Be your own person

Following the crowd

Growing up in my family, we were encouraged to exercise wise judgment. Whenever we were begging for permission to follow the crowd, instead of saying “No,” my mother would ask us, “If everyone jumped off the bridge, would you?” 

Trail BC bridge crossing the Columbia River

Since we lived near the fast flowing Columbia River with its dangerous undercurrents, jumping off the bridge was paramount to suicide.

My mother’s metaphor was clear. Sometimes bad things happen when you run with the pack. Be your own person.

My mother was very clever. Her question was annoying because our answer determined the outcome. Our impatient reply was always, “Of course not.” With that answer, we had sealed our fate; it meant that we did not have a good argument for our case. There was no need for Mom to say no. We had said no to ourselves. We had monitored our behavior before we had any opportunity to get into mischief.

Some of the young people involved in the recent Vancouver riot could have benefitted from repeated exposure to my mother’s question. If they had the self-control to monitor their behavior, they could have saved themselves and their families the heartache of their bad choices and the consequences of their criminal acts.

A scene from the Vancouver riot 2011

An unfortunate example

Take the unfortunate example of one rioter. A 17-year-old elite athlete, he was poised to attend university on a scholarship for water polo. He was captured on camera in what appears to be an attempt to ignite a police car on fire.

This young man turned himself into police, asked the court’s permission to waive his right as a minor to keep his identity anonymous, and made a remorseful public apology. He apologized first to his parents, saying that his actions do not reflect the lessons and values they have taught him. He accepts responsibility and is anxious to restore his reputation.

This rioter said that he was caught up in the moment. After having jumped off the bridge, he is trying to swim back to shore.

He is feeling some very unpleasant consequences because of his poor judgment. He has been publicly shamed and threatened on social media sites to such an extreme degree that his family had to leave their home. He has been provisionally suspended from the national water polo team. He missed his high school graduation.

Missing a high school graduation may not sound like much of a consequence, but high school graduation is a milestone in the lives of almost every young adult. It marks the passage from childhood to adulthood, and is a time of recognition and celebration.

The young rioter and his family had a lot to celebrate. He had a particular set of skills that had put him on a path towards the Olympics. Not many graduates can say that.

What's in the toolbox?

All graduates, though, have a set of skills that they have developed over the years. They leave high school with an impressive set of tools designed to help them achieve success in the world. All will have basic skills in literacy, numeracy, and technology. Some will have tailored their skills according to their interests and abilities. They may have specialized skills in athletics, the arts, and leadership. The toolbox of skills that the graduates have assembled will help them build the future of their imagination.

In today’s competitive environment, it is easy to become overly focused on the skill set because the quality of the skills in the toolbox has an influence on success. Parents are understandably anxious to provide opportunities for their children that might give them a bit of an edge in the world. Graduates are naturally focused on their future goals and strive hard to achieve them.

With society’s emphasis on fame and fortune, some may overlook the importance of a strong moral-ethical character, placing greater emphasis on a person’s marketable skills. But character matters in life. All the tools in the box need to be branded with personal integrity. An individual’s toolbox is incomplete if it lacks traits like self-control, honesty, faithfulness, respect, and good judgment.

The situation of the young rioter in the example above illustrates the point that my mother tried to impress on my sisters and me as teens. Choices have consequences. Let your choices reflect who you are, and not the character of the crowd. If you get caught up in the moment, you might regret jumping off the bridge. It’s a long fall, the water’s cold, and the swim back to shore, against the current of negative consequence, is exhausting.

Evidence for God

Ads ruffle feathers 

A recent ‘No God’ campaign ruffled some feathers in Kelowna, BC. ‘No God’ campaign ads read, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The ads are installed on the sides of city buses.

The ‘No God’ campaign originated in London, England in 2009, and spread throughout Europe and North America. The campaign has been repeated periodically since then in various cities around the world.

