Eye on Faith

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Mike Tyson: Gentle as a dove

(Photo by J. M. Garg)

… be wise like a serpent, and gentle as a dove…

(from Matthew 10:16)

Most everyone knows that Mike Tyson is no stranger to serpentine ways. As a youth, he was wise enough to shift from a delinquent lifestyle into becoming one of the world’s most striking opponents.

What the world may not know is that Tyson also has (in this case, quite literally) a dove side to his nature. During a 2011 New Yorker interview, Tyson discussed his long-time “love affair” with pigeons. Growing up in a tough section of Brooklyn, Tyson had turned to pigeons for solace. He confided to the interviewer: It took my mind off the world I was living in, people bullying me and stuff. I’d just go on the roof and fly my birds.

Although the first punch that young Tyson ever threw was due to a stolen flock of pigeons - these days, he is

way more the lover than the fighter. [And… according to deterapigeon.com, there are a number of amazing

things to love about these descendents of rock doves – things like the following: Pigeons saved thousands of

lives during both World Wars by carrying messages across enemy lines; pigeons were greatly appreciated

by Sikh Guru Gobind Singh; Navy researchers have found that pigeons can be trained to locate shipwreck

survivors; pigeons are able to undertake tasks (such as recognizing all 26 letters of the English alphabet) that

were previously thought to be only within the purview of humans and primates; and – saving the “best” for

last - pigeon excrement has been an essential crop fertilizer for centuries.]

As if it weren’t enough to be kissing a pigeon on its beak (as Tyson gently demonstrated during the first

episode of his “Taking on Tyson” Animal Planet series), Tyson has also now “gone vegan.” During a Fox News interview with Greta Van Susteren, Tyson said that he had been a vegan for two years and felt “awesome.” He then stated: I wish I was born this way… I wonder why I was crazy all those years…

Resources

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

http://www.deterapigeon.com/21-amazing-facts-about-pigeons.htm

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2011/03/14/110314ta_talk_wiedeman

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/on-the-record/transcript/mike-tyson-039i-live-boring-life-i039ve-learned-love039?page=2

Friday, March 9, 2012

Holy Holi

(A Holi Bonfire)

In true spiritual fashion, the two-day Hindu festival of Holi brings people together - irregardless of their social classes.

This winter’s end celebration, which occurs each year on the final full-moon day of Phalguna (a lunar month which aligns with late February or March), not only marks the beginning of spring, but also honors some legendary Hindu events. In Vaishnavism, a form of Hinduism in which Vishnu is particularly focused upon, the “great king of demons” Hiranyakashipu had been granted a boon by Brahma which made it almost impossible for Hiranyakashipu to be killed (due to the penance that he had previously shown). Wikipedia reports that this boon made Hiranyakashipu so smug that he then became a tremendous threat to both the Heavens and Earth.

However, Hiranyakashipu had a son named Prahlada who was a steadfast devotee of Vishnu. Because this maddened Hiranyakashipu, he made numerous attempts to kill Prahlada. All these attempts miraculously failed. Finally, in desperation, Hiranyakashipu devised a plan that he thought was foolproof. He lured Prahlada onto the lap of his sister Holika, intending to then burn him to death. Because Holika also had a special boon from Brahma, Hiranyakashipu figured that only Prahlada would be harmed by the murderous flames. He figured wrong. Vishnu saw to it that Prahlada remained unharmed. Instead, it was Holida who burned to death. Holi bonfires therefore commemorate the power of such faith in Vishnu.

Devotees of Krishna associate Holi with the divine love of Radha for Krishna. There is also a Holi tradition that centers upon Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love. According to this tradition, Kamadeva violently interrupted Shiva’s meditation so that Parvati could marry Shiva. Shiva’s third eye suddenly opened, and the gaze was so powerful that Kamadeva’s “body was reduced to ashes.” Shiva then restored only the “mental image” of Kamadeva in order to emphasize that love is more spiritual than physical.

Resources

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

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

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

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Ovada Patimokkha: Heart of Buddhism

(Attribution: Sacca)

The Ovada Patimokkha is often associated with Magha Puja - but is actually applicable on all days, and during all moments.

It is not so much a rulebook for monastic training as it is a distillation of what’s really important in Buddhism. Just as the 613 original Hebrew Bible precepts were given unto Moses as Ten Commandments – and just as Jesus then further distilled these Ten into Two (“Love God” and “Love one another”) – so, too, did Buddha

offer His Heart during a Magha Puja sermon called the Ovada Patimokkha.

