Category: Religion

An Israeli President and Saudi Arabian King Eat Dinner

by Administrator, posted in Islam, Judaism, Politics, Religion

This past week saw a two day meeting at the United Nations promoting dialogue on religion and culture. This interfaith event was attended by seventeen heads of state and government, including Israel, the US, Britain, and several Arab countries. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia organized the conference. The big news was that Israeli President Peres Shimon and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia managed to eat dinner together in the same room.

Not the same table mind you, the same room. And hey, that IS big news. If you want the in depth reasons as to why, I happily direct you to “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Middle East Conflict” by Mitchell Bard, Ph.D.. Hopefully you’ll have better luck wrapping your brain around it than I did. However, to sum up, in case you didn’t know, traditionally Arabs and Jews don’t get along.

There was criticism as to how legitimate this conference could be when it was put together by Abdullah, Saudi Arabia not being known for its tolerance of other faiths. Many organizations who I deeply respect spoke out about this, such as Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. That’s why it pains me to say this….shut up. I’ve spoken out against Saudi Arabia for its lack of what we here in America call First Amendment rights, but you know what? Israeli President Shimon and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia ate in the same room. Anyone who really thinks that human rights will be protected by these guys NOT interacting raise your hand. If you’re hand is up, than to you I also say, shut up. If not for this event, I never would have had the joyful opportunity to read this:

When Mr. Peres took to the floor, he broke off from his prepared speech to address King Abdullah directly.

“Your Majesty, the king of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I was listening to your message. I wish that your voice will become the prevailing voice of the whole region, of all people. It’s right. It’s needed. It’s promising.

“The initiative’s portrayal of our region’s future provides hope to the people and inspires confidence in the nations.”

Did you see that? They listened to each other. No, there won’t suddenly be peace and all the religious freedom a gal could want in the middle east, but moments like this remind us all, that all governments, religious movements, and organizations are at their heart comprised of individuals. And that lurking inside every individual is the capacity for love, forgiveness, and respect. Except for me, I’m a bitch.

But to prove that even I am capable of forgiveness and respect, I present to you our President.

“Today, the United States is carrying on that noble tradition by making religious liberty a central element of our foreign policy. We’ve established a Commission on the International Religious Freedom to monitor the state of religious liberty worldwide. We strongly encourage nations to understand that religious freedom is the foundation of a healthy and hopeful society. We’re not afraid to stand with religious dissidents and believers who practice their faith, even where it is unwelcome.”

Amen George, Amen.

Magical Buffet Mythology: Pandora

by Administrator, posted in Mythology, Religion

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

We all know the story of Pandora, or do we? It is a simple one, right? Woman is given box, told never to open it, opens the box, evil shoots out all over the place, except for hope, the end. What if I told you Pandora wasn’t just any woman, but the first woman, and that she quite possibly has been given a retroactive bad wrap, would you click to read more?

Hey, thanks for clicking in! As I was saying, it’s often forgotten or overlooked knowledge that Pandora was the first woman. In Greek myth Hephaestus crafted her body and Athena gave her intelligence (later renditions have all the Olympians giving her gifts which coincides with her name Pandora, given to her by Hermes, which means All Gifted). Pandora, and all womankind that came after, were created in retribution for Prometheus gifting fire to humanity. In later versions, just in case the wicked nature of woman wasn’t enough punishment, Pandora was given a jar (which later still became a box) that held nothing but evils. Zeus gave Pandora to Epimetheus and wouldn’t you know it, she immediately scatters the contents of the jar. The only thing left in the jar was hope.

Still a fairly basic story, right? Let’s delve deeper, shall we? Pandora’s name, although frequently referenced as above to mean All Gifted, has been reconsidered by most scholars to actually translate into Giver of All or All Endowed. This name tends to strip away the Greek gods, doesn’t it? Add in a full jar, always a good symbol of the womb, and you may have some sort of proto-Greek fertility deity. Enter the Greek pantheon and their need for a mythology. Where did woman come from? Why is there evil in the world? And faster than you can say, “Eve picked an apple” Pandora is created by the Gods to be the downfall of man by letting loose a bevy of evils from her jar.

Even if you ignore my overtly feminist rendition of the above paragraph, there are still many things about the myth that are open to interpretation, theory, and opinion. I find it surprising because generally regardless of how simplistic the story is, most mythological/religious texts wrap up loose ends and stop up any gaps. Yet here are a few things about Pandora’s story to consider.

