Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts

Monday, November 10, 2014

Bear Lodge, Devils Tower NM

Bear Lodge at Devils Tower NM
Devils Tower National Monument. Wyoming. August 6, 2014
Copyright © 2014 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day by A. F. Litt: November 10, 2014

The best laid plans… Well, I hope to get back on track with the photo of the day after a month long hiatus. Life got pretty busy there for a bit, as life tends to do, and I decided that rather than spending a month feeling guilty about not keeping up with the photo of the day I’d just put it on hold and re-launch the re-launch when I could realistically post on a regular basis.

So, here goes… I’m making plans- I hope God doesn't laugh!

A month ago, I had a pretty decent post sketched out in my head for this photo, but a month of busy days later and those plans are faded. On our trip, we visited many sites that are sacred to Native Americans, here and the Medicine Wheel probably being first and foremost. I was going to post a weeks worth of photos on these sites in conjunction with Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 13 (some may know that day by another term), but that week got very busy.

So I will pick up with this photo, but then move on.

As we followed our path across the west this summer, though, we did visit a lot of sacred places, and Bear Lodge and the Medicine Wheel were very powerful experiences for me. It was my first visit to the Medicine Wheel, but my second to Devils Tower National Monument. My first visit to the monument was many decades ago, and my excitement was centered around visiting the location that played such a major role in Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

On this visit, though, images of alien spacecraft floating around the tower had faded from my mind, and arriving at the monument on the same day that we visited the Medicine Wheel, I was in a more spiritual mindset.

The painting here shows a scene from the etiological myth of the creation of this landform. It’s real name is Bear Lodge… Devils Tower is a western name from the pioneer days and is actually considered by many Indians to be rather offensive, because this is not a dark or evil place in their view.

And this is a spot where western ideas and indigenous ideas really clash… The tower is considered to be one of the world’s great climbing spots, but climbing on a spiritual monument is rather insulting to those who feel that this is a sacred location. Imagine peoples’ reaction if the Washington Monument was turned into a base jumping platform, or if St. Peter’s Basilica was turned into an EDM nightclub…

So the National Park Service has a tough job here. They’ve asked climbers to stay off the formation in June, the peak season for ceremonies to be held at the monument, and while this is merely a request, many, though not all, climbers honor this voluntary restriction. They ask visitors to stay on the trails and not to use the site as a recreational playground, though this is difficult to enforce and even my own boys had trouble “remembering” to not leap parkour style between the boulders of the talus field at the formation’s base…

However, that lapse did lead to a very powerful discussion about faith and respect for everyone’s individual beliefs, which, while difficult at times, was pretty amazing.

To me, this should be a part of the power of these sites. Even if we do not come from the spiritual tradition that led to these sites being recognized as sacred by the first peoples, we should appreciate this spiritual aspect when we visit these locations as much as we appreciate the sheer physical beauty of these spots. If we can meditate and pray, or even have a discussion amongst ourselves about the junction of the physical and spiritual world that occurs in these locations, regardless of our individual beliefs, then even better!

I feel God’s presence very much in these sites. While my faith does not assign any particular holiness to these specific locations, they are still some of the best works in our land of a God whose holiness infuses every place and every thing. If other faiths recognize the sacredness inherent in these sites too, that can serve to remind us… encourage us to remember… that there is a spirit in the land, regardless of how we define it, if we call it God, Allah, the Great Spirit, or anything else, even just simple Nature, and sites like this should be treated as sacred no matter what faith lays claim to this or that particular piece of real estate.

As for the name… There is some noise about changing the name to Bear Lodge National Monument, but this is politically tricky, and there are some who feel that the history of the name Devils Tower should be respected as well. While I side more with changing the name, I understand that a compromise may be in order, too. So my suggestion would be to call the monolith Bear Lodge while keeping the name of the national monument as is.

Hence my caption on this photo… Bear Lodge at Devils Tower National Monument.

From the National Park Service:

Monument Home Page: http://www.nps.gov/deto/index.htm
Devils Tower - Sacred to Plains Tribes
A review of the ethnographic literature demonstrates that Devils Tower was a sacred area for several Plains Tribes, and that it is considered an important landmark in tribal narratives.
First Stories - In Their Own Words
In the 1930's, the importance of Devils Tower to many Plains Indians was recorded in first person narratives.

On www.aflitt.com: http://www.aflitt.com/devilstowernm/e3e8c9321

On 500px: https://500px.com/photo/89335363/bear-lodge-devils-tower-nm-by-a-f-litt

from tag geology

Rubble: Photo of the Day by A. F. Litt: March 11, 2012, Oregon Dunes

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Thursday, January 05, 2012

2012 Apocalypse Grab Bag

From 2011-11 (Nov)

2012 Apocalypse FAQ: Why the World Won't End | 2012 Doomsday Theories & End of the World | Dec. 21, 2012 | Space.com:

Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then — just as your calendar begins again on January 1 — another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

10 Failed Doomsday Predictions | End of the World & Apocalypse | LiveScience:
Most prophets of doom come from a religious perspective, though the secular crowd has caused its share of scares as well. One thing the doomsday scenarios tend to share in common: They don't come to pass.
Here are 10 that didn't pan out, so far:

End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears | May 21 Doomsday, 2012 Doomsday | Apocalypse Scenarios | LiveScience:

With more and more technologies able to wreak mass destruction, a greater knowledge of what cosmic threats our planet faces, and more forms of media capable of trumpeting Armageddon, it seems as if there is more hype than ever about one supposedly impending apocalypse or another in 2012, despite all the failed doomsday predictions over the years.

