God in School

I wish I had a better title than the above for I do not believe it does this post justice.  Nothing better came to mind to kind of pull together the thoughts roaming around in my head.

Let's start with Miley Cyrus.  Not only did she grab attention at the VMA's, but the next thing you know, she is featured in a music video riding a giant wrecking ball naked (with hands strategically placed) seductively licking a sledge hammer.  I've read more than a few opinion pieces analyzing, criticizing, and supporting her behavior.  And I ask, "Is it surprising?"

Let's then move to Anthony Weiner.  I posted about a shouting match he had the other day with a fellow Jewish New Yorker.  New York voters soundly rejected him as a mayoral candidate particularly after he was found to be sexting even after losing his congressional seat for doing the same thing.  One of his sexting partners showed up at his election party.  After all was said and done, Weiner flipped the bird at reporters showing little contrition for anything he had done or was doing.  And I ask, "Is this surprising?"

We move now to violence and the horrendous murders we have seen taking place in the news--particularly those with a racial overtone.  I find it interesting how the different news networks have begun dealing with such matters after the George Zimmerman trial.  Suddenly, each time a black person harms or kills a white person, there is a racial overtone and vice-versa.  There seems to be a concerted effort to highlight violence that occurs between people of different color/race/ethnicity.  And I ask, "Is such violence surprising?"

Now, we head toward the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor.  I saw several stories in the past few days highlighting the fact that the wealthy keep getting more wealth while the poor remain in poverty.  The few are lording it over the many, and there are cries rising up about the injustice of it all.  But I ask, "Is it really surprising?"

I mean, I think all of these things have something in common.  There is a common thread that actually binds it all together.

Think about what we teach now in school regarding human beings and how they came into existence.  In our science classes we teach that man descended from apes.  Man is simply another animal who evolved--there is nothing special about him.  And how did that evolution occur?  Through natural selection and genetic mutation.  Now, we know we have little control over genetic mutation.  This happens when our genes fail to make exact replicas either by a mistake in the replication process or from some sort of mechanism including being affected by radiation from the sun.  It really doesn't matter--it's out of any control that we exert.

Ah, but natural selection--that's another story.  For natural selection is all about the survival of the fittest.  Death and disease wipes out the lesser and the weaker leaving the strong to thrive and survive.  Passing on one's genes means rising to the top of the food chain, striving to be the highest on the ladder to ensure survival of one's genetic lineage.  It means attracting the alpha of the opposite sex as well to ensure a good genetic bond.  And protecting one's genes from those considered lesser is paramount!  When a threat arises to challenge our status, it must be met and put down decisively.  This is the natural way of things.  Nature isn't some kind of Eden where everything gets along.  It's fight, flight, freeze, and reproduce to pass on one's genes and ensure the survival of the species.

Sure, we talk about tit for tat and kindness being a part of the evolutionary process.  We talk about how one species can be kind to ensure its survival--particularly if it's effective for a weaker beta male or female.  But this is merely descriptive--it is not proscriptive.

This what we teach in school.  Plain and simple.  And we offer no sort of corrective to this in our science classes at all.  Most high schools that I am aware of do not have the resources to offer philosophy or theology classes, and so most students are taught that this is what makes us tick--as the animals we have evolved to be.

And God forbid that we invoke any thought of a Creator in the educational process for that violates the separation of church and state.  That is establishing a religion, and we simply cannot have that. 

But we have no presented ourselves with a major conundrum.  For science isn't capable of getting us from what is to what ought.  And as a society, we have walked away from any sort of universal ought when it comes to morals and actions--in short we have walked away from any sort of religious foundations for morals and ethics.

And because of that, we are left with evolutionary thought guiding our behaviors and thoughts.  The very stuff we taught in school.  And it surprises me that many get so upset when people act like evolution has bred us to act:

When Miley Cyrus uses sexuality to make herself desirable and wealthy, she is simply using what nature gave her to climb the ladder and pass on her genes.

Anthony Weiner does the same thing from a male point of view.

Interracial violence mirrors what goes on in nature when different colors of fur cause species to attack one another from within.

Garnering more wealth is simply a way of garnering more power and prestige--rising to the top of the evolutionary ladder.

And even though kindness is shown in nature, there is nothing--nothing at all--there to take us from is to ought.  There is nothing which says kindness ought to be the rule instead of fight, flight, freeze, or reproduction. 

Only religion offers a foundation to take us from is to ought.  Only faith gives us a foundation to go against many of the evolutionary instincts which drive us. 

A failure to recognize this means we will simply keep teaching the same things and expecting different results.  Perhaps God does indeed need to be reintroduced in school--not as a means of forcing religion upon anyone, but by helping folks understand:

We are more than animals.

With Reluctance...A Word About Miley

There is a saying on internet chat boards: don't feed the troll.

