tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85233877837769499562024-02-07T04:24:10.677-08:00God and Gum NutsEcology, Consumer Society and Faith from an Australian perspective.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-36676689574209368112014-04-19T16:50:00.002-07:002014-04-19T16:54:19.600-07:00Easter - a celebration of life<div class="MsoNormal">
Easter is ultimately a celebration of life.</div>
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It is the day we remember Christ's resurrection from the dead. But it is also a day to remember that that resurrection gave new life to us all - and by all I don't mean a narrow group of Christians who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour, but the whole of Creation.</div>
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The symbols of Easter remind us of this new life. We don't eat chocolate bunnies just because they look cute. They are a reminder of new life. We don't eat chocolate eggs just because they're a good shape and can be wrapped in foil. They are also a symbol of new life. And while we may miss it in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region>, even the time of Easter is a symbol of new life. Spring is a time when nature is coming to life again - the flowers are blooming, animal babies are being born. Spring is a time of renewal.</div>
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So Easter should be a time to celebrate life - by recognising the beauty and wonder of the life we see around us. It should also be a time to reflect that this world we see is not just the loving Creation of the God we remember on Easter, but the world he came to save - the world he loves and cares for and the world he will renew. Easter is not just about humans.</div>
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Yet how can we celebrate life today when we fail to protect that life at other times? How can we worship a God who brings new life on Easter and yet turn our backs to the destruction of life throughout the rest of the year?</div>
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I've heard critical comments from Christians about Christmas and Easter Christians, those people who go to church only on Christmas and Easter. Yet if we embrace the message of new life on Easter and ignore that message for the rest of the year, aren't we also, in some way, Easter Christians? We give life a nodding acknowledgement as we go to church or open our chocolate bunnies and eggs and fail to really think about what a celebration of new life should mean or reflect it in our daily lives.</div>
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Life is the diversity of species on this planet. Life is a healthy atmosphere. Life is the conditions that exist on earth to help all life on earth flourish. Life is the wondrous places that exist on this earth.</div>
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Life is the animals in our factories, the species that are going extinct, the climate that we are altering.</div>
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Life is every single person who lives on this planet - all the people who are struggling, the people who are starving and the people who will lose their homes or their livelihood to climate change. Life is all the people yet to be born - and the world we're leaving them to live in.</div>
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If we truly want to celebrate life, then we need to recognise that life is more than just an empty tomb, life after death or salvation for those who call themselves Christians. We need that life is all around us - and it is that life we see all around us that God cares about.</div>
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And we need to commit ourselves to the protection of that life. How can we celebrate something if we are complicit in its destruction? To truly celebrate something is to recognise its value and do all that we can to protect it and see it flourish.</div>
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So let us celebrate new life this Easter - not just with chocolate bunnies and eggs, but with a recognition of the value of all life - and a commitment to look after it.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-16596302270679358452013-02-11T04:28:00.002-08:002013-02-11T04:28:46.252-08:00The importance of the Sabbath<br />
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCug5JdO8IrKbZIUXr3H0jdlsQn68pIHuNyQ3OgK3FLJ2MAZ5X8Ci8bVcsmqXsQ9FpwZ_Sah90ydkpkbSFPFC78Gwuf5XzJcNvpDva1sStZCkbvUDD3QB4AWhspkTPEkP1AKEGPQYBY-7y/s1600/bevan+staring+up+lane+cove.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCug5JdO8IrKbZIUXr3H0jdlsQn68pIHuNyQ3OgK3FLJ2MAZ5X8Ci8bVcsmqXsQ9FpwZ_Sah90ydkpkbSFPFC78Gwuf5XzJcNvpDva1sStZCkbvUDD3QB4AWhspkTPEkP1AKEGPQYBY-7y/s320/bevan+staring+up+lane+cove.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
What I'd like to talk to you about
today is the Crown of Creation. Typically, the Crown of Creation has been
thought of as human beings. Not only were we created last but we were created
in the image of God. Therefore, everything that comes before the creation of
human beings was seen as something of a lead-up to that event. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
So, if we think of the Creation
story as a movie, the typical way of looking at it was that the creation of
human beings was the final scene. All the other days of creation were just
scenes leading up to that climax. And in our anthropocentric view of the
Creation story, sometimes these earlier scenes were thought meaningless by
themselves. Their only purpose was to provide an environment in which the grand
climax, the Creation of humans, could occur. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Of course, the Creation story has
seven days in it, not six, the seventh day being the day that God rested. The
Message Bible says:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana;">By the seventh day<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"> God had
finished his work.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> On the seventh day<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> he rested
from all his work.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> God blessed the seventh day.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> He made it a
Holy Day<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> Because on that day he rested
from his work,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> all the
creating God had done.<span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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But if we thought about that rest
at all, it was a bit like the credits at the end of the movie. Sure, it was
part of the movie. We could pay attention to it if we wanted to. But it didn't
add anything to the story. If we walked out of the movie theatre at that point,
we didn't really miss much. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Jurgen Moltmann, who has a
completely different view of the Sabbath and whose work I'll be drawing from a
lot in this talk, puts it like this:</div>
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<i>The
seventh day of the Sabbath was often overlooked. Consequently, God was
presented throughout merely as the creative God. The resting God, the
celebrating God, the God who rejoices over his creation receded into the
background. <a href="file:///C:/Users/Elizabeth%20Jakimow/Documents/submissions/sabbath%20talk.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of course, seeing humans as the
Crown of Creation, rather than the Sabbath, gives us a completely different view
of ourselves, of nature, and of how humans can treat nature. It's led to the
kind of thinking where we believe the earth was created solely for humans. It's
also led to us treating the earth as though its only purpose was to benefit
humankind. While it may not be explicitly stated this way, we have seen and
treated the earth as though it belonged to us, not God. </div>
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When we ignored the Sabbath rest at
the end of the Creation story, we were focused on a God that was doing
something. To be in God's image then therefore meant doing something too. It
meant that we saw purpose and meaning in activity, and anything that wasn't
useful wasn't seen as all that important. While people may not relate it back
to how they view the Creation story, this is still the predominant view today.
We tend now to see busyness as important and rest as meaningless. We must be
doing something, achieving goals, striving for something. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We must also always be plugged in.
I saw an article the other day about a patent by Nokia for a tattoo that
vibrates when a person's phone is ringing. Now I'm not sure who this kind of
tattoo would appeal to, but the fact that Nokia think there are people who are
so scared of missing a call that they want their body to vibrate when it rings,
says something about our priorities and our idea of what's important. Not only
are there people who don't want to tune out of all the communication technology
we now have, but they're almost afraid to. A body that vibrates when a phone
rings is not embracing the Sabbath rest that God wants for us. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So if we return to Moltmann again,
this is how he views the Sabbath:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>It
is the Sabbath which manifests the world's identity as Creation, sanctifies it
and blesses it.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Elizabeth%20Jakimow/Documents/submissions/sabbath%20talk.doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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So the Sabbath isn't the
unimportant bit at the end of Creation. The Sabbath is the most important part
of Creation. Moltmann says the whole work of Creation (including the Creation
of human beings) was performed for the sake of the Sabbath. This is the time
when God delights in his Creation. Furthermore, it's the time when Creation
simply exists in God's presence and God completes his Creation by being present
within it. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
While Jesus did say that the
Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, this was in the context of
the Pharisees complaining about Jesus and his disciples picking grain on the
Sabbath. What he was addressing was the way the Pharisees turned the Sabbath
into a whole heap of rules that had to be obeyed, regardless of whether they
were beneficial or not. Sabbath observance had become more important than human
beings. While the Sabbath is meant to benefit the whole of Creation, Sabbath
observance must never result in putting rules before the very people, and the
Creation, it is meant to benefit. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But the Sabbath, according to
Moltmann, is also a foretaste of what's to come. It's celebrated in
anticipation. It points towards a future when Creation and God's revelation
will be one. It points towards the redemption of Creation. </div>
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<br /></div>
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To return to our movie analogy,
instead of the Sabbath being the credits at the end of the movie, it's the bit
where the good guy triumphs, the bad guy gets stopped and everyone that was in
danger gets saved. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Moltmann says the Sabbath
commandment was the longest of the ten commandments and therefore the most
important. I'll just read the Sabbath commandment now as it is in the Message Bible.
</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana;">Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work
six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">God,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>your God. Don't do any work—not you,
nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your
animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">God</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and
everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">God</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>blessed the Sabbath day; he set it
apart as a holy day.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
One of the interesting things about
this commandment is that even the animals have to rest. In <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Exodus 23:12</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>, it says:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana;">Work for six days and rest the seventh so your ox
and donkey may rest and your servant and migrant workers may have time to get
their needed rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
And just before that, in verses 10-11,
God says: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana;">Sow your land for six years and gather in its
crops, but in the seventh year leave it alone and give it a rest so that your
poor may eat from it. What they leave, let the wildlife have. Do the same with
your vineyards and olive groves.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
So we see then that the Sabbath is
not just for humans. Not only the slaves and the foreigners are required to
rest, but even the animals get a break. And on the Sabbath year, the land
itself rests. The food that it produces goes to the poor and the wildlife. Can
you see any of the big corporate farms doing that nowadays? Imagine trying to
explain that to their shareholders. To celebrate the Sabbath is not a good way
to maximise profit.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
The Sabbath then is a time of rest
that all Creation enjoys. It is also a time for all of Creation to rejoice in
Creation and in God. It is a time to simply be. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
So what might it mean for us today
if we recovered the importance of the Sabbath? </div>
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<br /></div>
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Firstly, it would mean that we take
the time to appreciate nature and God's presence in nature. That we stop seeing
nature as something to be used, and start seeing it as having intrinsic value
in its own right. That we recognise the beauty of nature, and not just its
utilitarian value. And that we take the time to enjoy nature, to simply be in
nature, rather than doing something in or to nature. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Because we live in a very busy
society, we tend to always be doing something. It's hard to just do nothing.
But when we spend time in nature, it seems easier to just stop or slow down. There
is a type of peace that we find in nature that can't be found elsewhere. Our
focus moves from the 'us' of individuals to the 'we' of every part of Creation.
The worries and stresses of a busy life seem to fade away or at least grow less
important for a while. Nature almost
seems to be telling us to stop doing and just be. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
There is a poem by Wendell Berry
that really captures that feeling of the peace that comes when we spend time in
nature. Let me read it to you:</div>
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<h1 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 2.25pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 7.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18pt; font-weight: normal;">The Peace of Wild
Things<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span class="author"><span style="background: white; color: #4d493f; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">BY wendell berry</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #4d493f; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When
despair for the world grows in me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">and
I wake in the night at the least sound<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">in
fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I
go and lie down where the wood drake<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">rests
in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I
come into the peace of wild things<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">who
do not tax their lives with forethought<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">of
grief. I come into the presence of still water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And
I feel above me the day-blind stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">waiting
with their light. For a time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I
rest in the grace of the world, and am free.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
I would love to make it compulsory
for everyone to spend time in nature at least once a month. I think it's that
beneficial. Turn your phone off. Or even better leave it at home. That way,
even if you have vibrating tattoo on your body, you won't be interrupted. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Secondly, if we are to recover the
importance of the Sabbath we need to ask questions about whether we are letting
all of Creation rest and what steps we might take to give Creation more of a
rest than we are currently giving it. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Once upon a time, not actually all
that long ago, most things were closed on Sundays. Nowadays, most things are
open. This first of all has implications for the opportunities humans have to
rest. Not only does there need to be people working on Sundays, but it's harder
for those of us who aren't working to rest too. When everything is open, it's
too easy to go and do something. Shopping has become our Sunday leisure
activity. But shopping is the complete opposite of what the Sabbath rest is
meant to be. Shopping is not a time to simply be, and let Creation be. Shopping
is not a time to rest in God's presence. Shopping is a definitely doing
activity. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
And this Sunday shopping also makes
further demands on Creation. Every purchase we make is a drain on the earth's
resources. Even buying locally grown vegetables uses up the earth's resources
in some way. And using the earth's resources is not necessarily bad. We need to
eat. We need to clothe ourselves. All of these involve using the earth's
resources. But the purchases we make often make huge demands on the earth's
resources - demands on the earth's resources that are not sustainable. And we
never give the earth a break. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Perhaps Sunday ought to be a time
when we try to avoid stores and purchases. And sometimes that's easier to say
than do. Even though I would love to see stores start closing on Sundays again,
because it's good for the earth and good for people, I also know that, in the
past, I've sat in front of a bookstore at 9:30 on a Sunday morning, feeling
hard done by because it wasn't opening until 10. Yes, I think stores should
close on Sundays - except for when I want a book! </div>
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Another area we can look at is
electricity. Now most of us won't be prepared (and in some cases can't) go a
day without using electricity. But what if we just tried to limit it for a day?
What if we recognised that the land needs a rest too and made a concerted
effort to give it more rest than usual? Could we perhaps make Sundays a day of
no TV, no mobile phones and no computers? And honestly this is another area I
find difficult No matter how many times I tell myself I am leaving my computer
off this Sunday, I usually find a good reason to switch it on. Or a not so good
reason - like changing my Facebook status. </div>
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I've talked about Sundays here,
because that's the traditional day of rest for Christians. But it doesn't have
to be a Sunday. And it doesn't have to involve any of the activities I've
listed here either. To recover the importance of the Sabbath, we don't need a
whole heap of rules. What we do need is a recognition that the Sabbath is
important, that it is a time for us to rest with Creation, enjoying God's
presence. It is a time for us to rest ourselves and it is a time for us to
think about resting the land in some way. The Sabbath is when we switch from
doing to simply being. The Sabbath is when we, along with all of Creation, rest
in God's presence, sharing God's delight with his Creation. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Now all of this may seem a little
boring. And I can imagine saying this to my children and them replying with,
'Right, so Sunday is the day that we can't have any fun.' But the Sabbath is
certainly not meant to be about not having fun. We don't just appreciate nature
and rest in God's presence, we delight in God's presence and celebrate nature. After
seven cycles of the Sabbath years, so after every 49 years - which kind of
makes it the Sabbath of the Sabbaths - there was the Year of Jubilee. That
doesn't sound too boring to me. That sounds like a party.</div>
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And rejoicing in God's creation
should be a party. It is a time for celebrating. A time for feeling fantastic
just to be alive. A time for saying, 'Woohoo, I'm so glad I'm here in this
wonderful world that God has created.' It's not just a colon, end brackets.
