Please, Leave Behind "Left Behind"

Don't know how the Left Behind business got the funding for a major picture release with a real and for true film star, but I so hope that everyone knows that however much this may be improved from a cinematic standpoint over the original dreck, the fact remains that its bad science fiction based on superstitious understandings of ancient apocalyptic literature. The resistance literature meant to provide hope and catharsis to those oppressed by imperialism in antiquity was never meant as an oracle for 19th/20th/21st century Americans. The hope that the world of empire would be destroyed and replaced by a better and more equitable world was not meant as Halloween horror tales about futuristic (but still somehow immanent even though it never comes to pass) planetary destruction. I will not be paying a single cent to see the new release and I really hope parents don't torment their children by taking them to see the damaging threats of doom and destruction. Here endeth the rant.

Sunshine Cathedral Recommended Reading

SUNSHINE CATHEDRAL SUGGESTED READING

            In August Sunshine Cathedral started offering a list of three books each month for SC members to consider reading. One book is to help to with biblical studies, the second is for theological enrichment, and the third is for self-help/empowerment.  The recommendations for August – October (as well as a sneak peak of November and December recommendations) follow:

August: (Bible) Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, & Religious Liberals by John A. Buehrens (2003). Understanding the Bible is written by a Unitarian Universalist minister. “In making accessible some of the best contemporary historical, literary, political, and feminist readings of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, UTB encourages all who would find in the biblical heritage an ally and not an enemy in the quest for a more just and humane world.”

(Theology) The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God by Bishop Carlton Pearson (2006). The Gospel of Inclusion…written by a Pentecostal bishop who stopped believing in Hell. He now calls himself a “metacostal” (combination of metaphysical and Pentecostal theologies); he is an ally of the LBGT community, a universalist (believing that God’s love embraces everyone regardless of their religious affiliation and that no one is ultimately excluded from the divine Presence), and his personal journey has led him to believe that the true good news (gospel) is a message of inclusion, not fear and punishment. His atonement theology might not match up exactly with what is taught at Sunshine Cathedral, but he nevertheless believes that all people are “saved” (“Muslims, Jews, atheists, everyone”).

 (Self-Help) I Can Do It: How to Use Affirmations To Change Your Life by Louise Hay (2004). Louise Hay needs no introduction to the New Thought and New Age crowds. She is a woman who has for decades embraced more and more of life and taught others to do the same. In the worst days of the AIDS crisis she helped people living with AIDS do so with less fear while learning to love themselves. She models forgiveness, optimism, and the courage to embrace the power that is within us all. A trained Religious Science minister, Louise Hay’s ministry has been writing, public speaking, and publishing. Her books tend to be small, easy to read, easy to apply, and simply powerful. Her small book, I Can Do It offers short lessons followed by sample affirmations to use in daily spiritual practice to improve health,

finances, creativity, relationships, self-esteem, and more.

            September: (Bible) The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible’s Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love by Bishop John S. Spong (2005). Retired Episcopal bishop John Spong addresses how the bible as been misused against the environment, women, gays, children, and how it has wrongly been used to promote anti-Semitism and present God as a blood-thirsty ogre. He concludes his study by offering the possibility of a progressive reclaiming of both the bible and Jesus.

(Theology) Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian by Paul F. Knitter, PhD (2009). Theologian (professor at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York) Paul Knitter looked to Buddhism to help him navigate a crisis of faith. As a result, he became a more committed, if pluralistic, Christian. Rethinking notions of prayer, the afterlife, and even “God”, Knitter concludes that Buddhist philosophy can actually enrich the Christian experience.

            (Self-Help) Change Almost Anything in 21 Days: Recharge Your Life with the Power of over 500 Affirmations by Ruth Fishel (2003). Author and meditation teacher Ruth Fishel experienced healing and recovery in her life and seeks to help others do the same by showing how we can retrain our minds with consistent positive thoughts. From bad habits like procrastination to severe problems like addiction,

one can find ways of moving through life’s challenges and experience improvement. We each must do our own work, but Ms. Fishel helps the reader understand just how to do so.

October: (Bible) What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A Helminiak (1994, 2000). Catholic theologian Daniel Helminiak warns against viewing biblical teaching as having the last word on sexual ethics. He also concludes that the bible "supplies no real basis for the condemnation of homosexuality."

(Theology) Saved From Salvation by Durrell Watkins, DMin (2014). Saved From Salvation chronicles a journey from fundamentalism to a ministry of spiritual humanism. The book tackles homophobia and heterosexism, looks at the bible and human sexuality and the spirituality of celebrating one's innate nature. The book also looks at non-theistic religion, progressive Christianity, liberating language, prayer, and ministry that affirms the sacred value of all people and that seeks to build community rather than enforce stale, antiquated dogmas. The final pages offer a real hope, a genuine faith, a practical spirituality that can be shared by believers and skeptics, Christians and non-Christians, seekers of truth and makers of meaning of every type. 

