-- Claude Levi-Strauss
Reading: by Jennifer Michael Hecht from Doubt: A History (p. xi)
In every [religious tradition] there are records of questioning, doubt and disbelief. In fact, the great religious texts are a great jumble of affirmation and denial, and the greatest of them record valiant efforts to reconcile these impulses: in the Hebrew Bible, Job rants at God, and Augustine, the early church father, tears at his hair in Confessions, beset with doubts. Whether you are a non-believer, or you belong to a religion without God, or you are a believer troubled by dark nights of the soul, we are all part of the same discussion. This is because, whatever your position may be, we all have the same contradictory information to work with. Sometimes it feel like there is a God or ultimate certainty, and it would be a great comfort if such a thing existed and we knew the answers to life’s ultimate mysteries: who or what created the universe and why; what is human life for; what happens when I die? But there is no universally compelling, empirical, or philosophical evidence for the existence of God, a purposeful universe, or life after death.
Reading: by Mary Oliver a poem entitled “Some Questions You Might Ask”
Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of an owl?
Who has it, and who doesn't?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly.
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?
Like the eye of a hummingbird?
Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?
Why should I have it, and not the anteater
who loves her children?
Why should I have it, and not the camel?
Come to think of it, what about maple trees?
What about the blue iris?
What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?
What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?
What about the grass?
Reading: by the 17th century Sikh teacher Tegh Bahadur
Why do you go into the forest in search of the Divine? God lives in all, and abides with you too. As fragrance dwells in the flower, or reflection in the mirror, so the Divine dwells inside everything; seek therefore in your own heart.
Questions on Your Mind
A Sermon Delivered on May 18, 2014
By
The Reverend Axel H. Gehrmann
There are a lot of things I like about the religious enterprise in general, and Unitarian Universalism in particular. But perhaps the single idea that means the most to me is that religious truth can be found anywhere and everywhere.
Theodore Parker said, ours should be a religion which like sunshine goes everywhere; its temple, all space; its shrine, the good heart; its creed, all truth; its ritual, works of love. And I agree.
Truth and goodness can be found everywhere. But in order to find them, we need to look. In order to find the answers to life’s perplexing problems and greatest wonders, we need to ask the right questions. Each of us has very good questions that point the way toward important insights and revelations. Our service today is an effort to honor your very good questions.
As many of you know, I put a call out a few weeks ago inviting you to write down questions you have about religion or spirituality, ethics or morality, and to drop them into this Question Box (show box).
Well, a few of you have done just that. Reflections on five of your questions are the substance of this morning’s service.
1) Why do most religions generate so much intolerance and hateful actions?
Why do religions generate so much intolerance and hateful actions? This is a very good question. History seems rife with examples of religious intolerance and violence. Crusades and religious wars have been waged, witch hunts and pogroms carried out, and more recently crimes are committed by religious radicals who pick up guns and build bombs for the sake of their own battles against whoever they consider a religious enemy or infidel. It is true, there is plenty of religious violence in the world.
Nevertheless I am not convinced that religious people are more violent than non-religious people. Does religion generate intolerance? Or is intolerance a human trait that is expressed in many different ways and areas – whether it is in religion or politics, whether driven by ethnic or economic interests?
Prompted by the attacks of 9/11/2001, the religious scholar Lloyd Steffen wrote a book about the power of religion to either inspire or restrain violence. He makes the case that religion can create both community and divisiveness. Because religion touches into our deepest existential concerns, it can be a potent force for either good or evil. Religion is both powerful and dangerous, he says, much in the way fire is powerful and dangerous.
“Religion is like fire,” he says. “[Just] as fire is an elemental phenomenon of nature, religion is an elemental phenomenon of human culture.” Fire requires three things: oxygen, fuel, and an ignition. Similarly religion needs three things. Our spiritual needs and our longing for transcendence are like oxygen, they keep religion alive and moving. Our religious activities, our holiday observances, our worship and rituals are like the fuel that makes it possible for religion to grow and spread. The sparking source, the ignition of a fire is the experience of “ultimacy.” (strike match) Ultimacy is the passion we feel when we are focused on what matters most in our lives. Paul Tillich calls it our “ultimate concern.” It is when we care deeply and intensely about something. Some people care most intensely about God. Others may care most deeply about their country or their career, about money or about their marriage.
The spark is at the center of the religious enterprise. Without it, you don’t have religion. You just have a vague spiritual longing, and empty ritual. But when you bring the three together – oxygen, fuel, and ignition – you have religion, which is powerful and dangerous.
Whether our religion generates hate or love is up to us. I would like to believe that our faith is firmly opposed to violence, to hate and intolerance. But is it?
2) How does one know when violence is an acceptable solution to a problem? This question occurred to me while I was listening to some lectures on the Transcendentalists. I recall there was a preacher (Theodore Parker? I might be mixing up names already!) who kept a gun in his pulpit for fear that slave-catchers might try to abduct any of the people who gathered to hear his sermons.
This is a very good question.
Yes, indeed, the Unitarian minister Theodore Parker was known to keep a pistol in the pulpit. He was a fervent abolitionist, an outspoken opponent of slavery, especially in response to the Fugitive Slave Act 1850. And he was indeed concerned for the safety of the former slaves who were members of his Boston congregation. Responding to critics, he said, “Yes, I have had to arm myself. I have written my sermons with a pistol in my desk,— loaded ... and ready for action. Yes, with a drawn sword within reach of my right hand. This I have done in Boston; in the middle of the nineteenth century; [I have] been obliged to do it to defend the [innocent] members of my own church, women as well as men!"
