jimrigby.org

Conservative Christians often point to the book of John as proof that Jesus claimed to be the only way to salvation. I believe it is a terrible mistake to read the “I am” sayings in John as referring only to Jesus himself. The “I am” sayings are expressed in a form of Greek that makes that literal reading impossible. When English readers sees “I am” in John, what they cannot see is that John is using the Greek form of the divine name that was spoken at the burning bush. As written, it would be improper Greek if read literally.

The divine name in Hebrew was a very strange version of the verb “to be.” The word is variously translated “I am,” “I cause to be,” “I am what I am” and other such phrases. Actually, one cannot tell the subject or tense of the verb, which is why it cannot really be spoken. When Hebrew scriptures were tranlated into Greek a very peculuar form of Greek was used to tranlate the symbol of God’s name. It is that Greek that John uses in his “I am” sayings.

What should not be lost in translation, is that God in that symbolic speech is a verb not a noun. The symbol thus understood has a depth that would easily allow for a universal understanding that did not set it at odds with other paths. Such understanding could swallow all religious forms as the ocean swallows every river. It would not be unique because it was different or better than other religions forms, but because it included and illumined them all.

The same poetic form of the “I Am” sayings is found in other religions as well as Christian. In the Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism, Krishna speaks in words that strike me as similar to John’s picture of Christ.  In both cases the subject speaks not as the leader of an individual sect, but as the heart of life itself:

 “Those who know Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Head of all the worlds — they only, undeluded among human beings, are freed from all sins.

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.

I am the One Soul, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.

I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being — moving or nonmoving — that can exist without Me.

There is no end to My divine manifestations. What I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of My infinite opulences. Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor. But what need is there for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.

Religion would not divide humankind if it came from this depth. As Emerson said, truth is not the possession of any one religion, but a certain depth in them all. One might say that the “One Way” Jesus called us to was not the Christian sect, but the path of universal love.

Gita quotes from this link:

http://vedabase.net/bg/10/

The church the world needs will be a strange place, if it ever comes to be.  The church the world needs will hold the holy torch of reason above the occluding smoke of dogma.  Religious education will no longer produce minds closed in sectarian belief, but ones open to living truths.  The sacred will be praised not with pacified curiosity, but with scientific wonder.  The highest praise will be given not to those who memorize traditional answers, but to those who ask honest questions.  The church will be less afraid of heretics and more afraid of its own prejudices.

The church the world needs will value spontaneous creativity over established worship.  The polished lyrics of the dead will no longer drown out the heartfelt music of the living.  The paintings of the masters will take second place to the drawings of the children.  People will leave worship with eyes hungry for seeing and fingers thirsty for living.

The church the world needs will place principled compassion over merciless rules.  Centuries of abusive discipline will be replaced with a burning passion for universal human happiness.  The tragic supplication each nation makes in support of its own warriors will be replaced by a universal prayer for the peacemakers who call us to live as one human family.  The church the world needs will be a strange place, if it ever comes to be.

Going through old files, I found a comedy script I had written last year for Janie Spahr. Rev. Spahr has, for decades, struggled to bring acceptance for GLBT persons into the Presbyterian church. I have traveled with her on many occasions and have seen first hand how wonderful and painful such work can be. She has been on trial in the church most of her career. To many, she is the face of compassion. For others, she is a villain who personifies all that is wrong with the church.

After a tough event, I am sometimes asked to write a comedy script to be acted out by people who have played a central role in the movement. I always reserve for myself the role of the heterosexual clergy with a few issues of his own. The scripts were always gallows humor. We were just trying to find some way of laughing through the pain of it all. It was always healing to see powerful feminists and serious prophetic types willing to play dress up for a brief moment. No one outside the group has ever seen one of the scripts, until now:

ROD OF GOD FAMILY HOUR 

ROD: Hello Precious lambs of God. Welcome to the Rod of God family hour with me, Reverend Rodney Grunt III, mighty man of God, and my lovely wife Prissy Fae.

PRIS: (crying with joy, waving a glass, clearly drunk) Jesus loves you he really does.

ROD: Pumkin, You might want to hold off a little on your… iced tea. Okay! Well, today our topic is “Homosexuality: Scourge of the American Family.” You know Prissy Fae, so many manly men like myself are led astray when a gay couple moves into their neighborhood. Christian men like myself who want to focus on their wives, but can’t because they know two buff hunks are rubbing each other with oils and burning scented candles, and doing ungodly things just down the street.

PRIS: (Mutters as she sips) That’s our topic every week.

ROD: Excuse me dear?

PRIS: (Blurts out) That’s all you ever talk about on this show: homosexuality! Why do you think I need my…iced tea.

