When the Faith's Culture Undermines the Doctrine

My goal today is to show where groups of believers have sometimes gone astray in the way they have sought to apply their biblical knowledge to their daily lives.  I have to be careful with a post along these lines, because it would be so easy to take it too far.  That is, I am not focusing today on doctrinal issues or fallacies--e.g. heretical predestinarianism found in churches of the Calvinist persuasion--so much as I am looking at some strange or particularly misguided practices associated with some Christian traditions.  For today, I will only share three brief examples of where the culture of a particular faith can sometimes cause more problems than good.

First, many Baptists and other fundamentalist have embraced the writings of Michael Pearl.  Here's a passage which, as I understand, concerns whipping a 3 year-old.  

She then administers about ten slow, patient licks on his bare legs. He cries in pain. If he continues to show defiance by jerking around and defending himself, or by expressing anger, then she will wait a moment and again lecture him and again spank him. When it is obvious he is totally broken, she will hand him the rag and very calmly say, “Johnny, clean up your mess.” He should very contritely wipe up the water.


It shouldn't even be necessary for a reasonable person to have to point out the evil of this.  It's sick.  We should be defending the weak at every turn, not making them suffer to salve our own moral failings and personal turpitude.  Don't take out your own guilt and sin upon your innocent child!  (See Matthew 19:14.)

Second, the Churches of Christ practices something akin to shunning when members "go astray," or question what they are told.  We may expect this from less mainline denominations such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, but it's startling to see such a cult-like practice welcomed within the evangelical denominations.  How does a family turning its back upon a loved one better demonstrate the love of God?  (See Mark 12:31.)   

Third, there is a disturbing element within some corners of Catholic culture when it comes to Mary.  First, let it not be misunderstood that Mary's role is an amazing and awe-inspiring one indeed.  In her "yes," the power of Eve's "no" is forever broken and mankind is saved because of her glorious son.  She is indeed, then, the Mother of God--an example of the communication of idioms.  What crosses the line, however, is when good Catholics support and promote things such as Our Lady's Fifteen Promises.

There is no act we can do on heaven or earth which can bind the living and all-powerful God of creation to our frail will.  If we think that we can follow some obscure spiritual recipe for ensuring our salvation, then we are not much better off than those who embrace the lie of the so-called "prosperity gospel."  We are not to seek to avoid pain at all costs, after all, but to endure what is necessary for the glory of God and the pursuit of righteousness.  To think that the simple recitation of a good prayer is enough...is to be lulled to complacency.  It is, after all, merely a starting point.  There is no free pass from trial, tribulations, or free will, and our salvation is to be worked "out with fear and trembling."  (See also John 14:16.)

Particularly in the case of the latter example, I realize that some may be disappointed or upset with me.  Please feel free to charitably express yourself, and I promise a courteous and respectful response.

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The Immaculate Conception
490 To become the mother of the Savior, Mary "was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role."¹³² The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as "full of grace".¹³³ In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace.
491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God,¹³⁴ was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.¹³⁵

492 The "splendor of an entirely unique holiness" by which Mary is "enriched from the first instant of her conception" comes wholly from Christ: she is "redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son".¹³⁶ The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" and chose her "in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love".¹³⁷
493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God "the All-Holy" (Panagia), and celebrate her as "free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature".¹³⁸ By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.

from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

    

The Seasons of Mt. Jefferson Forest

For both health and photography reasons, I've been making fairly regular hikes this summer into Lake Pamelia, situated in the shadow of Oregon's Mt. Jefferson.   I made the last trip of the year on Friday, 19th with my son.  (Putting a state government furlough day to good use.)  It was wet, cold, and miserable at times, but it was also a rewarding experience nonetheless.  Putting aside the disquiet of briefly losing the trail a couple times on the way back because of the steady rainfall eroding parts of it away and causing the trail to either disappear altogether or lead us into gurgling stream beds, it was a wonderful opportunity to see the changing seasons work their wonders on this isolated wood.  (We also witnessed a magnificent bald eagle circling the lake's south side on Friday.)  

