Neurotheology

The spiritual practice of meditation has been shown to have neurological benefits in this new study. The downside of this information is the tendency of humans to co-opt religious practices for utilitarian purposes which inevitably become self-serving - whether those purposes are to gain money via tithing, to feed ambition and desires for fame/infamy, to elevate or suppress people or groups, or perhaps, better brain function.

The research doctor, Andrew Newberg, who has been studying the neurological effects of meditation and prayer seems to understand how difficult it can be to maintain the balance between spirituality and science. He laid out the goals of his scholarship in his book, Principles of Neurotheology, and the 4 goals are excerpted in the NPR article. Any thoughts about pitfalls, implications, dangers, and Newberg's goals?

When considering the primary reasons for developing neurotheology as a field, we can consider four foundational goals for scholarship in this area. These are:

1. To improve our understanding of the human mind and brain.

2. To improve our understanding of religion and theology.

3. To improve the human condition, particularly in the context of health and well being.

4. To improve the human condition, particularly in the context of religion and spirituality.

These four goals are reciprocal in that they suggest that both religious and scientific pursuits might benefit from neurotheological research. The first two are meant to be both esoteric as well as pragmatic regarding scientific and theological disciplines. The second two goals refer to the importance of providing practical applications of neurotheological findings towards improving human life both individually and globally.

The Golden Rule

I felt as if I virtually spent the afternoon with an old friend this afternoon. Dr. Adele Diamond went to Swarthmore College, and I got to know her a bit while she was there. Adele has strong roots in Judaism, and she reflects with that rich foundation on her field, developmental cognitive neuroscience. There is a full interview posted on Krista Tippett's On Being blog, which is over 50 minutes long. I listened to it, backed up and listened again for almost 2 hours this afternoon. Adele's enthusiasm and deep study within her field is well represented in the interview.

Perhaps most folks might be too time-constrained to listen to the full interview, even though I'd highly recommend it. If you use an MP3 player, you could download the interview and listen to it in the train, the car, while you're mowing the lawn, though!

For merely a couple of minutes, however, you can listen to Rabbi Hillel's & Jesus' different perspectives on the Torah, here.

The first snippet is from an interview with Karen Armstrong, a British author & former nun who wrote A History of God, a comparative study of major religions. Then, there is a snippet from Krista's interview with Adele, who had a different angle on the same Hillel quote. I admit to my bias! I agree with Adele's perspective!

Love or Defensive Living?

Last evening as it was getting dark, my husband and I were walking back from taking our dog for his evening stroll to the apartment where we've been living the last few months. This neighborhood is predominantly black and lower income. There was a new truck, an ice cream truck parked in the church parking lot we passed. As we returned an SUV had pulled up next to it, and a man was inside the ice cream truck moving around. We glanced over curiously, and the man immediately came out of the ice cream truck and emphatically said, "That's my truck!" We were a bit taken aback, but smiled and said, "That's cool, we just hadn't seen it here before." He launched into a lengthy explanation of how he usually parks it here at the church in the summer for the kids, but he was helping the church take down their old air conditioners from the roof, so he hadn't gotten to it until now. We smiled and agreed it was good for the kids not to have to walk far on the busy roads to get an ice cream, and mentioned that we'd visited the church a couple of weeks previously. He invited us to make sure we go meet the bishop and his wife at the church.

 

As we walked away, I realized that his primary response was indicative of just how incredibly sensitive and defensive blacks feel daily simply for having different skin color than the majority. We, too, have experienced gatherings where we were subjected to intensified criticism, scrutiny and judgment regarding the different choices we make every day; perhaps those experiences helped us feel more keenly his sense that all white folk default to suspicion of blacks.

 

Racism isn't an old problem (Scot posted a blog at Jesus Creed today from recent history); it's an ongoing, perennially human problem given the reactions we experience here. It seems one reason we have been so warmly received in this neighborhood may be simply because we respond with the love of Christ to those whom we meet, not with default suspicion or self-protectiveness. We've prayed with them, cried with them, spoken of our trials together, and worshiped with them. I needed to be reminded how precious the gift of welcome and acceptance is to all of us. They don't want to lose touch with us, even though we're moving closer to my husband's office this weekend. We feel very humbled by their caring.

 

For those folks with pick-up trucks, you know how often you get hit for help moving furniture. Imagine the sense of blessing we felt when one of our older neighbors offered to help us move furniture with his pick-up truck this weekend. His offer was completely spontaneous & unsolicited.

Parables, Greek Myths, Fables & Fairy Tales

Scot McKnight has been blogging about Klyne Snodgrass' book on Parables at Jesus Creed. Scot's series is entitled, "Imagine a World."

Some thoughts came to mind, today, about where we dwell mentally and how those beliefs affect our interactions with others. Do we dwell among the people who populate Jesus' parables or among those who populate the semi-magical, often base and vindictive, partially human, partially divine characters of mythology, fairy tales, fables, stereotypes and archetypes?