Wikipedia reports that these Magha Puja teachings were first shared on a full-moon day nine months after Buddha’s Enlightenment. On that blessed occasion (approximately 2500 years ago), 1250 Arhantas (advanced spiritual practitioners – each of whom had been ordained by Buddha) were spontaneously drawn to attend this key Ovada Patimokkha sermon.

The essence of what they heard that day went something like this: Cease to do evil, cultivate that which is good, purify the heart. This is the Way of the Awakened Ones.

Buddha also offered this brief explanation: Patient endurance is the ultimate asceticism. Profound liberation… is the supreme goal. A renunciate should not oppress anyone.

His pithy sermon then came to this swift conclusion: Not insulting, not harming, cultivating restraint with respect for the training, modesty in eating and contentment with one’s dwelling place, devotion to mindful intent: this is the teaching of the Buddha.

Short - but when faithfully undertaken, incredibly sweet…

Resources

http://www.zhaxizhuoma.net/DHARMA/Tripitaka/OvadaPatimokkha.htm

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

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Vashti: More mystery than history

(Vashti Refuses the King's Summons)

Even if we assume that the Book of Esther is somewhat factual, the characterization of Queen Vashti seems far more imbued with mystery than history. In essence, she is practically a blank slate

upon which poets, feminists, theologists, novelists, and numerous others have projected their theories.

All that we really “know” about Vashti comes from these few lines within the Book of Esther: Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house… (from 1:9) …her beauty: for she was fair to look on. (1:11) But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains… (1:12) And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti… (2:4)

From the little bit of story surrounding these few lines, poet James Weldon Johnson wove a drama all his own. He assumed that Vashti was banished from the kingdom for disobeying her royal husband in so public a manner. Johnson then continued the story from the years-later

perspective of Vashti’s former servant. This servant, who had “served low at her feet” while marveling at her “radiance like the star of morning” – met up with Vashti once again in the “stern land” they both now inhabited. She was no longer a queen, and he was no longer her servant – yet the gulf between them seemed ironically wider than ever.

A little too depressing? Then perhaps this other poem by Frances E. W. Harper might ease the heartstrings. Harper’s Vashti was a proud and determined woman who also found herself on the homeless side of the palace doors. After the king had commanded that she leave, “Strong in her earnest womanhood, she calmly met her fate…” Ever “Proud of her spotless name,” Harper’s Vashti valiantly remained “A woman who could bend to grief, But would not bow to shame.”

None less than Harriet Beecher Stowe jumped on the Vashti-makeover bandwagon. According to Stowe,

Vashti was not only a feminist – but also a prototype feminist whose disobedience marked “the first stand for women’s rights.”

Resources

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

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/Esther.html

http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/14219/

http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/james-weldon-johnson/vashti-2/

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Limbaugh vs. Maher: Personal fouls

If life were a game (and some swear that it is), then contact with other players could be greatly enhanced by some basic rules of civility.

Those biblically inclined might pipe in just about now and exclaim: “But we already have Ten Commandments!” Perhaps, then, an Eleventh should be added: Thou shalt not engage in profane name calling… Those philosophically inclined might then offer this commentary: But isn’t all

‘name calling’ – in a sense – profane?

If by “name calling” we’re referring to “Bob” and “Sue” and “Billy” – then no… But if by “name calling” we’re referring to such terms as “stupid” and “crazy” – then those “s” and “c” words can be every bit as damaging

as the ones that have been making headlines lately on both sides of the political fence.

Wikipedia explains that the Latin word “profane” originally meant “in front of” or “outside the temple” – and referred to “items not belonging to the church.” In everyday usage, it once sounded something like this: “Although the monastery predates it, the fort is the oldest profane building in town.” Because things (in this case, literally) that were outside the church began to be associated with “secular indifference” or with “desecrating what is holy” - the word “profane” began to take on a sinister character. In today’s society, the term “profanity” has become practically synonymous with “a show of disrespect, a desecration or debasement of someone or something…”

Using words that have been commonly deemed “foul language” in order to describe someone therefore falls (way down) into the modern-day category of “profanity.” Doing so in the media makes it all the more intense. The fine line between freedom of expression and freedom to bully seems somewhat blurred insofar

as profanity is concerned.

