Find Religion

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field.

I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language- even the phrase “each other” -do not make any sense.

This Rumi poem/prayer of truth is the way we are to approach sacred circle. Empty out so the space can be filled with Her grace. Divine femininity is characteristic by the chalice, the bowl; such as the womb. It is hidden, open & receiving of the abundance that is our birthright. She gathers her knowledge and wisdom not thru words but thru sacred imagery and symbol. This is why creativity is so essential to nurture the spirit. Our creative endeavors are Divinity Herself being made real for all to see. This is why beauty is so important not only to the senses but the sensibilities. We were created for ecstasy and pleasure. Art is the God/dess Herself manifest. I can’t imagine much more exciting than that right now. Go create! Let’s see what She wants to say thru You! This is a challenge. Read the Rumi Poem & begin. Be Inspired!

Email me pictures of your creations so I can show them in a future post. Thanks!

Yesterday, I drove to my hometown, about an hour and 45 minutes from where I live now, to celebrate my mother’s birthday by going to a mother-daughter banquet with her at our church. This banquet is held every year, and this year’s theme was “tea party,” so of course, there were lots of goodies like scones and chocolates, as well as a covered dish meal. I love doing community things with my church.

Rewind back with me for a minute to the day before. I was talking to a friend of mine, and she’s recently had a bit of an academic failure. Nothing life-threatening, but a little disappointing nonetheless. She’ll be graduating in a few weeks, and she asked be something that was very familiar, since I just graduated college in December: What’s the point.

See, my friend was feeling under-appreciated a bit by some people, and with others, like her family, she kind of felt that they’d be proud of her no matter what…so what’s the point of achievement and goals, other than to have a good time and do what you love to do?

As I sat with my mother and grandmother at the banquet, I thought, this is the point. I was surrounded by women, from the age of under a year old to in her 90s, and all of them were laughing, sharing stories, and enjoying fellowship in God. The “point” in life is, at the end of the day, to look back and be able to thank God for your children or career or friends, because these things made your life joyous.

Sipping tea and coffee, there was a woman who lost those they loved and started to sing again, a woman who was watching her great-great-grandaughter (yes, you read that right, two greats!) play with another little girl, a women who went back to school to get into the ministry after years of following other career paths, a women just starting motherhood, and a women that overcame great obstacles with her health to join us for tea. Some of these women had never left the valley where they were born. Some of these women had never gone to college or even graduated high school. Some of these women chose never to have children, but instead surround themselves with friends.

And at the end of the day, I think all of their lives were filled with joy in life and joy in God. That’s the point.

CHEYENNE - Increasing numbers of nursing students are taking religion into consideration when treating patients.

Michael G. Azar, assistant lecturer for the religious studies program at the University of Wyoming, said the number of nurses in the introductory Religion 1000 online class has been increasing.

“I would say its probably the most frequent major I have seen,” he said. “They go together very well, I think, if it’s nothing beyond simply being able to talk to your patients and comfort them.” READ MORE

To me, this makes a lot of sense. Sometimes, a person’s true exploration of religion doesn’t begin until, unfortunately, he or she is faced with their coming death. Hospitals are sometimes filled with more religious people that churches. I like the idea of nurses, and doctors as well, taking some religious classes. In fact, I think this should be a required part of their education, if only as a first year student.

I mean, ultimately, we will all die. No matter how well doctors treat your or how good the medical advances, death is unavoidable. With death comes thoughts on the afterlife. By doctors and nurses understanding different religious viewpoints, they can better understand their patients and better determine how to treat them. Our lives lie in the hands of these doctors and nurses, and to be the very best, I believe that understanding the human spirit is crucial. Science only takes you so far.

I’m not saying that doctors and nurses have to be religious. I’m not saying they should promote religion. I’m just saying that, in general, they should understand the viewpoints of their patients as fully as possible.

nurses, doctors, medical care, nursing students, college students, patient care, religion

Today, all eyes are on the campus of Virginia Tech where, I’m sure you’ve heard by now, over 30 people were gunned down this morning when a shooter attacked the campus. As of yet, the gunman has not been identified, nor has it been released whether he was a member of the student body. One thing is certain: this is the deadliest shooting in the history of the United States. As I’m writing right now, 33 are confirmed dead, including the shooter. It has not been released if police killed the shooter or if it was suicide.

EDIT, 4/17:Since writing this yesterday, the gunman has been identified as Cho Seung-Hui, a senior VA Tech English student, and it has also been determined that he shot himself. The number dead stands at 33, with the students still in the hospital as stable.

At times like these, most people, myself include are just dumbfounded. I look to the sky. Why, God? Why? Death is never an easy part of life, but on top of death, shear tragedy.

And yet, it is difficult to not want to bring the shooter back to life, just to shoot him again. Most people will agree with me when I think, I hope he suffered. That, dear readers, scares me. My own feelings about this situation make me question my very ability to write a daily blog about religion. For in the Bible, it says,

“If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”
1 John 1:8-9

To condemn the shooter, as heinous as the crime may be, is to put ourselves above as somehow “better.” It is to deny the sins within ourselves. I’m not justifying what the shooter did. This was a horrible, horrible thing, and he is a cold-blooded murderer. However, right now, I’m pledging to open my heart to forgiveness.