ROD: Now that you mention it sweetheart, I guess you’re right. I do spend a lot of time talking about that subject, (turns to camera) but you know precious lambs of God, we must eternally be on guard against immorality. And what is more immoral (with growing disgust) than two men pumping and thrusting their supple well-oiled limbs rubbing against each other, their wicked hairy chests glistening in the sun?

PRIS: (Awkward silence) Darling don’t you think we should get to our guests?

ROD:  You’re right peaches. What is our topic today? Oh yes, homosexuality. Well, yesterday The Rev. Jane Adams Spahr helped the homosexual agenda take a big step forward. So, today we have asked two experts on homosexuality to come tell us what this means.

PRIS: That’s right, our guests today are Dr. Gretchen Killjoy, a Christian chiropractor and also Professor Barbara Bombast, expert on the gay agenda, and author of a book discussing what homosexuals really want. The book is called, They’re Coming to Fondle our Dead.”  Now, Dr. Killjoy, you have said “there’s nothing gay about gay.” What did you mean by that?

DR: It’s wonderful to be on your show, Rod. And I can tell you that, as a doctor, I see the sad consequences of the supposedly “gay” lifestyle all the time.  Sometimes two healthy men will start take up a woman’s activity, like cooking or cleaning, and suddenly they will go gay, gay as a three dollar bill.

ROD: And let us remember Ladies and Gentlement, this is a doctor. So, Dr. Killjoy, when you share your brave warning about the gay lifestyle, and people call you “hateful,” how do you feel?

DR: (struggling to compose herself) It’s very hurtful. I think we’re the real victims here. It’s getting where decent Christian people can’t judge other people without getting judged ourselves.

ROD: Well this is one pastor who wants to thank you for standing up for the only group in America without a special interest lobby, the white Christian heterosexual bigots.  (Suddenly weeping) Oh my precious Jesus, why won’t they leave us alone? (suddenly calm) Our next guest is Professor Bombast. Professor, you’ve read the news about Rev. Spahr. You know that the homosexual agenda took a giant step forward yesterday. What can we expect next?

PROF: The homosexual is a wily creature.  They don’t sleep like you or I, so they have more time to scheme. Their next step, as Ezekiel 32 clearly reveals, is to dig up our sacred dead and dress them like the characters in the Wizard of Oz. So at the resurrection, your dear papa may be dressed like the Tin Man, and your deceased nephew may belong to the Lolly Pop Guild.

ROD: Oh precious Jesus. Have they no shame?

PROF: No they do not. Do you remember that scene in the Wizard of Oz where the flying monkeys took away the little dog? Well that was a horrifying glimpse of our future if the homosexual lobby has their way.

PRIS: (suddenly back in the conversation) They’re going to take our precious doggies?

PROF: Yes they are. And God knows what they’ll do with them. Ladies, I know it will be hard, but we have to take the sparkly sweaters off our poodles. The homosexual has little impulse control and when they see shiny things they often lose control.

ROD: Oh my precious lambs of God, we’re all out of time, friends this ministry needs your money if we are going to protect your helpless little poodles and your precious dead from the powerful homosexual lobby, we need you to give generously.

(Rod Sings as credits role)

“May our manly God bless and keep you,

May He shelter you with his thighs of steel

May his manly chest protect you.

From the homosexual  lobby

and their wicked sweaty appeal.

(cast waves goodbye while pronouncing vacuous blessings on the audience)

Why do people get so upset when we say that the resurrection is a symbol?

Why do people say we are only pretending to be Christians if we do not take symbols literally and historically? Why do they say, “If a body did not physically rise from the grave, no one should care who Jesus actually was or what he actually taught?”

No one accused Einstein of not believing in physics when he said reality could only be expressed in symbols. No one asked him to believe that E=MC2 actually existed somewhere in space, or said that he was a hypocrite for insisting that such symbols do not actually happen as events, but represent instead that deep dynamic by which events themselves happen.

This Easter may we not believe in the symbols of our faith, thus turning them into idols. May we believe through them into life itself, and into the universal love for which they stand.

I have received some moving stories about why people left the church. Sid Hall sent me a facebook message yesterday about his daughter’s response to the blog. As a minister, he should be very proud of such a strong daughter. I hope she is able to find a community where she can be this authentic:

Hey Jim. Here’s what my 28 yr old daughter Rachel wrote after reading your blog The Church is Standing On the Wrong Side of the Cross:

What a powerful message. I’ve never lost faith in my personal beliefs, only in the communities I’ve tried to relate them to. Over the years, I’ve translated my beliefs into many different representations, all of which appear so very different from one another.

One day, I looked back and saw that my core beliefs really hadn’t changed at all. I had changed as a person. So had my surroundings and my community, and most importantly, my ability to view people for who they were and not for what symbol they wore.

