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I’m back from my Rideau pilgrimage…

An old-timey – 1906 – photo of the Poonamalie lockstation on the Rideau Canal in Canada.

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

This blog has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (See John 6:37.) The second is that God wants us to live lives of abundance. (See John 10:10.) The third is that God wants us to do even greater miracles than Jesus did. (See John 14:12.) The fourth – and most overlooked – is that Jesus wants us to read the Bible with an open mind. See Luke 24:45: “Then He” – Jesus – “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

And this thought ties them together:

The only way to live abundantly and do greater miracles than Jesus is – as noted – to read the Bible with an open mind. For more, see the notes or – to expand your mind – see the Intro.

In the meantime:

Ottawa Lockstation I just got back from three weeks canoeing the Rideau Canal in Canada with my brother. We paddled from Kingston – on Lake Ontario – to Ottawa. (The image at left shows the last eight locks on the system – in downtown Ottawa – which we didn’t make, for reasons explained in the notes.)

One thing I learned: This canoe trip was “more of a Camino than the Camino.” (To see what I mean, check out “Hola! Buen Camino!” – Revisited or “Buen Camino!” – The Good Parts in my companion blog. About the same brother and I hiking – and biking – 450 miles of the Camino de Santiago.)

That is, the Camino de Santiago is often so crowded that it’s hard to get a thought in “edgewise.” But there on the Rideau water system, there were plenty of times when all I had to do was paddle, and think. Think a lot about my aches and pains – and how mind-numbingly boring it is to paddle a canoe hour after hour. But also, just to think – period – without all the distractions of modern life. For more on that idea see St. James, Steinbeck, and sluts.

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And now an overview: The guide books say it should take six to ten days to paddle the 125 miles to Ottawa. They also say prevailing winds are “generally” from the southwest, but “be ready for anything.” We took 11-and-a-half days – 11 nights – but two of those nights we spent in relative luxury in a rustic cabin in Portland, Ontario. (For nine days “actual canoeing.*”)

That came after taking a wrong turn padding north from Colonel By Island the morning of Wednesday, August 22. That overnight campsite included a violent rainstorm and raccoons breaking into our food containers and taking our supplies of breakfast bars, crackers and trail mix. That in turn was preceded by paddling through a veritable monsoon the afternoon of Tuesday, August 21. That morning we made 10 miles, but in the afternoon – after leaving the Narrows (Lock 35) – we made four miles before stopping at ” Colonel By.”

But such is “the stuff of legends.” And we digress…

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Getting back to James, Steinbeck, and sluts, that post noted about “pilgrims:”

A pilgrim … is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system. In the spiritual literature of Christianity, the concept of pilgrim and pilgrimage may refer to the experience of life in the world (…as a period of exile) or to the inner path of the spiritual aspirant from a state of wretchedness to a state of beatitude.

In other words, a pilgrim is someone on a quest to “find himself.” (See also Self-discovery – Wikipedia.) And one way of finding yourself is through a healthy sense of ritual, as noted in Passages of the Soul: Ritual Today. (James Roose-Evans.) The book noted that a healthy sense of ritual “should pervade a healthy society, and that a big problem now is that we’ve abandoned many rituals that used to help us deal with big change and major trauma.”

The book added that all true ritual “calls for discipline, patience, perseverance, leading to the discovery of the self within.” More to the point, the book said a pilgrimage – like an 11-and-a-half-day canoe trip on Rideau – “may be described as a ritual on the move.” Further, the book said through “the raw experience of hunger, cold, lack of sleep,” we can quite often find a sense of our fragility as “mere human beings.” Finally, the book said such a pilgrimage can be “one of the most chastening, but also one of the most liberating” of personal experiences.

All of which seems to have applied more to our “Rideau adventure” than the more popular and better-known method of pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

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For one thing, to avoid the often-contrary prevailing winds, we started getting up at 4:00 a.m. (Which would be – to most people anyway – a “raw experience” in the form of a lack of the usual number of hours of sleep. Not to mention having to stumble around in the dark while breaking camp.) On the other hand, getting up that early led to the picture at left, of one of the benefits of getting up at 4:00 a.m. Aside from the fact that the water is usually much smoother at that hour – especially important on those “big-ass lakes” in the first half of the trip – it also led to us seeing some beautiful sunrises. (As seen above left.)

So all in all we spent 11-and-a-half days on the trip, but that included two nights in a nice cabin in Portland Ontario. And aside from primitive camping the first two nights – “dig a hole and squat” – most of the rest of the nights we camped at the lock stations themselves. They featured nice level lawns, hot and cold running water in the nearby “washrooms,” and every once in a while a nearby pub or restaurant with hot food and cold beer.

Which helped persuade me that this Rideau trip was “more of a Camino than the Camino.” That is, last September and October – on Spain’s 450 miles of the Camino de Santiago* – my brother and I kept meeting up with flocks of fellow pilgrims, most greeting us with a too-cheerful “Buen Camino!” In other words, the Rideau trip was more of a pilgrimage, in the truest sense. That is, a “journey or search of moral or spiritual significance.” Or consider the words of John Steinbeck in Travels with Charley. Speaking of long-distance driving – at least in 1962 – he wrote:

If one has driven a car over many years [one] does not have to think about what to do. Nearly all the driving technique is deeply buried in the machine-like unconscious. This being so, a large area of the conscious mind is left free for thinking… [T]here is left, particularly on very long trips, a large area for day-dreaming or even, God help us, for thought.

Unfortunately, there was precious little of that on the Camino. (Or for that matter, on any modern long-distance driving trip, what with Sirius, GPS, iPod Shuffles or the new “Sandisks,” not to mention “books on CD,” none of which were available in 1962.) On the other hand, there was plenty of time – paddling up the Rideau river system – for “God help us, thought.”

In my case, on the Rideau I spent plenty of time – along with Steinbeck – thinking about the past: “And how about the areas of regrets? If only I had done so-and-so, or had not said such-and-such – my God, the damn thing might not have happened.”

Which is one way of saying there weren’t that many other canoeists or kayakers on the Rideau. (A necessity for “finding yourself?”) In fact I can only remember one, the lady kayaker shown below, portaging – carrying her kayak – at the Burritt’s Rapids lock station. Whereas my brother and I paid extra to take our canoes through the locks, this younger lady chose to do it the “hard way.” She’d carry her kayak on one trip – from one end of the lock station to the other – then go back and get all her gear, stacked what seemed a mile high on her backpack.

The point being – in case I’m being too subtle – that the dearth of fellow paddlers meant there was plenty of time “for day-dreaming or even, God help us, for thought.” Or self-discovery.

Which seems to be what makes a pilgrimage a pilgrimage. (Though it helped to find the Lock 17 Bistro, a short walk from Burritt’s Rapids, where we camped the night of Sunday, August 26. That is, a hot meal and a cold beer can go a long way in “neutralizing or preventing anxiety…”)

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Image may contain: one or more people, outdoor and nature

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The upper image is courtesy of Rideau Canal – Wikipedia. The caption: “Poonahmalee, on the Rideau River, near Smith Falls, Ontario – October 1906.” See also Poonamalie … Rideau Canal.

The image below the upper image – of the “last eight locks” near downtown Ottawa – is courtesy of Rideau Canal – Rideau Canal World Heritage Site, Ontario.

Portions of the text and/or images were gleaned from my companion blog. The most recent blog post was The “Rideau Adventure” – An Overview. I also previewed this latest pilgrimage in Next adventure: Paddling the Rideau “Canal,” and “Naked Lady” – on the Rideau Canal?

Re: “Our’ 450 miles of the Camino de Santiago.” For more on that pilgrimage see “Hola! Buen Camino!” – Revisited and/or “Buen Camino!” – The Good Parts.

Re: Portland, Ontario: “The Landing on Big Rideau Lake, which is now the community of Portland, lies at the heart of the Rideau Canal System and is central to the history of the canal and to the early development of Canada. Portland is on Highway 15, midway between Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario.” See also Portland, Ontario – Wikipedia.

