Religious Education satisfies curiosities

Children often pose the most astounding questions. Where did I come from? Why is that man sleeping outside? How do I know what is right? Do you believe in God? Why is my brother so mean? If I wish hard enough, will it come true?

Adults have confided in me that they are surprised and challenged by children's deep questions. So often these simple inquiries touch on complex ethical or theological issues. Children can sense when grown-ups are uncomfortable and can learn to stop asking. Even if we do not have all the
answers, it is important to nurture curiosity and reverence from a young age.

William Ellery Channing, Newport native and father of American Unitarianism for whom our church is dedicated, wrote in 1830, "The great end in religious instruction is not to stamp our minds upon the young, but to stir up their own. Not to make them see with our eyes, but to look inquiringly and steadily with their own. Not to give them a definite amount of knowledge, but to inspire a fervent love of truth. Not to form an outward regularitybut to touch inward springs."

The Religious Education program at Channing Memorial Church is designed to empower children and youth to engage directly with the beauty and struggles of life. Our classes are designed to foster self-confidence, respect for the inherent worth of every person, reverence for the interdependent web of existence, and encourage a life of compassion and service.

Often couples who have different religious backgrounds or who are searching for a caring community of all ages will join a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Personally, I was raised attending a Unitarian Universalist church. My paternal side is Jewish and my maternal side is Catholic. My family found a religious home in a supportive community that honored our
interfaith heritage and nurtured our ongoing spiritual development. From an early age, I was taught that my thoughts, feelings, and deeds are valuable.

The lessons learned on Sunday mornings helped me to understand that my actions have consequences not only for myself but also positively or negatively affect the interdependent web of life of which I am a part.

Each year we offer classes in the following areas: World Religions, Unitarian Universalist principles, and Social Justice. This year's curriculum includes earth-based traditions, ethics, spiritual development, and making a difference in the world.

In addition, Our Whole Lives (OWL) will be offered for 4-5 graders and 7-8 graders who enroll in this comprehensive sexuality education class. Although many people are surprised that a church would speak candidly about sex, the predominant misinformation, shame and pressure in our society make it essential. OWL is a curriculum developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association in partnership with United Church of Christ. O, the magazine published by Oprah Winfrey featured this program in a recent issue. We believe that honoring our bodies, having caring relationships and making healthy choices is essential.

On Saturday, September 12, 10:00am-12:00pm, a Community Open House will be held at Channing Memorial Church, 135 Pelham Street in Newport. All are welcome to drop by the Parish Hall to register children or to learn more about our church. Halcyon Westall, our Director of Religious Education and I will be available to answer your questions and provide information about upcoming classes and events.


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Newport Pride Meetup this Friday at 6:30pm

I hope you can join us! ~Amy

Newport Pride Meetup
This Friday from 6:30pm - 8:30pm
EMPIRE TEA AND COFFEE
On Broadway in Newport, RI

Join us for an informal gathering to meet, network and organize. This meeting we will be coordinating plans for marching in the RI Pride Parade on Saturday as well as discuss starting an Interweave chapter at Channing Church.

On Facebook? You can RSVP to this event and invite friends here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=90610198329

Live Knowing Your Actions Matter

            How relevant to modern life are Heaven and Hell?  Many religions hold that there are stages of Heaven and stages of Hell to which people are sent according to their good or bad deeds during life.   

            Egyptian tomb paintings from as early as 2500 BC show the jackal-headed god Anubis as the gatekeeper of the underworld.  Anubis would determine a person’s worthiness by weighing the deceased heart against the feather of truth.  The heart would be weighted down by bad deeds and lightened by good.  When your life comes to an end, how will your heart measure up against the feather of truth?      

