Every Christian church I know reads a text from the Bible, every Sunday. Yes, even the radically and sometimes profanely feminist/LGBT Church of the Apostles in Seattle -- and then rips the Bible’s patriarchy apart.
But maybe we should be looking at other sources of wisdom. Like Dr. Seuss, for example.
Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, never claimed any divine inspiration for his writing.
Indeed, a librarian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, refused to accept a donation of Seuss stories from Melania Trump because she found Seuss’s caricatures of Africans and Asians offensive, in books such as If I Ran a Zoo.
The librarian, Liz Phipps Soero, defended her decision: ““Many people are unaware … that Dr. Seuss’ illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.”
And maybe they are.
After all, Seuss wrote those stories more than 60 years ago. Like all authors, he was a product of his time and culture. And that post-WWII culture was (as Soero said) “steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.” Black people were still called niggers. Martin Luther King Jr. had yet to lead any protests. “Made in Japan” meant cheap knock-offs. Women were still barred from most church leadership and corporate management roles.
And yet… And yet…
Profound insights
The Grinch offers more inspiration about Christmas than many sermons. Horton Hears a Who takes the side of overlooked people. Green Eggs and Ham illustrates conversion, a change of heart.
Most of Seuss’s books, in fact, are parables. They tell a story, but inside that story is a greater story, and inside that -- if you’re willing to dig for it -- a profound message.
Perhaps none more so than The Lorax.
The Lorax was published in 1972, ten years after Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. It tells the story of an industrialist, The Once-ler, who cuts down a gorgeous forest of Truffula trees, to make a useless product called a Thneed.
Once-ler’s destructive deforestation displaces the birds, fish, and forest animals.
Enter the Lorax. In Seuss’s own words, “He was shortish. And oldish. And brownish. And mossy. And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy. ‘Mister!’ he said with a sawdusty sneeze, ‘I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.’”
Alas, the Once-ler does not listen. He keeps making money, and the Truffula trees keep falling. Until there are no more. And the once-wealthy industrialist is left alone in the devastation of what was once a beautiful forest.
Then the Lorax “hoisted himself by the seat of his pants… and took leave of this place through a hole in the smog.”
Seuss even finds a possibility for redemption. At the end of the book, the aged Once-ler gives a child the last Truffula seed. He says, “Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.”
He summarizes, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Does the Bible offer any more pertinent parables?
(With thanks for the idea to William Rivers Pitt, senior editor at Truthout.)
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Copyright © 2018 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups, and links from other blogs, welcomed; all other rights reserved.
To comment on this column, write jimt@quixotic.ca
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YOUR TURN
It must be summer. Only five readers sent responses to last week’s column, on how even churches and religions operate with a colonial mentality.
At one point, I suggested that only Buddhists and Baha’is had not spread their faith by force. Jean Chandler disagreed: “Maybe it's not to propagate their faith, but I'm really disappointed in the way Buddhists have been treating the Rohingas in Myanmar. Unfortunately, having an ideal of peacefulness and kindness doesn't make any group act that way all the time. I too don't know of any instance in which the Baha'i have used brute force. Is that because they are new and few?”
June Blau just said, “Amen!”
Steve Roney had a lot to say. Here’s part of it: “We pride ourselves on being more religiously tolerant than our ancestors—just imagine trying to impose our religion on someone! But I suspect we may be giving our ancestors a bum rap. It is easy to accept religious diversity so long as your own religion is not really Christianity any longer, or any of the recognized others, but secular humanism, human rights, materialism, and science.
“So a fairer comparison to the attitude of our ancestors, who held that Christianity was simply truth, as we do science and human rights, would be how peacefully we can tolerate in our midst people who reject the basics of both science and human rights.
“Note that it is on human rights grounds that ‘we’ went in to Kosovo, or Bosnia. Were we wrong, or simply being aggressive, to do so? Were we right to stay out of Rwanda, or Syria? Should we have nothing to say about female genital mutilation? Perhaps; but it gets hard to make the case.