It's the biggest smiley face you can find. </div>
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My kids might think it's boring to
go without TV or computers. But maybe it's only when we force ourselves to take
a break from these things that we really learn how un-boring life can be. We
delight in a sunset, smell the flowers, walk barefoot through the grass, stand
in the rain, feel the waves against our legs as we walk along the beach, climb
a tree, and jump in puddles. There's no agenda. No purpose. We are free to
simply be. And I think we've forgotten just how fun that can be. Maybe we need
to recover it again. </div>
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And maybe sometimes it doesn't seem
like this earth has much to celebrate. Climate change, melting ice caps,
mountaintop removal, islands of plastic in our oceans, extinction of species, dwindling
water resources, destruction of rainforests. It can be all to easy to look at
the earth and think we have reason to mourn, not rejoice. </div>
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But while these are all serious
problems that need to be addressed, the Sabbath reminds us that we also have
reason to hope. We celebrate not just what is happening, but what will happen.
God's presence in the world reveals to us the time when God's presence will be
completely manifest in the world. Moltmann says the God's creation and his
revelation will be one. </div>
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To return to our movie analogy, not
only is the Sabbath the climax of the movie, but it's the bit where we realise
that there's going to be a sequel. And unlike most movie sequels, the sequel of
the Sabbath won't be a pale imitation of the first movie. It's going to be
much, much better. </div>
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So if it's a celebration, it's a
bit like an engagement party. Yes, we have reason to celebrate now. And we
should celebrate and rejoice. But this celebration points towards a future
celebration. The wedding feast is still to come. </div>
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<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>ADDIN EN.REFLIST <span style='mso-element:
field-separator'></span><![endif]-->Moltmann, J.
(1985). <i>God in Creation; The Gifford
Lectures, 1984-1985, an ecological doctrine of creation</i>: SCM Press Limited.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Elizabeth%20Jakimow/Documents/submissions/sabbath%20talk.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <!--[if supportFields]><span
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<EndNote><Cite><Author>Moltmann</Author><Year>1985</Year><RecNum>31</RecNum><record><rec-number>31</rec-number><foreign-keys><key
app="EN"
db-id="es9eps9tb5tffnett01vtetxweaw00dzw55p">31</key></foreign-keys><ref-type
name="Book">6</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Jurgen
Moltmann</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>God
in Creation; The Gifford Lectures, 1984-1985, an ecological doctrine of
creation</title></titles><dates><year>1985</year></dates><publisher>SCM
Press Limited</publisher><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]-->(Moltmann, 1985)<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Elizabeth%20Jakimow/Documents/submissions/sabbath%20talk.doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>ADDIN EN.CITE
<EndNote><Cite><Author>Moltmann</Author><Year>1985</Year><RecNum>31</RecNum><record><rec-number>31</rec-number><foreign-keys><key
app="EN"
db-id="es9eps9tb5tffnett01vtetxweaw00dzw55p">31</key></foreign-keys><ref-type
name="Book">6</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Jurgen
Moltmann</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>God
in Creation; The Gifford Lectures, 1984-1985, an ecological doctrine of
creation</title></titles><dates><year>1985</year></dates><publisher>SCM
Press Limited</publisher><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]-->(Moltmann, 1985)<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--></div>
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<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-2532504166726101942013-02-09T19:22:00.004-08:002013-02-09T19:25:12.801-08:00A life without germs is not much of a life<br />
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<a href="http://cdn.gottabemobile.com/wp-content/uploads/germs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.gottabemobile.com/wp-content/uploads/germs.gif" /></a></div>
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Last week in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region> came the news that the government had created stricter hygiene and sanitary regulations for childcare centres. These new standards included children not being allowed to blow out candles on a communal birthday cake and having to use hand-sanitiser before and after playing in the sandpit.</div>
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Later on came the news that a study by <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Stanford</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> revealed that actually exposing children to some germs may be good for them, as it builds up their immune system. Out of all the mothers I have spoken to about it, not one was shocked by this news.</div>
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So why do we have such stringent requirements when it comes to sanitation and hygiene? And what is that doing to us?</div>
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The emphasis on germs really began in the post-war period. This was a period when women were forced back into the home after doing work during the war. It was also a period when a new wave of household appliances supposedly freed up house-wives' time. It was also a time when consumerism really took off.</div>
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Having more stricter cleanliness requirements not only meant that women were kept busier, but that there was a ready market for more products particularly aimed at house-wives.</div>
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Things have changed a bit since that time, but I can't kept thinking that at least some of our ideas about cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation come from the very companies that are trying to sell us products.</div>
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We've all seen the ads where a women cleans the bathroom, but (shock, horror) doesn't get all the germs. No, if she wants the germs, she has to buy this particular brand of product that is guaranteed to pick up germs that the other products leave behind.</div>
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I remember when I was a new mother, receiving a free magazine and pack. The pack contained lots of samples of things I might need for my new baby. The magazine was filled with ads for more products. And looking back, I would say that many of those ads really capitalise on the fears that a new mother has. Many a new mother would have looked at those ads and thought they immediately needed to go out and buy a million and one things just to keep their baby safe, healthy and free from germs.</div>
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And this is probably a good time to say that an emphasis on hygiene and safety can be a good thing. The discovery that it was important to wash hands in hospital actually saved lives. And I for one am pleased that someone created products to keep cupboards locked so that little fingers (and mouths) could not get into them.</div>
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But have we gone too far?</div>
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The rules about birthday cakes are only for childcare centres. Parents can still choose to have a communal birthday cake at their own party if they wish. And I'm sure that many parents will. But will some parents see these new laws and suddenly worry that their child should not eat any cake where another child has blowed out the candles. I can all too easily imagine a scenario where little Tommy has a birthday party and little Jane's mother says Jane can't have any birthday cake if Tommy blows out the candles - spoiling the moment for both Tommy and Jane.</div>
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Birthdays are special, magical, joyful times for children. And one of the best things about birthdays (besides the presents, of course) is blowing out the candles. Children have been doing it for years. And I don't think we've suffered too much for it. And if any of us did catch someone else's cold, it's a small price to pay for sharing this moment together.</div>
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And that's one thing about strict sanitary regulations. It keeps people apart. Yes, when we share things, we may share germs. But we also share special moments. We are together as a family, a group or a community. The occasional cold is a small price to pay for that.</div>
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Some churches have now stopped allowing parishioners to share from the same cup during communion. Again, this is an attempt to stop the spreading of germs. And while I can see times when this might be a good practice (for example, when deadly viruses are widespread), it kind of ruins the meaning of sharing communion. In communion, we all come together. We partake in the one bread and the one wine. We share in the one faith. That's symbolic and it's special. And yes, we can still have that drinking from separate communion glasses. But something is lost if we do. </div>
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At some point we need to ask ourselves if the price we're paying to keep ourselves free from germs is actually worth what we are losing. And part of what we are losing is our sense of belonging to the one community. We focus on the individual rather than the shared sense of being together.</div>
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We are not only isolating ourselves from each other. We are isolating ourselves from nature. The hand-sanitising before and after sandpit use is an example of how we wish to protect ourselves from dirt (and often nature).</div>
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Nature can make us dirty. Nature can expose us to germs. Nature can make us cold and wet and lower our immune system. Nature can bite and sting and hurt us.</div>
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So what do we do in our super-safe, super-sanitised (and super-comfortable) world we have created? It's telling that many eco-holidays are now held in very clean, very comfortable and very safe resort type settings. People get to experience nature without being exposed to any of the risk. But it kind of seems that that super-safe, super-sanitised and super-comfortable experience of nature is missing at least some of what nature has to offer.</div>
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And what about the backyard? Or the park? Or general everyday places where kids get to experience nature? Do we keep our kids far from any of that because they might get hurt or they might catch germs? I personally think that a childhood where we don't experience nature is far worse than a childhood where we might get sick or get stung now and then.</div>
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My son got stung by a bee just recently. I asked him whether he thought it would have been better to not play outside, because therefore he wouldn't have got stung by a bee. His answer was no. When asked why he said, 'Because then I wouldn't get any exercise or any sun and I wouldn't have fun.' When I said, 'What if you knew you would get stung by a bee again if you played outside, would you still play outside?' His answer, 'yes' and he didn't really need to think about it too much.</div>
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There's one way to keep children safe. Keep them isolated in sterilised rooms, with nothing dangerous and no contact with anyone or barely anything. But that's not living.</div>
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We're not meant to live highly sterilised, highly safe, highly comfortable lives. Whether we like it or not, we are connected to each other and we are connected to nature. And that involves some risk. But the risk is worth it. Because a life that's connected to other people and connected to nature also contains much joy. And anyone who has experience that joy would say that it was worth the risk to get it. </div>
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<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-28401467342444745502012-11-27T18:01:00.000-08:002012-11-27T18:01:00.324-08:00Nature, Food and God<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Once upon a
time, in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve wanted something to eat, they
picked it off the nearest tree. Nowadays, we pick it off a supermarket shelf. There’s
something wrong with this picture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I think that
God designed us to interact with nature. When we do so, there is a spiritual
dimension to that interaction. These sound like religious sounding words, but I
don’t want to suggest that only people of faith have this spiritual dimension
to nature. It can also apply to people without faith – sometimes more so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the
ways we can choose to live more natural lifestyles is through the food we eat.
Many people in the western world don’t eat nearly enough food that could be
considered at all natural. It has been processed, modified and added to. Even
fresh fruit and vegetables that we buy from our supermarkets may not be as
natural as we think it is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But it’s not
just a matter of what we eat. It’s also how the food that we eat comes to us.
When we buy food from the grocery store, we are pretty much removed from the
whole food process. However, when we grow food ourselves, we are part of that
process. There is something a lot more natural, rewarding and spiritual about
getting our food in this way. Stuff that just can’t be bought in a jar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the
other aspects of food that we often forget is the cost. No, I don’t mean the
total price when you go through the checkout. But the complete costs to the
world and to the environment is buying processed, packaged food from
supermarkets. There are the costs of transport, processing and packaging (in
terms of environmental costs, using up of resources such as oil, carbon
emissions). When you pick up a product off the shelves, it is worth asking
yourself how much is this costing the world? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Christians are
taught to be good stewards. I don’t believe this just applies to how we use our
money and whether we use it wisely. Although this is important. It also applies
to how we take care of the world around us. We must make the best choices with
what we have. We should also be good stewards of our body. When we eat natural
foods, we are taking care of our body in the best possible way. As well as
this, I think Christians should be people who try to give more and take less.
We should think about this in everything we do – and this includes the food we
eat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Growing a
vegetable garden or fruit trees is one way that we can interact with nature,
eat more natural food and decrease the cost to the world in terms of our
consumption. Food grown by yourself doesn’t have far to go before it is eaten.
There is far less cost in terms of transport and processing. You also know that
the food you are eating has not been modified or added to in any way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Not everyone
can grow their own vegetable garden. However, there are other options. Many
communities have community gardens, where people can come and work in the
gardens. It’s worth seeing if there’s one near you. Or if not, why not get one
started? Farmers markets are also a better place to buy fruit and vegetables
than the supermarket. When you buy from a farmers markets, the people selling
their products are local. That means the food has not traveled as far. Also,
because they were themselves involved in the growing of the food, you can ask
them about how it was grown. Try doing that to the checkout operator at the
supermarket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We’re not in
the Garden of Eden anymore. And let’s face it, no matter how hard we try, very
few of us are going to succeed in leading completely natural lifestyles. But
the closer we get to this, the better we will feel – both physically and
spiritually. I think it’s worth creating our own little <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Garden</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Edens</st1:placename></st1:place>
whenever we can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-50287901120925034092012-11-15T18:28:00.000-08:002012-11-15T18:28:00.100-08:00Moments of Beauty<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">A young boy trips over and skins his knee.
He takes a big breath, fuelling himself for a very long cry, gives his mother a
quick glance to make sure she’s watching – and then spots a butterfly. He
stares at in wonder, as his pain is forgotten and the opportunity to get
attention is missed. He is having a moment of beauty. The mother has her own
moment of beauty. On her way to comfort her child, she stops and simply enjoys
the look upon her son’s face. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Moments of beauty are like that. You are so
caught up in something beautiful that you forget your own worries, your own
fears and your own desires. All the thoughts that were fighting with each other
inside your head simply disappear. You forget about ‘me’ for a while. You
forget about everything. You simply enjoy the beauty. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The best example of a moment of beauty is
the mother who looks into her newborn baby’s eyes. Regardless of how many
moments of beauty I have in my life, nothing will ever compare to that
experience. In fact, I doubt very much whether anyone is ever captivated quite
so much as a woman who first looks into her child’s eyes. The pain of labour is
completely forgotten. The worries and fears about how she will actually raise
her child no longer seem that important. To say you lose yourself is a cliché,
but sometimes a cliché best expresses the truth. The new mother really does
lose herself. When a mother looks at her newborn, she doesn’t think of who she
is or what she wants. There are no thoughts at all, well not in words. Just an
overwhelming feeling of love and wonder.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Moments of beauty don’t have to be centred
around some amazing experience, like giving birth to a child. They happen all
the time. They can be big or small. Sitting on the beach watching the sunset. A
flock of birds flying overhead. Looking at a waterfall. Attending a school
assembly and hearing children sing. Listening to the solo of a classically
trained singer. A moment of silence at the end of a hectic day. Walking into an
old church and feeling the impact of awe, magnificence and wonder. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The other day, I was standing outside the
shopping centre, when a young couple walked past. I can’t remember what I was
thinking about at that moment, but I’m sure I considered it terribly important
at the time. But as soon as I saw them, I stopped thinking. Now they were attractive,
but I wouldn’t say they were stunning. But there was something about their
faces and their body languages that really moved me. There seemed to be an ease
there that you very rarely find. They looked at each other as if they really
understood the value of the other person. Not stunning, no. But definitely
beautiful, even if it’s not the kind of beauty that can be captured in
photographs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have been calling them moments of beauty,
but I most often think of them as moments that touch the soul. Because that’s
what I think they are. When something captivates you with its beauty, I believe
it’s felt more with the soul, than with the body. They are the times when our
spirit finally gets our flesh to shut up for a moment. And it’s when our flesh
is quiet, that I think God is mostly likely to tap us on the shoulder and
remind us that he’s still there. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There is a passage in the bible that always
makes me think of moments of beauty. It is found in 1 King 19:11-12. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Then He
said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD
passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the
rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the
wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in
the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was
not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m not quite sure why
it makes me think of beauty, because there is certainly nothing in there that
is beautiful. I think it’s that still small voice at the end. When we do have a
moment of beauty, or a moment that touches the soul, we can sometimes hear that
still small voice. It’s like God’s gently whispering in our ear. But we have to
pay attention or we miss it. And most of the time, we’re not paying attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Whether we’re paying
attention or not, I think moments of beauty are God’s way of reminding us that
this life and this flesh are not all that matters. When we ignore our flesh, we
can begin to pay attention to our spirit. When we lose ourselves, we may just
end up finding God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-1184706076056794492012-11-11T20:11:00.000-08:002012-11-11T20:11:19.820-08:00The importance of the Sabbath<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRtAOpKtp5jGFCliAIMlKBuhjcVvigYMh8J-DT4iiN8LiKJhH-TBHDVGqVxahWunEMJ9hnL9uW-_2JFg2TX38vp8KFYMCNtwHzbrxuCxc55Fb0CjJYQjVc5YqkUG8XUbMdJOx257E8JqT/s1600/23092012338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRtAOpKtp5jGFCliAIMlKBuhjcVvigYMh8J-DT4iiN8LiKJhH-TBHDVGqVxahWunEMJ9hnL9uW-_2JFg2TX38vp8KFYMCNtwHzbrxuCxc55Fb0CjJYQjVc5YqkUG8XUbMdJOx257E8JqT/s320/23092012338.jpg" width="320" /></a> Most people
would agree that at least some of the Ten Commandments have value. Do not
murder. Do not steal. They make sense - whether you belong to the
Judeo-Christian tradition or not. But then there are others that apparently
seem worthless. And at the top of that list might be keeping the Sabbath. Even
Christians often don't do a good job of following that one. And many people
would barely give it a thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there
are good reasons why we should start taking this commandment seriously again.
