Eye on Faith

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2014: Numerologically speaking

(Public Domain)

Those who have heard that 7 is a lucky number may be looking forward to 2014. That is, if they believe in numerology…

According to Hans Decoz (who should know, being that he's fiddled with this "ancient spiritual science" since 1969), 2014 is "a 7 universal year, because 2 + 0 + 1 + 4 = 7."

Translated into plain English, this means that 2014 will be a year in which people analyze the follies of extreme duality. Therefore, efforts will be made to unite divergent factions.

However, this will take some time. In the interim, the following extremes will continue to run their course: empathy and egotism, compassion and cruelty, communication and miscommunication.

Decoz predicts "a big change or shocking and unexpected event around October or November of 2014, caused in part by miscommunication…"

Despair not! Decoz also predicts that when this nine-year numerological cycle that we're currently in ends by 2017, the subsequent cycle will "see the end of many centuries of long-held secrets… Light will shine on everything, and symbolize the most dramatic change in history."

Resources

http://www.numerology.com/free-numerology/2014-predictions

Monday, December 30, 2013

Mark Twain: Religious rumbles

Twain in 1909 (Public Domain)

Some religionists claim Mark Twain as one their own. They cite his devotion to Joan of Arc, his Masonic membership, and his Presbyterian ties as "proof" of his faithful tendencies.

Certainly, Twain gave many indications of wanting to believe. He was duly preoccupied with life's big questions, and was constantly seeking some meaningful answers.

Although Twain had what Einstein would call a "holy curiosity," he also possessed a sharp wit and an equally cutting logic. When these three qualities merged, they resulted in such insights as the following:

The Church has opposed every invention and discovery from the day of Galileo down to our own time, when the use of anesthetics in childbirth was regarded as a sin because it avoided the biblical curse pronounced against Eve.

Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight.

The church is always trying to get other people to reform; it might not be a bad idea to reform itself a little, by way of example.

The jury is still out on whether Twain was a believer of sorts, an agnostic, or an atheist.

The answer to that mainly concerns Twain. But the questions he raised might very well concern us all…

Resources

http://formerfundy.blogspot.com/2010/02/quotes-on-religion-from-mark-twain.html

Sunday, December 29, 2013

William Osler: Older men useless?

Osler at 60 (Public Domain)

Back in 1905 when famed physician William Osler was 55 years of age, he made a rather shocking farewell speech to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Osler not only contended that men over 60 should be made to retire (due to their "uselessness"), but he also hinted (joked?) that these retirees should be chloroformed (euthanized) relatively soon after that.

According to Dr. Laura Davidow Hirshbein, Osler sprinkled this speech with "scientific theories about the finite qualities of life energy," and then focused upon historical achievements that were made by younger men.

Although Osler was most likely kidding about the euthanasia suggestion, he seemed quite serious about the enforced retirement. This speech was bound to ruffle some feathers, and it certainly did.

In fact, Osler's remarks set off "a storm of controversy" from Atlantic to Pacific. He was then called everything "heartless" to "a crank."

However, there was one silver lining from this whole affair. Newspapers across the country began reporting on "innumerable examples of still-capable older men" in order to disprove Osler's allegations.

Resources

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/83267/LDH?sequence=1

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Bald eagle: Separation of bird and state?

Bald Eagle (Photo by Yathin S. Krishnappa)

A survival threat to bald eagles is once again making headlines.

This time around, a mysterious disease is causing bald eagles in Utah to first become crippled "with leg paralysis and tremors," and then die. Laura Zuckerman of Reuters reports that these deaths remain "unexplained."

A more obvious cause of some bald-eagle deaths throughout the years has been the killing of them for religious purposes. In March 2012 the United States government granted special permission for the Northern Arapaho tribe ("a Wyoming Native American tribe") to kill two bald eagles for use within sacred ceremonies.

One tribal elder gave this reason for the ritualistic inclusion of bald eagles: It has been since the beginning of time with us… we get to utilize the eagle, which we consider a messenger to the Creator.

What therefore takes precedence? The bald eagle's right to survive within the delicate web of life, or the rights of these Native American people to engage in some traditional religious practices?

Some say that freedom of religion grants citizens the right to believe what they want, but not necessarily the right to do what they want.

Then there are those who say that the United States government has for so long suppressed the religious expression of Native Americans that it owes this tribe some leeway from a federal law concerning bald eagles.

Resources

http://news.msn.com/us/utah-officials-suspect-bald-eagle-deaths-linked-to-die-off-of-shore-birds

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

Friday, December 27, 2013

'Jesus' vs. Amazon.com

Where's Jesus? (Photo by Jonathunder)

Christmas wasn't quite so happy this year in the heavenly town of

Saint Johnsbury, Vermont.

That's because the Vermont Novelty Toaster Corporation, producer of the red-hot Jesus toaster, had a falling out with Amazon.com. According to PR Newswire, Amazon not only takes "15% of all proceeds," but also "delays payment up to a month."

That's pretty hard for a relatively small business to take. Vermont Novelty's CEO, Galen Dively, had this to say: "I have been on the phone for the last two weeks with them getting nowhere on this issue despite my 100% seller rating and flawless customer service."

This level of frustration has resulted in some decisive action on Dively's part. If Amazon can't duly appreciate the miracle of 'Jesus' on rye, then these toasters will henceforth be sold directly from the Vermont Novelty website.

And we're not just talking 'Jesus' here… There are also Burnt Impressions of "Obama, Sarah Palin, the Virgin Mary, butterflies, peace signs," plus some too crispy to mention.

One final word to the wise: Don't wait until the last minute to order your very own Jesus toaster. Turns out it was "the #32 best-selling toaster on Amazon this Christmas…"

Resources

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jesus-toasters-pulled-from-amazoncom-catalog-237061741.html

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Daniel Ladinsky: If you want

St. John of the Cross (F. de Zurbaran)

Now that a Silent Night has separated us from the Christmas frenzy, perhaps it's time to listen once again for the still small voice within.

That is, if you want…

According to mystics Daniel Ladinsky and St. John of the Cross, it might sound something like this:

If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the road pregnant with the holy, and say, 'I need shelter for the night,

please take me inside your heart, my time is so close.'

Then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime intimacy, the divine, the Christ taking birth forever, as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us is the midwife of God, each of us…

Both Ladinsky and John of the Cross are quite familiar with listening for this voice. Wikipedia explains that "over a twenty-year period," Ladinsky "spent extensive time in a spiritual community in western India…" St. John of the Cross is a Doctor of the Church whose writings are considered to be "the summit of mystical Spanish literature."

Resources

http://books.google.com/books?id=fpcvv5pGKWMC&pg=PA299&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

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

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

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Hippocratic Oath: Pagan and Christian

(12th-Century Hippocratic Oath)

It is difficult to ascertain exactly what Hippocrates of Cos, commonly referred to as "the father of Western medicine," did or didn't do. His contributions were so intermingled with those of like-minded practitioners that it is almost impossible to distinguish one from the other.

Wikipedia defines the Hippocratic Corpus as "a collection of around 60 early Ancient Greek medical works strongly associated with the physician Hippocrates and his teachings." These works, one of which is the Hippocratic Oath, vary greatly in "content, age and style."

Originally, the Hippocratic Oath required a person to align with "Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses" as witnesses. By the time the 12^th century had rolled around, the Oath had been written out on a Byzantine manuscript "in the form of a cross, relating it visually to Christian ideas."

Some of the principles contained within the Oath are as follows: no deadly drugs, no abortive remedies, no sexual abuse, confidentiality, and no harm.

Resources

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

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