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Namaste
Author’s note: I originally offered a version of this column in response to the events of September 11th, at Human Potential Left. In the aftermath of the London bombings, and the troubling religious rhetoric of the 2004 Presidential Campaign, its themes strike me as being as pertinent today as it was back then.
Humanity has yet to arrive at a collective conception of God. Each and every day, from Rome, to Calcutta, to Kyoto, to Mecca, to Manhattan, to Missoula, men and women offer praise to radically different conceptions of a Creator. This astonishing divergence of approach is both a testament to the richness of the human experience and the cause of extraordinary confusion. This confusion has a price.
For instance, the men responsible for the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon actually believed that the murder of innocent civilians in the name of Allah would result in their immediate installation in Paradise. While the clerics who endorse this deliberate misrepresentation of Islamic theology must bear the brunt of responsibility for the carnage that was the result of this teaching, they are not alone in the practice of "spinning" a conception of God to inspire dubious or crudely nationalistic action.
When Jerry Falwell inserted foot-in-mouth on the September 14, 2001 broadcast of the 700 Club, he was betraying a consciousness not far removed from that of hate-filled, terror-inspiring clerics.
God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.
The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way - all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen'.
And Falwell has plenty of company. Consider that when a Democratic or Republican presidential candidate gives their acceptance speech at their respective national conventions, the first several thousand words of every speech are different from candidate-to-candidate, and party-to-party. The last three, however, are almost always the same: "God bless America".
Not God bless America and the entire human family.
Not God bless America and all the nations of the world.
Not even God bless America and its allies.
No, it's typically just "God bless America".
Can they really believe that God shares (and might reward) such a myopic, narcissistic perspective? Can they seriously believe that God loves Americans more than Iranians, or the Russians, or the Chinese, or the tribal peoples of Africa and South America? If so, as First Officer Spock (from the original Star Trek) might have put it: "that thought is completely illogical. Fascinating."
Spiritual Development, Dogma, and Separation
In my experience, the primary difference between the path of psycho-spiritual development and the approach offered through the embrace of religious dogma is that the former invariably involves a serious attempt at both eradicating the unhealthy cultural conditioning of an individual, and dissolving layers of ego – in the process, ideally liberating one's awareness.
However, the latter can amount to little more than the papering over of deep-seeded emotional insecurities or trauma, via the belief that one is now "saved" and, consequently, superior in God's eyes to so-called heathens who fail to share the same beliefs. As dangerous and absurd as this appears, this “magical thinking” is often central to the conversion process. I experienced this first hand many years ago when a relative, then immersed in a life of drug and alcohol abuse, accepted Jesus as his personal savior. I was transformed in this person's eyes from "square" to "sinner" overnight, even though I hadn't changed one iota in the interim. Let me suggest that this was not an isolated incident.
Consider that relatively mainstream Christian ministers like Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter) or Albert Mohler (of the Southern Baptist Seminary) go on Larry King Live and openly share their belief that anyone who doesn't accept Christ as their Savior can never reach heaven (assuming that any such thing can be said to exist, at least as described in the Judeo-Christian literature) - regardless of their actions in this lifetime. This incredibly illogical, and definitely unspiritual, perspective is at the core of much of the salvation theology alive in the world today – a theology that chooses to inspire instant "hope" and "healing" at the expense of transcendent spiritual insight and true emotional healing. And it is this very approach to Islam, Christianity, and other applicable world religions, that has lead to a dangerous sense of "separateness" among people, and, ultimately, throughout the ages, to murder and mayhem.
Namaste
Namaste is a Sanskrit word that translates into English as "I bow to the God within you".
The humble spirit of Namaste accepts that divinity exists within each and every one of us, even though the Divine may have inspired us, or our ancestors, to a particular form of worship. I believe that this ancient Yogic concept has much to offer the world today.
The implications of a widespread adoption of the simple "Namaste standard" are mind-boggling. If you accept that a living God also dwells within others, then you cannot set off bombs in buses and trains filled with innocent civilians.
You cannot launch machismo-driven, incredibly divisive imperial wars in which hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians are likely to be killed, wounded, or permanently maimed.
You cannot take part in faith-fueled "feasts of blood", like those that have taken place in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Sudan over the past two decades.
You cannot demonize entire races, groups, or religions.
