An arkful of books

My neighbors were making plans to build an ark, and last week, I was tempted to hustle over and join them, but I was comfortably curled up with a good book. We had the rainiest June in decades, and the weather was beginning to feel a bit Biblical.

"Noah leading the animals into the ark" c.1665
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione

I wonder how Noah and company passed 40 wet days and nights on the ark. After feeding the animals and mucking out the stalls, I wonder if they sat around telling stories. 

If I were on an ark, I would want a library. The challenge would be which books to bring along due to the limited space. Needing some assistance with this challenge, I asked family and friends, “If you were on the ark, what book would you bring along?”  The responses were creative, humorous, and intriguing.

Some interesting suggestions:

One of the ark-building neighbors had a unique idea. He said that he would take an author, instead of a book, so that he would have the benefit of many stories.

My daughter’s first thought was a journal, providing pens were permitted. If a family were confined on an ark with a bunch of animals, there would surely be stories worth recording. We could write our own, but friendlier, version of “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel.

Both my son-in-law and my son suggested “The SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild in any Climate on Land or Sea” by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman. This same son thought we’d need “The Story of Doctor Doolittle” by Hugh Lofting.  We could pick up a new language, and meditate disputes between the aardvark and the zebra. My son-in-law, concerned that me might be in danger of contracting cabin fever and going a little “squirrely”, would also like a book that conjures up images of land to help us stay grounded.

According to my other son, Darwin’s “Origin of the Species”, and George Orwell’s  “Animal Farm” were obvious choices. He also recommended “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”, not because Franklin invented the lightning rod, but because Franklin’s ideas on living a morally good life might be helpful in recreating society once the ark docked.

Noah and the inhabitants of the ark were the precursors of the ancient nation of Israel. Although this was not the foremost reason for her selection, a friend suggested “Exodus”, by Leon Uris, the historical novel that depicts the creation of the modern day state of Israel. First published in 1958, this novel continues to impact readers with its story, and themes of human cruelty, intolerance, vengeance and forgiveness.

One of my sons and I discussed including Timothy Findley’s “Not Wanted on the Voyage”, an imaginative but very disturbing account of Noah and the ark.  We were a little hesitant, but I decided to include it with the following disclaimer: this book contains graphic scenes of violence and may offend readers.  This is not a novel for the reader who is faint of heart, or religiously invested in the Genesis account of the flood. “Not Wanted on the Voyage” raises questions about the nature of human society and religion, the human lust for power, and the need to dominate others and the natural world. 

Another neighbour suggested Bryce Courtenay’s “The Power of One”. This is the story of Peekay, a vulnerable little boy whose character is sorely tested. This novel is an inspiring tale of remaining afloat against all odds, and overcoming obstacles that have the power to destroy our spirit.

Independently of each other, my husband and I both selected “The Confessions” of Saint Augustine, translated by Maria Boulding. In the Genesis account of the flood, the ark is a refuge from the turbulent waters of destruction, and is symbolic of God’s caring presence.  In “The Confessions”, Augustine recounts his spiritual journey away from inner turbulence and disbelief towards belief and stillness in God.

“The Confessions”, like the story of Noah and the ark, has survived for centuries. Its themes of doubt and restlessness resonate with human experience. Who among us has not longed for stillness, or has not sought a refuge from trouble? Has there ever been a spiritual journey that was totally devoid of doubt?

While my question prompted some unexpected replies, the eclectic collection of ideas makes for an unusual summer reading list that will entertain us, stretch the confines of our mind, and, in the case of Augustine, uplift our soul.

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" Review

In “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, a group of British seniors, for a variety of reasons, “outsource” their retirement to India.  Despite the simplicity and predictability of the plot, the film works because of the outstanding cast of seasoned British actors, which includes, among others, Judi Dench, and Tom Wilkinson. Fans of Downton Abbey will enjoy Maggie Smith’s performance as Muriel, the bigoted old bag, and Penelope Wilton's
portrayal of an unlikeable, and excessively negative, domineering wife. 