Reactions

Some Christians feel threatened with the ‘No God’ campaign. Two of the Kelowna ads vanished into thin air. Maybe the vanishing act was an act of God, a divine attempt to prove God’s existence. More likely, it was an act of vandalism perpetrated by an annoyed Christian.

Other Christians like the campaign. The ads promote discussion around kitchen tables, in lunchrooms, and over a beer in the local pub. The ads get people talking because they raise good questions.


“There’s probably no God,” suggests some uncertainty. “Stop worrying,” suggests a particular image of God. “Enjoy your life” focuses attention on values and happiness.

"There's probably no God"

“There’s probably no God.” Here is a point of connection between theists and atheists. The connection is doubt about beliefs. Neither the theist nor the atheist can definitively prove their position according to scientific method.

Both will use their own version of apologetics, or reasoned argument, to prove their position. Apologetics are unlikely to convert either a staunch theist or atheist, although a carefully crafted argument may influence someone who is undecided, searching, or disillusioned. The ‘No God’ ad campaign is a sort of apologetic tweet.

The Christian evidence for God is experiential. We encounter God personally in the events and people of our lives, historically in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and traditionally through the witness of the past. We also encounter God’s presence in the complexity, interdependence and beauty of creation and in the marvels that science continues to reveal.

Blaise Pascal (b.1623- d.1622)

None of this is hard evidence for the existence of God. My experience of God will not prove God’s existence to someone else. Belief depends on faith experience, and on choice. In his famous piece on the existence of God, the French philosopher and mathematician Pascal concluded that belief is a wager between two choices. Belief is a wager for the proposition, “There probably is a God.”

"Stop worrying"

“Stop worrying.” The image we have of God influences our relationship to God, to other, and to the environment. Often humanity’s image of God is androcentric. God becomes like man, instead of man becoming holy like God. God becomes a powerful and tyrannical male ruler. God is the tough taskmaster, waiting to crack the whip every time humans mess up.

If this is our image of God, our relationships are diminished as we seek to lord it over others. The environment becomes a source for personal gain and is no longer treated as a life-giving source for the common good.

If we relate to God as a tough taskmaster, then we have a lot to worry about. When we see God as a loving creator who nurtures humanity, and who calls every individual to holiness, there is no need for worry; our only need is to make ourselves more like this God. So, “stop worrying.”

"And enjoy your life"

“And enjoy your life.” What makes people happy? Is the purpose of life essentially pleasure? Is belief in God incompatible with happiness and the enjoyment of life?

Psychologists have come to some conclusions about happiness. The hedonistic pursuit of pleasure, wealth, or power does not ensure happiness. Happiness comes from being connected with family, friends and community, from having enough financial means to live with dignity, and from a sense of self, values and purpose.

There is a transcendent element to happiness, a spiritual element that takes the individual beyond the self and its every whim. The way to enjoy life is to get beyond one’s ego.

If people connect belief in God with unhappiness, Christians may be responsible. Maybe we are Christian in name but not in practice; we talk the talk, but do not walk the walk. Maybe our lives fail to reflect the love that comes from Christ.

The most convincing evidence for the existence of God is an authentic believer whose life proclaims God with fidelity and joy.

“There’s probably no God.” “There’s probably a God.” Place your wager.

Doomsday

Doomsday predictions misuse scripture

Doomsday predictions come and go.

Once again, Harold Camping has predicted the end of the world.  When May 21, 2011 came and went, it did not take long for Camping and his Family Radio to revise their prediction. A new date has been uncovered.

Camping bases his predictions on his idea of a Biblical mathematical formula, and on his interpretation of contemporary events in light of selected Biblical passages. Natural disasters, violence, and most especially, sexual immorality are predictors of the end.

Camping attracts international attention. He and his followers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an ad campaign. Doomsday believers even quit their jobs and cash in their savings to spread the word. They sincerely believe in the imminence of something called the Rapture.