What instead seems perfectly clear is that these “personal fouls” are a poor substitute for logic, reason, and – dare we say – inspirational examples of leadership.

Resources

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

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion/msg/c688d30bd5e8356a?pli=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_foul_(basketball)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Irish Tricolour: What it represents

(Photo by Ardfern)

The Irish national flag is also known as the Irish Tricolour because of its green, white and orange (or orange, white and green – as the case may be) components.

Wikipedia reports that the green represents Ireland’s Gaelic tradition, the orange represents William of Orange’s followers, and the white represents a vision of peace between them. The Irish government emphasizes that this juxtaposition of colors is “intended to symbolize the inclusion and hoped-for union of the people of different traditions on this island, which is now expressed in the Constitution as the entitlement of every person born in Ireland to be part of the Irish nation (regardless of ethnic origin, religion or political conviction).”

The religion of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland emphasized animistic and polytheistic elements. There was a pantheon of gods and goddesses, as well as numerous nature spirits. Burial practices (such as the inclusion of food and weapons) indicated a belief in the afterlife. The four annual festivals of Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasadh, and Samhain celebrated Ireland’s four major seasons.

According to Wikipedia, Christianity was introduced into Gaelic Ireland circa 400 AD - years before the arrival of Saint Patrick. However, the Christianization of Ireland dramatically increased due to Saint Patrick’s influence. The creed of the early Irish church mirrored today’s Catholic creed in many significant ways. Irish monastic schools “became centers of excellence for peoples from all over Europe…” Even after the Crown of England “gained full control of Ireland by means of a series of military campaigns” throughout the Reformation and beyond, “most of the Irish remained Roman Catholic.”

Nevertheless, in 1688 the Protestant King William III of Orange (along with his joint-monarch wife, Queen Mary II) replaced the Catholic King James II of England, Ireland and Scotland in a revolution deemed “Glorious” by some (and, no doubt, “Notorious” by others). Many Protestants did – and still do – herald William as a “champion of their faith.”

Resources

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

http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/Pdf%20files/The%20National%20Flag.pdf

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

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

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

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Radical Radkey: Getting at the genealogical roots

(Photo by Arne List)

Although digging at posthumous baptisms may seem quite radical to the general public, Helen Radkey has been doing her best to expose the genealogical roots of these practices.

According to Radkey, an excommunicated Mormon with access to Church records (as well as an ex-Catholic, but that’s another story) - thousands of deceased Jews have been baptized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka “Mormon Church” or “LDS”) without either the knowledge or consent of their living Jewish brethren. In a December 2002 Forward article titled Bedevilling the Saints in Defense of the Dead, Radkey is described as “an Australian-born genealogical researcher” who has become known for her attempts to “stop [LDS] church members from using the Mormons’ extensive genealogical records to baptize posthumously thousands of Jews, including Holocaust survivors.”

That same article portrays Radkey as a “minister in the independent Universal Life Church and tarot card reader” – as well as a reputed “thorn in the side of religious institutions.” Now, nearly ten years later, articles are again indicating that Radkey is still poking away at these institutional underbellies. This from one recent headline:

Mormons baptized slain reporter Daniel Pearl (whose final words before being murdered included the vigorous assertion “I am a Jew”). This from another: Claims surface of Anne Frank baptism by Mormon

Church, week after officials issue apology. This from a third: Mormons apologize for proxy Wiesenthal baptism.

The aforementioned Forward article notes that there was a 1995 signed document in which the Mormon Church “said it would remove the names of almost 400,000 Jews from its International Genealogical Index and agreed that church members may only baptize their own deceased Jewish ancestors, or a deceased Jew whose family gave written consent.” However, the database has not been monitored accordingly - and unauthorized Jewish names (such as Pearl, Frank and Wiesenthal) have been continuously added. (Another issue has been the broad manner in which the phrase “deceased Jewish ancestors” has at times been interpreted – some Mormons have claimed all Jews to be their rightful ancestors.)

The motives run deep on both sides of this issue. Radkey has been speaking out her truth for years now. Meanwhile, there are Mormons who fervently believe that posthumous baptism is the only means left by which some may enter the gates of heaven.

Resources

http://web.archive.org/web/20060701105247/http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.12.20/faces.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/mormons-baptize-people-dead-article-1.1031550

http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-29/news/31111583_1_baptizing-holocaust-victims-mormon-temple-baptism

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/religion/20120214_ap_mormonsapologizeforproxywiesenthalbaptism.html