The Pageless Book

Photo Above by ButterflySha. Photo Below by Steve Evans.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”
- Meister Eckhart, 1260– 1328.

I don’t remember the exact time it first happened, but I do remember it was during a gathering with my in-laws. My wife was seated on my right, and her grandmother was on my left side. On one end of the table was my father-in-law, and on the other end was my mother-in-law. Across from us was my brother-in-law, his wife, and between them sat Samantha, my niece and god-child. Food, glorious sustenance, was set out before us. Before anyone could lay one hand on a roll, Samantha said, for the first time of what would become a tradition at such gatherings, “We need to say the words!” My wife and I looked at each other in mild displeasure.

Why displeasure, you may ask? What exactly was it that I have against saying grace? It is because I felt excluded. Many non-Christians feel singled out when called upon to pray in public. Think of the position we are placed in: we can either pretend to pray with everyone else, betraying our own beliefs while insulting the integrity of the beliefs of others, or we can stand there in awkward silence, feeling out of place and perhaps a little bit ostracized. That may not be the intention of the practice of public prayer, but it is often the effect.

Non-Christians often develop a negative attitude in regards to prayer in general, due to our Christian brethren’s insistence on public prayer. In all honesty, this negativity may be part of what fuels the debate on school prayer. It is this reluctance to pray that concerns me - not only my own resistance to prayer, but the lack of prayer among non-Christians in general. The problem is that prayer is so much apart of the Christian experience, than when a person leaves the Christian religion, they feel they must leave behind this deeply spiritual practice as well.

The truth is, prayer has always been a meaningful method of communing with the Divine and has existed since the dawn of civilization. No one group of people can lay claim to this practice as being exclusively their own. As people of alternative spiritual paths, we need to recognize that it is everyone’s inherited right to communicate with the Divine through prayer. We need to reclaim prayer as our own and find a meaningful way in which people of all faiths can pray together.

So how will I reintegrate prayer into my spiritual practices without alienating my Christian in-laws? By requesting a silent prayer when in public, and praying in earnest when alone. Ironically enough, that is exactly how Jesus recommended that his followers pray. In Matthew 6:5, Jesus instructs his followers saying, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.”

This passage in the Bible leads me to believe that perhaps even the early Christians felt excluded because of the practice of public prayer in ancient Rome. It does no one harm to gently remind them of that possibility. Next time I am at a gathering with family, perhaps I will do just that.

Originally posted September 29th, 2007.

Photo above by Sarah Cartwright. Pentagram Photo by Epimetheus. Witch Photo by Helena.

Back when Christianity was first forming, most cultures had their own religions or Gods, and no single religion was considered “universal.” Although the Romans attempted to equate the Gods of other cultures with their religion and enforced a state sponsored religion, these efforts were far from being uniform in application or success. For the most part, folks worshiped the Gods their parents worshiped, and gave the religions of conquering cultures as little attention as they could get away with. The alternative was to join a mystery religion - cults whose membership remained secret and whose worship was not always acceptable by the rest of society.

Christianity was lumped together with the mystery religions, as an off-shoot of Judaism. However, this religion, was different than the other mystery religions. The fledgling religion was forced into secrecy instead of choosing it, did not allow their adherents to worship other Gods as most mystery religions did, and appealed to all people, regardless of race or culture. With it’s message of salvation regardless of heritage, Christianity represented the first truly universal religion. As the religion grew and became more centralized, the spiritual leaders emphasized the universal appeal of Christianity by calling their church “Catholic” - which means “universal” in Latin.

Two thousand years after the birth of Jesus Christ, one could hardly call the Catholic Church universal anymore. Not only have the several schisms with Christendom given rise to the Protestant religions, but Christianity as a whole is shrinking as a result of religious freedom in Western culture. While it is still the most popular religion in the world, Islam is quickly closing the gap between itself and Christianity. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but does tend to give rise to the question of whether Christianity was as universal as it purported to be in the first place.

The loss of the universal appeal of Christianity could only be attributed to one important truth of the modern world: the desire for creativity. Modern conveniences and ample leisure time has given rise to a greater focus on individual creativity. Traditional forms of worship and social structure within Christianity seems stifling in comparison to the new egalitarian social structure and mutual artistic evolution of the internet. The only religion that I know of which shares these egalitarian and creative elements in Wicca.

Only having emerged in the last fifty years, Wicca is the newest of the world religions. It is a particular blend of European folk lore which focuses on the rhythms of nature and cycles of life instead of theology. Drawing heavily from the ancient Pagan beliefs, Wicca takes the Roman attempt to consolidate deities of different cultures to a new extreme by reducing all Gods into one God with two aspects (God of Darkness and of Light), and all Goddesses into one Goddess with three aspects (Maiden, Mother, and Crone). They also practice ritual, which they call witchcraft, with the intent of influencing reality in a manner that mirrors modern occultism.

