text: A God-Sized Puzzle: July 2010
  This is my new favorite Youtube video I came across today via Andrew Hackman on Facebook. The video says it all.
  I've never heard of Gungor but I plan on looking into them later today. Here's their Youtube page and if you enjoy the video, pass it on!
  Scribed by Sam at 5:27 PM 4 comments
  Labels: God IS, Youtube
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  Don over at Reflections has posted an intriguing article by Dr. Richard Beck on the horizontal (God) and vertical (our fellow man) obligations of the Christian. James of Exploring our Matrix and Sabio of Triangulations write on whole packaged faith and thinking vs. from scratch faith and thinking. (Oh, and Exploring our Matrix has had a new face lift.) Andrew at Hackman's Musings has shared a creepy but excellent video rendition of Mark Twain's "The War Prayer". And via Faithful Progressive Robert Jensen writes on Neuroscientist David Eagleman as a Possibilian, living "between the facts we think we know and the fictions that illuminate what we don't know."
  I've also received my new Droid Incredible yesterday and was wondering if there were any religious apps out there, or any period that I must have? Any suggestions?
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  A God shaped hole has always been an interesting phrase commonly used by pastors, preachers, and pulpit pounders to win the souls of the lost. It assumes that we all have this gap within us that only God can fill, and by accepting Him (not Her, remember God is male!) into our lives we will be transformed into the beings we were meant to be before the Fall. At least that's the idea except our descriptions, images, and parameters of God are shaped by us. The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. We forget that when we speak of the eternal, we speak of the mystery not the image or manifestation of the eternal. Yet God as completely mysterious and unknowable makes the divine too distant and non-personal for billions yearning for an intimate interaction with the divine. So what does mankind do? We dress God up and create our personal image of the divine. Some of us even go as far as knowing what God loves or hates having intimate knowledge of God's mind. So how does our image of the divine line up with our God shaped hole? Is it shaped in a fashion construed to our beliefs and ideas of God, or does it transcend all definition? Does the God shaped hole change shape from religion to religion, from person to person?
  The divine is shaped to the mortal limits we place upon it. It is not inherently limited, only the manifestations in which the divine pours itself from itself. In Christian terms this would be equivalent of putting on the Mind of Christ, the Christ Consciousness (Philippians 2:3-11) all Christians struggle to emulate. To be Christian is to be Christ-like, to allow the transformation within to overtake our bodies being filled with the Holy Spirit. But I am using Christian terms to describe a human experience, a natural experience. The label, the terms, the symbols, and story are merely the vessel into which the divine pours itself. Some may ask why would the divine bother with different types of containers, why would God allow for different religions to spring up. I believe this question is equivalent to asking why nature would bother to produce more than one type of species. The universe is infinitely creative and for the cosmos to not create diverse life would be an incredible waste of energy. The diversity of faiths along with the people who hold them are representative of that creativity.
  The phrase A God shaped hole relates to the symbiotic relationship between the sinner and God described within a Christian context: what is a God shaped hole without a God to fill it, and what is God without a God shaped hole to fill? We may feel distant from the divine during times of suffering and loneliness, but it is at these times where we find the divine all around us, permeating throughout all things, all people, and all places. If God is Love manifesting itself through creation then God has never left us, nor will ever leave us.
  Scribed by Sam at 2:56 PM 2 comments
  Labels: head scratcher, Spirituality
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  This post details my thoughts from last Sunday's 4th of July church service.
  Sunday was the most militant Sunday service I've ever attended. Was it always like this on patriotic holidays? How long have I been out? I don't ever recall church and patriotism being blended as smoothly as I experienced it on Sunday. We were surrounded by dozens (if not hundreds) of flags and banners stating how much God wants to bless America. A short video was also shown saluting the military in almost a Messianic manner set to the poem It Is the Soldier by Charles Providence. Here is an excerpt.
  The poem itself honors the freedoms protected by the blood of those who fought and died for this country, but place it in a religious context and it gives the subtle impression of honoring the soldier as a messianic figure, blood shed for our freedom (salvation). If my mother wasn't there I would have walked out. I have no beef with honoring veterans or worship service but to quote one of my favorite sci-fi authors, Frank Herbert, "When religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows." I fear the day when nationalism and patriotism in the U.S. becomes commonly equated and intertwined with the commoner's faith.
  The pastor shifted gears and spoke on the public school system by pointing out the errors of humanism being taught in school. Humanism? I don't remember ever learning about humanism although I admit that I only went to a public school 2 years throughout my youth until college (I attended private SDA schools). The pastor noted the 5 major erroneous beliefs of humanism.
  No God- If we don't have a God to hold us accountable for our sins then suffering will increase in the world.
  Evolution-If we don't acknowledge the Creator as the author of creation then that means we come from animals and our existence becomes pointless.