I thought it might be enjoyable to see several photos below taken since summer, inviting the viewer to really see the changes that take place here.  From the rhododendrons gracing the water's edge in spring to the red and golden leaves shrouded in mountain mist in the fall, every day in the majesty of Oregon's mountains is a day lived indeed.

Lake Pamelia on June 1st.

Waterfall on lake's eastern side.

The forest is bathed in the light of July.

Orange bellied Taricha granulosa

Waterfall on Lake Pamelia's eastern side on August 11th.

Mt. Jefferson reflected in Hank's Lake (several miles from Pamelia).

Looking east from west side of Hank's Lake.

The waterfall as viewed on October 19th.

Fall colors under a blanket of mist and light rain. 

  * These photographs are the sole property of Karl Erickson.  Please contact me for purchasing information.


Update: I share this just for the fun of it.  It's not my usual area of interest...but I do like mysteries.  The day after the last two photos above were taken, check out this report.

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Breaking the Republican Sterotype and Bridging the Divide

I've written before on what it's like be conservative Republican in the halls of state government.  Let's just say that part of the reason it surprises people that I work for the state is that there is a stereotype about conservatives--not to mention state employees.  I'm not fond of those stereotypes, and I take them on whenever possible.  Recently, for example, I tried to engage a young relative on a friendly debate on the topic of abortion, but I was astonished at her lack of even a hint of an open mind on the issue.  There was no interest in understanding the other side.  

She derisively mocked the pro-life position as just my politics, adding that I could not "convert" her; she couldn't be more wrong on my motivation.  My Pro-Life position may be best embraced by the Republican Party (the same party that brought the end of slavery if you might recall), but I would consider myself a Catholic first and a Republican second.  Accepting abortion as a tremendous evil and honoring the sanctity of all human life are positions at the heart of a life lived in faith, a life endeavoring to see beyond oneself and to others.

For some reason, our exchange got me thinking about stereotypes and their influence upon our thinking on political issues.  While a lot could certainly be written on this, I'd like to focus today on the Republican Party and changing US demographics.  As you'll see from the most recent Census reports, our Hispanic population is growing much more quickly than other demographic groups: Caucasian, for example.  The face of the United States is changing, and it's time that we recognize and embrace what that change means and what it entails.  When it comes to the Republican Party, why is it that our party seems to communicate so poorly with the Hispanic population?  After all, speaking broadly in terms of faith and culture, we share many of the same values.  We value hard work, the importance of family, as well as agree upon the cherished importance of faith in our lives.    

Yet, it seems that these shared values aren't enough to bridge the gap.  In speaking recently to a Latina on this topic, we agreed that the reason most Hispanics by far decide to vote for the Democratic ticket is because they are scared away by the incendiary rhetoric on the issue of immigration which sometimes is associated with our party.  I oppose illegal immigration as much as anyone, but we need to be more careful in our broad assertions, our generalizations, and our stereotypes.  We're alienating more than the illegal alien; we're alienating the legal citizens of Hispanic heritage and culture as well.  It's time we show them who we really are and destroy the negative stereotypes.  Let's endeavor to bridge the divide between us, because I think we will all find that we have much more in common than we realize.



*For more on this general topic, please also see "Lost in Translation."

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 I hope you will check out my new editorial service, A Second Pair of Eyes!  I've been really shocked at the mistakes I am reading from professionals lately--especially attorneys.  No one seems to have the time to polish press releases these days.  As my client, I hope to be like...a second pair of eyes for you in order to relieve a little stress and make the quality of your work shine even more.

Oregon Coast Clam Chowder (New & Imrpoved!)

If there's one dish I enjoy, it's a good bowl of clam chowder. We've sampled clam chowder in fine restaurants from Victoria to Monteray, and I really can honestly say that our recipe is hard to beat.  That said, my recipe owes a debt of gratitude to my own family. In fact, perhaps I should call it Eastern Washington Clam Chowder? No, I guess not.

