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Friday, February 08, 2013
UPCOMING PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL, & SPIRITUAL RENEWAL OPPORTUNITIES
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Enough Fat Bashing
I'm not a fan of the governor of NJ, but I do believe he loves NJ and I believe if he were to become president he would do his best to govern wisely and well. If we are talking about the Governor of NJ, let's keep the conversation about policy or qualifications or even disposition. Whether we like him or not, it is unfair and unkind and unworthy of us to have a national conversation about the man's weight! He has a scale and a mirror in his house, no doubt. He probably has a doctor as well. He doesn't need us to tell him what is weight is. Targeting people for their physical appearance (even if they are otherwise powerful and privileged) is just not OK.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Scalia Needs to Rethink “Morality”
Scalia Needs to Rethink “Morality”
Written
by REV. DR. DURRELL WATKINS
Justice Anton Scalia has shockingly compared homosexuality to murder. He
asked a Princeton student, “If we cannot have moral feelings about
homosexuality, can we have them about murder?” Obviously, such a comparison is
inflammatory and hurtful to same-gender loving people and their friends and
families.
Justice Scalia justifies his hateful rhetoric by calling his opposition
to homosexuality a moral argument. Never mind that Justice Scalia lacks the
moral authority to make such pontifications, and that his unrestrained personal
prejudices actually imply that he may be incapable of rendering impartial,
fair, legally sound judgments in matters of full equality for same-gender
loving people. What is most troubling is that this otherwise educated and clearly
powerful person seems to be operating under the assumption that sexual
orientation is a choice, and that even if it were, only one choice would be
acceptable.
I’m gay, same-gender loving, Queer (yes, I muti-identify). Of course,
my homosexuality is a matter of public record (I’ve been out and an activist
for my entire adult life), so of course I disagree with Anton Scalia and all
who try to disguise their heterosexism as moral values.
For me, my same gender love and attraction are innate. That said, if
homosexuality were a choice it would be a VALID choice.
I no longer at this point in my life try to deconstruct homophobic
interpretations of isolated scriptural verses (there are a total of about six
in all of the bible that are used abusively against same-gender loving people),
make excuses for the understandings of human sexuality in antiquity, or “prove”
that same-gender love is as sacred as any other love. I don’t need to defend
myself or my love against people who use religion like a weapon to exclude,
abuse, control, or vilify any minority including LBGT people. I also no longer need
to appeal to psychological, sociological, or biological arguments to justify
same-gender love and attraction (copious though such arguments are).
I simply know myself to be a good person, my relationship to be a
blessing in my life, and my love to be part of that universal energy of love that
many of us call God. If same-gender love and attraction are healthy (and I
insist they are), then whether such love and attraction are the result of
biology, psychology, socialization, or choice doesn’t matter. Good is good no
matter “why” it exists.
The reason that same-gender relationships can't be compared to heinous
acts such as pedophilia, bestiality, incest, rape, and MURDER is that none of
those things are about mutuality. All of those activities have a victim. People
being attracted to each other, sharing time and intimacy together, and even
loving each other are mutual, victimless, life-enhancing experiences. Two
people choosing to share intimacy and perhaps a life together cannot by any reasonable
person be compared to exploiting, assaulting or murdering someone!
"Moral" arguments against violence or abuse of power make
sense. "Moral" arguments against consensual adult relationships are
just bigotry posing as morality.
People are entitled to their prejudices I suppose, and I guess they are
even entitled to pretend their prejudices are ordained by a supreme power (how
convenient when one’s deity hates one’s enemies as well!), but let’s not
confuse fear and hatred of the other, even when such fear and hatred are
wrapped in religious language, as morality.
Justice Scalia’s anti-gay rhetoric (which, ironically, is anything but
just) may appeal to homophobes and religious zealots, but it is increasingly
out of the mainstream of 21st century thought. The day will come when even
powerful people like Justice Scalia will not be able to deny or delay justice
and equality for all people. As the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The
moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” If we want to
make moral arguments, we will talk about tolerance rather than demonizing
others, inclusion rather than marginalizing others, and instead of vilifying
people for their consensual adult relationships, we will demand “liberty and
justice for ALL.”
Monday, October 01, 2012
The Divine Spark in Us - Lectionary Reflections for the week of Oct 7
Here are my reflections on the Lectionary Readings at Sunshine Cathedral for Oct. 7. I have been posting these reflections in the weekly newsletter (The Sun Burst), but space constraints this week didn't allow for it. So, i'm posting the reflections on this blog for this week. Best wishes - Durrell
The Wisdom of Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet)
“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.”
Psalm 8.4-6, 9 (The Inclusive Bible, PFE)
“What is humanity that you should be mindful of us? Who are we that you should care for us? You have made us barely less than God, and crowned us with glory and honor. You have made us responsible for the work of your hands, putting all things at our feet…[O God], our Sovereign, how majestic is your Name in all the earth!”