I'm not talking here from a religious perspective. Like do not murder and do
not steal, it makes sense - whether you're a Jew, Christian, Sikh, Agnostic or
Atheist. Keeping the Sabbath contributes to the wellbeing of ourselves, our communities
and the earth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But in
order to understand why we should take this commandment seriously, we need to
really understand what the Sabbath was for. Yes, it was for worshipping God.
And from a Judeo-Christian perspective, that's important. But as I'm suggesting
it's beneficial for everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, there has to
be more to it than that. In fact, I think one of the reasons why this is the
most neglected commandment is that we have narrowed it down to just worshipping
God, which is even narrowed down further to 'going to church'. Christians believe
they're obeying the commandment if they go to church on Sundays. People who
don't accept the Judeo-Christian God figure they don't go to church and
therefore it doesn't apply. But the Sabbath is meant for so much more than
that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next
thing we can say about the Sabbath is it is a day when we do not work. For
some, this meant a whole heap of rules about what could and couldn't be done on
the Sabbath. For others, it simply meant not doing paid work. In my opinion,
both miss the point. And neither approach actually considers what the Sabbath
is for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what is
the purpose of the Sabbath? Besides worshipping God, we might also say its
purpose is to rest. And this rest is not just something we should do ourselves,
but something we must let others do. <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Exodus
23:12</st1:bcv_smarttag_15> says that on the Sabbath it is not just we
ourselves who must rest, but also oxen, donkeys, servants and migrant workers.
And just before that it says that after every seven years, the land itself must
rest. The Sabbath is not just about us. It's about letting everyone rest. It's
about letting the earth itself rest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what
might this mean in a 21<sup>st</sup> century context, where most of us don't
have oxen or donkeys or servants or migrant workers? Well the point is not
really about the oxen or the donkeys or the servants or the migrant workers.
It's that everyone and everything (including animals and the earth) needs a
chance to rest. And if we do want to think about it in a 21<sup>st</sup>
century context, we need to ask what drain we are making on other people and
the land? Could we perhaps replace servants and migrant workers for the people
we expect to be working in stores on Sundays? Could we replace oxen and donkey
for the electricity we are constantly using? Does everything always have to be
in production mode for us or are we willing to give things a break? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thinking
about the Sabbath in this way, rather than just as something we ourselves
personally must do, makes us realise that rest is not just the cessation of
work. Keeping the Sabbath should benefit everything and everyone. The
commandment to keep the Sabbath then is not just a prohibition to work, but a
commandment to participate in the benefits that Sabbath-keeping brings. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To rest on
the Sabbath may mean 'not doing certain things', but it also means to do
others. We take a break from the type of things that produce goods, make money
and drain the earth's resources and instead we participate in other types of
activities - the kind of activities that refresh and renew us and that do not
put unnecessary burdens on others. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
inclusion of everything in the Sabbath rest also shows us that everything must
have a chance to simply be. In fact, if we go back to the original day that God
rested in the creation story, we can see that for seven days God created things
and then he rested. This does not just mean that God stopped working. It also
means that Creation, which was changing, becoming, progressing, doing, also got
a chance to simply be. It no longer had to become something or do something. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To say what
constitutes rest and work is difficult because what is hard work for someone
may mean rest and recreation for someone else. But if we are to truly keep the
purpose of the Sabbath, we do need a break from anything that stresses us and
frustrates us, and we need to choose instead those things that renew and
refresh us. We also need to realise that we don't need to be constantly doing
something. We just can stop, breathe and appreciate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Sabbath
then becomes a time when we stopping putting unnecessary demands on the earth.
It becomes a time when we stop expecting so much from other people and simply
enjoy their presence. It also becomes a time when we give ourselves permission
to take a break from our to-do lists, to relax and laugh and appreciate the
world around us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps the
reason why the commandment to keep the Sabbath is so neglected is that we don't
like simply being. We like to be achieving things, doing things, going
somewhere or making progress. And we judge things (and people) on how useful or
productive they are. The Sabbath not only gives us a break from this type of
mentality, but it shows that people, animals and the earth have value in and of
themselves. They don't need to be doing something to be important. And nor do
we. Just to be is enough.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
importance of the Sabbath commandment may not be as evident as do not murder or
do not steal, but it is important nonetheless. When we stop making demands on
the land, on others and on ourselves, when we value everything and everyone for
what they are not what they do, we and the whole earth community flourishes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keeping the
Sabbath wasn't just a commandment designed to get people worshipping God. Like
many of the other commandments, it would benefit the community and the
individuals within it. While we may have different opinions on the importance
of the Sabbath, many of us can agree that the wellbeing of ourselves, our
communities and our planet is important. Keeping the Sabbath helps us do this -
whether we believe in God or not. </div>
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</div>
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<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-47912934209543931522012-11-06T15:28:00.000-08:002012-11-06T15:28:34.128-08:00Accepting Limitations<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all have limitations or things in our life that we don't
like. The general tendency is to try and change these things. Sometimes that's
a good approach for some things need to be changed. But often this change is
aided by consumer products and services. And consumerism itself fuels our
dissatisfaction with our lives. And it is that dissatisfaction that also
prevents us from accepting the limitations of the earth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While listening to a prison chaplain talk about his
experiences the other day, the phrase 'life sentence' jumped out at me. The
thought of someone who can never get what he wants (freedom), and needs to
accept his situation will last for his entire life, seemed quite terrible to
me. How would he find joy, peace and hope? The only way he could find any
degree of contentment would be if he learned to accept his situation. Fighting
against it and wanting to be free would only make him miserable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Christians often use prison cells as a metaphor for breaking
free of certain things in our life. And it can be quite a good metaphor. There
are some things we need to break free from. However, if we see everything as a
prison cell that we do need to break free from, then maybe we lose our ability
to find peace, joy and hope where we are. Maybe we are too busy fighting our
cells that we miss the opportunity to appreciate what we do have and work
within our limitations. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nowhere is the dissatisfaction with our lives more apparent
than in the area of appearance. Got brown hair and want blonde? Dye it. Got
brown eyes and want blue? There's coloured contacts for that. Don't like your
boobs or your nose or your face? Get plastic surgery. I could go on but you get
the picture.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Consumerism fuels this dissatisfaction with the way we look.
The more dissatisfied people are with their appearance, the more consumer
products and services they buy. But it also makes us unwilling to accept any
aspect of our appearance we don't like - even the ones we can't change. I
admit, I've sometimes felt hard done by because God didn't make me tall,
blonde, slim and beautiful. When I do that, I not only end up frustrated and
discontent, but I ignore all the very good qualities God has given me. I'm too
busy looking at what I don't have and what I want to see changed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's look at something completely different - comfort. If
we're unwilling to accept anything we don't like, then we must be comfortable
all of the time. When we exercise, we prefer to be in air-conditioned, enclosed
gyms rather than out in the outdoors. We like outings where all the
unpleasantness has been taken away. Our houses must be perfectly comfortable. We
don't like to be too hot or too cold. We're no longer willing to accept the
limitations of the weather or the seasons. So we crank up our air-conditioner
to achieve the desired temperature. All of this uses energy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And speaking of energy, we are also not willing to accept
the limitations of the planet. Our desire to change our life and situation -
through the consumer products we buy and the energy we use - often has a
detrimental effect on the earth. But rather than limiting our impact, we demand
that the earth continue to give us what we want to make our lives as
"perfect" or as "easy" as possible. And we pretend that it
will always do so.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It won't. The earth is a prison cell. Oh yes, it's a
beautiful prison cells. It has wonders and delights and can give us everything
we need if we take care of it. And it's not the kind of prison cell I want to
break free from. But it's a prison cell in the sense that there's nowhere else
to go. Humanity doesn't get to escape from earth. We are stuck here. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And we can pretend that the limitations of this earth don't
exist. We can refuse to accept them or fight against them. But none of this
will do any good. Those limitations will still be there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or we can learn to live within those limitations. We can
appreciate what we do have, but realise there are limits to it. And when we do
learn to live within those limitations, we are more likely to find joy, peace
and contentment. We are also more likely to appreciate what we do have and want
to take care of it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Acceptance is not a popular trait in our society. But for
the sake of the earth and our own wellbeing, we must cultivate it. Yes, there
will be things in our life that we don't like. Yes, there will be limitations
imposed upon us that we want to break free from. But life should be about
accepting those limitations, rather than believing we must get everything we
want.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have linked our refusal to accept limitations to consumerism.
But while I certainly think consumerism has made this human inclination worse,
it is not limited to consumerism. The bible tells us that Adam and Eve were
given access to every tree and plant in the Garden of Eden except one. Rather
than accepting that limitation, they ate the forbidden fruit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How many of us have thought, if I was in the Garden of Eden,
I'd be happy with what I had? Really? We don't seem so happy with what we have
at the moment. We're always wanting more, always wanting to change things,
always refusing to accept the limitations placed on us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And to say we don't live in the Garden of Eden is not an
excuse. Yes, the Garden of Eden was filled with good things. But so are our
lives now. The world is amazing place. Our lives are filled with so many gifts
from God. We have nature and relationships and bodies that are just incredible.
We have joy and delight and wonder. There is so much to be thankful for. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's not ruin what we do have. Let's appreciate it and take
care of it. Let us work within the limitations of the earth. And let us
cultivate those traits of acceptance and gratitude. There may be things in our
lives and our world that we don't like. But if we learn to accept what we do
have, we will also learn that there is much in our lives and our world that we
love. There is much in our lives and our world that we should appreciate and
preserve. </div>
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<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-15110340003596464902012-10-11T17:42:00.001-07:002012-10-11T17:42:04.687-07:00A prayer at a lake | ECEN<a href="http://ecen.org/content/prayer-lake">A prayer at a lake | ECEN</a> (From the European Christian Environmental Network website)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">I watch you, black-throated diver,<br />
hearing your voice at the darkening lake<br />
the message from millions of years ago.<br />
You were here long before me,<br />
you diver black-throated,<br />
a bird of silent waters.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">I hear a child playing<br />
just before it's time to sleep<br />
You will be living here<br />
when I and my friends are no more.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">I watch the lake, now calm in the evening<br />
Water, without you there is no life<br />
You have baptized me,<br />
you, clean, clear water.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">I watch you, the birch tree<br />
You grow and reach over the water<br />
You give to me and all the other beings who breathe air<br />
new power of life.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">I watch you, the high rock behind the cottage,<br />
Rock, you are protecting me, the diver, child and birch,<br />
from the wind blowing behind you,<br />
this part of the isle is serene.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">Mother Earth, brother wind, father rock, my sister diver,<br />
you are the body of God,<br />
Body of God, who was born your brother<br />
and mine.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">Black-throated diver, may you still live for millions of years<br />
rock, my father, protect this lake,<br />
earth, my mother, carry the growing life,<br />
my brother wind, blow and make the air clear,</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;">Water, darkening in the evening, support life, stay clean,<br />
let the gift of Holy Spirit revive<br />
sisters and brothers and the whole creation. Amen.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify; top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline; word-spacing: 0.125em;"><i style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ilkka Sipil?inen</i></div><br />
<br />
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Liz_Jakimow" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-15844565427817723982012-09-30T16:44:00.000-07:002012-09-30T16:44:24.509-07:00"If the Earth were small" by Olaf Skarsholt<br />
<div align="center">
<br />If the earth<br />were only a few feet in <br />diameter, floating a few feet above
a<br />field somewhere, people would come from<br />every where to marvel at it.
People would walk<br />around it marveling at its big pools of water, its
little<br />pools and the water flowing between the pools. People<br />would marvel
at the bumps on it, and the holes in it, and they<br />would marvel at the very
thin layer of gas surrounding it and the<br />water suspended in the gas. The
people would marvel at all the<br />creatures walking around the surface of the
ball, and in the water.<br />The people would declare it precious because it was
the only one,<br />And they would protect it, so that it would not be hurt. The
ball<br />would be the greatest wonder known, and people would come<br />to behold
it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, and to know<br />beauty and to wonder how it
could be. People would love<br />it, and defend it with their lives, because they
would<br />somehow know that their lives, their own<br />roundness, could be nothing
without it.<br />If the earth were only a few<br />feet in diameter.</div>
<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-26506609079422141722012-09-27T03:41:00.001-07:002012-09-27T03:41:43.888-07:00Discovering God (in nature)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DUtsE8XSTNvnz26JDj7VCKV9a_M3kSGMqcegb5FviNpAuBjPPNnSyQ6pcknoBYPsNNXu-h_xI7PpE-VGT5kYCC9CZ3deDXFpDnVBOqY_qBtJuaz-wfeNe6oYs8YHc1xEg3aA-IcDn67n/s1600/bevan+staring+up+lane+cove.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DUtsE8XSTNvnz26JDj7VCKV9a_M3kSGMqcegb5FviNpAuBjPPNnSyQ6pcknoBYPsNNXu-h_xI7PpE-VGT5kYCC9CZ3deDXFpDnVBOqY_qBtJuaz-wfeNe6oYs8YHc1xEg3aA-IcDn67n/s320/bevan+staring+up+lane+cove.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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When people talk about becoming a Christian, the term
sometimes used is 'finding Jesus' as though Jesus were hiding somewhere and one
only has to look in the right place to find him. In fact, a number of cartoons
have illustrated this possibility, with Jesus hiding somewhere behind a curtain
or a couch. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Putting the emphasis on Jesus indicates that the only way to
'find' God is by 'finding' Jesus. You may feel spiritual, you may seek to know
God, but until you 'find Jesus' it is actually you who is lost.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other thing this term does is make 'finding Jesus' a
one-off event. When you find something, you've found it. No further looking is
required. Of course, you may lose it again and then have to find it for a
second time. But there are times when you have 'found' something and times when
you haven't, with no middle ground. You can't half find something and once
you've found it you don't keep looking. It's either found or not.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite the claims of many born-again Christians, I don't
believe that 'finding God' can be so neatly differentiated into a before and
after stage. Rather than a game of hide'n'seek, it is an ongoing journey. We
are continually seeking and continually finding. The word 'discovering'
therefore seems more appropriate to me than 'find'.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Furthermore, God is not just discovered by Christians, but
people who aren't Christians are continually discovering him too. This includes
not just people of other religions - but also agnostics and even atheists -
although they may not recognise what they have discovered is God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
In <i>The Mind of God</i>, Paul Davies<a href="file:///C:/Users/Elizabeth%20Jakimow/Documents/blog/discovering%20god.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
says: 'even hard-nosed atheists frequently have what has been called a sense of
reverence for nature, a fascination and respect for its depth and beauty and
subtlety, that is akin to religious awe.’ That to me sounds very much like the
process of discovering God. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
And while I believe God can be
discovered in many different places - in religion, in relationship, in
receiving kindness from others, in feeling solidarity with others, in feeling
compassion for all living creatures, in seeking to correct injustice - it is in
nature that I believe many people do find God. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Nature is incredibly beautiful and
incredibly complex. That in itself often causes people to think about the
reason behind it all. While not everybody will come to the conclusion that that
'reason' is God, many will - even if they reject religion. And even those who
do not believe that God had anything to do with it, the very act of thinking
about that 'reason' is part of discovering God. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
If I stand in front of the Mona
Lisa, and I think about the one who painted it, I am at least partly
discovering Leonardo Da Vinci - even if I come to the conclusion that the
painting occurred by someone accidentally throwing paint onto a canvas which just
happened to land in such a way that the Mona Lisa face appeared. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Secondly, the beauty of nature often is so breathtaking that
all we can do is stand in awe. To stand in awe of what God has made is to
discover God. To feel wonder and delight and joy while looking at God's
Creation is to feel part of the same wonder and joy and delight that God feels.