Why is hope still in the jar? It doesn’t escape the jar and enter the world, so is hope held back in the jar for humanity’s benefit or punishment? Essentially, is hope being saved for us, or withheld from us? In order for us to experience the evils of the jar, they had to be freed from the container, so what does it say that hope is still locked away? Of course, hope of what? Everything else in the jar was evil, why was hope in that mix? Was it a blessing trapped in the jar with curses, or was it some sort of evil hope, which we were spared by it being left behind? See what I’m talking about?

Moreover, there is the classic did she jump or was she pushed kind of question. Did Pandora intentionally open the jar, knowing what it contained? Did she open it out of curiosity due to ignorance of its contents? It’s unclear whether Pandora acted with intent to cause harm or not.

Pandora endures, whether it’s as the no good woman who opened up the literal Pandora’s box for the world, a curious woman who accidentally doomed us all, or as a deity commandeered into mortality to serve as a lesson regarding the evils of woman. Pandora and her jar/box are referenced frequently in modern times, more often it seems than Zeus, who commanded her creation, and certainly more than any of the Greek poets who helped establish her story. Perhaps despite her rough lot in life, she’s come out on top.

10 Questions with Peggy Levitt

by Administrator, posted in Books, Interviews, Religion

1. Can you tell my readers a little bit about your book “God Needs No Passport”?
God Needs No Passport is the story of how new immigrants are changing the American religious landscape and making it just as global as our economy and politics. It’s based on conversations with people from Brazil, Ireland, India, and Pakistan who live in the Boston area and with their friends and family members back home.

Our debates about immigration in this country are out-of-sync with how people actually live their everyday lives in three ways. First, when we think about immigration, most Americans expect people to trade in their membership cards in the countries that they come from for a membership card in the United States. The reality is that more and more people continue to invest, build homes, and vote in their homelands at the same time that they start businesses, establish religious congregations, and join the P.T.A. right here. This is a good thing for our country because they are the bridge builders, translators, and religious diplomats we so desperately need.

Second, when we think about religion, most people assume we mean Judeo-Christianity. The type of religious beliefs and practices that many newcomers import do not fall neatly into the model of “bibles, buildings, and boys” or the assumption that religious life takes place in a formal building, where there is a book we all believe in, that a male leader teaches us about. For many of the people I spoke with, there was a great deal of overlap between religion and culture. Faith spilled over into their living rooms, the schoolyard, and the workplace. What they do outside the walls of official religious buildings is much more important than what they do inside them. If we are concerned about deepening and strengthening religious pluralism in this country, we need to learn to think outside the Christian box.

Finally, just as we learn to think outside the Christian box, so we need to think outside the nation-state box. Grasping that people earn their livings, participate in elections campaigns, or raise children across borders is challenging because many of us take for granted that the world has been and always will be organized into sovereign nation-states. But such a view is short on history. Capitalism, imperial and colonial regimes, anti-slavery and workers’ rights campaigns, illegal pirating networks, and, of course, religions have always crossed borders.

Assuming that social life automatically takes place within a national container blinds us to the way the world actually works. Assuming that political outcomes are decided nationally doesn’t give enough credit to political and social movements involving activists around the world. Taking literally the label, “Made in the U.S.A.” ignores the fact that some piece of that garment was probably made in Latin America or Asia. Eberhard Sandschneider, the Research Director at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin got it right when he told the 2005 Davos delegates that what we are increasingly seeing is a multidimensional system in which states work with businesses and civil society through a dense web of international and interdisciplinary networks. Bush administration officials, who told the members of the 9-11 Independent Commission that what happened was completely beyond their imagination because they could not envision a terrorist operation organized across borders, nor did they have the capacity to respond to one, got it dangerously wrong. So many of the problems we face are transnational problems that need transnational solutions.

2. Why did you decide to research the connections between immigration and religion?
I have been studying immigration for close to 20 years. My first book, The Transnational Villagers, was about people from a small village in the Dominican Republic who settled in one particular neighborhood in Boston. I was fascinated by how the people who moved and the people who stayed behind continued to occupy the same social space, and save money, raise children, and worship together, even though they were separated by physical distance. The Catholic church played a big role in helping them do that. Much research on immigration has left out religion and I thought it was time to change that.

3. How do discuss with a stranger sensitive topics such as religion and patriotism?
I felt incredibly fortunate to share people’s “religious biographies.” Most people I spoke to were extremely generous and open. They want people to understand what they believe in and thought I might help them get their stories out.

