Eye on Faith

Friday, February 7, 2014

Creation debate: Not just about evolution

(1871 Caricature of Darwin)

Media has been abuzz about the recent debate between Bill Nye the Evolution Guy and Ken Ham, founder of Kentucky's Creation Museum.

The focus of many reports has been the arguments for and against the teaching of evolution. However, there is another issue that this debate brings to mind, and that is the false dichotomy between religion and science.

In an article for The Week, Elizabeth Stoker states: Thanks to so-called literalists like Ham, much of the secular world thinks there are irreconcilable differences between Christianity and science. There aren't.

She goes on to explain that many Christians oppose Ham's "staunch" biblical interpretations, as well as his mission to rid the schools of lessons on evolution. In fact, Ham had been "disinvited" from a number of Christian-oriented homeschooling conventions because of his hard line personality and theories.

Stoker also points out that the Roman Catholic schools have taught about evolution for quite some time. The

Anglican Church also "maintains that evolution is wholly compatible with a faithful view of the world," as do numerous other Protestant denominations.

She also urges Christians to keep a close eye on Ham, and warns that the success of his exclusivist agenda would entail the marginalization of many established forms of Christianity.

Resources

http://theweek.com/article/index/255951/bill-nye-vs-ken-ham-and-christianitys-misunderstood-relationship-with-science

Thursday, February 6, 2014

White lion triplets: Blessings times three

(Photo by Gary Whyte)

A rare stroke of good fortune has taken place at a private zoo in Borysew, Poland. Not one, but three white lion cubs were recently born there.

Head zookeeper Andrzej Pabich reported to The Associated Press that "white lions often have defects that prevent giving birth, or mothers may reject the cubs." However, "2 ½-year-old white lioness Azira" has been lovingly caring for her three cubs ever since they were born. Sahim, the white lion that fathered these cubs, lives "in a neighboring cage."

Wikipedia explains that the coloring of white (and sometimes tawny) lions is due to a recessive trait which is less severe than albinism. Their native land is thought to be the Timbavati region of South Africa.

Whitelionwisdom.com further elaborates on the spiritual dimension of these lions. Such wisdom tells us that the white-lion gene surfaces when "humankind seems to be facing some natural peril which inaugurates a shift in human consciousness."

African Shamans and Egyptian historians have spoken of the White Lion's deep connection with the stars, especially the constellation Leo. "As with the Lion of Judah, the Lions of God bring a message of Christ Consciousness…"

We have only to listen.

Resources

http://news.msn.com/world/rare-white-lion-triplets-born-in-poland?ocid=ansnews11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_lion

http://whitelionwisdom.com/the-message-of-the-white-lions/

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Minimalism: Declutter your life

Thoreau's Cabin (Photo by Namlhots)

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself this: If the real treasures of life are not material, then why are my closets so full?

Joshua Fields Millburn did - but not until he "had watched his mother die and his marriage dissolve in the span of a month." It was then that he decided to declutter his life in order to make room for the truly important things.

Over a relatively short period of time, Millburn went from being a six-figure (yet debt-ridden) corporate director to being a small-town writer who "surrounds himself only with things that are functional and bring him joy."

Jenna Goudreau of Business Insider reports that Millburn and a friend began a website called (what else?) TheMinimalists.com. They also published a book titled Everything That Remains.

Millburn has these three suggestions for those who wish to pare down: Focus upon how your life would be better with less material clutter; declutter incrementally by ridding yourself of one item per day; and work together with "an accountability buddy" who also wants a simpler life.

Resources

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-millennial-quit-6-figure-205835000.html

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Papal privacy: Or anyone else's

Pope John Paul II (Public Domain)

History might rightfully dub this the "Age of Omniscience" in which everyone knows everyone else's business.

Between people willingly funneling their blow-by-blow scenarios to such media as Facebook, and people unknowingly being watched by such organizations as the National Security Administration, there's hardly a secret left in this nosy noisy world.

Is that good, bad, and/or just plain ugly?

Now it's true that omniscience has long been considered to be a holy quality of God's. However, this type of omniscience has been protectively coupled with God's perfect benevolence. Omniscience without such sacred protection can run quite amok, especially when coupled with all-too-human fallibility.

Just recently, Pope John Paul II's secretary and "trusted confidant" went against the late pope's clearly (and probably legally) expressed wishes and published John Paul's "personal notes." This secretary, the Rev.