Although, as finite beings, we will only feel that wonder and joy and delight
on a limited scale, when we are truly captivated by nature I believe we sense
for just a moment a tiny portion of what God feels. It seems we are raised just
a little bit above our finitude and humanness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Something else we often sense in nature in peace. Partly,
this is because nature is soothing. There is a reason why when people want to
relax, they listen to CDs of bird calls rather than CDs of bulldozers. Discovering
that peace is part of discovering God. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So too is the recognition that we are not just individuals
but part of the community of Creation. Nature often brings peace because it helps
us forget about ourselves. We are lost in the moment and our own concerns are
either forgotten or become less significant. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is hard to discover God when we are solely focused on
ourselves. Being in nature often turns our focus outward. The 'I' as an
individual is enveloped in the 'we' of Creation. We are then able to see not
just that we are part of a larger picture, but how we might act in ways to help
that larger picture. Discovering God is not just about saying, 'Yes, I've found
Jesus' and now I can put him on the mantelpiece along with my rock collection
to stare at. It is about discovering his will, not just in our lives, but in
the whole of Creation, and helping to see God's will be done.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don't think God can ever be 'found'. Human beings will
never be able to completely understand him or completely know him. We can't put
him in a box, label him and store him somewhere safe so we can't lose him
again. But we can catch glimpses. We can come close. We can have moments when
we seem to rise briefly above our human nature. And we can keep looking and
discovering, knowing the journey will never end, that there will always be new
things to find and new things to search for - and that's what makes the faith
journey so exciting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOzobNrpygeiNn6n0Zn3vr7sbkpviZJX-ia5-FNTMR3PUNTpet9zP3kIQoSWhq45KjPI6dJn6zyKuJaz2XhP9o_P7QyNaovwuzAt4zqspQnaWUruM-FYLVXfC-nVRY13L4BJJU_USaMqO/s1600/bevan+rocks+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOzobNrpygeiNn6n0Zn3vr7sbkpviZJX-ia5-FNTMR3PUNTpet9zP3kIQoSWhq45KjPI6dJn6zyKuJaz2XhP9o_P7QyNaovwuzAt4zqspQnaWUruM-FYLVXfC-nVRY13L4BJJU_USaMqO/s320/bevan+rocks+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>ADDIN EN.REFLIST <span style='mso-element:
field-separator'></span><![endif]-->Davies,
Paul. <i>The Mind of God; Science and the
Search for Ultimate Meaning</i>. Maryborough, Victoria: Penguin Books, 2008.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Elizabeth%20Jakimow/Documents/blog/discovering%20god.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>ADDIN EN.CITE
<EndNote><Cite><Author>Davies</Author><Year>2008</Year><RecNum>41</RecNum><record><rec-number>41</rec-number><foreign-keys><key
app="EN"
db-id="es9eps9tb5tffnett01vtetxweaw00dzw55p">41</key></foreign-keys><ref-type
name="Book">6</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Paul
Davies</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>The
Mind of God; science and the search for ultimate
meaning</title></titles><dates><year>2008</year></dates><pub-location>Maryborough,
Victoria</pub-location><publisher>Penguin
Books</publisher><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]-->Paul Davies, <i>The Mind of God;
Science and the Search for Ultimate Meaning</i> (Maryborough, Victoria: Penguin
Books, 2008).<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></div>
</div>
</div>
<script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-38256932098971759892012-09-17T00:02:00.000-07:002012-09-17T00:02:16.654-07:00Social Justice and Consumerism<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the problems with consumerism is we often don't see
the stories behind the products that we buy. And with more and more of our
products made and sold by multi-national corporations, with much of their
manufacturing taking place offshore, those behind-the-scenes stories are
becoming less and less visible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet those stories are important. And this year's Social
Justice Sunday, taking place on 30 September with the theme Peace in the
Marketplace, reminds us that consumerism often contributes to injustices,
inequities and suffering.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to be reminded of the harsh and unfair conditions
that people in <st1:place w:st="on">Third World</st1:place> countries work
under in order to produce our goods. We need to consider the impact that our
purchases are having on the environment. And we need to reflect on what
consumerism is doing to ourselves, not just in terms of employment practices
that maximise profit and leave employees worse off, but also in terms of seeing
life through a framework that values individuals over relationships and community,
that leaves people feel worthless because they do not earn enough money or own
the right things and that leaves almost all of us in a constant state of
dissatisfaction because the advertisers keep persuading us there is something
else we need to be happy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Social Justice Sunday also reminds us that, while many
people in our society see economic growth and consumerism as desirable, that is
not the only possible view. Considering the negative impacts economic growth
has on the environment, on people and on communities, maybe it is time we
looked for a new over-arching framework, a new way of living in and seeing the
world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Church must be a prophetic voice in this consumeristic,
growth-driven culture. It must be prepared to show how our economic structures
are damaging the earth and hurting people. It must be prepared to say there are
more important things than profit, growth, money and purchases. It must be
prepared to challenge the power of corporations and the way they conduct
business. And it must show the world a different way, a way that values
relationships, communities, peace and wellbeing, a way that puts people before
profits, the earth before purchases. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bible shows us that God cares about unfair economic
structures. Therefore, Christians should care about them too. It is not an
excuse to say we didn't know. We must make it our business to know. And if we
really do care about seeing God's will done on earth, then once we know, we
must do something about it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The National Council of Churches in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Australia</st1:country> has a
pamphlet and worship resources on its website (<a href="http://www.ncca.org.au/departments/social-justice">http://www.ncca.org.au/departments/social-justice</a>)
for Peace in the Marketplace, Social Justice Sunday, 30 September. This
wonderful prayer, based on the Beatitudes, comes from those resources. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>‘Blessed are you who
are poor,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> for yours is the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">kingdom</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">God</st1:placename></st1:place>.’<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God of the poor,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We hear your voice calling us to the reality of life in our
land, in the country and in our cities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The goodness of your creation has been twisted out of shape
by the greed of people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The land lifts up its voice in mourning, and the poor of the
land cry out for justice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Help us live out your just kingdom here in this part of the
earth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>‘Blessed are you who
are hungry now, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> for you will be filled.’<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God of the hungry,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our indigenous brothers and sisters still struggle with
worse health </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and lower life expectancy than the rest of our population;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
asylum seekers still wait months and years for settlement in
safety;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the elderly, ill and unemployed struggle to live on
pensions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Help us know how to share our resources wisely and
generously</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
so that all may be filled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>‘Blessed are you who
weep now,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> for you will laugh.’<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God of the desolate,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Young girls are exploited to sell fashion clothes,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
while women slave in sweat shops for minimum wages.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Men work long hours at dangerous jobs </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and young people turn to drugs and alcohol to cover their
hopelessness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We in the developed world enjoy our luxuries </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
at the expense of those who struggle to make a living
growing them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Help us protect the humanity of those who produce the goods
we use.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>‘Blessed are you when
people hate you, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> and when they exclude you, revile you, and
defame you.’<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God of the marginal,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Governments appear to favour those with economic power, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
instead of investing in education; </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
megastores drive small businesses to the wall;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
people deafened by the strident call to consume </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
fail to hear the whispers of the homeless and hungry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Help us to speak fearlessly for those with no voices, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and to remember that your grace is abundant enough for all
to share.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>‘Rejoice in that day
and leap for joy, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> for surely your reward is great in heaven.’<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God of joy,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We pray that we who follow the way of Christ might live by
your grace,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
modelling care and integrity in our business transactions,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
courage and hope in our politics,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and love and reconciliation in our relationships.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May our lives be evidenced by generosity, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
daring to live in hope,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that our life together might point beyond ourselves </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to the One in whose image we are made.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the name of Jesus Christ, who showed us how to live. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Amen.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Acknowledgement:</b>
These worship resources have been compiled by Rev Dr Meryl Blair for use with
the Social Justice Sunday 2012 resource Peace in the Marketplace.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Liz_Jakimow" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-16822261059744638132012-08-17T19:36:00.000-07:002012-08-17T19:36:25.136-07:00Matthew 25:31-46 - What we do for people matters (including those affected by climate change)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on"><i>We can't just ignore the plight of people who will be impacted by climate change and environmental degradation. Matthew 25:31-46 doesn't give us that option. </i></st1:bcv_smarttag_15></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on"><br /></st1:bcv_smarttag_15></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A31-46&version=NIV" target="_blank">Matthew 25:31-46</a></st1:bcv_smarttag_15>,
I suspect, is a passage that we don't like to think about too much. It gets
used when charities are trying to convince Christians to donate money or
volunteer their time. But the focus seems to be very much on <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Matthew 25:45</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>. We're more interested in giving
ourselves a pat on the back for helping the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and
imprisoned than we are about looking at what the whole passage actually means.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This passage shows us very clearly that what we do for other
people matters. And it's not a case of just patting ourselves on the back when
we do the right thing either. What we don't do matters too. Jesus says that
what we do (or fail to do) for other people we do (or fail to do) for him. That
in itself should make us take notice. But it's not like we just get a mild
reprimand for failing to do the right thing either. Jesus says, '<span class="woj"><i>Depart
from me,</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><span class="woj"><i>you
who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels</i>' (Matthew 25:41). They're pretty strong words. They're not
the kind of words that you can pretend just aren't that important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="woj">So does that mean
if we fail to sign up for hospital and prison visiting programs and donate
money to every single organisation out there that feeds the hungry we're going
to hell? Well, no. But at the same time, we also don't get to pretend that we
can ignore the plight of other people. When we fail to help people who need
help, we fail to help Jesus. And what we do to other people counts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="woj">One thing I don't
think Jesus was trying to do was give us a list of people who must be helped -
with anyone who falls outside that list able to be ignored. He wasn't saying
'what you do for <i>these</i> <i>people</i>, you do for me'. Rather, he was
saying, 'what you do for <i>everyone</i>,
you do for me.' So it's not just our treatment of the hungry, the thirsty, the
homeless, the naked, the sick and imprisoned that matters. Our treatment of the
depressed, the grieving and the anxious matters. Our treatment of the
unemployed, the disabled, the working poor and the socially isolated matters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="woj">And our treatment
of people who will be impacted by climate change and environmental degradation
matters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="woj">This doesn't just
include people in countries like <st2:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on">Tuvalu</st2:place></st2:country>. It includes people in third
world countries who are already struggling with the effects of climate change.
It includes farmers in our own country who are finding things more difficult
with changing climate conditions. It includes people who are being (or who will
be) impacted by extreme weather conditions, which are predicted to increase as
the climate changes. It includes future generations who have to live in the
world we leave them. And ultimately it includes all of us - for we all will be
impacted by climate change at some time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="woj">We can't just
ignore their plight. <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Matthew 25:31-46</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>
doesn't give us that option. What we do (or fail to do) for these people, we
fail (or fail to do) for Jesus. How we treat these people, whether we help them
or not, matters in God's eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="woj">Do we want to be
the person to whom Jesus says, 'I was suffering from climate change and
environmental degradation and you helped me,' or do we want to be the one to
whom Jesus says, 'I was suffering from climate change and environmental
degradation and not only didn't you help me, but you actually made my situation
worse.' <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="woj">Because that's
what we're doing. Not only do we fail to help, we increase the problem. I can't
read <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Matthew 25:31-46</st1:bcv_smarttag_15> and
think that Jesus doesn't care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Liz_Jakimow" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-75130273182345605952012-08-08T01:09:00.001-07:002012-08-08T01:09:42.834-07:00Are people who don't care about the environment selfish?<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Are
people who don't care about the environment selfish? Some would say they are,
as they are putting their own needs above that of the earth. But I don't think
we can make a blanket statement that all people who don't care about the
environment are selfish - even though they may have some selfish reasons for
not thinking about the health of this planet.<br />
<br />
A lot of people who don't care about climate change, or have much interest in
ecology more generally, are not selfish. They are generous, selfless people.
