Dividing Walls

It would be almost impossible for any person living in Britain not to be aware that this week saw the final of the Great British Bake-Off and know who won the title of Champion Baker.  There are those in the media who tried to claim that she won because of her ethnicity and religion to try and make a point that we are an open and accepting country.  Actually if those responsible for such accusations had actually seen the wonderful creations that she baked they would have realised that she won because she was a very capable and creative baker who although she began the competition struggling, she worked and worked until she overcame her doubts and succeeded in creating some amazing culinary delights.  She is a young mother of three young children, has beautiful eyes, a charming smile, a great sense of humour, some wonderful facial expressions and has come out with some great self-deprecating one-liners.  She has endeared herself to the heart of the nation.  Well done Nadiya.  She just happens to wear a scarf to express who she is.  People who cover themselves with tattoos do so in order to express themselves as does a gentleman who wouldn't be seen without a bow tie, feeling it gives himself a certain air of charm.  They all express themselves by their appearance.

Pope Francis has also been in the news again this week.  Last week we saw that during his visit to the USA, he met up with people of many faiths and religious ideologies other than Roman Catholicism.  This week the news is that in November he plans to meet up with some leaders of the Evangelical and Lutheran church in Rome and apologise for the way the Roman Church has treated Protestants, bearing in mind that it was Martin Luther, after whom the Lutheran church was founded, who was the reformer who opposed Roman authority and as a result the Protestant movement was formed.  


I was brought up in the ways of The Salvation Army and I was also reminded this week by a friend that the co-founder of that organisation once said, 'I don't believe in any religion apart from doing the will of God.'  It is a sad fact that over the centuries, Christians have forgotten the truths that Jesus taught about God's  all-encompassing love being for everyone.  Instead we have emphasized the divisions and differences, making them more important than our walk with God.

Another friend this week has said that after 8 years 'outside' of organised church he will be returning as part of the leadership team of a church in order to help out his friend.  He wondered what the reaction would be of those who had also left organised religion behind.  Is he a religious turncoat?  Has he changed his opinion about church structure? Is he in or out?


It saddens me when people think that you have to be either 'In' or 'Out'.  Why?  Which part of the Bible tells us that?  On the contrary.  Jesus speaks of God's love being unconditional and for all.  It was as much for the Roman centurion as it was for Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.  He preached from a boat as well as in the synagogue.  He accepted those on the fringes of society as well as those who were faithfully observant of their Jewish faith.  After the resurrection, he walked through walls to join his disciples as they met in secret.  No walls or locked doors can keep him out.  He also met with them by the lake as they went fishing.  He taught us that God is Spirit and we must worship him in spirit.  God really is everywhere.  The Psalmist so many centuries even before Jesus appeared said that there was nowhere we can go and not be in his presence.  There are no walls, whether physical, imaginary or religious that can keep him out.  Yet we continue to build walls of division, separation and exclusion.   Whatever walls we may build and divisions we think up, they don't mean anything to God because he is Spirit, everywhere.  When are we really going to understand this truth?    

God's love is unconditional.  There are no conditions that we must observe in order for us to be in his presence.  In or out?  Does it matter?  God breaks through barriers, frontiers and divisions. Let's stop building walls of division and trying to box God into our own ways of doing things.  He refuses to be forced into our boxes.  Just let God be God wherever we are and however we choose to seek him.  Does it matter if we wear a scarf or bow tie or have tattoos?  Does it matter if we meet with a certain group of people on a specific day in a specific place?  As long as we seek God, he will meet with us.  Outside appearances and man-made rules don't affect his love for all of us.  He only looks on our hearts, what we feel in our spirits.  I just seek his presence and to know and do his will.  Everything else is not that important and of no real consequence.    

Things Are Different

Sitting behind me on the bus the other day were two men having a discussion about how they gave up the habit of smoking.  One said that he had tried various types - pipe, rolling his own and the usual cigarette.  He had smoked since being a very young teenager but just decided one day that he wasn't going to smoke any more - and he hasn't.  The other gentleman had also smoked for many years but gave up because of health reasons.  The conversation went on to discuss their surprise that now neither of them liked being around people who were smoking.  They could even smell on their clothes if they had just smoked a cigarette.  The mere thought of smoking now just churned them up.  Their sense of smell and taste had improved beyond expectation and generally they felt better in their health with more energy and less coughs and wheezing.  Strange how the environment they thrived in had now become something they avoided whenever possible.  Their ideas about smoking had changed their outlook almost to the complete opposite way of thinking.