Besides never scalding the milk, the central thing to bear in mind for this recipe is to keep experimenting and perfecting it. That's one aspect I enjoy--that each batch is slightly different than before. I usually add a one or two of a rotating list of seafood together with the clams: shrimp, crab, scallops, smoked salmon, etc. (Freshly caught seafood is particularly good, but make sure you have selected the right kind of clams if you've dug them yourself. Sadly...the Ericksons are not the best clam diggers; we buy them canned now.)

I also recommend making it correctly the first couple times before trying to concoct a healthy version. After all, this isn't a side dish, it's the meal. We almost never use real cream, for instance, but it does greatly improve the texture and flavor.  You may notice I use the word about a number of times in the recipe.  This is because either I have misplaced the precise measurements or I am encouraging some brave experimentation.  (I'll let you decide which is the case.)

Ingredients

about eight pounds of cut and peeled potatoes

about two cups of chicken broth

4-6 small cans of clams or 1 of the large can

3/4 to 1 stick of real butter

2 diced onions

1 diced stalk of celery

about a quart of whipping creme or half and half

four cups of whole milk

2-3 tbsp corn starch

Seasoning (to taste)

salt

cracked pepper

dried parsley

basil (fresh preferred)

oregano

Be creative!

At the same time your boiling the potatoes in the chicken broth, begin to saute the cut onions in a skillet with some butter. Once the potatoes are sufficiently tender, remove from the heat. Cook the onions until they begin to become translucent. Just before removing from the heat, add the celery.  If the potatoes are too big, cut to smaller pieces. (You can cut them within the pot and save a little time.) Add sautéed onions to potatoes, followed by the rest of the seafood and any other desired ingredients. Don't add the milk or whipping creme yet!

Once everything has come to a gentle boil, add the milk and whipping creme last. Keep stirring and lower the heat. This prevents the milk from scalding. As the consistency will likely not be thick enough, withdraw half a cup of the liquid from the chowder and add two or three tablespoons of corn starch.  Mix well before adding to the chowder.  Bring to a boil again, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve hot.

Everyone (except me) in my household likes ice cold peas dropped on top of the chowder to help cool it down at serving time. I still believe that this is a great affront to the chowder gods. Consequently, you will not see peas in my chowder--unless, of course, my wife Kimberly has prepared it. :)

Suggested toppings: crumbled pepper bacon or oyster crackers.


PS.  You know what would go well with Oregon Clam chowder?  The answer is clearly...a copy of Tristan's Travels.  :)  

Islamic Offense, a Window to Religious Impotence?

I'd like to simply share an observation or two today concerning the wildfire of protests smoking across the Middle East.  I think it offers a fundamental insight into an erroneous way of thinking.  Besides the legitimate concern that the masses are so easily whipped into a religious frenzy by their manipulative leaders, there seems a fundamental disconnect or contradiction here with regards to Muhammad.  If any single person has the potential power to so easily enrage a people or culture as to incite murder(s), what essence of real truth can truly exist within the faith?  Even more important, however, if Muhammad is so easily and seriously blasphemed, to a level where its radicalized followers are compelled rise to violence to attack anyone or anything to which they are pointed, how weak a faith this would seem to be!

Where's the reason, intellectual curiosity, or respect for life?  Where's the desire to build and create as opposed to destroy and kill?  Where's the desire to heal as opposed to harm and injure?  I have respect and admiration for those of the Islamic faith who follow a pathway of of peace and justice, but...those who pursue a radical agenda certainly do a grave disservice and dishonor to their Islamic faith.  If anyone in any place has the power to enrage many to such a grievous point of sin, where is the strength of faith and reason?

In Saint Augustine's City of God, he discusses how the evil persecution of the Christian faithful does not bring sin and impurity to its victims.  That is, for example, if a Christian virgin were raped, that does not bring sin upon the victim of rape.  This is a common sense view within the Western Tradition, and a similar logic would perhaps be put to sound use by the radicalized followers of the Islamic tradition.  If one person's obscure and unsupported blasphemy against Muhammad can incite such unbridled anger and unjust response, can the faith really be in the one true God at all, and why does a "nobody" with a video camera hold such a power over a people--except that that people want that power to be so held?