You cannot ignore the suffering of others.
You cannot judge that which you have not made a sincere effort to understand. The "Namaste standard" simply changes your perspective with regard to the way you interact with others.
We stand on the edge of an abyss that humanity would be well advised to avoid. And perhaps the key to sidestepping this precipice lies in a single word.
Namaste.
*****
For more information on the concept of Namaste, see The Significance of a Yogic Greeting at Exotic Indian Arts.
Nice Matt...
Commonly written "Namaste", it is pronounced as "Namastay" with the first two a's as the first a in "America" and the ay as in "stay", but with the t pronounced soft with the area just behind the tip of the tongue pressing against the
upper-front teeth with no air passing (as the t in "tamasha").
- Jai Maharaj
I have been told it holds a meaning sinilar to: "to pay homage to the inner light in all living things"
In Sanskrit "Namas" means, "bow, obeisance, reverential salutation." It comes from the root Nam, which carries meanings
of bending, bowing, humbly submitting and becoming silent. "Te" means "to you." Thus "namaste" means "I bow to you." the act of
greeting is called "Namaskaram," "Namaskara" and "Namaskar" in the varied languages of the subcontinent.
Indy,
I am obviously not a Sanskrit scholar, and I used my very rough translation. But your points are quite accurate, and speak to the even larger symbolic meaning of the word. The linked article at the bottom of the column makes many of the same points that you do.
Namaste!
Matt,
I am no scholar of Sanskrit, or of anything for that matter...but it is telling that the truth of Namaste has been and still prevails in the traditions of the ancient cultures of the world.
In the Orient, it is customary to bow in greeting or in saying good-bye...as you pointed out, the message from hallowed antiquity is quite clear:
A respect for all beings that is given freely from within an individual to the inner light of another.
Mutual Respect...what a concept?!?!
We as an immature "culture" or as the fabled "melting pot" of humanity seem to have forgotten this very basic and honored tradition of our past.
Namaste!
The concept of Namaste is detailed within the Bible, Koran, most major religions. However if there were to be actually followed, we would all become children of God. Wars would end, hunger would stop, poverty would be eliminated and armies would disappear.
Someday.
Jerry Falwell and the rest know well the financial and political advantage of isolating their flock and demonizing anyone not believing as they teach. These religious leaders corrupt their own beliefs for personal gain, and it is disgusting. Falwell and others have been forced to publically apologize for their insidious remarks, which is a window into their hearts as well. A corrupt heart cannot produce good works, nor lead people of faith.
When enough people see falwell and his ilk for what they are, they will toss off the chains binding them. Until then they will continue living blinded to what God truly is.
I just wrote and am about to Post at Reb Nation...HEHE it was soooo damn good for me I just wanted to share.
To all the 'Journalists' of my beloved nation.
As a blogger I would like to tell you what I think of Judith Miller going to jail.
GOOD. SHE BETRAYED AMERICA. What have YOU done for us lately?
Let me review.
No answers to 911. No answers to the Downing Street Memos. No answers on Iraq. NO ANSWERS TO TRILLIONS OF MISSING DOLLARS. No answers about Fallujah. No anwers to Abu Ghraib. Nothing on vote rigging. NOTHING on bush aligning our nation with BUTCHERS. No REAL answers on HOW MANY of our own soldiers are actually dead and wounded. NO ANSWERS on GENOCIDE. GLOBAL WARMING. Nothing on the KNOWN spies in our Pentagon. NO ANSWERS to how our soldiers will survive exactly driving around in minivans.
AND WHERE IN THE **** (please keep it clean. thanks.)IS OSAMA BIN LADEN and WHY is our president holding hands with the Saudi Royal Prince when we KNOW FOR A FACT those bastards HELPED TO MURDER US....?
Oh, but man don't the Popes CORPSE look GREAT on TV for 36 HOURS STRAIGHT? How bout all those white people that are missing...? Because we know DAMN GOOD AND WELL YOU AINT LOOKING FOR THE MUD COLORED MISSING.
The thing that makes me madder than cowards who hide their crimes with WAR AND MURDER is the COWARDS that COVER FOR THEM. The ones PROFITING from our DEATHS.
Perhaps, you are saying right now, BUT I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE!!! Oh, Really....? Tell us some more about those missing white people. Our administration has REPEATEDLY justified TORTURE and your worried about violating the rights of a brain dead womans husband.And you ALL had your talking points, DIDN'T you????
