Religious Wars and Their Ethics

A nativity to celebrate (and remember)

I've been digging around in old journals again, looking for tidbits for the Bibliography of Ethical Culture.  I renewed my membership in the Center for Inquiry, appreciating, as I do, their support for separation of church and state in Texas.  I participate in the Hill Country Freethinkers Association, which is, I believe, an affiliate of CFI.  Good people, good conversations.  We have a variety of religious beliefs, which we express easily and comfortably, respecting our differences and the nuances of belief that can come with many years of life and whole lot of PhDs at the table (plus one JD for seasoning).

CFI's journal, Free Inquiry, has a handy archive.  Of course, I'm going to check it for articles by Ethical Culturists (as far as I can recognize them).  EC writers were evident in the early issues, but not so much later on, so this effort may not take a great deal of time.  Indeed, the tone of the journal, after those first few years, seems a little more stridently anti-religious with the occasional active "debate" between Christians and freethinkers (I've only examined issues through 1999, so this is just an assessment of these early years).  

One issue that caught my eye, because I am now thinking about time and how we relate to it, is the Fall, 1993 issue, which focused on the question:  Should secular humanists celebrate rites of passage?  The issue talked about naming ceremonies, confirmations, weddings, memorial services and Christmas.  I tend not to think of Christmas as a rite of passage, but there it was:  Tom Flynn writing about "The Trouble with Christmas," a substantially shortened version, I assume, of his book of the same title.  Judging this issue by its cover--and its table of contents--it rather feels like there is a bit of a religious war in these pages.  Not that that is the viewpoint of the Editor, Paul Kurtz.  In this same issue, his "Letter from Berlin" says, very clearly:

Organized humanists—relatively small in number—believe deeply in democracy, tolerance, and human rights.

I'll take him at his word.  I have yet to read his contribution to The Ethical Forum (another short-lived Ethical Culture serial), but, just checking its contents, he seemed to refer to religious humanism in a positive way.  (I will report when I get a chance to sit down and read it more fully--and add The Ethical Forum to the Bibliography.)

All of this is context for my reaction to "The Trouble with Christmas."  It is one thing to recognize the history of the celebration, as far as we can know it, and its origins in the pagan celebrations of the winter solstice.  It is not entirely surprising to sense the negative judgments of those who associate the event with current religious belief systems and see the hypocrisy of the capitalistic version(s) of the holiday.  What struck me about Flynn's argument was the determination that humanists--being enlightened about the roots of the holiday--should then ignore it because we are no longer subject to the whims of nature.  That is, we know that the earth circumnavigates the sun on a tilted axis in a not-quite-perfect circle, which gives us seasons that we are able to predict.  Knowing the science, we no longer need to celebrate the return of the sun, so we can, in effect, ignore the solstice.  After all, most of us are no longer farmers, and we (mostly) have electricity.  Flynn says: 

Men and women can view the phenomena of nature with understanding and respect, instead of with superstition and uncomprehending fear.

A valid conclusion, but not, in my thinking, a justification for rejecting the season.  Flynn's perspective is remarkably urban, remarkably technological, remarkably ethno-centric (ignoring the achievements of Native Americans in understanding solar cycles) and, unfortunately, pre-climate change.

Two things struck me as I was (lightly) exploring this issue of Free Inquiry:

1. I am still repelled by language that denigrates another's religious belief--or, more specifically, denigrates another human being for holding the beliefs they do.  If I am free to believe as I wish, then others should be equally free.  If I am not to be persecuted (or insulted) for my beliefs, nor should any other be.  These diatribes against people of various faiths are no different--and no better--than the preacher who thumps his bible and shouts tirades against the godless secular humanists.  It is an unnecessary religious war that is fed by denial of "democracy, tolerance, and human rights."  Focus on that, I say, not whether the baby Jesus was born in a manger and angels sang "Joy to the World."
2. The earth does indeed circle(ish) the sun on its tilted axes in its elliptical orbit and (I believe) we'd damned well better remember that.  It's a big deal for the tiny human ants living on its surface, messing with natural systems and forces that we cannot control, but we surely have screwed up.  This doesn't mean that we must now seek new ways to worship or pray to those screwed-up systems for relief from the big heat (or the big wind or the big water), but our "understanding and respect" might well extend beyond our own personal comfort to consider the human systems that we have created and continue to permit to alter and--for the sake of our human survival--damage our planet, consider and begin working to halt the damage and, if possible, reverse it.

