New Year's Evolution

MFoD apologizes for not offering new postings lately. The end of semester rush just became a bit too much.
This lack of content will continue, as MFoD is on sabbatical and will be spending the first six weeks of 2008 touring Southeast Asia. It is a certainty that there will be a wealth of experiences that will provide new insights into how people do religion (Buddhism, Islam and assorted versions of Hinduism). Postings will continue, no doubt apace, in February.
Whatever holiday you're celebrating in December and January (Hannukah is past, but now there's the Solstice, Id al-Adha, Christmas [Western and Orthodox] and Kwanzaa), MFoD hopes it brings light and happiness to your lives.

Image credit: Donna Devier

The Mark

Nearing the end of the semster, and the end of a course on Paul, one theme occuring to MFoD's warped mind is circumcision. It appears in Paul as a sign of a Covenant whose days Paul feels are over (wrongly, as it happens), and has as its biblical origin the response to God's promise to Abraham of land and descendents. More pragmatic origins may be found in the hygenics of the time: circumcized membra are easier to keep clean, therefore less likely to be infected and thus more able to realize the promise of descendents. Jewish boys receive the Mark of Abraham at the age of eight days or so.
Islam also circumcizes its boys, but later on in life, anywhere from late childhood to after puberty. Culturally, the rite indicates that the boy is "clean enough" to get married; its religious symbolism is less apparent, although it appears to have been an accepted practice in the 7th Century. In those cultures that circumcize children, the boys suddenly have attention paid to their genitals, and, in some ways, join the ranks of adult men.
Customarilly, infant boys in the US used to be circumcized as a matter of course. The reasons range from hygenic to "looking like other boys." The practice has recently been declared a sort of genital mutilation, and is being looked at from a medical point of view.
Female circumcision, that's another thing altogether. Rather than the removal of the vestigial prepuce, which serves no critical purpose, girls in cultures that practice female circumcision have their clitoris removed. In some African cultures, this is followed by a sewing-up of the vagina, allowing room for urination. The girl's eventual husband ought to be the only person to release the stitches.
Why does this practice occur? Cultural reasons, mostly. The cultures that use this practice feel that women are sexually insatiable and, if left uncircumcised, would run around uncontrollably, looking for sex partners.
It is easy for people in the West to oppose this practice (and indeed, it ought to be opposed), but, before we become too smug, please let us remember our own continuing struggles with gender equality, in the bedroom, the workplace, and in the sphere of public polity.
The very fact that Western men have to be taught to (and sometimes cajoled into) being reciprocating sex partners, that there is even a question about a woman being President of the US (this is not a plug for Ms. Rodham-Clinton), that calling a man a "woman" is still an insult, shows how far we have to go. Thankfully, we don't practice genital mutilation, but a mutilated soul is no more healthy, and quite often less so (at least the circumcised woman has the blessing of her society).
Before we start throwing those stones, let us put our own glass houses in order.

Image: student.bmj.com

Now It's Istanbul, Constantinople

As one of MFoD's closest chums is soon to be on his way to Turkey, it's a good time to deal with the country's most important city: Istanbul, or is it Constantinople?
With a with a 99% Muslim population, yet with a staunchly (some may say ruthlessly) secular government, Turkey is a bit of a paradox in today's world. This paradoxical situation is not new to the land area on which the Turkish populace live, as our blog shall discuss.
"Asia Minor" was the old name for Anatolia, Asian Turkey. Until the incursion of Islam, the region was Greek in language, culture and architecture. Indeed, one of the modern Turkish government's dearest charges is the guardianship of literally thousands of ruins from Hellenistic and Roman times.
When Emperor Constantine I decided that a distinctly backwater town, Byzantium, ought to be the new Rome, he brought into being a glorious city, one that today still glows under the mantle of "imperium." The town's strategic value, standing as it does on the Bosporus Straights, and controlling all sea traffic between the Mediterranean and the Black Seas, was chief in the emperor's mind. It was a brilliant decision, bringing the city, soon to be called (though never officially named) "Constantinople" into a position of world domination.
As the city prospered and took over Italian Rome's place in the empire, a question emerged among the newly-legalized religion of Christianity. At this time, the more important cities in the religion were Syrian Antioch and Egyptian Alexandria, not Rome or Jerusalem as might be expected. Both cities were powerhouses of theology, and wished for similar strength in the political realm. It was not to be. However, the cities had two points in their favor: they were the strongholds of a culture more ancient than that of Byzantium, and they were incontestably "Apostolic Sees."
For the uninitiated, an Apostolic See is a Christian community traditionally founded by one of the Apostles (Rome and, obviously Jerusalem, had that honor, but had not yet gained religious importance). Constantinople found itself at a disadvantage, for there was no record of an apostolic visitation, nor was there any reason for there to be one. The solution? Invent such a visitation.
The Apostle chosen to be the "founder" was St. Andrew. His history, as told in Acts of the Apostles, certainly did not rule out the possibility that he did yearn to convert those in northern climes. And, there were those rousing stories that appeared in the 3rd Century that had him converting cities full of cannibals and saving virgins from impropriety. Of course, such an heroic figure would found the Church that was to become the First City in the Roman Empire. Even then, he knew. His remembrance day (November 30) is looming as we write.
Today, the See remains the home of the Patriarch of Constantinople (while studying in Turkey, MFoD was entertained in his beautiful wooden palace). The new name, "Istanbul" is, believe it or not, Turkified Greek, translating very roughly as "City on the Hill."
Turkey, a land of delights, of excellent food, well-preserved ancient ruins, MFoD's favorite basilica (Hagia Sophia), and, for the most part, pleasant open-minded people. And a country with one of the most varied histories on earth. And above it, the mystery of the Apostles hovers. Such a glorious set of paradoxes.

Image: Icon of St. Andrew

A Latin Beat

The new papal permission given to the use of the Tridentine Rite of the Latin Mass can only bring happiness to the more artistic among Christians and those lovers of Christian language and ritual. While news outlets (even the New York Times, which should know better, though it rarely does) are heralding the return of the "Latin Mass," their usage is imprecise. The post-Vatican II Eucharistic Liturgy's first language is Latin; what people hear in their own countries is a translation into the vernacular. Pope Benedict XVI has sanctioned the use of the rite that was replaced by the liturgical reform.

