Science fiction is often considered to be an atheist endeavor and many science fiction writers would agree. It is interesting though, how many of them had religious upbringings, many specifically Christian.
Robert A. Heinlein, Baptist; Gene Rodenberry, Baptist; Jules Verne, Roman Catholic; J.R.R. Tolkein, Roman Catholic; Stanislaw Lem, Roman Catholic; Karel Capek, Roman Catholic; Anthony Burgess, Roman Catholic; Jerry Pournelle, Roman Catholic; George Lucas, Methodist; Stephen King, Methodist; Beverly Cleary, Presbyterian; Piers Anthony, Quaker.
Showing posts with label Quakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quakers. Show all posts
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian
Gully, Philip, If the Church were Christian. Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010)
He contends that “we should never delude ourselves into thinking that today’s church sprang directly from the mind and witness of Jesus.” In fact, he believes that the modern church doesn’t seem to share the same values as Jesus.
Gulley states that, “We can’t know what Jesus intended the church to be …” and that we can’t assume that the four gospels’ recounting of the Jesus story are historically accurate. He points out that the over 39,000 Christian denominations all think that they most faithfully follow Jesus.
Pastor Gulley represents the views of a significant and growing portion of those who describe themselves as Christian. These people believe that large portions of traditional orthodox Christianity are outdated and irrelevant to modern life. Of course, they think that they have the correct modern and relevant Christianity all figured out.
The name of this movement is Emergent Christianity and it is in line with the political movement known as Progressivism. It is a continuation and extension of the Social Gospel movement begun in the mid-Nineteenth Century. It is what the secular media now refer to as “mainline Christianity” or “mainline Protestantism” and is the religious understanding of many modern theologians.
The inclination of Evangelical conservative Christians (including those who don’t align themselves with “fundamentalism”) is to reject this version of Christianity as not Christian. I, myself, do not believe that it is Christian.
Even so, they do have some valid criticisms of Christianity as it has existed over the centuries and as it exists today.
To just avoid the controversy is to add weight to the argument that traditional Christianity is anti-intellectual, and, besides, Pastor Gulley makes it abundantly clear in his book that he won’t lose any sleep if you disagree with him.
This is part of a continuing chapter-by- chapter response to this book. More to come.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day
Today is Memorial Day on which we in America remember those who have served and died in the defense of their country. For many, it is just another day to be off from work and an excuse to drink beer and eat barbecue. Some within the Christian community question whether Christians should have anything to do with this holiday, or with the military at all.
Philip Gulley, a Quaker minister, in If the Church Were Christian (***), recounts how one Quaker church erupted into controversy after one of its members joined the military. Quakers take a pacifist stance and many say that a Christian can not be a soldier.
Perhaps some of them have been listening to their Inner Light more than to their Bible. There is a proper respect due to government and the military and they serve a useful function; the protection of the people and the preservation of the peace. That subject is for a later post to this blog.
On the subject of soldiers themselves, the attitude of the Bible is generally that they are honorable men, especially the Roman Centurions who were entrusted with the supervision of 100 soldiers. Two of the Centurions are named; Cornelius (Acts 10) and Julius (Acts 27).
Mentions of Roman Centurions in the Bible:
Matthew 8: 5-13; 27:54; Luke 7: 2-10; Acts 10; 22: 25; 23:17; 27:1-43
*** : I am preparing a detailed, chapter by chapter response to Philip Gulley's book, If the Church Were Christian. Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (2010).
Philip Gulley, a Quaker minister, in If the Church Were Christian (***), recounts how one Quaker church erupted into controversy after one of its members joined the military. Quakers take a pacifist stance and many say that a Christian can not be a soldier.
Perhaps some of them have been listening to their Inner Light more than to their Bible. There is a proper respect due to government and the military and they serve a useful function; the protection of the people and the preservation of the peace. That subject is for a later post to this blog.
On the subject of soldiers themselves, the attitude of the Bible is generally that they are honorable men, especially the Roman Centurions who were entrusted with the supervision of 100 soldiers. Two of the Centurions are named; Cornelius (Acts 10) and Julius (Acts 27).
Mentions of Roman Centurions in the Bible:
Matthew 8: 5-13; 27:54; Luke 7: 2-10; Acts 10; 22: 25; 23:17; 27:1-43
*** : I am preparing a detailed, chapter by chapter response to Philip Gulley's book, If the Church Were Christian. Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (2010).
