In another column, I challenged academic theologians to explain the differences between theism, pantheism, and panentheism in terms that a teenager could understand.
No one took the challenge. But a reader asked, “Why don’t you do it?”
Okay, I’ll try.
Let’s start with theism. No, let’s start before theism. With nature religions. Which had hundreds of gods -- river gods, tree gods, fertility gods, earthquake gods… They all had to be appeased with sacrifices, to avoid floods and fires, to seek a bountiful harvest, etc.
Theism, or monotheism, gathered all those gods into one supreme deity. Because God had to be different, God could not be in the river, or the volcano. So classical theism defines a God “out there” somewhere, utterly separate from this world. This all-powerful, all-knowing God controls every detail of the universe, from a distance. Of course, as Creator, God reserves the right to amend His plan as necessary -- whether landslides, volcanoes, or who wins the Super Bowl.
Initially, humans believed this God punished us with disease and disaster. So like His predecessors, He had to be appeased with sacrifices. Later, we believed we could earn God’s favour by worshipping Him.
A-theism rampant
All subsequent theologies deny one or more elements of classical theism. That makes them all a-theistic. Not denying God, but denying a particular portrayal of God.
So pantheism says God is not out there, but right here. God is nature. Or nature is God. People who insist that they find God in their gardens, on a golf course, or in a fishing stream, are essentially pantheists.
But pantheism still separates us from God. Nature acts on us, for good or ill; nature does not act through us.
Panentheism abolishes that separation. God is found in nature, yes. But God is more than nature. God is in everything -- in the laws of mathematics, physics, and chemistry; in psychology and economics; in birds and bees and flowers. And in us. We act as God’s agents. When we harm nature, we harm God. When we harm each other, we harm God.
Note that implication -- God can be harmed! God is no longer invincible, untouchable. God created all this for a purpose; we humans can choose to assist or impede God’s purposes.
Process theology pushes that awareness a step farther. It asserts that God can change. We come from God, we are part of God, and when we die, we are absorbed back into God. In that sense, God is the cumulative experience of all living things. If you count the planet, or the universe, as a living thing, then God includes their evolving wisdom as well.
From which it follows that God can learn. God learns as God incorporates, into the Godly presence whatever that is, what each living creature -- from the lowliest amoeba to Carl Sagan -- learned during its lifetime.
In this progression. you can see God moving from out there, to right here. From being separate, to being in and among us, to being actually affected by us. From something that does things TO us, to something that does things FOR us, to something we participate IN.
Don’t ask which version is right. Rather, ask which portrayal you feel most comfortable with. That’s where you are now.
Where will you be ten years from now? God only knows.
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Copyright © 2016 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
After a week when I got no mail at all, this week the inbox overflowed.
Laurna Tallman offered a partial explanation: “The story of Amanda Lindhout will always remain with me. I cannot wrap my mind around the horror of stories like these. If Amanda can forgive, that is a phenomenon that takes its place with the martyrs of Revelation. I want to embrace her, serve her, find out from her what else I might do. The truth is, we now live in a society that puts most of us vicariously on the front lines of horrors of many kinds. We all have front row seats. The ghastly shootings in the US over the past several days dominate the media. It becomes hard to focus on other responsibilities
“Joan's prayer shawls are an antidote to horrors of many kinds. The mere idea of her ministry wraps my sad and weary mind in comfort and hope. The added blessings of the prayers said over them are not lost. I have heard of people discerning good and evil in objects. I do not know how that happens but there is more science to the mysteries we call ‘spiritual’ than we have learned. I can imagine how those ripples of love and hope will soften and erode the hardness of the difficulties people are enduring.”
Ruth Shaver didn’t discount the possibility that science might someday find a shawl that has been prayed over might be different: “The more I read about the quantum universe, the more convinced I am that we will, someday, discover just how deeply interconnected we are by the very fabric of the universe. What I discovered while finishing my doctorate (my dissertation dealt with the intersections of faith and science at their root, which is wonder) is that our current understanding of quantum physics posits that everything is possible...it's just that many, many things are highly improbable. This restored my faith that miracles really do happen, that our prayers can have positive effects on the situations and people for whom we pray, and that someday, we will figure out that we're all a part of God's great prayer shawl for creation.”
But Valentina Gal didn’t want scientific explanations: “The day we can analyze the chemical changes in love, the sentiments in a get-well card or the energy in the knitting of a woolen garment, will indeed be a sad one. We’ll take out the mystery in these things just as we have destroyed, for a large part, the mystery of faith. And, I’d venture to say that we aren’t the happier for it.