(Self-Help) Transform Your Life by Barbara King (1995). Founder of Atlanta's Hillside Chapel, Dr King applies metaphysical principles to the bible to help the reader overcome fear and transform her or his life through the power of prayer.

November: (Bible) The Power of Parable: How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction about Jesus by John Dominic  Crossan (2012). Bible scholar Amy-Jill Levine says of this book, “Crossan recovers the profundity, and the provocation, of the biblical tradition.” Crossan is one of the foremost Jesus scholars alive today as well as being a theologian, bible scholar, and historian. Crossan examines both the tales that Jesus imagined to make moral and spiritual points, as well as what was later imagined about Jesus pretty early in the development of the Christian tradition. Crossan argues that much of what we read about Jesus was always intended to be read as parable rather than history.

(Theology) Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity by David M.  Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy (2012). Using the wisdom of top Christian scholars and progressive leaders, this book is an excellent introduction a progressive view of the Christian message and life.

(Self-Help) The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy (1963) is a classic but its message is timeless and universal. Learn how to tap into the power of your subconscious mind to improve health, develop peace of mind, solve problems, and experience more happiness in your life.

December: (Bible) Meditations on the Good News: Reading the Bible for Today by Debra Haffner (2013). This Unitarian Universalist minister offers readings of scripture that are life-giving and liberating rather than cumbersome and fearful. She says, “As I begun studying Scripture, I felt joy to learn that the bible has hundreds of passages in which God is delighted with us. It is replete with messages that life is to be enjoyed here and now…”

(Theology) Science and the Search for God by Gary Kowalski (2003). Praised by scientists and theologians, this easy to read book by a Harvard educated minister suggests that science and religion are natural allies and both can help us move beyond materialism to a worldview that embraces “consciousness and spirit.”

(Self-Help) Help-Thanks-Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott (2012). A writer and deeply spiritual person, Lamott believes that prayer ought to be kept simple. Her simple and sweet book of about 100 pages makes that case quite well.

Buy these books from Amazon by using the Amazon icon on the Buy & Donate page at www.sunshinecathedral.org.  

Saved From Salvation

Saved From Salvation: A Journey from Fundamentalism to a Ministry of Spiritual Humanism
latest book by Rev Dr Durrell Watkins

Saved From Salvation by Durrell Watkins, DMin (2014). Saved From Salvation chronicles a journey from fundamentalism to a ministry of spiritual humanism. The book is divided into three sections: (1) "The Winding Road Between Absurd Certainty & Infinite Possibilities" (2) "Sexuality & Spirituality" and (3) "So What, Now What? A Humanistic Spirituality".

The first section shares an interreligious journey from fundamentalist Christianity through Catholicism, the arts, Pentecostalism, Buddhism, Goddess/Nature spirituality, Anglicanism, Energy Healing, and "New Thought" all leading to blended and inclusive ministry in Metropolitan Community Churches. The second section tackles homophobia and heterosexism, looks at the bible and human sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular, and the spirituality of celebrating one's innate nature. The final section looks at non-theistic religion, progressive Christianity, liberating language, prayer, and the ministry that affirms the sacred value of all people and that seeks to build community rather than enforce stale, antiquated dogmas. The final pages offer a real hope, a genuine faith, a practical spirituality that can be shared by believers and skeptics, Christians and non-Christians, seekers of truth and makers of meaning of every type. 

The author affirms on the penultimate page of the final chapter, "I am so committed to the church of honest inquiry, the cathedral of fearless searching, the chapel of mind expanding ideas, the temple of indomitable hope, that I have spent my life so far believing in and building up worship communities, churches of the free spirit, churches of the open mind, churches that affirm and depend on human potential..."

Saved From Salvation is for anyone who has been through the religious wringer and still hopes to be part of a thriving, thoughtful, inclusive, spiritual community,and for all who have found such a community and wish for it to be a shining model of what shared spirituality can achieve.

Saved From Salvation 
Lulu Press 2014
Available at Amazon.com

Can We Have Different Opinions Without Being Nasty?

So when did this happen? Last year, I quoted someone in a sermon (maybe Henry Ford?), not because I thought he was Buddha or Jesus or Yogananda, but because the thing he said was wise (even if it was the only wise thing he ever said). I was verbally assaulted by someone who really didn't like the person I quoted. That was the first time I noticed it. Another time I quoted Eleanor Roosevelt (whom I very much admire), and a right leaning person got very snarky...not about the quote, but about its source. Now, I often find that if I share (on FB or anywhere really) a quote by someone I may have disagreed with a lot, but who happened to say something at least once that I liked, people who share my dislike of the figure will use the quote as an opportunity to go on a rant about how evil the human is rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing with the thing said. 