Re: Self-discovery. See Wikipedia, which noted that a “journey of self-discovery is a popular theme in literature. It is sometimes used to drive the plot of a novel, play or film.” Also:

The term “journey of self-discovery” refers to a travel, pilgrimage, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, about spiritual issues or priorities rather than following the opinions of family, friends, neighborhood or peer[s]. The topic of self-discovery has been associated with Zen. A related term is “finding oneself.”

The quotes from Travels with Charley are from the 1962 Penguin Books edition, at pages 94-95.

Re: “Neutralizing or preventing anxiety.” See Ritual – Wikipedia: “In psychology, the term ritual is sometimes used in a technical sense for a repetitive behavior systematically used by a person to neutralize or prevent anxiety…” While I take issue with the article’s assertion that all true ritual is marked by strict “invariance,” I would agree with its sense of a pilgrimage as a “rite of passage,” that is, a “ritual event that marks a person’s transition from one status to another.” Which transition generally involves “three stages: separation, transition and incorporation.”

The lower image: My photo of a lady kayaker, portaging at the Burritt’s Rapids lock station.

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As noted in the opening blurb, this blog has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37, with the added, “Anyone who comes to Him.”) The second is that God wants us to live abundantly. (John 10:10.) The third is that we should do greater miracles than Jesus. (John 14:12). A fourth theme: The only way to do all that is read the Bible with an open mind:

…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

So in plain words, this blog takes issue with boot-camp Christians. They’re the Biblical literalists who never go “beyond the fundamentals.” But the Bible can offer so much more than their narrow reading can offer… (Unless you want to stay a Bible buck private all your life…)

Now, about “Boot-camp Christians.” See for example, Conservative Christian – “Career buck private?” The gist of that post is that starting the Bible is like Army Basic Training. You begin by “learning the fundamentals.” But after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training.”

Also, and as noted in “Buck private,” I’d previously said the theme of this blog was that if you really want to be all that you can be, you need to go on and explore the “mystical side of Bible reading.*”

In other words, exploring the mystical side of the Bible helps you “be all that you can be.” See Slogans of the U.S. Army – Wikipedia, re: the recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001. The related image at left is courtesy of: “toywonders.com/productcart/pc/catalog/aw30.jpg.”

* Re: “mystical.” As originally used, mysticism “referred to the Biblical liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.” See Mysticism – Wikipedia, and the post On originalism. (“That’s what the Bible was originally about!”)

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

Did Jesus interpret Scripture “liberally?”

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In the parable of the “Prodigal Son,” Jesus rejected conservatism in favor of grace…

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I originally called this post “Jesus was a liberal.” But after further review I narrowed the scope, something appeal-courts often do. That made the question far less broad and so easier to answer. Thus the limited question: “Did Jesus interpret Scripture ‘liberally?‘” Or as one legal site said, “What is called a liberal construction is ordinarily one which makes a statute apply to more things or in more situations than would be the case under strict construction.”

And that’s just what Jesus did. (And His disciples.) For starters, there’s Mark 2:27 where Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” That is, under the old law – the “conservative law” – of Exodus 23:12, any work on the Sabbath was forbidden:

For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

(See also Deuteronomy 5:12, and 5:14.) But to Jesus, circumstances had changed since Moses made that rule. (Right after he brought the Israelites out of captivity.) Which meant the “old law” needed updating. (Mostly because Conservatives had elevated form over substance, as they are wont to do.) So Jesus went back to the original words of the rule to fully implement its true intent.

So again, “What is called a liberal construction is ordinarily one which makes a statute apply to more things or in more situations than would be the case under strict construction.”

Which seems to be just what Jesus had in mind: Make the Gospel apply to more people.

Then too – as if that isn’t enough to give a Southern Baptist apoplexy – many if not most of His disciples also interpreted Scripture “liberally.” (Thus making the “Good News” apply to more things and in more situations – and to more people – than could be the case under strict construction.)

Which brings up the fact that last June 29 was the Feast Day for both Saints Peter and Paul. The Daily Office Readings for that day – Friday, June 29 – included Acts 11:1-18. That’s one place where the Apostle Peter “went all Liberal.” He did that in response to the Conservatives among early Christians who criticized him. See Acts 11:1: “Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.”

Which didn’t suit them at all. See Acts 11:2: “So when Peter” – at left – “went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers” – that is, the Conservatives – “criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ But as it turned out. those Conservatives had open minds. That is, after Peter explained his “vision,” they actually changed their minds. (Something today’s Conservatives rarely do.) See Acts 11:18: “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'”

That is, under the Old Law – the Conservative, “Jeff Sessions” law – the Path of Life was limited to Jews, and only to Jews. That’s pretty much what Jesus said – at first – in Matthew 15:27. That’s where Jesus set out the Conservative view that “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” (With the children being the Jews – and only the Jews – while the “dogs” are uncircumcised Gentiles.) Yet Jesus – with His open mind – got “persuaded” to change His mind.

And – by the way – that turnabout came through a woman who was a bit smarmy:

With a woman’s ready wit, quickened by urgency and affection, she seizes the opportunity, and turns Christ’s own words against himself. Thou sayest truth, she means; the Jews are the children; we are the dogs; and as dogs we claim our portion.

(From the Pulpit Commentary for verse 27.) Then there was the case of Jesus healing the bleeding woman. But His having anything to do with such an impure woman was contrary to the conservative “old” law of Leviticus 15:25-27:

“If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness.”

(See also Leviticus 15:19-23, regarding a woman’s regular monthly “Curse…”)

And finally there was the case of the Apostle Philip “liberally” dealing with an untouchable eunuch. See On Saint Philip, Saint James, and “privy members.” That is, as a eunuch the Ethiopian eunuch was untouchable under the Old Law, the Conservative Law.

That’s because of Deuteronomy 23:1, and the New Living Translation is pretty specific: “If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he may not be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.” The King James Bible – the one that God uses – put the matter more delicately: “He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.” Yet Philip too turned “all Liberal,” and in doing so followed in the footsteps of Jesus. That is, he interpreted the “Good News” so that it would apply to more things, more situations, and more people than was possible under “strict construction.”

(For more on whether Jesus was a “liberal,” see On Jesus: Liberal or Fundamentalist?)

Of course some conservatives – Biblical or otherwise – may disagree, which is of course their right. But personally I’d like the Good News to apply to more people. For one big thing, there’s Matthew 7:2: “The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” For myself, when my time comes I want whoever – Jesus, St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, whoever – to “turn all liberal” when He or they are reviewing my life.

Then too, the definition of conservatism includes a disposition “to preserve what is established,” and/or a “tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change.” So all I can say is, “Thank God Jesus wasn’t a conservative!” I’m glad He made some changes.

The bottom line? All I can do is give you “just the facts.” You decide for yourself…

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The upper image is courtesy of The Return of the Prodigal Son (Rembrandt) – Wikipedia:

It is among the Dutch master’s final works, likely completed within two years of his death in 1669. Depicting the moment of the prodigal son‘s return to his father … it is a renowned work described by art historian Kenneth Clark as “a picture which those who have seen the original in St. Petersburg may be forgiven for claiming as the greatest picture ever painted.”

See also Parable of the Prodigal Son – Wikipedia, which indicated that the older son – who stayed behind with his father – represented more “conservative” values. That is, the older son “seems to think in terms of ‘law, merit, and reward,’ rather than ‘love and graciousness.’ He may represent the Pharisees who were criticizing Jesus.” See also “There’s no such thing as a ‘conservative Christian.”