            The idea of judgment after death is found in many religious traditions.  In Judaism the Jewish New Year is the time to reconcile your misdeeds so your name will be inscribed into the Book of Life.  In Christianity, St. Peter is sometimes depicted as the keeper of Heaven’s Gate where people will be interviewed in order to be admitted to Heaven, damned to Hell or sent to Purgatory where they might purge or make up for their sins.  In both Hinduism and Buddhism, it is believed that life is a wheel of successive reincarnations.  Between reincarnations, people arrive in the hall of the ruler of the dead where people are judged according to their right or wrong actions.  People are then rewarded or punished in one of many different heavens or hells before being reborn.  Eastern religions emphasize the journey between lifetimes is one of consciousness.

            There are many different visions of Heaven.  Where the earth is chaotic and unpredictable, human beings look upward to the wheel of stars as a realm of immortality, order and harmony.  Paradise is also portrayed as a verdant garden like Eden located somewhere on this earth.  Explorers were driven to discover an idyllic place with a perfect climate and fertile land where people could live in harmony with the world of nature.  Some believed it was an island without aging, disease, work, or private property.

            Heaven is sometimes depicted as a land of endless pleasure with food, drink, frolicking and music.  St. Paul countered that “The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and the Holy Spirit.”  Rabbi Rav of the third century AD wrote, “There is neither eating nor drinking, nor any begetting of children, no bargaining or jealousy or hatred or strife.  All that the righteous do is sit with their crowns on their heads and enjoy the effulgence of the Presence.”

            Where Heaven is a place of bliss and perfection, Hell is the opposite: a place of torment.  Some theologians proclaim that a perk of Heaven is that you can see justice served by witnessing those who wronged you being punished. 

            I challenge you to consider your own views of Heaven and Hell.  When you say, “Ah, Heaven!” what are you experiencing?  Physical pleasure?  Beauty?  Material Security?  Personal Achievement?  Peace?  Love?  A sense of God’s presence?  Harmony with the natural world?  Here is the really tough question, do you receive satisfaction from the suffering of others especially those who you do not like or may have hurt you in some way?

            When you say, “Oh, Hell!” what are you encountering?  Physical pain?  Ugliness?  Loss?  Failure?  Frustration?  Hatred?  A sense of isolation?

            As people of conscience, it is important to be mindful of what we hold as ideal for that is what motivates our actions.  It is equally important to consider how sometimes our misplaced striving after that ideal leads to suffering and thereby creates our own hell.  The ideal of a Paradise with a perfect climate, trees always bearing fruit, a place without aging, disease or work has not been abandoned.  Consider how many modern conveniences, marketing campaigns, and resorts were born from those longings.  Super-sized meals deficient of nutrients, people purchasing luxury items on credit, and attempts to mask signs of aging can lead to lives out of balance.  Ironically, our desire for vengeance instead of reconciliation weighs on our hearts hurting us more than our enemies.   

            The mystery of death and the afterlife remains.  However, no matter who makes the final judgment whether it is God or karma, our own conscience or our impact on others—there is one conclusion, our actions matter.  Whether or not you believe in life after death or Heaven and Hell among us, all traditions teach the same lesson that our choices have consequences that can give rise to love or pain.  The path to healing and wholeness is through nourishing others.

Hutchinson Helped Build a Bridge to a Better World

One of the names being proposed for the new Sakonnet River Bridge is Anne Hutchinson. Like many early settlers, she moved to Massachusetts Bay Colony seeking to worship freely.  Anne had no formal education but was instructed by her father who was a dissident Puritan clergyman.  Anne and her husband William had eleven children when they arrived in the New World in 1634 and their family eventually grew to fifteen.  Anne invited other women to her home where they studied the Bible, discussed religious issues, and current events.  These gatherings were so engaging that soon men as well as women filled her home to participate in lively discussions.  Her following grew to eighty people, too large a gathering for a house so they moved to a church.