Does this mean we who worship today should all be carrying guns? Does this mean I should keep a pistol in our pulpit? I don’t think so. You may have noticed that the entry doors to our church now have a sign on them showing a gun with a red slash through it. We put the signs up in response to the Illinois “Concealed Carry Law” that was passed this year. Those signs convey the clear and legally binding message that guns are NOT allowed here.
A lot has changed in the last two hundred years. Just as science and technology have progressed, our ethical ideals have progressed, too. It was Theodore Parker who coined the phrase, “the arc of the universe bends toward justice.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was inspired by Parker, and built upon his ideas. “The moral arc of the universe is long,” King said, “but it bends toward justice.” And a century after Parker, King realized that violence only begets more violence. As a way of achieving justice, violence is both immoral and impractical, he said. If Parker were alive today, I think he would agree. And by the way – even though he often had a pistol close by, to defend former slaves, he never used it.
Figuring out how to put our ethical ideals into action isn’t easy.
3) My questions are a conglomeration along the lines of, how can we be a more loving, welcoming, giving congregation? Kind of like, how do we translate the 7 principles into action? Age old questions I suppose.
This is a very good question.
The seven principles mentioned, are those that are printed on the back of our Sunday bulletin, and which were adopted by UUs across the country thirty years ago, as an updated expression of our shared values. They’ve been encapsulated in a nutshell like this: (1) each and every person is important; (2) all people should be treated kindly and fairly; (3) we are lifelong learners; (4) we search for what is true; (5) all people need a voice and a vote, (6) we want to build a fair and peaceful world; (7) we care for our planet earth.
How to put these principles into action is indeed an age old question. One ancient answer is found in the Jewish Book of Leviticus. It says that we should “love our neighbors as ourselves.”
A few years ago, we as a congregation had extensive conversations about how we want to treat one another. We came up with our own principles and promises, our own congregational covenant. They are written on the yellow insert in your order of service. Rather than seven principles, we came up with nine promises. I encourage you to take a look at them. Take them home, and read them slowly.
If I had to offer a nutshell version of our nine promises, it would be this: (1) We promise to participate actively in congregational life, (2) we promise to be open and inclusive in all we do, (3) we promise to really understand our differences. (4) We promise speak our minds honestly and respectfully, (5) and dare to be both critical and creative. (6) We promise to see our children as the whole people they are, (7) and help newcomers find a place in our midst. (8) We promise to support each other through life’s inevitable ups and downs. (9) And we promise to join to together to build a better world.
So how do we put our principles into action? Well, I guess the first step is thinking deeply about what our stated principles and promises mean for us. And then, once we have reminded ourselves and one another of our shared convictions, after talking the talk, we need to walk the walk.
What makes this especially tricky, is that even if we manage to agree on the substance of our nine promises, we may realize that we differ on how to practice what we preach.
4) How can we deal with differences of opinion more openly and honestly? 'Midwest politeness' often plays out as avoidance of open discussion, and fear of conflict, to the point where there is much underlying tension but no way to address it, understand it, resolve it or move past it.
A good question. “Midwest politeness” is what in other circles is known as “Minnesota Nice.” Wikipedia describes it like this: it’s “the stereotypical behavior of people [in the Midwest, who are] courteous, reserved, and mild-mannered. …Cultural characteristics… include… an aversion to confrontation, a tendency toward understatement, a disinclination to make a fuss or stand out … Critics have pointed out negative qualities, such as passive aggressiveness and resistance to change…”
Ah yes. While I am not originally from the Midwest, I think I have long had an affinity for “Midwest politeness.” For better and for worse. Being polite and reserved is just fine. But I have come to realize that being persistently non-confrontational and conflict-averse can be a problem. This is true for any relationship, but especially in a church setting this kind of politeness can be counter-productive.
I find it helpful to reread the sound advice of my colleague, the church consultant Anne Heller, who reminds me:
“[Conflict is] normal and can be healthy and transformative. It is not processing [conflict] that creates problems…. A congregation that processes conflict regularly and effectively has essential healthy behaviors, such as: open communication, no secrecy, no gossip, civility,… well-developed skills in active listening, [and] assured opportunities for everyone to be heard…” (Churchworks, p. 138-9)
Whether in our churches, our friendships, or our families, “loving our neighbors” is not only sunshine and roses. Our relationships thrive when we dare to respectfully address both our agreements and disagreements. This is the path that leads to true understanding, greater wisdom, and deeper love.
5) What are some paths to personal peace?
Finding personal peace… what a good question.
We say our congregational mission is to: build community, seek inspiration, promote justice, and find peace. This morning we have heard about how we build community by putting our promises into practice. We have heard that seeking religious inspiration is a three-part effort that can be both powerful and dangerous. And we talked about how promoting justice has long been our goal.
Building community, seeking inspiration, and promoting justice, in my mind, is certainly one path to personal peace.
Practicing what we preach is a path to peace. Coming together to search for truth, or justice, or love, or the Divine, and supporting one another as we struggle to put our ideals into action, is a path to peace.
For each of us the path will look different. And new questions will confront us at every turn. The toughest questions are often the best.
The history of religion is a long record of questioning, of doubt and disbelief, a jumble affirmation and denial. When we are able to reconcile our wide-ranging insights and impulses, we may not find definitive and universally accepted answers, but we will gain greater understanding of ourselves and each other, and we will discover a deeper peace.
Religious truth can be found anywhere and everywhere.
But we have to look. We have to question.
Our temple is all space around us.
Our shrine is the good heart within us.
Our rituals are works of love among us.
May our questions inspire us,
and may our every answer take us one step further along
our path to peace, to justice, and to love.
Amen.
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