First want to start out by saying, next time in Oregon I will be visiting other denominations and religions. I'm planning on moving down there eventually so there shall be much exploration of the religious communities down there.
Now, the visit. Saint Mary's is one of the most beautiful Churches I've ever been in. It reminded me of the Churches and Cathedrals in Italy and had a very calm ambiance. The stained glass windows had the stations of the cross, their were two beautiful images of Mary on the sides of the seat and in the center was the Vatican II Altar as behind it underneath Jesus on the cross was the pre-Vatican II Altar against the wall.
The place spoke of it's one hundred year history simply in the artifacts that made up the inside of the Church.
The sermon was about the calling of people to be "Shepards" and used one of the Old Testament Prophets and Jesus when he realized the people needed a Shepard. The thing that stood out to me on the Jesus story was it involved him running away from the people to a different town because he was tired...this surprised me in a big way since I'd always been told God comes to those seeking Him and if Jesus is God he wouldn't run away, since the story sounded as if the people had been seeking him.
As a counter part this is good on the part of a teacher. Words and messages can only really be fully appreciated and applied when brought beyond the person. Whether it's Buddha or anyone else from philosopher or scientist...it reminds me of a quote my friend told me:
"Religion is like a boat. It's good to bring you across the river, but once you reach the other side it would be silly to carry it."
To carry the analogy further one could break the boat and carry the pieces and use them for fire wood later on for the journey on land or to rebuild it later along a different water source. What we read and learn doesn't leave us fully. It shapes us in the moment of reading and in applying it. But it is no longer the person who it was learned from, it isn't the teacher it is something different.
On the core message of the sermon, we all will be servants and leaders at different points in our lives. It comes with following passions, with applying the knowledge learned and by living virtuously. If religion inspires you to live it more, more power to you...but I'm becoming all the more certain that I won't be joining any religious groups houseboats. Too much of it doesn't make sense to me and doesn't seem to help necessarily with promoting virtue in how we live and treat our fellow men.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary - Mount Angel, Oregon - July 15th, 2012
The abbey is located in a tiny town in Oregon called Mount Angel. The church is the center of the town and surrounding it are small specialty shops, restaurants and pubs. It's like something out of Chesterton Novel on where he believed those who best expressed religion and understood the need for it where to be found. There was another side to it too of course, whether it was the tea party flag (which the mentality of the tea party itself ignore the paying Caesar what is due Caesar (taxes) and paying God was is due God (way one lives).
The Abbey is about 10 minutes away from the downtown and when one enters it one passes up a large road in which there are paintings of the stations of the cross. Next is the home where people go on retreats and above it is the Church itself.
The Church and Abbey overlook the valley and my is a quite a sight. Farmland, forest and mountains stretch below while near the bench could be found wild roses growing.
That day I would witness the ritual of the monk life. At 8 o'clock the monks arrived and sang songs of praise while doing two readings. The monks were Benedictine and had long black robes. There were old men and also a few younger men. After the chants they took positions all around the Church. The abbot with one of the elders stayed near the Madonna where they had all done the "Hail Mary" prayer and the others moved about continuing their work.
It was experiencing a snapshot in their lives and was a wonderful experience. I know that I too enjoy the contemplative life and it is a huge part of me (as well as the importance of living virtue). One of the things I need to never forget though, is that to live good I need to
Contemplation and living simply are always things that have appealed to me. I think it's partially due to my aspergurs and the fact that I do get overwhelmed in big groups sometimes or places with lots of noise and over-stimulation. What I've found for me though is that finding that balance between being within society and around people and finding time for myself to think about the big questions and contemplate the unknown or what I'm learning has helped me to grow.
My experience of the abbey reminded me of that and all the questions and unknowns that I think about, while at the same reminding me as I sat quietly, of the gift that silence can bring.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Religion in China - A Reflection of my Experiences
What an experience the last year has been. The experience of the people, the history, religion and my time as a teacher are memories I will never forget. I might be teaching one last year in China as well, though that is something I'm still figuring out.
Religion in China is complicated. Historically it has been used to both promote the status quo of power (power of the gentry and noblemen through Confucianism and the Emperor as "Son of Heaven") while also acting a force of resistance against the gentry in government, as seen by movements such as the Yellow Scarves, the Taiping Rebellion and others. Many times they were used to empower the people by having communal food for all and other means of supporting the families who joined said movements.
An interesting point is that even the Cultural Revolution could not do away with the old traditions. The old ways were never fully crushed. This past school year I worked in the countryside and took part in Mid-Autumn Festival with my colleague who is also a friend and saw the fruits that were laid out in honor of the Moon Festival and in hopes of wealth and success.
