[Sosfbay-discuss] Now for something completely spiritual!

[JamBoi]

--- "Cameron L. Spitzer" <cls at truffula.sj.ca.us> wrote:

> 
> >Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 17:15:33 -0700 (PDT)
> >From: JamBoi <jamboi at yahoo.com>
> >To: Bob Alavi <baalavi at yahoo.com>,
> sosfbay-discuss at marla.cagreens.org
> >Subject: Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] Now for something completely
> spiritual!
> 
> 
> >I COULD see the value in discussing (in a general way) how we as a
> >Green Party with our varying views (including those expressed here
> >between you and me) find ways to connect with 'mainstream' 'values
> >voters' such as Michael Lerner talks about in "The Left Hand of
> God", a
> >book I'm reading right now - extremely valuable I think for us
> Greens
> >to get a handle on.  But again it is not promoting or demoting
> >particular spirituality (though it does take aim a bit at The
> >Dominionists, which I see as more of a political movement
> manipulating
> >religious symbols than an actual spiritual movement).  So I'd want
> to
> >leave room to talk about things like that.  Does that work for you?
> 
> It seems to me that Dominionism is a natural effect of
> churches having wealth and political power.  Churches being
> like any other hierarchal organization, they attract
> self-righteous abusers of power.  The Mayans were afflicted,
> and the Egyptians had it really bad.  Dominionism burned "witches"
> at the stake to steal their land and suppress their medical
> technology.  Dominionism is older than written history.

I strongly agree.  Essentially its rule by domination, might makes
right and some of the oldest forms of religion that we have evidence
for fell right into this pit (ie. the Babylonians).

> I've read a couple of places that the majority of signers of
> the US Declaration of Independence subscribed to a religion
> with no holy text, no evangelism, no organization, and no clergy.

Yes, that's mostly accurate, although I'd take some issue w/ the 'no
organization, and no clergy part'.  Deism is the form of spirituality
we're refering to.  Trancendentalism and Unitarian Universalism and
some forms of Humanism are the direct descendents of that movement.  So
there are at least some legacy organizations some of which have clergy.

> It seems to me that wasn't a coincidence.  Separation of church
> from state is easier when there's no church.

Well... I wouldn't go THAT far.  Fortunately our constitution
guarantees our ability to meet and worship in whatever organizational
form we wish. Religious freedom.  The problem comes in IMO when the
church and state merge (which as Cameron pointed out above indeed tends
to happen when religious organizations garner huge amounts of money and
power, or alternatively when as the current Dominionist movement has
worked political/ideological organizations invade the religious space).
 It poisons both the church AND the state, and so both people who are
serious about their spirituality and people who are serious about their
politics do well to take note and avoid this pitfall.

> Cameron

Love and Peace to All!

Drew

JamBoi
Jammy The Sacred Cows Slayer

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com

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