The other day I was listening to an NPR story while I was driving about some day camps thematically centered on a series of novels by Rick Riordan. The novels are founded in Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, the gods are distorted reflections of humans with inhuman powers. They are replete with human frailties and are endowed with abnormal or non-human appearances and powers. They react out of petty and base desires as well as magical aspects of a pseudo-divinity. As I listened, I appreciated the focus on learning about mythology, yet simultaneously I wondered what these children may be absorbing about the identities of gods and humans.

I suspect that the reason such myths are "so enduring", as NPR's Margot Adler described it, is because they tell truths about where we naturally dwell. That very reason can also be the problem because people are never fully human and the gods are never fully divine in myths and archetypes. The gods are brought down to our base level, and the gods never demand that we rise above our own interests. The risk there is that we see others through the distorted lenses of caricature, where humanity isn't fully human. It's much easier to demean a caricature than it is to face someone such as ourselves. (Have you ever tried, politely, to catch the eye of a rude driver? Have you ever tried to correct someone else's false beliefs about you or anyone else? [Consider Obama & the conspiracy theories about his religion, citizenship by birth, etc.!]) Furthermore, when we dwell too long among the inhumans, what is human within us and within others may be swept away in the alienation that grows and spreads between us like the mountainside chasms that form from rushing flood waters.

The gods of myths and fables, the archetypes and stereotypes of literature and psychology become categories into which humans may be slotted and behind which the doors can be locked. Those gods too often justify and serve our selfish interests, choices and ambitions. The false worship and idolatry described in the Bible resides where we refuse to face truth about ourselves, the reality of the world around us, the humanity we share, the outcomes & affects of our choices, and the call to be genuinely human with every single person we encounter. The "white-washed sepulchers" of today may be those who've wrapped themselves in the pretentious garments of professional accomplishment, education, wealth, status, gender, race, "religion", ethnicity, family, titles and circles of influence to distance themselves from the "others" – the poor, the oppressed, the small, the weak, the enemies, or the ones whom they despise or disdain for any reason. Sometimes they may say the right things, but we've been warned, "do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach." (Matt. 23:3-12)

Parables differ from myths, fables and stereotypes in that, as Scot puts it, they imagine a world where God is, where Jesus is, where the reign of God exists in the fullness of shalom – a completeness of love, safety, peace, justice and forgiveness. People in the parables are fully human, loving, hateful, wonderful, flawed, glorious, imperfect, generous, selfish, angry, injured, arrogant, repentant, broken, yet also healing and being healed. The parables' God lovingly reaches out to unlock the doors with love, forgiveness, justice, grace and mercy. The doors are many: of debt (Matt. 18), of physical injury and xenophobia (Luke 10), of foolishness and self-righteousness (Luke 15), of humility and arrogance (Luke 18), among others. Every one of us is locked in and judged by others were it not for God's freeing touch. The parables truthfully expose the humanity in ourselves and others – while we may recognize others, we should also see ourselves in each of them. We never become caricatures imprisoned by God's judgment, but we always remain truly, honestly human, with sinfulness and hopefulness, meanness and generosity. God's mercy and grace are always extended to us with the power to set us free. This God judges every person with justice, not out of fickle and selfish motives, but with true justice that knows the depth of our hearts. Jesus describes the Father who yearns to teach us how to be humbly & lovingly "I-Thou" (cf. Martin Buber) to one another. It's tough love! Scot considers Klyne's thoughts on the parable of the debtors: "God stunningly forgives us of staggering debt, and God disapproves of those who fail to live out graciousness and forgiveness toward others. …As Klyne Snodgrass puts it: 'The kingdom comes with limitless grace in the midst of an evil world, but with it comes limitless demand.' (72)."

The parables call us to leave the masks behind which so many of us hide and the caricatures we make of our enemies. The parables encourage us to risk being honest, vulnerable, flawed, loving and always reaching for better than this present condition. "Limitless demand" is a tall order, but God did not leave us without grace and strength to make that journey.

Let us dwell among those who encourage us to love others as God loves us, looking to the interests of others as does the God of the parables, and not among the false gods of the stereotypes, myths and fables. This true God loves humanity steadfastly, in the Word full of grace & truth. Let us leave behind our self-deceptions, demonizations & objectification of others, and seek the shalom of all. When we use twisted methods to justify and perpetuate our false beliefs, self-serving interests, lies and harm, we break shalom. As Scot wrote about David in Psalm 28, "David's enemies are those who say they want peace (shalom) but what they really want is evil (which means the shattering of shalom)."
"So, let us learn to re-imagine our world and learn to re-imagine it as a world shaped and governed by a good God, the Father, who loves us, who cares for us, and wants to provide for us. Let us go to that God." ~ Scot McKnight

Final Note: As I was writing this blog, Jay Phelan posted his. If I'm not as clear about my thoughts as could be, his words may be clearer!

