Kubler-Ross And Afterlife Entities

Slate takes a shot at the late Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and her belief in spirit mediumship.

Unity And Templeton

Unity Magazine has an excerpt from the memoir of Rosemary Fillmore Rhea, granddaugther of the founder of Unity, Charles Fillmore. This paragraph caught my eye, because of the mention of John Templeton, who I understand was influenced by Unity from a young age.

In fact, Charles Fillmore prophesied that Unity would become a connecting link between science and religion, and his prophecy is beginning to take form. Sir John Templeton, who, like Charles Fillmore, is seeking ways to bring science and religion together, brought to Unity Village some time ago a group of prominent theologians and scientists to discuss how science and religion can come together to improve our world. Hopefully, this was just the first of many future meetings where creative minds join in unity to seek new ways to move our planet forward.

Religious Left Shows Signs Of Life

Coverage of activities around the Republican Convention

In the past, religious progressives—their preferred term, as opposed to liberals—have tried to counter these efforts, but they have lacked the institutional breadth and structure that translate into real political power. Even supporters of the left say the movement’s impressive display of activism during convention week in New York may be a matter of geography. Many progressive religious organizations, such as the National Council of Churches, are based in New York. The full-page ad in the New York Times, sponsored by the progressive evangelical organization Sojourners and signed by dozens of religious leaders, had a supersized headline saying, “God is not a Republican. Or a Democrat.” That was noticed, but the test will be how effective the movement is outside one of the country’s most liberal large cities. “This may be a case of too little too late,” said Podesta, because there is no strong “nationwide organization backing this up.” Michael Cromartie, director of the evangelical studies project of the Washington-based Ethics and Public Policy Center, said the Religious Left is preaching to the liberal choir, not religious swing voters. “They already have this [liberal] vote,” he said. “This National Council of Churches crowd is not about to vote for Bush anyway.”

Zen Punks

Featured in the Boston Globe.

Bush's Faith Detailed

A long article in the Washington Post about the President's religious beliefs.

In 2000, he suggested that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in public schools since "religion has been around a lot longer than Darwinism." But he avoided stating his choice between the two positions. "I believe God did create the world. And I think we're finding out more and more and more as to how it actually happened," he told U.S. News & World Report. On the question of salvation, Bush has also adopted a nuanced position. In a Houston Post interview in 1994, as he was beginning his first run for governor, he suggested that heaven is open only to those who have accepted Jesus as their savior. Though to many Christians that is a basic article of faith, the comment caused a small furor among Jews in Texas and threatened to become a bigger problem when Bush considered running for president. In 1998, he sent a letter of apology to the Anti-Defamation League stressing his respect for all faiths, and throughout the 2000 campaign he denied ever having made any exclusivist claim about salvation.

Stress

Fascinating article about people who thrive under stress. I don't, which is one of the reasons I meditate.

In Memoriam: Philip Kapleau Roshi

Philip Kapleau, an American GI who became interested in Zen while part of the occupation force in Japan after World War II, and then a teacher of Zen in the United States, has died.

How Many Gods?

Religious Liberal points out an article by David Klinghoffer in the Forward attacking neo-paganism, and promoting monotheism. I know Klinghoffer from his writings in National Review and his book The Lord Will Gather Me In about his journey to Jewish Orthodoxy. I have not been positively impressed by neo-pagans, because it seems to me that they are not intellectually serious--they're just dressing up and playing roles out of a Renaissance Fair. But on the other hand, Klinghoffer is all too impressed by the monotheists, who give a pass for any silly belief as long as it is blessed by tradition. I'm inclined to believe there is a spiritual world out there, but that our representations of it have been too colored by pre-modern traditions whether monotheistic or pagan.

Endangered Zoroastrianism

Even more than Judaism, Zoroastrianism is an ancient faith endangered by intermarriage, because of a patrilineal rule.

Now demographers say Zoroastrians, who live mainly in India, where they are called Parsis, and Iran, where the religion originated, could face eventual extinction because of a falling birth rate and a tradition of barring those from other faiths from converting. The perceived threat to its existence has locked the tiny community into an emotional debate over how to maintain the faith and identity while also adapting with the times. ''We must become more broad-minded," said Khushroo Madon, a self-described reformist priest in Bombay, who noted that the Zoroastrian population in India is expected to fall from 60,000 to 25,000 by 2020. ''We must welcome children of mixed parents and maybe even some new converts into our community."

What Is Enlightenment, Summer 2004 Issue

What Is Enlightenment is a spiritual magazine that I was not particularly impressed with in the past, but the Summer 2004 issue is excellent. I recommend the following articles, which are unfortunately not available online

Is God a Pacifist? Is peace the answer to a world in chaos? Against the backdrop of 9/11 and Iraq, WIE asks the hard questions about just wars and religious violence, and explores the relationship between our deepest spiritual principles and the politics of an evolving global society. Beyond Limits Finding Freedom in Captivity Held hostage for five years in Lebanon, John McCarthy shares how a spiritual experience and a rare friendship turned a hellish ordeal into a transformative odyssey. New Age Wake-up Call Politics makes a splash at Omega Institute's latest conference.

In the first, lengthy article, Carter Phipps makes a very thoughtful analysis of the justifications for violence, and concludes that pure pacifism can only be practiced in opposition, and never as the governing philosophy of a state. The second article describes how being held hostage in Lebanon turned into an extraordinary spiritual experience for one courageous man. The third, short piece notes dissension within the New Age community between those who think they create their own reality, and those who believe in an external reality that calls for active engagement.