Shameless Plug

On the site to the left, under LINKS, namely The Chittum Files, you will find some important information about a charitable opportunity.

Adam and Jill, our son and daughter-in-law, will be part of an American Cancer Society Relay For Life in the Kansas City area as part of a team from the Blue Valley High School. For those who would pledge to their endeavor, Jill will offer chances on a hand-knit scarf. This is a sketch of the offer; Jill has all the details on her blog. Look at her January 25, 2008 posting.

So, this is a shameless plug to anyone who reads this blog and does not look at The Chittum Files to CLICK NOW on the link and consider contributing to the ACS and getting a chance for a swell, personally hand-knitted scarf.

The Church of What ... ?

One of my favorite websites is Soma (www.somareview.com) that reports on things religious and the culture. The last two postings, both dated January 23, 2008, deal with two relatively new church starts: The Spock and The Jedi Church.

The Spock is supposedly a church located just south of Lynchburg, Tennessee. It is based on the character from the Star Trek television show and movies, Mr. Spock, the half-human and half-Vulcan science officer of the Starship Enterprise. Fans of the show will remember that Spock was driven by pure logic and disdained emotion as a human weakness. According to reports, the members of the church (one source indicated there are 120 members) have vowed to live on the basis of such logic and not to display any emotions in their relationships with others.

John Spalding of Soma concedes that there is no independent verification that this is actually a church as opposed to a hoax. Frankly, I find it hard to believe that there would be 120 folks in rural Tennessee who would be willing to be part of such a church. If the church were in California or around Santa Fe, New Mexico, it would be more plausible.

The Jedi Church is in its embryonic stage. Started by two brothers in Wales, it has 6 members. This church is obviously based on the Star Wars movies and seeks to help members use the Force for the good. This story has a bit more credibility, since 400,000 people in the UK declared the Jedi Faith as their religion in the 2001 census.

That leads to all sorts of questions for me. Can just anyone start a church based on just anything? Traditional conservative, evangelical Christian people think that is precisely what has happened with some of the New Religious Movements in the United States. Think the Unification Church with Reverend Moon or the Hare Krishnas. Should that be allowed? If not, how could it be stopped and by whom? If so, how should one evaluate the truth claims or intent of such churches? Is there something missing in "regular" Christian churches or Buddhist temples or Jewish synagogues or ... that would compel someone to start churches like The Spock and the Jedi Church?

Now, I do not presume to think that scores of people actually read what I have written, but I want to invite any who do to engage in some speculative thought. Assume you were going to start a church based on something or someone not generally associated with the major religious expressions, what would your church be like? Share your thoughts with me, and with your permission and my pledge to keep the identity of the respondents absolutely anonymous, I shall share the comments on this blog.

The Power of Religion Seen Again

The Washington Post continues to have the best coverage of religion and things religious. There are two stories from today's edition that merit notice.

On Tuesday, a 23 year old Afgahni journalism student was sentenced to death for distributing a paper that he found on the internet. The crime? The paper violated the tenets of Islam by humiliating Islam. The young man's case will go to two appeals courts, but he may be have to hope for a pardon by President Hamid Karzai. The verdict was seen as being in line with Afghani Constitution that gives such power to courts in some special cases.

In India, the Dalits are still waiting for such basic rights as having potable water available. The Dalits, commonly referred to as "untouchables," have historically been discriminated against by the Hindu majority based on their theological understanding of the classes of society. The particular village referenced in the article indicated that the people now hope that the rain gods will help them because no one else has.

Any religion or religious expression that does not uphold the basic needs and rights of people does not fit my understanding of what the power of religion should be. Any one who uses the power of religion to condemn or to relegate classes of people to 3rd or 4th class status does not square with what I see taught in my Book of Holy Scripture. Someone said something about caring for the least of these, didn't he?

May we all use the power of our religious beliefs for the good of people.