Life, Blogging, and Other Things...

Staying sane when your apple cart is turned upside down!

I am sorry that I've not posted much lately. Things have been rather hectic in my personal life. Currently, our family is renting and the house we've lived in for the last two years is simply not big enough for us anymore. Consequently, we are moving. Now, I must admit that I hate to move. I am a person of routine and moving simply messes any routine up completely. It's so hard for me to keep a good attitude when having to do something that I despise.

Fortunately, though, the Lord has shown us favor and what appeared to be a daunting task is turning out to be a miracle. Yes, I'm a liberal, but I do still believe in miracles! You can't define me that rigidly. Only a week into the search for new lodging, we found a perfect place that is not only much larger than where we now live, but its $100 a month cheaper! (Its been a long time since I've constructed this many sentences with exclamation points) My usual discomfort for the process of moving has been greatly mitigated by these developments.

The expense of this move is coming at a bad time and bearing its cost is very uncomfortable, especially with Christmas so close. Even though we are saving money per month on the rent, the transferring of utilities and such is not free. Nor is the rental of a truck and moving accessories, as well as new blinds and curtains and paint and stuff that normally accompany a move into a new place. To be honest, we really did not know how we were going to pull it off but having to sign a new lease here, etc, made it incumbent upon us to make the move.

Here is where the real miracle takes place. This past Saturday morning, less than a day after we signed the new lease and at a time when we were definitely feeling the pressure of it all, we got a package of Christmas presents for the kids and a Christmas card in the mail from a person who is like a mother to my wife and a grandmother to my children. She is a middle-aged lady who just recently lost her life's companion and soul mate for 30+ years to cancer. When I say recent, I am talking about less than a month ago.

In the card, this lady confirmed her love for our family, reiterated the fact that her late husband looked at my wife as his daughter (he left two daughters behind) and our children as his grandkids. She stated that she had received a little bit of money after her husband's death and wanted to share it with all her daughters, including my wife. To our complete and utter amazement, we unfolded an enclosed check to see that it was written for 2000 dollars. Once again, the cynic in me is so likely to say that these things don't just happen often and when they do its more than likely a matter of chance. But, the faith in me knows that the Divine, whom I call Jesus, is looking out for us, knowing our needs and making preparations for them before we are even aware ourselves.

I can only thank God for the grace that he is showing to me and my family during this season of Advent. We are more aware of what we have to be thankful for today than ever. Our entire family is conscious of God and his love being bestowed upon us in all things.

Don't touch that dial!

Although I have been distracted and much of what I've wanted to post has been left on the sidelines waiting to be called into play, we will be resuming our regular scheduled programs momentarily. I have two post in the construction phase; so, I have not been altogether neglectful. Without giving too much away, let me share with you a few ideas that I will be discussing in the near future.

First, the subject of spiritual maturity has been heavy on my mind of late. How is it defined by most of the world's major religions? What criterion establishes the standard for this maturity? Is there any common ground on this subject among different religions; can you reconcile what Christianity believes about it with what the Hindu or Muslim believes? How closely can we walk together in our pursuit of it?

Secondly, I hope to pick up a social issue that has occupied a significant portion of my thinking over the past few days. My son likes to create graphic designs and is becoming quite a talented amateur. Also, he seems to have fallen into the practice of abstract art. One such creation of his recently invoked some thoughts and questions on the issue of same sex parenting.

I know this can be a delicate matter. As a heterosexual parent, I am aware that I may have certain preconceived notions and even prejudices that I am not even conscious of that may affect my ability to speak to the issue in a fair and equitable manner. Consequently, I hope to approach this subject with caution and reasonable discretion. Its my intention to run the post by several gay people of faith that I know in an effort to approach this subject in a way that will be true to my own feelings and yet respectful of others as well.

Participation in this last discussion will be paramount. It is not and never will be a stipulation that we all must agree to participate in this blog. We all come from different backgrounds, have our own ideas regarding faith, and are all in different places in our spirituality. Tension is not always a bad thing; I have learned more from people I disagree with than people just like me. This is the very reason why I have created this blog and seek to establish an environment where divergent ideas can intersect and learning from one another can take place.

