Out On The Stoop is my exploration about things to know, talk about or experience these amazing times. The Stoop mantra is Think, think, it ain't illegal yet.
I have been busting jokes about each and every End of the World (EOTW) event that I have been exposed to; mostly involuntarily. I remember the one by that radio pastor that had his sheeple sell off their worldly goods to help him give us sinners one more chance.
That was kind of cool. Not the faithful selling off their stuff and giving the money to the pastor. It was their choice but I feel bad for them.
If I remember correctly, I was at a poetry reading. I remember CalOkie getting a call from his son Mark.
The conversation went something like:
"Hello?"
"Yes, I'm still here. How about you?"
"Yeah, (laughter) ...ok, love you too. Bye."
That was a nice way to end a day. This is not to say that I take all End of the World days lightly.
On September 11, 2001 I was listening to a talk from Jack Kornfield. It was on Roy of Hollywood's show on KPFK. It was such a good relaxing talk I didn't want to hear anything else so I turned off the radio.
Around 8 a.m. I log onto the Internet and saw the Google search page with a line about a terrorist plane crash. I didn't believe it at first but I came around to it as I turned on the TV.
At that moment I thought I was in the end times. I didn't trust Bush or Chaney to do the right thing. I thought for sure bombs would be dropped and then it would be a free for all Doomsday.
I was scared. I was so scared that I didn't know it. I went to the supermarket and there was nobody there but me and one cashier. Who was pale with fright. We both were on automatic.
I've never seen a supermarket totally empty during prime shopping time. It took a long time for that fear to go away.
I've had earthquakes. Rainstorms that dang near washed cars down the street. There have been fires in the mountains. I've seen humans acting badly.
So...
Yeah. I want to celebrate the life I have with what I got left. If Spirit wants me he/she knows where to find me. I don't think I'm wanted anytime soon cuz Spirit knows I've got a lifetime of questions and clarifications I need to clear up to set my mind at ease.
Probably why I was plunked down here in the first place. Spirit needed a break from the chatter.
I want to go to an EOTW party but my co-worker reminded me that I am not as young as I seem to think I am. I can't get into a club.
"One look at that gray hair and they will see their granny, not a customer."
Dang it. She is right. It is not that I want to go to a swinging club. I don't. Never did. But if I wanted to then my hair shouldn't keep me on the other side of the door.
It is my own fault. I keep forgetting to dye it. I'm sucking up Coconut Oil to help with the brain fuzz. I think it is working. I remember to take the spoonful but that might be cuz I like the taste of Coconuts.
There is the reality that I can't fit into micro Daisy Dukes anyway. I'd cut my hips on those sharp angles. And you can't wear panties with those skimpy skimps.
I'd have a chance at the wet t-shirt spray-off but I'm thinking I'm not supposed to have a dangling gut seeping out from under the t-shirt.
There is a spiritual dance party happening that would be more my speed but it is Santa Monica. Too far away for me.
Maybe I should forget about the community dancing and singing kind of thing. Dancing before dying seems like a good idea but I'll hold off until I loose some weight or invest in Spanx.
Maybe next time.
It is a good thing that the so-called End of the Word is going to occur around 3:30 ish a.m. Pacific Time.
The electric blanket will be on #7. I'll wake up just long enough to check the clock and for bursts of light. Then I'm going back to sleep.
My neighbors are whooping it up in celebration which makes it hard to be in a contemplative mood. Can't blame them and who am I to tell folks not to sing and dance.
Pema Chodron is a teacher who can explain ancient wisdom for western ears.
Anyway, I'd thought I would share some stuff from Sounds True. Sounds True is a place where you can find inspirational talks and teachings from a variety of disciplines. It is a commercial business but that business is helping others find healing tools and techniques for living.
I have a subscription on iTunes and recently there are a few video excerpts that I think folks would be interested in checking out.
On this day I have what I want and what I need. I try to remember that each and every day but there are some days and weeks that make me want to separate myself from everyone.
I get lost in the woulda, coulda and the pernicious shouldas that I forget that there is beauty around us.
I have proof. I was in a room of people talking and no one really saw what was occurring out the window. I almost missed it because I was scarfing down lunch but my eyes shifted and I saw the light burst through.
I could curse myself that I didn't have a better camera to take the photo but that is not the point. The point is that even in the darkest hour there is beauty in the smallest things.