First I want to mention Confucianism and how important it has been historically in relationship to education. When Confucianism became the base for the hypothetical reason for lords being able to advance, China became one of the earliest meritocracies. This focus on reading, writing and general knowledge in Confucianism is a part of the Chinese system that lives on this day, and is something any nation can learn from.
I also visited Linggue Temple in Baoying a few times and witnessed how much a part of life it is for the community. The Temple is an important part of funerals, marriages, births and festivals. A few years ago I saw Fajing Temple in Hangzhou serving the same purpose. Religion in China helps with facing all the different parts of an individuals life.
Though like America, there is also the corruption and connection to Money. At Linggue Temple my friend and I would get conned by a man who worked there and I would witness in Suzhuo the Xuan Miao Taoist Temple and it's connection to money by blessing gold at a gold shop that sat just outside the Temple...that whole area was the market and material meeting the ancient rituals and philosophy that contradicted said materialism.
China has also had a great diversity of faith. The Abrahamic Faiths of Judaism, Islam and Christianity have all settled to some degree in China (less so Judaism though), as well as the ancient traditions that still carry on and the big three of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
The big three with a few exceptions still live the contemplativeness of their past teachers. Many a Buddhist and Toaist Temple can still be found on top of a mountain, and most temples are designed to be large spaces...like a cathedral. You can get lost in reflection and can see how nature is always changing and impermanent in the fish, plants and turtles that are living within the Temples.
There will always be more to write, but these are some of the major things I noticed during my amazing year teaching in China.
Religion in China is complicated. Historically it has been used to both promote the status quo of power (power of the gentry and noblemen through Confucianism and the Emperor as "Son of Heaven") while also acting a force of resistance against the gentry in government, as seen by movements such as the Yellow Scarves, the Taiping Rebellion and others. Many times they were used to empower the people by having communal food for all and other means of supporting the families who joined said movements.
An interesting point is that even the Cultural Revolution could not do away with the old traditions. The old ways were never fully crushed. This past school year I worked in the countryside and took part in Mid-Autumn Festival with my colleague who is also a friend and saw the fruits that were laid out in honor of the Moon Festival and in hopes of wealth and success.
First I want to mention Confucianism and how important it has been historically in relationship to education. When Confucianism became the base for the hypothetical reason for lords being able to advance, China became one of the earliest meritocracies. This focus on reading, writing and general knowledge in Confucianism is a part of the Chinese system that lives on this day, and is something any nation can learn from.
I also visited Linggue Temple in Baoying a few times and witnessed how much a part of life it is for the community. The Temple is an important part of funerals, marriages, births and festivals. A few years ago I saw Fajing Temple in Hangzhou serving the same purpose. Religion in China helps with facing all the different parts of an individuals life.
Though like America, there is also the corruption and connection to Money. At Linggue Temple my friend and I would get conned by a man who worked there and I would witness in Suzhuo the Xuan Miao Taoist Temple and it's connection to money by blessing gold at a gold shop that sat just outside the Temple...that whole area was the market and material meeting the ancient rituals and philosophy that contradicted said materialism.
China has also had a great diversity of faith. The Abrahamic Faiths of Judaism, Islam and Christianity have all settled to some degree in China (less so Judaism though), as well as the ancient traditions that still carry on and the big three of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
The big three with a few exceptions still live the contemplativeness of their past teachers. Many a Buddhist and Toaist Temple can still be found on top of a mountain, and most temples are designed to be large spaces...like a cathedral. You can get lost in reflection and can see how nature is always changing and impermanent in the fish, plants and turtles that are living within the Temples.
There will always be more to write, but these are some of the major things I noticed during my amazing year teaching in China.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
St. Paul's Church - Nanjing, China - May 13th, 2012
Today was the day I would be seeing much more of the Christian community that makes up Nanjing. The church was St. Paul's Church, an Anglican Church founded in 1923. When I arrived it was crowded as in the main Chapel a wedding was being prepared for. It was a bit overwhelming because of all the people...I then got a call from my friend who let me know where the English service was, which was in a smaller but more spacious, less crowded area in a different building.
The theme of the service was the love of God. As the program said at the beginning, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
When I arrived it had just begun so I caught the scripture reading and Apostles Creed before the hymn and then sermon.
The first thing I noticed was how humble the place was. There was a single wooden cross in front of red drapes and the altar where the people would go to speak. The second thing I noticed was the music. Those old English hymns when sung by a good choir are some of the most heavenly things in the world. That was a major good that I experienced today, was the beauty of those hymns.