The characters are strangers to one another until they meet en route to Jaipur.  They are the first group of guests at the hotel, whose proprietor, Sonny (Dev Patel of Slum Dog Millionaire fame), has misrepresented its grandeur in promotional material.  Sonny’s idea is to restore the property and “outsource aging” because people in the west dislike the elderly.  There is a pointed comment about contemporary western attitudes towards the elderly in Sonny’s dream of creating a “home for the elderly, so wonderful that they will simply refuse to die.”

This charming movie deals in a lighthearted way with the challenges of aging as it explores issues such as health, loss and loneliness, independence, and financial constraints. As the characters attempt to reconcile the changes that come with aging, the audience is treated to some relevant insights about life.

The young, optimistic Sonny lives by the mantra, “Everything will be all right in the end. So if it is not all right, it is not yet the end.”  Even though he describes his life at one point as a series of “catastrophes”, he is unshakeable in his conviction that things eventually work towards the good.  Sonny embodies the virtue of hope.

Smith’s character, Muriel, has gone to India for a free, fast tracked hip replacement as part of a pilot program. At her age, she could die during the 6-month waiting period at home. She sarcastically tells the doctor, “I don’t even buy green bananas!”  Her hilarious delivery packs an important “carpe diem” punch.

The poignancy of Muriel’s situation is revealed as the film progresses. She is a single woman who dedicated her life to serving one family. As she aged, the family replaced her with someone younger. Muriel struggles with feelings of rejection and uselessness, but she is not ready to give up living.  Perhaps more than any other character in the film, she transforms her situation by first transforming her inner self, and then goes to work transforming the hotel into the place of Sonny's dream.

In order to supplement her meager income, Evelyn (Dench) finds a job at a call center as a cultural adviser. Confused about technology at the beginning of the film, she blogs about her experiences in India on the “interweb”.  She posts, “The only real failure is the failure to try, and success is measured by how we cope with disappointment.” Evelyn, who  blissfully relied on her husband, now deceased, is confronted with a series of disappointing realizations. Circumstances pushed her out the door of her comfortable life. Her post is an encouraging shove to anyone who finds it difficult to wander out of their established comfort zone.

While Evelyn who holds the movie together, Graham (Tom Wilkinson) emerges as the most sympathetic character.  Unlike the other characters, we have to wait to discover Graham’s reason for retiring to India.  Graham is in search of reconciliation and healing. He is haunted by an incident from his past, and has spent a lifetime living with regret and guilt.  Graham is finally able to forgive himself when he confronts the past and discovers that the consequences of the incident were much graver in his imagination than in real life.  Graham’s story speaks to the difficult reality of healing painful memories, and learning to forgive one’s self for the perceived or actual wrongs one has done.

As the film nears its happy conclusion, Evelyn comments, “Nothing here has worked out quite as I expected.” Muriel sagely replies, “Most things don’t, but sometimes what happens instead is the good stuff.” Life is mystery. We know the characters in our own story, but the plot of our life frequently unfolds in ways we could never imagine.

At its core, this film is about people transforming their situations, and positively affecting the lives of others. The movie is refreshing in its ability to communicate its messages in a gentle and often humorous fashion. While I didn’t agree with the choices that some of the other characters made en route to transformation, I left the theater with a smile on my face and in my heart.

Bullying: an erosion of civility?

Maybe I was lucky enough to attend a school with an unusually nice group of kids because bullying, as we understand it today, did not seem to be a common problem. There was the occasional schoolyard punch up, which ended with the supervising teacher sending the culprits to the principal’s office with their tail between their legs. There was some name-calling, and there were some mean kids we called “bullies”. Unlike the bully of today who targets an individual, our bullies spread their nastiness around. Collectively, we avoided them when they were in a bad mood.

In my recollection, parents, teachers, and administrators simply did not tolerate nastiness. We were expected to treat others respectfully in the spirit of the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  

Nor do I remember bullying being a common problem when I was teaching.  However, by the time my own children were in elementary school, bullying was emerging as a disturbing facet of school life.