It’s not difficult for me to find spirituality in every faith, every path, in every day and every person. It is difficult for me to find a community in which to worship. One that would not ostracize or wish to change me. A community that would not ask me to pray in the way that they did and to view God as the entity that they saw.

Ultimately, I worship alone, where I am safe to do so. I’ve found a handful of communities in which I’ve felt completely welcomed. Coincidentally, 2 were Christian and 1 was Buddhist. The key word there is coincidentally.

What am I? What faith do I follow? I’m sure many people I’ve met will have varying answers. Does that make me dishonest or undecided? Absolutely not, as I’ve said, I know exactly what I believe and I tell everyone that I meet…

I believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ, I believe in the enlightened path of the Buddha, I believe in God, The Goddess, Science and Nature. I believe that we rot and become apart of the Earth after death. I believe in loving thy neighbor. I believe that these are all words for the same thing, and I believe in all religious or non religious paths that are guided by love. To me, the Kingdom of God was always meant to be here on Earth, a loving place in which all exist and are welcomed for their differences.

To me, God is everything…male, female, and neither. This feels divine to me. And yet, no matter if I’m walking with an Atheist, a Christian, a Buddhist, a Wiccan, a Jew. The list goes on. As long as they love me and everyone, for who they are, we share the same faith.

I want to walk into every place of worship, or every casual coffee-shop conversation, and hear this message. Happy Easter.

Few criticize the church more than I, but for me it is a lover’s quarrel. I want mother church to stop getting drunk on creeds and running off with every rich and powerful stranger who passes through town. I want father church to stop abusing his children. I criticize the church because I wish it health, not because I wish it harm.

I often say that the church has no copyright on truth, but by the same measure, it has no copyright on hypocrisy either. The sins of the church often result more from our humanity than from religion. A group that gathers to laugh at religion will soon develop its own priesthood, sacred jargon and grand inquisitors.

I love the church, but it is a very strange place. We do a confession of sin every week, but then get indignant if anyone ever points out any actual shortcoming.

I remember seeing Madalyn Murray O’Hair out and about in here Austin. I would watch her on television and see her often at a Mexican restaurant near to where I lived and near also to what was then the world headquarters of Atheism.

As a Christian, I never felt brave enough to approach her at the restaurant and thank her for her work in keeping church and state separate.  I felt a debt of gratitude for her tireless work protecting all of us from sectarian intrusions into our public life. Secular government is absolutely necessary if religions are to live peacefully together in a democratic state. To be free to choose any religion, we must must also be free from the coercions of any one religion.

As a progressive Christian I was as grateful to be protected from the fundamentalism that aspired to control every aspect of Texas life. At the time I think I was afraid she would yell at me when I said I was a Christian.  It was silly. As I say, I never had the courage to go up and thank her for what she did for all of us. Now that she is dead, I often wish I had.

I was so happy that atheists have come to town this weekend for their national meeting, in part because they wanted to honor Madalyn Murray O’Hair and her work. While they are here, atheists from their group will have a dialogue with fundamentalist Christians who consider atheism to be an attack on everything decent. I just wanted to go on the record as one Christian who not only welcomes atheists to our city, but who thanks them for their work protecting us all who live in this secular democracy.

Wyoming environmentalists went to court to make public the pollutants that might be leaking in to public water supplies as a result of fracking. Unsurprisingly, the court denied the lawsuit on the grounds that corporations have a right to hide such lists from the public because they are trade secrets.

It is the heart of socialism to base decisions on human need. It is the heart of capitalism to base decisions on rights of possession. Ideally these two systems can be put in balance, but other times we must choose. If corporations are persons, then humans are not.

A judge in Wyoming has denied a lawsuit by environmental groups against the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission demanding that the list of chemicals in fracking fluids be made public, ruling such lists are trade secrets that may be withheld under Wyoming’s open records law. Soooo: Never mind that fracking wastewater, shown to conain benzene, xylene, methane, radioactive materials and other deadly toxins, has already appeared in Wyoming water; that EPA officials say an accident in Wyoming last year contaminated groundwater with toxins “well above” Safe Drinking Water Act standards; that a recent fracking accident in Pennsylvania spewed a quarter million gallons of possibly radioactive wastewater before being capped, requiring residents to be evacuated and use bottled water for weeks, after which officials helpfully told them that “most” of the fluid was contained; that a fracking blowout in South Texas, where groundwater contamination, lung disease from toxic dust, oil spills, buckling roads and truck accidents are already concerns, miraculously failed to kill anyone but caused injuries, impaled a truck and virtually trashed the site, with catastrophic photos to show for it; etc etc etc. But yeah, let’s trust for-profit gas and oil companies to keep their secrets and do right by us. What could go wrong? Abby Zimmet, Common Dreams

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/03/29