There were reasons for this replacement, not the least being the shockingly negative view of the Jewish people promulgated in the old rite, especially in the Good Friday prayers; one hopes (and prays) that they will not be allowed back. Another reason, as Pope John XXIII (the last pre-media-savvy pope?) said, was to bring a breath of fresh air back into the Church.

MFoD is as fond of fresh air as anyone else, but, having learned the liturgy as an altar server in the original Latin, has missed it ever since. Although now not a Catholic, MFoD treasures a Catholic Latin Missal, with all of the Tridentine flourishes intact. Just reading it brings one back to the days when Catholicism had a liturgical language, a set of beautifully-composed words and prayers that, in the words of Joseph Campbell, "pitched (one) out of the everyday connections of one's domesticity," and sent one into the realms of mystical communication with the Divine. Just opening the Missal sends MFoD to those halcyon days when Church was a beloved mystery.

There are those, however, whose welcoming back of the Tridentine Rite is fraught with heretical overtones. Those people, as one priest of their ilk recently said, "were the crazy old aunties in the attic," but he feels that they are no more. Sorry, Padre, but you are as much a nutty auntie as before; the "traditionalist" rejection of any Liturgical Prayer not said in Latin is still a scandal among the Catholics. As if Jesus spoke in Latin himself!

No, the possibility of Gregorian Chants returning (they don't "travel" well to other languages), the glorious prayers being intoned with medieval splendor, and the priest facing in the same direction as the people ("pitching out" once again) do not represent the only way, but they do represent a beautiful alternative.

Saints and Souls

Following right on the heels of Halloween are two Christian celebrations: All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Both were almost certainly conceived as palliatives to the pagan Sabbat that precedes them, yet both keep the same theme as Samhain: the connection of the physical world to the spiritual world.
A day to remember all those who have led exemplary lives, especially those whose lives are not officially recognized by organized religion, is a good thing to have, and can lead us to a game of, "Who are your Saints?" Almost everyone can, with only a little thought, come up with a list of answers to the question. Sainthood is recognition. Each of us has, or aspires to, individual qualities that we appreciate seeing in others, especially others who exemplify those qualities. These people, living or dead, are Saints for us. They lift our world into sanctity, that is, a realm or position above the mundane. They touch our souls, allowing us the vision of accomplishment, whether it be personal, professional or artistic accomplishment. Like incense, they evoke the cloud of otherness while at the same time tickling the senses. A Saint is an embodiment of the best that is in us.
All Souls Day, on the other hand, refers to those who, in the Catholic tradition, are experiencing Purgatory, or those still living, not yet officially sanctified souls. Here, we look to Latino cultures to get it right. They don't spend the day in some stuffy old Church; they go out to the cemeteries, bringing with them picnics, offering food and rink beloved by their departed relatives and friends. Then, right at the grave site, they have a party, celebrating the life of the Soul, sanctified or not. Indeed, the very action of celebration sanctifies those who have gone before us. For Latinos, El dia de los muertos is the experience of making a Saint, for Sainthood is recognition.

Image: geocities.com

Samhain

Neo-pagans seem to be quite the jolly bunch: little in the way of dogmatics, a connection to natural living, a sense of the spiritual within the everyday; all-in-all, not a bad mix.
This week, while most of us will be doing something fun and/or unusual on Halloween, the neo-pagans (including those who follow the various practices of witchcraft) will be performing rituals celebrating the end of the year, chanting, acknowledging the closeness of the spirit and physical worlds - and having fun.
The four Witches' Sabbaths concern themselves with the movements of light and darkness in the yearly solar cycle. They correspond to the four seasons, coming mid-way between each season. Brigid falls on February 2 (or thereabouts; all days quoted here are approximate). On this day, witches burned the evergreen boughs they had placed in their houses on the Winter Solstice (December 21) to urge the return of the sun from its yearly bout with the forces of darkness. It was also the beginning of the planting season in the Mediterranean, where many of these customs originated.
Beltane, at the beginning of May, celebrates procreation; conceiving a child near this date means a birth in February, a time when there is little other work to be done in the fields. The bonfires on this day cause couples to celebrate sex and the beginning of life. The sun approaches its height, fields are producing food, and all is light and joyful.
Lammas, on August 1, warily greets the time of darkness. The busy harvest time occurs now; fields left fallow on purpose are gleaned for their herbs and seeds. People begin to preserve food for the Winter months.
And, then there is Samhain, the time where darkness takes over. Spirits of the Dead move closer to their living relatives and friends. People eat sweet foods in order to bring some joy into a time of coldness and darkness.
These four Sabbaths have less import to most modern communities, where subsistence is not a daily struggle. However, those neo-pagans who have some sort of gardens going are able to live their lives within the old ways, at least partially. They can watch the progress of the seasons and experience the interplay of life and death with a clear understanding that it is Nature's way. Their Creed, "Blessed be," finds fulfillment in the cycle of the year.
So, when the rest of us are dressed up as ghouls and goblins (MFoD is partial to ghouls), spare a few moments' thought for those for whom Halloween night is a sacred occasion. And know that your joy in the unusual, your bewilderment, is shared by them, and cherished by them as well.

Image: thephora.com

What is Jihad?