When we speak about bullying today we are not talking about occasional ribbing. Bullying is

• aggressive and repeated behavior that causes harm, fear or distress to another person. 
• a targeted action against an individual 
• creates a negative environment for that person
• almost always involves some type of real or perceived power imbalance.

A serious and persistent problem in schools

Bullying is a serious and persistent problem in schools. Studies indicate that bullying occurs every 7 minutes on the playground, and every 25 minutes in the classroom. Twenty-five percent of students in Grades 4 through 6 have been the victims of bullying. One in 7 students between the ages of 11 through 16 have been bullied. The top two reasons students are bullied are appearance, and real or perceived sexual orientation. Bullying in schools is often subtle, and not easily detected.

Legislators and educators recognize that students must feel safe and secure in order to achieve their potential socially and academically. To this end, the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia recently announced measures to create safer, more accepting schools.

Action in Ontario 

With Bill 13, the “Accepting School Act”, Ontario will implement a number of anti-bullying measures. Schools will have to develop and implement an inclusive education policy, and provide professional development programs, intervention, and support for students. School boards must support students who wish to establish clubs that promote an inclusive learning environment, especially in the areas of gender equity, anti-racism, sexual minorities, and disabilities. This makes sense given the reasons for bullying.

The Catholic Bishops of Ontario had taken exception to the province's insistence that Catholic schools must allow students to use the  name "Gay-Straight Alliance" (GSA). At issue was the right of the Catholic school to handle bullying based on sexual orientation in a manner consistent with Gospel principles and Church teaching on homosexuality. The Bishops' statement placed the issue within the realm of religious freedom. 

A difficulty with the position of the Ontario Bishops regarding GSA is the research from EGALE Canada which shows that schools that have a GSA are more successful in reducing bullying because of sexual orientation than schools without GSA. There is a good argument that naming a problem helps to solve the problem.

With the passage of Bill 13 into law, Cardinal Collins, in a prepared statement for the bishops, said that the schools will "seek to foster safe and welcoming school communities".  Mario Gazzola, chair of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association, noted that although schools will continue to use their "Respecting Differences" guidelines, Bill 13 will take precedence as necessary. 

Action in British Columbia

British Columbia is introducing ERASE (Expect Respect and a Safe Education). ERASE Bullying is a 10-point plan that the government says will “help prevent, identify, and stop harmful behaviors by children and adults, whether online, at school, or in the community”.  ERASE will include a smart phone app for anonymous reporting, a five year training program for educators and community workers, a dedicated safe school coordinator in every district, and new online resources for parents. The plan will ensure consistent policies across the province.

Bullying a major challenge in the workplace

Students are not the only victims of bullying. An International Labour Organization report from 1999 described physical and emotional bullying at work as a major challenge for the 21^st century.  Workplace bullying, which is usually gender based or racially motivated, takes its toll on the individual and the economy. People who are bullied at work spend 10 – 52% of their workday defending themselves, networking for support, and thinking about the situation; many end up taking mental health leaves.

Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec already have some legislation in place to address bullying in the workplace. British Columbia is making changes to the Worker’s Compensation Act to address workplace violence; many employer groups within the province support this effort. 

It wasn't the age of niceness, but ...

I didn’t grow up in a golden age of tolerance, nor were people necessarily nicer, but civility was the order of the day.  We didn’t need written codes of conduct in schools or workplaces to teach us how to behave towards others. It was obvious in the world around us. Youngsters spent their free time playing outdoors, not creating avatars to viciously destroy others in video games. People were exposed to wholesome models on television, not to mindless shows where demeaning others passes for entertainment. Political leaders were forceful and respectful at the same time. When Pierre Elliot Trudeau said, “Fuddle duddle,” Canadians were upset. Nor were mean spirited attack ads part of the political gig. 