The Bechdel Test

Systemic? It surely appears to be!

The Bechdel Test

Whose Image Do We Reflect?

Observations from end of life: it's clear that the fewer/more people we have seen imaging God in our lives (in words AND deeds) and the less/more effort we have put into imaging God ourselves affects end of life belief/faith/trust in Godself. Where we have placed our focus - on the good or on the evil that seemingly overwhelms the good - increases or decreases peace at all stages of life.

United in Christ or Puffed Up?

In the light of the current epidemic of polarizing rhetoric and enmity within our country and affecting our fellowship with one another, I was considering 1 Corinthians 4:6:

I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, brothers and sisters, so that you may learn through us the meaning of the saying, "Nothing beyond what is written," so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against another. 

Paul made a deliberate contrast to the division-minded Corinthians. Paul argued that this human divisiveness is our natural state, and is spiritually immature. We easily & naturally become "puffed up in favor of one against another." Defensiveness and offensiveness to one another are our first inclinations and default positions.

The prepositions in the Greek are helpful to understand the bold portion of the passage: … i[na mh. ei-j u`pe.r tou/ e`no.j fusiou/sqe kata. tou/ e`te,rouÅ
u`pe.r is used to define whom we support or identify with, "be for someone, be on someone's side." kata. is used to delineate whom we oppose, and following the antagonistic verb (fusio,w) translated "puffed up", hostility and opposition are indicated in its usage.

People who don't follow the Lord cannot perceive that Christ-followers are not operating on behalf of one or another person, and against one or another, simply because they're not following God themselves. Outside of Christ, we simply don't know what it means to submit to God, and not to submit the whims, positions, voices, words, arguments, rationalizations and actions warring within ourselves & other people.

Likewise, just as the Pharisees could not perceive the humility of Christ himself submitted in love to the Father, so those of us operating with our focus on ourselves as separated from, or contrasted to other humans also cannot perceive the humility in those following in the footsteps of Christ. When we who follow Christ speak truthfully of reality, of Christ and of God, others hear opposition to themselves. They literally – not just figuratively, not just abstractly – cannot hear love with them and for them.

This immaturity is reminiscent of the immaturity of children, and the struggle of parents to teach their children wisdom and healthy choices. When we scold or discipline our children for doing something dangerous or inconsiderate out of our love for them and understanding of life, they "hear" opposition and criticism. They don't hear "love." I blogged on that difficulty, here. Paul used the same analogy to describe the Corinthians' childish divisiveness in the previous chapter (3:1-4) which had led them to favor Paul himself or Apollos.

So, for those of us who follow Christ, Paul called us to stick to "nothing beyond what is written." Just as Jesus is God-with-us, so we who are conformed to Christ are called to be God-with-others.

We bring this immaturity into our churches. It's inevitable, because everything we've been taught in human words, deeds and education draws lines between ourselves and others. If a brother, sister or enemy speaks truth to us, we revolt against them, instead of honoring the truth, trusting and heeding the Word that is faithfully with us. It takes humility to hear the truth in the Word who convicts us of sin. We naturally want to reject the person speaking truth, rather than face that Word coming in another person's words.

I trust that we who long for the Word, the truth and the grace found in the person of Jesus Christ will humble ourselves, hear his voice, listen to the Word from whomever God uses to bring it. Some days it will be through you, other days through me, another day through our friends, another day through our enemies, and yet another day through Balaam's donkey. Humility is our posture before Godself: "My soul clings to the dust, revive me according to your word." We, in the Covenant, are companions of all who are committed to live the way of the truth and the light, who fear the Lord. We shouldn't be surprised at the lack of companionship we encounter because we're all lost and alienated without our unity in Godself. Our natural human response to such aloneness and alienation is to puff ourselves up, rather than humbly to rest with and steadfastly to love one another. Our natural response to being told the truth by a person or to encountering the truth in an obstacle is to strike out at that person or obstacle, just as Balaam struck his donkey. May our ways before God and one another not be perverse, so that our primary reaction is to strike at those whom God uses to reflect truth: "The angel of the LORD said to him, 'Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, because your way is perverse before me. ³³The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let it live.'" (Numbers 22:22-35) The only thing missing in the story is Balaam contritely petting his donkey, giving him an extra measure of feed and rest, and apologizing profusely!

Psalm 119

⁵⁷    The LORD is my portion;

    I promise to keep your words.

⁵⁸    I implore your favor with all my heart;

    be gracious to me according to your promise.

⁵⁹    When I think of your ways,

    I turn my feet to your decrees;

⁶⁰    I hurry and do not delay

    to keep your commandments.

⁶¹    Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,

    I do not forget your law.

⁶²    At midnight I rise to praise you,

    because of your righteous ordinances.

⁶³    I am a companion of all who fear you,

    of those who keep your precepts.

⁶⁴    The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love;

    teach me your statutes.