“When you contrast Christianity with historical paganism -- back when people actually believed in either -- for example, you have to consider issues like human sacrifice. Contrast Christianity with historical Hinduism, and you have suttee, the caste system, and such. With Islam, you had issues like slavery. I think we would consider such issues as morally significant today. We would just ascribe them to human rights instead of Christianity.”
Bob Rollwagen reacted this way: “I am always amazed by people who believe that they are entitled to live here in Canada, and only people with their value system, faith and culture should be allowed in. My dad was an immigrant; even the Indigenous people immigrated thousands of years ago. We all have members of our family tree that at some time arrived here and did not share the exact same history as those already landed.
“I am not sure having millions of people move every time some power-hungry idiot or sect or tribe destroys a stable region for their personal gain, but until a better solution is adopted by all, it is the only thing that can be done and we all should open doors to assist.”
The colonial mentality, one might say, does evil with the goal of doing good. Isabel Gibson noted, “In The Gulag Archipelago, Solzenhitsyn wrote about the line between good and evil going through each person's heart:
‘If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?’
“Who, indeed?”
Isabel went on to say, “Thanks for Laurna Tallman's testimonial for an ‘other-focused intensity of good intentions.’ Years ago, I remember reading that we don't pray because, if we do, we won't be able NOT to take action about the thing we're praying about.”
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PSALM PARAPHRASE
As I read my paraphrase of Psalm 51:1-7, I find myself wondering if the Harvey Weinsteins of today’s world ever think any of these thoughts.
1 Take pity on me, God. As a god of love and of mercy, show mercy to me.
2 For I have disgraced myself, and you. The stink of my errors clings to my skin like the spray of a skunk; I cannot wash it off.
3 For I know too well what I have done; My past hangs over my future like a dark cloud.
4 I took my chances, I cut my corners. I cared only of what other people could do for me. Now I see that each time I hurt another person, I hurt you. You have every right to condemn me.
5 But what else can you expect from me? I was conceived in a human womb, born to a human mother, brought up in a human society.
6 You expect me to be holy like you, through and through. Well then, teach me! Flush away my faults!
7 Scrape the crusted barnacles from my brain, and fill it with fresh ideas; Drain the pus from my spirit, and mend my soul with your touch.
9 If you must turn away from me, turn away from my bad side. Close your eyes to my many weaknesses.
10 Give me a second chance; Start me over again, with a transfusion of your holiness.
11 But do not abandon me. Do not leave me without your company.
12 Take me back into your circle of friends, where I won't have to battle temptation alone.
For paraphrases of mostof the psalms used by the Revised Common Lectionary, you can order my book Everyday Psalmsfrom Wood Lake Publishing, info@woodlake.com.
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TECHNICAL STUFF
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PROMOTION STUFF
To use the links in this section, you’ll have to insert the necessary symbols. Some spam filters have been blocking my posts because they’re suspicious of too many links.
Ralph Milton’s latest project is a kind of Festival of Faith, a retelling of key biblical stories by skilled storytellers like Linnea Good and Donald Schmidt, designed to get people talking about their own faith experience. It’s a series of videos available on Youtube. I suggest you start with his introductory section: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u6qRclYAa8
Ralph’s “Sing Hallelujah” -- the world’s first video hymnal – is still available. It consists of 100 popular hymns, both new and old, on five DVDs that can be played using a standard DVD player and TV screen, for use in congregations who lack skilled musicians to play piano or organ. More details at wwwDOTsinghallelujahDOTca
Wayne Irwin's “Churchweb Canada,”an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. <http://wwwDOTchurchwebcanadaDOTca>
I recommend Isabel Gibson’s thoughtful and well-written blog, wwwDOTtraditionaliconoclastDOTcom
Alva Wood’s satiric stories about incompetent bureaucrats and prejudiced attitudes in a small town -- not particularly religious, but fun; alvawoodATgmailDOTcom to get onto her mailing list.
Tom Watson writes a weekly blog called “The View from Grandpa Tom’s Balcony”-- ruminations on various subjects, and feedback from Tom’sreaders. Write him at tomwatsoATgmailDOTcom or twatsonATsentexDOTnet