David and Linda were the only publicly professed Christian in the city. (Some Iranians who were Christian preferred not to reveal their religious views for political and social reasons.) The Wolfs…
The sales of Rob’s book are certainly experiencing a blessing, but I’m not sure the backfire of rash judgment from fellow Christians is what our Lord had in mind when he promised “blessed are you…
So much of the way that Christianity is practiced in our culture strikes me as seeking growth and maturity from the outside-in. If we attend that seminar or conference; if we acquire more…
There are characteristics about Quakers that, if lived out with integrity, offer the world a somewhat unique expression of Christianity that speaks to a listening world. This may be most true in how…
Cherice: Living Out Calling in Radical Ways? And if we listen to Christ, are we willing to break away from mainstream Christianity in the United States and live out that calling in more…
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Though Christianity allows of no Name, or Pretense whatever, for persecuting of any Man for Matters of mere Religion, being in its very Nature, meek, gentle and forbearing; and consists of Faith, Hope and Charity, which no Persecutor can have, whilst he remains a Persecutor; in that a Man cannot believe well, or hope well, or have a charitable or tender Regard to another, whilst he would violate his Mind, or persecute his Body, for Matters of Faith or Worship toward his God."
The obituary for our awesome neighbor Angie. A real saint, she’ll be missed. I can still hear her say “ah, but what are you gonna do?” response to all of life’s troubles.
DOMENICO, ANGELINA “ANGIE” (NEE MAZZA) 84 - of Hammonton, passed away Friday peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Born in Hammonton she was a lifelong resident there. Mrs. Domenico was a retired machine operator for Aggressive Coat Co. of Hammonton. She was a member of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and St. Rita’s Society of Hammonton. Angie was a loving caring, person that dedicated her life to her family and friends, who meant everything to her. She was a good cook who enjoyed cooking for her family and friends and never showed up anywhere “empty handed.” She was predeceased by her husband: Joseph A. Domenico. Angie is survived by her five children: Joseph C. Domenico, Rita Domenico, Michael Domenico, John Domenico and daughter in law: Barbara Restuccio all of Hammonton; Marie Sirolli and her husband Nick of Winslow; three brothers: Jack Mazza (Helen); Vince Mazza (Kathy) and Mike Mazza all of Hammonton; four grandsons: John Domenico (Teresa); Michael Domenico(Shannon); Vincent Domenico (Kristen) and Joseph. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday 10:00am in St. Joseph’s RC Church, N. Third St., Hammonton. Burial will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery. A viewing will be held Monday evening 7:00pm - 9:00pm and again on Tuesday morning 9:00am at the Carnesale Funeral Home, 202 S. Third St., Hammonton. (www.carnesalefuneralhome.com) Published in The Press of Atlantic City on June 12, 2010
A LOT of what I run into, in my own dancing around with this in my head, is a sense that my best sense of Jesus (both what feels truest, for the most part, and what feels more likable) is of a man…
It reminded me of what a lot of young Quakers in the U.S. are asking for: opportunities to have visceral experiences of God. Though many early Friends experienced this in meeting for worship, that…
The only thing that troubled me was the lack of Quakers. Why am I the only Quaker to be present in a gathering of progressive Christians? I am certainly not the only “weighty” Quaker—there are other…
I’ve mostly ignored Brit Hume’s comment this week but this is an interesting take:
In practice, the admirable principle that nobody should be persecuted for their beliefs often blurs into the more illiberal idea that nobody should ever publicly criticize another religion. Or champion one’s own faith as an alternative. Or say anything whatsoever about religion, outside the privacy of church, synagogue or home.
If you treat your faith like a hothouse flower, too vulnerable to survive in the crass world of public disputation, then you ensure that nobody will take it seriously. The idea that religion is too mysterious, too complicated or too personal to be debated on cable television just ensures that it never gets debated at all.
This doesn’t mean that we need to welcome real bigotry into our public discourse. But what Hume said wasn’t bigoted: Indeed, his claim about the difference between Buddhism and Christianity was perfectly defensible. Christians believe in a personal God who forgives sins. Buddhists, as a rule, do not. And it’s at least plausible that Tiger Woods might welcome the possibility that there’s Someone out there capable of forgiving him, even if Elin Nordegren and his corporate sponsors never do.
Or maybe not. For many people — Woods perhaps included — the fact that Buddhism promotes an ethical life without recourse to Christian concepts like the Fall of Man, divine judgment and damnation is precisely what makes it so appealing. The knee-jerk outrage that greeted Hume’s remarks buried intelligent responses from Buddhists, who made arguments along these lines — explaining their faith, contrasting it with Christianity, and describing how a lost soul like Woods might use Buddhist concepts to climb from darkness into light.
The group discussions were always eye-opening, especially to someone like me prone to hastily judging Christian beliefs; while there have been small disagreements between participants (I once got into a heated back-and-forth about science and the existence of logic), the atmosphere was nothing but respectful. We shared anecdotes about our spirituality or lack thereof, talked about restorative justice, considered alternatives to violence and explored the idea of Jesus as (depending on who you talked to) a historical figure or the son of God.
From Lizopp, talk about Lloyd Lee Wilson’s notion of “the Quaker gestalt”:
I would say in my earlier days among Friends, I yanked the “Quakerism is a part of Christianity” thread pretty hard, insisting that Quakerism could exist just fine without it being Christian. In hindsight, that was my way of saying I felt I belonged and was accepted by my local Quaker community, and it therefore followed that a belief Jesus didn’t have to be a requirement for being Quaker. Nowadays, as a more mature Friend, others have held my feet to the fire, saying that to be Quaker, I have to at least be willing to wrestle with the faith’s Christian roots. And I do.
My comment: I always thought LLW’s use of “gestalt” was a odd word choice but a very useful concept.
I end up at Catholic mass a lot these days. I’m in no danger of converting but I do appreciate a certain unity between the theology and form (not necessarily the actual practice) and I find myself get agitated when I see someone do something that shows disregard for the symbolism in the Catholic gestalt.
When we find another religious path interesting, or talk about a “golden age” in our own tradition’s past, I think we’re talking about a moment when the faith and outward practiced balanced in a complementary way—at least from our perspectiv.
I’m reading John Wilbur these days. Interesting to see him describe the problems with nascent Gurneyism. A lot of the worries he’s cataloging aren’t really all that serious, things like speakers that are a bit too charismatic, meetinghouses a bit too grand, too much or little emphasis on particular Quaker teachings. But I think he’s saw them as an imbalance of the Quaker gestalt that would quickly bring along major changes. When you think of faith and practice as a balance you can peer into the future sometimes.
Within and beyond his ministry at FWCC, Gordon never abandoned the high ideals that first led him to worship and serve with Friends. I think he had a zeal deep in his bones for the essentials of prophetic Christian discipleship. It was obvious to him that Friends should urgently, persistently stand up for racial justice, including in our own institutions, and he frequently voiced this concern in his home yearly meeting, New England. He and Edith advocated and practiced military tax resistance, even to the point of suing the Internal Revenue Service.
No, I’m not gay. But there’s a closet that I think a lot of Christians find themselves in. And I think it’s about time I came out of it. So, um, here goes. Gulp. *Deep sigh* Homosexuality is not a sin. There. I feel better already. Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and laugh. I know this is not exactly a ground-breaking idea. I know that plenty of other Christians before me have said it. But it’s not a done deal yet for everyone. I’m coming out a bit late, but Now I figure is better than Someday, even if it’s not quite as good as Yesterday.