They do things that I'm afraid I'm too selfish to do. Choosing a person's
self-interest over environmental concerns does not make someone selfish,
because there may be many other areas where they are far more selfless than
other people.<br />
<br />
There are so many different things in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%;">the
world that people can and do care about. And I don't do everything I could do
to address them all. I don't give food to the hungry. I don't visit people in
jail. The only sick person I've visited in hospital in the last year was my own
grandmother. I don't help kids learn to read at school. I don't open my house
to people who might need a place to stay or a meal to eat. I could go on. Does
this make me selfish? Maybe. But then I certainly have no right to call people
who don't care about the environment selfish - because I know that, in many
cases, they do a lot of selfless things that I'm not prepared to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">
<br />
And even if we just limit it to ecological concerns, I'm selfish. I drink diet
coke that comes in plastic bottles. I have my computer on pretty much
constantly. I don't have a compost bin and I often throw out food. I sometimes
buy food with too much packaging. I even sometimes get plastic bags. Again, I
could go on. So do I have the right to call someone selfish who likes plastic
bags and drives a car, just because I try to avoid them and I don't have a
car.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, if we start calling people selfish for the environmental choices
they make, it's often very easy for them to turn around and say well you're
selfish too because of the choices you make. Even being on Facebook is bad for
the environment. So are we all selfish then? Yes, I think we probably are. I
think everyone is selfish to some degree. And I think we all often put our own
desires and convenience above environmental concerns - probably much more so
than we recognise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Another
thing we need to think about is the culture we live in. We all live in a
consumeristic culture - and selfishness is pretty much ingrained into that
culture. We are living in a world where a high value is placed on convenience
and individual desires. This is a world that's not sustainable, but it's hard
to look past that world because we're so immersed in it. And even if we can see
past the problems with our way of life, it's sometimes hard to choose a
different way of living when we are surrounded by this consumeristic culture.<br />
<br />
I know my kids have gotten annoyed with me because I don't like buying food
with too much packaging. And one of their main complaints is everyone has
school has this type of food. And so sometimes I do buy food with lots of
packaging - because while I see problems with the way our society does things,
my kids still live in this society and have to make their way in it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And
sometimes my concern with environmental issues makes me feel too different to
my friends. I feel like forgetting all about the damage my lifestyle may be
causing to this earth and just 'being like everybody else'. It's hard to be
different - whatever that different is. <br />
<br />
We might think that people in the past who owned slaves were selfish. And
undoubtedly, yes, they were. But still they lived in a culture where slaves
were acceptable. It would have been very hard for them to see past that. And
it's the same today - if most of the people that surround you don't see
environmental concerns as that important, it's pretty hard to see them as
important yourself. <br />
<br />
We all would love to think that if we went back to a different time, that we
wouldn't do any of the things that we consider so terrible now. We wouldn't own
slaves or mistreat people of a different colour or watch bear-baiting. And if
we travelled back in time, we probably wouldn't. But if we grew up in that
time, maybe we would. There's always the people that stand out from the crowd
and say, this is wrong. But it must be an extremely hard thing to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I
know that when I was younger, I used to light up a cigarette in a food court
without even thinking about it. Now, even if I'm in a place where I can smoke,
I will move away if people are eating. Am I less selfish than I used to be?
Maybe. But then I'm not sure whether I was actually being selfish in my days of
smoking in the food court. It just wasn't something I thought about. Everyone
smoked in areas where people were eating, including my friends. And even if
someone had pointed out that it wasn't very pleasant for other people, I
probably would have just thought, but everyone else is doing it, so what's the
problem? <br />
<br />
I think of the analogy about the goldfish in the bowl who doesn't see the water
they're swimming in. Now try as we might, it's pretty hard to get that fish to
actually see the water. And if the water was dirty, we spend a lot of time
telling the fish that the water is dirty, without them taking the message on
board. They're swimming in the water. They can't see a problem with it. What we
need to do is change the water - and it's only then they may be able to look
back and think, gee, my water was dirty back then. (That is if a goldfish could
actually reflect on their surroundings!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But
if their actions are actually causing the water to be dirty, what do we do
then? And what if the goldfish was actually making the water dirty for other fishes
who weren't doing anything wrong? What do you do if every step to clean the
water was matched by a step by the goldfish to make the water even more dirty? But
the goldfish still can't see that there's anything wrong with the water. I
don't have an answer for that. But I'm not sure we can actually say the
goldfish is being selfish, if we take selfishness to mean a conscious decision
to put our own interests above of other people. And I know that the problem
isn't going to be solved by simply telling the goldfish to think differently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-2822417676564954172012-03-22T00:30:00.002-07:002012-03-22T00:34:05.605-07:00Global table fellowship<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
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The word 'table' is mentioned 22 times in the Gospels. There
is the overturning of the tables at the <st2:city w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on">Temple</st2:place></st2:city>,
the times that Jesus was reclining at a table or came to eat at someone's table
and the woman who said the dogs eat the crumbs from their master's table. It's
probably hard for us to really see the word 'table' in the same way that the
original audience did. We don't have the same ideas about hospitality and
eating together. And half the time we eat our meals in front of the TV rather
than around a table. We simply cannot understand table fellowship in the same
way first century Jews did.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not a post about eating around a table, though. It
is about justice and sharing and distribution. When Jesus talked about how we
were to fellowship with other people and how we were to share our food, he was
not just concerned about eating. For the way we shared food and fellowshipped
together said something about our heart. Therefore it should not be limited to
the dining room table and forgotten the minute we do the washing up. His words
about meals and fellowship are to guide the way we live our lives. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we also need a broader definition of table. When Jesus
says neighbour, he does not just mean the people who live on either side of us.
And when Jesus says table he doesn't just mean the people we may be likely to
share a meal with. God's love is global. It is not limited to one country, one
race or even one species. Therefore how we think about table fellowship must be
global too.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the most memorable passages about the 'table' comes in
<st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Luke 14:7-14</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>When he noticed how
the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: “When
someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a
person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host
who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’
Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But
when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he
will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honoured
in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt
themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Then Jesus said to his
host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends,
your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do,
they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a
banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will
be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the
resurrection of the righteous.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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This is one of my favourite passages in the bible. It says
so much about humility and generosity. If everyone lived by this passage, I
think the world would be a much better place.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it has some very important things to say to us if we
consider the table as the world. Do people in first world countries give
themselves the place of honour? That's undoubtedly a yes. If we consider the
world's resources as a meal, who gets invited? The poor, the crippled, the lame
and the blind? Or the rich neighbours living in first world countries? And what
about other non-human species? They very rarely get invited to the meal at all.
Instead of inviting the people that Jesus tells us to invite, we first world
countries sit inside while the rest of the world is lucky to get our crumbs. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of the world is a bit like Lazarus, wanting to eat
what fell from the rich man's table:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“There was a rich man
who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At
his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing
to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his
sores. (Luke 16:19-21)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most will know the story ends with Lazarus in Heaven and the
rich man in Hell, begging Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and
cool his tongue, because he is in agony. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How many are by our gates, begging for what falls from our
table? Whenever I think of the inequality between first world and third world
countries, Lazarus comes to mind. The rich man probably didn't even know that
Lazarus was by his gate. He was too far beneath the rich man's notice. Not
knowing the inequality in the way the world's resources are distributed is no
excuse. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We can also imagine Lazarus as future generations, sitting
by our gates, begging us to leave some of the world's resources for them,
instead of using it all up ourselves before they are even born.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And of course, one of the most memorable events to ever
happen at a table was when Jesus held the Last Supper. In Jesus and the Earth
(2003), James Jones discusses this event in relation to the inequality in the
world's consumption:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>He gave us an activity
by which to remember him and invoke his presence. It was and is an act of
consumption - eating and drinking, bread and wine. Imagine around that table of
13 people if only four were allowed to partake and nine were excluded. Such an
act of greedy consumption on the part of the four simply would not have been
tolerated by the son of man who in <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Matthew 25</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>
chides those who ignore the needs and rights of others to consume.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus broke all the rules when it came to table fellowship.
He ate with sinners, tax-collectors and prostitutes. But if we take his words
about table fellowship and think we're following them because we've invited a
few poor people to a meal, we're missing the point. Table fellowship is about
so much more than just a meal. It is about how we share and distribute what we
have. It's about what's in our heart.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world is a table. Some get invited to the meal. Some get
excluded. Some have all the fancy food. Some get nothing but crumbs. For Jesus'
last meal, he didn't even exclude the one who would betray him. Exclusion from
a meal just wasn't part of who he was. As Christ-followers, we should do all we
can to include everyone at our table too. We must also ensure that everyone gets
a place at the global table of the world's resources. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-90050973643181044472012-03-21T15:37:00.001-07:002012-03-21T15:37:52.536-07:00New Facebook Page for God and Gum NutsI have started a new Facebook page for God and Gum Nuts. This will be a place to not only share what's happening on the blog, but lots of links, articles, quotes and other material related to Creation Care, particularly from an Australian perspective. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GodAndGumNuts">Like us on Facebook</a><br />
<br />
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Liz_Jakimow" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-70699726498619198252012-02-16T03:10:00.000-08:002012-02-16T03:12:54.031-08:00The definition of pro-life<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the Macquarie Dictionary, here are some
definitions of the word 'life':</div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">1. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">the
condition which distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic objects and
dead organisms. The distinguishing manifestations of life are: growth through
metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through
changes originating internally.</span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">2. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">the
animate existence, or the term of animate existence, of an individual:<em>to risk one's life.</em></span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">3. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">a
corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived as
belonging to the soul:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>eternal life.</em></span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">4. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">a
state or condition of existence as a human being:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>life
is not a bed of roses.</em></span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">5. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">a
period of existence from birth to death:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>in later life she became more placid.</em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Macquarie Dictionary also defines as pro as:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Pro:<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">1. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">in
favour of a proposition, opinion, etc. (opposed to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>con</em>):<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>to
argue pro and con.</em></span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">–<em>noun</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(<em>plural</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>pros</strong>)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">2. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">a
proponent of an issue; someone who upholds the affirmative in a debate.</span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">3. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">an
argument, consideration, vote, etc., for something.</span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">–<em>preposition</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">4. </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">in
favour of:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>to argue pro the war.</em></span><span style="color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">–<em>phrase</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">5. </span></strong><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">the
pros and cons</span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fbedbe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #404448; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">, the advantages and disadvantages. [Latin
(preposition): in favour of, for]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So you would think that the term 'pro-life' could mean
anything that is in favour for or supports living organisms (including animals
and plants) to any aspect of a person's existence. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not so, according to the Cornwall Alliance. When the
President and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network called the reduction
of mercury pollution a pro-life issue, the Cornwall Alliance replied, saying
that the term pro-life 'denotes opposition to a procedure that intentionally
results in dead babies'. They also claimed that portrayal mercury poisoning as
a pro-life issue was 'disingenuous and dangerous to our efforts to protect the
lives of unborn children'. You can find the whole statement here: <a href="http://www.cornwallalliance.org/articles/read/protecting-the-unborn-and-the-pro-life-movement/">http://www.cornwallalliance.org/articles/read/protecting-the-unborn-and-the-pro-life-movement/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The statement also claims that there are two fundamental
principles which 'distinguish truly pro-life issues … from environmental
issues'. First, pro-life issues 'are issues of actual life and death', rather
than environmental issues which they say 'tend to be matters of health'.
Second, 'truly pro-life issues address actual intent to kill innocent people'.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mercury poisoning may well be a matter of health, especially
when the concern is that it hurts unborn children. However, to say that all
environmental issues tend to be matters of health is showing a complete
ignorance of the ecological crises that we face. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Environmentalism is not only concerned with the health of
human beings. For a start, it is not just people's health that is at risk.
Environmental degradation and global warming will (and is) taking people's
lives. For example, if the land is not healthy, then people do not have enough
food. If people have no food, they starve. Is ensuring people have enough to
eat an 'actual life and death' issue? Or is that just a health matter? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the World Health Organisation, here are some of
the possible effects of climate change:</div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8.5pt;">Extremes of both heat and cold
can cause potentially fatal illnesses, e.g. heat stress or hypothermia, as
well as increasing death rates from heart and respiratory diseases.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8.5pt;">In cities, stagnant weather
conditions can trap both warm air and air pollutants -- leading to smog
episodes with significant health impacts.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8.5pt;">These effects can be
significant. Abnormally high temperatures in <st2:place w:st="on">Europe</st2:place>
in the summer of 2003 were associated with at least 27,000 more deaths
than the equivalent period in previous years.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8.5pt;">(Taken from Climate Change and Human Health, World Health
Organisation, </span><a href="http://www.who.int/globalchange/news/fsclimandhealth/en/index.html">http://www.who.int/globalchange/news/fsclimandhealth/en/index.html</a>)
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Admittedly, they call
them 'acute adverse health effects'. But I would say that when people die from
illnesses like hypothermia and heart and respiratory diseases because of
extreme heat and cold, and when 27,000 people die from abnormally high
temperatures, that is not just a health matter. It's an issue relating to life
and death, and anyone who is truly pro-life would want to do something about
it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Furthermore, as will be clear from the Macquarie Dictionary
definition given above, life does not just refer to human life. We are not the
only living species on the planet. And we never will be, for if all other
living things died, humans would too. So a truly pro-life position really has to
be one that values and seeks protect all life forms, not just <i>homo sapiens</i>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Their second proposition almost make me laugh. '[T]ruly
pro-life issues address actual intent to kill innocent people.' Right, as
opposed to environmental issues which are just seeking to prevent the
unintentional killing of innocent people. If we continue to degrade the land,
ruin the planet and change the climate, we are killing people. That may sound
harsh but it's true. And it is the poorest people, the people who are
completely dependent on the land, who suffer the most. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also, as mentioned before, life does not just mean human
life. While the Cornwall Alliance may like 'pro-life' simply to refer to the
killing of innocent people, the fact that it says 'life' should means it refers
to all living things. As a society, we <i>intentionally</i>
take innocent lives all the time. We chop down trees, we destroy vegetation, we
slaughter animals, we contribute to the extinction of plant and animal species.
A truly 'pro-life' position may not be able (or even wish to) prevent all this
taking of innocent lives, but it should at least value and seek to protect <i>all life</i> where it can. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pro-life is a very broad term. The same can be said of
pro-choice. And I have nothing against using the term 'pro-life' to refer to
the prevention of abortions. But I don't believe it's right to choose a very
broad term and yet try to limit it to a narrow set of issues. While pro-life may
immediately bring to mind issues related to abortion or euthanasia, I think
it's about time we widened it to include everything that 'life' really is. And
if the pro-life movement don't want to the term 'pro-life' to be associated
with every aspect of life, then maybe they should choose a narrower term that
can't be used for environmental issues. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Genesis 1:30, 6:17</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>
and 7:15 all make mention of everything that has the breath of life in them -
and the reference is to animals, not just humans. In <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Genesis 9:9-17</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>, God establishes his covenant
with every living creature (vv. 10, 12, 15, 16) and with the earth (v. 13). He says
that 'Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life'. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think it's quite appropriate to call that a pro-life
statement. And if we want to take the bible literally, it was perhaps the first
pro-life statement ever spoken. And yet abortions aren't mentioned at all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that God is pro-life - and so am I - in the real
definition of that term. </div>
<br />
<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-70931350730479472712012-02-13T17:33:00.001-08:002012-02-13T17:33:48.760-08:00A place for anger and bitterness<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anger is
not looked at too positively in our society. Bitterness is considered even
worse. Activists, particularly indigenous rights activists or feminists, are
sometimes called angry or bitter - and when they are, it's not a compliment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I agree
that some activists are angry or bitter. But I don't see this necessarily as a
bad thing. In fact, often it's that anger and bitterness that fuels their
activism. It's that anger and bitterness that gives them the motivation to
change things for the better. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anger and
bitterness don't usually spring up from nowhere. They are cultivated when
conditions are unjust or unfair - or at least perceived that way. I think
there's a cry behind every angry or bitter person that says, 'this isn't the
way the world was meant to be.' </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now
admittedly some people hold onto anger and bitterness when there really is no
need for it. Their ideas of what's fair are heavily slanted to what they want.