There is a spot of peace in the middle of turbulence and it might take a shift in perception to see it. A willing shift in perception. But if it happens by accident that is cool too.
It is a reminder to be kind to ourselves and to each other. It is a bit of natural wonder to be respected. It could be my emotional overlay telling me not to curse the bad times but to appreciate the good times more.
This is a holiday two for one deal folks on account that I ran out of money before I could buy Marvin's chapbook.
The first poem is titled A Warm Glow of Lust and the second poem is Do You Know What I Mean.
As a side note having nothing to do with Marvin's poem, I was watching a video the other day about a man who was not threatened by being the submissive receiver of affection by a woman.
There were no whips or leather involved. She was not a Drill Sargent of Love. It wasn't violent or a stereotypical displays of affection.
It was like it was all good to him and however was love and energy was being directed toward him was alright with him.
I'm getting the impression that isn't a common held sentiment among some men. That is too bad.
I'm not talking about full time dominion. It is more like every once in a while lay back and appreciate being enveloped in female energy. Or the other way around. It isn't always about the hunt.
For the 10% per folks translate to top and bottom, ying and yang or flip a coin.
Support A Poet or Two
If you could flip one day of your latte habit for a poetry chapbook I'm sure that Marvin and Don would greatly appreciate it.
Should you be heading out to a poetry reading help a poet out by purchasing a chapbook. If I were you I'd bring a bunch of one dollar bills. $10 would do fine but more money is always appreciated.
This was a week that I felt blue. I am deep in the grips of it. I can function but if God himself came to pay me a visit I'd ask it we could do it next week.
It is not one specific thing. We Americans have no will to do better. Not collectively. Oh, no. That would be socialism. Booga, Booga.
We have no will to re-think the way we do things about transportation, food, employment or community. These are things we have to do right now if not sooner but first a word from our sponsors, detractors or good old fashion "Not in My Backyard" mantras.
Some days it is too much. Frack the liberal/conservative divide; if nothing changes but the political party in office we have nothing.
Let the mayor and the city council of Bell, CA stand out as our next to last warning bell. The change must come from where most of us are now.
It will be hard. It is hard. Our lives are designed to keep us away from contact, community or participation. It is possible if we say and act with intention.
We have got to change. We know this. And yet we do the same dumb ass stuff.
God knows, I'm frustrated.
A bit heartbroken that has nothing to do with romantic love. I've got cynics around me telling me to come on over to the dark negative side. I've got others folks that are Pollyanna who see no evil.
Here I am, alone in the middle able to see past both of them. It hurts.
We sang this song in assembly in elementary school. I think about how freaking far away we are from the message of the song. How this weekend there is going to be some extremely contentious speech. How the profiteers of misery will line their pockets in gold in the name of God and country.
I'm fighting my way back but for some reason it is a slow slog this time. I want be more than a consumer. Life isn't just about consumption. It never was.
I've lost my way to a higher plane of connection. I need to find my path again. All I need is love. All we need is love. And the will to act as if we meant it.
Last week I saw the movie Deep Impact at the hotel at BlogHer 10. I couldn't sleep. Jet lag I think. Anyway, the impending comet of doom is coming and the population is being selected for New Genesis, I think.
There is a line in the movie about how no one over 50, with skill based exceptions, would be selected for survival.
Eh? I'm doing the numbers in my head 50 + 2 = Rest in Peace. Now I do understand that from a science fiction standpoint this is a necessary plot point.
Looking at it from a resource survival of the species standpoint it is kinda understood you save and protect the younger population until they can re-establish society with the help of so-called elders.
I'm not an elder. Still getting use to the middle passage. I find myself being seen and not seen. The filters of race, weight, gender, vocabulary, beliefs and now age make interacting with other people more challenging.
Then again that dang peri-menopause thing can jack up your perceptions. It could be the reason I'm writing this post. I don't care, I've got to say what I need to because I can't get that scene out of my head.
So, just in case this is what I'd like folks to know.
Respect.
For yourself and for other people. I know there are others that advocate the short cut or backstabbing approaches to life. Some of these people currently seem to do well on reality television shows.
That is an illusion.
Disrespect backs itself up in a corner waiting for you. Respect for yourself and other people can reduce the amount of crap you will have to handle.
Sexuality
I don't care if you are celibate or are just about to notch number 923 on the bed post. I do care that you are safe. I want you to be happy and comfortable in your life. Your sexuality shouldn't be totally dependent on another human.