4. In your opinion, is religion a threat to America? Is religion dangerous?
Despite predictions of secularization, religion is clearly here to stay. Are there people out there who hold extreme values and want to convince the rest of us of their truth? Of course. But that is religion at the margins. The vast majority of people fall in the religious middle. They care about family and community. They care about good jobs, housing, and the environment. They fall along all sides of the political spectrum and, therefore, represent potential partners on all kinds of issues. The religious right has controlled the political use of religion for too long and its time for the left to reclaim religion and use it to promote progressive causes.

5. What was one of the most surprising things you discovered in your research?
One big surprise was how much people’s transnational connections change over the generations. Let’s take the case of Irish immigrants. The new Irish leave behind the “Celtic Tiger” — a country that is richer and more powerful than ever before. The parents of second and third generation Irish Americans left behind a country that was desperately poor. While these Irish Americans still think of Ireland as the place of leprechauns, green beer, and thatched roof cottages, their contemporary counterparts think of computers and condos. When these newcomers and old-timers meet, an interesting generational clash results.

6. Can you tell my readers about the Transnational Studies Initiative?
TSI is an attempt to get people who are concerned about all kinds of economic, social, and political cross border processes to talk to one another. I work on transnational migration and religion. My co-founder researches transnational social movements and politics. We knew there were many researchers and practitioners doing this work around the world but they did not see themselves as part of the same conversation. Nor had they really rethought things like citizenship, belonging, or identity in response to this shared conversation. TSI organizes these encounters. We’ve also published The Transnational Studies Reader to share our perspective with students and practitioners and to specify how it differs from other ways of thinking about global processes.

7. How can the global community benefit from all of this?
I’ve been amazed at the level of nationalism driving much of the 2008 presidential campaign. A case in point is all the “America First” signs that we saw at the Republican convention. Many Americans are fearful of people who hold multiple loyalties. They say that dual citizenship is like polygamy – it’s impossible to be loyal to two countries at the same time. But this is in our future. And it is entirely possible to be an active, contributing member of two places simultaneously. Immigrants are miles ahead of the rest of us because they have let go of false dichotomies like either/or, in or out and show the rest of us how to live in a global world. We should celebrate and emulate their example rather than thwart it.

8. What’s next for you and your work?
I’m turning to arts and culture. I’m interested in how national artistic and cultural institutions, which were created, in part, to create national publics, change when national life no longer obeys national boundaries. I’m curious about how much these institutions recognize these demographic changes and how they respond to them. I’d like to explore this by looking at museums, media outlets, and American universities that are setting up campuses abroad.

9. With your experiences traveling for your research, what’s the best advice you can offer the international traveler?
Be humble and respectful. Listen much more than you speak because there is so much to learn.

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question.
I’d like to know more about who your readers are.
Thanks for this opportunity to share my work with you.

I cannot accurately answer that excellent question. Thanks to the wondrous anonymity of the Internet, I’m not sure who reads The Magical Buffet. I would like to think cool people like Stephen Colbert and Joss Whedon check my website daily for information and entertainment, but despite my best rum fueled fantasies; I doubt that’s the case. What I do know is that anyone who reads my site regularly and enjoys it is someone who would probably like me. The Magical Buffet now more than ever, thanks to the relaunch we did in July, is a pretty accurate reflection of who I am, despite that fact, we keep gaining more readers. It’s nice to feel liked.


Bio
Peggy Levitt is Associate Professor of Sociology at Wellesley College and a Research Fellow at The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University where she co-directs The Transnational Studies Initiative. Her book, God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape was published by The New Press in July 2007. The Transnational Studies Reader was also published by Routledge Press in 2007. Her first book, The Transnational Villagers, was published by the University of California Press in 2001.

Peggy Levitt is:

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology Wellesley College (http://www.peggylevitt.org)

Author of God Needs No Passport:Immigrants and the Changing American
Religious Landscape

Co-Director of the Transnational Studies Initiative and Associate at The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Harvard University

Diversity Daze

by Administrator, posted in Religion, Wiccan/Pagan

My last post for October was going to be my super awesome interview with Peggy Levitt, but it looks like she will be kicking off November instead. What could cause me to bump one of the interviews I’m most proud to have done? The spat of concerned emails sent to me about Pinkerton Academy’s Diversity Week. Weird, yes? If you agree, you’ll be clicking in right about now.

