-- Pearl S. Buck
Meditation: by Ralph Helverson “Impassioned Clay” SLT #654
Deep in ourselves resides the religious impulse.
Out of the passions of our clay it rises.
We have religion when we stop deluding ourselves that we are self-sufficient, self-sustaining, or self-derived.
We have religion when we hold some hope beyond the present, some self-respect beyond our failures.
We have religion when our hearts are capable of leaping up at beauty, when our nerves are edged by some dream in the heart.
We have religion when we have an abiding gratitude for all that we have received.
We have religion when we look upon people with all their failings and still find in them good; when we look beyond people to the grandeur in nature and to the purpose in our own heart.
We have religion when we have done all that we can, and then in confidence entrust ourselves to the life that is larger than ourselves.
Reading: by the philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris from “An Atheist Manifesto” (2005)
One of the greatest challenges facing civilization in the 21st century is for human beings to learn to speak about their deepest personal concerns—about ethics, spiritual experience and the inevitability of human suffering—in ways that are not flagrantly irrational. Nothing stands in the way of this project more than the respect we accord religious faith. Incompatible religious doctrines have balkanized our world into separate moral communities—Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc.—and these divisions have become a continuous source of human conflict. Indeed, religion is as much a living spring of violence today as it was at any time in the past. The recent conflicts in Palestine (Jews versus Muslims), the Balkans (Orthodox Serbians versus Catholic Croatians; Orthodox Serbians versus Bosnian and Albanian Muslims), Northern Ireland (Protestants versus Catholics), Kashmir (Muslims versus Hindus), Sudan (Muslims versus Christians and animists), Nigeria (Muslims versus Christians), Ethiopia and Eritrea (Muslims versus Christians), Sri Lanka (Sinhalese Buddhists versus Tamil Hindus), Indonesia (Muslims versus Timorese Christians), Iran and Iraq (Shiite versus Sunni Muslims), and the Caucasus (Orthodox Russians versus Chechen Muslims; Muslim Azerbaijanis versus Catholic and Orthodox Armenians) are merely a few cases in point. In these places religion has been the explicit cause of literally millions of deaths in the last 10 years…
Reading: by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, and leader of Tibetan Buddhists, from Beyond Religion – Ethics for a Whole World (p. 12)
It is a matter of great urgency… that we find ways to cooperate with one another in a spirit of mutual acceptance and respect. For while to many people it is a source of joy to live in a cosmopolitan environment where they can experience a wide spectrum of different cultures, there is not doubt that, for others, living in close proximity with those who do not share their language or culture can pose difficulties. It can create confusion, fear, and resentment, leading in the worst cases to open hostility and new ideologies of exclusion based on race, nationality, or religion. Unfortunately, as we look around the world, we see that social tensions are actually quite common. Furthermore, it seems likely that, as economic migration continues, such difficulties may increase.
In such a world, I feel, it is vital for us to find a genuinely sustainable and universal approach to ethics, inner values, and personal integrity – an approach that can transcend religious, cultural, and racial differences and appeal to people at a fundamental human level.
Reading: by the Jesuit priest Anthony DeMello from Taking Flight (p. 62)
An atheist fell of a cliff. As he tumbled downward, he caught hold of the branch of a small tree. There he hung between heaven above an the rocks a thousand feet below, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer.
Then an idea came to him. “God!” he shouted with all his might.
Silence! No one responded.
“God!” he shouted again. “If you exist, save me and I promise I shall believe in you and teach others to believe.”
Silence again! Then he almost let go of the branch in shock as he heard a mighty Voice booming across the canyon. “That’s what they all say when they are in trouble.”
“No, God, no!” he shouted out, more hopeful now. “I am not like the others. Why, I have already begun to believe, don’t you see, having heard your Voice for myself. Now all you have to do is save me and I shall proclaim your name to the ends of the earth.”
“Very well,” said the Voice. “I shall save you. Let go of that branch.”
“Let go of the branch?” yelled the distraught man. “Do you think I am crazy?”