I read an article the other day by the ever bold and truthful Arianna Huffington. She pointed out the diffrence between conventional and online coverage of the London bombings. She also made it a point to say the OBVIOUS difference spelled the inevitable VICTORY of the blogs.
I say LET IT BE. YOU ARE NO LONGER OF ANY USE TO ANYONE EXCEPT YOUR POLITICAL SUGAR DADDIES. And to those like Judith Miller who has the AUDACITY to hide behind CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM while hiding a TRAITOR AMONG US....
I SAY LET HER BURN. She has been a puppet for decades LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE UP TO AND INCLUDING KILLING OUR OWN CHILDREN BY SENDING THEM TO IRAQ. LET HER TELL IT TO THE MARINES.
You have had more than enough time to grow some b***s and CORRECT THE RECORD ON EVERYTHING. But it is OBVIOUS you have absolutely no intent of doing so. YOUR TIME IS UP. Your day has passed into a terrible darkness.
And WE the People have risen up to replace you. And in the meantime WE have been kicking your ass stedily with very few if ANY resources. You are a FAILURE and an EMBARASSMENT to this nation.
And do not think for an instant WE will forget. Judith Miller best be grateful we do not charge her with abetting TREASON. If WE did not have a TORTURER as an Attorney General she already would have been.
And to all of you LOUSY 'Journalists'.. The next time you try throwing Judith Miller in our faces as someone who deserves mercy, KNOW it was YOUR American families she BETRAYED as well. And WE may just use her as cannon fodder and throw her right back in your face.
You may have a moment more to set the record straight. But honestly, it's too late. And you have made yourself an obstacle to the very thing you are supposed to serve. Really the only thing you can do is tell what you know and beg for mercy.
I doubt you'll find any when the Pitchfork Revolution comes, but it sure will be funny to watch you beg instead of BETRAYING OUR NATION.
THE US PRESS IS AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
IT WAS YOU WHO MADE IT SO. Not WE.
Oh and about the thread. Interesting piece.
I think God is the wind, in the trees.
God is that place inside of me where I can feel Him as if He were that wind.
And if you believe in the ONE who made the trees, then YES, it is ALL the same God.
Notice from the Blogland Office of Enlightenment and Education:
NOW on PBS formerly hosted by Bill Moyers(Check your local listings) 4:00 pm CST.
NOW viewers have been writing in to ask us for the latest news on some previous stories. This week, NOW dedicates some time to updates.
With the U.S. government projecting a $426 billion deficit this year, critics are blaming some of the red ink on the Medicare prescription drug benefit, which President Bush signed into law in December 2003. In 2004, when NOW first reported on the story, the original cost of the bill had ballooned from $400 billion to $534 billion. Where does it stand today? NOW looks at what the Medicare law is costing America.
A new wave of bombings across London this week has some asking new questions about those detained in the war on terror. NOW takes a look at the latest on the controversy surrounding the government’s hard line on the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Amnesty International has called the camp “the gulag of our times,” and a growing number of critics – including some key conservatives -- say the detention of more than 500 terror suspects there may be doing America more harm than good.
One of America’s gleaming symbols of freedom and prosperity, Washington, DC is also home to one of the most impoverished and polluted neighborhoods in America. Two years ago, NOW traveled to this neighborhood along the banks of the Anacostia River to report on a non-profit group called the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) that was transforming the lives of young people while teaching conservation. NOW returns for a poignant look at where those kids are today.
Controversy to Inspiration...NOW has it all!!!
Will people buy into his BS again?
_____________
After Flagging Support, a Second Wind for Bush
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-assess10jul10,1,6643703,print.story?coll=la-headlines-world
The bombs exploded in London, but the repercussions are still rippling across Washington.
A surge in public concern about terrorism means a probable boost in support for President Bush and the war in Iraq.
Renewed fear of terrorist sleeper cells will probably spur increased support for tough law enforcement measures such as the Patriot Act, which is up for renewal. And there's new enthusiasm in Congress for increased spending on domestic security, especially mass transit — an area in which legislators were cutting budgets three weeks ago.
There's no telling how long the wave of concern will last. If the London attack gives way to months of calm, the increased fear — and any gain in popularity for Bush — may well be short-lived. But for the moment, Washington is back in 9/11 mode.