On Friday October 24, 2008 the Union Leader’s website ran an article called “The Truth about Witches”. Kimberley Pietz’s article outlined the saga of 17 year-old Pinkerton senior Jerica Haynes. As on out of the broom closet Wiccan, with a practicing mother and grandmother by the by, Haynes was asked to put together a presentation on Wicca for the school’s Diversity Week. After a month she had put together a presentation that was “as factual and historically accurate as possible” and “did not contain obscenities or violence”.

Obviously you can imagine her surprise, when after having been asked to give the presentation she was told she would be unable to deliver it due to complaints the school had received from concerned parents.

According to the article, parents called the school to complain that the presentation was inappropriate. Although Robin Perrin, Director of Relations Management at the school, went on to explain that the issue for parents was that whole classes sign up for some Diversity Week presentations, and there was a fear that the Wicca presentation would be mandatory for students whose class signed up to attend the presentation.

There are talks of Haynes giving the presentation to the diversity committee and if they deem it okay, she may be able to give her presentation after school with attendance being voluntary.

Okay, let’s all take a step back and break this one down. First, how awesome is it that their school does a Diversity Week where there are presentations given on different religions, cultures, and countries? My school didn’t do anything like that, neither did Jim’s. Did yours? So let’s give credit where credit is due, big thumbs up to Pinkerton Academy for even putting on a Diversity Week.

Although I’d like to personally give a big thumbs down to all the parents who were concerned their children would be forced to watch a presentation about Wicca. I can’t even imagine. Are they afraid of recruitment? Are they afraid Haynes will bewitch them? I mean, I get the whole, you can’t force my kid thing, I really do understand concerned parents. At the same time, what’s the deal? It’s a presentation that even Haynes’ mother confirmed in the article “was not trying to recruit anyone to the religion”. As one of the fastest growing religions, perhaps your kid having a clue as to what Wicca is about wouldn’t be a horrible plan.

Before I just ramble on about how annoying I find those parents I should point something out. Many people who emailed me expressed frustration that a Rabbi gave a presentation called “A Rabbi’s Life” yet Haynes’ presentation on Wicca got cancelled. A careful second reading of the article shows that he “spoke about what it means to be Jewish to an audience that attended on a voluntary basis.” As we recall, parents were concerned attendance to the Wicca presentation would not be voluntary. Now perhaps there were some mandatory presentations given on other religions, but all I have is this article to go by.

Here’s a question I wish Pietz had asked, “Did everyone have to give their presentations to the diversity committee before being allowed to give it, even if attendance was voluntary?” I get where the school is going with their whole after school voluntary attendance solution. I don’t like it, but I get it. What I want to know is, Haynes has to prove her voluntarily attended and now after school presentation is okay, did everyone who gave mandatory presentations have to do the same? If Haynes was singled out, even after getting bumped to after school and after Diversity Week is over, that would be most suckful.

To make a long post short, don’t offer me a Diversity Week unless you mean it Pinkerton Academy.

Mopaditis

by Administrator, posted in Creatures, Mythology, Paranormal, Religion

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

What happens to us when we die is, in my opinion, one of those questions that we can never truly answer. There’s only one way to get your answer, and trust me, it’s a killer. (Insert rim shot here.) The way people have answered this question has influenced religion, philosophy, and entire cultures. It explains the fascination with the study of the paranormal; it defines the Spiritualist faith. What happens to us after we die is a multimillion-dollar industry, and an intimate puzzle for each human to solve for themselves. There’s the potential for ghosts, poltergeists, spirits, angels, and more. For the Aborigines, there are the mopaditis.

These are the spirits of the dead. They are incorporeal and invisible in daylight. Mopaditis are white in the light of the moon and black in the dark. It is said they still look just like a human, but given their visual temperament, I think it would be hard to say if you actually saw one. A human who encounters a mopaditis will at best experience clammy hands and their hair standing on end, at worst paralysis.

There is a connection between the mopaditis and black cockatoos. A flock of black cockatoos escorts the mopaditis back to its birthplace, all the while crying out, to announce the spirit’s arrival.

Not being from Australia, let alone one of their Aboriginal people, I cannot tell you more, I don’t know it to tell. And the more I think about it, good. The mopaditis are their answer to the question, not mine.

Worthless Religion

by Administrator, posted in Christianity/Catholicism, Guest Authors, Religion

by J. Kip Givens

I don’t have a lot of patience for religion or religious people! Frankly, religion makes me ill and religious people bring out the worst in me. Religion is filled with hollow ideas that don’t seem to be followed by her hypocritical followers.

