The Pageless Book

Yet again, I find myself tagged for a blogging meme; the “One Book Meme.” This time, I was tagged by Jerome from Under A Violet Sun… which means I can get back at the person who tagged me last time, as well as annoy a few other folks who leave me comments! I’ll also take this opportunity to link those books to Amazon through my associates account. If my list inspires you to buy, please consider doing so through my website. Let’s get this party underway, shall we?

One book that changed my life.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Not only did this book introduce me to critical analysis of literature, but also opened my eyes to the depth of other religions. If it weren’t for this book, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

One book that I’ve read more than once.
The Spiral Dance by Starhawk. While criticized for being too political, I have to admit this book also had a positive impact on me. I like the poetic and social approach she has in regards to spirituality.

One book I’d want on a desert island.
SAS Survival Handbook by John Lofty Wiseman. No, I’ve never read this book. Yes, I’m being facetious.

One books that made me laugh.
Amphigorey by Edward Gorey. This was given to me by my brother-in-law for Christmas. We share the same, sick sense of humor. The humor isn’t always immediately obvious, and Edward Gorey’s style takes a some getting used to, but I find this book extremely rewarding.

One book that made me cry.
Nothing that I’ve read has ever really made me cry. That isn’t to say that I never read sad books, just that books don’t make me cry. I guess I’m a bit strange in that respect.

One book that I wish had been written.
My Eight Years by President Al Gore. I know I’m making a political statement in saying that, but it is the only thing that came to my mind. I think this country and the world would be a better place right now if he had taken the White House.

One book that I wish had never been written.
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. Do I really need to explain this one?

One books I’m currently reading.
The Language of God by Francis S. Collins. I plan on doing a review on this book, once I’m finished. I don’t agree with everything that Dr. Collins says in this book, but I am enjoying it.

One book I’ve been meaning to read.
The Christian Bible. If I’m going to be a Minister, I should at least read it once front to back. The problem is working up the will power to trudge through it. The genealogies and laws are probably the hardest part of the book to appreciate… they slow the whole narrative down.

Now I must tag five people: Cathy, Hafidha Sofia, Julian, Kelly, and Ms. Kitty.

Above photo by Faeryan.

Click on one link below.

written by John \\ tags: Art, Books, Humor, Meme, Review, Reviews

Photo by Buck Blues

Two weeks I’ve been attempting to use StumbleUpon to help improve traffic to the liberal religion blogging community and I’ve learned a few things. First thing I have come to realize is that StumbleUpon is extremely addictive in the same way TV channel surfing is addictive. If you don’t grab their attention immediately, stumblers will bounce away from your website without a second thought. Another thing I’ve learned is that the more often you use StumbleUpon, the more authority your particular suggestions will have. This is important because now I know that I can’t really expect consistent positive results in two weeks.

Regardless, I want to hear your stories about how StumbleUpon is working for you and what you’ve learned from the experience. If you’ve been Stumbled, what was the traffic that you received from StumbleUpon like, and would you want to be Stumbled again? I plan on continuing using StumbleUpon to promote my fellow bloggers and hope that you are thinking about doing the same.

Digg It!

Much like StumbleUpon, Digg.com provides you with an up or down vote on news articles that have been submitted to their website. The difference is that, unlike StumbleUpon, your readers will not come upon your page at random, but will have to look for you. This means the visitors you gain from Digg are going to be expressly interested in the content you are providing.

For more information about digg, see the following articles:

• Beginner’s Guide to Digg
• How to Use Digg Like a Pro
• How to Digg Content

I’m going to start using Digg.com this week to promote the websites of fellow UUs and religious liberals, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. Give it a shot and tell me what you think. The more of us on the bandwagon, the stronger we are together. If you own a blog, write an entry to encourage your readers to join us and let me know about it so I mention your article in the next update.

Click on one link below.

written by John \\ tags: Advertising, Blogging, Information, Religion, Review, Websites

Photo by William

Holy Moses on a pogo stick - I’ve been hit by the website traffic fairy! The visitors to my site have literally doubled in one day due to Rev. PeaceBang and her brief mention of my site. What a great way to start off the year, eh? I’ll have to return the favor in someway, of course; maybe I’ll have her as the first Minister Interview for my site, so I can grovel and sing her praise proper-like. Er, that is if it’s okay with her…

That isn’t the only thing that happened this week - there was of course New Years Eve. I had four shots of B52, four cape-cods, and a shot of moonshine. Not too bad for someone whose limit is two drinks. However, the masochistic abuse of my liver is not the central purpose of Friday Vibes; there were some great posts this week that didn’t mention me, and I’m more than happy to point them out to you.