The initial first paragraph: “It seems that if you want to start an argument these days, you could say something outrageous like ‘Jesus Was A Liberal.’ So here goes! For starters, if you Google ‘jesus was a liberal’ you’ll get about 100,000 results. (Which actually isn’t that many…)” Also, the full title of the “Jesus-liberal” link is Jesus Was A Liberal: 20 Quotes GOP Christians Will Hate. For an opposing view, see Was Jesus a Liberal? The Myth Debunked! » Louder With Crowder. Or for a more balanced view, see Is Jesus a Liberal or a Conservative? | Meet The Need Blog.

Re: The Sabbath. See United Church of God – “The Sabbath Was Made for Man,” etc.

Re: Peter and Paul. See also On Peter, Paul – and other “relics.”

Re: Turning “Christ’s own words against himself.” See also On arguing with God.

The “bleeding woman” image is courtesy of Veronese. Christ Healing a Woman with an Issue of Blood.

BTW: The complete Daily Office Readings for St. Peter & St. Paul are: AM Psalm 66; Ezekiel 2:1-7; Acts 11:1-18; PM Psalm 97, 138; Isaiah 49:1-6; Galatians 2:1-9.

The lower image is courtesy of Just The Facts Ma’am – Image Results. But see also Joe Friday – Wikipedia, which noted that Detective Friday never actually used the phrase: “A common misattributed catchphrase to Friday is ‘Just the facts, ma’am.’ In fact, Friday never actually said this in an episode, but it was featured in Stan Freberg‘s works parodying ‘Dragnet.’” See also FACT CHECK: Dragnet ‘Just the Facts’ – snopes.com.

On Mary Magdalene, and “conserving talents…”

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“The Risen Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene” – the female “Apostle to the Apostles…”

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mm-he-qi Last Sunday – July 22 – was the feast day for Mary Magdalene. That’s in the Daily Office lectionary, For the Sunday lectionary, her day was Monday, July 23. (“Transferred” from Sunday.) I wrote of her in Mary Magdalene, “Apostle to the Apostles.”

Mary of Magdala is perhaps the most maligned and misunderstood figure in early Christianity… Since the fourth century, she has been portrayed as a prostitute and public sinner… Paintings, some little more than pious pornography, reinforce the mistaken belief that sexuality, especially female sexuality, is shameful, sinful, and worthy of repentance. [“Good heavens!”] Yet the actual biblical account of Mary of Magdala paints a far different portrait than that of the bare-breasted reformed harlot of Renaissance art.

But in this post there’s no pious pornography. Nor is there an image of a “bare-breasted reformed harlot.” Just a modern view of her at upper right, and a comment that for all the insults, she was there – to see the risen Jesus – when the male apostles were hiding away:

The one indisputable fact seems to be that Mary Magdalene … was both the first person to see the empty tomb of Jesus, and one of the first – if not the first – to see the risen Jesus. (Which may have accounted for jealous males trying to sully her reputation.)

Which brings up the matter of “so-called conservative Christians,” and the Daily Office readings for last Tuesday, July 17. Those readings included Matthew 25:14-30, and the Parable of the talents, illustrated at left. As Wikipedia summarized, “To the single unfaithful servant, who ‘played it safe,’ a negative compensation is given.”

But that’s just what “conservative” Christians do, play it safe.

Which is why I say “There’s no such thing as a ‘conservative Christian.'” Only modern-day Pharisees who plagued Jesus in His time, and continue to do so “even to this day.”

Also note the element of risk in the actions of both the man with five talents and the one with two. But the man with one talent – the “conservative” man – took no risk at all. Not even to invest that one talent with a banker, so that “on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.” For which Jesus duly chastised him, in the words of the “master:”

You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

Thus the “wicked, lazy servant” is the functional equivalent of today’s “conservative Christian,” who feels his job in life is simply to “avoid sin.” To take none of the chances necessary for human development, and simply present to God the same “carbon-copy Christian” he started out as. That was one message in the December 2015 post, Develop your talents!

Put another way, if you read and study the Bible in the NOT-conservative way, you do run the risk of falling flat on your face. But rest assured that “Jesus” – metaphorically or otherwise – is there to help you get back on your feet. Put a third way – and especially in the realm of spiritual growth – “The only thing worse than failing is not trying at all.”

But again, that’s just what “conservative” Christians do. They comfort themselves with Biblical sound bites, not deep and open-minded study. (Per Luke 24:45.) They never run the risk of falling flat on their faces, because their only goal is to “stay pure.” And they don’t develop spiritually. Thus the true message of the Parable of the talents:

“Don’t get TOO conservative!“

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The upper image is courtesy of Rembrandt – The Risen Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen. See also On Easter Season – AND BEYOND. The full caption: “The Risen Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen, by Rembrandt (1638).” And speaking of “racy,” the artist Titian did two versions of Mary crying. For the “racier” – 1533 – version see Penitent Magdalene (Titian, 1533) – Wikipedia.

The Penitent Magdalene is a 1565 oil painting by Titian of saint Mary Magdalene, now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Unlike his 1533 version of the same subject, Titian has covered Mary’s nudity and introduced a vase, an open book and a skull as a memento mori. Its coloring is more mature than the earlier work, using colors harmoni[z]ing with character. In the background the sky is bathed in the rays of the setting sun, with a dark rock contrasting with the brightly lit figure of Mary.

For more on this “Mary,” see On Mary of Magdala and James the Greater, Saints, and also MARY MAGDALENE, Bible Woman: first witness to Resurrection, and What Did Mary Magdalene look like?

The full Bible readings for Tuesday, July 17, were: “AM Psalm 26, 28; PM Psalm 36, 39
Joshua 2:15-24; Romans 11:13-24; Matthew 25:14-30,” according to Lectionary – Satucket.

“Even to this day.” The reference is to 2d Corinthians 3:15: “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.” Thus it is with today’s so-called conservative Christians.

A side note: A future blog-post will deal with the issue of Ensoulment.

The lower image is courtesy of the Wikipedia article, Parable of the talents.

On Independence Day, 2018

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A turtle biting a man carrying a barrel to a waiting ship

Thomas Jefferson‘s Embargo had many Americans “declaring independence” – from him!

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

The fourth – and most overlooked – is the need to read the Bible with an open mind. See Luke 24:45: “Then He” – Jesus – “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

And this thought ties them together:

In the meantime:

A lot has happened since June 22 and my last post. But to cut to the chase: The caption for the image at the top of the page is: “A political cartoon showing merchants dodging the ‘Ograbme,’ which is ‘Embargo‘ spelled backwards.” As noted below, President Thomas Jefferson’s Embargo Act of 1807 was “one of the most self-defeating laws ever passed in American history.”

For an explanation of the symbols in the cartoon, see the notes. But the point is that even a smart guy like Thomas Jefferson could have some really stupid ideas.

And all of which also goes to show that this whole idea of independence – whether national, secular or religious – can be messy. (If not “revolutionary.”)

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So again, a lot has happened since June 22. Among other things, we as a nation celebrated Independence Day, July 4th. I did a post two years ago on the holiday – Independence Day, 2016 – that went into great detail on Thomas Jefferson. And his writing the Declaration of Independence.

And about some of the “ramifications thereof.”

One ramification is that “independence” – freedom, if you will – can be really messy. Which brings up Wikipedia on the touchy subject of winning – and keeping – “independence:”

Whether the attainment of independence is different from revolution has long been contested, and has often been debated over the question of violence as legitimate means to achieving sovereignty. [Emphasis added.]

In other words, the ideas of independence and revolution have long been “inextricably intertwined.” And that idea troubles many conservatives, Christian or otherwise.

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One big reason freedom – for all people, including those “not like us” – is that so many other people seem to make so many stupid choices. See the Prayer Book‘s Outline of the Faith:

Q. Why then do we live apart from God and out of harmony with creation? A. From the beginning, human beings have misused their freedom and made wrong choices. Q. Why do we not use our freedom as we should? A. Because we rebel against God, and we put ourselves in the place of God.

Which I suppose is just a way of saying freedom means the ability to make stupid choices. See also Living Stingy: “You can’t have freedom, unless you have the freedom to make bad choices.”