You have to know what you want or be willing to find out. Not so easy, I know. I think when I incorporated some of the elements of sacred sexuality into my being I felt even more comfortable but that might not work for you.
Sexuality is not fear. Using sex to fight fear, lonesomeness or inadiquacy doesn't help. Might feel good for a minute but not a long term solution. Be safe, be educated and be loving to yourself.
I'm thinking the spirit of Scarlett O'Hara - no you shouldn't marry just any ole body to make you comfortable. Bad, very bad. I just don't want you to be afraid of picking up the mail or answering the phone.
I had more but this will do for a start. I would tell you to have faith in being a decent person. If you need a book to tell you to do that ok fine but I don't think it is necessary.
Try to do better by the planet, we don't need as much as we think we do. Consumption shouldn't equal destruction. There is a balance.
Read. Question everything but at some point trust.
I turn the corner and walk down the block. Actually while my legs were moving I'm was thinking of what I have to do to be worthy of drawing continued breaths. The laundry, the kitchen, updating software on the computer, research, edit video, plan, dream, exercise, blah, blah and blah.
My eyes glance down at the ground for a moment. A squirrel is walking up the block with either a kid's ball in it's mouth or an orange. I'm leaning toward orange because there are orange trees on the block.
This sphere is 3x the size of the squirrel's head. He/she can't see where she is going but the destination was a tree. The fuzzy one scampers up the tree with the object firmly in the teeth.
I loose sight of the squirrel. I can't remember what I was thinking about on account that squirrel was making me feel like a slacker.
I went home and took a nap. I needed one. Later, I did a little bit of everything and it was good enough.
Will the lesson hold? Probably not.
But I have to tell you I see squirrels all over the place. Makes it kinda hard to forget.
One of the reasons I have pulled away from traditional broadcast media is that it no longer makes an effort to engage or inspire my mind or spirit. I’m not a rampant intellectual who disdains all forms of entertainment. Let me camp out on a few episodes of Red Dwarf and I’m happy.
But something has been lost. The willingness to tell stories or ideas that are not mentally freeze dried for consumption is slipping away. I started transitioning to public radio for a time but there is a limit to so much news and public affairs programs I can take in a day.
Some days I just can’t take it.
One of my solutions is to continue to educate myself via audio podcasting. Tami Simon is the owner and publisher of Sounds True. The business focuses on audio healing, inspirational and self empowerment recordings. I have purchased recordings from the site.
What I want to share it a free/open section of the web site that anyone can access. It is Tami’s podcast called Sounds True - Insights at the Edge. This is where Tami interviews people who are engaged in a passion, a calling or who are sharing a bit of their life’s work.
What I like about it is that most of the time it does sound like an actual conversation between two people who are talking about something deeper than what was on television that night.
There are names that you might recognize and others that are totally new to you. Let me point out a few folks and then you can mosey over to check it out:
Corinne McLaughlin: The Politics of Dynamic Change What could happen in 2012 that does not lead to death and eternal dang-nation.
Tara Brach: Radical Acceptance How to work through emotional pain to healing.
Vicki Robin: Financial Independence: A Redefinition, Vicki is the co-author of the classic and essential guide to getting a grip on your money, “Your Money or Your Life.” In this interview she talks about what financial independence really means.
These are free recordings that you can listen to via your computer, download to your mp3/media player or you accent access them via iTunes. For those of you that are technologically challenged you can read a transcript of the podcast.
Ta-Nehisi Coates is a writer who blogs at The Atlantic. He has a new book out called The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood.
It is about fathers and sons. Growing up and surviving yourself. This is a video where Ta-Nehisi is talking about his father and the need for love infused direction:
I check out Ta-Nehisi posts from time to time. I like his writing and perspectives. Most of the time. Which is pretty good. All I ask of a writer is put out original thought.
That doesn't mean that I accept it 100%. I like the option of saying yeah or nay. On this video I'm saying yeah. I hope he does more.
On Halloween, 2009 Pastor Grizzard of Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, North Carolina planed to burn versions of the bible, music and other objects that are not in alignment with his church’s belief system. One of the definitions of hubris is pride of presumption. Here are the exact words copied from a cached version of the website:
Come to our Halloween book burning. We are burning Satan's bibles like the NIV, RSV, NKJV, TLB, NASB, NEV, NRSV, ASV, NWT, Good News for Modern Man, The Evidence Bible, The Message Bible, The Green Bible, ect. These are perversions of God's Word the King James Bible.