The Arabic term "jihad" is one of those words that has entered the ordinary lexicon. As with many words, it is used without much regard as to its original meanings and textures. Even the venerable Encyclopedia of Islam, published by E. J. Brill, identifies the term as "holy war." It goes on to explain exactly to whom the war is to be directed. The first target of such a war is oneself.
Originally, the words means "to strive," that is, to strive to be a good Muslim (or Jew, Christian, Buddhist, for that matter), and it is this meaning that all references to the term in Quran address. As such, the struggle occurs on the personal, spiritual, internal plain. For Muslims, this means keeping the Five Pillars (briefly: faith, prayer, alms, fasting and the hajj), and behaving in a proper manner. "Behaving in a proper manner" brings us to the five different types of deeds: necessary (the pillars), good, neutral, reprehensible but not sinful, and sinful. This is the basis of Muslim ethics, and ethical conduct. It is a wide-ranging list of ethical constructs, which is one of the reasons that Islam has been so successful throughout the centuries of its existence.
So, after one has striven with a degree of adeptness in the pillars and other behaviors, one must bring the striving person into the outside world. For most Muslims, the outside world is a Muslims society, and thus, filled with people who share the same concerns and strive within their own abilities. However, more and more Muslims live outside the Muslim world and come into contact with people of other ethnicities and faiths. Most of the time, the striving Muslim interacts smoothly with non-Muslims. However, human nature being what it is, there are occasional conflicts. This is when jihad is directed at other targets.
Muslim Law clearly states that, for those who actively oppose Islamic practice, that is, prevent a person from being a good Muslim, their blood is lawful. "Blood" can mean anything from a good tongue-lashing to, if necessary, armed combat.
In the modern world, jihad has come to mean only armed combat against anyone with whom the combatants disagree. Certainly, there are States that have curtailed Islamic behavior, such as forbidding participation in the hajj, or have supported regimes that have done the same. Such countries may be legitimate political targets. However, countries that have interfered in the political, social and cultural lives of Islamic countries (but leaving Islamic practice alone), are also targets. Unscrupulous Imams have re-tooled the term jihad to target such countries. Thus, the modern world is faced with dozens of militant cells that style themselves, "Islamic Jihad, seeking to strike fear in the hearts of the people they oppose.
Such a response to this ancient concept has cheapened the very heart of Islamic theology and practice. This is not to say that Muslims do not have legitimate gripes against powerful States, they certainly do. However, the use of jihad to condone mass-murder is just as bad as the use of the term "national Security" to do the same.
Solutions? Rapprochement is one. Don't hold your breath.

The Gay Bible

"Gay" here is used in its formerly-unique sense of "happy" as well as its newly-minted sense of, well, GAY. MFoD has become weary of those sorts who use this wonderful, but ancient text to "prove" the falsity of modern understandings of human sexuality. A fundamentalist approach to the Scriptures about the inappropriateness of homosexual behavior in Israelite society, which had been promised Land and Descendants, was, possibly all well-and-good when the nation was living on subsistence level in the Sinai desert. Today, however, with over six billion humans on the planet, it smacks of overkill.
The few texts in the Bible concerning homosexuality have been used as excuses to hurt and kill (both physically and spiritually) lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered folk for millennia. But, that's not the worst that has happened. No, indeed, the persecution of glbt people has caused untold pain for them, but even more pain for people who love the Bible itself.
Persecution has kept the Bible from being fabulous.
Just imagine what could happen if gay men got their hands on the Bible. The joyful texts, calling upon the people to clap their hands (properly manicured), strike their cymbals (glittery, shiny things, oooh, aaah) and dance (disco is not dead) would achieve unprecedented exposure in the hands of gay men. Lesbians would give new life to the texts, speaking eloquently about such spiritual powers as Ruth, Esther, Judith and Mary, cleaning away all of the veils that have been dropped over their heads throughout the centuries of patriarchal Christianity. Bisexuals would give us pause to appreciate Jonathan and David, and Jesus and John at the Last Supper. Transgendered people, living as they are the mystery of Spirit, could be our new shamans.
A few blogs ago, MFoD complained about dour Catholic clergymen. Biblical fundamentalists, for all their forced heartiness, are just as bad. All of these people have something in common: they need an enemy, a devil, an object to hate. Any use of the joyful Bible mocks them; love is the primary component of the Biblical message.
And, more than anything else, love proceeds joy.

Image credit: Wonder Boogie

Moon Sign

Saturday, October 13, was, for most of the Muslim world, the end of the Ramadan fast. "Most" refers to the means of ending the fast. While parts of the world have decided that October 13 was the most likely day for the month of Ramadan to end, many others needed a particular sign: the appearance of the crescent moon, the sign that begins and ends each Islamic month.
According to tradition, anyone who sees the crescent moon can call an end (or a beginning) to the fast. This goes from the poorest peasant to the grandest billionaire. Given the vagaries of weather, actually seeing the moon can be a challenge. Cloudy skies would mean that the fast would have to be extended for at least another day.
The Western world, especially New York with its boon of suspending alternate-side parking (a fond dream of all those who own cars, but not garage space), needs a firmer date, so there is a compromise based on the study of moon charts.
By now, surely, all Muslims have ended their fast, put up the sparkling lights that celebrate the Feast of Ramadan, and have ended the difficult fast. Their joy is multiplied because they have fasted faithfully in honor of the reception of the Holy Qur'an by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Islam follows a strict lunar calendar. So, next year, the ending of the fast will occur around September 1st or 2nd. Soon, the fast will once more occur during the longer days and hotter months of summer, and will be all-the-more challenging. Nonetheless, Muslims will keep the fast and enjoy the feast. It is their yearly response to Allah's gift of Qur'an.

Image credit: About.com

Politics and the Monastery

Recent news stories about Myanmar/Burma show large groups of monks leaving their solitude in order to protest against the policies of the government. Myanmar, as many of you know, was renamed by a military junta that overthrew the country's government some 18 years ago. They voided the results of an election that had named Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as the head of government. She has been held in house arrest on-and-off for most of their regime.
As military regimes go, this one is especially brutal. Deaf to all international outcry and sanctions, they have put the country into a strangle-hold, and resist any challenge to their authority, which, based as it is on weapons and intimidation, is impregnable by most of the usual means of fomenting political change.
However, as is often the case, it is the unusual means of change that gets noticed. Some weeks ago, Buddhist monks decided to take to the streets, lead public prayers and chant against the government. They refused to take alms from the people, thus cutting the people off from the gaining of merit, so important in their branch of Buddhism. They publicly exposed the sham of the government's desperate need to give the impression that they were accepted by the monks, thus legitimizing their rule. In a few demonstrations, these gentle, politically powerless men, have showed the world the impotence of brute force.
The government's response could have been predicted by a five-year-old: forced imprisonment, killing, increased intimidation and a blackout on all information in and out of the country. The military leaders hope that the world will soon forget. Alas, they are probably correct.
Monasticism, by definition, cuts itself off from the world. Buddhist monks and nuns are especially aware that the world is an illusion, and spend their time seeking enlightenment, or at least greater merit, in order to end the cycle of repeated deaths and rebirths. Why have they suddenly involved themselves in politics? The answer: the greatest of Buddhist virtues, compassion.
Even thought the world is an illusion, one's karma (the metaphysical accumulation of good and bad deeds) needs to be addressed. In this case, compassion drove entire monasteries to face the junta with the news that its karma is sadly negative, and that the military leaders ought to seek a better way. That's it; that's the whole message. For the Burmese people, however, it is a powerful message. For the military, it was a crashing defeat.
it is amazing how often we see that a gentle word is stronger than the might of an entire army.