Where are all the good authors when you need them?

Speaking of divergent ideas, we are still in need of people who will volunteer to join the team of authors for this blog. If you are a person of faith and are willing to share your ideas in a respectful yet definitive manner, we really want to hear from you! We have no limit set on how many can participate and no legitimate faith will be denied. If you have something positive to say about the divine, religion, faith, etc, then we really need to hear from you!


Is the mission too lofty?
I've thought allot recently of whether or not I was trying to create too lofty of a mission with this blog. Is it too much to expect religious people from divergent backgrounds to come here and play together in the same sandbox? To be completely honest, I am sure that it is not possible for many. Being more of a universalist/pluralist myself, I welcome different views; they don't threaten me or my faith like they do others. And, its certainly not my intent to try and make people see the world the way I do. Too many people like me and the world is doomed to chase its own tail in perpetuity!

But, our world is becoming more connected all the time. We can now discuss issues of faith with people from places and cultures thousands of miles away from where we sit at our computers. We have the benefit, the privilege, to partake of ideas and participate in religious discussions that just twenty years ago was completely unreachable for the common person. This opens up an entirely new world of exploration and learning for those willing and secure enough in their own beliefs to explore. A world that until recently was relegated to the arena of conjecture and speculation. We can now get the word straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Doing so does not mean that you have to lay aside your own beliefs or violate some written code of loyalty. It simply means that you are open to the idea that there may be more to the Divine and more to learn than the knowledge you currently posses. If your capable of accepting this statement then your capable of entering the discussion.

Unfortunately, this will be more than some are capable of giving. Being right is very important to certain groups of religious people. Uncertainty and unexplored territory breeds fear in the hearts of some–the very idea that their body of beliefs could be somewhat incomplete, even in the slightest, is extremely threatening to some. To accept that their dogma could be enhanced or supplemented by another faith's explanation of, let's say, the Golden Rule, insinuates to them that their beliefs are not secure. If everything they have been taught is not true in the most minute detail then nothing is true and their faith is worthless to them.

Personally, I think this is an infelicitous approach to faith and one that is bound to render the adherent incapable of stretching their faith and having their ideas honed by interaction. I couldn't live this way; in fact, I used too think I had all the answers and the idea that I didn't was horrifying to me. But, I could not maintain this approach because of the premium I place upon education and learning. I know this sounds condescending to the group of people who will not be able to participate in our discussions, but if it is, my intent is not malicious and its coming from someone who has at least lived on both sides of the fence. This gives me a unique perspective and legitimacy upon which to offer my opinion and criticisms.

With all this said, I must admit that my initial ideas and ideal for this site was a bit too lofty and naive. In a perfect world, we could all get along regardless of our differences. In a perfect world, we could all agree to disagree and go on. But, this isn't a perfect world and in real life things don't always work the way we want them too. In real life, some people whose view and opinions would be valuable and helpful in some areas here will be reluctant to participate for fear that by doing so they are condoning religious pluralism or ecumenicalism to which they are opposed. Consequently, this site will be more populated with moderate to liberal religious practitioners, which is fine company, in my opinion.

Site Changes

As I updated last evening, I've decided to change the name of the site. I think this name is consistent with the ideas first introduced here and better reflects our overall intention. I'm not sure if I will change the URL or not. I don't think it would be a problem to do so since the site is so new, but a URL is just that, and its really not that important.

If you have any suggestions on this issue or any other issue related to changes or anything you would like to see added to the site, please drop me an email and let me know.

Name Change!

Our name has changed! I think this name reflects the evolving vision of this site more accurately. Please be patient while I update the entire site to reflect this change. The URL will also change. I've got to take care of a few things before I can make that happen. So, bear with me, please. 

I have not been able to post this week. I will do my best to update you later today.  