We will also be burning Satan's music such as country , rap , rock , pop, heavy metal, western, soft and easy, southern gospel , contemporary Christian , jazz, soul, oldies but goldies, etc… …There will be BBQ Chicken, fried chicken and other fixings.
Crystal at Slaughter of the Sheep doesn’t much care for non-Christians. She feels that Christians are different people. That is her opinion and she has a right to express it just as I have every right to disagree. Crystal feels that this (bible burning) is going too far:
Hey, I’m all for getting together on Halloween (if your church decides to do that) and give the kids a night of Christian fellowship and good food. No problem. But this is nonsense (which is turning out to be my favorite word in these last days).
Lori Stanley Roeleveld at Deeper in Jesus in Rhode Island is equally concerned. She make it clear that she is absolutely against book burning. My understanding of her reading her full post is that she is looking inward to herself as to not being afraid to take a stand or live in action instead of fear. Her desire is to turn folks away from the dark side to the light. Lori doesn’t approve of this act but doesn’t like what she is seeing in the world:
…however misguided the action at least they church is acting on their convictions. Again, I am opposed to book burning and think these brothers and sisters are misguided at best but every day I sit by and watch people opposed to God make what I believe is true look like a lie and dress up the things God says are detestable to look as beautiful and appealing as a harem of Victoria Secret models.
The Balancing Act
Pastor Grizzard has the freedom to express his thoughts and opinions; like his belief that country, jazz and contemporary Christian music is a “perversion” or “Satan’s” music.Not sure that in his role as pastor has the freedom to ignore facts. You can’t ignore facts such as the English language did not exist during the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Or that there are other English language bibles that pre-date the King James version by three hundred years. The man is so certain in his faith that when other people point out to him that there were earlier bibles in other languages like Aramaic, Egyptian, Babylonian, Hebrew and then Greek and Latin it does not phase him one bit. This is the response from the church, again from a cached copy from the website:
One does not need to know Greek or Hebrew to understand God's Word. God has promised to preserve them, not man. If the preservation of God's Word was left up to man than we would mess it up. That's what we have with modern versions. But divine preservation is God's promise to give us his pure words and we have that in the KJV. God's Word is not lost or hidden somewhere. We have them today for the English Speaking people and that is through the KJV.
The balancing act comes in when I need to point out factual errors but not intentionally or unintentionally disrespect another person’s faith. There is a strong part of me that cannot believe faith requires self-induced closed mindedness. It seems like there are stories that are rushing up to meet me every day to try to prove me wrong. The women that I discovered working in the area of academic biblical scholarship provide interesting entry points to questions that are not always easy to answer. The difference is that they love the questions.
Biblical Scholarship Blogs and Websites
Julia M. O’Brien is a Hebrew/Old Testament scholar who mixes the relation between contemporary life and the many biblical connections. In her post on Growing an Audience she wonders about how to outreach beyond the university and religious institutions. I also learned a new form of illiteracy, bible illiteracy:
Every year in the mainline seminary in which I teach, I encounter more aspiring pastors who have never heard of Daniel or the allegorical reading of Song of Songs. If I want to challenge a traditional interpretation, I have to teach it first. My colleague in New Testament doesn’t face quite the same level of biblical illiteracy: he can still count on most people having strong opinions about Jesus. But even he reports that students’ knowledge derives far more from pop culture and pop religion than from the Gospels.
April DeConick at The Forbidden Gospels is a professor of Biblical Studies at Rice University. Her post, Creating Jesus 24: Transmutative Soteriology had me hunting for the dictionary. Soteriology is the study of salvation. April writes about another perspective of salvation. How God and Jesus met as one as a means of modeling what humans could emulate.
This is my understanding of what I read. It may not be what Professor DeConick intended to convey:
Because we have here a christology in which God and the flesh meet, forming an extraordinary human being, the goal of this paradigm is for all humans to experience this same transmutation, a perfecting that alters their humanity in the same way that it had altered Jesus'. This is a process called theosis and it is captured in the words of many of the church fathers from the east, "God became man so that man can become God."
Suzanne McCarthy has a series on the women who have made contributions to the translating of biblical text such as Francis Siewart and Helen Spurrell. What caught my attention was her posts about gender exclusivity and the use of male pronouns to represent all of humanity. Suzanne is concerned about proper translation from the Greek language and the inclusion of all people found in the original source material. One more for the road. Over at the Society of Biblical Literature – visit the podcast page where you can hear an interview with biblical scholars like Shawna Dolansky, and other professionals in the field of academic biblical study and research.