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Which brings us back to President Jefferson‘s Embargo Act of 1807. As Wikipedia said:

”Widespread evasion of the maritime and inland trade restrictions [of the Act] by American merchants, as well as loopholes in the legislation, greatly reduced the impact of the embargo on the intended targets in Europe.”

Among other results, Great Britain gladly took over the trade routes America gave up – and lost – by and through the Embargo. In plain words, the Embargo cost a lot of American jobs.

Another author said the Embargo Act was “one of the most self-defeating laws ever passed in American history.” Mostly because it “took no account of economic realities.” (Which Jefferson-supporters might have called “fake news.”) But in the end:

The legislation was unenforceable: goods were taken Canada and then quietly brought across the border, or smuggled in by fishing boats… But industry and trade still suffered: New York came close to seceding, such was the crisis it was undergoing…

All of which sounds vaguely familiar, somehow.

But getting back to the focus of this blog: We should note July 4th is not just a secular holiday but a religious feast day. (As noted in the link Independence Day.) And speaking of unpleasant reality: The first Bible reading for July 4 includes Deuteronomy 10:19:

When you have entered the homeland that God gives you, serve Him faithfully. Deal generously with the alien and the homeless, for you were homeless aliens in the land of Egypt.*

Which goes to show today’s so-called “Conservative Christians” – who support the present hard-line on immigration – are arguably acting “contrary to Scripture.”

Which is why we have Ezekiel 3:16-19 (“Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman“).

As detailed in “Trump-humping” – and Christians arguing with each other, Ezekiel says that our duty as Good Christians is to warn each other. To “argue” with each other and thus – in the process – arrive at a better understanding of “the Truth.” (And not just yell “fake news” to any information we disagree with or can’t handle. Or pull the “you’re going to hell” card.)

As Jesus said in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Which means those people who yell “fake news” are arguably also acting “contrary to Jesus.”)

But getting back to Thomas Jefferson and his role as Founding Father. Although he made mistakes, he also did a heck of a lot of good for this country. As noted on his tombstone:

Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia.

So Jefferson himself considered his writing the Statute for Religious Freedom just as important – if not more important – as his writing the Declaration of Independence.

But there’s one other big thing he did. He took a chance and doubled the size of the then-existing United States. He did this by the Louisiana Purchase, “one of his greatest contributions to the United States.” (And by far “the largest territorial gain in U.S. history.”)

Which goes to show that Thomas Jefferson was not a conservative, Christian or otherwise…

He wasn’t afraid to take a chance, and he wasn’t about to be bound by “conservative strictures.” And because of this trait, Americans had a whole new territory to explore.

Or as noted in the INTRODUCTION, the Bible itself opens up a whole new world! (Not the crappy Old World best left behind.) Or a “new continent opening up after Lewis and Clark:”

So, are you ready for your own Great Exploration!!??

(That is, “Get out there and use your freedom – properly – to explore your God-given destiny…”)

Which is another way of saying that real freedom – real independence – is so exciting and rewarding precisely because you always take the chance of falling flat on your face.

Like Thomas Jefferson.

And most “conservative Christians” are afraid to do just that…

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Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase – in white – doubled the size of the existing United States…

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The upper image is courtesy of Thomas Jefferson – Wikipedia. The caption: “A political cartoon showing merchants dodging the “Ograbme”, which is “Embargo” spelled backwards (1807).”

As to the symbols in the cartoon, see “O Grab Me” Political Cartoon – Embargo of 1807:

Man to the far Left is a British man who is upset because Americans cannot and will not sell goods to the British. The Turtle represents the American government, which is making sure that the American does not sell goods to the British. The man carrying the barrel represents an American who wants to sell goods to make money but cannot due to the Embargo Act.

(*) The quote for Deuteronomy 10:19 is from the “religious feast day link Independence Day.” But see also cross references to Leviticus 19:34 – “You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt” – and Ezekiel 47:22:

You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who dwell among you and who have children. You are to treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

It should be noted that officially the “prayer book” referred to is the Online Book of Common Prayer. (At page 845.) See also Wikipedia, referring to the “short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion … and other Anglican Christian churches. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English Reformation.”

Also re: The Embargo Act of 1807. See Wikipedia:

Most historians consider Jefferson’s embargo to have been ineffective and harmful to American interests[, and] as Jefferson’s “least effective policy…” [Historian] Joseph Ellis calls it “an unadulterated calamity…” Jefferson believed that the failure of the embargo was due to selfish traders and merchants showing a lack of “republican virtue.”

There’s that darn independence again…

Re: “Inextricably intertwined.” See also Evidence legal definition – Quimbee.

Re: “Another author wrote.” The quoted portions are from Dark History of the American Presidents (Power, corruption, and scandal at the heart of the White House), by Michael Kerrigan (Amber Books, 2013 edition), at pages 41-41.

The lower image is courtesy of Louisiana Purchase – Wikipedia.

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I should also note: The Bible readings for July 8th – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost include 2 Corinthians 12:2-10. I described the reading in 2017’s Paul describes an out-of-body experience:

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know – God knows. And I know that this man – whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows –was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.

Just in case you were interested in such things.

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…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

“Hey Jeff, here’s your millstone!” (And Sarah too…)

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Image may contain: one or more people

Matthew 18:6, on Jesus and His heavy millstone for those who “offend these little ones…”

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

And this thought ties them together:

In the meantime:

The Gospel reading for Monday, June 18, included Matthew 17:20. That’s where jesus said this:

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed [as seen at left], you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I wanted to connect that verse to John 14:12, noted above. That’s where Jesus said He expected His disciples to perform greater miracles than He did. (And how no Christian can hope to do that by reading the Bible in a cramped, “strict” or literal way.)

But first a word about the Trump Administration’s “Koncentration Kamps for Kiddies.”

For starters, officials including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Sarah Huckabee Sanders cited the Bible to support such separation camps. Specifically, Romans 13, vis-a-vis Submission to Governing Authorities. But that in turn sparked a backlash. See for example The Bible verse Jeff Sessions used to defend immigration crackdown once also defended slavery. And, more recently, A Brief History of People Using Romans 13 to Justify White Supremacy, and The Real Story Behind the Nazi Establishment’s Use of ‘Romans 13.’

(And by the way, the Conservatives now in power seem to have forgotten all about Romans 13 when Barack Obama was president. And they were “failing to obey” him.)

Meanwhile, Monday on Facebook I cited some other quotes from the Bible. They included Luke 18:16 and Matthew 18:6. (And – in a potential “Sign from God” – it turned out that Matthew 18:6 was part of the Gospel reading for Wednesday, June 20.)

In Luke 18:16, Jesus said, ”Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” More to the point, Matthew 18 starts with this:

[T]he disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Which just goes to show that Jesus – unlike too many officials in the current Administration – had a special place in His heart for innocent, unspoiled children.

But wait, there’s more! Jesus went on to give an even more specific warning. (Like maybe for some who purport to follow Him, but who are in fact “slow learners?”)

For example, in Matthew 18:5 Jesus said, “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Which seems pretty clear. But just in case there are some really slow learners out there, Jesus went on to add this proviso, in Matthew 18:6:

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

And by the way, that’s from the King James Bible. (You know, the one God uses?)

Further – since we’re dealing with slow learners here – let’s point out that since most of the children now in “tent cities” in the Southwest come from Mexico, they are almost all both Christian and Catholic. (See Religious Beliefs In Mexico – WorldAtlas.com: “More than 90% of Mexicans identify as Christians, and more than 90% of those Christians are Roman Catholic.”)

Therefore, we can safely deduce that the overwhelming majority of those children now being separated from their parents qualify under Jesus’ “little ones who believe in me” proviso.

So, in the manner of Bill Engvall and his “Here’s Your Sign” comedy routine: To Jeff, Sarah (and others in the Administration), “Here’s your millstone!”