"The bombings will give both Bush and [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair a boost," said Christopher Gelpi, a political scientist at Duke University who studies public opinion in times of war. "I think the attacks may help slow the ebbing of [public] support over Iraq, because the bombings make [Bush's] point about linking Iraq and terrorism."
Bush wasted no time in citing the London attack to support his central argument for U.S. military operations in Iraq...blah-de-blah
"This changes the dynamic on the Patriot Act," said Norman J. Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, referring to the post-9/11 law that gave federal agencies new powers to investigate suspected terrorist activities. "It strengthens the argument that diluting the Patriot Act would weaken our ability to infiltrate sleeper cells."
Spiritual Development, Dogma, and Separation
In my experience, the primary difference between the path of psycho-spiritual development and the approach offered through the embrace of religious dogma is that the former invariably involves a serious attempt at both eradicating the unhealthy cultural conditioning of an individual, and dissolving layers of ego – in the process, ideally liberating one's awareness.
However, the latter can amount to little more than the papering over of deep-seeded emotional insecurities or trauma, via the belief that one is now "saved" and, consequently, superior in God's eyes to so-called heathens who fail to share the same beliefs. As dangerous and absurd as this appears, this “magical thinking†is often central to the conversion process.
Posted by Matthew Carnicelli at July 10, 2005 11:50 AM
In the interest of open and honest dialog, I would like to offer factual information taken from my personal, subjective, experience in the former, and the latter.
I would like to start with the latter, because from experience, both personal and observed in others, I sincerely believe the latter, a view that the Christian "religious" experience of most is superficial due to a mindset of magical thinking that produces instant spiritual results. Anyone who has been sincere in their desire to grow spiritually knows this is not the reality of any spiritual evolutionary process.
There is no free lunch. No one reaches maturity without taking responsibility. No one reaches emotional and spiritual maturity without paying their dues. It takes time. It is hard work, (very hard work, not Dubya's kind of hard work), and I believe a person must want to grow and evolve, and seek the tools to do so, apply them, and go from level to level. I also think it can be, and in my case will be, a life long process.
I personally remember the very time I realized how shallow my own "spiritual" walk and existence was. I had it all.... I had successfully worked my way up the social religious ladder, and was known as a top leader in my religious Christian arena, and among my peers. I knew all the religious slogans, knew how to act when, even knew the facial expressions and attitudes to feign while being watched and "adored". One day a younger woman came to me for counseling, and I spent over an hour with her. When she left, I caught myself uttering a judgemental phrase about her under my breath. I stopped what I was doing, and dropped on my knees right on the spot and said, "God, I don't like what I am seeing in who I am. Clean me up." It was then the hard process of stripping the dross began. I began to go through very "hairy" trials that none of my peers seemed to be put through. I call them "hairy" because that is the only way to describe them. With every trial, my inner being was being stripped and redesigned in a more understanding, less selfish, less articifial way. The force driving these trials and the knowledge derived from them was not something I myself could produce. I think that is what Matt is referring to when he mentions "the former". During this process I did enter and combine personal therapy with the spiritual process, but looking back on it now I really see it all as a great catalyst and energy that drove my spiritual and emotional evolution. I continue to learn every day. My trials have lessened, and I am in a season of rest and enjoyment, for this time, of the fruits of my hard labor.
Make no mistake about it: the process can be, and often times is, grueling. It cost alot, and required a lot - from me. I got alot in return; it was well worth it. I got the freedom to be real, and the freedom to be the authentic me. The self esteem and satisfaction that comes from that is unspeakable at times. It produces great understanding, wisdom, joy, and contentment.
I do, however, like most of us here, get angry at the antics of those "religious" leaders and participants who drink the kool-aid of religious dogma, and think the band-aid of thumping a bible and attending three church services a week qualifies them to lead the world. It just ain't so. Those people are dangerous to others, and especially to themselves.
Matthew is completely correct when he says these people would be much better off seeing a shrink and getting their own affairs in order than neglecting their own faults and shortcomings and desiring to fix everyone else. Patience is a virtue, but I find mine wearing a bit thin thinking of and dealing with these kinds of men and women. And the churches are full of them, for the exact reasons Matthew says: these people think because they have said a prayer and decided to be "born again" they don't have to try to grow anymore, or take responsibility for their weaknesses. And some of the teachings in the church foster that mindset and those ideas. It is a fault of some religious dogmas that these myths are taught from the pulpit. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for the hard work, determination, desire, and consistency required to grow spiritually and emotionally.