Classical

To begin with a question fraught with heresy: Why does so much "religious" music by famous composers from the classical era not sound particularly "religious?" A terrible thought to entertain, but let's do so anyway.
First, definition: The "classical era," for purposes of this posting, lasts from the late 18th to the early 19th centuries. The famous composers in question: F. J. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Cherubini and Schubert.
For MFoD, religious music must place one into a contemplative mood. Certainly, Chant from the various religious traditions (East and West) does it, as does the range from Medieval through to the Renaissance in the West, particularly the polyphony. Then, there is J. S. Bach, all of whose music, for MFoD, is religious. Things don't really become contemplative again until 20th century minimalism kicks in, Arvo Part being an important proponent of the mystical school, as is John Tavener (a bit too minimalist for some). There is also, perdona, "New Age" music, much of which may send one over to the other side.
But, most of the "religious" music of the "gang of six" listed above, sounds much like the rest of the music they wrote: brilliant, to be sure, able to allow one to transcend this earthly vale on many levels, but just not contemplative. Witness Mozart's "Epistle Sonatas," jaunty little pieces composed for strings, with a lightly-sketched organ part (upon which Mozart himself no doubt improvised), written to be performed during the silent reading of the Epistles during Masses celebrated by the liturgically brusque Archbishop Colloredo of Salzburg. They seem to belong more to the Viennese coffee-house than to the sanctuary. Even his moving, unfinished Requiem Mass is more terrifying than contemplative, especially with the perennial rumors about its shadowy commissioner and Mozart's untimely death. It is to Sarastro's arias in Die Zauberflote to which we must turn for the time-suspending quality that allows for contemplation. When one realizes that the opera was written for a music hall, well, the irony piles up, doesn't it?
Haydn's Muse was also genial. Die Shopfung, for example, is glorious and lyrical, as are his masses, but not conducive to otherworldly visions.
Schubert, Catholic by birth, but not at all a practitioner, wrote several quiet masses. It's perhaps to his lieder that we might look for contemplative elements. Here, the connection of poet, composer, singer and pianist offers intimacy, and, brief moments for introspection. However, given the genre, moments are all we are offered.
Rossini: Why even bother? His Petite Messe Sollenelle and Stabat Mater have all of the bustling good humor of his operas, and is scored for harmonium! The mass serves as a template for the Verdi Requiem, certainly one of that composer's greatest operas (and to a good text, too).
Beethoven's Missa Sollemnis is an essential composition. Yet, its symphonic texture invites us to attend, not to have an out-of-body experience. And, modern performance practices turn the violin obbligato of the Sanctus into a concertante. At one concert at Carnegie Hall, the fussy, diva-ish Concert Master of a renowned American orchestra set up a separate stand and took the music into display territory (MFoD will hear that orchestra play again when news of the CM's departure comes out).
Luigi Cherubini, sort of the forgotten "middle child" of this grouping, is the only one known primarily for his masses: two Requiems and other occasional masses. Here we have a clear intent of humbly composing for the mysteries of Faith. The requiems have no soloists, no opportunity for display (one is scored for men's chorus, bringing an unprecedented darkness to the entire score). The listener is thus left with music and text; Cherubini comes closer than the others to a sort of pseud-contemplativeness. Unfortunately, the music does not stand out in the company of the other five composers on the list.
No, contemplative music is not the forte of these giants (and demi-giants). A sign of their times, perhaps. Well, back to the 14th century, when the plague raged and polyphony ruled!

No Joy in Romeville

Well, here we all are at a Roman Catholic feast day. It doesn't matter which one, but let's make sure there are clerics and prelates galore, as well as deacons, acolytes choristers and an organist. Oh, the gold and silver liturgical vessels, the pure white altar linens, the opportunity to wear red! Then there is the cloud of incense teasing the nose and enveloping the sanctuary in a heavenly cloud (that also, like gauze placed before a movie camera, can hide those unsightly wrinkles). The bells ring, and the chorus sings something by Tallis, the 40-part motet preferably. The entire basilica is filled with joy and you so much want to join in.
Until you look at the faces.
What a dour, humorless, constipated bunch of faces those Catholic clergy have. They reflect, I don't know what: pique? indigestion? the weight of the Deposit of Faith? In almost any collection of Roman clerics in liturgical mode, one is most often reminded of the Seven Dwarfs, all of them Grumpy. You tend to get the feeling that all they want is to get this over with and return home for their lunch. The Pope does tend to smile in public a bit; one can only conclude that it appears as a clause in his contract.
Contrast this sight with most mainstream Protestant Churches, where a smile from the Ministry is almost taken for granted.
Really, what can the reason be for this frowning Church-full of men?
The unpleasantness of celibacy? If that is the reason, then they should leave and get married.
The recent sex scandals? Perhaps, but the Church's strongest reaction to them was to redouble its persecution of people who happened to be born homosexual. The very people whom, as the late John Boswell once said, "For 2,000 years have given joyful, faithful service to the Church," are now banned from seminary training and forced into a version of "don't ask, don't tell" in their local parishes, therefore dooming the Church to a dearth of priests who truly have the sense of style necessary to carry off the pink vestments of Gaudete Sunday. And, of course, most of the perpetrators of sexual misbehavior were heterosexual men.
Could it be the weight of the Deposit of Faith? The Faith ought to be carried joyfully as though it were as light as a feather, not bunched in a pack upon sagging shoulders.
Sadly, no answers, and no smiles.
If Anglican pomp is not your thing, well, thankfully there are plenty of incenses, plenty of fabulous clothing to wear, and and plenty of CD's for that Tallis motet. Just make sure you bring a smile, and share it, too.