The Rapture - in brief

The Rapture is a highly controversial and relatively new belief that some fundamentalists adhere to. The Rapture is the first of a series of events that signal the end of the world. It is when Jesus returns on the clouds and “raptures” or whisks the saints into heaven with him. Everyone else remains behind to suffer while the world implodes. Then Jesus reigns for 1000 years, after which he returns in judgment and recreates the world. 

Reading apocalyptic literature

The notion of doomsday or apocalypse is as old as history. There are examples of apocalyptic literature in ancient texts. The most famous Christian apocalyptic text is found in the Bible in the Book of Revelation.

The Book of Revelation describes a terrifying vision of destruction and punishment. It is the stuff of nightmares and horror flicks guaranteed to inflame the imagination and strike fear into the heart of those who take it literally.

A literal reading interprets the book as a roadmap that describes the events that will bring the world to an end. Looking at contemporary events, this type of interpretation attempts to use scripture as a tool for predicting the end of time.

Biblical criticism offers a more informed approach to the apocalyptic literature in the Bible. The literature must be understood within both its literary and social- historical context. Apocalyptic literature of the Bible uses intensely symbolic language to address a problem familiar to its audience.

The Book of Revelation was a response to the Roman Empire’s brutal persecution of the early Christian community. It reassured the community of God’s faithfulness towards those who hold fast to Jesus in times of trial and tribulation; those who do evil will perish. It is meant to be a message of hope in God’s love.

As with the sacred scriptures of any religious tradition, there are truths to be learned from an informed reading of the Book of Revelation. Truth in scripture can be obfuscated when extremists of any faith use selected passages to promote a skewed religious message. The misuse of Biblical texts to predict the end of time when God will vindicate the just and punish the evil creates a religion that is exclusive and based on fear. Even believers become afraid because they view themselves as unworthy.

A theology of fear, a distortion of faith

The theology of fear sets up an “us” and “them” mentality. Only a small number of people will be “raptured.” Camping sets this number at 2% of the earth’s population.

This type of Christianity becomes overly focused on the personal salvation of the saints, those who belong to the group. The saints are separate from the sinners, those who do not believe or belong. The saints long to be set apart and rescued from a world they consider full of evil.

Christianity is a religion of inclusiveness and goodness. Jesus hung around with sinners; he did not come for saints. He saw creation as good and talked about God’s lavish care for the lilies of the fields and the birds of the air. How much more, he asked, does your heavenly father care for you, you sinners?

Christianity is concerned with the salvation of all humanity and creation. The Christian vocation is to be lived and acted upon in the world so that the world may better reflect God’s love.

"The love of God... so rich and pure" by J. T. Lowrey
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justintosh/759210960/

 The core message is love, not fear.

Jesus revealed a God of mercy and compassion who is intimately familiar and engaged with human suffering. This is not a God of vengeance who waits to demolish an evil material world, “rapture” some, and torture others. This is a God who calls all people to love as God loves. This is a God to be loved, not feared. There is nothing frightful about love.

Predictions of divine destruction are a foolish waste of time. They are nothing more than religious fear mongering, and a distortion of faith.

Hospice Palliative Care

Improving the quality of dying

On Thursday, May 12, health care facilities across the country celebrated Canada Health Day. It was a day to promote healthy lifestyles, to share experiences and to celebrate the successes of public health.

An announcement in my church’s bulletin drew Canada Health Day to my attention. The announcement was a reminder to celebrate and pray for the gift of health in all its aspects - physical, emotional, social and spiritual.

The spiritual aspect of health is often ignored. The public conversation on health tends to focus on the economics of health care, access to services, prevention, and treatment. Ethics are also part of the discourse as technologies raise questions regarding the appropriateness of extending or prolonging an individual’s life.

People are living longer and, in many cases, healthier lives. Today’s 60 year old is compared to the 40 year old of decades ago. Successive generations may look and feel younger than the previous generation, but no one lives forever. Eventually, the body succumbs to the one sure reality in life – death.

The reality of death should make spiritual health an integral part of health care. End-of-life issues go beyond relieving physical pain and the ethics of prolonging life. Care for the dying and their families should encompass a holistic approach that takes into consideration the nature of the human person.

