Friday, April 29, 2005 Dedicated...But He's Still Going to Hell
We're getting ready for Joe's Dedication service, which is coming up on Mothers' day, May 8th. (Ahem, ahem.) They will sprinkle water on his head, give him a rose without thorns (UU teens get a rose with thorns when they go through the Coming of Age ceremony), and welcome him into the community of the Fellowship, while the congregation and we, as his parents, pledge to support his physical and spiritual growth and impart our UU principles to him:
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote The inherent dignity and worth of every person; Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part;
The living tradition which we share draws from many sources: Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life; Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love; Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life; Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves; Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit. Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature. Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.
Lovely, eh?
The title to today's post alludes to a joke I've always made about myself--that no matter what I do, I'm going to hell anyway because I was never baptized. Of course, I don't believe in hell--or big-G god, for that matter. I just like living a life of mythic proportions.
In a related topic, here are some quips I received from Bill today: -What do you get when you cross a UU with a Jehovah's Witness? -- Someone who goes door to door asking questions. - "The difference between Universalists and Unitarians is that Universalists believe that God is too good to damn men, and Unitarians believe that Man is too good to be damned." -- the Rev. Thomas Starr King (1824-64) - Universalist (n.) One who foregoes the advantage of a Hell for persons of another faith. -- Ambrose Bierce (1842-?1914) -Why don't Unitarians believe in the trinity? -- The math is just too hard: you have to be able to divide by zero to have 3=1. -The fundamentalist Christian said to a UU, "I hear you deny the divinity of Christ." The UU responded, "No, that's not true. We don't deny the divinity of anybody."
As you may have noticed, I've added a new link to my Beloved Blogs list. Welcome Faith Family Ways, my sister Coty's new blog. I guess I'm a good influence on my younger siblings after all, which is amazing since I haven't spoken with Coty in about 20 years.
Coty came across my blog by accident and, thankfully, was brave enough to contact me via email. We share my bio-father's DNA, but had never shared a home or even a state for more than maybe five days out of our childhood. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to know her as a teen and young adult, when she probably could have used the support and advice of an older sister and I might have learned more about myself earlier through my reflection in her. She, likewise, never got to see me blossom from a sometimes mean and jealous kid into the kind and caring person I like to think I am now. What a shame. At least now--since we both have children and can look back on our own youth with new wisdom--we can begin to build the friendship we should have had all these years.
In checking Encyclopedia Discombobula this week, I noticed Ben is (thankfully) back to writing wonderfully intelligent pieces on politics and rhetoric. See his April 14th post, specifically the last paragraph, quoted here:
Lakoff isn't trying to give people a handbook to counter zealots who reflexively vote Republican. He's trying to get folks to realize that if you're sincerely interested in advocating for policies grounded in progressive principles, then arguing a point imply by reciting statistics won't cut it; communicating how those factoids are relevant to everyday life is what is needed. The only way to communicate effectively with somebody is to make sure you're on the same page, and that requires having enough respect for the listener to figure out what their concerns are and know how to address them. The biggest flaw I see with this plan is that I don't think you can teach anybody how to attain the qualities necessary to make it work: compassion and patience.
This reminded me of a topic I've been meaning to write about, which is the push by the UUA to develop a "language of reverence." Actually, it's a reclamation of the language of reverence. This is necessary because, as has been stated by Ben and so many other pundits, the main problem the left has in this country is that we've--for far too long--allowed the right (both the political and religious) to frame the argument, including defining all the terms. So instead of participating in a volley of ideas, we're forced to scurry around, trying to swing at what is hurled at us by an out-of-control serving machine.
It didn't used to be this way. Remember how, back in the day, the left made great strides in pushing for reform? Take for instance abolition, women's suffrage, prison reform, etc. Many of these causes were pushed forward by using the language of reverence (and many of the causes were led by UUs). Just look at how MLK (Okay, not a UU, but he's still a valid example for my main argument.) used religious rhetoric to turn the nation on it's ear, appealing to people's consciences through Biblical imagery. This use of reverent language is rarely seen today from our side, largely because so many on the left are afraid of proclaiming their faith--whether that be humanist-atheism, monism, Buddhism, Christianity, whatever--for fear of abandoning the secularists. The problem then becomes making the secularists in our camp understand and be comfortable with a new rhetorical strategy.
To the degree we allow fundamentalists and politicians and advertisers to conscript religious language, we are less effective in sharing our faith, the prophetic part of our faith which moves against injustice and injury.
The point?: In debates, both theological and political, people often only understand you (let alone listen to you) if you address them in their own language. So, let's get re-acquainted with an old tongue and learn to use it to better frame our arguments.
This looks like another good album to buy this year.
No Doubt Contribute Track To Sublime Tribute Album The band have contributed their live version of Sublime's "D.J.s" to Look At All The Love We Found...A Tribute to Sublime. The album hits stores on June 21st. Other musicians contributing tracks include Fishbone, Jack Johnson, Mike Watt, G Love, Ozomatli, Avail, Pennywise, Los Lobos plus many others. A portion of the album's proceeds will go to the Milagro Foundation and MusiCares/MAP and all of the proceeds from No Doubt's track will go the charities as well.
Joe is growing up so fast--too fast, if you ask me.
Last week, he decided to start spending nights in his "big-boy bed," which is the twin set we've been using as a sort of couch in his room. We're proud that he made the switch on his own, but a little sad that he's not a baby any more.
This Sunday, we attended a meeting at our local pizza joint, Satchel's, with other progressive parents to begin working on forming a preschool co-op in the ReggioEmiliastyle. We're really excited about it, but the task ahead seems a bit daunting. At least we're not in it alone, though; around 30 families attended the first meeting. Alas, this also means Joe is one step closer to going to school and being away from me all day.
And finally, yesterday, he switched from calling me "Mamma" to "Mommie." All I could think was how sad it will be when he's too grown up to say "Mommie" and switches to "Mom." Sigh.
On our wedding day, April 3, 1999I know, I know, I haven't written in a while. I just haven't felt like it. I'm forcing myself to write this now, but at least I have something nice to write about: We had a beautiful family day yesterday. Joe watched Bill and I renew our wedding vows from the window room in the sanctuary. "Why renew your vows after only six years," you ask? Well, let's just say we've had a tough year.
We and seven other couples renewed our commitments to our relationships during a ceremony that took place during Sunday service and was presided over by Rev. Barbara Jamestone, who gave a wonderful sermon on the issues of commitment, covenants, and forgiveness.
The best part of the ceremony for me, of course, was Bill's small speech to me, which was so wonderful and poetic I burst into tears and completely forgot what I had planned on saying. I then unpoetically adlibbed something about him being the most patient man on the planet and how grateful I am for his friendship, trust, and love.
He truly is a wonderful man, and I'm a very lucky woman.
Friday, April 01, 2005 Happy Birthday to Me! A 30-Year Retrospectacle
I'm an Aries named after a bird born on AprilFool'sDay in the Year of the Rabbit, and what a trip it's been so far! Today's the day I turn 30, and as I wrote earlier, I'm posting an exercise in humility--a photo history of my life so far. I know image isn't everyhing, and it's what's inside that counts, but my personality has always been intrinsically tied to (and expreseed via) my physical appearance. Therefore, I've selected the photos that best represent the milestones of my life and still-blossoming personality. Enjoy!
