Blogs

This just in from my sister, posted here with her permission. A sermon by Ella Rue Eyet Califon United Methodist Church, New year's Eve service Sunday, December 31, 2006 Some excerpts from the book "A Short Course on Kindness" by Margot Silk Forrest with some thoughts of my own. On my fathers' grave marker there is a quote from the author Kurt Vonnegut. It says: "We are here to help each other get through this thing -- whatever it is." For those of you who don't know, my dad died October 24, 1993. He was walking on a walk-a-thon that he organized when he died. My father was the founder of the Wayne County, PA Habitat for Humanity chapter. The funds raised from this walk was to help with costs for the house they were building. It was also to help his local church, and another organization called Interfaith Outreach United. My dad was practicing what he preached, walking the proverbially walk. But he was also a long time sufferer of asthma, which ultimately overcame him. My family found comfort in the fact that he died doing what he believed was the most important thing in life, helping others. He was only 59 years old when he died, but his life was full and rich. He touched many people, and nothing was clearer evidence of this than seeing the church where his memorial service was held. The church, about this size, was filled to capacity. People were standing in the aisles, standing behind the back pews, standing outside on the steps at the open door, all there to pay their respects to my family and recall my father's life. Many spoke of how he had helped them. They recalled his many acts of kindnesses. Joan Baez said: "You don't get to choose how you're gong to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live." Nothing teaches us about the importance of kindness as the LACK of it. Unkindness - “ or the numbing lack of kindness - seems to reach into the very depth of our souls when it occurs. We have all felt its icy touch: Someone shoves their cart ahead of ours at the checkout line, driver after driver stares past us or accelerates when we try to merge into traffic, or the young woman at the Returns counter interrupts our explanation of how the lamp gave our son an electric shock when he -” "whateverrr..." she hisses under her breath, as she turns back to her monitor and punches the keys that will get us out of her face. We all have stories like this - or worse. Their effect is not negligible. We carry them inside us for years. Someone has reached out and touched us - and it didn't feel good. True, the whole event may have only taken four seconds, but even a single drop of red will tint a can of white paint. We are not immune to each other. We were made to live in community. We ARE affected by the words and actions of others. When we encounter unkindness, we are diminished — no matter how strong, self-sufficient, and independent we may be. But the Good News is it works both ways. Just as we remember for years, one act of UNkindness, so too will we remember a single act of kindness: One year, when I was much younger than I am today, with only a couple of years of driving experience. I was driving up to the Poconos to be with my family for Thanksgiving. The weather was snowy and icy, and I drove a rear wheel drive car, and had a great deal of difficulty keeping my car on my side of the road. Between my driving inexperience, and the dangerous road conditions, I became paralyzed with fear. I pulled over to the side of the road unsure of what to do. Almost immediately, a van filled with young men stopped and asked me if I needed a ride, but I was not about to get into a van filled with strange men, so I thanked them for their offer and politely declined. They told me that they understood my reservations and told me that if I waited just a couple minutes a snow plow would be coming, and maybe the snow plower could be of assistance to me. I had little choice but to wait, and as promised within minutes I saw the yellow flashing lights growing larger as they approached me. The driver was about my father's age. After seeing my predicament he said to me: "Drive your car behind me. I'll plow, and sand the road, making it easier for you to drive. I will lead you to the High Point Maintenance Facility, at which point you can call a family member to come get you" I felt safe and did as he suggested. We got to High Point and I called my parents. Unfortunately they were not home. My oldest brother Tom was there though. He said he would try to come, but he called back within a few minutes and said his truck was fishtailing all over the road. I didn't know what to do. My fears were probably apparent to the snow plow driver. He said "I'll tell you what... I'll take you down the road to the local Holiday Inn. Do you have enough money? If not, I'll pay for you." I assured him I did have enough money, despite that I really wasn't certain how much cash I had on me at that moment. He then told me he would be back the following morning at seven to bring me back to my car. When I got to the hotel I realized I did in fact have enough money for the hotel and just enough extra to buy something from the vending machine. The next morning, as promised, he showed up and brought me back to my car. The weather was much better, and the driving conditions greatly improved since than the night before. When I got to my parents house later that morning, my father insisted on calling to thank the man for the kindness he showed me. The man's response was: "I have a daughter about your daughter's age. If she were in a similar situation, I would hope someone would help her out." Maybe it was my youth and sheer naivete, maybe it was his demeanor, or maybe I felt as if I had little choice but to trust his intentions as being kind, but for some reason, I felt safe with this man.... How do we make it past our fears so we can act kindly and so that we can receive kindnesses without fear? We start by acknowledging that these fears do exist. We all have them, and we can only disarm them if we admit they're there. As Mark Twain reminded us: "Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's just not letting fear stop us." By definition, kindness involves two parties: one who needs kindness, and one who is willing to give it. For most of us, receiving kindness doesn't come easy. The Bible teaches us it is better to give than to receive. I believe it's actually EASIER to give than to receive. I have had the blessing of being the liaison between our church and the Hafke family. I cannot tell you how many times Mike and/or Irene have commented about how uncomfortable they feel accepting the many kindnesses our local communities have bestowed upon them. The Hafkes, like most of the families in our own congregation, are good, kind people who are much more comfortable giving than receiving. The only way I can explain to them is that it makes us FEEL GOOD to know that we are helping them, in whatever manner we have been blessed to do so. One of my hopes as a mother is to teach my children to WANT to help others, IF they can, WHENEVER they can, AS MUCH as they can. What they will receive in doing so far outweighs the time and effort it will take. Have you ever had a conversation that went something like this: "Let me treat you to dinner tonight." "Oh no. You don't have to do that." "It really WOULD be my pleasure." "Still.... really, that's okay. I can pay for myself." Does this sound familiar? Receiving can feel uncomfortable, even under the best of circumstances. But what if we are being offered money or clothing or food because we are poor, or not warmly dressed, or hungry? What if we have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness? Someone looked at us and saw how vulnerable we were. How hard it must be to receive help from people who appear to be INvulnerable, people who may have a little extra cash, who are warmly dressed, well-fed, and healthy. We seem to think we aren't worthy of another person's kindness. And if we get talked into accepting someone's gift, we think we have to repay them. But, in reality, the true gift of kindness is two-fold. It helps the person receiving it, while it also empowers the person who is being kind. Understanding kindness means accepting our own personal power. I read a quote recently by Robert J. Furey, author of The Joy of Kindness: "If you see your place in this universe... really SEE it, you will not be struck by your insignificance. Rather, you will be awed by your power to build and contribute." Kindness has the capacity to turn the powerless into the empowered. When we help someone we feel powerful... not powerful as in wielding power. More so powerful as in influential, capable, effective, energetic and competent. Not power OVER, rather power WITHIN. Committing acts of kindnesses shows us the power that we have - over ourselves and our choices, and over whether this world is a cruel or wondrous place to live. I think kindness - and personal power - is all about choice. We choose whether to feel empathy for others, or to allow anger, denial, or depression to block our capacity for caring. We choose whether to stop and be kind when the opportunity arises. We choose to do what's right despite what others may think or what our own small fears may be. We choose to implement our decisions to be kind by taking action. Never underestimate the power that comes with simply having a choice, nor the personal power once we have decided what our choice will be. Accepting kindness is as important as being kind. It's related to keeping our gifts alive by passing them on to others. If someone gives us a gift, it's important that we receive it with gratitude, not respond with; " Oh no, you mustn't..." How can we expect others to receive our kindness if we refuse to accept theirs? I believe that we - individually and collectively -” have huge untapped reserves of kindness. What we need is the motivation to draw upon them more often. Kindness, like fear, apathy, selfishness and the chicken pox - is contagious. The only difference is, it's contagious in a good way, much like a smile or laughter. Have you ever heard someone laugh so hard, and so loud and you didn't know what they were laughing at? Within moments you might be laughing too... or at the very least, you're smiling. As we enter the beginning of a New Year I encourage each of us to CATCH the SPIRIT of kindness, and offer something small... a smile, allowing another driver to merge, or a kind word or deed when we see another is in need. What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God. Remember, we are all here to help each other get through this thing - whatever it is. Amen.