Just the other day I received an email from a friend explaining just how people should treat a dog for the blind that is in working mode.  Normally if a friend is out with his or her dog and we meet up, the immediate reaction is to greet the friend, sometimes with a hug or handshake, and also to make a fuss of the dog.  But in the case of a dog accompanying a blind person, you should never get hold of the person's hand or arm in case the dog reacts in defense of his owner.  A dog for the blind also has special times when he is given fuss and attention and that is not when he is working.  Then his full attention is on the directions of his owner.  Different situations need different responses.

Looking back over my life, although I have never smoked, I can agree with the two men who see things differently now.  How I have changed my thinking on many issues over the years!  Life experiences have taught me many lessons to the point that some things I see in a different way from how I used to see them.  I like to think that this has made me a better person, more tolerant and accepting.  There is the old saying about not criticizing someone unless we have walked in the other person's shoes.  Although the two gentlemen preferred now not to smoke, they fully understood those who still do and how difficult some find it to relinquish the habit.  They have been there and understand but now see things differently.  

Again as with the working dog, there are situations when what works with one doesn't work with another.  In life there is no one size fits all solution.  Situations are different and people are different.  We need not only to empathize with others but see them as unique and different.  Many religious people seem to think that obeying the rules, the 'do's and don'ts' is how you become affiliated to God.  There is no set formula, no specially worded prayer that saves.  Each must come to God as we are and he deals with us as we need.  That is different for everyone.  Some might find a church building inspiring where they want to worship while for others the silence and beauty of a walk in the country is where they meet and talk with God.  There was a time when I considered that part of being a Christian is going to a place of worship but now I know that anywhere can be a place of worship and that's how I now prefer to live.  What works for one does not necessarily work for someone else.  

Different people, different situations, different ways of thinking but God is one and loves all equally and is happy to meet with us anywhere, anytime and in any circumstance in which we find ourselves.  

Growing Diversity

This week we have enjoyed some lovely spring weather here in the south west of England.  At last I have been able to get out into the garden and get things growing again.  I have managed to sow quite a few different vegetables and planted some fresh flowers.  We are in no way self sufficient in providing and growing our own food.  Space and personal physical energy don't allow for this but it is good to be able to eat something that you've grown yourself.  It is so much healthier when you know that they haven't been doused in chemicals or somehow force fed to produce perfect-looking produce.  Because they are fresher of course they are tastier.  I plant the flowers, partly because I like to see nice flowers in a garden and partly to encourage the bees and butterflies necessary in the pollination of other plants that we eat.  I try to grow a variety as it looks more interesting and, as far as food is concerned, is better for us.  I often think of the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt and really sympathize with them.  I mean, what must it be like to have to eat manna and quails every day.  They wandered in the desert for 40 years.  And we complain if we have the same thing twice in two weeks!  In the 21st century we know that a variety of food is not only pleasing to the palate but necessary for health reasons.  A good variety gives us a balanced and nutritious diet that leads to good health.  Too much of one thing and not enough of something else is not good for us.  It can create an imbalance within our bodies and leaves us lacking in some nutrient.

I do like to see pictures of a snowdrop or bluebell wood but when it comes to the garden of a house I have to admit that having only one type of flower does not appeal to me.  In fact most gardens seem to grow different types of flowers as well as different colours to put on a display.  A walk through a park is more enjoyable if there are displays of different flowers, bushes and trees and when we buy a bunch of flowers to put in a vase, more often than not we choose a bunch that has more than one colour or at least one colour plus greenery.  So in food and in plants we like and need diversity.