 

Although the early settlers of Massachusetts Bay Colony left England in order to worship freely, they themselves did not believe in the free expression of religion.  The Puritans set up a theocracy where all people were expected to follow the same religious laws.  Anne Hutchinson directly challenged the moral and legal codes of the Puritans as well as advocating for the rights of women and Native Americans.  Like Rogers Williams, she was put on trial for her heretical views and banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony.  In 1638, Anne Hutchinson, her family, and sixty of her followers settled in Pocasset, what we now call Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

 

At a time when women were told to be quiet and obedient, Anne Hutchinson spoke out and defied the established order.  At a time when it was taught that women were cursed, Anne held a steadfast belief that to be a woman was a blessing.  Certainly, she had plenty of reasons to be complacent including the moral codes of the time and her massive responsibilities as the mother of such a large family.  There was no model for her actions.  However, she was moved by her own conscience, the teachings of her father, and her reading of the Bible which gave her a vision of a more harmonious world. 

 

She started small, inviting neighboring women to join her for conversation.  Her message and the energy that resulted could not be contained.  In just four years from when she arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, her following grew enough to be perceived as a threat to the establishment.

 

In 1639, a year after Hutchinson’s group established Pocasset on the northern end of Aquidneck Island, half of the group led by William Coddington and Nicholas Easton moved south to form our city of Newport.  Following their conscience, many of them became Baptists believing in the separation of church and state.  This was codified into law in the Newport Town Statutes of 1641.  Newport is one of the first secular democracies.

 

Many times, we become discouraged with the complexity and scale of the problems of our times.  There are so many needs, so much that is broken and needs fixing.  The powers of government seem too entrenched with the interests of big business to really care about our well-being and that of the down-trodden. 

 

Anne Hutchinson did not complain that she was born into the doomed generation or find excuses for inaction.  She lived out her beliefs.  We must do the same. 

 

Living in a small state as we do, we have an opportunity to effect legislation and bring about positive change. One of the blessings of our country is that we are free to express our opinions and to advocate for change.  Our state senators and representatives work for us.  Whenever constituents take the time to communicate our message is taken seriously.

Although the outcome may not be clear from where we stand, a few people can build a bridge to a better world.

Channing Church launches capital campaign to restore steeple

Channing Memorial Church is a thriving Unitarian Universalist congregation located in the heart of Newport. First gathered in 1835, our congregation has been a vital and inspirational community for generations dedicated to the values of liberal religion.

The Rev. William Ellery Channing spoke at the dedication of the church first housed on Mill Street. It was Channing who first articulated what came to be known as Unitarian theology, that there is but one God. Driven by his inclusive faith and a passion for social justice, Channing was an influential leader. His thought gave rise to New England Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau and inspired intellectuals and reformers worldwide.

The Unitarian congregation chose to build a Memorial Sanctuary to honor William Ellery Channing in his birthplace. A feat that, according to the minister of the time “the majority of the congregation considered impossible and some thought it an insane and wild dream, but they resolved to go forward.” The cornerstone bearing the words “We Build in Faith, Hope, Charity” was laid on Pelham Street across from the Old Stone Mill in 1880, the centennial of Channing’s birth.

Many dignitaries gathered for the Centennial Celebration in Newport including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott, and Julia Ward Howe. The newspaper reports of the time state that the building of the church was cause for celebration not only for Unitarians but for all people.

Since its completion, the stone steeple of Channing Memorial Church has risen 130 feet above the skyline in Newport. Located on Historic Hill, the steeple can be seen from the water and when crossing the Pell Bridge. Newport’s tallest point, it is a symbol of religious freedom in a town known for religious diversity and tolerance.

Since 1881, Newport has not only looked to Channing’s steeple for inspiration, they have listened to its music. Housed within is a rare nine-bell set of chimes, a massive musical instrument with bells ranging in size from 300 pounds to just over a ton. For over one hundred years, the bells rang out in celebration at weddings, tolled in mourning, and rang in solidarity with the joys and sorrows of the larger community. That is, until the year 2000 when neighbors began hearing a periodic clang in the middle of the night, the sound of bricks falling from within the steeple striking the historic bells.

This phantom bell-ringing alerted church leaders to growing structural problems with the steeple caused by years of moisture freezing and thawing. This moisture found its way into the steeple through faults in previous repairs. A platform was constructed to protect the bells and a steel girdle was fastened to shore up the stone structure.