Many ask why I bother to attend church and socialize with these kinds of people. Because, that is the nature of leadership. True leadership. Someone has to be an example, and show the way.
Matthew you are a very articulate and skilled writer. As I write of my own experiences, both personal and observed in others, what you say today comes around again as I write, and hits harder than it did the first time I read it.
Thank you.
OT,
But talk about kicking my Dogma...
ABC News reports the Judge in the Plame case has assured Karl Rove's attorney that Mr. Rove has in no way broken the law because he did not expose Joseph Wilson's wife by name according to the emails to Newsweek reporter Cooper.
There you have it folks...
Rove gets away unscathed...at least that is the spin.
Posted by: Indy at July 10, 2005 06:21 PM
The spin according to Rove's attorney.
Well, now I'll have to go kick my dogma.
Help Me Get to The Bottom of the Downing Street Minutes
Rep. John Conyers
7/8/05
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/john-conyers/help-me-get-to-the-bottom_3850.html#comments
Once again, I want to thank the HuffingtonPost community for all of your assistance on the Downing Street Minutes issue. To date, the President has received the signatures of 131 Members of Congress. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are informed, organized, and waiting for a response to our letter. It grows more and more difficult for the
Administration to ignore the facts.
As we prepare to take the next steps, I would like your assistance in
helping me prepare a comprehensive chronology -- a timeline of
everything we know about the fixation with war in Iraq, the manipulation of intelligence, and the deliberate misrepresentations made both to the Congress and to the public.
From the earliest assurances that "war is the last resort" to the
"latest revelations" that the Bush Administration may have deliberately
led us to military action in Iraq, please let me know what key dates and events you think should be included.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.++
Two sites suggested by bloggers:
http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/muriel/path_of_war_timeline_613.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downing_Street_memo
Fe,
The BBC did a series on the memos as they are the ones who broke the story.
In doing a search on the BBC website, we have stories from before the war up until the breaking of the story about fixing intelligence to meet policy.
http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=newsifs&tab=news&q=downing+street+memos
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4099120.stm
Posted by Matthew Carnicelli at July 10, 2005 11:50 AM
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at July 10, 2005 06:15 PM
Thank you both, Matthew and Truth, for such powerful and enlightening words. I personally find much wisdom in Eastern religion/philosophy. I offer these words from enlightened masters I admire; they say it much better than me and in many fewer words.
It is better to live one day ethically and reflectively than to live a hundred years immoral and unrestrained.
-- Buddha
Good thoughts will produce good actions and bad thoughts will produce bad actions. Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love.
-- Buddha
Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.
-- Mahatma Ghandi
The wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain stream than to be emperor of the whole world.
-- Zhuang Tzi
It is the enemy who can truly teach us to practice the virtues of compassion and tolerance.
-- Dalai Lama
The wise understand by themselves; fools follow the reports of others.
-- Tibetan proverb
You cannot tread the Path before you become the Path yourself.
-- Zen saying
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at July 10, 2005 06:15 PM
In my experience, each of the major spiritual traditions, when taken truly to heart, offers a path of authentic transformation. But if every one offers such a path, then they each must reflect provisional truth, not absolute truth. For those of us who were not lucky enough to take Dick Chaney's master class on moral clarity and absolute truth, provisional truth is about as good as it gets.
I'm still in NYC.
Today I met secret "blue" people from Montana - at the top of the Empire State Building. They asked for the link to DCP. It was their first time east.
Today I visited the Statue of Liberty with people from France, the land that gave us the Statue of Liberty. We ended up eating ice cream in a MacDonalds - their idea, certainly not mine.
Today Marc & I went to Brooklyn & walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with Marjorie G & her husband to the WTC & Wall Street, which had a huge Roman Empire looking flag, & a 7/11 logo.
I love NYC!
Madame Defarge,
Thank you.
Hopefully my sharing does not examine any person's integrity. I applaud rather, the process.
I have always kept a copy of Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet within reading distance. I will share some of his wisdom here:
~Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood.
~Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but advancing toward what will be.