Often people see any bad treatment towards themselves as unfair, but fail to
see how what they want would be unfair for someone else. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But often
it is warranted. Sometimes life really is unfair. It was unfair that people were
captured and made slaves. It was unfair that people were treated as
second-class citizens simply because of the colour of their skin. It was unfair
that Europeans thought they could take the Australian Aboriginal peoples' land
just because they wanted it and it wasn't being cultivated according to
European ideas. It was unfair that women could not own their own property, go
to university or vote. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could go
on. Our history is filled with situations where people were treated unfairly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And where
there are real situations of injustice, I believe anger is not only an
acceptable response, but a desirable one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What's the
alternative? We shrug our shoulders, say 'well life isn't fair' and continue on
as we always have. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many of the
situations listed above have been changed (even if they still might have some
way to go before real justice is happening). And they weren't changed by
apathetic people. They were changed by angry, maybe even bitter, people. And I
say thank God for their anger and bitterness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the
situations above may have been changed, there are still many unjust conditions
in the world. It is not fair that some of us get to live in luxury while people
in other countries starve. It is not fair that people in western countries are
conditioned to desire many "things", which neither they nor the earth
can afford. It is not fair that we treat economic growth as more important than
a healthy planet for future generations. It is not fair that our natural
resources, the diversity of our plant and animal life and places of natural
beauty are disappearing, so that those who come after us will not have the same
opportunity to enjoy them as we do. It is not fair that our whole society seems
to be centred on what we spend or buy, leaving those with little money feeling
worthless. And it is not fair that, at the same time, the take-home pay of many
people is getting less and less as companies seek to increase profit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe I'm
just bitter because I don't earn a lot. Maybe I'm just angry because this
society fails to place the same value on nature as I do. Maybe I'm too busy
dreaming of a better world that doesn't exist and I should just realise that
this is the way life is and I better put up with it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am angry.
Truth be told, I'm even a little bitter. But I believe that anger and
bitterness is telling me something. It's telling me that this may be the way
the world is, but it's not the way it was meant to be. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am a
woman. I vote, go to university and own my own house (even if it is mortgaged).
We take all those things for granted now. But once upon a time, they were only
a dream. Some people saw the way the world was and said that's not the way the
world is meant to be. Maybe they were angry. Maybe they were bitter. But if it
wasn't for their anger and bitterness, would they have even imagined a
different world than the one they lived in? Or even if they did, would they
have tried so hard to change things? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course,
just because someone is angry doesn't give them the excuse to act out their
anger in a negative way. When we think angry, we often think violence (whether
physical or verbal). And it is very easy, when we are angry or bitter, to act inappropriately.
But anger can also be expressed in peaceful and loving ways. No matter how
angry we are with people, we should still show them love and compassion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people
have trouble accepting an angry God. They prefer the loving God to the angry
one. But to me, a loving God has to be angry. How could a loving God see what
we are doing and just not care? When faced with injustice, what other response
is there but anger? A loving God cannot be apathetic or indifferent. And what
exactly would a caring response look like if it didn't involve anger of some
sort?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bitter, no.
That's a human failing. But maybe we can use our bitterness to identify
situations of injustice in our own world. And maybe we should learn to listen
to other people's bitterness, instead of seeing it as something they just need
to get rid of. And when we're angry, or other people are angry, maybe we should
at least ask ourselves whether God might be angry too. Maybe the different
world we imagine is not quite so impossible after all. Maybe the reason we
think this isn't the way it should be is because it's not the way God wants it
to be. He is just waiting for someone to get angry enough to do something about
it. </div>
<br />
<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-24344725406767125322012-01-30T15:46:00.000-08:002012-01-30T16:01:16.410-08:00Schools - too focused on the academic? A response to a Mama Mia article<br />
<h2>
Schools - too focused on the academic? </h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, Mama Mia published an article saying that parents
expect teachers to be substitute parents. The article said that teachers should
be responsible for things like grammar and mathematics, while parents should
'mould the manner of the child.' You can find the original article here: <a href="http://www.mamamia.com.au/parenting/teachers-to-parents-raise-your-own-damned-kids/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=%24%7Bemail%7D&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FKsWc+%28%24%7BMamamia+-+rss%7D%29">http://www.mamamia.com.au/parenting/teachers-to-parents-raise-your-own-damned-kids/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=%24%7Bemail%7D&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FKsWc+%28%24%7BMamamia+-+rss%7D%29</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To a certain extent, I agree. Parents do need to take
responsibility for their own children. It is inappropriate and unfair to expect
teachers to raise their kids. And any parent who leaves the raising of their
child to a school cannot complain if their children don't turn out the way they want them to. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, I do think the focus schools place on the academic
is not doing our children any favours. No matter how well you know your
reading, writing and arithmetic, if you don't know how to get along with
others, behave in certain situations and deal with your emotions, you're not
going to go far. In fact, it is these life skills that actually the more
important than academic results. They help people to succeed in a career and
contribute to society. It also affects how people treat our planet, the people
in it - and themselves. Ultimately, a person's test results will not bring
themselves or others much joy. How they live in the world will. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So why not just leave that part of life to the parents and
let the schools focus on the academic part?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, children spend six hours in school, more when you add
in travelling time and homework. Very few parents would have the time to spend
six hours teaching their children values and life skills, once this time for
school is taken out. Admittedly, these kinds of life skills are often woven
throughout other activities. But even then, children will always receive more
academic training than they do values or life skills training. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also, the compulsory nature of school and the focus on tests
like NAPLAN tells kids that academic performance is important. They are
unlikely to feel the same about what their parents are trying to teach them.
The weight given to academic results actually changes children's values,
because they have been taught from a very early age that it's how well you read
and write that really matters in life. Children need to be taught that their
behaviours, values and attitudes matter too. No matter how much a parent tries
to instil this in their children, if they're hearing opposite messages from
elsewhere, then children will have difficulty fully accepting this. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps most importantly, teachers have far more opportunity
to see how a child behaves with other people than the parents do. They are
better placed to notice a problem and guide them through a situation. One of my
sons is very shy and has trouble making friends. While I am constantly working
with him on this, I am limited by the fact that, when he's around people of his
own age, I'm not usually around. As there are children with learning
difficulties, there are also children with social difficulties. It would be
good to see them get the same assistance and guidance as those who don't do
well on tests.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don't want to suggest that schools are only focused on the
academic. Schools do care about values. They do deal with behaviour problems.
At least the schools my kids go to do. I'm sure other schools are the same. But
in a world where schools are judged on their NAPLAN results, obviously they're
going to pay more attention to academic learning than life learning. And in my
opinion, life learning is more important.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ultimately, it is the parent's responsibility to raise their
children. And I for one don't want to leave all that important training to a school.
However, the saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child. Shouldn't
then both parents and schools be involved in ensuring that we raise children
who have all the necessary skills to help them succeed in life? A school must
be judged by more than how well their students do in tests. </div>
<br />
<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-37968968105554315462012-01-25T01:43:00.000-08:002012-01-25T01:48:24.474-08:00To love is to feed<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<i>I have previously posted a different version of this piece. However, as my grandmother passed away last Thursday, and it was her funeral today, it seemed like a fitting tribute to repost it. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i><b>To Love is to Feed</b></i><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%;">When my sister and
I stayed at my grandmother’s place as children, she would let us collect the
eggs from her chickens. It’s possible that checking for eggs originally started
as a chore, as something we were meant to do. For me, at least, it soon turned
into a privilege. We were only meant to check once a day, but I would go out
there every hour or so. ‘Please, Grandma,’ I would beg, ‘Please can I check for
eggs again.’ My grandmother would say something in Ukrainian that I didn’t
understand, but she would always let me go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Sometimes my
sister came with me. Sometimes I went alone. Out the back-door, into the garden
filled with flowers and fruit; beautiful flowers, potted flowers, colourful
flowers, strange looking flowers, flowers that scared me because they were
always surrounded by bees. I never learned all their names. Even if I asked my
grandmother to name each one, I would have forgotten the first one by the time
she reached the last.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Past the two cherry
trees that, when the cherries were ripe, provided as much fun as five children
could have in the days before Nintendo. My three cousins, my sister and I would
spend hours eating cherries, climbing for cherries, spitting pips at each other
until it looked as if our clothes had measles. Cherry time was a special time, a
seasonal time, almost a festival time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">These days, we
mark our calendars with yearly events like Red Nose Day or Jeans for Genes or holidays that have been
around a long time, but only recently become commercialised. Easter,
Valentines, Christmas. We turn a page in our calendar and get ready by spending
hours in shopping malls. We sigh with relief when they’re over, because we have
finished with the buying, finished with the giving and finished with the stress
for another year. Holidays and festivals are nothing new, but they seem to have
shifted to something different than what they once were. They used to be about
marking the seasons, celebrating harvests and enjoying fruit that is here now,
at this moment, but will be gone in a month or two. When we were children, part
of the appeal of cherry season, was that it did not last all year. It was like
Christmas. We enjoyed it while we could. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">After passing the
cherry trees, I walked by the abundant garden; as generous as my grandmother.
Its edges overflowed with too much food to stay, too much food to eat, too much
food to cook and often too much food to give away. I heard many an argument
between my grandmother and my mother, over the subject of zucchinis. My
grandmother would always be telling my parents they had to take some zucchinis.
My mother would explain that we had zucchini plants and already more than
enough for our use. My grandmother would say that even though we had zucchinis,
we probably needed more. My grandmother always thought that people should have
more. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The old cliché
says ‘as happy as a child in a candy store’. Children in candy stores have no
idea what true happiness is. For nothing beats the happiness of a child in a
vegetable garden, where the tomatoes are eaten straight from the vine, the peas
are eaten straight from the pod, the strawberries come with dirt attached and
you can pick vegetables and take them to your grandmother, who will cook them
into something you will eat that night. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Next I would walk along
the path and pass the shed, where you pulled lights on with a cord, not a
switch, and that always smelled of potatoes, onions, dirt and tools. It
sounds uninviting, but I thought of it was a welcoming place. This was where my
grandmother kept the jars for her pickles and canning. This was where she
cooked potato pancakes, though I never quite figured out why. It was often
dusty and messy and unsorted. But it felt real, like a place that never
pretended to be anything other than what it was. I have never been to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Ukraine</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
As a child I used to picture it as a big place, filled with red and black
squares, colourful easter eggs, religious icons and women in scarves. And
underneath the overpowering smell of cabbage and onion cooking, I would always
imagine the faint scent of that shed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Finally I was at
the chickens. If no eggs were there, I felt deflated, despite the fact that I
had probably checked for them less than hour beforehand. If there was one, I
was as happy as pampushky swimming in sugar. I wanted to run back to my
grandmother and show her my find. But an egg was precious. It had value. So I
would walk, carefully and deliberately back to the house, watching that egg the
whole way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">My grandmother liked to cook big meals. She had to give people food, and lots of it. It was part of
who she was. To live, to love, was to feed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Each mealtime
involved a variety of dishes, filling up the entire dining room table and usually
spilling out into the kitchen. Often we thought we had finished the meal, only
to find there was another five or so dishes to go. Cabbage rolls, varenyky,
stuffed peppers, salted herrings. Preceding it all was always soup, whether it
was winter or summer. Often the soup was chicken noodle, but not always. My
favourite soup was Borscht. The soup I could not stand was pea. My mother and
aunt used to tell me that it was Incredible Hulk soup. That may have impressed
my boy cousins, but it failed to work for me. Then there were the times when
soup was a big bowl of mystery that seemed more like a dare than an entrée. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">As well as the
obligatory soup, all meals came with the constant refrain of ‘eat, eat’, or in
Ukrainian ‘yisti, yisti’. I only ever learned a tiny bit of Ukrainian. Most of
it is forgotten now. The word for ‘eat’, however, will be with me always. Even
my children know it. If we refused to try a specific dish, she told us to eat.
If we had space left on our plate, she told us to eat. If there was food left
on the table, she told us to eat. If we did not have a fork on its way from our
plate to our mouth, she told us to eat. If we had eaten more than we had eaten
in the previous week, she told us to eat. Yisti, Yisti, Yisti, Yisti. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The biggest meals
were at Christmas Eve and Easter. Each one was started with food that we had to
eat, whether we liked it or not. Easter was not a problem at all. The beginning
dish, the one we had to eat, was eggs from the basket of food that had been
blessed by the priest. I never thought to ask if any of the eggs I collected
were ever blessed. It seems likely. After the eggs, we had a bread called Paska
with real butter that had cloves inserted into it in the shape of a cross.
There was also cold meats, cheese and lots of other delicious foods. Everybody
liked Easter. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Christmas Eve did
not have the same universal appeal. First of all, we started our meal with a
dish made of poppy seeds called kutia. A couple of my cousins did not like this
at all. As they had to eat at least some, they would put the smallest amount
possible on their plate. Following this, there was a vegetarian meal, including
many dishes that were not that popular with us kids. Even though I love most of
my grandmother’s meals now, there were times when I would have dearly loved to
trade them in for some KFC – or <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:state></st1:place>,
as we called it then. Another tradition we followed at Christmas Eve was to set
a plate aside for the people who had died, with pictures of them next to it. A
little of each dish was placed on that plate. Sometimes I half expected my
grandmother to tell those deceased relatives to ‘yiste, yiste’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The only argument
I have ever had with my grandmother was over food. Her house is not that far
from mine. When the children were young, she often walked past and every time
she did she would knock the table and give them something to eat. A bowl of
donuts, twisted pastries or sometimes chocolates or biscuits. I did not want my
children eating such unhealthy food all the time, so I asked her not to bring
them so much. So then, instead of knocking on the door, she took to standing on
the footpath and calling until they looked through the window. When they saw
her, she would beckon them to come outside, where she would give them food away
from my eyes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">As soon as I
discovered what she was doing, I told her to stop it. I got angry. She got
angry. In the end, she refused to speak to me. Eventually I ended up
apologising, even though I knew I was in the right. Or at least I thought I
was. Though it was probably more a case where neither one of us understood the other.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Another reason why
I did not want my grandmother giving my boys food all the time was because I
did not want them to see her only as a source of treats. I wanted them to love
her for herself, not what she would give them. I thought that food and love should
be kept completely separate. It never occurred to me that maybe my grandmother
did not see things the same way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">For most of my
life, I had simply accepted that my grandmother liked to feed people. I never
thought to ask why she did this. I never wondered if she had good reasons for
it. If anything, I thought it was more a fault than anything else. Sure, it was
good to feed people. But so much? And so often? And with such unhealthy food? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Revelations can
come from the unlikeliest sources. Mine came when I was watching Masterchef.
