Feb. 2013: religious musings

February holds the end of Epiphany, Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, not to mention Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, and the Super Bowl. What an odd mix of open celebration and quiet introspection. Yet, life itself is filled with opportunities for both. We only get into trouble when we lose the balance between the two.

In a nation of extroverts, even in worship styles, open celebration with volume and color is predominant.  If you want to “sell” anything, you do it with all the bells and whistles (literally, at times) at your disposal. And since everyone is using this approach, you need to be louder and flashier than the other guy. Christianity hasn’t escaped this temptation and we, as a faith, spend millions every year trying to get people’s attention. Unfortunately, when such a “come on” becomes the major or only focus, we do a terrible job of follow-up. We continue to supply the easy stimulation that got them in the door with bigger, brighter, more sensually intriguing “events” to draw in the curious. Cynically, as long as you keep the numbers up, there is no real need to spend time holding those attracted long enough to deepen their faith. We Christians have become quite Roman in our efforts to supply “Bread and Circuses” and quite Marxist in supplying a faith that weakens the masses.

Too much party, not enough reflection.

However, don’t get me wrong here. Too much introversion and reflection, too much self-serving pathos does not present the faith in a way that promises hope either. Unfortunately, such self-indulgent practices, totally focused upon one’s own spirituality, often leads to self-righteousness. The suffering servants spend more time making you suffer due to your lack of faith than truly seeing how one-sided and self-centered their faith has become. This temptation is nothing new. I encountered it when reading St. John of the Cross in The Dark Night of the Soul. It’s also seen in Jesus bringing his disciples down off the mount after the Transfiguration.

Too much navel gazing, not enough shared joy.

I believe there is a proper balance of devotional singularity and community service within our faith.
So…where do you stand? Have you found the balance?

Inside Job

“Inside Job”

I have to tell you that I like movies. Not any movie, I have some dignity, but I like to watch movies with popcorn and soda in hand. A friend of mine, after an interesting conversation, recommended I watch Inside Job. Well, last evening I sat down to watch it with my wife. After about 45 minutes, she had to leave the room and I had no interest in my popcorn and soda. If there ever was a movie that would prove we no longer live in a souled nation, it was this movie.

            It also reminds me of a sermon I offered before the recent crash that contrasted capitalism, Christianity, and democracy, or at least the ways they have been playing out in the United States. At that time I stated that often the ruling power in this trinity of American virtues was capitalism. Often, as a nation, we say that we are entering international conflicts to spread democracy but, underlying that public persona, economic concerns are at the core. I do not see us planning to enter dictatorial or communist countries where we are happily trading. If democracy was truly the driving force, we would hear of our strict and strong demands on Saudi Arabia and China, for example, to make their governments democratic. Cash trumps conscience. Dividends and golden parachutes erode what remains of our democracy.

There are any number of passages from multiple religious texts that relate to the way money and the love of money cuts us off from each other, from God, and the blessings God gives to a compassionate people and nation. After watching the movie, it was clear that those who are controlling the financial markets do not have a soul-based ethic as their “inside job.” Because you can read the religious texts easily enough, I want to offer something that was sent to me through the internet. It may not be from who it is proposed to represent but I believe the words have value and certainly relate to a soulful way of life. It’s called

Gandhi’s 7 Dangers to Human Virtue

1)      Wealth without work

2)      Pleasure without conscience

3)      Knowledge without character

4)      Business without ethics

5)      Science without humanity

6)      Religion without sacrifice

7)      Politics without principle

I now have a greater respect for the OWS movement. However, I believe true change can only come about after we let compassionate souls “occupy” our hearts and our decisions.

Just sayin…..