Other Resources:
Biola University’s The Unbound Bible – a database collection of various versions of the Christian bible searchable by language, publisher, publishing date and other variables. Codex Sinaiticus – from the 4th century contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. From Papyri to King James: The Transmission of the English Bible a collection of early materials from the University of Michigan Library.God Didn’t Say That – A forum for discussing translations and mistranslations of the bible.In conclusion, you can’t always take a negative situation and derive a positive value. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make the effort. If you know of other academic biblical scholars pop them in the comments or put in your drachma on what I have written. Gena Haskett is a Contributing Editor at BlogHer and a version of this post originally appeared on that site.
I was reading Dave Pollard's blog "How to Save the World." I check into it every now and again to see if he has figured it out. Because, you know we live here and perhaps there is a better way to live.
Dave wasn't feeling the positive vibe this week in his post "Nobody Knows Anything."
No one is in control. Obama isn't getting anything done, despite being the most powerful person on the planet, because he can't. The 'leaders' aren't going to deal with climate change or peak oil or pandemic disease or unsustainable debts, because no one has the power or authority to do anything, and because it would be political suicide to admit that the only solutions that might work will be radical, painful, and require a lot of sacrifice from everyone. So all you get is posturing, and it's just going to get worse. This is what unsustainable means.
I think Dave is having a form of burn out or something. It is hard. Waiting for people to have a clue that the gimme-gimmies are not working as well as they have in the past.
That how we continue in the future is dependent on how we act today.
There are times I feel the same way. Smoke it down and then start a new. And that kinda defeats the purpose of "How to Save the World." This next sentence is unavoidable. We are the world. Ok, a part of it.
I picked this video for a couple of reasons. Freddie Mercury was no angel but he was true to himself. He lived his life. Freddie certainly loved. This video was recorded toward the end of his time on the planet.
You don't mess around when you know you are about to croak. You do what you have to do. You speak your peace and prepare. In black and white the video still has a spark. I think Freddie wanted to let those close to him know that he did love. His gift was performing. Freddie wasn't finished yet. Not quiet ready to lay it down.
Maybe Dave Pollard is right; change cannot come from pundits and so-called leaders. It will have to come from the bottom up. It can't be legislated. The change has to be enacted by real people in action. Not sound bits or slogans.
Can we do it in love and respect? That is up to us. Not looking too good at the moment.
Dave is getting pissed that after 40 years from high school he now realizes that people don't know squat? Dude, I hear you. Except that many of us do know. There is action.
Slowly, so slowly we are moving toward the change that will exist long after we are dust.
There is a power in words and those that love them. I'm not a Scrabble head but I did use it as a healing tool at one time. Yeah, this is going to be hard to explain.
Well, not really. I need to focus on something other than myself. This is tough when you are by yourself. But not impossible. I had an older version of the computer game called Scrabble. The legal store bought one. I used it to improve my vocabulary and cuss out the computer when it beat me with a word I didn't know. This took my mind off of my troubles.
So while I was looking for a diversion I found this video from Liz Dubelman. It is a
Flash Animation movie but if you close your eyes you would understand everything.
And even if the video doesn't play the whole way through the first 2:41 seconds will affirm that there are better people in the world.
There is a great book by Octavia Butler called Parable of the Sower. There is a section in the book where a faith based military platoon comes to overtake a peaceful colony and wreck havoc on the citizens. That passage in the book stirred up old and new feeling about the human application of religion, faith and the dark side of belief. Recent news reports about women being murdered or assaulted in the name of faith does not put my heart at ease.
What happens to faith when it is applied like a weapon to those that are different or have another view of how to conduct their lives? What good is faith if it allows for no questions, no inquiry or proof? Can we make a case that perhaps faith is “harmful” and there is a different way to exist?
These are just questions. The fact that I have typed these questions could provoke anger, fear and perhaps an unsolicited invitation to set me straight. So to take it a step further; what if I not only questioned religious faith but also believed there is no God, Higher Power or Universal Consciousness?
How would that change relationships and the texture of a life? How would you find others who would listen with respect. How do I communicate with other people who might feel sorry for me. This video is by Micki Krimmel of Mickipedia talking about a co-worker who is concerned about her.