Image courtesy of SXC.

Visiting NYC

Of the close to fifty million visitors that New York City receives each year, few have been as controversial as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (MA), the President of Iran, who had arrived for the United Nations (UN) week in late September. After being repulsed by the Police Department from visiting the World trade Center site, Columbia University invited him to speak, yet the university's President, Lee Bollinger, called him a "petty and cruel dictator." He attended George W. Bush's speech at the UN, but, at his speech, the US table had one person attending, an anonymous note-taker. Did MA deserve such rude treatment?
No, easy answers here. However, there us subtlety aplenty if one knows where to look: the realms of religion and politics.
In Islam, the two are inseparable; from the very beginning, the religion incorporated a political system. Being the leader of the only true Islamic Republic on earth, MA is, of course, well aware of this fact, as he is aware that other countries do not share this particular mix of religion and politics. Thus, in the various venues in which he found himself, MA, behaved in ways he felt were appropriate at that particular time.
At Columbia, being greeted with some hostility, MA responded in kind. He chided the US for its nuclear weapons, and denied that Iran had homosexuals, "like in the US." His comments on weaponry are the product of mere observation; his denial of homosexuals, as derided as it was, was also correct. Homosexuals abound in Iran, of course, but they are cruelly executed. The photos of two boys (16- and a 17-years-old) being hanged still haunts the memory. [Side bar: for a hilarious take on MA's comment and modern US politics, see the cover of the October 8 issue of The New Yorker]
The conspicuous absence of the US delegation at MA's speech has too many layers to address here. Suffice it to say that the US in 1979 received payback for their interference in Irani politics, and its support of the brutal regime of the Shah, by being embarrassed for 444 days during the hostage taking. Since then, Iran has been the Middle Eastern bogey-man, and the US continues to treat it as such, rejecting all attempts by the Iranians to talk. Granted, the letters sent recently by MA to the President were, from a US standpoint, a bit loopy, but MA was merely putting religion and politics together, as befits the leader of an Islamic State.
MA's third venue was the most telling: a meeting of religious leaders. Here, MA could drop the political role and concentrate on an attempt at dialogue with other religions. To all accounts, this meeting was civil and informative. There was no rude treatment, no harangues, no slighting, merely talk.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not a stupid man; on the contrary, he is a bright and savvy world leader. He rightly demands to be treated as such during the UN meeting. He was not. US arrogance was on stage once again. One could hope that we might deal with the shame, but the shame does not even register.
Please make no mistake; MFoD does not relish MA's posturing, and certainly not his treatment of gay men. However, MFoD's petty personal concerns are not a part of this discussion. The US had an opportunity for rapprochement, and it let the opportunity slip through its fingers. Perhaps, this behavior will not make things worse. One may only hope.

Image credit: wikipedia.org

Nothing, with Mustard

So a Buddhist monk goes up to a hot dog stand in Central Park. The stand owner asks, "What'll ya have." The monk answers, "Make me one with everything."
Despite being quite the rugged individualist, MFoD finds comfort in much of Indian and Buddhist philosophy. Knowing that the physical world, samsara, is an illusion at least allows one not to take it too seriously. Accepting the transience of pleasure and pain (the ending of pain is a pleasure) does wonders for one's outlook on life, especially as the talons of middle-age begin to grip more securely. And, the final end to countless rebirths, Nirvana, becoming one with everything, or, really, with nothing, at the very least piques one's interest.
The concept of nothing being real is one that Westerners have a difficult time grasping. In a nutshell, everything, the physical world, is not real. Therefore, the logical conclusion to come to is that nothing must be real. The realm where the physical world does not encroach is the only reality. Fairly boggles the mind, doesn't it?
Buddhism's response to the problem of achieving Nirvana is appealing, especially to an academic. One knows that one has achieved Nirvana through enlightenment, i. e., knowledge. It comes at a moment of pure clarity described by some of the individuals who have become Buddhas in their lifetimes. In order to reach that point, one must slough off all desire, even the desire for enlightenment. One must have both inner and outer peace. One reason the Buddha reached enlightenment under the ficus now known as the Bodhi tree is that this was a tree that tigers under which preferred to rest. The point must be that, if you can find inner peace in a place where a fearsome predator might take issue with your being there, you've really reached inner peace.
Being a New Yorker, MFoD subscribes, most of the time, to Fran Lebowitz' dictum, "There is no such thing as inner peace; there is only nervousness and death." However, the knowledge that at least some of the human population are, at this moment, working towards something greater than anything we know, is comforting. Yet, there is so much to Do: teaching, writing, shopping, traveling, dining with friends, complaining about mass transit; how can one give that up?
Perhaps I'm too much in league with Fran. Oh well, if not this lifetime, then the next.

Image credit: Museum of the City of New York

Atheists

MFoD confesses to a dread secret: an addiction to YouTube. This modern-day agora attracts all types of entertaining and informative videos. At one moment, the viewer may be watching a young person deal with a crisis, or give fashion advice; the next might find the viewer laughing at a skit or a pet's antics, or, a serious scientific or philosophical discussion might be found at the click of a button.
Among the more interesting threads of discussion and videos are those posted by Atheists who usually busy themselves with debunking the many religious videos that appear on the site. They seem to take particular joy in savaging the claim of people who interpret the Bible literally.
Another confession: MFoD usually likes the Atheists better than the Religious People. Most of them tend to be a bit on the Left regarding culture and politics, and some are even accepting of the fact that the majority of the human race approaches the unknown with religious belief. Of course, there are those who are as doctrinaire and intellectually inflexible as the worst sorts in the camp of Religion.
One thing that brings many Atheists into a frothy rage is calling their approach to the universe a "Religion." This is understandable if one realizes that Atheism lacks some of the very things that are necessary to religion, among them: myth, symbol and ritual. They certainly often claim ethics, community and even doctrine, but, by missing those three aforementioned characteristics, they cannot be said to be followers of a Religion.
However, the statement, "I do not believe in God," is a religious statement. Even though the statement is reactionary to the Theistic claims that have dominated human thought for millennia, it really must come under the rubric of "religious discussion," at the very least.
Unfortunately, the Atheist/Theist discussion (or "conflict," if you will) does not take into account the fact that Atheists, just as Theists, are dealing with mystery. The difference is that Atheists deal with it in a matter-of-fact way. Many claim a materialist viewpoint, saying that there is no "soul" that exists separate from the body. Once the body dies, the person is extinguished; there is no afterlife. But, of course, their claims would not be necessary if not for religions, many of which do posit a body/soul dichotomy and many of which have vivid positions on the afterlife.
So, Theists among us, engage Atheists in discussions (note, "discussions," not "arguments") concerning the unknown. Listen to them and hope that they will listen back. Declare a "Take an Atheist to Lunch Day."
Life is short; order the mixed grill.