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Meanwhile, back to Matthew 17:20. (And moving mountains with faith the size of a mustard seed.) Thanks to such “flaming liberals” as Franklin Graham, Laura Bush, and Orrin Hatch – along with 12 other Republican Senators – Donald Trump just signed an executive order ending family separations. In other words, enough people from both parties got together and got Donald Trump to change his mind, and maybe even to see the light!

Talk about moving mountains…

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The upper image is courtesy of Millstone – Image Results.

The “mustard” image is courtesy of Parable of the Mustard Seed – Wikipedia.

The complete Daily Office Readings for Monday, June 18, are: AM Psalm 78:1-39; PM Psalm 78:40-72, Numbers 11:1-23; Romans 1:16-25; and Matthew 17:22-27. The full Readings for Wednesday, June 20, are: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82 ; Numbers 11:24-33 (34-35); Romans 1:28-2:11; and Matthew 18:1-9.

Re: “Romans 13, vis-a-vis Submission to Governing Authorities.” Jeff and Sarah also apparently failed to recognize that in America, “We the People” are the governing authority, not some temporary office-holder. See also Preamble to the United States Constitution – Wikipedia.

The “Luke 18:16” image is courtesy of Luke 18 16 – Image Results

Re: Donald Trump’s executive order ending family separations. See also Trump caves, signs executive order, and Trump’s immigration reversal creates its own chaos (CNN).

The lower image is courtesy of Jake Blues Sees Light – Image Results.

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…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

“Unintended consequences” – and the search for Truth

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The FSU Women’s first CWS title: A recent example of the Law of unintended Consequences?

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I’m working on a new post on my “practice of religion.” (My ritual sacrifice, if you will…)

That practice – obviously – involves reading the Bible on a daily basis. (Starting back in 1992.) But it also involves my exercising seven hours a week, in an ongoing “search for the functional equivalent of Moses holding his hands up at Rephidim.” Which is another way of saying Moses may well have been the first man to say “It’s only weird if it doesn’t work.” (Or see God’s Favorite Team” – Part III” – with the image at right – for a fuller explanation of my ‘mystic quest.”)

Also – in my mind anyhow – that practice also recently helped FSU‘s Women’s softball team – seen celebrating at the top of the page – win their first-ever national championship.

I’ll be writing more on my Ritual Sacrifice in a later post, but for now:

Let’s focus on the Gospel lesson for today, Sunday, June 10.

That would be Mark 3:20-35, where Jesus was “accused by His family and by Teachers of the Law.” First, His family accused Him of being crazy. (“When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’”) Second, the so-called “teachers of the law” insisted that Jesus could only cast out demons because He was possessed by demons Himself. (“He’s possessed by Satan… That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”)

Which led to this judgment by Jesus, found in Mark 3:28-29:

“Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

For a fuller commentary on that “eternal sin,” see Mark 3:29 Commentary (Bible Hub). But – as one of my former priests once summarized – the concept behind this passage is pretty simple: “If you’re afraid you might have committed this ‘eternal sin,’ you probably haven’t.”

That’s another way of saying that if you insist that you’ve never sinned, you could be in big trouble. Or that it’s only the sin you’re not aware of – or refuse to consider – that can really get you in trouble. But in church this morning, during the sermon, I had another thought. Mark 3:29 could be a classic example of Jesus applying Deuteronomy 19:16.

I explored that “Deut. 19:16” concept in “Trump-humping” – and Christians arguing with each other. Posted last April 8, that post explored the idea of people making false accusations:

In other words, if I think – or say, perhaps with relish – that someone I don’t like is going to “roast in hell” and he’s not, then I’ve put myself in danger of roasting in hell.

(BTW: The full cite would be Deuteronomy 19:16-19. Which could really get a lot of people in trouble these days.) So basically the so-called “teachers of the law” accused Jesus of being “possessed by Satan, the prince of demons.” Which in turn meant that they were liable to end up being punished as if they were in fact “possessed by Satan, the prince of demons.”

Time Which is not a pretty picture – or subject – to contemplate. And this is my point: Like Tom Cruise in the film A Few Good Men, all real and true Christians simply Want the Truth. They want and need to find out things as they really are, mainly in their own self-interest. As noted, the only real “unforgivable sin” is the one you’re not aware of.

For other relevant summaries, see The Truth of God – Bible Hub, and/or Truth – Wikipedia. Then there’s John 14:6: Where “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’”

Which brings us back to my theory that – since 1992 – my ongoing ritual sacrifice has helped some of my favorite teams, including but not limited to teams from FSU. (Where I graduated law school in 1984.) For starters, since 1992 the FSU football team has won three national championships. Also, “my” Tampa Bay Bucs won a Super Bowl. “My” Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. I got “my” L.A. Dodgers to Game 7 of last year’s World Series.

(Somehow I have to figure out how to get the Dodgers over the hump.)

This year I got “my” FSU basketball team to the Elite 8. FSU’s Mike Martin became the winningest coach in college baseball history. And of course the FSU Women’s Softball team won it’s first College World Series title. The strange thing is that I was sorely disappointed when the FSU men’s baseball team got eliminated in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. And that’s where the Law of unintended Consequences may have come in. Or put another way:

God answers our prayers, but not always the way we expect.

So I prayed and “sacrificed” for the FSU men’s baseball team to win a national championship, only to have the Women’s softball team win their first national championship.

Which means this Eternal Search for Truth is an ongoing process. Again, I hope to explore this process in future posts, but in the meantime I’ll go on following my own particular “practice of religion.” For one thing, I’m sure there’s a lesson there somewhere.

For another thing: So far the results haven’t been too bad…

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Like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, all true Christians simply “Want the Truth!”

* * * *

The upper image is courtesy of Florida State wins 1st softball national championship. (News4Jax | Jacksonville, Florida News, Weather, Sports.)

Re “Unintended Consequences.” The link is to The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. But see also Unintended consequences – Wikipedia, which distinguished an unexpected drawback and/or “perverse result” from an unexpected benefit, to wit: “A positive unexpected benefit (also referred to as luck, serendipity or a windfall),” as in the Florida State earns first Women’s College World Series title example. (Of which more in a later post…)

Re: “It’s only weird if it doesn’t work.” The link is to On “God’s Favorite Team” – Part III. See also Was Moses the first to say “it’s only weird if it doesn’t work?” (In my companion blog.)

Re; My ritual sacrifice. You could also call it a kind of “mystic quest,” if not a “canary in a coal mine” protocol: “The phrase ‘living like a canary in a coal mine’ often refers to serving as a warning to others. The actual canary had little control over its fate, but it continued to sing anyway. In one sense, living this way indicates a willingness to experience life’s dangers without compromise.”

The “is truth dead” image is courtesy of Time Magazine Asks ‘Is Truth Dead?’ in Trump Era – TheWrap.

The lower image is courtesy of Tom Cruz I Want Truth – Image Results.

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On another note, tomorrow – June 11 – is the Feast Day for Saint Barnabas:

The apostle and missionary was among Christ’s earliest followers and was responsible for welcoming St. Paul into the Church. Though not one of the 12 apostles . . . he is traditionally regarded as one of the 72 disciples of Christ and [the] most respected man in the first century Church after the Apostles themselves.

See On St. Barnabas, posted in June 2014, on this “Apostle of Second Chances.”

The Trinity – Jefferson’s “3-headed monster…”

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As smart a guy as Thomas Jefferson couldn’t understand the Doctrine of the Trinity…

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pentecost copy Last Sunday, May 20, 2018 was the Day of Pentecost. (illustrated at left by El Greco.) It’s also called Whitsunday. This Sunday, May 27, was the First Sunday after Pentecost. It’s also known as Trinity Sunday.

There’s more on the Trinity below – along with the “Three-headed Monster” – but first: For more information on May 20 and Pentecost, see Ascension Day and Pentecost – 2016, Mary’s Visitation – and Pentecost – 2017, and Pentecost – “Happy Birthday, Church!”