For me, and I hope for you, this is an exploration into a small section of the world of bloggers who are non-believers. To be honest, I don’t know anything more than what has been shoved into my head culturally balanced against the people I know and trust. I do know that when an organization focuses energies to target a group of people as the common enemy someone in power benefits financially.
I’m just saying, I mention no names.
Sifting Through The Minefield
Working on this post has taught me a few involuntary lessons. It seems to me that the most videos about Atheists are produced by Christians. Some of the videos are just class-A whacko. Some are fear based propaganda. Unfortunately a very small percentage even attempt to answer the questions put forth by Atheists, Humanists and Freethinkers.
Another lesson is that some of the faith based blogs relate vivid fears and concerns about Atheists. I will leave them to Heaven because there is a huge difference between disagreement, passion and out and out vilification. Disagreement and passion I understand but we are talking WWJND in their responses.
Non-Believers Blogs and Web Sites
These are blogs that have specific stated that they are non-believer blogs or indicated that they have a certain point of view. The majority of the non-believer blogs you will never know about because, like most of us, it is a part of their lives or they choose not to make public. If you had seen half the stuff I encountered during my research you would not blame them one bit.
I started out by reading An Introduction to Atheism circa 1997 by Mathew at the Infidels.org Library, I encourage you to read the entire article because it is clear and he does hit on the majority of the questions a person could have about the topic:
Atheism is characterized by an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This absence of belief generally comes about either through deliberate choice, or from an inherent inability to believe religious teachings which seem literally incredible. It is not a lack of belief born out of simple ignorance of religious teachings.
I have been pondering on this for a while. My conclusions are that I felt a moment of sadness that so many black people are indoctrinated into belief systems which are based on old written texts, inaccurate reports, political expedience and motives aimed at political and economic control of the masses - and yet at this point in human history, we not only believe it but partake in the further indoctrination of our children and adults.
I can honestly say that I have had questions and frustrations with all manor of faith based idiocy within the past three months alone. If I did a news search on the three major faiths I can pull up some head scratchers that have nothing to do with faith or reason.
A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighted and tested b each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
Commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
I think the label that best describes me is secular humanist, though if you pressed me as to whether I believed in a deity, at this point I'd say no. While my heart goes out to people, my first instinct when these things happen is not to impose my presence if it's not needed or wanted, and then to see if there's anything I can help with (either directly or by making a donation, etc). Praying seems irrelevant to me, though I would not want to get into any kind of religious discussion with someone during a trying time - especially if their faith is helping them through.
The Coming Out Godless Project is an online meeting place where folks can step up and tell their stories about leaving a religion for a godless state of being. Rose Schwartz and Eric Broze have created a spot where you can say what you think without repercussion from the opposing side.
A person who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief. Freethinkers include atheists, agnostics and rationalists.
No one can be a freethinker who demands conformity to a bible, creed, or messiah. To the freethinker, revelation and faith are invalid, and orthodoxy is no guarantee of truth.
Dale McGowan’s Parenting Beyond Belief blog looks at how to raise his children as ethical people without religion. One of his posts dealt with how to raise children to be respectful of the person even when you don’t agree at all with the ideas that person has:
But eye-rolling arrogance toward those who support a given idea is not reasoned critique — and religious discourse is filled with examples of people on all sides who allow dismissive arrogance* to cloud their judgment. Start with arrogance, saying, “I can’t believe how stupid they are to believe xyz” and you have one foot on Ray Comfort’s banana peel. Start instead with a little humility, saying, “I may be wrong about this, but…” and you have a much better chance of actually getting things right.
As you can see there isn’t just one approach to disbelief, there is a range of opinion and thought.
This post originally appeared on BlogHer, where I am a Contributing Editor.
Sometimes I write too much because I don’t want folks to miss anything. I don’t want to be accused of telling parts of the story. Then there are times when I know I can’t begin to convey the inspiration and knowledge that has been graciously given from one person to another. One of my purposes on the planet is being a conduit for information so I have to make the effort even if I fall a little short of the goal.
Neuroanatomy is the study of the anatomy of nervous tissue and the nervous system. Many of you have heard about Jill Bolte Taylor. If you never heard of her it is ok. Jill studies the functions of the brain in regard to the nervous system and its functions. I found out about her remarkable presentation at TED a few months ago.
This is a 20 minute presentation where Jill first talks about the brain and the left and right hemispheres. She then talks about having a stroke and, well I’ll let her tell you about her travels.