And so I ponder ... ... why, oh why can we not accept this in society?  We say that we accept people being different but there is a big difference between tolerance and acceptance.  We might tolerate those who express themselves differently as long as they stay over there out of my way.  Those who have a different culture, a different way of living, a different way of expressing their beliefs, a different way of loving are so often made to feel outsiders so that they huddle together in their own isolated communities and not accepted in general society.  We have so much to learn from God's creation.  The rose doesn't say that he is better and nicer looking than the daisy and so more important.  They are both as important and beautiful as the other in their own way and circumstances.  Someone once remarked, 'Our differences combine to create meaning and beauty.'   God created all things diverse, not to compete against each other but to complement each other and together to make a rich world beneficial to all.  Diversity is healthy and pleasurable.  That is how God designed it.  We need to learn to live together in harmony and diversity in order to really express God's intention for our world.

Don't Rock The Boat

I was interested a couple of weeks  ago to learn of the Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis (1818 - 1865).  He discovered that the washing and cleaning of hands greatly reduced the mortality rate of patients in his maternity ward compared to the wards supervised by other doctors.  He published papers to this effect and insisted that it was the simple act of washing hands that was the key.  His publications were rejected by the established scientific and medical opinions of the time.  He was eventually committed to as asylum for his 'outrageous' claims where he died only 2 weeks after entering the institution, having been beaten by guards.  His theories were proved correct by Lister and Pasteur years after his death.  Today personal hygiene and cleanliness is so much a part of everyday life that it is hard to imagine that the medical world of the mid 19th century did not accept this.


The other day I watched (again!) the now old film The Jazz Singer.  In case anyone is not familiar with the story, it is about a young Jewish man whose father was a cantor in the synagogue.  It was a family tradition and the young man would be the fifth generation of cantors in his family, something that made his father very proud.  However, the young man also lived another life by singing with non-Jewish friends in clubs.  When he got the opportunity to go to California, he realised that singing to the general public was what he really wanted to do.  The result of course was many problems within family relationships and heartache and struggles to come to terms with this idea on all sides.  Eventually he followed his dream and 'made it' in the music world of California.


The first story is a sad one but the second had a happier ending.  The thing is that deep inside we know what is right for us whether other people accept what we say or not.  Truth is truth.  It doesn't depend on how many people agree with us.  It doesn't necessarily mean that the majority must be right.  But it is very difficult to remain true to what we feel deep inside when all around seem to be going in the opposite direction.  The old song that we often used to sing says, 'I'll fear not what men say'.  But we do, don't we?  How often have we heard people say, 'What will people think?'   Today with social media someone can very quickly be made to appear like a saint or a villain.  Whistle-blowers and reporters who tell it as it really is are criticised by established figures and often rubbished in the media when most times what they are saying is the truth that nobody in authority wants the world to know.  It is more difficult when we go against family tradition and when those closest to us reject what we say.  The last thing we want to do is hurt and upset those we love and so often we bury what is inside and carry on just going along with tradition without questioning, closing our minds to any personal or different ideas that we may have had.  Our dreams remain only dreams as we feel unable to seek to make them reality. 


 I have to admit I have great respect for anyone who can stick to their guns when they really believe something regardless of who listens or accepts what they say.  Throughout history we find people who have been ridiculed only to be proved right in later years. Galileo comes to mind when he insisted that the earth went round the sun and not the other way around.  Sadly too often we conform simply to avoid 'rocking the boat'.  We don't want to get a bad reputation as a trouble maker or being a bit wacky.  Sadly this applies to many Christian congregations when those who question or don't fall into line end up outside of the group, excluded.  We have seen it with prominent church leaders like Steve Chalke when he spoke of accepting gay people and Rob Bell and Jim Palmer for offering a different perspective on Christian beliefs.  I find it sad that Christianity is becoming in many places, an exclusive 'club' where if you question, think for yourself, don't fit in and conform or rock the boat then you become excluded.  As for me - I will continue to question and seek truth even if that means being part of a misunderstood minority.  In the end it is only truth that will set us free, free from the fear of what others might think, free to be who we really are, free to be the person God made us to be.

Seasonal Adaptations

The other day I was catching up with some of the programmes I had recorded as I was unable to watch them at the time they went out on air.  One of the programmes was Winterwatch.  The Springwatch team who do the programmes was in the highlands of Scotland for their transmissions where they had experienced bad weather just the week before.  It was a real winterland, lovely for postcards, everything covered in snow.  They were particularly looking to see how different species of creatures adapted to cope with the cold weather - snow and temperatures well below freezing for most of the time.

