Panentheist
Infinte Sanctuary - Observer: Febr 2010
Posted on: 02/07/2010 14:31
Response to:
Infinite Sanctuary!
By: Kevin Spurgaitis
Observer: Feb 2010
This month’s lead story has me very enthused as it causes the reader to think and talk about our relationship with the universe we are a part of and God whom we revere and worship.
We continuously struggle with the questions about who we are, where we come from and the purpose of our being here.
For a very long time we were given to understand that we could find our answers in the Bible --- all we had to do was read and study the Bible, listen to our ministers and pray to God for enlightenment. This recipe has been around for millennia and our Western Christian mindset is its product.
In the last few centuries however this has changed. Education has accelerated and more and more questions, especially scientific, are being asked. In addition more and more people are traveling which resulted in people becoming more aware of and acquainted with the planet they call home. Beneficial as that development was, the guidelines we used to live by have hardly changed. Despite the fact that our knowledge and understanding about the Bible and its message also has changed drastically (for the better, I might say), and despite the fact that the United Church of Canada has recently (Aug 2006) adopted a new “Song of Faith” (an updated statement of our beliefs), the approach to our liturgy has changed little.
Enter the Observer! It is not too long ago that a new editor has been hired and as so often happens, this resulted in a new approach. That approach is noticeably more closely aligned with a contemporary mindset, with the current article (“Infinite Sanctuary” by Kevin Spurgaitus) being one example. The changes that have me so excited deal, among other things, with the interview with Prof Joel R. Primack (and his wife Nancy E. Abrams) about his understanding of the universe we live in and the part we play in it. All I can do is strongly suggest you get yourself a copy of his book (“The view from the center of the universe”) from Amazon.ca. To me this is a “must” read for a clearer understanding of the reality about our universe and its relationships.
Other physicists mentioned are Sagan, Stephen Hawkins, Steven Weinber and others who have, or are showing, an interest in the location of the “God” particle, the smallest particle known thus far.
Another subject in the Observer article deals with the chronology of the universe. When the history of our celestial home is mentioned in a worship setting, we always hear the story told from the point of view of Genesis 1 & 2. With all due respect, that chronology doesn’t come near to giving us the facts in the sequence we know to have happened. An example of this misinformation, and its consequences, can be found in a book written by Jane Goodal, “Reasons for Hope”. In chapters 7,8 & 9 she deals at length with the fact that Chimpanzees, hunted, engaged in warfare, murdered and cannibalized fellow chimps long before humanity was around to teach them those gruesome actions. The obvious question is what we are to make of that morsel of knowledge when educating our offspring?
Finally, I want to refer you to a book (“Cause for Hope”) by past moderator Bill Phipps. It stitches all three books, mentioned above, into a tapestry that has ecological overtones. The most important overtone, in my opinion, is the one that urges us to do our homework in order to be able to understand reality as it is. The prime example of this is encapsulated in the creation story as we have had it poured into our brains from the Bible and how it differs from the facts. It is because of misinformation like that that much of Christianity is struggling with the weight of the Fall-Redemption paradigm which has created, and still is creating, havoc with any number of relationships.
Moderator Phipps makes the point that this is detrimental to our society, as societies live by the stories they tell. It therefore behooves us that we bite the bullet and tell a new story, one that comes as close as possible to being aligned with common knowledge. Another example from the “Song of Faith” tells us that Jesus did not die to pay for our sins, but that he died because he was perceived to be a thorn in the government’s side.
The upshot? I am grateful for the Observer publishing this material and wish them well. Keep challenging us with material such as this so that we can grow together.
Peter VanderKam.
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