Jules from A UU Deist In Texas as written a three part series about his New Years Eve resolutions. While I normally don’t go for the yearly resolutions thing, I found these articles to be inspirational. The first part is regarding aging and health concerns, the second part is about spiritual practice, and the final part muses on his love for music. As someone who’s creeping towards 30, having difficulty finding the time for my own spiritual practice, and grew up around musicians, this series really struck a cord with me… pun not intended.

I’ve mentioned that Rev. Dan Harper is pushing for a conversation on emergent spirituality within Unitarian Universalism. This was his alternative to the traditional end of year review - look forward rather than look behind. Although I’m not sure what I can bring to the table, in regards to the conversation, I feel pretty positive about this idea… which is why I don’t mind mentioning it twice.

Finally, I’d like to point out that The Wild Hunt has done a two part article on the Top Ten Pagan Stories of 2007. It’s an interesting read, and I encourage anyone who has a moment to look it over. Because neo-paganism is looked down upon by the majority of mainstream religious communities, it is often subject to discrimination and ridicule. Seeing the year through the lens of this religion is a real eye-opener as to the status of religious tolerance.

I don’t know about you, but I have had enough of writing about the holidays. For the next few weeks, you can expect me to avoid any mention of them… er, at least until Valentines day.

Click on one link below.

written by John \\ tags: Holidays, New Year, Religion, Review, Reviews, Spirituality, Unitarian Universalism

Photo by Lucas B.

During this week, I observed a large number of blog entries being made concerning minimizing the consumerism of the holiday season. While waxing philosophical concerning Christmas is certainly understandable, I don’t think I was quite prepared to see my peers in this community become so critical of this season. And critical my colleagues were - so much so that I was taking notes.

For example, Dan Kimball from Vintage Faith not only took aim at consumerism, but also confronted the supposed “culture wars” over Christmas in his article. Elsewhere, Reverend Tony turned a popular catch phrase on its head asking “What Would Jesus Buy?” Both of these articles will be in the back of my mind while I discuss with my wife what future winter holidays will look like in our household. Perhaps next year, we can agree to start a tradition of giving to the poor, rather than to the corporations bombarding us with advertising.

Photo of Benzir Bhutto by Art es Anna

However, the problems we face over ramped consumerism pales in comparison to the events in Pakistan yesterday. Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, died after suffering gun shots to the neck and to the chest. If you aren’t sure why that should concern you, consider that Pakistan is a Hindu-Islamic country currently in transition from a dictatorship to a democracy. Benazir Bhutto was the voice of moderation in what is a very turbulent time for her country and her people. Should I also mention that they have nuclear capabilities?

Rev. Kit Ketcham has posted an excellent article regarding her reaction to the news of Prime Minister Bhutto’s death, rightly seeing it as an attack on female authority in male dominated societies. She not only represented democracy and moderation, but equality for women and the modernizing of Pakistan. Terry Mattingly of GetReligion.org also points out the very dangerous situation which this places the United States in his article about her assassination.

So just as we finish celebrating the birth of one martyr, we mourn the death of another. This world turns in strange ways, sometimes - it’s enough to make me dizzy when I am not paying attention. While I have no control over events that take place in other countries, I do have control over what I do in my own life. Paying attention, however, allows me to glimpse how the two are connected… I just pray that I can keep my eyes open without going blind.

Click on one link below.

written by John \\ tags: Advertising, Benazir Bhutto, Blogging, Christmas, Islam, Pakistan, Review

Photo by Javier Cruz Barranco

In the entire history of the world, there has not been a civilization as successful as Western Civilization - except maybe the Roman Empire, but please let’s over look that. And perhaps the Ottoman Empire… and can we ignore the Chinese Celestial Empire as well? Well, our society may not be unique in terms of successfulness, but there’s no arguing that our civilization is pretty spiffy, in the grand scheme of things, and worth the time and effort to understand.

For better or for worse, the origins of our civilization are rooted deeply into the historical soil of Christianity. By extension the religions that it has came from or have come from Christianity are also important us. Trying to understand the origins of this religion, as well as how this religion has evolved over time, gives us a better understanding of where we have been and where we are going. With this perspective upon our own history, we can better grasp our identity as a civilization, and come to terms with the problems facing us today.

Given this, I present to you a time line of holy texts that have been influential to, or influenced by, Western Civilization. By no means is this a complete list of texts. Although I have tried to include all the major influences on our culture, I may have left a few out. Nor can I claim that all the information is completely accurate. The information I present here is a brief summary and may miss important details. If you find that I have inadvertently excluded something that you believe to be important, feel free to let me know.