Julie was explaining to the judges her reasons for cooking. She said that,
through her food, she wanted people to feel nurtured and loved. It seemed
apparent that, to Julie, feeding people was a way of loving them. Suddenly I
began to understand my grandmother a little better. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">My grandmother did
not grow a lot of vegetables and give most of them away just because she liked
gardening. She did not provide us with huge meals, which she would tell us to
eat and eat and eat some more, just because she liked cooking. And she
certainly did not buy my boys treats just because she wanted to annoy me. She
did these things because it was her way of loving us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Food is not just
food to my grandmother. It is precious. It has value. Even when it’s not done
in a church by a priest, it is blessed. To feed someone is not to keep them
from starvation. To feed someone is to give them something precious. It is a
loving thing to do. Food and love are not separate for my grandmother, as they
are for me. Instead, they are connected. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Once when my
grandmother was visiting, I made the offhand comment that one of my favourite
foods was her potato pancakes. Later that day, she came around with a dinner
plate piled so high with potato pancakes that its height was larger than its
width. It was the last time I ever had my grandmother’s potato pancakes. It was
the last time I will ever have them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">I never thought I
would ever say this, but I wish I had eaten more at my grandmother’s table, paid
more heed to her constant refrain or ‘yisti, yisti’, For I did not realise that
Paska, cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, potato pancakes and varenyky would not
be around forever. I can now have <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:state></st1:place>
any time I want to, not that I want to very often. It’s not so easy to go to
the food court and eat some cabbage rolls. If I had just one of those old dishes,
I would be as happy as -- well, as happy as a child in a vegetable garden. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;">Earlier this year,
I attended a multicultural food festival. I looked everywhere for Ukrainian food,
for something that my grandmother used to make. I could find nothing. I can’t
even remember what I ended up eating now. I know I was not impressed. Perhaps
it was for the best. My sister tells me that when she visited the </span><st1:place style="line-height: 200%;" w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Ukraine</st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%;">,
the cabbage rolls were not nearly as good as our grandmothers. It surprised me,
but it shouldn’t have. Even if the cabbage rolls were made in the exact same
way as my grandmother, they would be missing an essential ingredient. I know
it’s a cliché, but they would be missing love.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">I have tried to
make my own Ukrainian food. I have made varenyky that fell apart, and cabbage
rolls that never came together in the first place. I had better luck with
potato pancakes. They tasted quite nice, but they weren’t like my grandmothers’.
I think they were missing the required amount of fat. Nobody cooks like my
grandmother anymore. The health professionals tell us not to. Strange, though,
that my grandmother ate like that all her life and she lived to over 90. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Last week, I
bought my sons and myself some scones from Baker’s Delight. There was a
chocolate scone, a chocolate coconut scone and a banana choc-chip scone and we
all had a different one each. I gave some of my chocolate coconut scone to each
of my boys so that they could try it. Then my youngest son tried to give me
some of his banana choc-chip scone. A banana choc-chip scone did not sound too
tempting to me, so I told him I did not want it. ‘Take it’, he said. ‘Eat it.’
I told him again that I did not want it. He told me again to eat it. Eventually
I relented and took the scone he offered. As soon as it was in my mouth, he
said, ‘I’m just like Grandma, aren’t I?’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">I had never
thought of it before, but he is just like my grandmother. He loves to share
food. If I buy him a chocolate bar, there’s a good chance he’ll give me at
least some of it back. Whenever he has a packet of chips, he is always handing
them out to people. If he has a piece of cake, some of it will end up on
someone else’s plate. When he buys a treat with his pocket money, he’ll buy
something for his brother to eat as well. He loves to give food to people.
Perhaps, like my grandmother, food and love are connected for him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US">I hope so. Even
though I may no longer eat the food my grandmother used to cook, there is a
chance that I may see her legacy in the way my son loves through feeding. And
who knows? Maybe one day he may even learn to make varenyky. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<br />
<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-14185502935427022892012-01-16T00:28:00.000-08:002012-01-16T00:28:19.522-08:00Seasons (of life and nature)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every Christmas and Easter, I feel like the seasons are all
wrong. They're right for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
of course. And I have never had any other experience than Christmas happening
in Summer and Easter happening in Autumn. But they're wrong in terms of the
Christian year. When Christmas is celebrated in the middle of winter, the birth
of Christ into a world of darkness resonates with the coldness and the darkness
that people are experiencing. When Easter is celebrated in Spring, the new life
that people see around them remind them of the new life that Christ's
resurrection brings. I feel that in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> we miss out on a lot of
those connections to the seasons - and therefore to nature. The Christian days
that we celebrate are divorced from the world around us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last Christmas, I gave my boys a raised vegetable garden. As
we walked off to the nursery to buy plants, they were telling me about all the
vegetables they wanted to grow. I had to explain to them that there are certain
seasons for growing certain vegetables. Just because we can buy carrots all
year round in the supermarket doesn't mean we can grow them in the backyard. To
a certain extent, we do notice the season as we buy our fruit and veggies.
Summer is the time for buying mangoes, for instance. However, the fact that we
can buy certain foods all year round again disconnects us from nature and the
world around us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We do still have lots of reminders of what season it is.
Even if I didn't know the date and had no idea what season I was in, I would
still know it was summer because the air-conditioner is out rather than the
heater, I have been watching cricket, the mangoes are cheap in the supermarket
and I am buying back-to-school items for my boys. <br />
<br />
However, despite these things that tell me it is summer, our world seems to
becoming more and more disconnected from the seasons. For anyone who works in
an air-conditioned office and drives there in an air-conditioned car, the
temperature of their surroundings for most of the time will stay almost the
same the whole year around. If we want to (and I'm sure many people do) we can
eat the same food the whole year around. <br />
<br />
The impact of the weather can hardly affect some people. If it's raining, they
dry their clothes inside. If it's blistering heat, they sit in their
air-conditioned houses. While the drought in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> may have caused water
restrictions, we still knew we could get water every time we turned on the tap.
It's only if there's some extreme weather event that either impacts us directly
or indirectly that we take any notice of the weather at all. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Europeans first came to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, some of them looked at
the Australian native trees that keep their greenery all year around and
complained that there were no seasons. While the Australian landscape has since
become loved by many (including myself) I wonder whether that differentiation
between the seasons is important and whether we are diminishing it ourselves?
Or is it the case that Australians actually have less need for difference
between seasons anyway? Our topsy-turvy Christian celebrations and our
evergreen trees mean we don't need the same amount of difference that perhaps
people in other countries do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As well as thinking about seasons of the year, I have also
been thinking of seasons of our lives. I am not just buying back-to-school
items at the moment. I am buying start of high school items. My eldest boy has
finished his season of primary school and is beginning his season of high
school. This brings with it both joy and sadness. Every mother knows that
feeling of wanting to keep your children young forever. And yet, relating it to
the seasons, I know that, while the blossoms on a cherry tree may be very
pretty, they need to disappear before the cherries arrive. And a cherry tree's
purpose after all is to provide fruit not pretty flowers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In sharp contrast to this moving from spring to summer is
the winter I see in my grandmother's eyes. She recently had a massive heart
attack. She is getting better and has been moved from the high dependency unit.
However, I know that she is old. Even if she does go home, she will not live
forever. Visiting her in the hospital, I was reminded of the beauty of a
deciduous tree in winter - the type of tree the first European Australians
pined for, I suppose. Though all its leaves have gone, it has a splendour and
an elegance not found when it is filled with blossoms or laden with fruit or
losing its multi-coloured leaves. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as we recognise the beauty in these winter trees, we
must recognise the beauty in people nearing the end of their life. It is a
season, that is all. And as a season, it has its purpose and a place along with
all the other seasons. We must not be so focused on summer that we forget to
notice the beauty in winter as well. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If summer is the time of youth, vigour, fruitfulness and
productiveness, then we as a society seem to want to prolong summer for as long
as possible. The music videos, clothes and tween marketing encourage little
children to grow up too fast. The beauty treatments, hair dyes and wrinkle
creams try to convince people in their autumn years to recover the summer of
their youth. <br />
<br />
Gardens could not survive if it was always summer. And why would we want them
too. Yes, summer is a fantastic time of year. But so is Spring and Autumn and
Winter. I want them all. I don't want to trade in three seasons just to have one.
There is so much I would miss. Whenever people ask me what my favourite season is,
I say the beginning of every season. I don't have a favourite. Spring, Summer,
Autumn, Winter, they all have their good points. But that beginning of every
new season, when you know things are about to change and you'll experience
things that haven't been experienced for a year, that is simply wonderful.
Summer all year-round, I can't think of anything worse. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wonder whether it is our growing disconnect from the
seasons that makes us hold up the summer of our lives as some kind of ideal.
Have we become so disconnected from them that we fail to appreciate the
importance of seasons in our own lives? Can we no longer recognise the beauty
and the splendour of every season that we live through? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My grandmother has always been a gardener. Maybe that's why
she continued to have beauty and grace even after a massive heart attack, lying
in bed with many machines attached to her. Maybe that is why, despite being
unable to talk, her eyes shone brightly as my son sat next to her and spoke.
She understands the importance of seasons. She knows that she is in one and my
son is in another. And both of those seasons are important. They both have
value and beauty. </div>
<br />
<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-82189345121357755232012-01-02T14:44:00.000-08:002012-01-02T14:44:54.525-08:00The problem with New Years' resolutions<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
By now, at least some people will have already broken their
New Years' resolutions. I'm not criticising. I haven't even started mine yet.
They're not written down anywhere, but I know what they are. It's easy to
remember them when they're the same every year. Quit smoking, lose weight and
do something with the house. In my defence, I will say that there used to be
another one added to the list, which was go to university. I've actually started
that now. And I have lost some weight at the end of last year. I just haven't
taken my diet off holiday yet. I also have tiles to re-tile the bathroom and
was going to do that after Christmas, but got sick and my plans had to be
changed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is it about New Years' resolutions? We make them. We
break them. We make them again next year. Or is that just me? And do these
types of resolutions actually help or prevent us to make lasting change? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm now going through the backlog of emails from
Christmas/New Year. And I've noticed a common thread. Many of the environmental
newsletters I'm subscribed to are urging people to make Green resolutions. It
makes sense. It's the time of year for it. And one thing we need to do, in
order to look after this Earth, is change the way we live. So why not use this
time of year to make those changes in how we live? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That's all well and good if we actually made our
resolutions, changed our lives and never looked back again. But New Years'
resolutions are well-known for being broken. We may change for a small amount
of time. But often we go back to living exactly as we did before. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm no psychologist, so I have no idea why New Years'
resolutions often fail. I wish I did. Maybe then I could actually quit smoking,
instead of putting it on my list every year. But I suspect that partly it's to do
with the fact that New Years' resolution are all about the external. When what
we really need to do is to change our heart. A different way of living needs to
come from inside. It starts with a different way of seeing and thinking. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I think that sometimes the New Years' resolutions we
make can get in the way of that change of heart. We've made our list. We tried
and failed. What else can we do? They can almost become evidence for why we
cannot make the changes we think we ought to make. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quitting smoking is different to making our lives more
environmentally-friendly. For one, smoking is an addiction. However, I wonder
whether it is that different after all. While our lifestyles may not have
physical addiction involved, we are addicted in one sense to our
environmentally-destructive lifestyles. So maybe what I have to say about
smoking is more relevant than it first appears.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know I have to quit smoking. That's why it keeps getting
on my list of New Years' resolutions. That's why I keep trying to quit. But
part of me thinks I can't quit. And every time I try and fail, this idea that I
just can't quit is confirmed. I can feel good in a way that I am trying. But
I'm not actually changing anything - because I believe that it's just too hard
for me. Trying and failing and trying and failing gives me the assurance that
at least I am trying, but it doesn't actually change anything. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In terms of the environment, we need to stop making
resolutions that we will use less plastic bags and drive less and switch off
lights. We need to change our hearts. And we need to break the addiction to our
current lifestyles. Because otherwise, we're all just going to keep trying and
failing and trying and failing and never really change. In my case, if I
continue to smoke, I'm damaging my body. In the case of our lifestyles, if we
don't break our addictions, we're damaging the Earth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
New Years' resolutions can be good. While I may still have
the same list every year, at least I know what I’m aiming for. And as I said
before, I have done at least something about what's on my list. Also, making
the types of external changes that are on New Years' resolutions list often can
help us change our hearts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we need to realise that making a list is not enough. And
we need to realise that what we try and do for four days or a week or a month
or whatever is not nearly as important as our attitudes, our beliefs and our
thoughts. For they will create lasting change, not change that needs to be
aimed again for next year. </div>
<br />
<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-81791308296885028642011-12-01T14:13:00.001-08:002011-12-01T14:18:21.787-08:00You better be good or Santa won't come: what we are teaching our children about possessions and worth<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Frances_Brundage_Weihnachtsmann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Frances_Brundage_Weihnachtsmann.jpg" width="195" /></a>For the next four weeks, children all over the world will be
hearing those words, "If you're not good, Santa won't come." I doubt
it makes any difference to behaviour. The problem with threats like these is
they're rarely (if ever) carried out. But it might just be making a difference
to how people think about possessions and worth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine a child called Trudy. At the ripe old age of 7,
Trudy has learnt that, no matter how badly behaved she is, those presents from
Santa still arrive on Christmas Day. Furthermore, she knows that Jenny from
next-door (also aged 7) usually gets less presents even though Jenny is a very
well-behaved child and Trudy can be quite naughty at times. What is Trudy to
make of this?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or let's look at it from Jenny's perspective. She is told
that the same Santa Claus brings presents to everyone. Furthermore, she is told
that he only gives presents to the good girls or boys. So why is it that Trudy
gets more presents than her? I doubt she would say it to herself in these
terms, but on some subconscious level, might she not be wondering whether she
is less worthy than Trudy in some unknown way? If she believes the Santa
rhetoric, what else is she to think? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's fast-forward six years. Trudy and Jenny are now 13.
