Self-Control and Religion

So, thanks to the NY Times for an article about studies of self-control in intrinsically religious people. For Good Self-Control, Try Getting Religious About It. It seems like a pretty positive article, except, of course, for the fact that it seems to assume that the reader will not be a religious person. Maybe they're just trying to be cute.

Choice quotes:

Researchers around the world have repeatedly found that devoutly religious people tend to do better in school, live longer, have more satisfying marriages and be generally happier.

Does this mean that nonbelievers like me should start going to church? Even if you don’t believe in a supernatural god, you could try improving your self-control by at least going along with the rituals of organized religion.

But that probably wouldn’t work either, Dr. McCullough told me, because personality studies have identified a difference between true believers and others who attend services for extrinsic reasons, like wanting to impress people or make social connections. The intrinsically religious people have higher self-control, but the extrinsically religious do not.

Priests Needed

I saw this in the NY Times: "Divine Recruits - Serving US Parishes, Fathers Without Borders"

Clearly, it's not news that the number of Catholic priests is significantly less than the number needed. What I enjoyed about this story, though, is that the US is no longer necessarily THE SOURCE of spiritual authority. Priests can come from India, Africa, South America, and provide spiritual care and guidance. A kind of reversal, and somehow an encouraging one.

The 12 Days of Christmas

So, in the church calendar, it is still Christmas until Jan. 6th. I think it's interesting that the secular culture tends to focus on the LEAD-UP to Christmas, and then to pretty much be done with it after the BIG DAY.

I think this is because it's very hard in a consumer culture to spend a lot of time on gratitude. You can't sell much by putting gratitude advertisements on the television. Although that's funny to imagine:

"Aren't you glad you already have a roof over your head and food to eat?"

"Yeah, I sure am!"

"And isn't it nice that you and your friends are a little weird, but you accept each other for your weirdnesses and nobody has to impress anybody when you're hanging out together?"

"Yeah, I love my friends, even if we're a little odd sometimes. In fact, that's half the fun!"

"And isn't it wonderful to be married to someone attractive? We sure wouldn't want to show you pictures of someone more attractive!"

"It's true! I can't imagine being with anyone else!"

"Cool! Buy an iPod."

See how that doesn't work very well? :)

I'd like to propose that we re-invigorate the twelve days of Christmas as twelve days for being grateful. (We already got a warm-up day on Thanksgiving, BTW) Now would be a good time to enjoy all the stuff you got for Christmas. And even more than that, it's a time to enjoy your friends and family and be glad for things like compassion, forgiveness, love and understanding. These are gifts from God to us. So, thanks be to God and here's to twelve days of Christmas!

Silent Night

In honor of Christmas Eve, I thought I'd take a look at a favorite hymn: Silent Night. I've gotten to do a little more caroling than usual this year, and have listened to more Christmas music, too. The carols have deep meaning for me. They remind me of home and family because they're so familiar. And their descriptions of faith are so beautiful, it is an encouragement for me in my faith.

In particular, I love the beauty of the third verse of Silent Night:

Silent Night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light,
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

What a beautiful image! Light, beauty, grace, come together and are born into the world as a baby. But somehow that light also foretells Jesus' ministry as a grown man, and what his other, divine identity is. It is like watching the sun rise, bringing with it warmth, safety and a new day.

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P.S. If you're looking for a less familiar Christmas song, this version of Come Thou Font of Every Blessing by Sufjan Stevens is beautiful.

OMG Can We Please Get Over Rick Warren?

(And, while we're at it, Jeremiah Wright, too...)

I know that Rick Warren supported Proposition 8. And there is a little bit of extra annoyance about his being the inauguration pray-er because he's a pastor from California. That part does feel a little bit like salt in the wound.

HOWEVER, the truth is that the overwhelming witness of the Bible puts poverty at the top of the list of God's big concerns. This debate over the gays is peanuts, really, and mostly a fund raising and distraction tactic for at least some of these Pat Robertson types. Abortion has been similarly exploited, and is similarly, biblically, peanuts.

What's refreshing about Warren is that while he may hold these views, he puts them in the proper position on his list of priorities - near the bottom.

Jeremiah Wright comes into this for me because (Press Club weirdness aside, although maybe that's the actual problem) his pro-African American stance, and his honest confrontation of American hubris and imperialism got turned into a caricature in the national media.

Rick Warren already has a book out and a much bigger church, so I don't expect the outcry, so to speak, to hurt him nearly as much as the feeding frenzy hurt Jeremiah Wright. But still, at this point I'm amazed at how little time gets spent paying attention to the core of peoples' ministries. Thanks, sensationalizing newsmedia.

One last thought - it's interesting how the vehement editorializers never manage to suggest somebody else. I'm free that day, if Pastor Rick needs to bow out....

PS Thanks to H for this commentary by Melissa Etheridge

NC Theologian on Suffering

Today I read a second review panning Barth Ehrman's book on suffering: God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question. I had tried to read this book, and had gotten similarly annoyed with it, because this guy obviously had very little actual experience with people who face poverty and suffering. Basically, he's decided he doesn't believe in God because if the God he wants to believe in were real, there wouldn't be suffering.

I know that there are many people wrestling with this question, and that it is a very serious question to ask - where does suffering come from, if God is really a good God? And the truth is that I don't have a good answer for why there is suffering. My answer to Ehrman would be something like: There is suffering because suffering is a part of life, just like death is. It doesn't mean that God doesn't exist, any more than the fact that trees exist means that clouds do not.

A favorite quote from Proverbs comes to mind:

"[G]ive me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need, or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, "Who is the Lord?" or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God."

Homelessness Awareness

I went to the Homelessness Awareness service today at 5 in the Inner Harbor amphitheater. I was worried that it would be too sad to handle, but this morning at church we did a litany about homelessness that I found very moving. So I figured it might feel good to my soul somehow.

The main event was the reading of names, followed by, "We will remember." There was a decent-sized crowd there, too, in spite of the cold. I found it encouraging to be lighting candles together, honoring the dead, and committing to the struggle once again. One of the best parts, really, was when some of the men from Earl's Place (a transitional shelter) sang some songs. They had great voices. Like angels? :)

Yearly reckoning

I didn't write a Christmas letter last year, but this year I plan to after all. It's funny how I don't really remember much before May. Is it possible that the human memory only stays vivid for about six months? The other possibility is that these things are being stored for when I am old. Then I will have lightning-fast recall of every thrilling detail of the Barack Obama primary season, but way more of those moments of walking into a room and forgetting what I came in there for. That's right, I said MORE. I definitely do that all the time now, as it is.

Hey Rob, what's up?

This blog goes out to Rob, who moved to Texas and then Pennsylvania. He is an encourager of blogging, when I have been a slacker. Thanks, Rob!

As you may see below, I have added a site reader, because I find those little numbers encouraging. Let's hope for a Renaissance of blog in the New Year!

<3 Amy