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Book Comment: The Meaning of Star Trek
In the Star Trek universe, science has eliminated prejudice, war, poverty, disease, and hunger. The main thing it can't change is human/sentient nature. Most of the characters in the series of television programs and films are competent and brilliant, the best in their fields, and most are flawed. Captain James Kirk passed the unpassable training test by changing the test; he cheated. Captain Jean Luc Picard is compassionate but is all work and can't have a really close relationship with anyone. Lt. Worf is a Klingon who fits best among Humans. Constable Odo is a liquid shapeshifter who loves one of the "solids." B'Elana Torres is a Human/Klingon half-breed who hates her violent Klingon nature. Visiting family members are often viewed with dread. Many of the stories in the series come from the character's internal conflicts.
In The Meaning of Star Trek, Thomas Richards discusses the reasons why Star Trek is becoming recognized as more than just a series of movies and television programs. I'm not sure that the creator, Gene Rodenberry, had it all in mind when he wrote the first draft of his pilot for the original Star Trek series, but it is more than obvious that Richards is correct in saying that the decided philosophical bent of the franchise soon became intentional.
Richards discusses, with examples from the various Star Trek programs, the uses and meanings of "myth" and "story." Also discussed are the distinction between individual and corporate; the often violated Federation Prime Directive (observe but do not interfere); the essentially rational nature of the universe; the corruption of governments versus the nobility of the individual; the notion that all of the sentient species of the universe have a common origin; and the realization that carried to its extreme, technology might exterminate the individual.
In the Star Trek universe, organized religion is almost universally shown to be corrupt, especially in its leadership. Where religion is viewed as ennobling is with the individual, even though the individual is usually shown to be misguided in his/her beliefs. The Vulcans meditate and concentrate and still can't rid themselves of their feelings. Lt. Worf tries valiantly to believe in the Klingon religion but can gain only a cultural appreciation of his heritage. A group of Jem Hadar warriors choose religious loyalty over life; they decide to die rather than to disobey the orders of their Vorta whom they know has betrayed them. An alien couple chooses to let their son die rather than violate his body by introducing alien medicines. The Bajorans worship a group of disembodied aliens who live in a cosmic Wormhole and do nothing to discourage the worship.
The "deities" seen in the Star Trek universe (*) are seemingly omnipotent but are not omniscient. They resemble the ancient Roman gods more than the Judeo-Christian God. They are often self-obsessed, arbitrary, and unconcerned about the effects of their actions on others. *: The Organians, Q, the Traveller, Trelayne (who may be Q), Adonais, etc,
To my knowledge, there is not a single openly Christian character in the Star Trek universe. This, and the attitude discussed above, may be seen to reflect the feelings of the series creator, Gene Rodenberry. He was raised as a Southern Baptist and as an adult came to reject all organized religion.
In The Meaning of Star Trek, Thomas Richards discusses the reasons why Star Trek is becoming recognized as more than just a series of movies and television programs. I'm not sure that the creator, Gene Rodenberry, had it all in mind when he wrote the first draft of his pilot for the original Star Trek series, but it is more than obvious that Richards is correct in saying that the decided philosophical bent of the franchise soon became intentional.
Richards discusses, with examples from the various Star Trek programs, the uses and meanings of "myth" and "story." Also discussed are the distinction between individual and corporate; the often violated Federation Prime Directive (observe but do not interfere); the essentially rational nature of the universe; the corruption of governments versus the nobility of the individual; the notion that all of the sentient species of the universe have a common origin; and the realization that carried to its extreme, technology might exterminate the individual.
In the Star Trek universe, organized religion is almost universally shown to be corrupt, especially in its leadership. Where religion is viewed as ennobling is with the individual, even though the individual is usually shown to be misguided in his/her beliefs. The Vulcans meditate and concentrate and still can't rid themselves of their feelings. Lt. Worf tries valiantly to believe in the Klingon religion but can gain only a cultural appreciation of his heritage. A group of Jem Hadar warriors choose religious loyalty over life; they decide to die rather than to disobey the orders of their Vorta whom they know has betrayed them. An alien couple chooses to let their son die rather than violate his body by introducing alien medicines. The Bajorans worship a group of disembodied aliens who live in a cosmic Wormhole and do nothing to discourage the worship.
The "deities" seen in the Star Trek universe (*) are seemingly omnipotent but are not omniscient. They resemble the ancient Roman gods more than the Judeo-Christian God. They are often self-obsessed, arbitrary, and unconcerned about the effects of their actions on others. *: The Organians, Q, the Traveller, Trelayne (who may be Q), Adonais, etc,
To my knowledge, there is not a single openly Christian character in the Star Trek universe. This, and the attitude discussed above, may be seen to reflect the feelings of the series creator, Gene Rodenberry. He was raised as a Southern Baptist and as an adult came to reject all organized religion.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Another light bulb joke
How many Quakers does it take to change a light bulb?
No light bulb is needed, we all have an inner light.
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