Beyond Religion
A Sermon Delivered on September 30, 2012
By
The Reverend Axel H. Gehrmann
I bet most of us first heard about the movie “Innocence of Muslims” after the attack on the Libyan embassy on September 11th. It seems the film was made by a Coptic Christian on probation in California, and designed to deeply insult the Islamic faith, and its followers. Even now, two and a half weeks later, the turmoil continues. American embassies have been attacked in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Protests have taken place in Sudan, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, India and Bangladesh. Many worry that the violent controversy is liable to undo any political progress accomplished in the Arab Spring. Some see the riots as evidence that the Muslim faith is incompatible with our ideals of freedom and democracy. For others it is another example of the fact that religion, all religions, are irrational, divisive, and dangerous.
The world would be a better place if we could get rid of religious faith altogether. This is the case Sam Harris forcefully makes in his Atheist Manifesto, as well as in other books he has written since: The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape, to mention a few. Harris struck a chord for thousands of readers. The End of Faith was on the New York Times bestseller list for 33 weeks.
Harris’ argument cannot be easily dismissed. His questions are especially relevant in a church like ours. Harris’ radical atheism is relevant, not because we are all adamant theists. Not because we embrace a traditional faith just as fiercely as he rejects it. No, it is relevant because we grapple with the very same questions, and the answers we come up with are all over the map.
Just this past week I was talking with a newcomer about our church, and what it is we believe. He was a religious seeker with a deep concern for questions of meaning and purpose, and with a strong desire to join a community of like-minded people. He wasn’t certain whether he would fit in here, because his ideas about God are different from those of most religious people he had met in the course of his life.
As we talked, I struggled to find a way to convey my sense that his religious questions would fit very well within the context of this congregation, and the breadth of differing religious sensibilities represented among us. Finally I pulled out a poster board that some of you have seen, and which some of you helped create during a worship service last June. It has a line drawn across it. On one side is the word “atheist.” In the middle is the word “agnostic.” On the other side is the word “theist.” Along the line are dozens of red stickers, each of which represents one of our members’ belief about God.
What I find interesting about that poster board is that the red stickers on it are pretty evenly spread out. There is a cluster around “atheist,” and cluster around “agnostic,” and a cluster around “theist.”
The poster board makes it pretty clear, that the question whether we are believers or non-believers is not a question that we resolve before we choose to join this church. Being here does not mean any one of us has stepped firmly and finally into one camp or another. And truth be told, whenever I am asked to say whether I am a theist or atheist, or something in between, I’m not sure what to answer. Sometimes when I hear people talk about God, the way they talk about God leaves me thinking: I don’t believe in that God. But then, other times, I hear other people imagine the sacred, the power of love, the miracle of life, the hunger for justice, the mystery of creation, and God – and I think, yes, I believe in that. And, actually, over the years as I have learned more about the many different ways the sacred has been imagined throughout history, the more the idea has grown on me.
There is no single, simple way to understand religion or to imagine God. There is no universal agreement on what it means to be a believer.
Sometimes the diversity of perspectives on these issues is a problem.
* * *
There is a Sufi story about the wise fool Mulla Nasrudin that addresses the issue of religious diversity and division.
Once upon a time Nasrudin was going from town to town saying the Caliph’s so-called religious leaders were all ignorant and confused. So he was arrested, dragged to court and accused of heresy, the penalty of which was death.
Before the sentencing, he was granted a final request. So Nasrudin asked that each of the wise men should separately write down on a piece of paper the answer to this question: “What is bread?”
The answers were written down, and then handed to the Caliph, who read them aloud. The first answer was, “bread is that which sustains us.” The second was, “bread is flour and water.” The third said, “it is a gift from Allah.” The fourth said, “it is baked dough.” The fifth said, “it depends what you mean by bread.” And so it went on.
When they were finished, Nasrudin asked the Caliph, “How can you entrust matters of judgment to these wise men? They can’t even agree about something they eat every day, and yet when it comes to me, they are unanimous in their verdict that I am a heretic.” The Caliph saw Nasrudin’s point and let him free.
* * *
Sometimes it seems that because religious followers are deeply divided on matters of faith, it would be best to get rid of religion altogether. Religion only serves to keep us ignorant and confused.
The Dalai Lama agrees with Sam Harris, in part. We need to learn to speak about our deepest personal concerns rationally and respectfully. In order to respond to the ethical challenges of our day, we need to find ways to cooperate. In order to be effective, ethics do not need to be grounded in a religious worldview. Our ethical instincts emerge simply as a “natural and rational response to our very humanity and our common human condition.”