  Amorality- You choose what you think is right or wrong and if it feels good, do it.
  Self-Sustaining Man- We don't need help from the divine, we can save ourselves.
  One World Government-.... (The pastor just mentioned the phrase and didn't elaborate at all.)
  Honestly, I found all of his descriptions and arguments against humanism incredibly weak. I admit I know very little of the actual definition and history of humanism but I think it has more to do with the benefit of mankind as a whole than a self-centered, hedonistic worldview. Of course the enemy is always painted in a negative light and their views are distorted in a manner to cause a "normal believer" to cringe. But this blatant attack on humanism not only distorts what humanist believe it increases the rift of fear alienating Us from Them. Christianity historically is more prone to covering up theologically difficult questions than actually wrestling with them. If the first four points, although crude, make up an understanding of humanism then I might consider myself a humanist, although I don't feel any more of a sinner than I did before I started questioning my beliefs 5 years ago. Here are my short responses to the pastor's view of humanism.
  Atheism-The atheist and agnostic groups are growing in the American religious landscape yet I haven't heard of Atheism being the contributing factor behind crimes and violence. Christians, or should I say true Christians (whatever that may mean), are no less immune to committing sinful and atrocious acts against our fellow man than an Atheist. Atheists still believe life is precious, not believing in God does not turn someone into a mindless, amoral beast.
  Evolution-What would it mean to mankind if evolution was found to be true? I believe it means that we first must create and find our own meaning to life and that we must cherish all life. If there is no afterlife maybe mankind might be less violent against their own neighbors. If scientists say that the evidence points towards evolution who am I to argue against their findings? I have no problem with science and the scientific method as long as we continue to question and reshape our theories in light of new evidence.
  Amorality-Everyone already decides what is right or wrong regardless what the gods may proclaim. We choose how moral we want to be as easily as we choose which church to attend. I for one believe we have outgrown our previous images of the divine. I'm not saying that God and religion should be thrown out but that we should be more moral than the God of the Bible. Mankind's collective consciousness has evolved throughout history and continues to evolve as well as our notion of morality. We each have an internal moral drive which is tied to our yearning to survive and our desire to be accepted and loved.
  Self Sustaining Man- Man is fallible, as well as our image of God. Our image, myth and story can not save us because they were penned by us. They might inspire and guide us but in the end we must save and redeem ourselves. How can we do this if we are fallible creatures? We already have the means, the symbols, and the teachings scattered throughout human history which all point to one thing: love. If we allow Love to dwell within us, and we dwell within Love, then redemption will find us.
  One World Government- The pastor did not elaborate on this point as I believe he only stated it to further impress fear upon the congregation. The idea of a one world government is the penultimate fear among conspiracy theory junkies (I admit I was one of them for a brief period of my youth). But it's created from fear as it perpetuates fear, on and on it goes. I'm not discounting that history might take this direction I just refuse to fear the unknown future.
  As the pastor concluded his rant on Hell and the unbelievers that will undoubtedly populate it, I can easily sum up Sunday's service in one word: Fear. Fear was the theme, it wasn't honoring life and freedom but the call to arms in defense of an invisible enemy created by their own fears. There are enough demons and hidden skeletons in closets without creating an unnecessary fear of our fellow man. There is no They, only the illusion of separation.
  On a similar note, Peter Walker over at Emerging Christian recently wrote on the dangers of being too proud on Independence Day and reflects on what it means to be patriotic of a country with a dark past.
  Scribed by Sam at 6:24 AM 5 comments
  Labels: Blog Series: Adventues of The Unbeliever, Fear is the Mind Killer, fundamentalist, Questioning Religion, Theology
  Scribed by Sam at 7:00 AM 0 comments
  I was able to catch an interesting program on To the Best of Our Knowledge from Wisconsin Public Radio today on my way home from church focusing on the intersection between Eastern spiritual tradition, religion, and culture with 21st century modernity.
  [Ganesh is Fresh t-shirt is inspired by MC Yogi's new album Elephant Power.]
  For more info you can visit the To the Best of Our Knowledge website, or you can click here to listen and download the one hour program entitled New East, Old Wisdom.
  Although I missed the first segment on William Dalrymple's new book, Nine lives, on the search of the sacred in India and a report on China's influence and shaping of lives in Tibet, I did catch the segments on MC Yogi and Stephen Batchelor's book, Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist. Although Batchelor's book on rethinking the life of the Buddha is intriguing (and is now on my ever expanding booklist) I found the segment on MC Yogi phenomenal! MC Yogi blends elements of hip hop with Hindu mythology. I don't listen to much hip hop myself and I know the blending of religious imagery with modern music has been done before but I find Hindu hip hop invigorating, or should I say fresh?