• The Zend Avesta - c. 1200 BCE.

This is the Holy Book of Zoroastrianism, the first prophetic and monotheistic religion. This religion became prominent between 560 BCE and 650 CE, and shares many similarities to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Like these religions, Zoroastrianism professes the existence of a heaven and hell, the belief in one God, and in the belief that this holy text is the word of God. You can find the text of The Zend Avesta here.

• The Torah - c. 1200 BCE Authorship, c. 450 BCE Canonized.

Also called the Pentateuch, these five books are considered the word of God as written by Moses in traditional Judaism. The Torah itself has undergone several revisions throughout history. When Israel split from Judah, the two priesthoods began to support slightly different copies of the text. Originally, the Torah was four books, but would later became five books in c. 625 BCE, when the priesthood of Judah claimed to have discovered Deuteronomy. In c. 450 BCE after the exile in Babylon, these two text were combined with other versions of the Torah as well as Deuteronomy and finalized into the book we have today. You can find the text of The Torah here.

• The Tanakh - c. 1000 - 100 BCE Authorship, c. 75 CE Canonized.

Better known to Christian readers as the Old Testament, this holy text includes the Torah along with nineteen other texts which form the core of the Hebrew Religion. It includes the writings of prophets, the poetry of kings, and the histories of the Hebrew people. You can find the text of The Tanakh here.

• New Testament (KJV) - c. 50 - 75 CE Authorship, c. 400 CE Canonized.

Twenty seven books make up this text, and form the corner stone of the Christian faith. Although there are several inconsistencies in the text and mistakes made in the scribing of them, it is believed to be an historically accurate account of Jesus’s life and death. In 1611 CE, the most popular English Translation of the Bible, both New Testament and Old Testament, was published as The King James Bible. You can find the text of the Christian Bible here.

• The Gnostic Gospels - c. 75 - 150 CE.

The core of the Gnostic Gospels are the books found in the Nag Hammadi Library in 1945 CE. Gnosticism is one of the many minor off shoots of early Christianity that were suppressed and became extinct. Gnosticism became the foundation of Hermeticism, which then gave root to Occult practices in Medieval Europe. You can find some of the texts of The Gnostic Gospels here.

• The Kebra Negast - c. 300 CE.

This text was presented at the First Council of Nicaea for possible inclusion into the Christian Bible. It later became the Holy Book of the Rastafari movement, which began c. 1930 CE. The book is an account of the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Ethiopia. You can find the text of The Kebra Negast here.

• The Qur’an - c. 600 CE.

As the sacred book of Islam, the Qur’an is believed by Muslims to be the final revelation to humanity. The book was first written by followers of Muhammad as recited by Muhammad the prophet over the course of 23 years. The text itself is poetic in nature and often alludes to stories of the Tanakh and the New Testament. You can find the text of The Quran here.

• The Adi Granth - c. 1600 CE.

The Adi Granth is the holy book of the Sikh religion. The text itself is a collection of the poetry, spiritual insights, and songs of the first five Gurus of the Sikh religion. Because the Sikh religion is a blending of both Islam and Hinduism, it also recognizes and included information from a number of Muslim and Hindu saints. You can find the text of The Adi Granth here.

• The Book of Mormon - 1830 CE First Publication.

Found and allegedly translated from golden plates by Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon is the sacred text of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Copies are often given for free by missionaries, and who could probably give a better review of the text then I can here. You can find the text of The Book of Mormon here.

• The Kitab-i-Aqdas - c. 1840 CE.

Written by Bahá’u'lláh, the founder of the Bahai faith, this book claims to be the next revelation of the God of Abraham. The Kitab-i-Aqdas accepts of the account of Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, and Abraham as revelations of God, and also asserts that there will be yet other messengers of God in the future. The Bahai faith is often described as a blended religion, combining the teachings of several earlier religions. You can find the text of The Kitab-i-Aqdas here.

• The Urantia Book - 1935 CE.

This text is a compilation of papers that were collected by a group known as the Forum. The members of this Forum claim that the papers materialized as a response to questions they have asked between 1925 and 1935. Although The Urantia Book shares several teachings that are similar to Christian beliefs, it also diverts from Christianity in regards to the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ. It also delves into the study of the universe, presenting several theories on the makeup of reality. Currently, no single religion is associated with this text, although it is popular in New Age circles. You can find the text of The Urantia Book here.

