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Writing about what I have been reading and encountering in the media. |
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WELCOME TO MY BLOG! I comment on things I am reading, thinking about, encountering in media, and spiritual issues. I hope you will find something interesting. PS. I love feedback... |
| This was a post on Facebook today, 5/22/2020. The article, as you can see, was published in 2017. I went to Huff Post and searched to find it there, but the search was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, because I have been thinking about this, it became a stimulus for me to write my thinking down. I have no way to send this to the author, but if someone who reads this can tell me how, I would very much like to send it to him. Concerning: Tim Rymel, M.Ed., Contributor Author | Educator | Dad Has Evangelical Christianity Become Sociopathic? 05/11/2017 05:08 pm ET Updated May 11, 2017 Dear Mr. Rymel, Thank you for your concerned ponderings on the state of Evangelical Christianity. I share your concern. I think about it a little differently. I don’t think the “church” took over or invaded politics. I think politics started using religion and has done so all of my life, which from looking at your photo, is somewhat longer than yours. When Dwight D. Eisenhower was President, he signed into law the bill making “In God, we Trust” the motto of the US and adding the motto to all US currency, as well as adding “one nation under God” to the pledge of allegiance. This broke the barrier between church and state that is in the Constitution and that had stood 175 years. This was not the church. It was the politicians who voted and signed the bill into law. The church may have wanted it, but politicians do things for their own reasons and knew, as the made this law, what they were doing to weaken, probably end, protection of religion from the state. The politicians saw a segment of America they thought they could manipulate. Christians did not see themselves as being used. They thought they were improving the country, bringing faith to the masses, etc. This is antithetical to Christianity. Using and being used is unhealthy for both sides. Faith does not come from money, advertising slogans or political manipulation and it doesn’t take a lot of reading in the Bible before you realize, Jesus made no effort to control the state, and when the state and religion alike tried to control him, they lost. They couldn’t even kill him. Both the state and the Evangelical movement are very sick right now. Growing up in a church with the first name “Evangelical,” I was taught this meant reaching out, welcoming, loving unconditionally, and bringing the Love of Christ to my neighbors through my actions as well as teaching. Today’s Evangelicals draw ridged lines, like the Catholics of the middle ages, welcoming only those that will follow their rules. Jesus never did this. Some politicians have lied, claiming Christian affiliation when they knew nothing of Christianity. The Christians that choose to believe those politicians are led by people participating in religion like the scribes and Pharisees to enhance their own riches and power. They are exclusionary, judgmental, and the love they share is very much conditional, as in your example of the mother who used the Bible to justify abandoning her son. She isn’t loyal to scripture. She shows no evidence of understanding scripture. She is the pawn of politicians like McConnell and Trump who have twisted the tenets of faith to their advantage and who use the issues of gay marriage and abortion to distract followers from the political activities that lead to the disenfranchisement of Christians everywhere. Further, you may have noticed that the “Christians” causing all the trouble are more than 90% white and are often referred to as “white evangelical Christians.” The people who oppose integration started infiltrating and gaining power among those Christians by promoting the “white is right” ideology that emerged to support slavery. This tendency among White evangelicals has deep, deep roots in slavery and racism. The Bible was interpreted to support the separation of the races, even though Jesus and his apostles never made any “racial” distinctions. Christianity came to open and remove barriers, not to shut people into a box, or into slavery. In the long history of Christianity, the major gatherings to clarify and define the faith were not organized by the church, but instead, by the heads of state. From the very beginning, Christianity has had to resist the state and has not always succeeded. At first, the state tried to destroy Christianity, then to join and control from within. Hitler had a state church. He simply re-wrote the Bible and had his version taught to children to support his power, authority, and interpretation of what is "right." Finally, these people call themselves Christians and call people who practice inclusivity based on the teachings of Jesus “secular humanists.” I have encountered many who had never even heard that the progressive movement in politics is firmly rooted in scripture. When that historical detail is presented to them, they argue with it, say it isn’t so, say “you have been brainwashed” and swear on their Papa’s grave they know for a fact that “liberals” hate them and wish all manner of evil upon them. They don’t question the origins of their own thinking. Do you question the origins of your thinking Tim Rymel? Do you think questioning is a path to a deeper faith? They seem to think questioning is the devil’s work. Summary: Yes, there is something deeply troubled in Evangelical Christianity. A good part of it comes from being used by politicians to achieve their economic and power goals, and from evangelical unwillingness to question what they are being taught. They say we would all be better off if we just agreed with them and they will keep working at that until they make us all agree. This is neither Christian nor democratic. It is pathological and on the verge of destroying our country. {image # 1445398} |