In her presentation Jill talks about the energy source that she was able to tap into with the right side of her brain.
“And at first I was shocked to find myself inside of a silent mind. But then I was immediately captivated by the magnificence of energy around me. And because I could no longer identify the boundaries of my body, I felt enormous and expansive. I felt at one with all the energy that was, and it was beautiful there.”
The energy led her to “an alternate plane” where everything and everyone is connected, total love, acceptance and all understanding embrace your being. Her left side of her brain was analyzing her condition:
“Then all of a sudden my left hemisphere comes back online and it says to me “Hey, we got a problem, we gotta get some help.”
Talk about the duality of the mind/spirit.
Now for those that do not believe in Spirit or alternative realms of consciousness, not to worry. Perhaps this was a function of brain chemistry that is invoked when a serious trauma occurs to the body and the mind. The word dopamines did come up in her presentation. If you checked out the video you can stop reading now because I may bring in elements of the woo-woo factor.
This is not an unknown experience. For the record, you don’t have to have a stroke to get to that level of universal consciousness. There is a concept in Buddhism called Samahdi. Spiritual teach Sri Chinmoy offers this explanation of
“There is no mind; there is only infinite peace and bliss. There nature's dance stops, and the knower and the known become one. There you enjoy a supremely divine, all-pervading, self-amorous ecstasy. You become the object of enjoyment, you become the enjoyer and you become the enjoyment itself.”
Some folks access this state by prayer. Some by intense meditation. Other may find themselves in the middle of a forests or an ocean enveloped by a peace unknown to them in their city life. You can’t force it to come to you, it just does. Barefoot Bhaki has a good explanation:
“I’m laughing, thinking that Samadhi is something that we can work our way into, like a 10 step plan or big formulaic equation. I have no control over those moments, they just happen to me. When I am in that little moment of bliss and understanding, I don’t experience any clinging to it. It passes away and as consciousness returns, it seem natural to just smile and move on.”
I can see both the scientific and the universal connections to the energy plane. I don’t have to chose but the questions and the possibilities are overwhelming. I resonated very much with the video.
It made it hard to go to the Salt mine and pretend to be a drone. I know there is something more.
More Science Less Samadhi
Lizzie at Madam Fathom has reams of stuff on understanding the biological basis of the mind.
Shelly at Retrospectacle, A Neuroscience blog takes a look at a bit of history on how the ancestors looks at brains.
Want a little philosophy mixed in with your brain studies? How about neuroanotomical gender differences in the brain?
Want to know if you are a left brain or right brain person. Just for fun over at Blogthings you can take a quiz to find out which side has dominance.
For those studying anatomy, particularly brain anatomy, here is a little help from our friends Pinky and the Brain.
More Samadhi Less Science
Magda at Journey of My Mind writes about taking a Philosophy of India class that somehow joins the words Samadhi and Yogi Bear.
As I mentioned there are many paths to try to reach Samadhi. Aligning with Grace has a listing of Yoga Sutras from the Alberto Villoldo's Yoga, Power, and Spirit: Patanjali the Shaman.
It is funny when famous people die, particularly if we had affection for them it is a community shared event. Everyone knows how the other feels, we have a level of pain but we stand on the shore and give our respect and props to the departed.
My mother has passed. This is what African Americans say when someone has died. It means that her spirit has transitioned to the next plane of existence. Some call it Heaven. Other call it Glory. Universal Consciousness. To my Atheist and Agnostic friends she is no more.
About maybe five years ago, before Internet video really took off there was Flash animations. One of my favorite was from Diego Maclean. It was called Hora Certa.
It is about a man trying to outrun his death. It was his destiny when he was born but most of us want to renege on the deal.
Some of us after having hard times in this life start to chase death. Most of the time he is not ready for us unless we really convince him we want to go. If you watch the animation you will see me, I got stuff to do and I'm moving a fast as I can before tall, dark and gruesome lays hands on me.
I'm processing a lot of sensations right now. I'm almost back but I have been altered. How shall I go forth? What did I learn or is this really some kind of bio-chemical joke?
No, I don't belief life is just a bio-chemical joke it is just that we waste so much time on hurtful, wasteful things when we could spend the time being authentic, nurturing the planet, being respectful and yada, yada, yada.