Now let me explain. I am an ordained Protestant minister. I have planted two churches in 2 different states and have pastored at another church prior to that for 8 years. I have studied at religious institutions, attended conferences, written manuals, and taught people around the world. In the midst of all that, I can’t stand religion or religious people.

Why? Because religion has it all wrong. Not necessarily in what they say, though some are missing the mark there as well, but in how they live out their religious lives. And it’s not just the Christians; it is all of these religions filled with their hypocrites and lives filled with double standards. Worldviews that are filled with doctrines and dogmas and traditions that have nothing to do with the stated main purpose of their existence or of their Supreme Being. Structures that are built, not for service of others, but rather for their own boasting and comfort. People who are card carrying members to heighten their social status and feelings of elitism and not for the worship of a Creator and Supreme Being and then fulfilling the ultimate purpose of helping others throughout the journey.

Am I opposed to faith and spirituality? Absolutely not! In fact, I think they are the most important things in life and should be the cornerstones of our existence. But let’s be clear: Religion and spirituality are two different things! Some might say that I am dealing only in semantics here, but religion and spirituality truly are two completely different things. Maybe not in everyone’s mind, but they are two completely different expressions and result in different actions and consequences.

Religion is identified by its creeds and letters of the law – all of which are dead expressions of a once life giving idea. The result is arrogance from an idea and a feeling of superiority and an “us vs. them” mentality to all who don’t agree with their said system. Spirituality on the other hand is organic and feeds off of the expressions of living out life-giving ideas and ideals at every turn. It produces compassion and the ability to identify with people and their individual nuances – whether understood or not. The result is people living their lives for a greater purpose than some organized religious system – they live their lives for the benefit of other people.

What’s The Point?

So…what’s the point here? Religion’s value is in itself. Religion exists solely to perpetuate it’s own existence and sustainability as a purveyor of “laws” and “right and wrong behaviors”. Spirituality’s value, on the other hand, is found in the ethic of reciprocity. Simply put, spiritual people are consumed with the idea of sharing their good fortunes with others. They recognize what has been imparted to them and they want to pass it on, or as the popular phrase is, “pay it forward”. They live their lives with the knowledge that everything they say and do affects someone else and they make a conscious effort to make it something worth passing on. They also know and recognize that by living their lives this way they honor their Creator and Supreme Being.

Some may say that that is how religions operate. Religion speaks of reciprocity or a concept that is commonly known as The Golden Rule. True, but when was the last time you truly identified religion with that concept.

I don’t think the people of Europe in the 11th, 12th or 13th centuries would agree that religion followed the ethic of reciprocity considering the Catholic Crusaders who were constantly raiding, harassing and killing anyone who didn’t believe like them.

Or the people of 16th century France who were embattled in a fierce conflict between the Roman Catholics and the Hugenots, commonly known as the War of Religions.

What about other religions? In Muhammad’s time, the pagans of the Arabian peninsula were asked for submission to Islam as a condition for the continuation of their lives. Jews, Christians and Sabeans were forced to become dhimmis, pay a special tax (jizya) and submit to the political authority of Islam or suffer expulsion. 1

“Mormonism teaches that violence and even murder can be justified in certain situations, so long as the violence is commanded by God. The Book of Mormon contains an example where Nephi, the narrator of that part of the book, came upon a drunken and passed-out Laban (1 Ne. 4:7-8) lying on the streets of Jerusalem. Laban had previously stolen Nephi’s family property and had refused to give Nephi an important set of brass plates he needed for his voyage to the New World in about 600 BC. Considering the circumstances, Nephi was commanded by the Holy Spirit to remove Laban’s sword and slay Laban (1 Ne. 9:18).” 2

Let’s not forget all the civil wars that have been waged in the name of religion: English, French, Lebanese, Irish, and Muslim. And what about the various religious practices of voodoo, sorcery, witchcraft and pronouncing curses, most of which are not with good intentions for our friends.
Can we ignore the violence of anti-abortion protestors, gay-bashers, and the “morality police”, most of which operate in the name of religion? Religion may talk the talk of reciprocity, but they do not practice it. The reason is because religion, by its very nature, exists soley for its own good. It looks only to perpetuate its own cause and therefore, does not see the benefit of others and thus cannot tolerate, much less help, others.