“Rising to the Challenge!” is the theme of the Capital Campaign to repair the steeple and bells of Channing Memorial Church launched on March 1, 2009. Already members and friends of the church are rising to the challenge! Of the estimated cost of $1.2 million benefactors, church members, and Foundations have already contributed roughly $400,000. In December, Channing Memorial Church’s application for a “Save America’s Treasures” grant of $440,000 was approved. This grant is very competitive. Our successful application demonstrates that the Gilded Age Sanctuary is a treasure not only to our own membership but as a community asset. Our goal is to raise $400,000, the remaining third needed to restore our steeple and bells.

This project is about more than stone and mortar. The steeple project is our opportunity to preserve a beacon of liberal religion for future generations. In the tradition of our namesake, Channing Memorial Church is an open and inclusive community dedicated to the values of equality, justice, and compassion. The church is open to all people for rites of passage, meditation, concerts, and educational opportunities; a safe haven for people of all religious backgrounds or none at all to join together for interfaith services and celebrations.

To reconstruct a steeple is an act of faith. The tower of stone seems to defy gravity as it rises 130 feet into the sky. When so much music is recorded, it is an act of faith to restore a chime of bells to ring out with timeless music. This reconstruction project will begin this spring. When so many banks are floundering, you are invited to invest in a sure thing.

Rev. Amy Bowden Freedman is the Minister of Channing Memorial Church, a Unitarian Universalist Church in Newport, RI.

Helping Our Neighbor

The Good Samaritan is a familiar parable. A priest and a Levite, two esteemed members of society pass by a man who has been left mugged and beaten by robbers. However, a Samaritan, a person looked down upon in Jesus’ times, went out of his way to care for the stranger. This parable is so well-known that the word Samaritan means more than a native or inhabitant of Samaria, but is also defined as person who is ready and generous in helping others; someone who treats all who cross their path with the kindness of a neighbor or a friend.

In the 1970’s, Darley and Batson conducted a psychological experiment to explore whether there is a link between personality traits and the likelihood of helping others. The experiment was conducted at the Princeton Theological Seminary with seminary students who were told that they were participating in a study of "religious education and vocations". The first stage of the study involved filling out a personality questionnaire on religious beliefs. One hypothesis Darley and Batson were testing was whether people who are religious for what it will gain them might be less likely to help than those who value religion for its own sake or who are searching for meaning in life.

After completing the questionnaire in individual sessions, seminarians were sent to another building in which they were to give an oral presentation. Before heading on their way, half the subjects were given a copy of the parable of the Good Samaritan and were told that they would give a sermon on the subject. The other half were told that they would speak extemporaneously about job prospects for seminary students. This was to test whether people who were thinking "helping" or religious thoughts might be more likely to offer assistance.

The other variable in the experiment was a condition of time. As they set off for the other building, some subjects were told that they were late, others that they were on time, and the third group that they had time to spare.

The real behavior of interest occurred when the seminarians were traveling from one building to the next. In an alleyway, Darley and Batson had placed a man slumped in a doorway, head down, eyes closed. The two psychologists described him as an ambiguous figure like the man on the road to Jericho except fully clothed. This slumped figure could have been injured or drunk. As each subject passed the man moaned and coughed twice.

The results of the experiment were shocking: sixty percent of the seminarians walked on without offering help. Those preparing to preach on the parable of the Good Samaritan were no more likely to stop than those speaking on another subject. In fact, some seminarians actually stepped over the man on their way to speak about the Good Samaritan. The personality profiles revealed no characteristics or religious beliefs that predicted helping behavior. The only factor that seemed to make a difference was the condition of time. Only a small fraction who were told they were late stopped to offer help, ten percent while sixty-three percent of those who thought they had time to spare, offered assistance.

If these seminary students preparing for a "helping profession" like ministry, some actually on their way to speak on the timeless message of aiding one’s neighbor, did not stop, how much more likely is it that you and I might fail to notice or fail to take action when we encounter someone in need of help. The conclusion to this study was that ethical behavior can be viewed as a luxury as the speed of daily life increases! Personally, I do not want to live in a world like that.