As I was flying back over the country I looked at the Colorado mountains. Beautiful, there were colors in the rocks and black lacing ribbons embracing the mountains. And unless we get cold blooded stupid nothing I experience will last longer than the beauty of those mountain.
That helps but still...
Diego has moved on to do live video and promotional videos for a variety of clients. You can check out his portfolio.
However, certain types of Christians seem to need it. They think that you and by extension every school age child needs it too.
What got me starting thinking about this was Catherine Morgan's post about a proposal to teach evolution in Florida schools. I didn't know that it wasn't as national standard to include the teaching of evolution in K-12 schools.
I didn't know adults still had major issues with distinguishing between faith and science. It was far easier for me to dismiss believers and proponent of creationism as a device to introduce religion into American schools. My new fear that it is something more.
Vocabulary Gauntlet
From Conservapedia.com Creationism is the belief that the earth and universe and the various kinds of animals and plants was created by God or some other supreme being. Those that hold the views of Creationism are referred to as Creationists.
Oxford English Dictionary The belief that the universe and living creatures were created by God in accordance with the account given in the Old Testament.
True Origins.org creationism n. 1) general-the view that a creator brought the universe, its contents, and its inhabitants into being and into order from literally nothing (as opposed to the view that matter is either eternal or the result of a spontaneous self-creating process) 2) biblical-the view that the Creator is none other than the Creator-God whose nature and purpose in creation and history is revealed in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures (the Bible), including His initial acts of creation as indicated in a straightforward reading of the Creation Week account in Genesis and corroborated in the balance of the Bible; 3) scientific-the view that empirical science is fully capable of corroborating either or both general and biblical creationism viewpoints (described above), and which serves as the basis for scientific endeavors with that end in mind.
In each one of these definitions is a religious connotation of the beginning of life on Earth. It is a belief expressed as a proven fact derived from the Christian Bible. Therefore it seems to me to be a tenant of a specific religions belief in the origins on life on this planet.
How is this science? How does this invalidate the teaching of evolution? Why is it incompatible with evolution?
Science, in my understanding, is the ability to question, gather evidence, come to a conclusion and reproduce the results. I certainly can ask the questions but contacting God for a definitive answer independent of the Bible hasn't worked out. If you can't produce "God" or his/her authorized representative (and things didn't work out so well the last time there was a visit) then where is my proof? Where is your proof?
My understanding is that this isn't about God, Evolution or even quantifying an alternative teaching of the beginning of planetary existence. It is about Christian recruitment and retention. It is about making the U.S. a "Christian Nation." And that has me extremely concerned.
Wrapping Creationism as a true tested series of verifiable facts is dishonest. It takes away from the actual tenants of the faith to wrap them in a wolf's clothing of science.
Their work is limited to analyzing the work of others to look for potential holes which might be able to be seen as supporting a creationist perspective. This is not science.). When creationist materials do refer to the work of mainstream scientists, conducting actual research, they almost uniformly misquote and misrepresent them. If you do not believe me, then take a weekend or two and do the research yourself. The internet is a wonderful tool.
Now, if you take the time to actually look at the methods used to source creationist materials, you should already be disturbed by the idea that these purportedly Christian groups who produce such materials indulge in such blatant dishonesty to sustain their ideas. An idea which is true should not depend on deception.
Monado from Science Notes points out not only is there a tendency to misrepresent what evolution science says but to attribute the teaching of evolution to a decline in moral values and behavior is a bit much:
Creationists are up to their old tricks, lying about Charles Darwin and distorting history to make it seem like slavery, genocide, and religious intolerance bloomed after (and because of) the theory of evolution. It’s not true. Clear evidence-from the god-sanctioned genocides in the bible to Martin Luther’s verbal vitriol against Jews and women to Hitler’s pious Christianity “doing God’s work”-gives creationists the lie.
I'm not writing this to undermine your belief system. I'm not against teaching Creationism by the way; there is a place for it in a religion class. Provided there is instruction on not just Christian beliefs but some Rastafarian and Judaism with a bunch of Atheism, Hindu, Dao and Wicca on the side.
I just don't like being mislead or lied to. Most people of faith and/or reason don't care for it either. Once again, is it a matter of faith or of science?
I'm not a twinkle in any body's eyes at the moment. But there is a quality about some people that is sweet and wonderful. Most of us have learned to hide that quality because contemporary life will do its best to stomp out of you. You have to fight to get it back. Some never do.
If you are lucky or stay connected to your source this doesn't happen.
