June 30, 2005 -Do You Believe God Blesses America?
"We have to treat the whole world as one entity. There is no possibility of remaining isolated from the rest of humanity." ~Dalai Lama
Paradox of Patriotism
By: Ian Lawton
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. " ~George Carlin
My most recent mystical experience was in a local cafe. I was cruising in for a solo lunch with lap top tucked up in its bag and hanging over my shoulder. When my cell phone rang, I attempted what doesn’t come naturally to me; two actions at the same time. With one hand holding the phone, the other shoulder unleashed my lap top a little too quickly and it landed with a gentle thud on the seat. It was in this technological trance that the miracle took place. Seemingly out of nowhere Irving Berlin's rendition of "God Bless America" blared loudly across the silenced cafe. My lap top had landed and simultaneously unclicked the mute button and loaded up a "God Bless America" webpage.
It was as if I was naked. Here I was, the only Australian in town, and a "liberal" at that, and I was regaling the late lunch crowd with a healthy does of American patriotism. The ironic coincidence of the situation qualified it for mystical status.
"God bless America" is an odd phrase. I suspect some people mean well when they use it. I suspect others use it out of habit. At times it also wreaks of tribalism. It reminds me of a private school song that praises the school's greatness and fails to acknowledge the economic privilege that underwrites it. As American poet, W H Auden said, "God bless the USA, so large, so friendly, and so rich."
In any case, before I could scramble to mute it, my computer had warbled out the words,
"Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair"
How does the person standing in a welfare line feel grateful for a fair and free land? In a global economy where international market competition is everything, the logic of God blessing one nation or one person must mean that other nations or other people are not blessed by God. Of course Protestantism is the proud father of the Calvinist work ethic. So maybe America is blessed for its industrious efforts.
My mystical experience pointed to a stark inconsistency. America, alongside other informational cultures, has evolved to high levels of technological intelligence. The leaps forward in terms of science and rationalism are staggering. They serve to open up the world’s connectedness. At the same time nationalistic mantras such as "God bless America" point to a level of moral evolution that is mythic. Apart from being superstitious it fails to address the very global communion that modern society has created.
So what happens when cultures are highly evolved in one line of intelligence and not in others? Do we end up with what George Carlin described as the "paradox of our time.....taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints"?
Could we be flirting with the same paradox that fueled the ideology of Nazi Germany - a high industrial intelligence that created gas chambers and a dangerously low moral intelligence that used gas chambers in acts of tribal violence?
What if we have multiplied our possessions, our productivity, our technology, but reduced our values?
How is Christianity implicated in the developmental paradox?
The Judeo/ Christian notion of a supernatural being outside of the physical realm contains a partial truth. It offers an important mythical sign post for people whose development leads them to the view that life is larger than self or family. The need to believe in a hero for the cause of good is a necessary stage of development but also comes with an expectation that it will give way, in time, to a more global and rational worldview.
If it doesn’t, according to Joseph Campbell, mythology turns into ideology.
As children develop it is natural for them to continue to care for and find identity in their family, but their sphere of concern and influence expands beyond family. If it doesn't, then there are various pathologies that describe an over indentification with self or family. Is it possible that similar pathologies might emerge for people who never enlarge their vision of God beyond either a personal guardian angel or a heavenly ambassador for a particular nation?
Is it possible that the phrase “God bless America” might have confused mythology with literal reality and ended up as either a narrow vision or worse as a pathology?
God may bless America, but only in the sense that all people, without exception and without prejudice, are blessed.
The blessing has nothing to do with possessions and fair lands nor does it have anything to do with being “zapped” by God. The blessing is the opportunity to have our breath taken away by life's natural processes.
For now, in a week that directs this nation's attention to its independence, let us not be seduced by the illusion of greatness through national identity. Greatness will be achieved by a vision that is so comprehensive that the mysterious interconnectedness of all things takes our collective breath away. This awe and wonder will be its own blessing.
An Independence Day Prayer
By Kerry Walters
June 28, 2005
a brief excerpt
....Stir our hearts, that we might seek
vulnerability rather than power
service rather than dominion
peace rather than war
reconciliation rather than preemption.
Inspire us to witness to the world by
demolishing our killing instruments of war giving our wealth to the needy practicing apostolic simplicity forgiving our debtors and renouncing our mania to be a superpower....
James Carroll on Religion in American Politics
Check out this excerpt from an interview with Carroll, on the phrase God Bless America, and to read the whole article on religion and politics follow the link below.
James Carroll: When the mantra becomes "God bless America," the question has to be asked, What does God think of other nations? The tradition of American "exceptionalism" is an old one, but Bush has consciously brought it to the fore again, a claim to special favor for America in the eyes of God. The trouble is that this certainty of religious justification always leads to trouble -- with America wreaking havoc against those who are less "blessed" than we are. Tragically, it underwrites our most violent impulses. In Iraq, we began by aiming to rid the world of God's enemy, Saddam Hussein. But now we are at war with a group we call "insurgents."
Who are they? Why are we killing them? Why are they killing us? This war makes no sense. Yet somehow, like the pope in 1095, we believe that "God wills it!"
Check out Ian's Recent Sermon on Progressive Baptism
Have you wondered what the origins of baptism are, and how those intentions fit in our belief structure today?
Have you ever wondered how the words at Jesus's baptism, 'You are my child and I love you. With you I am well pleased’. Somehow were translated to 'You are a child full of original sin and wretchedness. Without being cleansed of your sin you will perish eternally'?
Ian speaks on the beauty of human potential, particularly of children, and the privilege the church has to join with families for this celebration.
You don't want to miss Ian's touching reflections on the distinct baptisms of their three children, in particular the baptism of the Lawton's youngest, Raina, who Ian baptized that Sunday.
click here for Ian's Sermon on Baptism
Beautiful Sculptures on display at C3!
We would like to send out a huge THANK YOU to Bob Wilfong, for allowing us to display three of his breathe-taking sculptures. We will be showcasing, "It Takes Three" (pictured here), "Soul Survivor" and "Destinies Entwined."
Please take this opportunity to view Bob's work at Devin Galleries website.
It Takes Three
To eternally strive to roll a stone
Sisyphus by the Gods condemned to do
We the same, suffer his pain
Each day we strive to get through.
Every struggle when faced alone
Drains your strength, makes forlorn
When those struggles are faced by two
It's easier by far, we may get through.
With spirit as a guide, making it three, The stone is lifted, we feel free.
~Bob Wilfong
click here for more of Bob's Beautiful Pieces
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