True Religion

True religion is more than nice sounding words. It is principles that are lived out everyday, regardless of what may come our way.
Christianity calls it the Golden Rule. Hindus and modern New Age religions call it karma. Other religions have described it this way:

Ancient Greek’s
. “What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them” – Sextus the Pythagorean
. “Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others.” – Isocrates
. The question was once put to Aristotle how we ought to behave to our friends. His answer was, “As we should wish them to behave to us.”

Buddhism
. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

Chinese
. “Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” – Confucius
. “What you do not want others to do for you, do not do to others.” – Confucius
Parliament of the World’s Religions (1993)
. The Declaration Toward a Global Ethic proclaimed the Golden Rule as the common principle for many religions. The initial declaration was signed by 143 leaders from different faith traditions and spiritual communities.

Christianity
. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and prophets.” – Jesus of Nazereth

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, says that the Golden Rule “is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights”. Think about that. Everything involving human rights in our world can be promoted by using the Golden Rule. Why is it so powerful? Because a key element of the golden rule is that a person or group attempting to live by this rule treats all people, not just members of his or her own group, with consideration and can identify, or at least empathize, with them.

Where the Difference Lies

What religion says and what spiritual people live is a major difference. Living life where other people are the focus can be difficult, but is nonetheless the focus and passion of spiritual people. Spiritual people can take what religion says and allow it to be a life-giving principle instead of a dead law.

Religion will put parameters on its own laws based on what is expedient. For example, a few years ago a movie came out titled The Passion of the Christ. It had a lot of controversy surrounding it but one thing stood out to me from the Chrsitian perspective. For years, Protestants have told their followers that they should not attend rated R movies because the content of such “filth and wickedness” might pervert them. They would say that there is nothing in a rated R movie that you need to see. If they can’t say it in a way that is “clean”, then you don’t need to see or hear it. But an amazing thing happened when this particular movie came out – the same people who condemned rated R movies were now renting out theatres and encouraging their members to pay money to go watch this film. Why? Because it promoted their cause, regardless of its rating. The point, religion will do what is in its best interest only, even if it conflicts with something they have said in the past. And when the expedient timeframe is over, they will go back to their rigid stance.

Spirituality has no parameters and no limits. It operates on what is right, regardless of what others may think or say. Jesus the Christ made it personal. He kicked religion right in the teeth and said that living a good life, a godly life, involved, no, required, living for the sake of others. Even if those others were not like you, or worse, were your enemies. Look at what he said to his followers:

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” 3

We’re not talking about playing nice here. This is a serious paradigm shift. Most religions and religious systems have and promote some form of “an eye for an eye” mentality. Jesus is getting right up in the face of everyone who claims to be religious and, in a sense, is slapping them across the cheek and saying, “Anyone can do that. Do you think you are special for doing what everyone else does? Get real! Do you really want to live a life that is worthy of the Most High? Then live without limits, without the parameters religion puts on you. Live for others!”

Notice that he says, “Your reward from heaven will be great”. True spirituality is not concerned with what others think of you or getting accolades from other people. Truly spiritual people are satisfied with a “heavenly” reward. Do you want to know a telltale sign of truly spiritual people? They are secure in who they are and live their lives for a higher purpose and are not concerned with recognition or their “five minutes of fame”. They know their reward will come in its due time but it is not their focus. Their focus, their undying passion, is to do good to others.

Also notice what he says after that, “You will truly be acting as children of the Most High”. Where religion feeds off of its own doctrines and dogmas, spirituality is only concerned with pleasing its Supreme Being. Religion feeds off of itself; spirituality feeds off of helping others and doing what is right and good.

Why is this so important? Because Jesus says at the end that God, the Most High, is “kind to those who are unthankful and wicked”. He gives insight into who the Creator is and what His character is like. Truly spiritual people want to emulate their Creator. They want to act like, speak like and in all possible ways, be like their Creator.

Spiritual people live out of the context of humility and thankfulness. They are so grateful for all that has been bestowed upon them, that they are compelled to return that to others. They live with a higher purpose. Their passion to be like their Creator drives them. And simply put, that is what separates them from religious people and their religion.

James the Just, the brother of Jesus said this about true religion:

“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” 4

Here, James echoes what Jesus said earlier. True religion, spirituality, is caring for those around you and living your life for the benefit of others, thus glorifying God the Father.

He closes by saying that spiritual people do not allow the world to corrupt them. How does the world corrupt us? Arguably in many ways, but in context, by causing us to live by their standards of selfishness, greed, hatred and arrogance. That corruption can sometimes seem natural and overwhelming, but spiritual people fight that urge and live for the higher purpose: Honoring their Creator and Supreme Being by helping those around them.