The common shrew

Of course we all know that nature changes and adapts in order to cope with the colder weather.  Many trees lose their leaves and plants 'die' only to be revived when the fine weather returns.  Some creatures hibernate during the winter months and arouse from their deep sleep when the weather gets warmer.  Those who don't hibernate adopt various strategies in order to cope.  The mountain hare changes the colour of its fur from brown to white so that it is better camouflaged in order evade the exceptional vision of the golden eagle looking for prey.  The ptarmigan not only changes its feathers to white but also buries itself with snow just under the surface where the temperature is actually a little warmer.  But what really called my attention was when the presenter (Chris Packham) explained about the common shrew.  It actually shrinks in size.  It deliberately shrinks its skeleton, heart, liver, skull and even its brain in order to require less energy and therefore not needing as much food thus giving it a better chance of survival at a time when food is scarce.  How amazing is that!?  I found this so hard to believe that I checked it out for myself online - and it is true.

We often talk about seasons of life and in spiritual terms seasons of the soul.  Sadly we don't always learn the lessons of nature.  When things change, they adapt and change to accommodate and cope with the different circumstances and surroundings.  Yet how often when it comes to our expression of faith do we just keep plodding on doing the same things as before?  Our excuse is that we've always done things that way.  If creatures in the wild kept on doing things always the same way, they would be in real trouble.  So they adapt.  We might decide to do things slightly differently.  We change the order of service, we sing a few new(er) songs, we begin some project or new programme.  There is often great need to change inside, the whole structure of how we live and do things, the very way we express our faith.  Sometimes we need to rest, do nothing, just be.  But sometimes it's necessary to actually get rid of things, strip back things that have become burdensome and are draining our resources.  Sometimes it's necessary that we become less - less important, less busy, less involved, less sure of ourselves, less ready to always have an answer.  Sometimes less is more. It isn't always about doing things differently, it's about being different deep inside.  Very often the change we need to make is not about what we do or where we go but about what we are.  The shrew has a great lesson that we do well to take notice of.  Maybe it's us that needs to change.  

Conundrum

I have been thinking much lately about the different religions of the world and how people of many different faiths all seem to have something valid to contribute to the overall wisdom of a belief system.  I often think that it would be great if we could somehow amalgamate all the best bits of each religion and make one belief system to suit everybody.  Is that Utopia?  A fantasy?  And yet as Christians we believe that Jesus came for the 'whole world'.  We always say that God loves everyone, so surely it is his own wish to see all of humanity living as one.  At the birth of Jesus the story tells us that the angels sang about peace and goodwill to all people.  We are also reminded that the wise men in the story came from far away eastern lands.  They did not share the Jewish faith and there is no account that they became Jewish after their encounter with the new-born Jesus.  They worshipped him and went back to their own lands.  It seems today that when it comes to religious beliefs, the world is ever more divided.  Some people of no faith reckon that the world would be better off without religion of any kind as, according to their thinking, it is religion that causes most of the wars in the world and that it is religion that breeds violence one against the other.  That's not entirely true but I can see how they reach that conclusion.



So just how can we work to bring about this unity of religious belief?  Or should we?  I am currently reading the Brian McLaren book, 'Why Did Jesus, Moses, The Buddha And Mohammed Cross The Road?', where he explores the issue of the many different expressions of faith in the world.  It is a very interesting read if you haven't already read it.  For me the great conundrum is that as a Christian I of course believe that Christianity is the only true way to God.  I accept that others find their way of expressing their spiritual beliefs but from my point of view their belief system is lacking somewhat.  It doesn't have the whole truth - of course we Christians do! (tongue in cheek!) The trouble with that concept is that most people of other religions each think exactly the same about their belief system.  So it seems we come to a sort of stale mate without any real resolution or way forward.  The conundrum is how can I who obviously believe my faith is right, not just tolerate but accept that those of other faiths have as valid a claim to truth as I have without weakening or lessening my own beliefs?