| 77. The Giver of Stars, Jojo Moyes, Penguin Audio, 10/08/2019 Audible.com After I read this, I read three reviews that say it is plagiarized from The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. I don’t know if that is true. What I do know: This is historical fiction about women providing traveling library services in the hills of Kentucky during the Great Depression. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I don’t know how you might want to respond to the plagiarism accusation. Had I known ahead of time, I probably would have read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek first. 78. The Universal Christ, Richard Rohr, read by Arthur Morey, (religion) Random House Audio, 03/05/19. Accessed through Audible.com. I have been reading this with a discussion group enjoying the book and the discussion very much. The author, Richard Rohr, is a Franciscan Priest. One of my Catholic friends says the Franciscans have always been thought of as “odd” within Catholicism. His thinking certainly is distinctive. He starts by saying all of creation is the first incarnation of God and Jesus is the second. He goes on to compare eastern and western Christianity and to discuss the differences and how they came about. It is clear that he thinks the western church lost something very important in the split from eastern Christendom. He then talks about what Buddhism has to offer Christianity in that it teaches how to be spiritual, where, he says, Christianity teaches what to believe. Finally, he defends women. He argues that Mary Magdalene, rather than being a prostitute, was the first apostle and explains clearly why he thinks this. A lot of this was not new to me, but instead validated a lot that I learned in my family and through my own reading and thinking, but not in church. We are almost finished with this book. I have two more by Richard Rohr to read, and I guarantee, I will read them. 79. Mary Magdalene Revealed, Meggan Watterston, Hay House Publishing, 07/09/19. (religion and memoir) Audible.com. Meggan Watterston has been studying Mary Magdalene for years. This has led her on a spiritual as well as a scholarly journey. She shares both in this book. A male reader found this disgusting. I am glad I am not part of his family. I have found the book to be interesting and challenging. It is well worth the read. It would be good to read The Book of Mary attributed to Mary Magdalene herself before, during and after this book. It is only a portion of the original, all that has been found. It is easy for me to see how Ms. Watterston became so interested when looking at what Mary Magdalene wrote and hearing the stories Meggan Watterston discovered in her quest. 80. Books by Charlie Holmberg: (fantasy) Smoke and Summons, Veins of Gold, The Changeling, Siege and Sacrifice, and The Will and the Wilds. Audible.com I don’t remember the order in which I read them as I read them as they come out. I think I have read everything she has written. This is light reading, escapist, and fun. Charlie Holmberg writes about female heroines dealing with challenges related to magic. Her characters are good and evil, with some struggling to decide which way they will go. I think anyone from pre-adolescence to old age can enjoy them. If you read much earlier in my list, you will see reviews of her earlier work. I may have left one out. Just start with the earliest publication date and move forward. Some tales go through more than one volume and some books stand alone. 81. The Way with Words IV; Understanding Poetry, One of the Modern Scholar productions, Professor Michael D.C. Drout; this is basically the series of lectures from a college course taught by Prof. Drout. 01/30/09, Audible.com. I love anything that informs me more about poetry. If you are not a reader of poetry but are curious about it, this is a good way to get some solid footing. 