I disagree with Flynn's reasoning, and I disagree with his conclusion.  I do not participate in Christmas celebrations to any great extent for mostly personal reasons.  The Ethical Society of Austin has an annual Solstice Celebration where we share songs and stories and favorite readings.  Last year I read "The Hunting of the Snark, Fit the First" to those gathered.  This year, I think I'll read "Fit the Second."  The language and rhythm is worth hearing (to my mind) even more than the "nonsense" words, despite the fact that it has nothing to with the season.  It is, in any case, a moment to share with friends and enjoy each other.  

Privately, I have been known to light a candle to celebrate the returning of the light.  Even as far south as Texas is, those short days and long nights can be dreary.  If I happen to notice the date on my calendar and have enough mental bandwidth to connect it to the movement of the sun, I have lit that candle in solitude and gratitude, happy to think of longer days and mehr licht.  

Is that a primitive response to nature?  Is that an ignorant response to the solar cycle?  No, it is my human acknowledgement of my human connection to the environment in which I live and--with "Fit the Second"--will be my human acknowledgement of my human need to connect with other humans with peace and goodwill.  We don't have to buy a tree, decorate our house, or go into debt with excessive gift giving to maintain either connection, but, I believe, we need both.  In the first days of winter, it's good to take a moment to appreciate both.

Give (Local) Peace (Work) a Chance

A friend, knowing my interest in supporting a culture of peace, recently sent me this link to an article by H. Patricia Hynes about a local peace project.  Hynes talks about getting a whole community involved in positive promotion of the culture of peace, which is helpful in building a proactive, pro-peace pattern of community interaction.  Shops in Greenfield, MA, participate in the "Shops for Peace" with signs posted in their windows with peaceful messages:  "Food for All, not War."  Hynes links to research that suggests that such activities are a means of building a peace culture.  Some of the features of a peace culture referenced in that research include:  

shared identity, interconnectedness, a positive history of relationships, prosocial norms, transcendent or caring values, peace symbols, governance, and peace leaders, and additionally, peace education, peace vision, positive reciprocity, and positive goals

Reading about this project and the support in recent research, gives me a little boost for my own Peace Charm Initiative.  By the time this post is published, I will be on a plane to New York City.  I will be visiting the New York Society for Ethical Culture to talk about a couple of other projects that I am working on related to the Ethical Culture Movement, and I will be packing Peace Charms to share during meetings with my fellow Ethicals so that we all will have visible reminders of our personal roles in proactive peace building.  

While in New York, I will also be meeting with folks to talk about a project to support "caring values." I have more to learn about the project, but I already know that it will include supporting women in India (and elsewhere, I would hope) in asserting the value of the care work that women do.  This will, I expect, involve enhancing the communities' understanding that care work is important, a valuable and essential contribution to the economic and social well-being of the community, and should be granted a higher status in any accounting for value of both the caregiver and the service provided.  Since we also have this set of social problems in the US at both ends of the spectrum, I can see some potential for "local" efforts to include communities here as well.  These problems usually diminish women, who are assumed to be the caregivers, which then encourages dismissal of the importance of giving care--and providing that service with paid and qualified workers. 

It's time to stretch ourselves to make a connection between the value of care and caring values.  This is a path to peace as well as a path to equity.

Peace and the Roots of Violence

Violence has many roots.  After the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, I felt personally affected.  The time and physical distance between these tragic school shootings seemed to be narrowing, and I began to feel less safe.  Media reports are often not enough to understand what is happening around these events, and, just as often, the reports seem to contribute to the problem by repeatedly naming the shooter, blaming authorities for technical mistakes, and generally stirring up fearful emotions without looking at root causes and effective, science-based solutions.