Remember, forgiveness is not the same as saying “it’s ok.” It’s NOT ok. It will never BE ok. Forgiveness is simple saying “I acknowledge what you did, but it is not in my place to judge you.” God will judge this event; I feel confident in that. The deaths of the innocent will not go forgotten, here or in an eternal life. However, it is important that we don’t let the grief and hate consume us. It is important to realize that the loss of ALL the lives today was a complete tragedy, but we are still living, and we can work towards creating something positive out of this.

My first reaction is to tell you to donate to any one of the numerous funds that I’m sure has been set up/is being set up in the names of the victims. Give what you can in their honor to make Virginia Tech safer and to help close friends and family members with funeral expenses and with getting the help they will surely need with the grieving process. On second thought, I’d like to recommend something else as well–donate or volunteer within your own community. What happened today at Virginia Tech could happen at your alma mater or at the college where your child attends or even at your local high school. Violence is a problem that is not going away. By giving what you can when you can, you will help to make our communities a safer place.

God bless all of the deceased, God bless all those left behind.

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Ms. Mize has contacted me and said that she did NOT turn in the paper with the religious statements included, but turned in a edited version of the paper and a statement hoping to prevent the same thing from happening in the future. For that, I applaud her. I think it freedom to talk about God is very important.

I’m sorry for the mistake in my reporting–the various articles, including the one linked yesterday and others, come together to form a very misleading representation of what really happened. It just goes to show that you can’t believe everything you read–not even from me.

My opinions do, however, stay the same. I believe religion is very important, but that specific beliefs are not always appropriate everywhere, especially in a professional career. Stay strong in what you believe and stand up for your rights, as Ms. Mize did, but realize that your specific ideas regarding God might make others uncomfortable and angry, which I’m feel God would not want. If you want to keep God in every moment of your life, it is important to fight your battles wisely.

religion, religion in schools, education, Christine Mize, first amendment

[Christine] Mize, a 45-year-old graduate student in social work from Murphysboro, said SIUC associate professor Laura Dreuth-Zeman informed her in December she wouldn’t be able to write a term paper about faith-based therapy for women experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder from abortions. Read the rest…

The debate over religion in public schools has been ongoing for a long time now with no clear resolution in site, but it is more rare that you hear about this debate extending to the college world. In any case, I was surprised to read this article. Mize, who’s original idea for a paper topic was turned down, late submitted a different paper that included religious ideas. The paper was accompanied by a legal statement declaring the freedom of religion entitled her to a fair grade. At first, the paper was not graded, but later the professor graded it, probably to avoid what could have been a messy legal value.

I’m torn on how I feel about this case. On one hand, I’m glad Mize stood up for her religious beliefs. There’s not a lot of people willing to do that in the world today. I fully believe that she should have been allowed to do her original faith-based therapy topic. Actually, for a course in social work, that sounds like a very interesting topic about which to read.

However, it kind of sounds like she used her paper to make a statement. Its great to be able to use religious examples in a paper, but as an English major, I know very well how to write a paper, and one of the main things we learn is how to write to a specific audience. The fact of the matter is, in the world of social work, there will be a lot of times when religion just isn’t appropriate at work. In fact, it can get you into some legal trouble in some cases. Mize knew that her religious topics were not appreciated, but she went against the professor and included them in her paper anyway. For that alone, I think it is warranted that she receive a lower grade. It has nothing to do with what she actually believes–it has everything to do with her following directions.

religion, religion in schools, education, Christine Mize, first amendment

Yesterday, I had an interview at King’s College. The school is a private Catholic college, with around 2,000 students. When my interviewer gave me directions, he told me to go to the fifth floor of the building with the statue on top.

My boyfriend, who graduated from King’s, drove me past the building a few days ago so I’d know how to get there. They weren’t kidding about that statue. It’s huge and looks very out-of-place, because it is just stuck on top of the five-story building. And, of course, it is of Jesus. I couldn’t find a picture of that statue, but here’s the general idea:

My boyfriend noted that because the building is next to the river, it lookes like Jesus is ready to jump in.

Today, as I looked up at the figure, I couldn’t help think to myself, “I was in college once, and I’ve been there. Don’t do it, man.”

Jesus

When I was choosing college, it was not my top priority to find a Christian school. However, I ended up going to a college that has an affiliation with the Church of the Brethren, a Protestant form of Christianity that is similar to the Mennonite tradition.

I’m pretty happy with my choice, and I will be sad to leave here next month. I encourage all college-bound teens to consider attending schools with religious affiliations. There are a number of benefits:

You can find religious clubs and services more readily. Religious schools will have oppertunity for religious involvement at many levels.

You can take a religious class. If you go to a school with a religious affliation, you are more likely to have the chance to take some religious classes or even choose a religious major.

Moral codes are more strongly upheld. For example, at my college with sign a pledge of integrity as freshmen, saying that we will not cheat, lie, plagerize, etc. I’m sure some people still do, but perhaps it does not happen as often, and that creates a better learning environment for everyone.

There will be religious leaders on campus.Religiously affiliated schools will have chaplains or other religious leaders on campus. Many may even teach your classes. That’s a great resource if you’re doing some soul-searching and a wonderful person to turn to if you need some spiritual help or guidence.

Religious colleges have other beenfits as well. The important thing is to find a college that is comfortable for you–make sure you won’t feel out-of-place at a college that is not religious enough, and, on the other hand, be sure that the religious obligations required by your college (attending services for example) won’t inhibit your ability to learn.

Happy college searching!

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