Although we may never encounter someone beaten, robbed and lying naked on the road, it is important to recognize that each person who crosses our path is our neighbor often with losses and injuries invisible to the eye but no less real. Let us live with open generous hearts, taking the time to notice those who cross our path and reaching out to one another with compassion. Performing simple acts of kindness and pausing to seek connection with one another is truly the spirit of the holiday season.

Times of hardship hold opportunities

There is a contest going on about how the world should be rendered. A contest about whether our lives should be governed by Might, Wealth, and Wisdom or Love, Distribution, and Righteousness. I am not referring to the current campaign for President of the United States. The contest is greater than the debate between the Democratic and Republican candidates. This contest is even greater than the current economic crisis or the ongoing War in Iraq and Afghanistan. The outcome of this contest will determine how we live our lives. More than that, it will determine the health of our planet and the well-being of the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

In June, Walter Brueggemann, a Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary addressed a gathering of Unitarian Universalist ministers. His address was so compelling that he inspired me to read his most acclaimed book, The Prophetic Imagination, and to consider how his message applies to our lives.

King Solomon flourished during the mid-tenth century BC. He is described both in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Qur’an as a leader of might, wealth, and wisdom. He was the third and final king of the United Monarchy, ruling for forty years over a land that divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah after his death. He was a prolific writer of proverbs and songs many of which are attributed to him in the Bible. Scriptures also attribute the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem, considered one of the ancient wonders of the world to his leadership.

Over the course of his reign, King Solomon experienced great commercial prosperity in part by trafficking in arms. Solomon virtually enslaved his nation to build the Temple and his palace. He taxed his subjects to poverty while he lived surrounded by luxury. Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses. It is an understatement to say he was a ladies man—he had one thousand wives.

The life of King Solomon is one to which many nations and individuals aspire today: Might, Wealth and Wisdom as the shining goal. Only, it is a goal that will never be reached. Within this worldview is an insatiable appetite for more at any cost. When Might, Wealth, and Wisdom are upheld as the ideals of living, then everything becomes a commodity, including other people.

This is what Walter Brueggemann calls “royal consciousness.” When the dominant culture extols political power, military might, and affluence, truth becomes equated with power; as the saying goes, “Might makes right.” When the goal of life becomes “The one with the most stuff wins” then victory remains very shallow indeed. The current credit crunch and home lending disaster was fed by this myth of the good life. A life surrounded by luxuries, new toys, and pretty objects that would somehow secure our happiness; an outward show of prosperity to demonstrate our worth to ourselves, our family, and the wider community.

Through out the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, prophets present an alternative worldview to “royal consciousness.” Moses, Elijah, Amos, Nathan, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jesus were more than political activists these Biblical prophets were teachers and poets. Through their words and actions, they demonstrated the World as a Neighborhood upholding the values of Love, Distribution, and Righteousness as the purpose of living.

As Jesus reminds his disciples in Matthew 6, it is not possible to serve two masters. Brueggmann asserts that the reason so many Americans feel harried and exhausted is because we are attempting to serve two worldviews. However, it is not possible to serve two masters. For us to order the World as a Neighborhood instead of as an Empire, we must recognize our responsibility to one another including how our choices impact the interdependent web of life.

I know that you as people of conscience share in my grief over the disparity between those who have in abundance and those who struggle just to get by. I know you share my pain over the current climate crisis and the plight of our fellow inhabitants of this earth. You also share my anxiety about the current state of the economy and how it may affect our future. Grief work is a precondition for joy. Unless we fully experience life in its pain and struggle, we remain unable to truly experience the beauty and wonder of life. Although none of us would wish this economic downturn, we must allow it to break through our numbness to inspire new priorities in our daily lives.

Margaret Starbird tonight at Channing

Tonight at Channing Church will be presenting on the Sacred Union at the Heart of Christianity. Starbird's research was one of the sources inspiring Dan Brown's bestselling book and movie The DaVinci Code.