The sermon was from a brother of the church. He was quite passionate and talked about how love of Jesus means claiming souls. This line reminded me of how Christianity and Islam are the most aggressive religions historically when it comes to gaining converts (through peaceful and military means). For a while a lot of it was good and I thought he was describing virtue really well (carrying for the sick and for others, as well as loyalty to friends), and then he went off on a tangent. He brought gay marriage into it and seemed to be saying two things:
1) Those who believe in Gay Marriage are moral relativists and that "The world is" (which isn't not always true).
2) That there are false prophets in the Church who support gay marriage.
His words reminded me of how unwelcome the Church can be to people and how the love isn't unconditional, but conditional. The ironic thing in it was that some interpretations of Jonathan's relationship to David was in fact homosexual and that was what he was using to illustrate how we should love and be loyal to God (unlike Saul who used David for his vanities).
Besides the end of the sermon/tangent, it was a really enjoyable service. It was great being there with my friend I'd made last week. Afterwords I joined him and his friends for Lunch and their had a discussion with one of them in regards to Christianity versus philosophy in what should be valued. Both of us believed in truth and virtue the difference was I doubted the Bible and Christ as God (Christ can be a great example for how to live I think, just like Lao Tzu and the other great men), but I do think admitting ones own flaws and being honest about it is the only way to move forward and to grow as a person (or for a peoples to grow).
Where we differed most was I believe our relationships to others and our own actions are the most important thing that we know (living virtuously and growing), as well as the quest for truth. He believed that the truth came down from Jesus and that humanity is so broken that only belief saves us (via reward in the afterlife due to Jesus's sacrifice on the cross).
He brought up the C.S. Lewis Trilemma of Jesus being "Lunatic, Liar or Lord," as proof of Jesus's divinity, which for me didn't quite do it. There have been many throughout history who were delusional on some things but still super smart and ethical on others. He was flawed and human like them. What makes him different?
He's a kinesthetic learner and all about experience. His experiences with people who are believers and through church and relationship made him who he is. For me that's true as well, but so much of my experience of learning is through books, hearing, introspection and that was when we realized how our ways of learning compliment one another.
I told him I'd pray to Jesus and see what happens. Though I don't know if that's the best way to check the validity of Christianity (check it's claims) in regards to greater truths or the revelation it claims to be. Historically a lot of it doesn't hold up literally (Exodus, Genesis, Noah's Ark), but that doesn't change the value of the stories (though their are some un-virtuous practices in the Bible done in God's name).
It was a great day and it reminds me why I do the blog. It's about the human relationships and the quest for truth...it's the discussions and the learning that comes through discussion, study and experience.
The theme of the service was the love of God. As the program said at the beginning, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
When I arrived it had just begun so I caught the scripture reading and Apostles Creed before the hymn and then sermon.
The first thing I noticed was how humble the place was. There was a single wooden cross in front of red drapes and the altar where the people would go to speak. The second thing I noticed was the music. Those old English hymns when sung by a good choir are some of the most heavenly things in the world. That was a major good that I experienced today, was the beauty of those hymns.
The sermon was from a brother of the church. He was quite passionate and talked about how love of Jesus means claiming souls. This line reminded me of how Christianity and Islam are the most aggressive religions historically when it comes to gaining converts (through peaceful and military means). For a while a lot of it was good and I thought he was describing virtue really well (carrying for the sick and for others, as well as loyalty to friends), and then he went off on a tangent. He brought gay marriage into it and seemed to be saying two things:
1) Those who believe in Gay Marriage are moral relativists and that "The world is" (which isn't not always true).
2) That there are false prophets in the Church who support gay marriage.
His words reminded me of how unwelcome the Church can be to people and how the love isn't unconditional, but conditional. The ironic thing in it was that some interpretations of Jonathan's relationship to David was in fact homosexual and that was what he was using to illustrate how we should love and be loyal to God (unlike Saul who used David for his vanities).
Besides the end of the sermon/tangent, it was a really enjoyable service. It was great being there with my friend I'd made last week. Afterwords I joined him and his friends for Lunch and their had a discussion with one of them in regards to Christianity versus philosophy in what should be valued. Both of us believed in truth and virtue the difference was I doubted the Bible and Christ as God (Christ can be a great example for how to live I think, just like Lao Tzu and the other great men), but I do think admitting ones own flaws and being honest about it is the only way to move forward and to grow as a person (or for a peoples to grow).
Where we differed most was I believe our relationships to others and our own actions are the most important thing that we know (living virtuously and growing), as well as the quest for truth. He believed that the truth came down from Jesus and that humanity is so broken that only belief saves us (via reward in the afterlife due to Jesus's sacrifice on the cross).
He brought up the C.S. Lewis Trilemma of Jesus being "Lunatic, Liar or Lord," as proof of Jesus's divinity, which for me didn't quite do it. There have been many throughout history who were delusional on some things but still super smart and ethical on others. He was flawed and human like them. What makes him different?