Religions derived from the Hebrew Bible (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), recognize that the human person is more than a complex combination of cells and physiological interactions. The human person is a mysterious living complexity of body and soul. 

Created in the image of God, the human person has an innate dignity and goodness, and deserves to be treated with respect at all stages of life. 

Spiritual health needs to enter the public health care conversation, particularly when speaking about the needs of those nearing death or those living with a terminal illness.  A more holistic view of health, one that includes spirituality, could improve the quality of our dying.

Hospice palliative care offers a holistic approach in caring for those with terminal illness, the dying and their families. Using an integrated team of health care professionals and trained volunteers, hospice palliative care addresses pain management, provides psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural and practical support for the dying and their families, and offers bereavement support.

This approach is successful in improving the quality of the life that remains, and in reducing the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual suffering that accompanies the process of dying.

Despite the benefits of hospice palliative care, very few provinces treat it as a core health service. Fifty percent of funding for hospice palliative care programs comes from charitable giving. Many families shoulder the financial cost of caring for a dying family member at home.

We are all going to die. There is no fountain of youth or elixir of immortality. A public discussion on health care must consider the importance of a quality death, as well as the quality of life.

Finding home

A resurrection story:
His name was Guerino and he was a man returned from the land of the dead.

My father, George Merlo, in the fields,
circa 1946

My father was about 16 years old when Guerino returned. He recalls the day clearly. They were working in the fields when they heard the news.

“E vero?” (“Is it true?”) “Sei sicuro”? (“Are you sure?”) Everyone was asking. No one could believe it.

“Si! Si!”

“Non sbagli?” (“You’re joking?”)

“No, no. E vero.”

And then, the church bells pealed joyfully. It was indeed true! Like a man resurrected, Guerino was back alive!

Within 30 minutes, the entire village of about 2000 had gathered in the yard to verify this unexpected miracle, this modern day resurrection from the dead.

It was 1948, five years since the Russians had captured Guerino and imprisoned him in a Siberian gulag. Of the 54,400 Italians imprisoned there, only 10,085 survived.

Guerino had managed to escape. For three years, he walked through the countryside of Russia and Soviet occupied Eastern Europe towards his home in Italy. He was the only one from his village to return.

Guerino’s story is a resurrection story. It is the experience of moving from death to new life. The story testifies to the power of human love, experienced as home. Home was imprinted on Guerino and felt deep within his heart.

Separated from home, from love and compassion, Guerino resided with suffering and deprivation. To escape was dangerous, but to remain was deadly.

Journeying towards home, Guerino may have become lost. The human longing for affection may have tempted him to linger indefinitely where he encountered kindness. Always, the memory of home made him restless and urged him onwards.

The spiritual journey:

Guerino’s journey has parallels with the spiritual journey. Home is the divine imprint on the soul, drawing us towards God.

We lose our way on the journey. We try to escape our current situation, relentlessly pursuing pleasure, fame and fortune. But once attained, these fail to satisfy our deepest longings.

We want to linger indefinitely in our comfort zones, but something propels us forward. We look for ways to transform our present realities.

For Guerino, a new phase of his journey began the moment he arrived home. Returned from the dead, Guerino had to learn to live. He had to integrate the past with his resurrected life.

Cover from The Confessions,
translated by Maria Boulding, OSB.

The spiritual journey teaches us how to live. It integrates the limitations of human existence with the limitlessness of divine love. The spiritual impetus that kindles restlessness urges us towards resurrection, the experience of new life.

Saint Augustine, who wrote one of the greatest accounts of a spiritual journey in the Christian tradition, describes restlessness in The Confessions. Speaking to God, he writes, “You stir us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you.” 

The heart that finds God finds new life; it has overcome separation and found home.

Note: Quotation from The Confessions, 1.1, translated by Maria Boulding, OSB, New City Press, 1997. I heartily recommend this translation.