“I was raised in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church where it is acceptable not to know everything about everything. It doesn’t mean that we aren’t scientifically astute or intelligent. It simply means that we accept the sentiments of the things you mentioned as they are– God given and self-contained in their perfection. We have pushed far too many things as the scientific absolute truth only to find, with more research, that we were wrong. While I do believe that there are places that we do need to investigate further, I also believe that somethings are more beautiful as they come to us – a kiss from one’s beloved, a thrill from a beautiful view, a tear when listening to a favourite hymn.
I do a lot of design knitting. When I hug a grandson in one of my sweaters or see my daughter wrapped in one of my shawls I feel wonderful. I wouldn’t want that feeling tampered with. Furthermore, I’ve invented some of my most beautiful designs in times of trouble. When my mother was dying, I sat by her bedside with my knitting; when my daughter was in the hospital waiting for her baby, I sat knitting his blanket; when I was going through a messy divorce, I knit many gifts for others and extremely complicated and original sweaters for myself. It’s what kept my sanity. I really wouldn’t want anyone to analyze those times either. Why can’t we accept that miracles are happening in small increments all of the time, if only we would allow ourselves to see them? Mozart, Beethoven and Lauridsen wrote some of the most stunning music in their times of struggle. Would you analyze the beauty out of their inspiration as well?
“The truth is that in a balanced life, some things need to be picked through and understood while others don’t. I think that the truly happy and well-developed person knows when to accept what is God-given for what it is. So enjoy your shawl and feel the love. There is energy in every knitted stitch.”.
Mary Faith Blackburn agreed: “There is mystery in our world, thank goodness! I received a prayer shawl last year after breaking both elbows. It came from a congregation that I worship with occasionally when I am not in my own pulpit. A surprise to me at first, but not so much when I reflect on how kind and truly welcoming they always are, to me and to others. I still wrap myself in that shawl when I am tired, and/or when I am in need of quiet, peace, and healing. Also when I need to be still and pray for others…
“I am thankful for those who connect, in many ways -- prayer, prayer shawls, healing touch, liturgies -- with those of us who need that particular caring connection.”
Marion Loree responded to my comments “about a disbelief in the power of the human mind and the possibility that prayer works. I do not believe in a fairy godmother either but I do believe in the power of prayer -- just not to some external deity in the sky. Why is that the default image that the word prayer invokes?
“During my time as a theology student (I was ordained in 2007) I completed a CPE unit (Clinical Pastoral Education) at a medium sized hospital. As part of our studies we met a Doctor who had done extensive research and written a book about the effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its effects on cancer patients. As part of his research he also touched on spiritual healing including prayer. The book is called ‘Restored Harmony: An Evidence Based Approach for Integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine into Complementary Cancer Care’ by Stephen M. Sagar, M.D.
“There have been many scientific studies which document the very obvious effects of prayer on the wellbeing and recovery of a variety of patients -- cancer patients, post-surgical patients, and others. The prayers were at a distance from those being prayed for. Those doing the praying were not necessarily religious but were simply directing positive thoughts/energy toward the patient being prayed for. In most cases those prayed for, even though they may not know they are being prayed for or have any religious belief, showed remarkable (and positive) differences in speed of recovery and feelings of well-being over control groups.
“I am also trained in Therapeutic Touch. It is a technique which does not physically touch a person's body but, instead, the hands move 3 to 4 inches away from the body working with the energy field which surrounds each of us. The effects of this, too, have been studied and documented well and the effects are the same whether the receiver believes in it or not, or whether the one administering the treatment believes in it.
“My point is that there is much we do not know -- about energy fields, about the power of the human mind, about angels and unseen forces, about prayer -- about God. My God is the Life Force of the Universe that animates every living thing, a force from which we cannot be separated (belief and/or religion are not required). Why shouldn't it be possible to direct this life force toward another or to have some of our good energy/thoughts rub off on a 'prayer' shawl? Stranger things have happened.”
Tom Watson wrote, “Like you, I am not convinced of the intercessory value of a prayer shawl and the corresponding healing value, however there is a healing that comes with knowing that somebody else cares enough to spend hours and hours making something warm and comforting. Reaching out in kindness and caring, no matter what way, is a ministry. Thumbs up to Joan and others for what they do.”
Isabel Gibson ventured a hypothesis: “Maybe love travels through the ether, but we need a tangible something to focus our minds long enough to receive it. This isn't my area, that's for sure. But loving thoughts are never wrong: not for the initiator or for the subject. That's good enough for me.”
Old friend Wilma Evans commented, “It's lovely to be reminded of the value of the prayer shawl. I received mine at First St. Andrews, London, some years ago, and feel that great comfort almost every day.”