In conclusion, the question I ask is this, “Is religion worthless?” Depending on your definition the answer may vary, but the glaring facts are that religion and religious people seek only to serve their and their organization’s own needs. In that way, religion is worthless.

On the contrary, spirituality exists, not in a vacuum of its own viability, but for the purpose of a greater good. That being said, spiritual people live their lives with a purpose that is greater than their own well-being. They live for their Creator by honoring all of His Creation, even if they don’t always (or ever) agree or think alike. That, I believe, is worth living – and dying – for.

1 Religious War. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright © 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA

2 Mormonism and Violence. . In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright © 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA

3 Luke 6:27-36 Holy Bible, New Living Translation Copyright © 1996,2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust

4 James 1:26-27 Holy Bible, New Living Translation Copyright © 1996,2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust

Author Bio:
Kip is an ordained minister and has been both a youth pastor and a pastor as well as being a certified counselor. He ran an unconventional church in Illinois where he hosted concerts on a weekly basis and had several discussion groups each week on the relevancy of Christianity in our culture. He also opened up that venue to underprivileged kids every Saturday for a free breakfast and a time of games, art, music and free stuff. They were also involved in huge backpack giveaways for hundreds of kids along with food and toy drives for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Kip has written several small books, written manuals, been published in newspapers and taught throughout the world. He is the author of “A New Kind Of Church and Other Writings: Taking a Fresh Look and a New Approach to a Timeless Tradition”.

Book Info:
Right now, my old website is down and I am working on getting a new one up, therefore I have no direct site for any of my materials. If anyone is interested in viewing or purchasing my book the easiest way is to go to one of the following:
Barnes and Noble online (bn.com)
Amazon.com
iUniverse.com

Contact Information:
J. Kip Givens
piercedpastor@hotmail.com

Magical Buffet Mythology: Hypnos

by Administrator, posted in Mythology, Religion

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

Listen to the sound of my voice. Or, um, read the words on your screen. You’re getting sleepy. Sleepier. What does hypnosis have to do with Magical Buffet Mythology? Well, not to sound like the father from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” but hypnosis comes from the Greek word hypnos, and Hypnos is actually the Greek god of sleep…so there you go.

Hypnos’s mother is the goddess of night, Nyx, and his twin brother is Thanatos, a god of death. His three sons, or brothers depending on perspective, are Morpheus, Phobetor and Phantaso, and represent things that occur in dreams. According to some stories he lives in the Underworld along with Hades and his crew, but other stories say he lives in a cave underneath a Greek island and that through that cave flows the river of forgetfulness. Um, don’t plan on me coming to the family reunion, okay?

Hypnos is always depicted as a handsome young man. Sometimes he is naked, sometimes he has a beard and wings at the temples of his head, other times he is clean shaven with wings on his back.

Hypnos biggest claim to fame, aside from getting $.02 every time we say the word hypnosis, is granting Endymion the power to sleep with his eyes open.

Brazil Tries to Get it Right

by Administrator, posted in First Amendment, Politics, Religion

On July 7, 2008 LifeSiteNews.com reported that a Brazilian judge has ordered the removal of a Catholic priest’s book from bookstores. Father Jonas Abib’s book, titled “Yes, Yes! No, No! Reflections on Healing and Liberation”, cautions readers about the dangers of the occult, which includes the Afro-Brazilian religion Spiritualism.

According to LifeSiteNews.com, public prosecutor Almiro Sena is quoted as accusing the Priest of “making false and prejudiced statements about the spiritualist religion as well as religions from Africa, like Umbanda and Candomble, as well as flagrant incitement to destruction and disrespect for their objects of worship.” Sena also added that “the State Constitution (of Bahai) says that it is the obligation of the state to preserve and guarantee the integrity, respectability, and permanence of the values of Afro-Brazilian religion.” The court agreed.

Man, where to begin. Banning books, censoring books, seizing books, it’s all wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I’m sure I disagree with Father Jonas Abib, I’m kind of used to not being on the same page as the Catholic Church, that said, he should be allowed to spew out whatever nonsense he wants in a book. I highly doubt his book was going to change any minds. I suspect if you bought the book, you were already on his team. Let’s try this another way, David Icke, who for the record I just love, cranks out book after book of total artwork quality out there-ness. Yet, no one seems overly concerned about the impending lizard threat, and I’m pretty certain he’s sold way more books than Abib!