I am a democratic socialist, a spiritual humanist, a pro-choice, pro-peace, pro-marriage equality liberal. I'm a lefty, honest to Engels! And, I think Nixon and Reagan made many mistakes and that Bush II was utterly incompetant. HOWEVER, I can acknowledge that they were well educated public servants each of whom must have gotten something right a time or two. Is it possible that we can disagree with people's ideologies without assuming that they are evil to the core with no redemptive qualities whatsoever? Can a person be wrong (in our opinion) 95% of the time and still get credit for the 5% they get right????

I Strongly Oppose Corporal Punishment

"When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult we call it hostility. When an adult hits an adult, we call it assault. When an adult hits a child, we call it discipline.” Haim G. Ginott

A Queer kid in a hostile environment (homophobic bible belt), life was lonely and frightening for me (my grandmothers and a great-aunt provided much needed refuge). It got better once I knew what the rest of the world suspected (that my loafers were permanently light), because then I could embrace, own, and celebrate my truth. Self-discovery brings great courage and even joy. 

But as a child, with no one to understand my "difference", life was not easy. And, being reared in an environment where "switches" (nature's riding crops) and belts (and the not infrequent slap and occasional choke hold) were considered acceptable forms of punishment (though, the intensity of the punishment had more to do with the punisher's anger than with the so-called punishable offense), not even home ever felt safe.

Years of therapy, spiritual work, and direct dealing led to healing and to more reconciliation than I ever thought possible, but I have been a life-long opponent of hitting children. I believe that parents who hit believe they are doing what is right, that they were similarly punished as children (its the never ending cycle of violence), and that in spite of the harm they inflict on their children, they really do love them. But I know (not just from social science but from lived experience) that terrorizing children with the threat of physical abuse does a lot of harm. As a gay child where there was no safe place in the world to be, not feeling safe at home only led to intense feelings of isolation, loneliness, and despair. I would spare all children that pain if I could.

Young Vic's Streetcar...A Real Gem

Young Vic's Streetcar Named Desire...TRIUMPH. Smart, edgy, some new and bold choices. The standard lines that are normally delivered as oration rather than as contribution to real dialogue were almost underplayed, still important, but unlike many productions this show wasn't just an excuse to deliver the few famous one liners ("I shall die of eating an unwashed grape", "Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers", "Poor thing, the quinine did her no good", "I don't want realism; I want magic!", "Stella! Stella for star!", "The Tarantula Arms is where I took my victims", "Hydrotherapy they call it", "STELLAAAAAAAA!!!!!!", etc.).

The minimalist, modern staging (without changing dated lines referring to Western Union or a phone number that begins with "Magnolia") was interesting and not usually distracting, and the loud, disturbing scene change music enhanced the experience of Blanche's fragile mental state.

Gillian Anderson (Blanche) and Vanessa Kirby (Stella) gave the traditional, over the top Southern Belle accents, but as old southern aristrocrats from Mississippi, it kind of works. Ben Foster (Stanley) gave no contrived accent and Corey Johnson (a native of New Orleans) didn't over do the all too often cartoonish portrayal of a Southern dialect (without respect for specific regional particularities).

Ben Foster sometimes seemed not menacing enough (almost soft a time or two, despite his threatening rhetoric and physical bulk), but I appreciated that he relied on something other than raw and unrelenting rage to communicate his fearsomeness. His was a much more nuanced Stanley than is often presented.

But the most amazing performance was given by Gillian Anderson. No hint of Scully, no wink to the X-Files, and no repeat of other Blanches. Her Blanche was a real person who had experienced real pain and disappointment and who carried real regret and faint hope. Her descent into madness wasn't cartoonish, her alcoholism was believable, and her particular affectations and mannerisms were unique to this actor's performance of this character for this production. She was, in short, the best Blanche I've ever seen!

Blanche falls desperately in love with and marries a man who she learns is gay (and involved with an older lover), and that pain is exponentially increased when he discovers that she knows his secret and his response is to commit suicide (not an uncommon response to the life ruining experience of being outed in a time when same-sex love and attraction were not only taboo, but criminal). Beyond that, Blanche is the caregiver for a series of relatives who die leaving her no money, and she has to mortgage the family estate to care for her ill relations (and then bury them). When on a teacher's salary she can't pay her debts, she loses her family home and lives in a seedy hotel where she medicates her loneliness and supplements her income as an evening companion for men. Eventually, she seduces a high school student (a cry for help? a self-destructive symptom of depression? desperate loneliness? an attempt to recapture lost youth?) the consequence of which is the end of her teaching career. She then spends the summer with her sister who has married a brute. She stays with her only living realtive (1) to have a play to live and (2) to create a new narrative for her life in an attempt to sanitize her past. Still, her secrets are exposed and while she is crumbling under the weight of shame and fear, her plight is worsened when she is raped by her brother-in-law. Her sister can't let herself believe that her husband is a rapist, so she has her Blanche committed. And the show ends with Blanche, who for all her difficulties is "never deliberately cruel", finally receiving care and kindness, but not from a friend, lover, neighbor, or relative but from a psychiatrist (presumably from a state hospital).