Stanislaw Dziwisz, claimed to be "having them published as a precious insight into the inner life of the beloved pontiff, who will be declared a saint in April."

Was this the right thing to do? Is such insight worth the breaking of trust and confidentiality? Although The Associated Press points out that Dziwisz did "not go against papal infallibility…which applies only to matters of church doctrine," he might have heavily contributed to the rapid demise of a cherished value: privacy.

Resources

http://news.yahoo.com/hero-traitor-pope-39-aide-polish-controversy-145504974.html

Monday, February 3, 2014

Groundhog: Prognosticator or arbiter?

Groundhog Day (Photo by Aaron Silvers)

Caught between two calendar traditions, the beginning of February can be a confusing time.

On the one hand, the Christianity-rooted Gregorian calendar says that we're still in the midst of winter. On the other hand, the Earth-based Celtic calendar says that it's time to celebrate spring.

According to Wikipedia, today's Neopagan traditions follow a loosely-based medieval Celtic calendar that celebrates "the four

Gaelic festivals of Samhain (November 1, winter begins), Imbolc (February 1, spring begins), Beltane (May 1, summer begins), and Lughnasadh (August 1, autumn begins).

In this ancient system, the solstices mark the mid-seasons rather than the seasons' beginnings. Shakespeare's "Midsummer" would have therefore occurred on June 21^st, rather than during July or August. Groundhog Day (along with Imbolc and St. Brigit's Day) would have marked the beginning of spring.

All of this confusion – spring, not spring/winter, not winter – might have led to some intense bickering along the way. Therefore, an arbiter of some sort was needed. No human in his or her right mind would have

wanted that kind of responsibility. It took a gutsy little groundhog to begin settling the matter centuries ago.

That groundhog was Punxsutawney Phil. He and all of his similarly-named descendants have been burrowing their way to fame ever since.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_calendar

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Papa Houphouet's 'Basilica in the Bush'

Felix Houphouet-Boigny (PD)

In the Ivory Coast village of Yamoussoukro, birthplace of 'Papa' Felix Houphouet-Boigny, stands "the world's largest church." The Daily Beast reports that it towers "above a lush sprawl of grazing cattle and ramshackle buildings."

Although this first president of the Ivory Coast was born into the animist tradition of the Akoues tribe, Houphouet-Boigny later converted to Christianity. Wikipedia explains that he "considered it a modern religion and an obstacle to the spread of Islam."

Nevertheless, Houphouet-Boigny (then a practicing Catholic) married "the daughter of a wealthy Muslim from Senegal." Their interfaith union was "the first ever celebrated in Cote d'Ivoire." However, their children were all raised as Catholics. Houphouet-Boigy later divorced his first wife and married a much younger woman.

Over the years, Houphouet-Boigny amassed a great fortune. He decided to gift Jesus and then-Pope John Paul II with the Basilica

of Our Lady of Peace (later dubbed "Basilica in the Bush"). After moving the country's capital to his home town of Yamoussoukro, Houphouet.Boigny had the basilica built there.

The Daily Beast reports that "due to the country's ironically small Catholic population… the thousands of seats in the largest church in the world have gone mostly unfilled."

Resources

http://wwrn.org/articles/41646/?place=western-africa

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Digital ministry: Rapidly growing

(Author: GreySmallHorse)

Once upon a time, worship was highly interactive.

People didn't just sit there quietly in their pews, hoping to catch some words of wisdom from the clergy leader. No! They sang and danced, clapped and swayed, ate and drank, talked and listened, made merry and lamented together as a face-to-face interactive group. Such were the primary modes of worship for

centuries.

Nowadays, religious and spiritual interactions are occurring more and more over the Internet. Technology is not only expanding, but also shaping such encounters..

Keith Anderson of Religion Dispatches writes about "5 Must-Reads on Religion and Social Media." His own coauthored (with Elizabeth Drescher) hands-on guide "for religious leaders and practitioners" is titled Click2Save: The Digital Ministry Bible. He also recommends The Social Media Gospel by Meredith Gould.

As can be expected, along with new approaches come new questions like this: "Should I friend my pastor?" Guides such as those mentioned above "anticipate deeper questions religious communities will be asking about social media and the practice of religion…"

Resources

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/7473/5_must_reads_on_religion_and_social_media/