Image credit: atheists.org

Day of Atonement

It's just sundown here, September 21, 2007. In this neighborhood with a large Jewish population, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, has just begun. For twenty-four hours Jews will fast, pray and beg the Master of the Universe for forgiveness. Seeing that today is Friday, there is not much difference on the surface of things from any other Shabbat. But, it's quite different.
Atonement to God for sins, a practice followed in somewhat similar manners by Judaism's sister religions, Christianity and Islam, is seen, in one form or another, across the spectrum of human religiousness. While offenses against other people often have the force of law prosecuting them, it's those offenses with which civil law does not concern itself that the days, months, seasons or practices address.
Being a species based in the senses, we tend to be most horrified by the sins we see: murder, molestation, theft (private and corporate), violence, among others. But, within the depths of the center of many of humans there exists the kernel of those sins that are served before us on the evening news. This human darkness is the target of the actions of penance and confession of Yom Kippur, as well as the more recognizable sins.
What goes on inside the true penitent? Most important, some say, is healing. The human soul is a fragile thing, so easily damaged, and often that damage is beyond repair. Hence, atonement, experiencing, for a day, a season, or a moment, wholeness again through a sense of purging and forgiveness. This is the deepest of human desires: peace and tranquility in the face of a harsh world.
The myths offer many reasons for human sinfulness: the apple, heavenly war, divine incest, pride or cosmic disorder. They do not matter. Only the healing matters.

Image credit: 3D Bible Project

What's for Dinner?

Food and religion go together. The work of Mythologist Joseph Campbell connected our earliest religious experiences with our food, and he has a point. His "Power of Myth" conversation with Bill Moyers, entitled, "The First Storytellers," highlights the connection of tribal peoples with their food.
As cuisine in the industrial West becomes more obsessed with presentation, sauces and new combinations, one may do well by looking at food through the eyes of a woman or man in a primary culture. Cultures that relied more on vegetation had myths that connected them to the plants they gathered or grew. Hunting cultures' mythological companions were the very animals that they hunted. The sacrifice of the animals' lives allowed the people to live. And the people were grateful.
The meat aisle at the supermarket presents "dressed" meats for our delectation. Their colors are uniform; any unexpected color is quickly dismissed as unhealthy. The colors that we expect also tend to be somewhat unnatural, derived from a certain type of feed, or even dyes. The original animal, whose life has probably been uninteresting (to the animal) and devoid of much natural behavior, is lost to the consumer. And, heaven save the butcher if the "cut" we desire is not in stock! But, never is there any sense of gratitude to that original animal, who was barely an animal at all, always just a food product.
Now, MFoD, being a city dweller, is not in the least suggesting that we all invest in arrows, spear, poisons, and go out to catch out own food. She is merely pointing out that there is a sense of alienation between industrialized people and there foodstuffs. We tend not to realize that an animal has had its life taken, rather than being allowed to give it up. The tribal peoples know the difference, and revere it.
What's for dinner? Culture. Enjoy it!

Image courtesy of the North American Bison Cooperative

The Astor Court

Discussion still rages whether the writings of Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu; all transliterations come from Wang-Tsit Chan's A Sourcebook in Chinese Philosophy, Princeton, 1963) are philosophy, theology or both. Whatever. All is grist for the mill. What is quite certain is that the Sixth-Century BCE master developed the concept of humanity (jen), thus introducing humanism, and gave greater dignity to the concept of civil service (one wishes that modern US civil servants still obtained and offered such dignity).
Among the more revered figures in Confucian thought was the scholar. He embodied the concepts of jen, li (a word that means both "propriety" and "rituals"), and i ("justice," "morality"). These characteristics, and others, existed together within a harmonious whole in the Confucian ideal. No place mirrored the scholar's pursuit of these concepts more than did his study and garden. A magnificent example of the retreat for the gentleman can be found in New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art: the Astor Court.
One enters the Astor Court through a round opening called a "Moon Gate." After a second or two of reflection on the recently-deceased Mrs. Astor, one of the moving forces behind this exhibit, one proceeds into the garden. Splashing water from a pond tickles the ears; there are small koi to add some color. A pavilion with a roof common to Southern Chinese architecture stands next to the pond. The garden is planted with grasses and mosses. Large, weather-worn limestone pillars stand around the garden. Being almost certainly among the first "found objects" in art, they are almost protean in that every move of the viewer uncovers a new shape. The focal point of the Astor Court is a moon-viewing terrace and a scholar's den. The terrace was a place to meditate, view the moon, and entertain friends. The den contains a low table and several chests for storage, as well as mats for sitting. One can imagine ink stands ready for calligraphy practice and scrolls spread out on the table. While the scholar sat with his back to the outdoor, the better to facilitate contemplation, the garden was as much a part of the room as the storage chests.
The entire exhibit breathes tranquility. The retreat of the scholar, the gentleman, the servant of society, is timeless, changeless. As is contemplation.
In this room, set up as a museum piece, the scholar still teaches us. His presence is palpable within the constructions that he inhabited oh so long ago.