Now, a "troll" is a person lurking on internet chat boards who makes it his or her job to incite anger and fury, taking things out of context and blowing them up to be something larger than what is intended.  Or, the person intentionally adds a comment beyond the scope of the original thread simply to cause conflict.  The theory is if you don't "feed" the troll by responding, it will go away.

Miley Cyrus' performance at the VMA show qualifies as such behavior, I think, and I am loathe to even comment on it.  Yet, the performance achieved at least one goal--it raked in lots of viewers during and after the fact.  Advertisers are licking their chops with the revenue generated.  Such a thing, perhaps is at the root of the whole issue, by the way.  Money.  Money.  Money.

I generally don't watch any sort of award show.  It simply doesn't appeal to me, and I rather frankly don't care.  In my estimation, there are much more important things in life to deal with and worry about than who can best keep us entertained and out of our boredom.  For that is what such entertainment is all about, is it not?  Isn't that the reason people flock to the movies: to be entertained and escape reality for a while?  Isn't that why we tune into sporting events in record numbers?  I mean, the Romans perfected sporting events a couple of thousand years ago, and we've managed to ratchet it up entertainment wise while minimizing the amount of blood spilled.  And the business which has sprung up around these industries is amazing.  Billions upon billions of dollars are sucked out of the average Joe's and Jane's pockets to fund this stuff, and we keep paying it because we are bored with our lives.

And face it, we all like a bit of excitement from time to time.  Yes.  We really do.  We need something to get our hearts pumping and our adrenaline racing.  We need something to make us take notice and help us believe there is something more to our lives than simply earning a paycheck, being at home watching our kids, sitting in front of pixellated screens watching characters enact lives full of excitement, adventure, and cunning, and then going to bed only to step into the same routine the next day.

Heck, yesterday, with the kids out of school and not much to do around the house, I found myself actually going nuts a bit.  I wanted to be engaged in doing something besides just sitting at the house and watching my kids play.  I wanted to be active.  It was too hot to fish or hunt, and I've gotten to the point where playing video games no longer keeps me occupied very long.  I craved some adventure and excitement of my own.

I needed a reminder of that one line from the book of Hebrews--a line I read the past Sunday (that sermon will be posted tomorrow): 5Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ 6So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can anyone do to me?’  (Hebrews 13:5-6 emphasis mine.)

Be content with what you have.

My God, what a concept!  It actually goes quite counter to what I've been taught most of my life through my schooling and society.  The spoken and unspoken mantra pulsing through our culture is: don't ever be satisfied; push on; attain more; rise through the ranks; there are no limits; don't allow yourself to have any boundaries.

And there is something to be said for such a thing, especially when it comes to rising out of poverty and becoming self-sufficient.  There is something to be said for "making it" and living the American dream.  And, of course, that involves some work on our part.  There is much satisfaction in creating and doing and earning something on your own.  Simply having it given to you or expecting someone to give it to you isn't quite the way it works.  And so, I think it important to draw a fine line between contentment and laziness.

And most of us should be more content.  Should be.

I think about my own situation.  I have a loving wife and three adorable children; a roof over my head; food on the table; a job I love; places to hunt and fish; congregation members who I truly enjoy working with and interacting with; plenty of "toys" to play with; good health; cushion in my bank account.  I should be content.  All of my needs are being met.

Ah, but there is that little voice which creeps in.  "Wouldn't it be nice if...

• You had your own ranch.
• You had a bigger church.
• You had a better paying job.
• You had more opportunity for upward mobility.
• You had a better car.
• You had a larger audience to hear you preach.
• You had more opportunities to travel and get away.

Perhaps things might be nicer, but there is no guarantee.  Not at all.  In fact, things could get a whole lot worse in pursuing such things.  I might lose family time.  I might find another congregation to be much more stressful.  I might lose sight of the more important things in life.  I might not have time to hunt and fish.  I might find a congregation where the people and I don't get along so well.

Be content with what you have.

Miley Cyrus actually has it all.  She made millions as Hannah Montana.  If she and her parents invested wisely, she would never have to work again.  In the minds of millions of kids, she is/was a heroine of sorts.  Fame.  Fortune.  Millions of devoted fans.  What more could one want? 

Apparently a lot. 

Just like a lot of us want a lot more even though we've got what we need.

Some of us are much more adept at listening to that other voice within our heads that says, "Slow down.  Think.  Think about what you have.  Think about how you have been blessed.  Think about what you are doing and what you would like to do.  Think about what is most important and then think about what the best situation for you to achieve those things might be."

I am quite convinced when we stop and think about such matters, we will realize that we can indeed follow the writer of Hebrews' advice: be content with what you have.  And we can stop feeding that other voice which is pretty much a troll in disguise.