Their belief in Santa has gone, but the messages they heard about Santa are
still there. As any psychologist or counsellor knows, the messages we hear in
childhood can affect us long after we have grown up - even if we recognise that
those messages were false to begin with. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you haven't already guessed, Trudy comes from a wealthier
family than Jenny. So while they may not be coming from Santa, Trudy still has
more and better possessions than Jenny does. Jenny knows it's not because Santa
has placed Trudy on the "good list". But maybe, deep down, she still
connects possessions to worth. Maybe she still feels like Trudy owns more
things because she is more deserving.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jump another 10 years. Trudy and Jenny have moved out of
home and are sharing a flat together. Trudy finished uni and got a well-paid
job. Jenny also has a job, but it's not nearly as well-paid as Trudy's is. By
now, they've not only internalised the Santa message, but the many advertising
messages they have heard through their lives that tell them, either implicitly
or explicitly, that they should buy something because they deserve it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite the fact that Trudy earns enough to save a little
money and use her money to help others and give to charities, she spends it all
on herself. Many of the things she buys, she will never even use. But that's
okay (in Trudy's mind). It makes her feel good. She's become her own Santa,
rewarding herself with possessions. The more things she owns, the more
deserving she feels. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jenny also buys lots of things. But because she doesn't earn
as much money as Trudy, she puts it on credit. She is sliding further and
further into debt. But she considers it a small price to pay for the sense of
self-worth it gives her. She has finally made it onto Santa's "good
list". </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jenny was never any less worthy than Trudy. She only felt
that way because of what society told her. As adults we know that the amount of
presents Santa brings says nothing about how "good" that child is. So
how about we stop telling our children that. And how about we recognise the
Santa messages we ourselves have internalised - and do our very best to get rid
of them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our thinking about possessions and worth is damaging not
just to ourselves, but to the earth. In order for this to change (and it does
need to be changed) we first need to recognise how the messages we hear have
influenced the way we think about possessions and worth. It's only then that we
can get rid of them and replace them with something else. We need to come up
with a new message, one where Santa doesn't reward the "good" kids,
where we don't own things because we "deserve" them, but where a life
well-lived is its own reward. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-71693241403504553892011-11-23T16:33:00.001-08:002011-11-23T16:33:41.106-08:00What Kyle has taught us about the power of consumers<br />
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I didn't really pay much attention when I heard that Kyle
Sandilands had made some disparaging comments about a journalist. It's not the
first time he's said something stupid. I'm sure it won't be the last. I don't
like Kyle Sandilands anyway. I didn't think anything he has said would change
my opinion about him. And I'm not the kind of person who goes, ooh, someone's
said something really terrible so I have to go and find out what it is, just to
make sure I don't miss out on any terrible comments he made. </div>
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When I did start to pay attention though was when news
started coming in about all the companies that had pulled their sponsorship
from Kyle and Jackie's radio show. In fact, it was the Blackmores page on
Facebook that really caught my attention. If you're interested, take a look
here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Blackmores">https://www.facebook.com/Blackmores</a>
Not only does this page show that Blackmore's have pulled their sponsorship,
but it's quite obvious that it was a response to the feedback they were getting
from their customers. Furthermore, this page shows that some customers at least
felt they could not continue to buy from Blackmores if they continued
supporting the show. It also shows that Blackmores took notice of what their
customers were telling them. </div>
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It's so easy to believe that we have no power. We are tiny
little consumers swimming in a sea of very big corporations that have the power
to change the water anyway they please. And I admit that when I've boycotted
certain goods, at the back of my mind I can't help thinking, is this really
making any difference? </div>
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Maybe it's not. In all honestly, it's probably not. While
I'm quite good at writing to politicians and telling them when I think they
should be doing something, when I'm annoyed at a company I just stop buying
their goods. No letter of explanation. And I'm sure the meagre amount I spend
with their company isn't missed. </div>
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But the Kyle episode shows that when people get really
annoyed about something and let their feelings be known to the companies
involved, things can happen. Companies are willing to change things if the
backlash is strong enough. Consumers can make a difference. </div>
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While I am encouraged by this, I also think there's a lot we
simply accept in consumer world without even questioning. We don't complain. We
don't withdraw our support. We simply accept that is the way businesses do
business. Or at the very least, we quietly take our business elsewhere and fail
to cause a ripple in the water. </div>
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Imagine a day when any bad environmental practices cause the
kind of reaction that Kyle's comments did. While Kyle's comments were certainly
awful (yes, I have read them now), why are we so willing to speak up when it
comes to comments about a journalist and yet we fail to speak up when it comes
to destruction of our earth? And yes, there are people constantly telling
companies they need to change their bad environmental practices. And often it
brings results. But it does seem like consumers are less willing to accept
horrible comments about someone they've never met than they are to accept
practices that hurt the world we live in. </div>
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In all honesty, I think capitalism needs to be changed. It's
bad for humans and it's bad for the planet. But if it is to survive relatively
unchanged, I would at least like to see companies having to toe the
environmental line, knowing that if they participate in any practices that hurt
the earth, the backlash would be terrible. </div>
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But in order for that to happen, we (the consumers) need to
keep speaking out. We need to not just take our businesses elsewhere, but
explain why we are taking it elsewhere. We may not feel like we have much
power, but we do have a voice. And we need to use that voice not just to speak
to companies, but to raise awareness amongst everyone, so that more and more
voices are added to the mix. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The Old Testament prophets spent their time telling the
rulers or the people where they had gone wrong. They didn't devote a lot of
time criticising companies - but that's because there were none around. But I
think anyone who has read some of those prophetic books in the bible would
realise that a lot of their criticisms seem almost to be describing the big
corporations of today. I'm sure that if the OT prophets had been alive now,
they'd be talking to CEOs as well. And undoubtedly the CEOs would be dismissive
of them. And the people would think they were mad. </div>
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But the prophets would keep making their voices heard
anyway. Why? Because that's what prophets do. They speak up when they see
things that don't align with God's will. </div>
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I believe Christians today also have a responsibility to
speak up when people, rulers or companies are doing the wrong thing. And if
enough people do speak up, companies will change things. They have to. They
rely on consumers for their existence. If enough consumers care, the company
will soon realise it has to care as well. However, it won't realise that people
do care about what it's doing if people don't speak up. </div>
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We need to be informed. We need to care. But we also need to
speak. And it can make a difference. </div>
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If you're interested in knowing more about the social and
environmental record of different companies, check out: <a href="http://www.ethical.org.au/">http://www.ethical.org.au/</a>. </div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-39298356736796500292011-11-13T22:57:00.001-08:002011-11-13T23:04:40.312-08:00Feeding on Good Pasture - Ezekiel 34:18-19<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Is it not enough for you
to feed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of
your pasture? When you drink of clear water, must you foul the rest with your
feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink
what you have fouled with your feet? (Ezekiel 34:18-19)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Whenever I read this bible
passage, I think of pollution. I think of rivers that used to be fine to swim
in, but now are not. I think of natural places that are so littered with
rubbish, cigarette butts and plastic bags that their original beauty is almost
completely lost. And I think of how our production methods often are
destructive to the natural world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And I think that all of us
living in the western world are feeding on the good pasture. And I don't
believe there is anything wrong with eating and living well - in and of itself.
Where it becomes a problem though is when we not only take what is good for
ourselves, but ruin what is left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The 21st century
equivalent of this passage would have to be a huge factory that doesn’t just
produce good food, but that completely alters the land, produces more food than
what is needed (much of it going into people's bins) and creates a lot of waste
that ends up polluting our natural areas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I think of land-grabbing
in developing countries, where large areas of land are bought by corporations,
while the people who relied on that land go hungry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I think of places like <st2:country-region w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on">Nigeria</st2:place></st2:country-region>, where
an oil spill covered forestry and farmland and ruined drinking water. One of
the village leaders, Otuegwe, said: "This is where we fished and farmed.
We have lost our forest." (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I think of companies like
Monsanto, who patent their seeds and make it more and more difficult for
farmers. An article in GRAIN said: "Corporations have used their power to
expand monoculture crop production, undermine farmers’ seed systems and cut
into local markets. They are making it much more difficult for small farmers to
stay on the land and feed their families and communities." (<a href="http://www.grain.org/article/entries/4055-global-agribusiness-two-decades-of-plunder">http://www.grain.org/article/entries/4055-global-agribusiness-two-decades-of-plunder</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now some people might say
that passage in Ezekiel is metaphorical - and undoubtedly they would be right.
But it seems to me that Christians who are the biggest advocates for a literal
reading of the bible (especially when it comes to places like the creation
story in Genesis) seem to forget all about literalism when it comes to passages
like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was having a
conversation with someone recently about a God who wants to bless people. I
said I find it hard to believe that God wants to bless me (and all other
western Christians) by giving them good jobs and lots of money and possessions,
while seeing others in the world starve. I was told that the most blessed countries
in the world were predominately Christian countries - as though that made it
all okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I think it makes it worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm used to hearing
statements like, if everyone lived like Americans, we would need 4.5 earths.
Although it's staggering, it doesn't even make me blink. Same too with statements
that the world's wealthiest 16 per cent use 80 per cent of the world's
resources. (<a href="http://articles.cnn.com/1999-10-12/us/9910_12_population.cosumption_1_global-population-worlds-scientists?_s=PM:US">http://articles.cnn.com/1999-10-12/us/9910_12_population.cosumption_1_global-population-worlds-scientists?_s=PM:US</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But it was a seemingly
tame statement that made me really stop and think: Americans use more resources
than they have in their country. I use Americans because that's the country
that is used most in these kinds of statements. But I think all western
countries need to bear some responsibility for the kind of attitude that says
we western countries deserve more than our fair share of the world's resources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If rich countries are
predominately Christian, then we shouldn't just be thinking, well, we're
blessed because we're Christian. We should be thinking seriously about what the
bible has to say about our actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The tenth commandment says
' “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s
wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs
to your neighbour.” (Exodus 20:17).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I've heard many people
say before, they're the ten commandments not the ten suggestions. But are they
only commandments for individuals? Certainly this commandment seems to be
discussing the actions of an individual. But if we are really to take them
seriously, then shouldn't they apply to countries and corporations as well? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If I had a neighbour who
decided that they wanted more land and my walnut tree looked pretty good, so
paid the council to move his fence so that it took over half my backyard, I'd
be understandably upset. Similarly, despite the good cherries on my neighbour's
tree, I'm not allowed to move my fence so that that tree now belongs to me.
According to the tenth commandment, I'm not even allowed to look at it and want
it for myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So why is it that we can
see so clearly that this is wrong when it comes to individuals, but not be
greatly concerned when it's done by corporations or countries? If people want
to call certain countries Christian countries, then the country itself should
be acting Christian, not just the individuals within it - especially when those
individuals benefit from a system that is acting in decidedly unchristian ways.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It would be nice to think
that western countries are more blessed because they're Christian? But I'm
afraid it simply isn't true. <br />
<br />
I think we're blessed because so often we fail to take the bible seriously. We
quote the tenth commandment when we think that those poorer than us may be
eyeing off our possessions. We take a metaphorical approach to <st1:bcv_smarttag_15 w:st="on">Ezekiel 34:18-19</st1:bcv_smarttag_15>, because the alternative may
ruin our lifestyle. But we're quite happy to ignore the bible when it suits our
interests to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If we really are a
Christian nation, then let's stop benefitting from systems that aren't
Christian at all. And if we actually started to behave like Christian countries,
maybe we would find that the world's resources can be distributed far more
justly after all. Maybe some other countries deserve to be blessed for a
change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Liz_Jakimow" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03059054907843482358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523387783776949956.post-21012357096491927502011-11-10T02:23:00.000-08:002011-11-10T02:26:35.563-08:00Evacuate Christmas-decorated shopping centres<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Eaton%27s_Centre_at_Christmas_-c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Eaton%27s_Centre_at_Christmas_-c.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We have a new Christmas tradition in our family. It's called
criticising shopping centres for putting their Christmas decorations up too
early. I do it. My kids have started doing it. And I noticed the other day on
Facebook that my mum is doing it. It's great to have an activity the whole
family can participate in together at Christmastime. </div>
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But then today I thought why are the early Christmas
decorations in shopping centres such a big deal that I feel the need to have a
whinge about it every year? I mean, it's just one place. There are no Christmas
decorations at school, or at church, or in the street, or in the park, or at
the bus-stop, or in my neighbourhood or in my house. I could go on. The list of
areas where there aren't Christmas decorations at the moment is far bigger
than the places where there are Christmas decorations. Surely, I could put up
with them for just that one place. </div>
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I suspect one of the reasons why they annoy me so much is
because I see them as a sign of the commercialisation of Christmas. And that
bothers me. It does. And when I see those Christmas decorations go up, I
inwardly fume about the shopping centres attempt to (shock, horror) sell more
goods. <br />
<br />
And yes, I think that's a legitimate thing to complain about. We buy enough
stuff as it is. We don't need a holiday that is meant to commemorate Jesus'
birth turned into not only an excuse for buying things, but the trigger for a
guilt trip because we're not buying enough. </div>
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But it's a shopping centre's purpose to sell as much stuff as
they can. That's why they're there. They're not there to make Christmas a
joyful, peaceful, faith-filled holiday. Well not unless they can find a way to
make money out of it. </div>
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But maybe another reason why it annoys me so much is because
I spend so much time in shopping centres. Truth be told, I spend more time in
shopping centres than I do walking around the neighbourhood or enjoying the
local park. So I see those Christmas decorations all the time. </div>
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But if I really objected to the commercialisation of Christmas
and those early Christmas decorations, I could always avoid the shopping
centres instead of whinging. I could spend more time in those places that don't
have Christmas decorations up yet. I could sit and home and make my Christmas gifts
instead of buying "love" at a Target counter. </div>
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Because if it's what those early Christmas decorations stand
for than annoy me, then I have to look at my own participation in the
commercialisation of Christmas. It's easy to whinge. But whinging doesn't
change anything. The shopping centres are not going to start putting their
decorations up in December, just because I complain about it. If I really want
change, it's easier to change myself than it is to change an entity whose very
purpose is to sell stuff. Shopping centres want Christmas commercialised. That
way they make more money. If I don't want Christmas commercialised, then I need
to look at my own actions. </div>
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Occupy is the buzzword of the moment. It seems everyone
wants to use that word for their own purposes. The latest one I saw today was
occupy roofs. It was trying to get people to put solar panels on their roofs. I'm supportive of the occupy movement but it does feel like the word is being used a little too often now. </div>
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So I'm not about to ask everyone to occupy shopping
centres. That's just what the shopping centres want. Instead, how about we
evacuate them. If the Christmas decorations and the Christmas selling and the
commercialisation of Christmas annoy you (as they do me) then find somewhere
else to go. There are plenty of places that aren't covered in Christmas
decorations and that aren't trying to make money out of a religious holiday. Go
there instead. Or stay home. There's no rule that says we have to constantly be
surrounded by Christmas decorations in November. We only see them if we choose
to be in places that have them up. </div>
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And if we do choose to evacuate shopping centres in
November, we buy less things - which is better on our pocket and better on the
planet. And if the shopping centres lose money out of it, maybe they'll have
less money to spend on Christmas decorations next year. </div>
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<br />
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