Image credit: garden in Kowloon park, courtesy of www.aviewoncities.com

Harmonic Convergence

Today begins the Jewish High HolyDays, with Jews all around the world ushering in the year 5768.
Today begins the Fast of Ramadan, with Muslims gearing themselves up for the next 28 days of reflection and asceticism.
Coincidence, of course. The revised lunar calendar of Judaism has just by happenstance lined up with the strict lunar calendar of Islam.
However, MFoD is not one to leave such a coincidence by the wayside. For, within the convergence lies a stronger connection. Jews celebrate the New Year, the creative actions of the Master of the Universe. The gift of a world, of a set of regulations for using the world properly, and a constantly-shifting intimate relationship with God, are reasons for celebration. However, underneath the joy is the awareness of the need for penitence. In a few days, the fast of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will absorb the hearts and minds of the faithful.
Islam fasts for a month, also remembering one of the greatest of Allah's gifts: The Holy Quran. God graciously sent down, on multiple occasions, the Word. The last time it came to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), who set up a social system to ensure that its message would reamain clear. Being unworthy of God's indulgence, Muslims engage in a grueling fast: 28 days with not so much as a drop of water from sunup to sundown. When MFoD lived and taught in the Middle East, Ramadan occured during the summer. The Muslim students were stoic and brave; the occasional fainter was tended to by the other students, who instructed MFoD to continue the lesson.
Of course, both religions enjoin compassion on those unable, due to age (youth or maturity), health or pregnancy, to fast; the are, in effect ordered to take nourishment. Humanity abounds in both religious traditions.
The convergence is indeed harmonic. Those with eyes will see, and wonder what all the "fussin' and feudin'" is about. Two great religions, both prostrate before the goodness and mercy of the same God, named either Allah or YHWH, are deeply into Sacred Time.
MFoD heaves a prodigious sigh, sheds a tear, and hopes.

9/11

MFoD lost two friends six years ago today. Both former students. One was a gentle and decent man, with his head always screwed on the right way. The other, just as decent, was feisty, vital, and loved a good argument. Both died in the Towers. Both left wives and children.
When MFoD first heard the news about what was going on that beautiful Tuesday morning (from an hysterical comment broadcast loudly on the radio, a rarity in the neighborhood), the TV went on immediately, but, with no cable, the radio and high end channels had to suffice. A next-door neighbor, stranded at home, had cable. He, of course, offered a chair. The devestated towers, minutes from falling, brought only one thought: "So, this is what they did."
Yes, it was no surprise that something happened; the surprise and shock was what that something was.
There was no prescience at work here; there was no need for any. Being "in the business," and having studied and taught about militant Islam for years, MFoD knew that it was only a matter of time. There was no need for an August 6th memo, one that was apparently ignored by those who might have helped to stop the carnage. Any keen observer of the fringe elements of Islam could see it coming.
For weeks afterward, friends were not really happy to hear MFoD's thoughts on the workings of politics in intolerant, resurgent Islam. They were angry. So was MFoD, but not for the same reason: intolerance, ignorance and confrontational politics on all sides had caused this, not Islam.
Now, six years later, friends can't get enough information and opinions. In the remarkable post-9/11 issue of "The New Yorker," there appeared among short comments written by several notable figures, one by the late Susan Sontag, for which she was roundly chastised. She wrote, "Let's by all means grieve together. But let's not be stupid together." MFoD knew exactly what Sontag meant, and what she feared. For today, six years later, we know there has been stupidity, epic in scale. It is for this stupidity that the grieving continues.
About the future of human relations, MFoD is not usually an optimist, but very few people would disagree with her that there will be a time in the not-too-distant future, as there have been many times since 9/11/01, when she has, and will say, "So this is what they did."

Image credit: "Mourning Angel," courtesy of GNU/Wikipedia

Culture/Religion/Religion/Culture

The Arabic word proncounced deen can denote both "religion" and "culture." For those of you for whom "Arabic" means "Muslim," allow MFoD a moment's chiding. Arabic speakers belong to as many religions as exist, worshipping in synagogues, churches, masjids and a variety of temples. There is no "Arab religion."
That said, this article shall concentrate on the word din in its Islamic usage. The one thing about Islam that must be remembered is that the religion, from its inception, offered a complete way of life. Of the other Western/Semitic religions, the Hebrew Scriptures, with their interest in approaching Creation in a manner pleasing the the Almighty, comes close, but Christian Scripture, with its persistent gaze towards the eschaton, offers little in the way of "everyday religion."
The best place to test the claim concerning Islam's completeness is to travel to the Islamic world itself. MFoD, from personal experience, can assure her readers that there are many destinations in the Muslims world where Westerners are safe and welcomed. Men, at least, can generally expect to be invited by a smiling aquaintance for coffee and discussion. For women, the Muslim world may offer less in the way of public amenities, but, in a group of other women, especially locals, a Western woman may have a reasonably pleasant visit.
Regardless of gender, a traveler (remember, one is never to be a "tourist," always a traveler) easily espies the strong influence Islam has on the world around her/him. First of all, the muezzin calls from the minaret five times each day, summoning the faithful to prayer. One will find a change in atmosphere around one as people become attentive to the reminder of the day's passage; one might even need to excuse a companion for the few minutes it takes to fulfill the duty to pray.
Then, there are, in the Middle East, at least, the suqs, filled with buys and bargains, from spices to silks. Not merely a prototype shopping mall, the suq serves the community as a gathering place where important information may be obtained. When MFoD lived in an "interesting" town, the Arabic speakers among us would always be sure to visit the market daily for the news. Other signs of Islam: men handling prayer beads, a companionable atmosphere among friends and contemporaries, jewelry made in the form of Islamic symbols, and, during Ramadan, hanging lights after dark and closed retaurants during the daylight hours.
As part of its completeness, Islam offers a political system, a blog for another time. For now, the traveler to many an Islamic State may look forward to a welcoming, smiling world where people generally tend to be happy with their lives, or at least secure in the knowledge that their way of life is, on the whole, better because of the focus religion brings to it.

Image credit: Zeyek and Suleymaniye Mosques, Istanbul; courtesy Les Arts Turcs.