Wicca’s greatest strength; however, is in its structure and liturgy. Wiccans usually worship in small groups of 3-13 individuals, called a coven. Even though one man or woman serves as the head priest, all of the individuals in a coven are considered priests in their own right. This puts each individual on equal footing - there are no “followers,” only leaders who allow someone else to lead for a time. The social structure is more akin to family than in Christianity; no one person is more important than another.

This is reflected in the way in which Wiccans worship. Although one member of a coven serves as the lead, the actual rituals, prayers, and practices need the input of each member. Even those rites which are considered “tradition” are up for reinterpretation by an individual coven. Theology, preaching, and passive participation are absent from Wiccan worship. For those looking for worship to be a creative outlet, this religion seems custom made.

These qualities, found in Wicca, make this religion potentially more “Catholic” than Catholicism. Everyone can identify with family, with nature, and with the cycles of life. Any individual can look at the God or Goddess and see a deity that looks like themselves and represents humanity as a whole. More importantly, there is no authority to appease or to declare you heretical simply because you choose to do things a different way. Is it truly any wonder this is the fastest growing religion in the world?

Photo by Sharon Mollerus

Is this yet another regular feature on The Pageless Book? Oh, yes it is. “Friday Vibes” is commentary on three or four blog posts that I feel my readers may be interested in. For this first edition of “Friday Vibes,” I have decided to get into the holiday spirit. I do not know what it is, but I no longer feel as grinch-ish. I am sure it’s just a temporary condition and I’ll be back to my old self soon - heart size and all. Until then, I’d like to point out three excellent articles concerning Christmas that fellow bloggers published this week.

The Holiday Season… How to make it Authentic

If you are like me, and despise the materialistic or commercial elements of the holiday season, then perhaps you would like to look at the article “The Holiday Season…. How to Make it Authentic.” Jennifer, from Goodness Gracious, confronts the inherent problems with Old Saint Nick and gift giving. By suggesting alternative solutions and asking her readers to think about what is truly important to their Christmas, she provides us with tools with which we can rewrite our holiday traditions.

I like this article not only because it appeals to adult sensibilities, but also to my inner child as well. Jennifer shows that Christmas does not need to be all about the gifts, yet shows how we can keep the childlike spirit of Christmas alive. All you have to do is ask what it is about Christmas that is important and down play elements that are not as important. It just takes a little imagination.

Coming Home for Christmas (after de-conversion)

Richard, from De-Conversion, wrote an excellent essay about what Christmas means from an Atheist’s point of view. “Coming Home for Christmas (after de-conversion)” evokes images and impressions of childhood, drawing a sharp comparison between the understanding of the world as an adult with the beliefs we hold as a child. His musings on the subject of Christmas are bitter-sweet, deeply personal, and not exactly what some religious folks might expect from an Atheist.

I have to admit to identifying strongly with this article. Feeling regularly at odds with this holiday myself, I appreciate how hard it is to participate in Christmas without accepting it’s full meaning. Reading this article gave me some perspective and insight into my own feelings regarding Christmas.

A Yule Ritual

Finally, I want to offer something a little bit *different* concerning the holiday season. Posted over at The Sacred Paths is a Wiccan Yule Ritual, and I urge you to take a moment to read it. I really enjoy the Wiccan take on the holidays; something about the rituals and the symbols they associate with the Solstices and Equinoxes speaks to me in a way that the Christian celebrations never have. I might even have to suggest incorporating some Wiccan elements into my own holiday celebration. If you are looking into new traditions for your family, this is a great place to start.

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.

Photo by Pétursey

If you are a Buddhist, and you are on-line, you’ve probably already bounced around this website more then a few times. Perhaps, however, you are like me and are interested in Buddhism in addition to your other spiritual pursuits, in which case you may not know about this website. It’s worth a good long look.

Buddhanet is the central hub for everything related to Buddhism. Whether your interest in Buddhism is curiosity or serious study, you will find that this website can provide you with the information you need. Buddhanet began as a dial-in bulletin board and slowly evolved into the website we see today. It proudly proclaims itself to be “a non-sectarian organisation, offering its services to all Buddhist traditions. It aims to facilitate a significant Buddhist presence in the ever-expanding realm of computer communications technology, applying this technology to helping make the Buddha’s teachings freely available to all.”