This can result of course in the sort of thing that we have seen in the past few days and weeks - killing other human beings in the name of a particular strand of a religion whose perpetrators believe that only they have the whole truth and all others are less and if not willing to convert then they should be 'punished'.  And let's be honest here - those of us in 'the west' are as guilty as any other of atrocities carried out in the name of our religion over the centuries (crusades, colonisation, 'civilization', slavery, the Inquisition  the conquistadors of South America  and so on ... ) Even as recently as the 20th century, we think of the Holocaust and the troubles in Northern Ireland.  So as a Christian what is my answer to this?  The immediate reaction for many is understandably to go and blast them, give them a bit of their own medicine as it were.  So everybody is hell bent on killing each other.  The trouble I have with this is that force and strength only prove who is more cunning in battle and has the better weapons at their disposal.  It doesn't prove who is actually right.  And God doesn't take sides in a killing spree even if we do label it a just war.  It also puts you on the same level as those you condemn - killing because others disagree with your way of thinking.  On the other hand I liked the reaction in Australia after the hostage situation in the Sydney cafe when the reaction of many people was to say 'I'll ride with you' - showing solidarity with those of other faiths without necessarily accepting their belief system.  We have also seen images of Christians defending Muslims as they go to worship and Muslims defending Christians as they went to their church buildings.  In Paris recently we have seen pictures of Muslims and Jews hugging each other as they protest and mourn together.  And so the conundrum continues and I don't really have any answers.


All I can do as a Christian is look to the example of Jesus and his teaching.  Jesus did not change religions.  He was never a 'Christian'.  He was a Jew right until his death and visited the synagogues and temple in Jerusalem right until his capture and subsequent death.  The Last Supper was actually a Jewish festival that he and the disciples were celebrating.  When he healed the servant of the Roman centurion or spoke to the Samaritan woman, he didn't say that they had to convert to the Jewish faith.  To the centurion he said that his faith had healed his servant.  What faith was that?  He was not of the Jewish faith and possibly followed Roman gods but he recognised a higher spiritual authority in Jesus and believed in him.  On that occasion Jesus remarked, 'I say to you that many will come from the east and  the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven' - was he saying people from other nations and belief systems?   He also healed the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman without insisting that she accept the religion of the Jews.  It appears therefore that Jesus not only accepted people just who they were and where they stood in their own particular expression of faith but never said anything about changing their religious allegiance.  They were accepted by God as they were.  God then is bigger than any one expression of spirituality and has no problem about anyone of whatever persuasion who truly seeks him.  I'm still working on it!

IMHO

It's that time of year when people voice their strong opinions on a couple of topics in particular.  We have just seen another Halloween when children enjoy the dressing up and it's ok for them to go knocking on doors expecting some sweet treat.  Opinions vary on religious grounds about elevating evil and witchcraft.  Some say it's all just innocent fun while others insist that there is nothing innocent about the occult.  Some don't have a problem with the spiritual aspect but are irritated by the interruption of their evening by the constant knocking on the door and the expectation of being given some sweets.  On the other hand, is all that sweet stuff really good for children or their teeth, apart from the expectation factor of 'I'm a child so you should give me a treat'?  Originally of course Halloween was about Hallowed Eve when the lives of saintly people no longer with us are remembered.  Strange how over time things get a bit twisted and changed - a bit like Christmas when some big bearded man in a red cloak now takes centre stage.

There was the same sort of reaction when Harry Potter first came to our consciousness.  There was a great deal of divided opinion among Christians in particular.  Some looked for some deep spiritual message in the stories while again others claimed that dabbling in the world of the occult is dangerous.  I have to admit that my own opinion was in the latter camp of opposition.  I think much of this was influenced by the particular group of Christians with whom I associated at that time.  Since leaving institutional church gatherings I have watched all of the Harry Potter films and have to admit that I have enjoyed them all and, yes, have found some worthwhile lessons in the stories.

The other, often divisive topic at the moment is about Remembrance Day and the wearing of poppies in particular.  Should we conform and wear the red poppy or should we make a statement by wearing a white poppy for peace.  It seems a shame that the whole original idea of the poppy of the British Legion has been hijacked by those who seem to have made it more about patriotism and Britishness than remembering the horrors of war and being determined to strive for peace.  Some very right wing elements have taken to selling cheap copies of the original British Legion poppy and instead of the money going to help soldiers and their families it is actually going to their own political coffers.  Some TV stations seem to oblige anyone appearing on their programmes to wear a poppy while ITV have accepted a difference of opinion of one their newscasters who made the decision not to wear a poppy on air (although she does support the whole idea and wears one herself on Remembrance Day)  You can see her valid reasoning here.  Meanwhile some British Muslim women have taken to wearing scarves designed with poppies to show their solidarity as British citizens and remember Muslims who died fighting for Britain in WW1.  You can read about it here.