He's a kinesthetic learner and all about experience. His experiences with people who are believers and through church and relationship made him who he is. For me that's true as well, but so much of my experience of learning is through books, hearing, introspection and that was when we realized how our ways of learning compliment one another.
I told him I'd pray to Jesus and see what happens. Though I don't know if that's the best way to check the validity of Christianity (check it's claims) in regards to greater truths or the revelation it claims to be. Historically a lot of it doesn't hold up literally (Exodus, Genesis, Noah's Ark), but that doesn't change the value of the stories (though their are some un-virtuous practices in the Bible done in God's name).
It was a great day and it reminds me why I do the blog. It's about the human relationships and the quest for truth...it's the discussions and the learning that comes through discussion, study and experience.
The Problem of Evil - Return to St. Paul's Church - Nanjing, China - July 1st, 2012
Today has been an interesting day. I've met with friends and talked philosophy and teaching in China, ran into a philosopher from Kentucky who is teaching math and physics here and experienced an interesting sermon.
I figured with the time I have left in Nanjing I should revist St. Paul, and also visit the Temple before I go. Both are interesting places from what I experienced before, and in the case of Daming Temple, heard about.
The sermon today touched on the Problem of Evil, and to a degree the nature of belief and faith.
First I arrived early and sung two of the songs with the congregation, while also catching up with Durin, a college student who I had met there last time I had visited. After that there was the songs and readings, all which focused on the reality of God being there and the desire for God, before leading up to the sermon.
The readings were a psalm, and a chapter in Mark in which Jesus heals a woman who is healed by her faith in him, and his healing of a dead twelve year old girl.
The sermon started with the pastor telling a story about a sixteen year old believer he knew who died of cancer. He mentioned how he didn't know why events like this happen if God heals and that it had initially caused him to doubt. He eventually came back and tied this story to the story of a missionary in the 19th Century whose daughters had died in a shipwreck, and when he had passed the shipwreck on the way to his wife how his belief in God had caused him to have peace in his soul.
"What is the state of your soul?" He asked the congregation.
My thoughts were...'I don't know if I have one...I really have no way of proving if it exists or not. Where is the soul? What is the soul?'
He ended with making a claim that God seeks those who trust and have faith in him, like the woman who had faith and healed and the young girl who had been dead. If Jesus is "The Way, the Truth and the Light," my experience of the relationship has been an unknown, much like the existence of my soul, except Jesus's stories remind us of the importance of integrity with the world and living with truth and honesty in all that we do.
That is something I do believe in. virtue and integrity, it may be hard to fully define but it is something that can be defined and experienced without the questions and unknown. If Jesus Christ is God, I'll always be open to knowing that, but right now Jesus is unknown as anyone else in the past where I can know how others thought of him and what others believed him to be, but if I believed that without any doubts...I'd be lying to myself and that would not be living with virtue or integrity.
I figured with the time I have left in Nanjing I should revist St. Paul, and also visit the Temple before I go. Both are interesting places from what I experienced before, and in the case of Daming Temple, heard about.
The sermon today touched on the Problem of Evil, and to a degree the nature of belief and faith.
First I arrived early and sung two of the songs with the congregation, while also catching up with Durin, a college student who I had met there last time I had visited. After that there was the songs and readings, all which focused on the reality of God being there and the desire for God, before leading up to the sermon.
The readings were a psalm, and a chapter in Mark in which Jesus heals a woman who is healed by her faith in him, and his healing of a dead twelve year old girl.
The sermon started with the pastor telling a story about a sixteen year old believer he knew who died of cancer. He mentioned how he didn't know why events like this happen if God heals and that it had initially caused him to doubt. He eventually came back and tied this story to the story of a missionary in the 19th Century whose daughters had died in a shipwreck, and when he had passed the shipwreck on the way to his wife how his belief in God had caused him to have peace in his soul.
"What is the state of your soul?" He asked the congregation.
My thoughts were...'I don't know if I have one...I really have no way of proving if it exists or not. Where is the soul? What is the soul?'
He ended with making a claim that God seeks those who trust and have faith in him, like the woman who had faith and healed and the young girl who had been dead. If Jesus is "The Way, the Truth and the Light," my experience of the relationship has been an unknown, much like the existence of my soul, except Jesus's stories remind us of the importance of integrity with the world and living with truth and honesty in all that we do.
That is something I do believe in. virtue and integrity, it may be hard to fully define but it is something that can be defined and experienced without the questions and unknown. If Jesus Christ is God, I'll always be open to knowing that, but right now Jesus is unknown as anyone else in the past where I can know how others thought of him and what others believed him to be, but if I believed that without any doubts...I'd be lying to myself and that would not be living with virtue or integrity.
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