The Origin Of An American Tradition

The present flap being created by at least one member of Congress (See letter to constituents from Rep. Virgil Goode, published, among other places in the Minneapolis StarTribune, December 20, 2006, where Rep. Goode falsely implies that Rep. Ellis is an immigrant); and numerous media outlets over the religious preference of Minnesota Representative-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, shows an ignorance of American history and the tradition from which the nation's first President drew the practice of swearing on a volume of sacred law.

Since 1789 when George Washington first took his oath of office as President of the nited States on a Bible which he borrowed from a Masonic lodge in lower Manhattan, it has remained customary in the U.S. for public officials who are sworn into office to do so with their right hand on the volume of law which is sacred to their faith and to conclude with the phrase, "So help me God."

In the address which followed the oath of office, Washington referred in reverential tones three times to God, but only in language that would appeal to Americans regardless of their religious persuasion. Without one mention of the main character of the New Testament, Washington referred instead to "that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect;" later to "the Great Author of every public and private good;" and at the close of his remarks to "the benign Parent of the Human Race..." (Washington's First Inaugural Address, City of New York, given Thursday, April 30, 1789. In Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the U.S.(1989) on the web at bartleby.com). Of the three allusions that Washington made to Deity his first inaugural address, it should be noted that the third ("benign Parent") is uniquely Judeo-Christian and foreign to Islam, as indicated in the Koran (Surah 5:18): "[Both] the Jews and the Christians say, 'We are sons of Allah and His beloved'. Say: why then doth He punish you for your sins? Nay, you are but men of the men He has created."

It is well known that Washington was an active member of the Masonic fraternity. Not only was a Masonic Bible used in the swearing-in ceremony, but the book was held and the oath administered by another well-known Freemason, Robert Livingston, who later served as both governor of New York and Grand Master of Masons in the same jurisdiction.