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written by John \\ tags: Bible, Faith, History, Holy Text, Humanity, Information, Religion, Review, Reviews, Tradition, Websites

“Some find God at church on Sundays, but where does God bubble up in our lives the Other 6 days of the week?” - Other 6, Welcoming.

Photo by Jeff Kubina

Spirituality is a social experience for many. There is something uniquely spiritual about sharing your feelings with another person and having those feelings accepted. Other 6 is a website designed to facilitate that social aspect of spirituality, creating a online community geared towards shared hopes and joys.

When you first enter this flash-based website, a burst of blue bubbles emerges from the center of the screen. Some of these bubbles are dark blue, while others are light blue; this is to determine what type of post the bubble represents. Darker bubbles are comments on where an individual poster had found God today - whether it was in a child’s smile, or in a friends laughter - while lighter bubbles are comments from individuals who feel a need for God to be in a particular aspect of their life. Move your cursor over one of the bubbles and a message box will appear, displaying the comment left by that bubble’s creator. Move to another bubble, a new comment will appear in place of the previous.

While it may be tempting to remain a voyeur, peaking in to see other people’s thoughts, the real purpose of the website is within the interaction. Double click on any one bubble, and a larger message box will appear on the right hand side of your screen and display a number of options. You can view comments left by other readers concerning that bubble or add your own comment.

When you get tired of reading the messages of the bubbles in front of you, there is an option just under the mass of bubbles that allows you to view a new set of messages. As you do this, you may notice that some bubbles are actually larger then others. This represents the number of comments left for that message. This tends to make the visitors gravitate towards the bubbles that have been commented on, so the website designers wisely chose to expose only messages that have not been commented on when you first enter the site.

If you want one of those message bubbles to be your own, you have a choice to make; do you want to talk about where you’ve found the Divine in your life, or do you need to express where you need the Divine in your life? By dividing the messages up into those two categories, the administrators of Other 6 can make sure that every visitor is exposed to a fair mix of both positive and negative. I think this is another good feature that deserves to be mentioned, because without it, you might be tempted to cycle through the bubbles until you only can see one type or another.

Other 6 also keeps your identity private; you only need to provide your city and state, as well as initials with which to identify yourself if you wish to post your own bubble. This allows for users to share deeper feeling and issues that you might not want to share publically. I find this to be a good feature as well; it’s hard to be truly spiritual when you have guard your words.

This website is the brain-child of Loyola Communications, a division of Loyola Press, which is the publishing arm of the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus (a.k.a the Jesuits). While this means that this site is Catholic owned and operated, Other 6 is not geared towards one particular religion or another. They claim to push no particular agenda and welcome all “who seek God with a sincere heart.” I’ve tested the limits of what that means myself and believe that their open invitation is honest. That being said, Other 6 is mainly Christian, and you will encounter a few messages and comments that reflect the site’s Christian leanings.

I find Other 6 to be a refreshingly simple web page that achieves what its purpose through thoughtful design. I hope you give it a try… and while you are there, see if you can find my bubbles.

Click on one link below.

written by John \\ tags: Catholic, Christian, God, Inspiration, Prayer, Religion, Review, Reviews, Spirituality, Websites

I have plans… Oh, yes, I have plans for this little blog. I’m not satisfied being a mere blip in the blogosphere, ladies and gentlemen. You see, I’m planning world domination from my desk top. I’m going to be the new Illuminati, the puppet master behind the scenes, and bend the ear of every world leader! How am I going to accomplish this? Popsicle sticks and Bubble Gum!

Er, yeah… The plan still has a few bugs.

Somewhere between here and world domination, you can expect some changes to this site. The Pageless Book has been up for only three months or so, but already I’ve made progress towards being a great blog. Of course, this is due to my readers, without whom I would not feel motivated to write. In an attempt keep you, my readership, in the loop, I’m letting you know up front what my future plans are.

• Monetization: Yes, I am planning to monetize my blog. The truth of the matter is that seminary costs money and recently money has been getting tight for me. I don’t want you to think this means you’ll be bombarded with grotesquely flashy ads or annoyingly inappropriate suggestions about your weight, the medicine you take, or long distance phone service. This is my promise to you as well as to myself; this blog will never be just about making money.
• Book Reviews: In conjunction with monetization, I plan to doing sponsored book reviews. All of the book reviews I do will concern spirituality in some manner and will give an honest assessment of the book in question. If you buy a book based on my suggestion, I want it to be because you trust my judgment and not because I am getting paid.
• Minister Interviews: I’m interested in interviewing the Unitarian Universalist Ministers who are bouncing around in this crazy blogosphere. Soon, I’ll begin seeking them out, work on getting their attention and trust, and asking each individually if they are willing to grant me the privilege of an interview. If one such person is currently reading and would like to step forward, please feel free to do so. I really do want to hear from you!
• Daily Posting Schedule: My life is still in flux, so I cannot promise a post every day, but I am doing my best. As things settle down with my job, school, and personal life, I hope to be able to give you a detailed posting schedule. I want to continue to provide great content to you, my reader, in a more consistent way - it just isn’t realistic at this moment. Please know that I am trying.