Before the events of the first Pentecost … there were followers of Jesus, but no movement that could be meaningfully called “the church.” Thus … Pentecost is the day on which the church was started. This is also true from a spiritual perspective, since the Spirit brings the church into existence and enlivens it. Thus Pentecost is the church’s birthday.

Pentecost also marked a big change in the idea of “Ministry.” In the Old Testament, “the Spirit was poured out almost exclusively on prophets, priests, and kings.” But starting with Pentecost, God recruited “all different sorts of people for ministry.” That is, the Holy Spirit – the spirit of ministry – now became available to anyone and everyone: “All would be empowered to minister regardless of their gender, age, or social position.”

Thus the first Pentecost was indeed a “momentous, watershed event.”

Incidentally, the word “Pentecost” comes from the Greek for “the 50th day,” and it’s always celebrated 50 days after Easter Sunday. (That’s “seven weeks plus one day.”)

For more information on May 27, 2018, see On Trinity Sunday, 2015, and On Trinity Sunday (2016) – and more! For starters, Trinity Sunday is always the Sunday after Pentecost, and celebrates the idea of the three Persons of God: Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:

Trinity Sunday … is one of the few celebrations of the Christian Year that commemorates a reality and doctrine rather than a person or event… The Trinity is one of the most fascinating – and controversial – Christian dogmas. The Trinity is a mystery. By mystery the Church does not mean a riddle, but rather the Trinity is a reality above our human comprehension that we may begin to grasp, but ultimately must know through worship, symbol, and faith. It has been said that [this] mystery is not a wall to run up against, but an ocean in which to swim.

(Emphasis added.) In other words, the Trinity as a concept is so difficult to understand that even a smart guy like Thomas Jefferson couldn’t do it. But while Jefferson referred to the Doctrine of the Trinity as a “Three-headed Monster,” I prefer the metaphor of “an ocean in which to swim.” (For a long, long time – and ultimately the rest of your Christian pilgrimage on this earth.)

It also seems to me that – while Jefferson was really smart – he fell into the “common error of thinking that he could ever really understand everything there is to know about God.”

But as noted above, “the Trinity is a reality above our human comprehension.” It’s a reality that we can only begin to grasp. The same seems to be true of much of the Bible, and especially the “mystical” parts. (Which may be why some choose “literalism.” It’s ever so much easier…)

That brings up the Gospel for May 27, John 3:1-17. There Jesus had a talk with a “Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews” who was really a “Christian,” but secretly. And even a smart guy like Nicodemus – shown at right talking with Jesus – didn’t understand the idea of being “born again.”

His problem? He took Jesus’ words too literally: “Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’”

Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
… If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?“

Which goes to show that reading the Bible too literally can only take you so far in your spiritual journey. As Jesus Himself noted, the Bible includes many realities that are simply above our human comprehension: “How can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

See also the end of John, John 21:25, which said there were many other things Jesus did, “which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” (Also there’s Ecclesiasticus 42:17, the Old Testament DOR for the Eve of Trinity Sunday: “The Lord has not empowered even his holy ones to recount all his marvellous works.”) Which just goes to show there’s more to the Bible than meets the eye.

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The artist He Qi‘s interpretation of The Holy Spirit Coming down…

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The upper image is courtesy of Thomas Jefferson – Wikipedia. The caption: “Thomas Jefferson, Official White House Portrait, by Rembrandt Peale, 1805.”

The full set of readings for Pentecost Sunday (5/20/18): Acts 2:1-21, or Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:22-27, or Acts 2:1-21, John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15, and Psalm 104:25-35, 37. The full set of readings for Trinity Sunday (5/27/18): Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 29, Romans 8:12-17, and John 3:1-17.

Pentecost is also called “Tongue Sunday,” for the “tongues of fire” that appeared that day, as noted in Acts 2:3. Also for “speaking in tongues” – also known as glossolalia – noted in Acts 2:4, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.“

Third, Pentecost marks the beginning of “Ordinary Time” – as it’s called in the Catholic Church – and shown in the chart at left. Such “Ordinary Time” takes up over half the church year. In the Episcopal Church – in the Anglican liturgy – the Season of Pentecost begins on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday and goes on “through most of the summer and autumn.” It may include as many as 28 Sundays, “depending on the date of Easter.”

As to Whitsunday: The name is a contraction of “White Sunday.” In English “the feast was always called Pentecoste until after the Norman Conquest, when white (hwitte) began to be confused with wit or understanding. [In] one interpretation, the name derives from the white garments worn by catechumens, those expecting to be baptised on that Sunday… A different tradition is that of the young women of the parish all coming to church or chapel in new white dresses on that day.

Re: “Ecclesiasticus.” That book – not to be confused with Ecclesiastes – is also called the Wisdom of Sirach. And the “book itself is the largest wisdom book from antiquity to have survived:”

Sirach is accepted as part of the Christian biblical canons by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and most of Oriental Orthodox. The Anglican Church does not accept Sirach as protocanonical, and says it should be read only “for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth not apply them to establish any doctrine.”

Note that the link in the main text provides the King James translation of Ecclesiasticus 42:17. The quote as given in the main text is from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

The lower image is courtesy of The Good Heart: Holy Spirit Coming (Painting by He Qi):

“A genuinely good heart is a heart that is open and alight with understanding. It listens to the sorrows of the world. Our society is wrong to think that happiness depends on fulfilling one’s own wants and desires. That is why our society is so miserable…”

See also He Qi « Artist: “One could say that among other things his paintings are a celebration of colour. The style of his work is iconic, and [his] images are strong but gentle.”

The “stick figure” parable…

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This is the faith of a boot-camp Christian. (Who never goes “beyond the Fundamentals…”)

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The “stick” drawing above is a kind of parable. That’s the kind of story that Jesus used to tell:

Jesus’s parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and all convey messages. Scholars have commented that although these parables seem simple, the messages they convey are deep, and central to the teachings of Jesus.

In doing so, Jesus followed Psalm 78:2: “I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things…” (See also Matthew 13:35: “So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.'”)

And incidentally Psalm 78:2 was one of the Daily Office Readings for May 8, 2018.

So here’s the point: If you stay a boot-camp Christian – if you never go “beyond the Fundamentals” – your life and your faith will look like the stick-figure drawing at the top of the page. But, if you read the Bible with an open mind – if you follow Luke 24:45 – your life and your faith will more closely resemble the much more in-depth oil painting at the bottom of the page. Full of depth, full of life, and much more pleasing. So much more pleasing in fact that other people around you may want to imitate what you’ve done, and follow your path.

Which is – after all – the whole point of evangelism. Making the Faith attractive, not driving potential converts away “in droves.” (See Perverting “Fundamental” – ism.)

Or as the old idiom says: A picture is worth a thousand words.

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Now about that idea that you need to read the Bible with an open mind: The Pulpit Commentary for Psalm 78:2 said the “facts of Israelitish history are the ‘parable,’ the inner meaning of which it is for the intelligent to grasp.” (Emphasis added.) See also Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Psalm 78:1-8: “These are called dark and deep sayings, because they are carefully to be looked into.” (Emphasis added.)

The latter added: “Hypocrisy is the high road to apostacy” (sic). (“Apostasy” is the “abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person,” but that’s all a whole ‘nuther story altogether.)

Anyway, there are problems interpreting “the law of the Bible.” And that’s especially when that “law” comes in the form of a parable. See On three suitors (a parable):

Jesus taught primarily through parables. When Jesus spoke in such parables, they were “very much an oral method of teaching.” That method of teaching left it up to the listener to decipher the meaning of the parable, to him. Or as Jesus said on several occasions, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” [See Matthew 11:15 and Mark 4:9.]

The commentaries on Matthew 11:15 add that interpreting such a parable requires “more than ordinary powers of thought to comprehend.” And that God asks “no more from us than the right use of the faculties he has given us. People are ignorant, because they will not learn.”

