QUOTE: Open-minded search for truth

“On this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to re-arrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.”
- El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), from his 1964 "Letter from Mecca"

QUOTE: Human being first and foremost

“I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda. I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”-
- El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X), The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Chapter Nineteen “1965”

At this point in my life

At this point in my life, I feel that there is so much that human beings have come to understand about the natural universe and I don’t want to pretend that those advances haven’t been made (I think the sciences can help us with this). And yet, at the same time, I realize that there so much mystery and meaning left to be explored in regards to the human condition (I think this is where art, religion and faith have been helpful).

I continue to enjoy the exploration and the openness of seeking wisdom wherever it can be found and firmly believe that we can learn something from everyone. I am not as certain in my views as before, but I feel that I am in a more honest place than ever.

At times I feel like a restless soul walking on a lonely road, but I am encouraged knowing that I am not alone; that there are other "wrestlers" out there.

Would I be bothered if Jesus didn’t really exist?

I was recently asked the following question in response to one of my recent posts:

THE QUESTION:

“Does it bother you that there is very little evidence that Jesus existed at all? It is quite possible historically he did not, as there are no Roman execution records or contemporary writings confirming his existence. I exclude the Gospels as they appear later sometime after 75 AD… I find the New Testament to be a poor moral compass and that rational thought and reason serve as better tools to solve moral dilemmas.”

MY RESPONSE:

First, I don’t base my moral judgments on what the Bible says. I, too, find many (but not all) of the moral recommendations found therein to be outdated and less than helpful. I see the Bible primarily as a resource, not a revelation. I have often said, the Bible tells me more about the humans who wrote it than the “God” it describes.

Secondly, I have considered the possibility that a historical Jesus may have never existed and, I’d like to think that, at this point in my life, my admiration of the character of Jesus would not be too disturbed should that be the case. I would still admire the wisdom to be found in the Jesus stories- even if most (if not all) of them are largely legendary or fictional. In fact, part of me thinks that the actual, factual truth of what Jesus may have said or done is a mystery forever lost in antiquity. It seems that all we can do, at this point, is to investigate the available evidence from reliable sources and speculate endlessly about the rest.

However, I am of the opinion that the Jesus stories are based on some historical figure, even if they are symbolic legends or polemical documents designed to communicate a certain community’s beliefs, values and concerns. I feel the same way about allegedly historical figures like Socrates, Moses, Lao Tzu, Confucius and Siddhartha Gautama. I suspect that historical versions of these individuals existed only to be “deified” over the centuries as stories were told (and retold) by their followers and admirers.

Can we really know for certain as to what any of these individuals have either said or done, considering that it is very likely that none of them ever wrote down or recorded any of their teachings? And, if they did write anything down, can we really be sure that those documents weren’t misplaced or amended by later generations?

I don’t place a lot of faith in the accuracy of human memory, and I have absolutely no confidence in the idea that there are such things as objective, disinterested historians or storytellers. In my view, when it comes to human beings: nobody is neutral.

I have jokingly predicted amongst my friends that, in the centuries to come, historical figures like Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi will become deified in very much the same way.

Ultimately, I think our responses to history and legend will depend heavily on our own personal experiences, available information, cultural contexts and individual trust levels. Even when equipped with the same facts, we all seem to come to different conclusions as to how to interpret the information.

All we can do is make the best use our analytical tools, rational faculties, proven methods and our better judgment in order to discern reliable and meaningful information from errors and falsehoods.

POEM: "Dare I Ask?"

Dare I ask…
…when I don’t expect an answer?

But sometimes...sometimes...
asking and knocking leads to unlocking
So I dare.

Here I am, Lord.
A heretical human engaged in honest prayer

Are you a divine creative essence
or are you a created being?
Are you the ageless mystery born of myth?
Or an imaginary thing?

Are you the cosmic ruler of all that is?
The heavenly parent who provides for all our needs?
Or are you an invisible collage of our developing ideals
called upon to justify our deeds?

Are you an anthropomorphic construct
of philosophers and theologians?
A personification of our conscience?

Are you hero to those who suffer…
who continually wait for the deliverance
that they believe you promised?

Are you the otherworldly overseer of golden streets and crystal seas
Supreme object of our eternal adoration

Exorcist of the demonic
Broker of conditional salvation

Director of otherworldly dramas
Shepherd of every bullet gone astray
Vengeful agent of bizarre justice
Puppeteer of nature’s dreadful ways

Are you the psychological patchwork
of projected prejudice and human fear?