After Uvalde, I began looking more closely at school shootings, looking for better answers.  I read The Violence Project by Gillian Peterson and James Densley.  I looked into the recommendations of The Off-Ramp Project.  I internalized the message that such violence is not instantaneous--it is often signaled well in advance, while there is still time to prevent it by addressing the issues that the shooter is trying--and failing--to cope with.  

When my friend, Leanne, began to talk about the beginning of a new school year in our community, and the special concerns that accompany that event at a local school where her husband is a School Resource Officer, I immediately "alerted" to what she was saying.  Lamar Rebound Alternative School is a special campus for students who have, let's call it, adjustment issues in school.  The Rebound School is mandatory, not optional, for students who commit certain infractions on or off campus.  It provides a chance to rethink, readjust, and rebound in their school career with the help of personalized learning opportunities.  As Leanne talked about the home and social situations for some of these students, my heart lurched.  No longer seeing the two-dimensional "bad kid," I could see students coming from distressing home situations (divorce, a parent in prison, drug abuse, poverty, and the list goes on and on) to school and acting out their distress (and anger, hurt, fear) with aggression and violence. 

"What can I do?" I thought.

Not a whole lot as it turns out.  But sometimes even tiny things can have a big(ger) effect and meaning.  And a journey of a thousand miles begins with that first step, does it not?

I took that first step, with help from Leanne and her husband, The SRO, to meet with staff at Lamar Rebound Alternative School and bring in a few small donations that could help the students in a crisis (hunger, need to meet school dress code, personal hygiene supplies).  I want this to be an ongoing project not only to help these at-risk children in my community, but also because I want to live my commitment to the Culture of Peace.

Peace is not just the opposite of war.  It is not just the absence of violence and abuse.  It is also a positive effect of respecting and nurturing the inherent worth of all humans.  It is the proactive effort to see the whole person in their whole context and recognize the distressing pressures of their life situation--with the intentional effort to seek ways to reduce the stressors and uplift the person.

I am not a Pink Lady.  I do not not not like snakes.  But this year's Spirit Shirt is pink--and the school mascot is (this is Texas!) a rattlesnake--so I wore the Spirit Shirt and stepped into the school to meet the Principal, the Senior Administrative Assistant, the SRO, several teachers and a few students.  I had a chance to look through the school and see the "pantry" that I hope to help keep stocked.  I saw positive messages of hope and fulfillment of potential.  I saw peace in action.  I hope to support that peace and be a part of it.  Whatever it takes.

Peace Charm Initiative

 

Peace charm reminding me to bring peace into my day

It gets harder to do some things as we get older.  I don't think I'll be participating in any more marches or protests, given the knee situation.  That doesn't mean, however, that I can't do something.  What I'm doing is making little charms to attach to just about anything that has a zipper. I was inspired to do this by a friend who is even older than I am.  I don't know what shape her knees are in, but I do think of her as being fragile and would never expect her to grab a protest sign and start marching.  That doesn't stop her from making a contribution to things that matter.  One of her projects these days is to make quilt squares.  She doesn't actually make the quilts themselves, but she uses the time she spends watching television by keeping her hands busy cutting out quilt pieces.  When she has enough, she passes them along to those who do make quilts--and they then make neonatal baby quilts for hospitals in her area.

I can't quite make the charms while watching television.  I have to set aside some time to make them in my studio, but I still count it as Me Time, because making the charms requires just enough concentration that I can forget about all sorts of troubles and concerns and just focus on wrapping the wire.  Even more fun is picking the beads.  All of the charms have the peace symbol at the center, but I can vary the small beads at the top and bottom that complement the color and design.  Making the selection involves that favorite pastime--playing with beads.  Well, my studio is not the Library of Congress!  I have to dig around though all sorts of containers to see what I have to work with and what I might want to add to a particular charm.  It's all very relaxing to take these moments out of a busy day, even more so when I know that I am doing something that will eventually (I hope) do some good.

