Every year on December 28 Christians observe a remembrance of the innocent children who were killed in official pursuit of the child Jesus with intention to kill him. The story is in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2. The authorities of the time, in anxiety over any challenge to the government, did an extermination of young boy children. The family got word of this and left the country and went to Egypt for safety.
In 2010 the children of many countries are under threat, especially those who are caught up in the complexities of immigration. Children in many places are forced to work rather than get an education. Others are taken up into the enterprise of sex commercialism. Some are forced into military service on the front lines of wars.
Holy Innocents is a day for particular attention in the Christian religious community. This observance is not congenial with the Christmas/New Years holiday and is a note of harsh reality in the midst of family and community celebrations.
An example of attention being given in the civil community is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC ). The UN General Assembly in November of 1989 adopted the CRC and it became a reality in 1990. By 2000 193 of the 195 members states of the UN had ratified the CRC. Exceptions were the US and Somalia. The basic aim is to create a legally binding human rights treaty for children. It appears that childhood is the last frontier for the articulation of rights for special groups.
Information is available in a collection articles in the January 2011 edition of the The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
It is appropriate for Christians to take their place in this effort and can focus attention the observance of December 28 on the Holy Innocents of the human race.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Salvation by Stories
The New Testament Gospel of Matthew in chapter 13 and verse 34 says, "Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories."
The stories of the birth of Jesus, be they called Christmas or Feast of the Nativity, are the leading edge of the Christian enterprise globally.
It is enough to make one wonder if the central insight of the Christian religion is that human destiny is unfolding most forcefully in the guise of stories. Each world religion has its stories of the founder or of the insights and conflicts along the way. Perhaps this is where the competition really lies. Which tradition has the most insightful and dramatic stories of how the tradition understands the human situation.
In the telling of the stories, each generation of humans has the opportunity to present their case. Christians can do much better in presenting the story of the Christmas Birth of Jesus event using the culture and technology of the time.
The stories of the birth of Jesus, be they called Christmas or Feast of the Nativity, are the leading edge of the Christian enterprise globally.
It is enough to make one wonder if the central insight of the Christian religion is that human destiny is unfolding most forcefully in the guise of stories. Each world religion has its stories of the founder or of the insights and conflicts along the way. Perhaps this is where the competition really lies. Which tradition has the most insightful and dramatic stories of how the tradition understands the human situation.
In the telling of the stories, each generation of humans has the opportunity to present their case. Christians can do much better in presenting the story of the Christmas Birth of Jesus event using the culture and technology of the time.
Friday, December 17, 2010
2011 Christian Calendar
The Christian Calendar for the year 2011 is online at 2011 Christian calendar
When viewing the Christian calendar note that the year begins with the first Sunday of Advent which happens in 2010. The Christian year follows a cycle presenting the Christian faith as a guide to contemplation and to daily decision making. At one time Christianity and other world religions were the keepers of time and of festival marking points. In various cultures the religions enabled orderly life by making time transitions during the cycle of seasons. As part of the process the festival events came to represent many important articles of faith and occasions that explain the heart of the religions.
When viewing the Christian calendar note that the year begins with the first Sunday of Advent which happens in 2010. The Christian year follows a cycle presenting the Christian faith as a guide to contemplation and to daily decision making. At one time Christianity and other world religions were the keepers of time and of festival marking points. In various cultures the religions enabled orderly life by making time transitions during the cycle of seasons. As part of the process the festival events came to represent many important articles of faith and occasions that explain the heart of the religions.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Have people created God?
A frequently heard critique of religion in general is that humans created the idea of god in order to explain things that appeared to be mysterious. Once the mystery is understood then there is no need for any divine whatever. And science is the leading edge of the inevitable explanation of all mystery. So goes the proposition.
Here is a possible approach from the religious side of the fence. So, okay, let us say that religions have invented the whole concept of god or the divine or the supernatural. Now, let us recognize that this project, if true, was quite an accomplishment by primitive to modern humans.This appears to have happened in all cultures and eras of human development, at least in those where cultural forces have lift written or enscribed memory. Curious as this sounds, let us assume that in some global coordinated effort people set about coming up with explanations for life events that included concepts of god or the divine or some kind of beyond the earth reality.
Anti-religious folks appear to say that if we could just get rid of religion then many problems, including wars, would not be happening. It appears to be an effort to clear the memory of the race of all connections or references to anything beyond the present day events that smacks of a moral or physical reality beyond this "earth", whatever that means. This strikes me as a utopian dream with little possibility of accomplishment. Probably a waste of time.
If we people have created God, in the multitude of religious traditions, then we have been, at least building up the store of hope and justice in the human family. Others do not see that positive side so it would appear that religious people had best be innovating in the light of what has so far been accomplished and learned.
If we are creating God we then need to take the next steps. I, for one, welcome ideas and projects from the world of materialism and atheism. Since atheism has made hardly any progress in getting rid of religion, their school of thought should be welcomed on board to assist the world of religion, in creating a God worthy of their best vision for the future.It would made them feel better about things.
My thought is that the divine beyond (God et al) is not at all offended by human efforts to observe, examine and describe all side of existence. If religion has failed to create a good enough god, then those on the sidelines should step forward in building a better god.
Here is a possible approach from the religious side of the fence. So, okay, let us say that religions have invented the whole concept of god or the divine or the supernatural. Now, let us recognize that this project, if true, was quite an accomplishment by primitive to modern humans.This appears to have happened in all cultures and eras of human development, at least in those where cultural forces have lift written or enscribed memory. Curious as this sounds, let us assume that in some global coordinated effort people set about coming up with explanations for life events that included concepts of god or the divine or some kind of beyond the earth reality.
Anti-religious folks appear to say that if we could just get rid of religion then many problems, including wars, would not be happening. It appears to be an effort to clear the memory of the race of all connections or references to anything beyond the present day events that smacks of a moral or physical reality beyond this "earth", whatever that means. This strikes me as a utopian dream with little possibility of accomplishment. Probably a waste of time.
If we people have created God, in the multitude of religious traditions, then we have been, at least building up the store of hope and justice in the human family. Others do not see that positive side so it would appear that religious people had best be innovating in the light of what has so far been accomplished and learned.
If we are creating God we then need to take the next steps. I, for one, welcome ideas and projects from the world of materialism and atheism. Since atheism has made hardly any progress in getting rid of religion, their school of thought should be welcomed on board to assist the world of religion, in creating a God worthy of their best vision for the future.It would made them feel better about things.
My thought is that the divine beyond (God et al) is not at all offended by human efforts to observe, examine and describe all side of existence. If religion has failed to create a good enough god, then those on the sidelines should step forward in building a better god.
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