The Charter for Compassion

The Charter for Compassion is a wonderful endeavor being organized by an impressive group of scholars and religious activist. Voices from across the religious spectrum are blending in harmony in an effort to drown out hate and religious bigotry, calling people from all faiths to begin practicing compassion toward their fellowman. This mandate is based upon the idea that most of the world's major religions have some form of the Golden Rule as a guiding principle. The Charter for Compassion calls upon all these faiths to put this principle into action and thereby doing what religion is fundamentally designed to do: that is, make each of us better people and thus, create a better world for ourselves and our posterity.

Be sure to check out this site. Also, there is an opportunity for anyone wanting to participate in the writing of this charter to submit possible charters for review. I encourage everyone to get behind this wonderful venture; support it with your prayers and participation. Please, visit the site today!

Do Muslims/Islam get a bad rap?

I subscribe to a number of Google Alerts which notifies me of religious news based on my predetermined parameters. I get alerts for news related to all the major religions, including articles related to Muslims and Islam. One thing that I've noticed ever since setting these alerts up is that the overwhelming majority of Muslim related news is negative. If I were to base my opinion solely upon what the media considers newsworthy regarding Islam, I would definitely have to say that it is not a peaceful religion.

Obviously, I do not agree with this opinion. There are allot of good Muslims, both in the US and abroad. Many of whom have gone to great lengths to challenge this erroneous popular notion. You can no more judge Muslims by the actions of Jihadist as you can Christianity by the actions of right-wing anti-establishment isolationist who stockpile guns and spout anti-government propaganda.

One has to wonder what role the media plays in this anti-Islamic campaign. History abounds with the countless atrocities of the Christian religion. Millions of innocent people killed, martyred because their ideas or lifestyle somehow differed from that which was sanctioned by the church of the time. While I am myself a Christian, I feel no need to gloss over this dark and troubling time in my faith's evolution. Fortunately for Christianity, there were no airwaves or Internet where news can literally travel all the way around the world in the blink of an eye.

As a person who respects much of the world's sacred literature, I appreciate and honor the Koran as a book of life and instruction. While it may have its less comely parts (as a figure of speech), so does the bible or any number of ancient text used by many of the world's religions. We acknowledge that many of the stories and teaching contained in these books were crafted in different times where things now unacceptable were common place, such as slavery and the subjugation of women, among other things. However, it certainly doesn't negate the timeless truths that many of these sacred writings convey, including both the Bible and the Koran.

So, the question remains, does the media stimulate this anti-Islamic fervor? I think so. Peaceful Muslims meeting in Mosque around the world, practicing their religion while being respectful of others is just not newsworthy. Educated and perceptive people, however, should not be swayed by this negative propaganda. We shouldn't be ignorant of the fact that there are people, regardless of their religion, who will espouse hate and subject the world to violence, using religion as their excuse. We should not use their ignorance, however, to reject a huge segment of the world's population whose faith and practice is not threatening at all.

Buddhism for the Non-Buddhist Layman

Download Free Ebooks � Buddhism for the Non-Buddhist Layman

In keeping with the spirit of this blog, I just come across this free ebook that purports to explain Buddhism to the non-Buddhist in language that is easily understood. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to read this so I can not substantiate its claims; but, I do have it on my agenda to do in the near future and will either append my opinion to this post or I will add another post about the subject. If any of you get the chance to read this, please update us in the comment section with your ideas about it. If your a Buddhist and either agree with or find fault with the manual, I would appreciate you writing an objective critique and we will post it here as a blog post under your name.

For the record, we are looking for authors of various religious persuasions that can speak definitively on their faith. To reiterate, the purpose of this site is to take an eclectic approach to faith in an effort to improve interfaith relations as well as invoke interfaith dialog. (While this is a blogging community, the potential for discussion is greatly enhanced by our comment feature via Disqus. If you do not already have a Disqus account we encourage you to open one now. It is free and will help take our ability to discuss topics introduced here to the next level.) Faith, regardless of our varying religious persuasions, is the one thing we have in common. All of us who hold some form of religious belief have some structure to it, regardless of whether its rigorous or casual. If interested in participating in this group effort, please check out this page for more information. We really do want and need your help!