God Speaks Through MacDuff

Yesterday to celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband and I enjoyed coffee at our favorite cafe, dinner at our favorite pub, and opera by our favorite composer, Verdi. It was MacBeth, Shakespeare's tale of the Scottish king whose ambition was his fatal flaw. The sets, the direction, the music, the acting, the singing . . . all were collectively grand and spell-binding.

We've been going to the opera for almost 20 years since we met there (as volunteers), and as fond as we are of the art form, it is rare for any performance to excel in all those aspects -- let alone for three hours. And it is also rare (and a wonderful thing) to be in an audience that was universally moved, erupting with joy and applause right along with us.

Late in the opera when MacDuff, a tenor with a heart-piercingly fluid tone, is betrayed by MacBeth and discovers his wife and children slain, he enfolds his limp little girl in his arms and sings a song of grief like none I've ever heard. Tears sprang to my eyes.

I thought of those boys in Duluth and their families' suffering. My conscience stung: it was heartless of me to post criticism after that event. What if the heartbroken parents were to hear of it and suffer more? Whether something has validity or not is hardly the point. Where was my compassion?

I removed the post.

I beg pardon for any hurt, and pray that I will be more sensitive to the suffering of others.

Peace.

Conceptions of Morality

On the Yahoo site, RhymingBlue posted a link to an interesting thesis and provided these excerpts:

"[T]he Conservative Laestadian movement was born in the middle of the social transformation of the Finnish society in the end of the nineteenth century: the technical innovations gave push to the industrialization process which led to the emergence of new jobs. This societal change was interpreted by some Evangelical Lutherans to have a negative influence on the Finnish values and they tried to maintain the endorsement of "good values" by creating revivalist movements that attempted to call the values of the old society back to life. These values were regarded to be essentially religious but when observed from a broader point of view, it can be noticed that they are exactly the same as the values endorsed by the traditional Finnish agrarian society." -pp. 100-101

"The Conservative Laestadian community is very tight also because their ideology emphasizes the unique and special status of their community in the eyes of God, like the Jews or the Amishes. For this reason the boundary between the in- and out group is strong, the membership identity is explicit and the phenomenon of marginal community identity is rare. (Haavio, 1964, 73.)" -p. 102

"[T]he moral judgment of the Laestadians is not based on rational reasoning, or "logic", but instead on faith. ... However, the
Laestadians are well aware of the fact that by using rational reasoning as an approach for making moral judgments one can end up with moral conclusions that are different from theirs." -p. 194

"[In case you hadn't heard of God's word, would the contraceptive pills be still wrong?] - I would have a totally different opinion of everything. Because if a person doesn't have a faith, he uses in everything his own brains and with the brains, you know where you go when you use only your brains." p. 195

"The fact that God's word determines the state of affairs of the whole world is also manifested in the Laestadians' idea that a human being does not have the responsibility to help, as far as the worldly injustices such as the poverty of the developing countries, are concerned." p. 195

"[Prescription-free contraceptive pills, other countries; What do you think about introducing prescription-free contraceptive pills in the developing countries?] - I understand fully what they are doing and they have that overpopulation, stop. But God reigns and we don't have to take care of it in that way. [Does the overpopulation have a reason?] - Yes, he knows what he is doing. I don't have to care about it." p. 196

Good Grief

A reader suggested this topic and I am happy to oblige.

Do tight-knit groups (such as the OALC) handle grief better than the society at large?

What is good grieving? Is it "getting on with life" or "talk therapy"?

Swedish Eccentrics

This afternoon as my son played his Little League game, his little sister and I flew a kite on the adjoining field. We were soon joined by other tots too restless to sit in the bleachers; they took turns running with and after the kite, giggling and yipping like puppies. More than once I was tangled in string as they circled around me, and I thought of the kiterunners in Kabul who glue glass bits to their strings in order to cut loose other kites. Glad I'm not in Kabul, I thought.

Occasionally a freight train rumbled by and the children would wave and chase it. Our local ballfields are scenic. Recently at a game near the ship canal, a NOAA vessel floated past, causing everyone to turn and stare as the bridge lifted and the cormorants circled and the aspens quaked.

But no one blinks when our former governor shows up. He's here for his kid, like the rest of us, and no doubt he winces inside when his kid strikes out, like the rest of us. There's a lot of striking out among 7-year olds.

One of the smallest kiterunners introduced me to his dad, a dapper black guy who avoids the cheering section and brings reading material. I figured he was either (1) shy, (2) tired of white people, or (3) not a baseball nut. After a few minutes of conversation, I decided it was the latter, as he was friendly and eager to talk. We covered a wide variety of subjects, including architecture, happiness, the legal profession (he is a law prof at the UW), our neighborhood, home renovation, music instruction, and religion. Isn't it crazy how with some people you can get to the heart of things?

When his lovely wife arrived, I was charmed to learn that her heritage, like mine, includes an unusual religious sect started by an eccentric Swedish scientist. Swedenborg, that is.

Lucky her! Her eccentric scientist inspired Blake, Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Jung, and Johnny Appleseed.

Well, the game ended too soon. Our boys made their first base hits of the season and were very pleased. The rest of our conversation will have to wait.

Meanwhile, can anyone tell me more about Swedenborg? What do you suppose was his impact on Laestadius?

Further Thoughts on Faith

I just finished Anne Lamott's latest book, "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith" and heartily recommend it if you (1) are not easily offended, and (2) enjoy learning how others live their faith. Follow the link above to hear Lamott on NPR.

Wouldn't it be great if Julia Sweeney and Anne Lamott interviewed each other? They are both thoughtful, sincere, and loving truth-seekers, yet where Julia finds absurdity, Anne finds inspiration (as well as absurdity).

There is nothing to fear in exploring differing points of view. To quote Lamott:

"The opposite of faith is not doubt: It is certainty. It is madness. You can tell you have created God in your own image when it turns out that he or she hates all the same people you do. The first holy truth in God 101 is that men and women of true faith have always had to accept the mystery of God's identity and love and ways."

When you're absolutely certain you have nothing to learn. There is no mystery. There's no risk.