The commentaries to Mark 4:9 indicate that – in reading the Bible with an open and discerning mind – the words of God to Ezekiel (33:32) are fulfilled, “And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice.” Or for that matter, “A very lovely work of art.”

The problem came when these oral-tradition parables were finally written down. (At least 20 years after the fact, as in Mark, “the first gospel.”) In translating the parable from oral to written form, an interpretation had to be added to it. In Hebrew the word for such interpretation is mashal, or allegory. In the alternative the word is nimshal, in the plural, nimshalim:

The essence of the parabolic method of teaching is that life and the words that tell of life can mean more than one thing. Each hearer is different and therefore to each hearer a particular secret of the kingdom [of God] can be revealed. We are supposed to create nimshalim for ourselves.

Which raises a good question: How do you “literally interpret” a parable?

Or a work of art, for that matter? In turn the question becomes: How do you interpret that parable – or work of art – in such a way to develop your own talents?

One answer is that you can. (“Literally interpret.”) But if you do that, your “faith” will more closely resemble the primitive, undeveloped stick-figure drawing at the top of the page…

You make the call!

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6 Ways to Create Depth in Your Landscape Painting

This represents the faith of those who read the Bible with an open mind…

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The upper image is courtesy of How to Draw a Stick Figure: 7 Steps (with Pictures) – wikiHow.

The image to the right of the paragraph beginning “The ‘stick’ drawing above” is courtesy of Parables of Jesus – Wikipedia. The caption: “The Parable of the Prodigal Son by Guercino.”

Re: Oil painting being like reading the Bible. See Copying a masterpiece … Fine Art Painting:

Studying a master’s work by copying it can have beneficial effects on our own work. It can help us through a tough time, like when we’re not sure where our art is going. It can inspire us to get to that next level! It can help understand about the painting process he or she used, the palette and color mixes. Learning by copying was done throughout the history of art.

In this case, the “master’s work” we copy is the Bible, with its stories written by men and women in the long-ago past who managed to forge a relationship with the Living God. “Copying” their work “can have beneficial effects on our own work.” I.e., our own work learning to sing a NEW song to God…

Re: Problems interpreting the Bible. See also in On three suitors (a parable):

[Then] there’s the Hebrew style of writing; in Hebrew there are no vowels, and the letters of a sentence are strung together. An example: a sentence in English, “The man called for the waiter.” Written in Hebrew, the sentence would be “THMNCLLDFRTHWTR.” But among other possible translations, the sentence could read, in English, “The man called for the water.”

The full title of the last-noted blog-link is Develop your talents with Bible study. That post discussed Matthew 25:14-30, with the Parable of the talents. There, the “slothful” servant didn’t “develop his talents.” He just buried the money in a hole. So metaphorically, he – that slothful servant – “fit his talents into a pre-formed, pre-shaped cubby-hole.”

The lower image is courtesy of 6 Ways to Create Depth in Your Landscape Painting. The painting is by Edgar Alwin Payne (1883-1947), “an American Western landscape painter and muralist.” See Wikipedia: “Payne is most remembered for his work of American Indians of the Four Corners area, and, of course, the paintings of his beloved Sierras. In the Sierras, high up in Humphrey’s Basin, you will find the lake named for him, Payne Lake.”

Jesus to His followers: “Don’t get TOO conservative!”

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In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus might have added, “Go beyond the “fundamentals…”

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Narrow Is the Gate The Daily Office Readings for Saturday, May 5, 2018, included Matthew 7:13-21. Specifically, they included Matthew 7:13-14:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

But what did Jesus mean when He said that? Just what is the “narrow gate?”

The traditional view is that getting through the narrow gate means you should spend your life “staying pure.” Or spend that life focusing on staying “sinless.” That view in turn implies that no matter how much suffering is going on in the world, no matter how many millions of people are starving, or are oppressed, or are otherwise being killed off or maimed, none of that matters to God as long as you – yourself – stay “sinless” and “pure.”

Which sounds to me – after 13 trips through the Bible – like a crock.

It seems to me – after a lifetime of experience, and going through the Bible 13 times now – that there’s a better, more accurate answer. That answer is: “Forget about staying pure: Do something with your life!” In other words, God probably couldn’t care less how “pure” you stay, if you do nothing to help make the world a better place. If further words: Don’t turn too “conservative!” See for example How narrow is the narrow gate? – GotQuestions.org.

The gist of that post is that “many will follow the broad road.” And that’s what we have in America today. The “many” are following the broad road of so-called “Conservative Christianity.” (Which to me is a classic oxymoron, or more precisely, a contradiction in terms.)

That is, there are a great many so-called Conservative Christians in America today, and they are the “many” who showed their power by helping elect Donald Trump. Then too, they are the “many” who are driving other Americans away from the Christian Faith, “in droves.” See No wonder there’s an exodus from religion, which began with this:

Do you wonder why the proportion of Americans declaring themselves unaffiliated with organized religion has skyrocketed in recent decades? This trend is especially pronounced among adults under 30, roughly 40 percent of whom claim no connection to a religious congregation or tradition and have joined the ranks of those the pollsters call the “nones.”

The article noted the “partisan irresponsibility” creating a powerful skepticism among young Americans “about what it means to be religious.” (Largely due to “Trump-humping evangelicals.”) In plain words, young Americans increasingly see a strong connection between organized religion and conservative politics. To them, conservative politics and organized religion stand together, and they are leading us “toward the right in the culture wars.”

Which is bad news for those of us striving to be “Real Christians.” (And for the Faith itself.) See No wonder:

If a chaplain could be rebuked for voicing [a] simple and undeniable truth, what’s the point of the “religious liberty” that Trump and his GOP allies celebrate? And when will those who advertise themselves as religion’s friends realize they can do far more damage to faith than all the atheists and agnostics put together?

The “chaplain” was Reverend Pat Conroy, Chaplain to the House of Representatives, just fired and “re-hired” by Paul Ryan. And the long and short of the story is that House Republicans were more inclined to fire their chaplain than “impose accountability on a president who is a proven liar and trashes the rule of law for his own selfish purposes day after day.” In other words, they were more inclined to “comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted.”

But we digress. The point of this post is that becoming a “conservative Christian” is taking the easy way. And that’s because it’s so much easier to be a “literalist.” You don’t have to think, you don’t have to take chances, you never have to worry about falling on your face because you made a wrong decision. In other words, you never truly “live,” and you will certainly never, ever get to the point where you can perform greater miracles than Jesus, as He commanded.

You want proof? Check out the Wikipedia article on the Beatitudes:

Each Beatitude consists of two phrases: the condition and the result. In almost every case the condition is from familiar Old Testament context, but Jesus teaches a new interpretation…

In other words, if Jesus had been a conservative, we would never have the Beatitudes.

In further words, it’s the Christians who choose to remain conservative – who choose to never graduate from spiritual boot camp (at right) – who are the “many” taking the broad, easy road. It’s only we – striving to be “real Christians” by following Luke 24:45 – who will get through that narrow gate. And on that I am literally betting my life…

So what could happen if you do turn too conservative? You could end up a Pharisee:

Because of the New Testament‘s frequent depictions of Pharisees as self-righteous rule-followers … the word “pharisee”… has come into semi-common usage in English to describe a hypocritical and arrogant person who places the letter of the law above its spirit.

In other words, the Pharisees were a “plague unto Jesus” in His own time, and they remain so “even to this day.” (Indeed, perhaps more so.) And that is leading to what Paul noted in Romans 2:24: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

In plain words, those “Trump-humping evangelicals” are failing in their duty to God…

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The ongoing “Dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees….”

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The upper image is courtesy of Sermon on the Mount – Wikipedia. The caption: “‘Sermon on the Mount’ by Carl Bloch.” The article noted that this Sermon is best known for the “Beatitudes,” which “present a new set of ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction; they echo the highest ideals of Jesus’ teachings on spirituality and compassion.”