Bullying is a failure of one individual to recognize the common humanity that they share with another individual. Small children have no problem with the concept of common humanity; they naturally accept others as they are. Those who become bullies learn their behavior from somewhere. Is it possible that bullying is symptomatic of a general lack of respect for others and the gradual erosion of civility within society?

Kindness should always be fashionable. A little more of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, might go a long way in reducing bullying in schools and the workplace. 

Speaking about God

The almost exclusively female congregation had just finished singing, “Let there be peace”, when a friend turned to me and remarked that the Catholics had gone for gender-neutral language. The original words of the song, “with God as our Father, brothers are all are we/Let me walk with my brother” had been rewritten, “with God our creator, children all are we/Let me walk with my neighbour”.  “In my dreams,” was my first thought, but I responded with, “We prefer the term inclusive language.”

This exchange took place at the conclusion of this year’s World Day of Prayer, an ecumenical event that celebrates the determination and achievements of women around the world in overcoming poverty, oppression, and human rights abuses.  It was the turn of the Catholic women in my hometown to host the event, and they had opted for an inclusive language version of the closing song.
http://www.worlddayofprayer.net/

Their choice seemed appropriate to me for what has traditionally been a women’s event that gives voice to the many women worldwide who live with the unjust systems of patriarchy.  Male dominance and violence consistently figure in the lives of women everywhere.  The image of God as a benevolent male is contrary to the lived experience of many people, female and male alike.

Language shapes and reflects values

I was recently reminded of this encounter at the World Day of Prayer service while listening to a discussion on gender neutrality in Sweden. The discussion centered on language, and the use of one little word, “hen”.  The most recent edition of the Swedish online “National Encyclopedia” proposes replacing “han” (he) and “hon” (she) with the gender neutral pronoun “hen”.  Sweden, the most gender equal country in the world, would like to eliminate traditional gender stereotyping and roles, and views language as an effective tool to accomplish that goal.

The Swedish example and the example from the World Day of Prayer illustrate the ability of language to both shape and reflect the values of a society or a community. The power of language to express a specific worldview underlies the feminist push for gender-neutral or inclusive language when referring to God.

Androcentric language for God remains the norm

Since the 1980’s, the application of gender-neutral language to God has been a common practice in many seminaries, Bible colleges, and theological schools.  This practice is clearly not catching on very quickly; three decades later, most churches persist in referencing God as male in their worship and official documents.

Christianity has inherited centuries of androcentric language, language that is centered on and around men to the exclusion of women, to describe the ineffable God. While theologically God is spirit, possessing neither a male nor female form, linguistically God is typically described, and visually depicted, as male.

"Creation of Adam" Michaelangelo

The almost exclusive use of androcentric language to describe God, particularly in public worship, perpetuates the stereotype of male superiority, implies that women are subordinate, and that male dominance is divinely ordained. The persistent metaphor of God as a ruling (usually white) male legitimizes social systems that glorify men, exclude women, exploit the marginalized, contribute to racism, and justify environmental degradation.  These are the very same social systems that many churches recognize as sinful, and seek to transform through acts of social justice.

Balance androcentric language with feminine images of God

The language of public worship, if it cannot be gender-neutral, should at least aim to be more inclusive.  Specifically masculine language can be balanced with Biblical images of God as mother, wisdom, and spirit.

"Sophia, Godess of Wisdom" by Pamela Matthews

A priest visiting my parish on Mother’s Day provided a good example of this.  He opened his homily with a description of God as a mother’s love.  He used an image from the Hebrew bible to speak of the unconditional, everlasting love that God, like a mother, has for each one of us.  For me, his homily functioned as a counterpoint to all the prayers that followed which referenced God as “he”.

There are many images of God as female, and as part of the natural world, that can be incorporated into worship. Incorporating some of these images more systematically into our speaking about God might just change the way we think. And therein lies the rub. Long held beliefs about the very structures of society, both religious and secular, will come under scrutiny and may be found wanting. 