Are you even there?
Can you even hear?


Creator, almighty and in control?
Did you make us in your image to till?
Or did we create an image of you
to fill this hole we feel?

We share a desire for security
To be certain of what it is that we can and cannot hold
Trying to make sense out of this life
Your silent shadow seems so cold

I don’t think that I can trust you
A restless soul, I walk this road
I don’t know what to believe
Suspicious of those who speak so bold

Not sure that my scattered thoughts can offer any consolation
to the faithful ones who grieve
For me, prayer feels more like a placebo
yet I pray that I am not deceived

I believe that honesty is holy
Unaware, we feel around and grope
Finding sacred meanings
in whatever helps us cope

I believe that honesty is holy
Unaware, we feel around and grope

I’m not sure that I believe in heaven
but I still believe in hope

# # #

Using Jesus as a Guiding Model

In contemplating the most accurate way to describe my own religious affiliation (should I be asked by fellow churchgoers), I have given long thought to one my good friend's approaches of responding according to the primary religious model and/or framework that has shaped one's outlook on life; which for us is the person of Jesus.

I was reminded of this approach after my friend refered me to Malcolm Dalglish’s hymn “Paradise” where Jesus is imaged as the “flame that lights the way.” I could really relate to my friend's reflection that- even if he doesn’t believe in certain Christian doctrines- there are still those aspects of Jesus' "life, teaching, example, and person” that serve as “the light by which (we) discern things.”

I totally agree.

Although I think Jesus went way too far in some of the things he was believed to have said and despite the fact that I have serious intellectual difficulty in (1) embracing his ideas about otherworldly matters, (2) accepting the authority he seems to assume for himself and (3) believing the Gospel’s miracle stories as historical facts, I still admire Jesus greatly and find wisdom in his approach to life, humility, conflict-resolution, service and ethics. As I have said before, I blame his Good Samaritan story for making me a humanist!

All that to say, I cannot deny that my personal outlook on life has been profoundly shaped by the one they called Jesus.

I consider myself to be an "admirer of Jesus." It seems too dishonest for me to say I am a “follower of Jesus” considering that- in the most literal sense- I have not done what those characters in the Gospels who actually followed Jesus were asked to do; I’d dare say that few of us who confidently claim allegiance to Jesus' way us have actually gone that far with it. I suspect that those of us who attend Christian churches have fashioned an easier, more formulaic, less-demanding and distorted form of Jesus’ gospel in order to make us feel better about failing to actually emulate his example.

Even though I’m pretty far along in my discarding of traditional Christian dogma, I do take the idea of following Jesus seriously and wish more people allowed themselves room to really “count the cost” and consider the implications of such a major commitment.In light of this, I try to use the life of Jesus (primarily based on my reading of the Synoptic Gospels) as a guiding model and hermeneutic to discern his interests and priorities from those of the early Church. I, like many others who have pursued this line of thought, think there is a profound difference in the two.

Before I realized how unoriginal this notion was, I had long wondered: Why does the Jesus who preached the "Sermon on the Mount" seem so far removed from the emphasized teachings and practices of the contemporary Christian church? Why was the Sermon on the Mount’s “almost-humanistic” Jesus (so practical and so human) seem so different from the ethereal and cosmic character of The Savior Christ that millions of individuals worship and call upon? Why do I gravitate to the former figure while so many gravitate to the latter?

How refreshing it would be if my Christian brothers and sisters could at least admit that many of our contemporary churches tend to emphasize and demand conformity in things that Jesus didn’t seem to stress about (i.e., the great commission to “go ye therefore”, public prayer, adherence to notions of biblical inerrancy, papal infallibility, advancing pro-Christian political agendas, condemning homosexuality, creationism, intimidating non-Christians and “sinners” with the threat of hell, the idea that one’s salvation is contingent upon one’s acceptance of certain doctrines, etc.) whereas Jesus himself seemed to stress a lot of things that many of our more dogmatic evangelical churches seem to downplay (i.e., the great commandment to “love God and neighbor”, loving and praying for one’s enemies, selling all possessions and giving to the poor, being non-violent, being merciful, forbidding divorce, praying only in private, being service-minded, turning the other cheek, intimidating the apathetic religious hypocrites of his day with the threat of hell, and the idea that one’s salvation is contingent upon one’s compassionate behavior/willingness to forgive others, etc.).