But for the Dalai Lama a secular perspective does not require the rejection of religion. Instead it involves the acceptance of a wide variety of religions. The example he has in mind is the secular constitution of India, which was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was a deeply religious man. His daily devotions included hymns and readings of all the country’s major faith traditions. While Hinduism is widely practiced in India, the country also has the second-largest Muslim population in the world. There are millions of Sikhs and Christian who live in India. There are also substantial Jain, Buddhist, Zoroastrian and Jewish communities. Gandhi embraced all of them.
The Dalai Lama writes,
“I am not among those who think that humans will soon be ready to dispense with religion altogether. On the contrary, in my view, faith is a force for good and can be tremendously beneficial. In offering an understanding of human life which transcends our temporary physical existence, religion gives hope and strength to those facing adversity…” (p. 16)
* * *
As the Dalai Lama sees it, the majority of the world’s problem today – whether economic problems that perpetuate poverty, political problems that lead to war, or social problems that lead to substance abuse, domestic abuse, and the breakdown of the family – all these problems are related to our habit of giving too much attention to the external and material aspects of our lives, and not enough attention to morality and inner values.
There is incredible diversity among the world’s different cultures and religions. But nevertheless, on the most essential level, humans share very much in common – especially in terms of our sense of spirituality, or what the Dalai Lama calls “inner values.” The most basic of these values is compassion.
He writes,
“We all appreciate in others the inner qualities of kindness, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, and generosity, and in the same way we are all averse to displays of greed, malice, hatred, and bigotry. So actively promoting the positive inner qualities of the human heart that arise from our core disposition toward compassion, and learning to combat our more destructive propensities, will be appreciated by all. And the first beneficiaries of such a strengthening of our inner values will, no doubt, be ourselves.” (p. x)
As the Dalai Lama sees it, ultimately, the source of our problems lies at the level of the individual. If individuals lack a sense of moral values and integrity, no system of laws and regulations will be able to create peace and justice.
In order to cooperate with one another, in order to learn to speak about our deepest personal concerns, we must recognize our common humanity, our common quest for happiness, our common appreciation for compassion and kindness.
Religious practice – prayer and meditation – can help us understand and cultivate inner values like patience, generosity, and forgiveness. But the value of these traits transcends any particular religion, and religious faith altogether.
* * *
The Dalai Lama tells the story of when he recently attended a formal ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new Buddhist temple in Bihar. (Bihar is a state in northern India that is very densely populated and very poor.) At the ceremony, the chief minister of Bihar gave a fine speech, in which he expressed his conviction that now, with this beautiful temple and the blessings of the Buddha, the state of Bihar would flourish.
When it was the Dalai Lama’s turn to speak, he started off by saying half-jokingly, that “if Bihar’s prosperity depended solely on the blessings of the Buddha, it really should have prospered a long time ago!” After all, Bihar is home to the holiest site for Buddhists – Bodh Gaya, where the historical Buddha attained full enlightenment. “For real change,” he said, “we require more than the blessing of the Buddha, powerful though they may be, and more than prayer.”
The Dalai Lama is a big believer in the benefits of science, technology, engineering and medicine. Every time he is in the hospital, benefiting from the care of skilled doctors, every time boards a plane, relying on the expertise of trained pilots, he appreciates the value of a secular, scientific worldview.
* * *
It would be crazy to think that a simple prayer could solve all the problems of our lives. Whether we consider ourselves believers or non-believers, it would be crazy to think simply calling out for God’s help, would cause a booming voice to respond. It would be crazy to think a heavenly hand would swoop down and miraculously save us from the dangers and deprivations of our lives.
But it would be equally crazy to imagine that we are each completely self-sufficient, self-sustaining, or self-derived.
Human beings are both deeply rational and deeply religious. At our best, we are both.
At our best, we are able to look upon people with all their failings and still find in them good. At our best we are able to appreciate the grandeur of nature and a sense of purpose in our hearts. We will do all that we can to serve a greater good, and then entrust ourselves to the life that is larger than ourselves.
May we have the wisdom and the courage
To live such a life.
Amen.
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