Mark 10.13-16 (NIV)
13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the [kin-dom] of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the [kin-dom] of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Additionally, Mark affirms the “inner child”
that is always a part of us. Children play, question, are curious, love to
learn, unless they are taught to mistrust or fear people will expect the best
of most people, are initially free of prejudice, respond well to affirmation
and praise, live in the moment rather than harboring resentments from the past
or anxieties about the future…as we mature, our challenge is to hold on to
these childlike qualities that are already part of the kin-dom of God that is
with and within us. We come here as citizens of that divine kin-dom, but somehow
travel away from it and lose our passport! The spiritual journey is largely
about remembering what we innately know, that we are as Emerson said, “part and
parcel of God,” that is, that we are part of the kin-dom of God; it is with and
within us, at hand/in our hands. To remember what we knew in our original innocence,
that “it is in God that we live and move and have our being” is goal of the
spiritual quest.
Finally, the Psalm also reinforces this
affirmation of our divine dignity. We are, as Nona Brooks said, “in God, of
God, like God.” We are “crowned with glory and honor.” We are responsible for
the work of God’s hands, that is, our hands are God’s hands. What God does for
us, God does through us. This makes us responsible for our lives and for our
world, but it also suggests that we have been honored by being trusted with those
sacred tasks.
The Wisdom of Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet)
“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.”
Psalm 8.4-6, 9 (The Inclusive Bible, PFE)
“What is humanity that you should be mindful of us? Who are we that you should care for us? You have made us barely less than God, and crowned us with glory and honor. You have made us responsible for the work of your hands, putting all things at our feet…[O God], our Sovereign, how majestic is your Name in all the earth!”
Mark 10.13-16 (NIV)
13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the [kin-dom] of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the [kin-dom] of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Both Gibran and Mark affirm children. Mark,
of course, goes further to suggest that children as a symbol of powerlessness
and marginalization show us that all people have sacred value and we are to
acknowledge the divine spark within every human soul.
We are the doers of divine work
The 8th Psalm says, "You [divine Source] have made us responsible for the work of your hands." Our hands are God's hands. What God does for us, God does through us. God is not the genie in the lamp granting wishes (on occasion and to a select few), but is rather that power that resides within all of us that is activated by our thoughts, choices, attitudes, and actions. "You have made us responsible for the work of your hands." Amen.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Understanding Unity with the Divine
I posted on Facebook this wonderful quote from Paramahansa Yogananda: "Realize that you and [God] are one."
A friend commented that while she was open to this Truth, it was sometimes difficult for her grasp.
This was my response:
Ultimate Reality (aka "god") is what is really real, the "stuff" from which life is made. My reality must be THE Reality. We are each an individuation of the Whole, an expression of the Infinite, Eternity experiencing Itself in/as time.
Our physical bodies and ego attachments seem so small compared to the vastness of the All, we sometimes can't imagine that we are part of It, but we are.
A kidney may seem small compared to the rest of the body, but it is all the same an integral part of the body, part of the unified whole. The kidney is "one with" the rest of the body, even though in function and experience it seems separate from the lungs, heart, liver, eyes, toes, tonsils, etc.
"One with" doesn't mean that there isn't more than our current experience, but it does mean that we are part of the All, and the All is expressed, at least in part, in, through, and as us.
We think of God as in 'heaven" but Jesus said the kingdom of heaven was within us. Where is God? In heaven. Where is heaven? In us. So God is in, that is, a part of, us! God is the All in all, so we are one with our Source even though there is more to the Source than we can experience in a single moment of illusory time.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Everyone Needs Help and Nobody Holds a patent on Kindness (Lectionary Reflections for Sept. 30, 2012)
Here are my reflections on the Lectionary Readings at Sunshine Cathedral for Sept. 30. I have been posting these reflections in the weekly newsletter (The Sun Burst), but space constraints this week didn't allow for it. So, i'm posting the reflections on this blog for this week. Best wishes - Durrell
Numbers 11.4-6, 11-14
1. It’s OK to want more, but we are unlikely to receive more (or appreciate it when/if we get it) if we don’t appreciate the good we have now.(4)
2. We often romanticize “the good old days” instead of remembering that we weren’t really happy then either. Wanting to go back to a glorified and largely fictional past only keeps us from enjoying the possibilities at hand and moving forward to the possibilities of the future. “The past is past and the future has infinite possibilities”
(5-6)
3. Are we ever tempted to blame misfortune on a divine puppet master pulling the strings rather than facing the challenges and moving through them? (11)
4. Mothering image for God. Moses is “not the mama” but God is. Still, a mother’s children are meant to grow up and deal with life as adults. God’s maternity is not the issue. Our being stuck in immaturity, however, is. (12-14)
5. We can’t do everything alone, nor should we. The “spirit” that has empowered and “called” us is bountiful enough to empower and call others to work with us. Sometimes to lead effectively means to share the burden of leadership and let others do their part (less micro-managing and more equipping of more leaders)
James 5.13-15