I find it noble, and wonderful, that the Bahai government is concerned about maintaining the “integrity, respectability, and permanence of the values of Afro-Brazilian religion” but, with all due respect, at what cost? Will it be at the cost of the other faiths in their state being denied those things? The courts also censored an organization that initiated a campaign to condemn homosexual behavior. And just in case you haven’t been playing along, I have no problem with homosexuality…I backed Dennis Kucinich for crying out loud! (One of the only Democrats who ran for the Democratic nomination for President who was for gay marriage. The other one was Mike Gravel.) Yet, they have the right to be against homosexuality, however wrong they are in their belief. I mean, however wrong I find their belief.

Although not always executed the way I would like, America has got it right Brazil. First Amendment, all the way. Protect all the religions and all the speech, and then let God, the free market, or the history books decide which of them has it right.

Rebecca Talks Enlightenment

by Administrator, posted in New Age, Religion

The name Rose Rosetree should be familiar to long time Magical Buffet readers. Why? Well, there was this and this. It’s safe to call Rose a friend of the Buffet. I was dumbfounded and flattered when she invited me to write a guest post for her blog about enlightenment. What follows is that piece.

I have to admit, I was surprised when Rose asked if I would like to write a blog about enlightenment for her website. For those of you that are not familiar with myself, or my website The Magical Buffet, asking me about enlightenment is comparable to asking your family doctor to perform neurosurgery. They know the basics, but you may not want them putting them into action.

Enlightenment implies a level of spiritual or intellectual insight has been achieved, and perhaps you may even be able to share it with others. It is hard to achieve, and harder to prove that it has been achieved. If that is the case, one starts to wonder, what is the deal with enlightenment? Why does the concept even exist in these modern, fast paced times? Does one really need to worry about enlightenment when you can find out everything that’s going on in the world in under one minute and every day more and more people seem to seek the spiritual through quality one on one time with Oprah? Can spiritual enlightenment ever be achieved in this environment?

Perhaps, but I’m here to suggest that obtaining spiritual enlightenment is not half as important as the idea of enlightenment. Let me be first to state flat out, for the record, I have not even nudged towards enlightenment, and that I am 100% positive that even upon my death bed the only real insight I will have is that it’s really easy to make an ass out of yourself on the internet. Yet I stagger down a path that perhaps, despite my rum soaked brain, will lead me to some greater understanding of that which makes up the spiritual. Frequently I ask myself what is it I’m doing. What on Earth, do I hope to achieve? I have cluttered dusty book cases filled with books on mysticism, holy texts, and Idiot’s Guides. Why do I keep investing time and money on them? As cynical and snarky as I may be, I cannot deny that the answer is enlightenment.

I am not enlightened. But, the quest for enlightenment has helped me start a website/online magazine, allowed me to attend religious observances of multiple faiths, and become friends with a vibrant, diverse group of people. It has also caused me to become more attentive to global affairs and national politics. None of this would have been possible if not for the concept of enlightenment dangling in front of me like some deep-fried dessert of my dreams. My goal of enlightenment has definitely not been achieved, but it has certainly made me better person. And in my humble, unenlightened opinion, that may be more important.

Magical Buffet Mythology: The Flying Spaghetti Monster

by Administrator, posted in Mythology, Religion

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

Yes, I have been touched by His Noodly Appendage. And honestly, anyone who has taken a moment to consider the nature of religious belief, scientific inquiry, and the difference between them has probably also felt his presence. That’s right, this month we’re talking about the deliciously delightful Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster looks just the way his name implies, like a ball of spaghetti with eye stalks. There is much debate as to what kind of pasta the FSM is made of, with Westerners leaning towards wheat. Of course, he is rarely seen, leading to the belief that he is invisible. His self proclaimed Prophet, Bobby Henderson, said that the FSM first appeared to him in 2005 as a response to a decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. This leads many to think the FSM is a new found deity, but since he appeared to Henderson, the FSM has been traced back further into history, most notably the glory days of pirates. Pirates are in fact the FSM’s chosen people, which is why one of the holy days for Pastafarians is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Many claim that the FSM is fake, but a visit to www.venganza.org shows that the FSM has many academic endorsements. Last time I checked, no other deity had academic endorsements! Another moment of validation was in 2007 when three talks concerning the FSM were given at American Academy of Religion’s annual meeting in San Diego.