In 1793, himself acting as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in a Masonic ceremony A detailed contemporary news account of the cornerstone-laying appeared in the Columbian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette, September 23, 1793; on the web at masonicworld.com, also in "Facts for Speakers, about George Washington, Master Mason, Short Talk Bulletin, Masonic Service Association. which included numerous allusions to the history of the children of Abraham. One of the landmarks of Freemasonry was and remains a belief an Supreme Being. Specifics beyond that are not spelled out. Men of all faiths and religions were welcome within Freemasonry's ranks in Washington's day, as they still are to this day. Consistent with ideas flourishing during the Age of Enlightenment, which heavily influenced the framers of the American nation, it was following the Masonic tradition of religious liberty that the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against the establishment of a particular state religion arose.

Upon initiation to membership and during the advancement to each of its degrees, as well as when being sworn in to elected offices in the fraternity, Masons have always taken their oaths on the sacred book of their religions, much like Washington chose to do when he assumed the Presidency. In a Masonic lodge, an initiate may elect to swear on the Holy Bible, the Koran, the Vedas, or any sacred scripture. Masonic practices are relevant to the current discussion of Rep. Ellis' inauguration because the custom of using a Bible dates back to the birth of the republic, as described here.

It remains the practice in Masonic lodges today for new leaders to take their oath on the Holy Book of their own particular religion. In Washington's case, as suited his religious persuasion (Episcopalian"The Religious Affiliation of President George Washington," on the web at adherents.com), he naturally chose the Christian Bible. What if Washington had been a Muslim, though this may be impossible for some to imagine. Certainly the Constitution contains no prohibition against non-Christians from holding office. In fact, quite the contrary. Should they be compelled to swear on the same volume of sacred law that Washington chose for himself simply because he did so?

As a matter of law, in 1790 Congress adopted the Treaty of Tripoli which explicitly assured the Islamic nations with whom the treaty was made was not (and therefore is not today) "a Christian nation" in any meaning of the phrase.

"ARTICLE 11. As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, -- as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries..."Treaty of Peace and Friendship, signed at Tripoli November 4, 1796 (3 Ramada I, A. H. 1211), and at Algiers January 3, 1797, (4 Rajab, A. H. 1211). Original in Arabic. Submitted to the Senate May 29, 1797 with Message of May 26, 1797. Resolution of advice and consent June 7, 1797. Ratified by the United States June 10, 1797. Proclaimed June 10, 1797. Original in the possession of Yale University Library, full text on the website of the Avalon Project of Yale Law Library at yale.edu

Of course there are other precedents. Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon, for example, swore his oath of office on a volume of Mormon scriptures that included the Bible and Book of Mormon in 1997. Why would we want anyone to swear on a book in which she or he does not believe?

Recent objections to an American from Minnesota elected to Congress who happens to be of the Islamic faith taking his oath of office on the book of scripture by which he governs his life have no basis in U.S. history, culture, or law, but only in fear and prejudice.

In Washington's own words, from a letter that he wrote in 1790 to the Jewish community in Rhode Island, the United States of America is, at least according to its founders' ideals...
"a Government which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance - but generously affording to All liberty of conscience, and immunities of citizenship: - deeming every one, of whatever nation, tongue or language equal..."George Washington's correspondence with civic, fraternal and religious groups, letterbook 38, series 2, April 16, 1789 to August 17, 1790: text of speech and letter to Moses Seixas, Hebrew Congregation, Newport, Rhode Island on May 6, 1789, and published in several newspapers that year, on the web at American Treasures of the Library of Congress.

Now that he has been elected, Rep. Ellis has reportedly expressed a desire to be sworn in next month with his hand on the holy Koran.ABC News First Muslim in Congress Wants Quran for Swearing-in Ceremony: Controversy Sparked Over Traditional Role of Bible, December 23, 2006. This is not only his right, but by American tradition it is his civil duty to promise to uphold the U.S. Constitution with the help of Allah. So help him God.

RELATED LINKS:

• BlogTalk: The Koran Debate The Caucus (New York Times), 12/22/2006
• Virginia Congressman Violates Oath of Office Boston 1775, 12/21/2006
• CNN has a lot to learn about Keith Ellison Power Line, 12/22/2006
• Blitzer: Ellison "touched off a raging controversy" MediaMatters, 12/22/2006
• President Asked to Rescind Appointment of Dennis Prager (CAIR) Free Republic, 12/6/2006
• Keith Ellison may become Congress’s first Muslim The Hill, 5/24/2006
• Women and Freemasonry this site, 12/24/2006

HISTORICAL LINKS:

• 'I swear': Last-minute availability put Masons' Bible into history Catholic News Service
• Masonry's Great Light Continues To Guide America's Presidents American Mason
• Washington Bible Masonic Info
• “To Bigotry No Sanction, to Persecution No Assistance Jewish Virtual Library
• George Washington: A Chronology George Washington Memorial

NOTE: These opinions are mine and do not represent any person, organization, or entity other than myself.