~All that spirits desire, spirits attain.
~An eye for an eye, and the whole world would be blind.
~Many a doctrine is like a window pane. We see truth through it, but it divides us from truth.
~Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.
~Rebellion without truth is like a spring in a bleak, arid desert.
~Cast aside those who liken godliness to whimsy and who try to combine their greed for wealth with their desire for a happy afterlife.
~Where is the justice of political power if it executes the murderer and jails the plunderer, and then itself marches upon neighboring lands, killing thousands and pillaging the very hills?
~Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
~Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children.
~Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
This one is for the parents who are experiencing the pain and joy of sending their children from the nest toward more independence - a bittersweet transition.
~Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They came through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
And this one, Matthew, is for you:
~The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.
Matt
I need to say hi - I was going to call you but my cell phone died. Maybe tomorrow? If I get a chance to go by the Public Library, Marjorie G will be there on her lunch hour - protesting!
Like I say, I am really loving NYC! This is a very crazy 3-day weekend trip to make, but with Jet Blue, I hope to do it more often!
Truth Shall Prevail
I want to just say hi too
I love NYC!
Posted by: DiAnne at July 10, 2005 11:45 PM
DiAnne,
Sounds like you are having a marvelous time! Enjoy!!!!
DiAnne, the PFAW protest is on Tuesday! Come visit Union Square tomorrow if you have time, to watch another protest. Always one. That's the history of the plasce.
First stop by the Center for Jewish History for their 350th Anniversary tribute to Jews in America. Part of an exhibit that started at the Smithsonian.
Yes, come visit us often...
In my experience, each of the major spiritual traditions, when taken truly to heart, offers a path of authentic transformation. But if every one offers such a path, then they each must reflect provisional truth, not absolute truth. For those of us who were not lucky enough to take Dick Chaney's master class on moral clarity and absolute truth, provisional truth is about as good as it gets.
Posted by: Matthew Carnicelli at July 10, 2005 11:24 PM
It is completely fascinating to me how so much of the "truth" offered by many major religions agrees with, and compliments, each other. Alot of emphasis on spiritual growth as a result of self realization rather than attainment of great wealth and power at the expense of people outside one's self appears to be the theme woven among the thread of most of them. I don't know if the themes that are in complete agreement with one another are "provisional", or "absolute". From my own personal experience, truth has been subject to change as my own personal ability to understand it evolves. I don't view it as absolute, because it changes as my level of comprehension changes, and as it also is applied to the lesson of the season. It is sometimes concise, and sometimes abstract. Okay, you got me. It is provisional.
The Christian walk is not the only path to spiritual growth, but rather, as you say, if it is taken truly to heart, it can produce good fruit, (regardless of seeming evidence to the contrary presented by the lives of people who graduated from the Neocon 'Publican Jesus School
Of Moral Clarity And Absolute Truth.) And, could we please not mutter the word "Chaney" in the same conversation about anything resembling spiritual growth, self-examination, transparency, and moral clarity? It vexes my spirit, and rattles my cage. It steps on the one remaining nerve I had left. And I just got done telling you how spiritual and peaceful I am. :-)
Namaste.
A little news from America's colony courtesy of the NYTimes:
July 11, 2005
Gunplay in the Capital City
There is no end to Congressional intrusion in the lives of the residents of Washington, and lives is the operative word this time around.
The House has cavalierly overruled the city and voted to repeal a local law that requires licit gun owners to keep their weapons unloaded and locked or disassembled when stored at home. What could be more sensible in an American gun culture that is regularly punctuated by the tragic deaths of children who happen upon family weapons? Yet this worthy precaution proved too much for the gun lobby and its lock-and-load sycophants on both sides of the aisle, who voted 259 to 161 for repeal.
Deprived of fair representation at the Capitol, the city has been historically abused by Congress's plantation whimsy. The one practical idea in the gun debate came from Representative David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, who said a $70,000 pay cut was logically in order for his colleagues. "If the people in this House want to act like your D.C. city councilman, then they can be paid like a D.C. councilman," he said. The House, of course, clung to its salary the way the gun lobby clings to its symbolic musket.
Washington taxpayers now must throw themselves on the mercy of the Senate if this bit of home-rule sanity is to survive.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/opinion/11mon3.html?ex=1278734400&en=d675da0456ac4c30&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss