How I Became a Humanist #4: How My Sister and My Faith were Found

Fire pit on the campus of Rochester College

The summer after my freshman year of college, I spent most nights in my old room at my mom's house in Eastpointe.  I walked in one night around 10:00 pm to see my usually stoic mother anxiously pacing the living room floor.  Something was wrong.

My 14 year old sister hadn't returned home from being at a friend's house that afternoon.  In fact, she had never shown up to that house.  My mom suspected that my sister was with a man (Steve) that my mom had broken up with after finding out that he had molested his own daughter.  My mom couldn't go out looking for my sister while I was out on account of the fact that someone had to watch my terminally ill brother.  She also couldn't have called me on my cell phone, because this was 1998.

I stayed at the house while my mom went up to the Eastpointe police department.

While my mom was gone, my friend Phil called to tell me that it was his mom's birthday.  He could tell I was upset, and asked what was going on.  I explained the situation which he immediately relayed to his mom, Jill.  Immediately, she drove across town to my house.

When my mom returned, Jill and I went in her car to search the city for my sister.  We drove around Eastpointe hoping that she was walking around with her friends or something.  At the same time, we were also looking for Steve's car, a red pickup truck with the bumpersticker "No Jesus, No Peace."  This ultimately became the focus of our search.

Now, when we'd first gotten into the car - before we'd started driving, I'd said a silent prayer.  I told God that if he helped me find my sister that I'd believe in him and try to serve him.  It was a sincere prayer.

We drove down 9 mile towards Harper road looking for Steve's car in parking lots.  We were doing this because Steve was living in his car at the time.  Looking back, this whole episode was a joke.  His truck could have been anywhere in Metro-Detroit, an area that is the definition of urban-sprawl.

At some point, I suggested that we look at the 24-hour Meijer parking lot at 13 Mile and Little Mack, which we did.  Steve's car wasn't there.  The supermarket happens to be right next to I-94 and there were at least two hotels nearby, an EconoLodge and a Red Roof Inn.  Jill recommended that we check the parking lot at the EconoLodge.  When his car wasn't there, I gave up.  Jill wanted to at least try the other parking lot, so we did.

When we drove into the parking lot at the Red Roof Inn, I saw a truck that looked like Steve's.  Jill pulled in closer.  Sure enough, the bumper sticker was on the back.  We parked next to the lobby, walked in and called the police who came.  Steve had maps on him, lots of money and had bought her new clothes.

It wasn't long before Jill drove me home.  After things settled down, I went upstairs to my room and pretended to sleep.  When the stress was just too great, I snuck out the stairwell door and walked to the Elias Brothers on 9 Mile and Gratiot where I smoked cigarettes and drank coffee to relax.

I believed that God was real.  Now what?

Jesus and the Muslim Ban

Luke 10:25-29 

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

This is my neighbor

A few weeks ago, I visited the Baha'i Center in DC.  While there I met people from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds.  Many were naturalized citizens who had originally come from Iran fleeing religious persecution.  I met one man whose brother had been executed for being Baha'i.  Next week, I'm headed to a Zoroastrian Temple to visit with them.  The Magi that visited Jesus in the book of Matthew were Zoroastrian priests.  Zoroastrians too are a persecuted minority throughout regions formerly controlled by the Persian Empire.  Many of them have fled to the United States, specifically from Iran.

The ban that has been put in place affects real people, many of whom are already suffering.  Some seek to live here.  Others already do either as citizens or residents.  Those who live here usually still have families who live overseas.  Imagine not being allowed to see your parents.

Mathew 2:13-23 tells us that after Jesus birth, Joseph took his family and fled to Egypt (They too were refugees) 

The way the ban was implemented makes things even worse.  You have families with children stuck all around the world.  They were planning to go from one place to another.  That trip may be all the family was budgeted for.  Imagine being stuck midway between a place you are fleeing and the place you are fleeing to and all of the sudden you aren't sure how you're going to feed your babies.  Governments around the world are having to deal with this problem.  So will their citizens.  The image of the US will be tarnished for some time.

When I think of these refugees, I look back at my own ancestry.  I have a lot of Dutch blood running through my veins, with ancestors on the north american continent going back to the early 1600s.  They came fleeing religious persecution in Europe to start a new life.  (Europe at the time was far worse the Middle East with people killing each other by the millions over views on communion and other nonsense.) If they hadn't had a place to go, I wouldn't be here.

Plymouth Rock: where Dutch Pilgrims landed

My statement on the Muslim Ban is this: the best way to improve vetting of individuals from more dangerous countries is to increase funding and hiring of the State Department staff that are responsible for vetting individuals.  If you have more staff and better funding, the vetting can be done more effectively and efficiently.  We won't have to break treaties to do this.  We won't have to leave persecuted refugees stranded at airports with their babies.  We won't have to ignore the people who are suffering because we decided to invade Iraq and didn't have a good plan for how to stabilize it afterward.  And we won't have to degrade our standing in the world by creating outrage among our allies, just in case global power is the only thing we really care about.

In response to the religious scholar's question, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus tells a story, the moral of which is something like this: Your neighbor is the person who needs help.  Even the people you look down on know that.

My Neighbor's Faith: Sikh Center of San Antonio

They let us borrow these hats to cover our heads.  Notice the skull and fire.  Very modern.

We first met up with the Sikh Center of San Antonio about 2 years ago on what they call Infinite Wisdom Day, an interfaith religious conference where a variety of religious perspectives are given in relation to a specific topic.  The topic at the time has to do with the global economic situation with a focus on poverty.  Most people just trumped the values of their religion, or irreligion in the case of the Freethinkers.  I remember being impressed both by the Catholic and Sikh speakers, who both stayed on topic and said something worth listening to.  The Sikhs also prepared a dinner free to everyone.  It was delicious.

Today, we arrived for lunch.  We didn't intend to go to the service, only because we weren't certain whether or not we would be welcome.  It turns out that we would have been.

We walked into the building to find a shoes piled up on our left in bins, and also on the floor.  I looked around at the bare feet and removed my shoes.  Sarah and Alex followed suit.  We noticed that everyone had head coverings.  We had read about this beforehand.  Sarah opined that we should both bring some kind of head covering with us, while I thought that it probably wouldn't be a big deal.  The man who greeted us as we entered instructed me to allow him to put a covering on my head.  Sarah and Alex again followed suit.  (Sarah was right).

I asked why we wore head coverings when entering what most Christians would call a sanctuary.  The man explained that it was a tradition that respected the sacred.  The tradition is common to a variety of religious traditions in the East.  I wonder what cultural conditions lead to that understanding of respect.  In the West, we often remove head coverings to show respect.  We take our hats off at the table.  We tip hats as a greeting.  Regardless of how it's done, doing something with your head is a symbol of respect among humans - take note Paul Ekman!

We walked into the sanctuary.  Alex and I sat with the men on the right.  Sarah sat with the women on the left.  When I visited a mosque years ago, the women sat in the back.  This wasn't the case here.  We all sat on the floor listening what seemed like a reading alongside a meditative prayer.  It was in Punjabi, and I didn't understand a lick of it.

Sanctuary: Notice there are no chairs.  In the far back, you will see their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, covered by a cloth and surrounded by flowers.

We sat on the floor.  I later learned that everyone sits on the floor to signify equality - Sikhs believe in the equality of all humans, regardless of race, gender or social class.  In the front, to the left a lectern stood on the floor.  Typical, this reflects a view of equality between clergy and laity.  The ceilings in the building were low, which tends to reflect a view of God being accessible to the people, of directly through prayer.  I can't say if those things are true for Sikhs, but I expect that they are.


Front and center, elevated was a book covered and surrounded by ornate decorations or some significance.  I later learned that these were their scriptures, which they treat "like a living guru," a man told me.  The book was large and slightly elevated in a way that suggested absolute beauty more than absolute authority.

After the service ended, we were invited to a free communal meal.  We walked into an adjoining room that was covered with long rectangular cushy rugs, on which about 100 or so people were sitting all over the room.  In between each rug was a tiled space.  We grabbed plates, plastic wear and sat down.  It was amazing to see.  Community members were walked around with curry, rice, apples, bananas, water, and tea, serving each other.  The food was amazing!  It was healthy.  It was vegetarian.  Is the Sunday meal special in this way or do they always eat vegetarian?  Was this a way of being inclusive?

Part of the free communal lunch

Aside from the cultural artifacts, what stood out to me was that the community was welcoming, but not quite evangelistic  They didn't seem to think that their message was the only message with the ability to enable humanity to commune with God, but they were proud of what their tradition had to offer and willing shared it.

Religion and Politics

It hard to separate religion from politics.  Even if we believe that we shouldn't use politics to force our political opinions on others, it is almost inevitable that we will try.  Theological liberals work to impose their vision of justice, while theological conservatives try to impose their view of sexuality.  Both groups often claim that their values are not directly tied to religion, but the memes they share suggest otherwise.

This happens because our view of God influences our moral values.  Our faiths influence what we think is best for humanity, and therefore what is best for our nations.  Often, for liberals, the assumption is that God wants a socially just society in which the poor and weak are cared for and minorities are protected.  There is plenty of scripture and tradition to justify this perspective.  Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to think that God prefers personal morality and self-reliance.  There's plenty of scripture and tradition on their side too.

I don't think we can completely escape this trap.  Even secular humanists' political opinions are usually shaped by their view of nature and what it means to be human.  They want foreign, domestic and fiscal policies that reflect those views, because they think such policies will help humanity thrive.  Perhaps the best thing we can do is recognize that our conversation partners from other perspectives are probably no more or less biased than we are.  That won't always be true, but it's a good starting place for a healthy discussion with our neighbors.

William Penn House Brochure (2017)

The brochure reflects support of social justice activism, which is sometimes political in nature

Faith Friday: The Quakers (The Society of Friends)

I met with the Quakers last Sunday.  Like all Christians, they focus on some scriptures more than on others.  I messaged QuakerSpeak, a group that shares information about the Friends, and asked which scriptures they think Quakers focus on most.  They sent me this video.

When I considered their history, I couldn't help but want to add the following verse to the list.  How often it comes up among them, I can't say, but it does reflect one of their defining characteristics.  "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

The following is a quote from George Fox's The Great Mystery.  Fox is considered the founder of Quakerism.

And the scriptures, which signify writings, outward writings, with paper and ink, are not, as you say, infallible, nor are they divine, but human, and men get a human knowledge from them; and so writings with paper and ink are not infallible, nor is the scripture the ground of faith, but Christ [is the ground], who was before the scripture was written; this the scripture tells you, and that God is divine; and the scriptures are the words of God, which Christ, the [W]ord, ends, who is the author of the faith. (SOURCE)

How "The Word of God" Shapes Doctrine

The question "What is the Word of God?" is the primary question that divides theological conservatives and theological liberals.  One's answer to this question will affect how he or she interprets the Bible.  If Jesus is the Word of God, perhaps the Bible needs to be taken seriously only insofar as it sheds like on Him.  If however, the Bible is the Word of God, then perhaps it should be taken literally.  The two faith claims aren't mutually exclusive, but theological liberals generally reject the idea that the Bible is the Word of God.  Similarly, where theological conservatives might refer to the Bible as the revelation, theological liberals usually use this word to refer to Jesus.

Understanding this is important not only for theological liberals and conservatives who don't understand each other.  It's also important for Humanists who might not understand the differences between Episcopalians and Southern Baptists.  Consider the issue of gay marriage.  An Episcopalian looking at the issue is likely to say, "knowing what we know today, what is a Jesus-like attitude towards gay marriage?"  A Southern Baptist, on the other hand will ask "What does the Bible say about homosexuality?"  Both questions are theologically coherent from their respective perspectives.

Comparing Baha'i with Christianity

When I visited the Baha'i Center in DC two weeks ago, I found myself comparing the Baha'i faith with Christianity.  I suppose this is only natural.  As I did this, I found several similarities.  This is especially true if one views Christianity through the lens of the early church.  Here are just a few observations.

• The Baha'i meet in houses, just like the earliest Christians
• They often have central houses for larger Sunday meetings, but not always
• During the week they meet in each other's houses for meals
• The main house is used for community events during the week (like AA meetings or yoga).
• They emphasize charitable work
• Early Christians stayed behind during plagues to care for the sick
• They paid for burial for the poor and took in orphans
• The Baha'i actively work on justice issues in their neighborhoods
• Like early Christians, they strongly encourage adoption
• They emphasize fellowship
• Early Christian worship usually involved a communal meal that culminated in the Eucharist
• The Baha'i Center is built for fellowship.
• The Baha'i meet in each other's homes for a meal during the week.  They call these Fireside chats.

Even their claim that Baha'i is a successor to previous revelations is a Christian theological move. From the beginning Christians have claimed that their religion was a natural successor to Judiasm, and that their savior fulfilled Jewish prophesy.  The Baha'is claim that Baha'ullah is the return of Jesus, because Jesus comes again and again to different cultures with different names.  They claim that Baha'i is the fulfillment of the prophesy that Jesus would come again.  And just like Christians see the Old Testament as instructive, but not binding because it's part of an older covenant, the Baha'is see older scriptures as instructive, but not binding because they are part of earlier revelations for earlier time periods.

While Christians didn't adopt non-Jewish scriptures, their early apologists sometimes claimed that Jesus was the fulfillment of pagan religions hopes or even prophesies.

• Paul claims that his God is the unknown God that pagans are worshiping Act 17:23
• Zoroastrian Magi visit Jesus in Matthew 2
• The Zoroastrians had a prophesy that the Savior would be born of a virgin
• They also believed in a Holy Spirit through which goodness is revealed - the ideas are not identical.
• Matthew doesn't directly say that Jesus is the fulfillment of Zoroastrian prophesy, but this is probably the only logical conclusion to draw.  

The place that I found the traditions most aligned, however, was in the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven.  When talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus preaches a certain kind of moral life.  It's one where the peacemakers, rather than the war hawks, are honored.  It's one where his followers don't judge, because the standard they use will be used against them.  It's one where they love their neighbors and their enemies.  Jesus' Kingdom of Heaven is a new social order his followers bring to earth through faith, love and action.

Baha'is also use the term "Kingdom of Heaven."  I'm not sure if they mean the same thing, but the idea of God's servants bringing peace and justice to the world through love, action and faith is a dominant Baha'i theme.

The two religions fail to see eye-to-eye in several respects.  Most Christians see Jesus as God, but Baha'i see his as a divine man/being who continually returns to humanity to reveal God's will.  Christians are not likely to accept the idea of Jesus returning as a teacher, rather than a divine being calling them up into the sky.
Baha'is don't seem to think that Jesus died for the removal of their sins.  I didn't ask.  The topic never came up.  Evangelicals in particular are unlikely to agree with the Baha'i understanding of Heaven and Hell.  Most Evangelicals believe that Jesus (as defined by Christianity) is the only way to Heaven.  Several even believe that their particular sect of Christianity is the only sure guarantee.  Baha'is, on the other hand, think that one's spiritual development on earth will continue along the same path in the afterlife, regardless of dogma.

Certainly other comparisons and contrasts could be made, but I know too little to say more.

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Thank you!

If you have a religious tradition you'd like to learn more about, let me know in the comments below and I'll try to visit and write about it.

Human Behavior versus Faith in God

 20Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 
1 John 4:20-21 

Human behavior was a recurring theme in my struggle with faith. It's wasn't just that Christians hurt or disappointed me; it was that I often found non-Christians morally impressive by comparison. While many of my Christian friends claim that this shouldn't cast doubt on Christianity, I've never been convinced.

A Common Internet Meme on the Subject

 One of the main reasons for this comes from Christian scripture.  Paul claims that the fruits of the Spirit are moral in nature.  Jesus claims that "you will know them by their fruits," and "they will know you are my disciples by the love you have for one another."  Christianity claims that it's adherents will be more moral than non-Christians through their faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Reason supports this too.  Christianity is an ethical religion, one that claims to help make you a more moral person.  Therefore, if Christians do not tend to be more moral than their non-Christian counterparts, the religion is suspect.  How can a religion's claims about God or the afterlife be trusted if the present appear to be false?

My point is not necessarily that Christians are less moral than non-Christians.  How would one even quantify the variables necessary to prove such a statement?  What does one mean by Christian?  Should we take our meaning from the Gospel of John or from the Gospel of Luke?  Should we defer to Walter Rauschenbusch or Billy Graham?  The Latter Day Saints or the Greek Orthodox?  Is Christianity about following Jesus, or is it a set of beliefs?  If you identify as Christian, you'll have to determine these things for yourself.

Billy Graham: American Evangelist

My point is this.  Your behavior testifies about the value of your way of life, whatever that way of life is.  It doesn't matter if you're Christian, Muslim, Jew, or Pastafarian.  If the way of life you claim isn't producing the results it claims to, then your philosophy will be scrutinized.  Of course, others will do some of that scrutinizing.  But we should be doing this ourselves.  We should be testing our ways of life to ensure that we are either getting what we want from them, or becoming who we want to be.  We should be asking the following questions.

• Does my philosophy of life give me the things it promises? 
• On average, do I have these things/attributes more than people who follow a different way of life?  
• If not, why not?
  
  This reflection is based on my series How I Became a Humanist Part 3
  
  
  (All Christian Scriptures taken from the NIV)

How I Became a Humanist #3: A Brief Period of Atheism

At the same time that I was questioning Church of Christ doctrinal priorities, I was also questioning Christian behavior.  In church we were taught that Christians were loving, good and kind and that non-Christians were immoral.

I'd grown up poorer than most of my peers.  I was familiar with spam, government cheese, and government grapefruit juice.  I wore clothes from resale shops and hand-me-downs from people at church -  I sometimes got other kids clothes without them knowing that their parents had given them away.  This was incredibly embarrassing.

Me (front and center) with my adopted brothers and sisters.  We're standing on the deck outside the house.  The house siding is made of shingles.  The haircuts, glasses, clothes and even appearance of the house in the background are indications of poverty - though certainly not of desperation.  

On top of that, my family suffered a great deal when I was young.  My 4 year-old brother died when I was 7, less than 2 years after my parents' divorce.  After the divorce, my father almost never came around.  This was harder on me than he realized.  About a year after my brother's death, it looked like my grandmother would pass too.  She had breast cancer and a series of cardiac issues.  She was in and out of the hospital constantly even beyond the point when our house burned down, when I was 12.  From there I struggled a great deal with depression often to the point of being delusional.  The only other thing you need to know is that kids can be mean - this was true both at school and at church.

My brother's headstone

Around age 14, I started to grow out of my depression and actively fought my social awkwardness.  By 16, I was becoming well-liked at school.  The people at church, however, didn't change their behavior towards me.  The contrast between the two environments made me feel that Christians were more judgmental than non-Christians.  It wasn't only how they treated me, it was their attitudes towards others.  (I wonder if I would have noticed had they treated me well).

The truth is that I went to an odd high school.  Our class president was a young woman, and the vice president was a gay fellow.  Our school government had a Mexican woman, a black dude and a Muslim girl too.  This was in a predominately white school.  It was a school where I'd go to school activities like basketball games in black clothes and combat boots.  Admittedly, I was somewhat unique myself, but East Detroit High School was a place where anyone who wanted to get along with others pretty much could.

East Detroit High School

 The perception that Christians might be less moral than non-Christians followed me to Rochester College (a Church of Christ school).  My first year there was a social adjustment.  I was even poorer than most of the students there than I had been to my peers in high school, and my social upbringing didn't prepare me to get along with my classmates.  I was comparatively rough around the edges.  I felt ostracized and alone.  I deeply missed being in a non-Christian environment where who I was mattered more than what I could afford to wear.

I decided that if this was how Christians acted that I didn't want to be one.  By the end of my freshman year, I rarely attended church.  I was beginning to consider myself an atheist.  Then one night, I came home late to my mom pacing the floor.... (To be continued)

My Neighbor's Faith: The Friends (Quakers)

I wanted to catch an early service this morning, so I chose the 7:30 am Friends' meeting in downtown DC.

I approached the house and buzzed the doorbell.  A young man with a German accent answered.  I explained that this was my first time attending a Friend's meeting.  He brought me into room where several chairs faced each other in a circle. He was not a Quaker either, but had come from Germany to do charity work in retribution for Germany's crimes during WWII and was working with the Friends to assist with social justice work.  We shared a Friends worship service which involved sitting together in silence for about 30 minutes.

The Friends believe that since all humans are made in God's Image, that God communicates with all of them - all we need to do is listen.  So their worship services involve sitting together and listening.  If God speaks to an individual, that individual might share the message with the community gathered.  Anyone can speak, but no one has to.

The chairs facing each other reflects their view of equality.  The Friends don't have clergy in the same way that most churches do.  Instead they have councils that help make them make decisions.  I don't understand this very well yet.

My German friend and I were the only ones participating in silence with God, but there were several other people moving about the house.  The house is used for a variety of social justice related events throughout the week.  They even have a hostel there with about 30 beds.  They charge little to nothing for people who need a place to stay.  There were several people waking as I was about to leave, probably in attendance from the Women's March on Washington.


Before we parted ways, my friend asked me what had brought me out today.  "I learned about the Friends in undergrad," I said.  "I was impressed by the fact that they emphasized equality in the 1600s.  I've always wanted to visit, so here I am."  He expressed a similar sentiment, then recommended that I visit one of the larger gatherings to learn more and get a better experience of how the community worships. I expect that I will do that sometime soon.

Faith Friday #1: A Reading from the Baha'i Scriptures

I only intend to post my own essays Monday through Thursday.  On other days, I'll be sharing other things.  Fridays, I'll be sharing scriptures or similar material, often from those I've recently visited.  Today's selection comes from Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh of the Baha'i faith. This was shared with me by one of the faithful at the Baha'i Center.

CXXV: O My brother! When a true seeker determineth…

O My brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth. Even as thou dost witness in this Day how most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion and error.

That seeker must, at all times, put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, must detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never 265 seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vain-glory, must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century.

How I Became a Humanist #2: Pianos, Water and Doubt

The baptismal is elevated above the pulpit representing it's place in Church of Christ theology.  The prominence and sanctuary-like status is typical of Church of Christ architecture. (Roseville Church of Christ)  Notice, also, the lack of a piano or any other instrument.

When I was 11 years old, I declared Jesus to be the Lord of my life through baptism.  This is considered to be the moment of salvation in the Churches of Christ (CofC).  For my age, I was knowledgeable both concerning my church's doctrines and the scriptures.  From the age of 8, I had a habit of reading the Bible while laying on the floor next my nightlight.

I was also familiar with other CofC literature, both books and pamphlets - these were generally apologetic in nature.  They explained why the Churches of Christ were the truth church and all other churches were in error.  The assumption was that any doctrinal error could lead to damnation.

I believed this without reservation.  Logically, I tried to convert others to the CofC, classmates, teachers, even clergy from other churches including the Baptist minister where my grandfather worked as a janitor, and the priest at St. Veronica Catholic Church.

In my early teen years, however, I began to question the Churches of Christ's doctrinal priorities.  Having read the Gospels, I thought it was odd to place so much value on ritual and so little value on loving each other.  By the time I was 16, I was becoming skeptical about our certainty that we were the only one's going to heaven, especially over something as trivial as instruments - which, I didn't think the New Testament was so strict about.

By the time I graduated high school, I was developing a cynical attitude towards Church of Christ legalism.  I was even beginning to turn our basic logic against itself - a logical tool I've been fond of using ever since.  See, the CofC teach that if something related to worship or church organization isn't in the Bible, that we shouldn't do it.  Nevertheless, we had pulpit ministers, youth ministers, Sunday school, hymnals and a whole host of other things that clearly weren't Biblical.  In other words, we only applied our own logic only when it was beneficial.

I still thought that the Churches of Christ were the closest churches to the true church and I still assumed that, our goal should be to emulate the first century church.  At the same time that all this was working itself out, I was noticing other things about Christians and non-Christians that I will discuss in my next post in this series.

My Neighbor's Religion #4: Baha'i Center in Washington DC (Part 3): Beliefs and Practice

Baha'is believe that they Christians.  They also believe that they are Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Zoroastrians.  I was told by several members of the DC Center that one doesn't convert to Baha'i.  Instead, accepting Baha'i is simply accepting the next revelation from God (That from the prophet Baha' u'llah).  They accept all the revelations.  They follow all the teachers.

The basic idea is as follows.  God has sent messengers to humanity at various times throughout history.  These messengers come with a revelation from God that humanity (and in particular that culture) is ready for at the time.  Baha'is believe that more revelations yet are to come.

New Revised Standard Version Bible on the right

These beliefs were evident in several ways during my visit.  One of the first things I noticed when I entered the worship area was a large shelf of books.  There were, of course, several books having to do with the Baha'i faith.  There were also several having to do with racial reconciliation, a theme that could be seen throughout the building.  What really caught my eye was an NRSV translation of the New Testament.

I began looking for other texts and immediately saw scriptures from several religions.  Even in worship, the Baha'is sang about being guided by Jesus, Buddha, Zoroaster, etc. It became clear in the few hours I spent with them that this belief enables them to draw on a wide variety of religious traditions, and that the Baha'is do just that.

I wondered what they thought about people who heard their message and chose to remain in their previous religious traditions.  "That's fine," they told me.  "Our duty is to share the message, not convert people,"  adding that each person is on her or her own path, and that the old revelations and traditions aren't rendered obsolete by the new one.  So if someone remains Christian, that person should be a good Christian.  For the Baha'i, doctrine matters, but it's secondary to loving God and loving your neighbor.  Service to humanity is the highest act of worship.  I found this incredibly compelling.

The strong belief in a unified humanity is another tenet of the Baha'i faith.  They consider themselves unified with all people regardless of race, gender, culture, religion or political persuasion.  They believe that we are one humanity and should work towards unity.  We must eliminate prejudice and work towards peace and justice both locally and globally.  Literature on these topics could be found throughout the house.

Finally, instead of clergy, the Baha'i have committees that make organizational decisions at various levels.  These positions are temporary.  Anyone can be nominated - seeking office is forbidden.  I knew this attending, nevertheless, the structure of the meeting made me puzzled me.  Unlike every other fellowship of any kind that I've ever visited, I was unsure who was in charge.  Leaderlessness is the norm in their faith, where no one is meant to have spiritual authority over another.

Statue of Krisha of Hinduism

A Hindu attitude towards morality permeates what it taught by the Baha'i faith.  Rather than God expecting perfection, God expects growth towards more superior forms of morality and respect for other people's respective journeys.  They seem to believe that growth continues in the afterlife.  The exact details were unclear, but it reminded me of a cross between what C.S. Lewis portrays in The Chronicles of Narnia and the theosis of Irenaeus of Lyons.

I am happy to have met the Baha'is and hope to learn more about them in the near future.

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My Neighbor's Faith #3: Baha'i Center in Washington DC (Part 2): The People

The Baha'i Temple in Haifa, Israel

A WARM FELLOWSHIP

When I entered the Baha'i Center, I was greeted by a man who showed me to a place to sit where we chatted until other people began to arrive.  As they did, I met and chatted with more and more people.  They were so easy to talk to that one fellow and I were actually late to the beginning of the service.

This chatting continued for some time after the service adjourned.  By the end of it, I was rather well acquainted with 10 people.  I remember their names, know where some of them work and have email contact with three of them.  I've emailed all three, and all three have responded.  Needless to say, I spent a lot of time talking with people there.  Hours flew by socializing on chairs and cushioned benches.  I would have stayed longer if circumstances had allowed.

A DIVERSE COMMUNITY

It was, without any doubt, the most racially diverse group of people I'd ever seen in any location ever.  This is not an exaggeration.  And when I think of the fact that there were almost certainly less than 70 people present, I am still in shock as to how this is possible.  The number of men and women seemed about equal - as did their status within the group.  The attendees were a rainbow of different skin colors and no one pigment seemed to dominate.  Even the age of those present varied with plenty of children in attendance.  I've never seen anything quite like it.

RELAXED

Like most lively religious groups, the Bahais were happy to share their religion with another person, but it wasn't forceful.  "It's not our job to convert people," I was told.  They weren't even mildly condescending when I described myself as a Humanist - not a single one of them.  There are theological reasons for why this is so -

1.  They seem to see spiritual development as more important than dogma.  
2. he highest act of worship is service to humanity, what Christians call "Loving one's neighbor."  
3. They don't believe one person ought to control another.  It's their job to love, not to compel others into belief.  (Ironically, I found this rather compelling). 

Interacting with the Baha'i Community was refreshing to the point of it almost being weird.  I felt warm inside.

My Neighbor's Faith #2: Baha'i Center in Washington DC (Part 1) Faith and Furniture

On 15 January, 2017, I had the opportunity to meet with the Baha'i Center in Washington DC.  It was great experience and so much happened that it will take several posts to discuss it well.  Today, I'd just like to discuss what I saw in the building and how it reflects the Baha'i faith as I experienced it.

Bahai Center in DC from the front of the building

The Baha'i meet in a large house that has at least three stories.  Even though I was there for more than 3 hours, I only had time to see the main floor, which was divided up into two main rooms with a kitchen, hallway and bathroom.  One of the main rooms was meant to contain the main service, while the other was designed for fellowship.

The worship service room had chairs that were largely oriented towards a lectern, however they were also arranged in such a way as to create a certain sense of community.  The chairs at the side walls face inward, for example, and since today was a day of worship and prayer the chairs at the front two rows of the room faced backward toward.  I expect a greater sense of community would have been created if the space was available for it - the room was long and narrow.  In the back of service room, there was something of a multi-purpose fellowship area.  It had open space that allowed for pacing, playing toddlers and mothers who might walk around rocking their babies - I saw several of these things go on during the service.  This back area also had well cushioned bench chairs.

The fellowship room had a food table in the center, with another table for drinks, plates and utensils in a corner of the room.  This did not seem to be a special arrangement, giving the impression that the Bahai celebrate their fellowship with food whenever they meet.  It reminds of something out of Acts 2.  Like the service room, the walls were lined with cushioned bench chairs.  They were as comfortable as you would expect a nice couch to be.  When I was there, they were serving tea, fruits and vegetables, small bread pieces, and a few sweets and sliced meats.  The meal provided was balanced, healthy and light - and like everything else allowed for easy socializing.

The furniture alone made a strong theological statement.  "We find God in each other."  I don't know if the Baha'i would say those words, but I seriously doubt that they would deny them.  In any case, the warmth reflected in the house arrangement was palpable among the people both as they sang and prayed and as they fellowshiped before and after the service.  What I felt in the room is the same thing that Christians often call the Holy Spirit in their services.  It's a kind of communal intimacy with the group and the divine that can be felt throughout the whole body.  It's difficult to describe.

My Neighbor's Faith #1: Evangel Christian Ministries in Roseville, Michigan

In the Spring of 2001, I was waiting table at the Ram's Horn one evening when the pastor from Evangel Temple, a large church on Utica road just down the street, walked in with several other members of the church. Somehow, I started a conversation with them about their church.  It wasn't long before the pastor invited me to stop by.

As it happens, this was during a period of my life when I attended a church that met mid-afternoon, so I split my Sunday mornings between a retirement home ministry and visiting different kinds of churches.  The next Sunday, I stopped by.

I could hear loud music blaring from outside the auditorium. I entered the room to see people of all ages and races standing, singing and dancing.  For a moment it made me smile.  My gaze move to the stage where, in confusion, I noticed strangely outfitted elderly women dancing.  My visual memory has never been good.  I couldn't exactly describe the uniform the women were wearing, but then, to be honest, I'm not sure I would have been able to describe it well even while gazing upon it.

In time, the pastor approached the podium to lead the church in a reader-response prayer.  It flowed like a typical liturgical prayer, except for the words.  In most liturgies, the church will pray for the leaders of the nation and the world, for their church, for family relations and the like.  This prayer had nothing of the sort.  The pastor prayed for a new car, and the church responded by praying specifically for a convertible.  He prayed for new land, and the church prayed for a thousand acres.  The prayer went on like for some time.

I don't remember the message of the sermon or even whether I stayed for it.  There was plenty of singing.  At one point during the service it seemed that almost everyone was approaching the front of the auditorium to practice fainting - something that is sometimes called being slain in the Spirit.  I remember approaching to see what this was all about.  To the surprise of those who'd gathered around to catch me, I didn't faint.

The service continued well after the scheduled time, and at a point I decided that I ought to leave to get lunch before heading out to my own service.  After all these years, I'm still not sure what to make of the religion that was preached at the church.  At the time, I would have called what I saw heresy.  I suppose I still would from a traditional Christian perspective.  

Growing Past Condescension

When I look over the first essay in my series How I became a Humanist: Jesus Freaks in the Churches of Christ, I think it would be easy for a reader to assume that I look down on members of the Churches of Christ for holding different values than I do.  At one time I certainly did.

For whatever reason, it's natural for us to look down on people who think differently from ourselves.  This is true not only in matters of religion and politics, but even in sports, hobbies and music where the issue of taste is almost completely arbitrary.

The fact that we look down on one another for disagreement over arbitrary things is odd enough.  What's odder is that we often look down on people who believe things we up until recently believed ourselves.  As an example, ten years ago most Americans opposed gay marriage.  Today, most Americans support it.  That's all very well.  What's not is that many of the people who've changed their minds look down on those who haven't yet adopted the new perspective.

The problem is that by looking down on people who think differently from us, we are often looking down either on our past or future selves.  We are also ignoring the fact that we have all been very wrong about things we felt very strongly about in the past and likely will be again in the future.  When I think back at some of the things I used to believe, I sometimes cringe, but I don't think this is the right response.  Past me only knew what past me knew.  He didn't deserve to be judged harshly by other then, or to be judged harshly by me today.  I don't deserve to be judged harshly for the things I don't yet know today, and neither do the people who may not know what I do about one topic or another.  This is all the more true since it is often possible that they're right even though I'm so damn sure that they're wrong.

One of the things I will tell you today is that the Roseville Church of Christ is an amazing church full of kindness and warmth.  It easy as a young person to see all the various faults in a particular ideology.  It's as easy to criticize a church, country or political party as it is to criticize your parents.  And since those behaviors are a healthy part of young adulthood, I'm glad to have gone through them.  I'm also glad to have grown past them.   Today, I realize that my teachers, preachers and fellow Church of Christ members were doing the best they could.  They were great people who were practicing and teaching those things they believed would make me a better person and the world a better place.  I love that church and its members more than I can say.  

How I became a Humanist #1: Jesus Freaks in the Churches of Christ

Much of early moral development can be framed by two seemingly non-contradictory value systems.  I was (1) raised by Jesus Freaks (2) in the Churches of Christ.  When I was young, it seemed to me that the moral lessons taught at home were the same as those taught in the church.  It wasn't until I left Christianity that I realized the moral tensions between the two environments and how that tension ultimately led to me ditching Christianity as I was familiar with it.

Roseville Church of Christ Pulpit, Lord's Supper Table and Baptistry (notice the lack of a piano).

My family went to church at  the Roseville Church of Christ at least three times a week, Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights.  If the Church had an activity that the family was able to participate in, we participated in it, whether it was a youth camp, Vacation Bible School or charity related event.  At home, we prayed before every meal, and were encouraged to read the Bible on our own.  From age 8, I did.

At church we learned typical moral lessons, don't cheat or steal,
etc.  But we were also taught that members of the Churches of Christ were probably the only people going to heaven.  The reason for us believing this was because the other churches were full of doctrinal errors.  They worshiped incorrectly.  They believed the wrong things.  And their churches were organized improperly.  While I never heard anyone say it overtly, the message delivered was that performing rituals like baptism and communion properly was more important to God than whether or not we were racists or spouse abusers.  In any case, it was adherence to the rituals and beliefs that made us Christians, even if the behaviors were considered important.

At home, on the other hand, I was taught to love all people.  My mom and grandparents both took in foster children with a wide variety of needs.  They took in kids of every race, too.  My grandparents visited the sick, and often gave more than they could afford to help those in need.  What's more, they didn't hate anyone.  We never made jokes about race, hair color or ethnicity.  We didn't even make fun of gays.  I didn't grow up with sexism either.  Additionally, my family put high stock in education and critical thinking.  My mom rarely said, "because I said so," for the things I was supposed to believe.  I was not instructed not to ask why, the way that many children are.  At home, compassion and reason were central to morality over anything else.

When I was young, the two moralities were intertwined in my mind.  I assumed that everyone at church believed the same things about loving one's neighbor and asking questions as I did.  I also assumed that my family believed the same things about God's priorities.  It didn't seem to me that the two value systems were in conflict.  During my teenage years, friction developed.  More on that later.

Blog Revival

When I started this blog years ago, the title was mostly a clever name.  I was an atheist who was interested in religion because of what it says about humanity.  The goal of the blog was to continue a personal tradition I'd started years ago when I was studying theology as an undergrad student.

Today, ten years after leaving Christianity, I no longer consider myself an atheist.  I'm not sure exactly what I believe.  I still doubt religion as I am familiar with it.  I even doubt my ability to grasp spiritual or moral truth in any meaningful way.  Nevertheless, I believe that there is something more.  I'm convinced that humans need more than what humanism generally provides.

This observation might not be truth for everyone.  It seems to be true for me.  Will I find it during my short time on this earth?  I doubt it.  Still, I hope the search is meaningful.

And so, that's what this blog will be about - my search.