Two sides of the same coin

As the Swedish drive for gender-neutral language indicates, linguistic change and structural change are two sides of the same coin.  Religions that speak about transforming unjust systems need to take a hard look at their language for God. In my view, it is time to stop making God into the image of men. 

Recommended post on "Biblical Maternal Images for God"

http://3dchristianity.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/biblical-maternal-images-for-god/

For more on inclusive language see  Isabella Moyers blog, Catholic Dialogue, http://catholicdialogue.com/2012/05/28/pondering-inclusive-language/

Today's culture a challenge to faith

A student's probing question

I gave the group of students in my religion class the following instructions, “Read the next two pages, and underline the ideas that you think are important.”  The exercise was a subtle way for me to evaluate the students’ mastery of concepts covered earlier in the year. Had they grasped the key elements of the catechism?

As we went around the table, each student read out one statement that they had underlined, and we briefly discussed them. I was satisfied with the students’ knowledge and understanding. They were on track with the religious education portion of their preparation for Confirmation.

One student, though, underlined a statement that had nothing to do with doctrines. It was a simple statement that readers could easily overlook as unimportant. “Ah,” I thought, “we are onto something here.”

The student had highlighted a section that talked about difficult choices and decision-making.  He read aloud, “The steady stream of difficult choices can be very confusing. This confusion can lead you to question how God is involved in your life or whether he’s involved at all.”

"Faith in the Church" by a454

The student’s selection demonstrated something deeper than the mastery of the catechism. He was probing the depths of his relationship with God. Poised between childhood and adulthood, he is considering the religious beliefs he has grown up with, and the role those beliefs have or will have in his life. The child, who readily accepts the faith of his parents, is giving way to the young man, who is preparing to make his own personal act of faith.

The culture no longer supports religious practice

In the past, many of us were simply carried along on the stream of the prevailing attitudes and practices of the community around us. When I was the same age as the students in my class, everyone went to church. It was what people did on Sundays. People sometimes regarded those who did not attend church with a degree of suspicion. Religious practice was part of the culture of the time, and it was not limited to the church building. 

Public schools opened the day with a Bible reading (which most of us rarely understood) and with the Lord’s Prayer (which we rattled off inattentively). Banquets opened with grace. Civic meetings began with prayers. There was no such thing as Sunday shopping. The culture was friendlier towards religious belief, and religious practice, even if it was merely a habit, was the norm.

Today’s culture is obviously much different in its attitude towards religion. Sunday no longer holds a special place in the week.  For many, attending church ranks low on the to-do list, if it ranks at all.  Our secular culture neither fosters the practice of religion, nor helps the individual sustain the spark of belief. The individual has to make a decision about faith and practice, without support from the culture.  This decision confronts everyone, not only the students in a religious education class.

Even if we decide that God will be part of our life, the culture frequently tests our commitment to that relationship. The values of our secular culture are often in direct contradiction to the values of the religious tradition that nurtured us as children.

Where the Gospel demands that we serve others, the culture advocates looking out for number one. Where the Gospel emphasizes respect for others, the culture bombards us with sexualized images that denigrate the human person. Where the Gospel challenges us to turn the other cheek, the culture advises us to fight back, to get even. Where the Gospel encourages generosity towards others, especially the poor and marginalized, the culture entices us towards rampant consumerism. Where the Gospel values humility, the culture fans the arrogance of the ego.

An objective for my lesson that day was to evaluate the students’ mastery of concepts; did they know the catechism?  I was pleased that they did, but even more delighted with the probing heart of that one student. 

Community supports faith decision

While knowing the teachings of your religious tradition is important, and helpful when faced with confusing moral dilemmas, entering into a personal relationship with God, and participating in a community of believers is critical for sustaining a life of faith.  This is particularly important in today’s world, where religious belief is often regarded with suspicion and hostility, and cultural practices are no longer conducive to the practice of religion, which helps to keep faith alive.

The student’s question is one worth asking of our self from time to time.  What place, if any, does God have in my life?

Photo Credit: "Faith in the Church" by a454, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net  http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1930