Lawful or not?

From the mid-1960's through the the mid-1970's, at least, the leadership of the churches I attended sang the praises of those who were willing to do whatever it took to spread the gospel. There is actually a history of fervent men standing standing on streetcorners and shouting out sermons so that all who came into earshot - and with their lung power that was quite a distance - would hear the message of salvation preached in the south. Actually, to say that this is a southern phenomenon, with the suggestion that it occurs no where else, is inaccurate. When I was in Boston 3 years ago, for example, there were teams preaching on Boston Common from sunrise to sunset.

The problem comes when local municipalities pass noise ordinances or other laws that would limit such practices. Then, the question becomes faithfulness in proclaiming the gospel or obedience to the law. Generally, those so inclined to preach on street corners proudly proclaimed that God's Commands to preach the gospel trumped any man-made law.

Probably the extreme version of this practice during the 60's and 70's came with those who smuggled Bibles into Communist countries. One of the more famous of these people was Brother Andrew who was known as "God's Smuggler," with a book by that title. The book detailed Brother Andrew's harrowing exploits at getting Bibles past the Border Patrol checkpoints. He seemed to be a cross between Secret Agent Man and a saint.

This situation was brought to my mind as I listened to the news reports about the protesters detailing China's poor record in allowing religious freedom. Slate.com ran a story describing how efforts to get "missionaries" from groups outside of China had been thwarted with a significant section of the story detailing a recent visit to China by Franklin Graham. Graham indicated that he had seen real progress in religious freedom over the last 20 years made by the Chinese government and encouraged China's Protestants to resolve disagreements with their government. That section of the article ends with this sentence, "Then, in a bombshell for American evangelicals, Graham added that he was opposed to Olympic evangelization: 'I would not support any illegal activity at all.'"

So, Franklin Graham is against people trying to sneak in 'preachers' or 'missionaries' because it is against Chinese law. That raises the question: Should western Christian groups try to take advantage of the Olympic Games in Beijing and send in teams of evangelists in the guise of tourists? Whose law should be followed?

If I should die before I wake ...

I was raised on the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer. When I learned it, the phrase, "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take" was part of the prayer. I vaguely remember hearing that some folks raised objections to having that in the prayer because it may create emotional scars in the children or some such as that. I guess it might, but it also presents a realistic understanding of the human condition. Regardless of what age we are, we are dying. I think I could argue that humans begin the aging process and, thus, the dying process, at the moment of birth.

Within the last few weeks, the Carnegie-Mellon professor, Randy Pausch - he who was widely, and justifiably celebrated for "The Last Lecture" given at CMU - died from pancreatic cancer. While many others have suggested that a person should always live as if they only had a brief time left on this mortal plain, there was something about Pausch's lecture that captured the imagination of all who heard it or read it.

On BeliefNet, http://blog.beliefnet.com/beyondblue/2008/08/10-things-i-would-change-if-i.html, Therese J. Borchard has a blog entitled Beyond Blue. She asked what things would you change if you knew you were going to die. Here is her list:
1. I would stress less about the small stuff.
2. I would categorize everything as small stuff.
3. I would worry less about people's approval.
4. I would make more time for coffee and phone calls with friends.
5. I would visit my mom and my sisters more.
6. I would eat more dessert and not care as much about the widening waist line.
7. I would laugh more.
8. I would publish my journal online--every thought I have, no matter how stupid or insane. Oh wait, I already do that.
9. I would spend more time outdoors.
10. I would eat breakfast with my kids, lunch with Eric, and dinner with my family.

As I thought about her list, I did as I always do and wondered about: "How much time would I have to do the things?" "Would I have enough money on which to live and to do what I want to do?" "Would there be specific actions I would take; if so, what are they?" Of course, I think my questions probably fall outside the spirit of her question, but these details would make a difference in what I might do. With all of these caveats, let me indulge in a list - subject to change, of course and not in order of priority:
1. I would try to talk to all of the people who made a positive difference in my life and thank them.
2. I would start working my way through the 100 greatest books of all time.
3. I would spend more evenings watching classic comedies with Vicki and laughing as much as I could.
4. I would tell my boys how proud I am of them - I actually do this, but not often enough.
5. I would start conversations with people I see in book stores.
6. I would gather a group of folks with whom I could talk about current issues and struggle with classic human questions.
7. I would begin learning to speak another language.
8. I would purchase land on which I could plant things.
9. I would try to find all the people who I failed and thank them for their patience with me.
10. I would spend more time doing all the things that Vicki likes and I don't just to see her enjoy the moment.

Should you make such a list, what would you do differently if you were told you would soon die?

Religion or not?

Last March, actor Jason Beghe made news by publicly leaving the Church of Scientology. He was a cause celebre in some circles, and, no doubt, condemned as a "Judas" or a traitor in others.

Yesterday, in its Idol Chatter spot, BeliefNet ran a follow-up piece. It can be found at: http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/2008/08/exscientologist-actor-jason-be.html#more.

In the piece, Beghe is quoted as saying, "In my humble opinion, Scientology is not a religion. It's a dangerous religious cult: a cruel, sadistic business practice. Just because the IRS gave it tax exempt status does not make it a religion. Ninety percent of ex-Scientologists--and there are millions out there--do not consider it a religion."

I know that Beghe is speaking from personal conviction and with great emotion based on his experience. He is not giving a precise textbook defintion of the distinction between a religion and a "dangerous religious cult." That being said, his comment does raise some questions.

I have long contended that a comprehensive definition of religion is nigh unto impossible. The varieties of religion found around the world are so diverse that establishing a single statement that includes all of them, but excludes all groups that most people recognize as not being a religion has proven fruitless. I know that many religious texts include such a definition, but I think a careful consideration of them will point up the flaws in the definition.

I also know that folks use the term religion in very prejudicial ways. By that I mean that they would define religion in such a way as to include their faith stance and exclude others, as in "my church is the true religion; all others are flawed." OR, they see religion as a flawed human enterprise and believe their faith is the true spirituality established by God, as in "Christianity is not a religion; it was established by God."

With all of this, I wonder. What distinguishes a "religion" from a "dangerous religious cult?" How much difference between your faith and the views of the others are you willing to grant a group before you dismiss it as a "cult?"

Prayers

As I continue to catch up on news of things religious that happened when I was at camp, I came across the story of the controversy surrounding the young person who took Barack Obama's prayer from the Wailing Wall (the Western Wall of the Temple) in Jerusalem. I shall not weigh in on the person's morality in removing the prayer. Instead, I would like to think about the prayer itself, since its contents is now in the public domain.

In case you have not seen it, the prayer that the presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate placed in the wall was this:
"Lord--Protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."

Now, I wonder, if you were running for President, for what would you pray? Since you are not running for President, unless you are John McCain or Ralph Nader, for what do you pray? For what should a Presidential candidate or President pray?