You can help me make this blog grow, just by doing what you’ve always been doing. Visit and comment often, subscribe to my RSS feed, submit posts that you enjoy to Stumble, Digg, and Technorati, and, most important of all, act in loving kindness in your daily life, being the wonderful people I know you to be. Thank you for all that you do.

Namaste.

Click on one link below.

written by John \\ tags: Blogging, Career, Humor, Information, Interviews, Review, Spirituality, Work

Note: While originally I started doing a website review series called “Religious Tolerance Website Death Match,” I’ve decided that avenue might be a touch too silly for my blog’s subject matter. As such, I am starting a new series today called “Site in Focus”, to review websites that deal with religious tolerance and spirituality that my readership might be interested in. Silliness and humor is very much apart of my personality, however, so don’t expect that to disappear completely from my website. I’m not above poking fun at myself, religion, or even the Divine itself… as I suspect the Divine has quite a time doing the same to us.

World Prayers.Org is one of those websites that everyone should bookmark and visit for occasional inspiration. The objective of the website is straight forward enough: “to gather the great prayers written by the spiritual visionaries of our planet into an online database representing all life affirming traditions.” The beauty of the website, however, is in its usefulness and easy navigation.

World Prayers.Org features a randomized “prayer wheel” as well as a standard search option and categories. While it may seem a little hard to find the standard search option, I feel that this might be a feature of the website, rather then a flaw. The website seeks to promote religious tolerance through exposure to the prayers of different faith traditions. If the prayer wheel option was not more accessible than the standard search option, it would be easier to avoid reading the prayers of other faiths, defeating the purpose.

The prayers are divided up into four distinct groupings:

• Adorations: Prayers of devotion, surrender, love, praise and offering.
• Celebrations: Prayers of thanksgiving, initiation, affirmation and blessing.
• Invocations: Prayers of petition, supplication, calling forth and healing.
• Meditations: Prayers of reflection, contemplation, being and teaching.

World Prayers.Org is a non-profit organization, so it does make requests for donations. However, the requests for donations are not intrusive, leaving the website with a simple and pleasing design. And monetary donations are not the only methods of contributing to the website - you may also volunteer to help program the site, or suggest a prayer to be included on the website. Unlike many for-profit websites, there are no ads, scrolling texts, or flash elements to get in the way of enjoying it.

I do hope you give World Prayers.Org a try and tell me what you think. Below is a prayer I found, and I’m including it to give you a taste of what is available. Namaste.

When someone is full of Love and Compassion,
he cannot draw a line between
two countries, two faiths, or two religions.

- amma

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written by John \\ tags: Faith, Prayer, Religion, Religious Tolerance, Review, Reviews, Spirituality, Websites

Bloggers are, by their very nature, attention hounds. Those bloggers who are not attention hounds, rarely get their blog read by anyone. What’s the point of blogging if no one is reading? It’s a painful truth that those who have blogs are usually pathetic craven individuals merely seeking the attention of their readers so to feel completed by their angelic presence.

… Er, uh, at least that’s my experience.

In my quest to find ways to increase my readership, I’ve stumbled across RSS Hugger, a service designed to help bloggers such as myself increase their readership. As of right now, it currently lists less then 200 blogs, which may not seem like enough to get the ball rolling. It stands to reason, however, that the closer to the ground level you join, the better your chances of increasing your readership. I strongly suggest to anyone looking to expand their influence in the blogosphere to sign up.

In order to get hugs, you must give them as well. It is in this spirit that I announce that I will be expanding my links list today to include a large number and variety of spiritual blogs. The vast majority of these blogs will be Unitarian Universalist, but I will be sure to include Liberal Christian blogs, Atheist blogs, and Neo-Pagan blogs. If you have a spiritual blog or know of a spiritual blog that you would like to see it included in my blogroll, please leave me a comment and tell me about it.

Namaste.

Click on one link below.

written by John \\ tags: Blogroll, Reason, Review,