This will be Starbird's second presentation at Channing. This evening she will be discussing the relationship between Jesus of Nazarith and Mary Magdalene. Starbird's research suggests a long supression of the role of Mary as the bride of Jesus Christ, a role she believes must be restored for Christianity to thrive today.

7pm at Channing Memorial Church
Suggested donation $10
Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/channingmap

Starbird is the author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail, Magdalene's Lost Legacy: Symbolic Numbers and the Sacred Union in Christianity, The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine, Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile and others.

As one life passes, new life begins

Ministry brings me in touch with the cycles of life on a daily basis. I am called to be with members of the congregation in times of struggle and loss as well as times of joy when people welcome new life or commit themselves in love. This is one of the gifts of my calling that I am constantly reminded that our lives are precious. That no other person or special moment should be taken for granted.

My understanding of the fleeting nature of existence motivates me to live without regret to the best of my ability. As I weigh decisions about how I will spend my time or the quality of relationships with other people, I constantly ask myself whether I have done the best possible. I try not to delay speaking words of caring concern. When someone is in my mind or heart, I reach out to them even if unexpected. When there is an unresolved conflict or hurt, I seek reconciliation and forgiveness. When I have left a responsibility unfinished, I work to complete it or find help or adjust the timetable. By no means am I perfect, but I refuse to reach the end of my days haunted by “what if’s” or “should have’s.”

This is a time in my personal life that is particularly bittersweet. My father died on September 12, 2008. Robert J. Freedman was born in 1921 in Brockton, MA, the third child and only son of Abram and Hilda. He was a caring, intelligent man with a keen interest in people. He was married to my mother Josephine for 41 years and was also Stepfather to my brother, Michael.

Above all, my father was a man of integrity. He was always hard-working, dependable, and true to his word. He did not suffer fools or hypocrites. However, he also had a sense of wonder about life in its infinite variety. At an early age his Uncle Harold had told him, “Bobby, you do not really look at anything.” He took this message to heart and began a lifelong practice of capturing color and form on film. His photographs do not focus on landscapes or people but instead show fascinating details found on his walks, such as an abandoned building, a store window, a funny sign, a tree reflected in a puddle, a shadow cast on a wall.

Over the past four years, my father suffered a decline in his abilities. This began subtly at first with an inability to remember certain words and then to complete certain tasks. He was frustrated that he was not able to perform to his usual high standards. After a weeklong stay in the hospital due to internal bleeding, we began having a team of health aides care for him. It was not easy to have strangers in my parents’ home but we found a caregiver who was not only a skilled health professional but fit into our family beautifully. Early on, my father even had her take him around the Boston area taking photographs.

My mother’s love and devotion to my father motivated her to find creative solutions to accommodate his mental and physical decline at home. My parents moved to their home in Newport this August when it seemed my father had reached a plateau in his health. However, his strength and appetite soon waned and his imminent passing was anticipated.

During his final days, my mother, my husband, my father’s caregiver and I said prayers from many different traditions around his bedside. We held his hands, told him how much we loved him, and that although we would miss him we would take care of one another. I was there as he let out his last three sighs. The cycles of life fill me with humility and wonder. Dad never really understood that I am pregnant. However, at the same time as I bid farewell to a man who will always hold a special place in my heart, I could feel new life kicking inside me. Truly, I am blessed.

Green Conference this Saturday

This Saturday, September 20th, Newport is the place to be for anyone with an interest in the energy future of Rhode Island. The Aquidneck Island Energy Conference will feature an impressive list of speakers and exhibitors, including Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I. Senate Majority Leader Teresa Paiva Weed, Cynthia Giles of the Conservation Law Foundation, Karina Lutz of People's Power & Light, and a diverse list of energy producers, wind advocates, and more. All will share their insight into how going green can save energy and money while creating new jobs. Topics include Solar, Wind, Geo-Thermal, Green Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Renovations and Retrofitting. The conference runs 9:00am to 5:00pm. Lunch will be available on the site. Suggested donation: $10.

The event is sponsored by Salve Regina University, Channing Memorial Church, and the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission to address global-warming related pollution and strategize among a wide cross-section of participants.