And here's what I'm doing with the charms:  I've made enough charms to take them to a Sunday meeting of the Ethical Society of Austin.  I gave them to anyone who wanted to take one with the caveat that they needed to attach the charm (please) to something that they will see or use most days.  The charm is intended to serve as reminder to them that peace begins with us.  In our hearts.  In our thoughts.  In our words.  In our deeds.  I am asking them to see that reminder and try to find some way to bring peace into their conversations or their actions.  

I have more to say about how to do that, but I have to begin with a question about how to describe what I am doing.  I'm making charms.  The phrase that comes to mind is "charm offensive"--which, as it happens, has some slightly negative connotations in its association with false friendliness for the purposes of gaining favors.  Even worse, "offensive" is sometimes used in reference to attacking military campaigns. Even so, I rather like the contrast between "peace" and "offensive" as a way to emphasize the active work that I want to do with these charms to bring peace into my conversation and activities.  It seems more natural to use the phrase "charm offensive" than "charm initiative," but I think I would be more consistent in my own thinking if I continue the effort to remove military/war words from my speech (and thought).  So, Peace Charm Initiative it is.

I also took the Initiative to the August meeting of the Hill Country Freethinkers Association in San Marcos, asking members to use the charms to think about peace, nonviolence, and the ways in which we can reduce violence in our community.  And now I need to make more charms for my trip to New York.  😁

Peace and Goodwill

 After many months of not having the bandwidth to continue this blog, I am game to make another try.  I can't say how long this enthusiasm for writing and opining will last, but I am happily up to my elbows in old documents and new ideas about Ethical Culture.  I will start with something that is very close to my heart right now:  Peace and goodwill.

Here's what I wrote about it a few weeks ago:

I sign my emails with a formal closing:  “Peace and goodwill.”  Many of us carry that habit of providing a closing formula from those “old days” when we all wrote actual letters and closed with “Sincerely” or “With kind regards” or something to reflect our positive intentions or respect for the person we are addressing.  Since becoming more active in AEU, I have seen some more creative responses more tailored to our Ethical community:  “In fellowship,” “In community,” or similar phrases.  None of these seemed natural for me, so I played around with some version of “best” or simply my first initial.  The latter remains an ingrained habit (sorry), but I did finally come up with something that fit me better when I closed a message with “Peace and goodwill.”

The “peace” is, in fact, a reflection of our Ethical community.  AEU passed a resolution in 2021 that renewed our commitment to a Culture of Peace.  The resolution referenced not only war but violence and systemic racism as some of the factors that have pushed back against a culture of peace.  As a response to that resolution, I spent some time trying to think of ways in which I could work to support a culture of peace in my daily life.  One way, I thought, would be to shift my language away from military and warlike statements.  That’s one reason you’ll (sometimes) hear me correct myself when I blurt out phrases like “battle plan” or “the cavalry arrived” and reframe my words (and my thinking) in more peaceful images:  “work plan,” “timely assistance.”  Trying to make that change (it’s a work in progress) also made me think about ways to positively and proactively inject peace, non-violence, and cooperation in my speech.  I started by signing my messages with “peace.”

Not long afterward, during that winter holiday that seems increasingly difficult to escape, I received a greeting card that spoke of the “season of goodwill.”  Why, I wondered, was goodwill limited to only one season?  It was not, I told myself.  And so I added “goodwill” to my closing, partly to expand my sense of what a culture of peace would include and also as an “Ethical seed” that would (could?) remind whoever I might be writing that my intentions are positive as well as peaceful in all seasons.

It’s a small thing, but it is meaningful for me, and I hope it will have meaning for others.  It is certainly more than empty words.

 

We have been talking about the culture of peace a little more in the Ethical Society of Austin, and I think I want us to do more of that.  I will certainly do a bit more in my next post.