1. In trouble? Pray (for help). Things going well? Pray (a prayer of gratitude). Prayer isn’t about making things happen; it’s about communion with Spirit/Source/divine Substance (“God”). When things are difficult, Spirit can be a comfort, a soothing balm. When things are good, Spirit can help us appreciate the time of ease and achievement and the more we appreciate, the longer the good times may last, or at very least, the stronger the memory will be for us to conjure up during the next round of difficulties so that we can remind ourselves that things can get better. We can’t go back, but remembering the lessons of past failures and successes can help us move forward. (13)
2. Prayer, communion, union with the divine Source and the community helps us feel stronger, more hopeful, and therefore more whole. Medicine is better today than it was in James’ day, so prayer alone isn’t our only hope, but it’s a good addition to the healing course of action. And, we know the subconscious mind is very powerful. If prayer helps us believe in possibilities, the power of the subconscious will do what it can to validate that belief. And the power of the subconscious mind is considerable! But, no matter how much better physical conditions get, prayer can relieve stress and fear, and that in itself is an amazing healing. (14-15)
Mark 9.38-41
No one holds a patent on kindness. See someone healing in Jesus’ name, that is, in the caring, egalitarian way that he did? Someone is touching the untouchable, loving the unlovable, affirming the marginalized or forgotten, giving hope to those who were hopeless? Who cares if they are Catholic or Protestant, B’hai or Hindu, Atheist or a Voodoo priestess? Who cares if they are a nurse, a chiropractor, a pharmacist, a social worker, a Reiki practitioner, or a grandmother administering a home remedy? Who cares if they are a Christian Science practitioner, a Pentecostal Faith healer, a Wiccan priestess making an herbal tincture or a Buddhist acupuncturist practicing his healing art? If they are trying to help without hurting, nurturing rather than attacking, caring rather than ignoring the problem, aren’t they on the same side as all caring, compassionate, kind-hearted people? Anyone who shows kindness is doing a good thing! (We might even say, a holy thing). What would Jesus do? Try to help those in need. People doing that are certainly being Christ (or Buddha or Yogananda) to the world. If they are trying to help, and our aim is to help, we are all really on the same team.
Numbers 11.4-6, 11-14
1. It’s OK to want more, but we are unlikely to receive more (or appreciate it when/if we get it) if we don’t appreciate the good we have now.(4)
2. We often romanticize “the good old days” instead of remembering that we weren’t really happy then either. Wanting to go back to a glorified and largely fictional past only keeps us from enjoying the possibilities at hand and moving forward to the possibilities of the future. “The past is past and the future has infinite possibilities”
(5-6)
3. Are we ever tempted to blame misfortune on a divine puppet master pulling the strings rather than facing the challenges and moving through them? (11)
4. Mothering image for God. Moses is “not the mama” but God is. Still, a mother’s children are meant to grow up and deal with life as adults. God’s maternity is not the issue. Our being stuck in immaturity, however, is. (12-14)
5. We can’t do everything alone, nor should we. The “spirit” that has empowered and “called” us is bountiful enough to empower and call others to work with us. Sometimes to lead effectively means to share the burden of leadership and let others do their part (less micro-managing and more equipping of more leaders)
James 5.13-15
1. In trouble? Pray (for help). Things going well? Pray (a prayer of gratitude). Prayer isn’t about making things happen; it’s about communion with Spirit/Source/divine Substance (“God”). When things are difficult, Spirit can be a comfort, a soothing balm. When things are good, Spirit can help us appreciate the time of ease and achievement and the more we appreciate, the longer the good times may last, or at very least, the stronger the memory will be for us to conjure up during the next round of difficulties so that we can remind ourselves that things can get better. We can’t go back, but remembering the lessons of past failures and successes can help us move forward. (13)
2. Prayer, communion, union with the divine Source and the community helps us feel stronger, more hopeful, and therefore more whole. Medicine is better today than it was in James’ day, so prayer alone isn’t our only hope, but it’s a good addition to the healing course of action. And, we know the subconscious mind is very powerful. If prayer helps us believe in possibilities, the power of the subconscious will do what it can to validate that belief. And the power of the subconscious mind is considerable! But, no matter how much better physical conditions get, prayer can relieve stress and fear, and that in itself is an amazing healing. (14-15)
Mark 9.38-41
No one holds a patent on kindness. See someone healing in Jesus’ name, that is, in the caring, egalitarian way that he did? Someone is touching the untouchable, loving the unlovable, affirming the marginalized or forgotten, giving hope to those who were hopeless? Who cares if they are Catholic or Protestant, B’hai or Hindu, Atheist or a Voodoo priestess? Who cares if they are a nurse, a chiropractor, a pharmacist, a social worker, a Reiki practitioner, or a grandmother administering a home remedy? Who cares if they are a Christian Science practitioner, a Pentecostal Faith healer, a Wiccan priestess making an herbal tincture or a Buddhist acupuncturist practicing his healing art? If they are trying to help without hurting, nurturing rather than attacking, caring rather than ignoring the problem, aren’t they on the same side as all caring, compassionate, kind-hearted people? Anyone who shows kindness is doing a good thing! (We might even say, a holy thing). What would Jesus do? Try to help those in need. People doing that are certainly being Christ (or Buddha or Yogananda) to the world. If they are trying to help, and our aim is to help, we are all really on the same team.
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