Campfire Girls

Ah, the smell of the wood fire. The cozy tent. The bedroll on the lumpy ground. Such are the memories of the Scouts. Some of us have other memories as well, especially those of adolescent gropings under cover of helpful darkness in the two-person tent (MFoD, being somewhat naive, declined to participate when asked), with the adults keeping apart and (willfully?) ignorant. Whatever happened to those halcyon times? Alas, the Religious Right (RR) happened, those purveyors of intolerance who have sunk their claws into a once innocent community. They would not abide MFoD and her ilk today.
When the RR took over the BSA, they imposed two rules: one must believe in God, and one must be heterosexual. These twin demands have brought, as did the lightning bolt of the Fall from Grace, knowledge to the Scout. The once innocent gropings (which do not really arise from sexual urges, more from curiosity) have been exposed and condemned; the tent now contains a metaphorical night light and a Supreme overseer. Even the young Cub Scout is faced with theism and heterosexism when his time would be much better spent collecting leaves and wading in streams. The older Scout, especially when his sexuality (with its often attendent concerns about being homosexual) awakens, finds himself in a conundrum concerning his membership in the organization. He must dissemble. He must cover over his insecurities. He must betray himself. Such a betrayal, even by a Scout who is, in the end, heterosexual, leaves a bitterness that can never be sweetened. And the RR has brought him that bitterness.
Traditionally, Scout leadsership demands quite a few skills and qualities: a sterling character, patience, knowledge of Scouting lore, inventiveness, chastity concerning the boys (a predator will never do), among many others. To this list the RR has imposed a belief and an urge. The belief must encompass a deity recognized as such to the BSA leadership, and the urge must be for the vagina. The other characteristics in the list above were not enough, and the gay Scout Leader, although possessed of all the qualities in that list, and more, has been judged accordingly. The impervious donjon of conformity stands even when one of the leaders themselves was found to have amassed a considerable amount of child pornography.
However, there is hope, seen in such organizations as "Scounting For All," led by a tolerant and accepting heterosexual young man. Once these clearer heads become the dominant force in the world of Scouting, once again the campsite will be as innocent as the Garden of Eden.

Image: Campfire Films, UK, 2006

The Grecian Taste

My, Acts of the Apostles 9:1-7 is an exciting bit, isn't it? "Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord...," and later, while traveling to Damascus, "there shines round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me" (King James Version, as it is beautiful and is "The Bible" to oh, so many).
All of this was written by the same person who wrote Luke (How do we know? Read the introductions to both the Gospel and Acts, for a start.). Luke wrote more than 25 years after the events related, in Greek. Soon after Saul/Paul's conversion (as recounted in Acts 13:16-41), Luke puts a speech into Paul's (as he can now be known) mouth, even including a rhetorical flourish or two. It's a dandy speech, recounting Salvation History as it leads to Christ, a favorite Lucan theme. All of this leads to the question: How Greek were these people?
Saul/Paul knew Greek. He was born and raised in the Greek-speaking world. He visited the marketplaces, the temples, the magistrates' courts (Oh, to be able to see them in the same condition as Paul did!). They were part of his daily life; he even wrote about the propriety of buying meat in the market of Corinth. Although he doesn't exhibit much talent for Greek rhetorical composition (alas), he does know who he is and among whom he lives.
Yet on his trip to Greek-speaking Damascus, Saul/Paul met Christ, who spoke to him. In what language? Greek? Hebrew? The tongue of the heart's understanding? And to whom was he on his way to persecute? "Christians," is the usual answer, but that may not be correct. Gunther Bornkamm, the great Pauline scholar, posited that Paul took on as his quest the eradication of Hellenism from the synagogue. When Jesus asked, "Why do you persecute me," Saul may well have been perplexed; he had been confronting an idea, not a person. Luke does not tell us exactly how, but apparently, Saul/Paul somehow got the message. After a few more tussles with the Hellenists, he broke from the synagogue and began to minister to the same people he had persecuted. This was the beginning of a Christianity from Judaism.
Paul developed a Grecian taste. Always honoring the Mosaic Law, he nonetheless immersed himself among the people called "Gentile." I always believe that his claim that there is neither Jew nor Greek was a tad disingenuous. As it had conquered Rome, the Greek world conquered Paul. And the multi-faceted Greek language conquered the Christian Scriptures, and provides biblical scholars with a myriad of possibilites as to what Paul actually said when he used certain words, a pastime always good for an argument (Today's New International Version, anyone?).
Stodgy, sturdy, legalistic Latin eventually took over in Western Europe, and robbed that Church of a lively sense of debate (except for some of those sparkling Medieval disputations). The relic of Greek in the Roman Liturgy ("Kyrie eleison") was not enough. Western Christianity needs to develop the Grecian taste, even as the Roman Church appears to be embracing the Latin liturgy once again. Flexibility of thought in the classical vein, coupled with the knowledge of human-ness of the 21st century, may well lead to a Renaissance of thought. As a colleague of MFoD stated: "The Church doesn't need new laws; it needs a new anthropology." The Greeks, humanists par excellence, provide the road map to Damascus. All we need to do is get on the horse.

Image credit: The British Museum, courtesy of ihistorylink.net

The Legend of Marie Fatime of Damascus

Marie Fatime of Damascus is a Church near the capital city founded by a Franco-Roman Crusader expeditionary force during the Twelfth Century. The force consisted of younger sons of noble families. Composed mostly young men of, shall we say, artistic temperament, they were not spiritually inclined to wage war against the Muslims. Faced, however, with the alarming possibility of having to deface such an exquisite culture, and being rejected by the Crusade commanders in their bid to entertain the troops, they decided to go native. Their leader, son of the Seigneur de ____, found an obliging Nestorian Bishop who ordained him almost immediately. By coincidence, the bishop's friend, a Fatimid imam, was visiting from Egypt. He was so impressed by the young man's firmness of purpose that he proclaimed him imam.
Hence, the Church of Marie Fatime of Damascus was built, and served a needy (and, necessarilly, confused) local populace until the Ottomann conquest. The Ottomanns, far from destroying the Church, instead defrocked the priests, but left them with their status as imams. The newly-created mosque holds services to this day.
The above: Nonsense, or to the point? There is too much talk of a war between civilizations.
One purpose of this blog is to re-mystify religion through clarity. "Religion" is a set of approaches to mystery. The fact that the three Western Religions have a different name for the Supreme Being (YHWH, God, Allah) is immaterial (this idea was stolen from Joseph Campbell). The fact that the Eastern Religions have a different cosmology from the West.is immaterial.
Read, if you wish, and comment. Let the games begin!

Image credit: "Byzantine Church near Alepppo," Duncan Mackenzie, 1911