Gillian Anderson played this complex character powerfully. Anderson's Blanche had a soul, an inner light, painful memories beautiful fantasies, a glimmer of hope, and fading resilience. She was, simply, marvelous!

Tennessee Williams' shows tend to deal with homosexuality by means of a tragic heroine (or anti-heroine), Southern families, mental illness, and nobility that has been tarnished or hidden by disappointment and heartbreak. His spirit was very much alive and powerfully present in this production.

When Broadway and London share their gems nationally/internationally on cinema screens, it is a great gift, and tonight's showing of Streetcar was particularly amazing. 

Books by Durrell Watkins

Books by Dr Durrell Watkins

Available from online retailers, such as Lulu.com/shop, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com (& Nook)…

Saved from Salvation

A Journey from Fundamentalism to a Ministry of Spiritual Humanism

Spirituality is both a personal and a shared experience; it is private and communal. The old religious dogmas, hierarchies, creeds, and antiquated vocabularies are increasingly irrelevant to 21st century seekers of truth; but the shared spiritual journey still has value. Can we move beyond the irrelevance of outmoded religion and still form spiritual communities, embrace life enhancing rituals, enjoy sacred stories, and ask honest questions that may not have preapproved answers? One liberal minister thinks that such spiritual communities are possible and needed and he has devoted his life to creating such communities. A humanistic spirituality can still embrace mystery and wonder, hope and peace, possibilities and wisdom, and as we offer such spirituality, a new generation may discover that houses of worship can still have meaning.

A Different Kind of Church 

Celebrating the Queer community, affirming the sacred value of all people, blessing this world rather than making promises about the next, acknowledging the sacred in the secular, blending and transcending traditions to create a new and relevant church experience for the 21st century, Sunshine Cathedral is a "different kind of church..."

The Sacrament of Sharing 

Financial gifts are needed to support good causes and churches are especially dependent on faithful, goodwill offerings. But giving is more than funding projects; it is a spiritual discipline that helps the giver grow. Generous people tend to be happier and they feel personally invested in the good work their gifts make possible. As much as churches and charities need our gifts, we need to be givers. This short book will encourage you to grow in the grace of giving and to experience the blessing that it is to be a consistent, generous giver.

HealingPrayers for Depression 

Knowing that prayer is a power within you rather than a way of begging an external Power for help is a wonderful discovery. Using the power of positive prayer, we can reclaim our lives and our joy.

Wrestling With God Without Getting Pinned 

Old Stories, New Thoughts, & Progressive Spirituality

Can a Skeptic Enjoy the Bible? Wrestling With God Without Getting Pinned is an honest struggle to apply critical thinking and practical reason to the myths and metaphors of ancient scriptures. The author believes that creative writing can be true (and in fact can offer new truths as each reader approaches a text) without being factual. Wrestling With God....is an affirmation of truth that does not demand the literary symbols of scripture be taken literally. Rather than asking religion to redeem people, the writer is asking thinking people to redeem religion so that it can be relevant in the

21st century.

Optimism & Gratitude 

Prayers for Every Day of the Year

Using simple and inclusive language, this small book offers inspirational quotes as well as a prayer for every day of the year. Drawing on the wisdom of the Judeo-Christian scriptures as well as on other spiritual traditions of the world, and holding always a sense of optimism and gratitude, these short prayers will remind you of your unity with the one Presence and one Power that is expressing through and as your life and with which all things are possible. As we practice the affirmative way of praying offered in Optimism & Gratitude: Prayers for Every Day of the Year, we will feel empowered and we will learn to expect the best from ourselves and from Life.

Progressive,Positive & Practical: New Thought Reflections 

Consistently throughout this small book, you will be affirmed as a person of sacred value, and you will be encouraged to affirm yourself as a gifted member of the human family, possessed of great potential. You will also be encouraged to see the Light of divinity within you AND within all people.

Progressive,Positive & Practical: Encouragement for Spiritual Leaders 

This is a book that will encourage leaders of progressive, inclusive spiritual communities. As the title says, the teachings are progressive, positive, and practical. This is a book meant to help liberal, open, and affirming worshipping communities thrive by encouraging their leaders.

Fairy Dust 

A positive thinking, optimistic, and empowering book that teaches us to use our words intentionally to direct our thinking in ways that will create the feelings that will bring joy and wonder to our lives.

ATreatment A Day 

A liberal minister offers thoughts about prayer and models of prayer for people who practice spirituality on the margins, and for those who have not identified with a particular spiritual path. This isn't a typical prayer book, but it may become one of the most important ones on your shelf.