82. She Walks in Beauty, Caroline Kennedy, Hyperion Audio Books, 04/05/2011, Audible. com Another great bedtime read Caroline Kennedy selects poetry written by, for, and about women. Many of the pieces were new to me, and all amplify the importance and beauty of women’s relationships to each other and to those they love. 83. The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris, (biographical novel, assuming that is a thing) Harper Audio, 09/04/2018. Audible.com This tale is based on interviews with Ludwig Sokolov a survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau and was a tattooist there. This is a love story full of hope. How can one not love a well-told love story set in the depths of the darkest time in all of modern history? I hope you will love it too. 84. The Weight of Ink, Rachel Kadish, (historical novel) Highbridge a Division of Recorded Books, 06/06/2017. Audible.com This is one of my top five favorite books of the past two or three years. The author connects two periods of history through a trove of documents discovered in a very old house in England. They originate in the Jewish section of London during the Plague. The historical character is the secretary to a Rabbi who, against tradition, has educated her. The modern characters are academic researchers. The tale is one of determination, of women challenging the status quo and using brilliant reasoning in their unconventional lives. I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did. 85. The Overstory, Richard Powers, (environmentalist novel) Recorded Books, 04/03/2018, Audible.com One of the reader reviews of this book, offered by Michael Stansberry, says “I am a fuel-guzzling truck driver, but this book made me wanna pull my semi to the side of the road and hug a tree.” I can’t say anything much clearer than that. This is a great tale developed around the love of trees. The narrator, Suzanne Toren, does a great job of presenting the book. |
| 72. Portrait of a Lady, Henry James, (novel, first published in book form 1880) Penguin Audio, 09/26/2019, accessed at Audible.com A friend told me they started to read this and found it tedious. I loved it. According to some critics, this is the best of James’s early books. It examines issues of misogyny, female independence, modern vs. traditional relationships, and presents James’ thinking about the definition of a “lady.” The writing is detailed and precise. There is a quality of objectivity in detailed descriptions. The characters are well developed. I have nothing to say negative about this book and found it deserves its esteemed place in literature written in English. Because I enjoyed it so much, I started The Ambassadors, have struggled with maintaining interest, and have yet to finish it. The word “banal” may best describe what I have so far encountered. I intend to wade on and will write more when I finish. After all, how bad can it be when written by Henry James? 73. Every Word You Cannot Say, Ian S. Thomas read by the author and Roshina Ranstam (poetry) Andrews McMeel, pub. Released on Audible 03/05/19. This, as it turns out, is great bedtime reading/listening. It is gentle, introspective, and full of subtle suggestions toward self-acceptance. Ian Thomas is a South African poet writing in English and respected internationally for his innovative work. Was I still working as a therapist, I would suggest that everyone struggling with anxiety in relationships consider reading this. 74. When Women Were Birds, Terry Tempest Williams, narrated by the author, (memoir) Wind Over Earth pub., Released 05/18/2012 on Audible.com. I have enjoyed this book greatly. It is another great book for bedtime reading/listening. Terry Tempest Williams is a naturalist and a teacher and a devout Mormon. I think this is her fourth book. I like how she works to integrate her relationship with her mother with her relationship with nature and how she talks about her faith. She also discusses the politics of ecology in some detail. 75. Alex and Me, Irene M. Pepperberg, read by Julia Gibson (memoir) Harper Audio pub. 10/29/08. Audible.com. I inherited a lovebird last summer. She was about 7 years old and a widow. I knew nothing about lovebirds, so I started reading. I learned that lovebirds are the smallest of the parrots and was reading about parrots in general. In the process I encountered this book. Alex is a parrot who lived in a research facility where his capacity for learning human speech was studied carefully over his entire life. The author is the scientist. This memoir includes a biography of Alex. I was fascinated by the things the author learned from Alex, and by the fact that he actually internalized and used English to express himself. 76: The House Girl, Tara Conklin, Harper Collins, New York, NY, 2013. Written by an attorney, this novel takes place in 1852 and 2004. The 1852 protagonist is a house slave, Josephine, whose "missus" has educated and taught to draw and paint. The 2004 protagonist is an attorney named Lina who has been assigned the task of finding a descendent of a slave to be the primary litigant in a reparations lawsuit. Lina's parents are artists and so she is familiar with the art world which happens to present her with a candidate. Each character's backstory is full and rich. The ambiguity of Josephine's position makes the reader ponder, and the ambiguity of Lina's situation becomes gradually more clear to the reader. I very much enjoyed this novel, a New York Times bestseller, and hope you will too. I hear the author has a second novel out that I may just have to read. 76. One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, Olivia Hawker, narrated by Jackie Zebrowski (novel) Brilliance Audio, 10/08/2019, Audible.com. This is a story about two families living as isolated neighbors on the frontier. They have the normal struggles that come with subsistence farming including weather, wildlife, and having no supports close enough to easily access. There are issues between the two households that are addressed. The story is about conflict, loss, and healing. I very much enjoyed this book. |
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