The complete Bible readings for Saturday, May 5, 2018 are: “AM Psalm 75, 76; PM Psalm 23, 27 Lev. 23:23-44; 2 Thess. 3:1-18; Matt. 7:13-21.” The full set of Bible readings for Monday, May 7: “AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79] Lev. 25:35-55; Col. 1:9-14; Matt. 13:1-16.”

See also the Bible readings for Friday, May 4, which include Matthew 7:1-2: ““Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” That’s another Bible passage “more honored in the breach” by today’s “Trump-humping evangelicals.” See also On “holier than thou”,” about Jesus’ Parable of the Mote and the Beam, ) The full readings for Friday, May 4, 2018: “AM Psalm 106:1-18; PM Psalm 106:19-48[;] Lev. 23:1-22; 2 Thess. 2:1-17; Matt. 7:1-12.”

Re: Comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted.” As noted in “Trump-humping,” the real job of both Christians and reporters is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” See also James 4:6: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

The lower image is courtesy of Pharisees – Wikipedia. The caption: “Gustave Doré: Dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees.” As to placing the letter of the law above its spirit, see 2d Corinthians 3:6.

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Re: The number of times I’ve read through the Bible. See Reflections on a loss:

I started my spiritual journey that led to this blog back in the summer of 1992. That’s when I started reading the Bible on a daily basis – using the DORs – and also started fine-tuning my exercise “ritual sacrifice.”

Re: “Blasphemed among the Gentiles.” The quote is from the English Standard Version. See also the New Living Translation: “No wonder the Scriptures say, ‘The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.'” This follows Romans 2:23: You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law? See also Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers:

From the LXX. version of Isaiah 52:5… The Apostle [Paul] is not careful as to the particular context from which he draws. He knew that he was giving the substance of Scripture, and he takes the aptest words that occur to him at the moment. Translated into our modern modes [it] amounts to little more than “in the language of Scripture.” The intention, as so frequently with St. Paul, seems, as it were, to be divided between proof and illustration.

Then Jesus “opened their minds…”

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“Jesus’ ascension to heaven,” by John Singleton Copley – after He “opened their minds…”

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The Gospel lesson for Sunday, April 15, 2018, was Luke 24:36b-48. (According to the Revised Common Lectionary, for Sunday Bible readings.) That Sunday reading included Luke 24:45: “Then he” – that is, Jesus – “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

Which is precisely the point of this blog… Opening your mind when reading the Bible.

I wrote about Luke 24:45 last May in Ascension Day 2017 – “Then He opened their minds.”

(A note: Last year Ascension Day was on May 25. This year it’s coming up on May 10. That’s because it’s always “celebrated on a Thursday … the 40th day of Eastertide, the 50-day church season running from Easter Day to Pentecost Sunday.) So anyway, here’s the point I was trying to make:

Luke 24 [included] the Road to Emmaus appearance. [Shown below.] That [was] followed in turn by the last of the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. The two disciples at Emmaus had gotten up and “returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together.” Jesus then appeared in the midst of all of them, and taught them things; i.e., He “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (E.A.)

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Put another way, the key point was that some people may object to reading the Bible with an open mind. But if they do, we can always say we’re “just following the example of Jesus as told in Luke 24:45.” See also “There’s no such thing as a ‘conservative Christian.” That post noted the difference between real Christians and “Pharisees.” (Conservatives posing as Christians):

Christians aren’t negative, self-righteous, sanctimonious or hypocritical. Real Christians work every day to make the world a better place, plowing ahead, while the pharisees get all the negative press… Which of course leaves the rest of us with a heavy cross to bear.

And speaking of reading the Bible with an open mind, consider the “Daily” readings for Sunday, April 22, 2018. Those Daily Office Readings included Mark 6:30-44. That Gospel reading included the story of Jesus feeding the multitude. (In this case, about 5,000.)

I wrote about that episode in April 2014’s Another view of Jesus feeding the 5,000. That post explained the difference between the traditional – or narrow-minded – interpretation of the story, and one more in line with reason and experience. That is, in the narrow-minded view, Jesus performed a fairly-routine magic trick. (A “pure miracle, plain and simple.”) The miracle can’t be explained rationally and was never meant to be understood rationally.

But there is a non-traditional view, and it’s based on the idea that some people in Jesus’ time never left home without taking a spare loaf of bread – or some other food – stashed somewhere in the folds of their robes. Under that theory, Jesus started off with faith, and in turn got other people to act on that faith, and share what they had. I ended the post this way:

Suppose the lesson Jesus intended to teach us was that – by His example – He got a bunch of normally-greedy people to share what they had. That by His example, Jesus got those normally-greedy people to share so much of their own stuff that no one – in the crowd of “5,000 plus” – went hungry. And more than that, there was even a surplus. The question is:

Which would be the greater miracle?

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“Feeding the multitudes,” by Bernardo Strozzi….

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The upper image is courtesy of the Wikipedia article, Ascension of Jesus, with the full caption: “Jesus’ ascension to heaven depicted by John Singleton Copley, 1775.”

The full set of readings for Sunday, April 15, 2018, were: Acts 3:12-19, Psalm 4, 1 John 3:1-7, and Luke 24:36b-48. The full set of “Daily” readings for Sunday, April 22, 2018, were “AM Psalm 63:1-8(9-11), 98; PM Psalm 103;” along with Exodus 28:1-4,30-38; 1st John 2:18-29; and Mark 6:30-44.

And incidentally, April 25, 2018 was the Feast Day for St. Mark, who wrote the first and shortest of the four Gospels. For more see On St. Mark’s “Cinderella story.” That is, at one point Mark’s was “the most ‘dissed‘” of the four Gospels: For example, St. Augustine called Mark “the drudge and condenser” of Matthew’s Gospel. The “Cinderella” angle started with serious Bible scholarship in the 19th Century, which noted that “the other three Gospels all cited material from Mark, but ‘he does not do the same for them.’” The conclusion? “Mark started the process and set the pattern of and for the other three Gospels. As a result of that, since the 19th century Marks’ “has become the most studied and influential Gospel.” See also More on “arguing with God” – and St. Mark as Cinderella. Or you can type in “St. Mark” in the search box above right for more on this saint.

The “shown below” image is courtesy of Supper at Emmaus (Caravaggio, London) – Wikipedia:

The painting depicts the moment when the resurrected but incognito Jesus, reveals himself to two of his disciples… Cleopas wears the scallop shell of a pilgrim [and] gesticulates in a perspectively-challenging extension of arms in and out of the frame of reference… The painting is unusual for the life-sized figures, the dark and blank background. The table lays out a still-life meal. Like the world these apostles knew, the basket of food teeters perilously over the edge. [E.A. Talk about Deja Vu All Over Again…]

Re: “Which would be the greater miracle?” That is, which would be the greater miracle, the Almighty Son of God performing a fairly routine magic trick, or a religious leader getting “normally greedy people” to share what they had? I’m guessing the latter would be the greater miracle…

The lower image is courtesy of Feeding the multitude – Wikipedia. The full caption: “Jesus feeding a crowd with 5 loaves of bread and two fish,” by Bernardo Strozzi, circa 1615.

DOR Scribe

Expand your horizons – Read the Bible with an open mind

Author Archives: dorscribe@aol.com

I’m back from my Rideau pilgrimage…

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

Did Jesus interpret Scripture “liberally?”

On Mary Magdalene, and “conserving talents…”

“Don’t get TOO conservative!“

On Independence Day, 2018

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

So, are you ready for your own Great Exploration!!??

“Hey Jeff, here’s your millstone!” (And Sarah too…)

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

Talk about moving mountains…

“Unintended consequences” – and the search for Truth

The Trinity – Jefferson’s “3-headed monster…”

The “stick figure” parable…

You make the call!

Jesus to His followers: “Don’t get TOO conservative!”

Then Jesus “opened their minds…”

Which would be the greater miracle?