How I wish I could get more of my Christian friends to at least agree with me on that point!I also can’t help but notice how many “bible-believing churches” base their beliefs and faith claims on things that Jesus was likely to have never said (for example, the material found primarily in the Gospel of John and the New Testament letters).

Though I am visiting, I refuse to ever join a church that seeks to teach me how to frame the world into an “us-versus-them” of believers and “hell-bound” non-believers; that teaches young children to reject the most credible scientific insights; that teaches members how to suppress the faculty of reason; and who actively pressure children and adults into professing “a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.”

I say that is only one understanding of the gospel, and- thank goodness- not the only way.

Where are the fellowships that focus more on teaching congregants how to cultivate the fortitude to forgive others “seventy times seven;” how to develop the maturity and contentment needed to part ways with self-absorption and mindless consumerism; how to use what you have to serve those who are in need; how to regularly escape to quiet, secluded places to pray mindfully; how to empathize with the outcasts, orphans and widows; and how to evangelize without words by extending merciful “Samaritan” hands to those of different cultures, beliefs and traditions?

Does one have to become a Buddhist or a mystic in order to engage in spiritual practices that would help them to live closer to the way of Jesus?

Can creative outlets save the world?

I found this post to be an inspiring and awesome call to action; especially as the author refers to the artistic ambitions of the young Adolf Hitler. Can creative outlets help us to address some of the gravest issues facing our civilization (war, violence, terrorism, etc.)? I dare think so. Yes, perhaps it really is that simple. 

The post caused me to recall the chilling words of Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “Boy Breaking Glass” in which she says, “I shall create! If not a note, a hole. If not an overture, a desecration.” 

Creation will occur. Regardless. The question is: What will be the nature of the creation?

I am deeply interested in art therapy and psychology. And I have always been drawn to stories of young people who have been encouraged to vent their frustration and confusion through an artistic outlet of some sort (whether or not they become professional artists). 

Last year, I had the privilege to teach a class on editorial cartooning to a group of middle-school children with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program. It was amazing to see what could come out of a quiet child who had never tapped into their creative potential. Regardless of their artistic skill, it was clear that these kids had something important to say about the issues that mattered to them. It was life-changing for me and reinforced for me the important place that creative expression occupies in human life.

We’ve heard about rappers who would’ve been drug dealers. We’ve heard about jazz artists who would’ve been hustlers. We’ve heard about at-risk youth who find redemption and cathartic release through public theatre.

The profession doesn’t matter as much to me as the therapeutic nature of creating. So I totally agree with a comment on the post that said, “Sometimes, the simple act of being quiet with a bunch of markers and paper for an hour or two can be therapeutic, whatever the artistic value of the finished work.”

I know that worked for me. As a child, I loved to draw stick figures. Soon I started studying the work of comic book artists my illustrations began to improve. A whole new world opened up. Realizing my interest in drawing, my grandmother would bring home reams of printing paper that her company would throw away so that I could have drawing materials. “From so humble a beginning…” Such is creation.

There is so much creative energy inside us that needs to be directed. I believe that repressing the impulses to create and to contribute will only hurt us in the end. In my view, creative expression is going to happen no matter what and any efforts to actively repress/suppress/oppress those impulses will only ensure that the later expressions of those impulses will take more malignant and unhealthy forms. (Recall: "I shall create...if not a note, a hole...")

I say we help people discover constructive outlets for their creative impulses. 

I can only speculate as to what my life would have been like without my creative outlets. I believe that realizing my creative potential so early in life kept me free from a lot of the troubling traps native to a lower-class, urban environment. I am convinced that my having an artistic outlet contributed greatly in helping me to grow and mature. 

Art was a consolation for me through lonely, boring and quiet times. It was how I believed the “divine” communicated with me. When I was confused or disjointed, I could always find refuge in the act of creating; and I still do.

I believe art helps us to process life. By cultivating the creative impulse, we develop new ways to looking, listening, touching and tasting the world around us and exploring the depths within.

I make my money as a public relations executive, but I am an artist who thrives off the creative process- both at work and at home; whether I am playing guitar, sketching illustrations, composing a poem, or writing a blog post. 

I do these things, not to make money- but to make “me.”