Krista Markstrom-Boon shared her own experience: “I once was very involved with a prayer shawl ministry group. There is such love -- and for many, meditative silence and prayers -- that go into each prayer shawl knitted or crocheted for others. Sometimes a prayer shawl is intended for a specific person. Oftentimes the prayer shawl is blessed and then given out to anyone who might be in need of comfort and/or a total stranger's love and good thoughts. Like those many handmade quilts, crocheted tablecloths, embroidered linens found at yard sales and auction houses, prayer shawls can have the same feelings and emotions bound up in the fibers: the joy of a newborn child, the tears of anguish over losing a loved one, the smile and warmth of friends and family, the niggly daily frustrations, the sometimes overwhelming pain and struggle in dealing with an ongoing illness, the calmness of just sitting with knitting needles or crochet hook in hand with yarn dangling from our fingers. Those and many other emotions that make up our daily lives, really, go into anything handmade.
“But prayer shawls usually are meant to cover us like hugs around our shoulders. They're a reminder that we're not alone. Many emotions get shared into the course of the making of each one, one stitch at a time.
“Bless Joan's and your hearts for making me remember why this ministry is important and special. Every single human being needs a daily dose of loving hug.
Priscilla Gifford said, “Amen!! My church (Cairn Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Lafayette, CO) has been knitting prayer shawls for several years -- both men and women are creating them. A warm, simple comfort, for the creator and the recipient.”
June Tink: Having been involved in our Knitting Ministry at St. Peter's Church in Cobourg, Ontario for the past ten or more years, your letter struck a chord with me. We have many knitters, one of our most prolific being 95 years old. We even have a couple of men, one of whom makes beautiful baby shawls and the other more macho shawls for men.
“From personal experience, I know how comforting these gifts are to those who receive them. We, too, bless them in our chapel but I really like the fact that Joan's congregation lay their hands on the shawls. I'm going to suggest that we do the same. We do attach a prayer to each shawl.
“By the way, we don't use wool as it is not allowed in the hospitals. It's mostly synthetics!”
Unless I have mis-read some names above, Charles Hill was the only male responder: “My wife has, the last year, spent many hours knitting caps for infants, taken to the hospitals and dispensed shortly after birth. That is a part of her ministry, along with many hours transporting patients in wheel chairs, stocking drawers with necessities for the nurses to use (bandages etc.) at a local hospital. I do similar volunteering in the emergency room. I really believe that God's work is rarely salaried. Even in a salaried position, the work is in the smile, the encouragement, the acceptance of individuals when it isn't necessary for the "job." I'm sure that those receiving your wife's caps are blessed and that both you (with your writing) and she with her endeavors are receiving a smile from God.....and a pat on the back from me.”
Finally, a couple of readers commented on my psalm paraphrase last week.
Robert Mason wrote, “When I read your paraphrase of Psalm 52 I think of the nominee for the Republican Party south of the border.”
Similarly, this from Sandy Warren: “Your Psalm 52 paraphrase didn't help me practice forgiveness. It made me think of a specific person and, in enduring this endless and odious US election cycle, I found it extremely satisfying! Hopefully, I will get to forgiveness eventually, but I'm not there yet!”
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PSALM PARAPHRASES
The lectionary calls for Psalm 85, all 13 verses. For some reason, all my paraphrases of this psalm leave out verses 3-7. Oh, well…..
Sometimes merely surviving is cause for celebration--like making it through a storm at sea.
1 I am truly fortunate.
2 I made mistakes, but you did not penalize me for them. Thank you, God.
8 I believe in you again.
In the depths of the storm, I doubted you.
I doubted me.
I doubted everything.
I despaired.
I thought I would die.
9 But you saved me, in spite of my stupidity.
10 The storm is over now.
11 Clear skies stretch ahead of me;
warm winds press me on, like a helping hand in the small of my back.
12 Indeed, you are good to me.
One day like this makes my misery tolerable.
13 Thank you, God.
I am no longer at the mercy of the elements.
I can set a safe course to my destination,
following your directions.
For paraphrases of most of the psalms used by the Revised Common Lectionary, you can order my book Everyday Psalms from Wood Lake Publishing, info@woodlake.com.
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YOU SCRATCH MY BACK…
Ralph Milton has a new project, called Sing Hallelujah – the world’s first video hymnal. 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 www.singhallelujah.ca
Isabel Gibson's thoughtful and well-written blog, www.traditionaliconoclast.com
Wayne Irwin's "Churchweb Canada," an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. <http://www.churchwebcanada.ca>
Alva Wood's satiric stories about incompetent bureaucrats and prejudiced attitudes in a small town are not particularly religious, but they are fun; write alvawood@gmail.com 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’s readers. Write him at twatson@sentex.net
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TECHNICAL STUFF
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