I smile when I hear people say or see them write 'in my humble opinion' or just 'IMHO'.  It would be nice if that is what they really meant - humble and opinion.  But often that is code for 'I don't agree with you, you're wrong and I'm going to put you right!'  We have differences of opinion on most things in life not just the obvious ones I've mentioned but from Marmite to the value of space travel.  We differ in our views on politics, religion, the death penalty, the right for workers to strike, fox hunting, green issues, creation/Big Bang theory, gun laws, health services, immigration ... ... and so we could go on.  It would be a strange world indeed if we were all the same and agreed on everything - how boring!  Our opinions are always influenced by the culture we have grown up in and our experiences in life. Whatever my take on things happens to be, I have to accept that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I cannot force my opinion on others.  They have had a different life journey so their opinion is bound to be a little different.  It is good for me to be tolerant and remember that it is only my humble opinion and not some great truth written in stone.  And as I have also discovered in my own life, my opinions can change. 

The Way I See It

The two people were chatting while waiting at the bus stop when suddenly the younger one, focusing on a young girl passing by said in a low voice, 'Just look at that!  What a mess!  She looks awful!'  The older woman smiled and replied, 'When anyone criticizes what you wear, you always say that people should feel free to wear what they like.  So obviously she's wearing what she likes.'  The younger one conceded with a smile, saying that she wouldn't wear it but then she has a different fashion sense.  We might think someone looks nice or not because of what they are wearing, while they might see it differently.  As the saying goes, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'.  


On a less flippant note, my nephew's young son often likes to play at role reversal - his father/grandmother being him and he being them.  He really is rather good at remembering things that they have said or done and playing them back to them as he sees it, reliving situations and conversations.  It really is an eye-opener on just how he sees them and how he interprets what they say.  Children so often manage to encompass in their playing what sometimes goes unnoticed to us.  Things that we don't give a second thought about might come across to them as something they take notice of and remember sometimes in great detail to the point that we can wonder, 'Am I really like that? Is that how I said that?'.  Children have an innocence that penetrates through all social etiquette and niceties to reveal just how things really are, at least as they appear to them.


We all see things differently, simply because we are all different, unique.  We cherish our uniqueness yet at the same time struggle to accept another person's different approach and opinion.  Often when someone says, 'The way I see it ...' they really mean that they think the other person is wrong and they will tell them exactly how it is and what is the right way.  We can become quite intolerant of those who don't do or think as we do, thinking smugly, 'They really don't have a clue and they are just so wrong'.  There is a built-in sort of arrogance that we can't be wrong, it must be them.  Is there not just a possibility that both are right - in their own eyes?  It all depends on how you see things.  This often can depend on your circumstances, your cultural background, your emotions and feelings at a given moment.  It seems strange that restaurants. shops, the entertainment business and so on cater for our different views and tastes in food, clothing, holidays, home decor, hobbies/interests and TV viewing so why, oh why, is it so difficult for us to accept that people just might have a different spiritual opinion from us?  When it comes to God, it seems, we are always and totally right as though somehow we are in the privileged position of having a monopoly of the truth!


I remember one holiday in Scotland when we climbed up a hill through some woodland.  Every so often there was a gap in the trees and a seat where you could rest awhile and take in the scenery.  What we discovered was that we saw different things at different stopping points.  Some objects became hidden from view while others became clearer.  The overall picture was constantly changing depending on where we were on the hill.  That has always remained with me over the years as an important life lesson.  People are different, each one unique, as we so often like to say.  So why is it so hard to accept another's point of view, another way of looking at things, another angle, another's belief system or spiritual leaning?  God has an overall view while, as the apostle Paul says, we only see in part.  In the same passage, Paul says that as a child he thought and acted in a certain way but as he grew, his thoughts changed.  We are constantly changing as our view on life changes, as we experience different situations. 

So let's show a little more tolerance and acceptance of others.  At least, that's the way I see it. (Maybe someone will tell me I'm wrong!).