because anti-semitism, at least the way it functions in the public mind, is hatred of Jews because of their Jewishness; this is reprehensible and we should always repudiate it and renounce the anti-semitism in Church history, etc. But this video was not hatred of Jews because of their Jewishness, it was rage against Israel because of 60 years of oppression and dispossession;
b) I noticed that the question of whether the video should be kept on the site or removed tended to get played out on the plane of Israeli-Palestinian power politics: AIPAC and its allies might have been behind the accusation that it was anit-semitic, therefore we should stand against AIPAC's tactics and kept it posted on the site, etc. We have to find a way to get past this rut-worn polarization; it only feeds the conflict, and distracts thought and energy from the central issues;
c) everything said in the video about Israel's treatment of the Palestinians is accurate; the case for keeping the video up on the site is to get the word out about the Palestinian rage and frustration about Israel's oppression; the Palestinian viewpoint is a narrative and a perspective largely shielded from the American public;
d) my problem, though, with the video was that although the words were accurate, they weren't "true." Truth is something larger and deeper than facts. Laying out all these Israeli atrocities and violations of international law under the banner of the Israeli flag and a dark sound track and the words, "I AM ISRAEL" engages in what I call "enemy-speak". It can only invite defensive and self-justifying rhetoric from "the other side" and we end up keeping the conflict well-fed, we strengthen the well-worn conflict grooves in the brain;
e) one could as easily have done a video "I AM PALESTINE" and pictured the Palestinian flag and a dark sound track and 6 minutes of shrieking Israeli mothers mourning, like Rachel, their lost children, and said that Palestinians were bloodthirsty terrorists who brainwash their young and turn them into suicide bombers and send them onto crowded buses to kill Israeli seminarians and schoolchildren. And we would be outraged on behalf of the Palestinians, because that does not tell the whole truth about who the Palestinians are;
f) if we are going to post an "I AM ISRAEL" video that is not filled with "enemy-speak", wouldn't it have the face of Jeff Halper, ICAHD founder and my candidate for a modern Isaiah in our midst, or historian-in-exile Elan Pappe who wrote courageously about Israel's campaign of "ethnic cleansing", or for that matter, the conductor of the Israel Philharmonic or Israeli poets or Rabbis for Human Rights, etc. In the same way, we would insist that an "I AM PALESTINE" video should show the face of Naim Ateek or Jonathan Kuttab or Hannah Nashrawi, or gifted Palestinian pianists and poets and painters, and their centuries-long connection to the olive trees, and so forth.
g) there will be no true, just, and lasting peace in this deeply troubled land until everyone refrains from "enemy-speak", yes, speak truth to power, yes, challenge our own government to pressure Israel to end the occupation, return the dispossessed land, tear down the wall, etc., but not, in the process and in the name of so much suffering, dishonor that suffering by engaging in half-truths and distortions that undermine the Golden Rule and in the end break the commandment not to bear false witness.
So, I think we have to get beyond the video sound-bite, feel-good, enemy-speak, lash-out "journalism"; it cannot sow the seeds of peace which are built on the foundation of truth, justice, and love.
+ See my previous "Supporting the Palestinians" posts:
Go to #1
Go to #2
Go to #3
Go to #4
Thursday, November 19, 2009
THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION -- 2
+ I just participated in a LIVE DISCUSSION WITH KAREN ARMSTRONG 11/19/09 at Facebook > http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=163223499166&topic=10918
+ I intend to expand this post soon with some excerpts from that discussion. Over 60 people participated. The Charter for Compassion has now been affirmed by over 18,000 people. Please join us by going to the webpage right now and affirming the Charter or, if you have done that, look for ways to promote the Charter and to engage in acts of compassion.
+ In one post, Karen Armstrong wrote: "The trouble is that people may say they believe in compassion, but they are not doing it! the world is full of pain and alienation and yet we do not hear the compassionate voice of religion. instead we hear about doctrinal disputes and other such things. So let us ~ we the people ~ make that voice resound through the world. Sign up. And let the religious leaders know we mean business."
+ I intend to expand this post soon with some excerpts from that discussion. Over 60 people participated. The Charter for Compassion has now been affirmed by over 18,000 people. Please join us by going to the webpage right now and affirming the Charter or, if you have done that, look for ways to promote the Charter and to engage in acts of compassion.
+ In one post, Karen Armstrong wrote: "The trouble is that people may say they believe in compassion, but they are not doing it! the world is full of pain and alienation and yet we do not hear the compassionate voice of religion. instead we hear about doctrinal disputes and other such things. So let us ~ we the people ~ make that voice resound through the world. Sign up. And let the religious leaders know we mean business."
+ In Post 75, she wrote: "We don't need a new doctrine or a new theological insight. The teachings of compassion are already there. They are age old and are said by all the sages to lie at the core of religion. So why are people not following these compassionate teachings? because compassion is hard. A lot of people prefer to use religion to affirm the ego, instead of laying it aside as we reach out to the other. They prefer to follow secondary, less doctrinal goals, that often inflate the ego ~ like doctrinal orthodoxy. But if we got back to the compassionate ethic, then we would gain in theological insight too. i am quite certain about that. it is compassion that brings us to God, Nirvana, Brahman and Dao."
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