If you are new to Buddhism, a good place to start would be under the Buddhist Studies link. They not only have a general over-view of what Buddhism is, but also provide a complete course study in Buddhism. If you are a teacher, the website also provides lessons for your students, as well as a guideline on how to teach Buddhism.

The next thing I would recommend checking out would be the Buddhazine Online Magazine. Most people prefer to casually browse online articles and this section of the website is custom made just for that purpose. Not only does it provide articles on Buddhist traditions, meditation, art, and wisdom, but it also boasts a section devoted to women in Buddhism as well as a section devoted to children.

The website is thorough, as well. Buddhanet provides you an entire library of Buddhist texts. In addition to this, they feature multimedia such as audio files, photos and artwork.  And what if you want to visit a temple? No matter were you might live, Buddhanet can find local Buddhist temples and schools for you. The only thing that I have found this site to be lacking is a sufficient discussion forum, which is ironic seeing as it began as BBS. Seeing as they have just about every Buddhist website available in their suggested links, wouldn’t be too hard to find a good Buddhism Discussion Forum.

Whether you have a full day to waste on one website or just a few moments, I would suggest spending your time on Buddhanet. With so much information and so much to do, it’s hard to get bored. Even if you are like me and can only find time to browse websites occasionally, it still does a soul good to be infused with the wisdom of the Buddha.

It’s confession time again for yours truly. This time ‘round, I’m venting about Christmas. Here’s a big surprise - I don’t like it. I haven’t looked forward to the Christmas season for a long time. It isn’t due to the religious implications of this time of year. I can handle hearing about the birth of Christ; I actually find it to be rather inspirational. No, the reason I despise Christmas is the intrusion of this holiday on every aspect of our society for a period of a month and a half.

From between Black Friday and New Years Eve, there is this unrealistic expectation that everyone should be in good cheer. We’re suppose to maintain this attitude while listening to the same repetitive music in every public venue and spending copious amounts of money on gifts. To make matters worse, everyone in the whole country is competing for the same gifts, leading to traffic jams, over worked sales clerks, irate customers, and fist fights over toys that will most likely be broken before the end of January. Even if you had managed to get your Christmas shopping done early, you still have to deal with the influx of Christmas commercials, mindless news casts covering the Christmas rush, massive decorating projects, sending out Christmas cards, and wrapping the presents for Christmas day.

Is it any wonder that there’s a Christmas Resistance Movement? Buy Nothing Day? Call me a scrooge if you must, but I think Christmas is a waste of time, money, and energy. There’s nothing spiritual about these material things and nothing special about this one day out of the year.

My wife is attempting to break me out of my funk in regarding to this holiday season. She has offered me an alternative that I’m seriously thinking about implementing; a new family tradition. This tradition would de-emphasize the importance of gift giving and reinforce Christmas as a celebration of family. That is, after all, what the story of Jesus’s birth is about; the completion of one man and one woman by the inclusion of a child. Nothing could be more special.

So I’m left with thinking about the possibilities of what this new tradition would include. It should be fairly obvious what I believe should be left out… Is it too much to ask that a spiritual holiday be about spirituality? I want to hear your ideas on what the Christmas season should be and how it could be.

Despite my faith in the Divine, I don’t believe in an afterlife in the traditional sense. My sense of self, my ego, my intellect, will die with my body. To some, that thought is thoroughly depressing. I can certainly understand why. What level headed person wants to simply “end?” Yet, for me, it’s comforting. It’s the ultimate example of altruism; I end so others may begin. I decay, so that others may become. My name is forgotten, so that others may be known. I guess I’m not such a level headed person after all.

Someone who is currently struggling to find her own beliefs, particularly in regards life and death, recently helped me realize how someone comes to those conclusions. I could argue that my ideas concerning the afterlife is rooted in logic, historical facts, or even my personal holy text, the Gated Emptiness. None of this goes to the heart of how we come to our understanding of the universe around us; how we come to believing what we believe.

We feel the truth. We come to our conclusions purely by emotion, and then use reason to justify the conclusion. That doesn’t mean that our conclusions are wrong, but that does mean that my idea concerning the afterlife is no better or worse then those who believe differently. No one can be entirely certain that their ideas concerning the afterlife is the undeniable, absolute truth, absent of any origin in emotion. Even those folks who use science to back up their beliefs are choosing to rely on the experiments and experiences of thousands of men and women who are just as emotional and fallible as themselves. “Knowledge” itself is now questionable, if only because someone has to observe and interpret data to gain any use from it.

Thus the only thing we can really know is ourselves… and if you believe as I do, not even that is permanent. That is why, as an Omnitheist, I have to constantly remind myself that my view of the world isn’t the only “correct” view. I’m not perfect, but at the very least I can try.