Here are 10 apocalyptic scenarios that have raised fears about the end of civilization, in alphabetical order.

The Draw of Doomsday: Why People Look Forward to the End | Apocalypse & Armageddon | May 21 Judgment Day & 2012 Doomsday Hype | LiveScience:

According to DiTommaso, the apocalyptic worldview isn't uncommon. At the extreme end are people like Camping or Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese doomsday cult that carried out sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway in 1995. But doomsday appeals to the secular and well-adjusted as well, through books such as Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" (Knopf, 2006) and movies like "The Terminator" (1984). Meanwhile, economic hard times and crises like Japan's earthquake and tsunami have spiked interested in survivalism and "prepping," or stashing food and supplies in preparation for a coming collapse.

Apocalpytic beliefs have been on rise for the past 40 to 50 years, said DiTommaso, who has been researching doomsday believers for an upcoming book, "The Architecture of Apocalypticism." What ties these disparate groups together is a sense that the world's problems are too big to solve, DiTommaso said."

Source:LiveScience

from tag science

from tag volcano

from tag other

from tag video

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Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Who's going to Hell? It doesn't matter one way or the other

An old post I am moving over here from Democracy In Distress (2011-04-21 08:24):

First, a smorgasboard of articles... Links and a video... I haven't read all of them yet.

Is Hell Dead? (www.time.com)

Rogue pastor Rob Bell's argument about salvation and judgment has Evangelicals in a fury -- and a young generation rethinking Jesus

My Take: Is Judas in heaven or hell? God only knows (religion.blogs.cnn.com)

Editor's Note: Craig Gross is the pastor and founder of XXXchurch.com. He has written seven books and speaks across the country on a range of topics. He just turned 35 and is no longer a hip 20-something pastor from California.

Christian author's book sparks charges of heresy

Firestorm grows over 'Christian heresy' book

Rob Bell punches back against claims of heresy

I don't have a lot to write on this, but I can offer my take. I don't spend too much time worrying about what comes next. But I do believe that we do have to power to create heaven or hell on Earth for ourselves. The choices we make can take us in either way, and I tend to see the Biblical/religious concepts of hell as a parable for this truth. As we say in my circles, we manufacture our own misery through the choices we make every day.

If there is something like heaven and hell waiting for us on the other side, then I have a hard time believing that our actions count for less than our exposure and acceptance of the teachings of Jesus Christ. I find the following anecdote from Bell just outrageous:

An artist in the show had included a quotation from Mohandas Gandhi. Hardly a controversial touch, one would have thought. But one would have been wrong.

A visitor to the exhibit had stuck a note next to the Gandhi quotation: "Reality check: He's in hell." Bell was struck.

Really? he recalls thinking.

Gandhi's in hell?

He is?

We have confirmation of this?

Somebody knows this?

Without a doubt?

And that somebody decided to take on the responsibility of letting the rest of us know?

I am sure that, according to at least one person, everyone is in hell. Gandhi is in hell for being a non-Christian. Mother Theresa is in hell for being a Catholic. F.D.R. is in hell for being a Democrat. Reagan is in hell for being a Republican. J.F.K. is in hell for being a Democrat and a Catholic... And everyone not liked by anyone is burning in hell, or, at least, someone is hoping that they are.

I think our time is better spent trying to make the world around us a better place. Whatever happens beyond that is beyond our control anyway.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Essay: The Decline and Fall of Free Will: JE to the Evangelists

Tonight, my oldest son wrote his first "serious" paper. He's in the 7th Grade, so it's not that serious, but it actually has MLA citations. It was a battle, but he got it done. While it is very rough, it actually touched on a couple of interesting ideas. However, since it was a last minute cram job and already a day late, he didn't get to travel down those interesting paths as far as I would have liked to see...

Anyway, I babble and I miss the point. He is definitely after my own heart. The paper's title? "The Biblical History of the Israeli and Palestinian Conflict." Right down the center of my academic studies... The primary focus of his paper was the history of the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants. Damn. I love that boy. It wasn't even my idea! He came up with it on his own.

It reminded me of a paper I wrote back in 2005, dealing with the covenants. I thought I'd dig it up and take another look before passing the hell out. Another long day. Another long week...

Link to PDF: The Decline and Fall of Free Will: JE to the Evangelists

April 16, 2005

The Decline and Fall of Free Will: JE to the Evangelists

The concepts of free will, responsibility and the punishment of sin in the Hebrew Bible and in the Christian New Testament transform slowly over the course of the text, reflecting the views of different writers living in different societies and times. Essentially, the Israelites’ covenant with Yahweh, binding them to a god who delivers divine guidance and punishment for their actions and failures, is defined early on by the J (Yahwist) and E (Elohim) writers, is modified by the Deuteronomists who live in a new social situation, and then is completely replaced with a new covenant by the Evangelists in the New Testament Gospels, resulting in the redefinition of the nature of sin, the revocation of Torah law, and the essential elimination of the concept of free will.

In the early JE texts, the first humans and then the Israelites have more free will coupled with the lightest responsibilities to God than at any other time in the course of the Bible. These writers cover the creation of the Abrahamic Covenant and Mosaic Covenants, covering the first limitations on humanity’s free will, but the original demands of these covenants and the punishment for violating them is light compared to what follows. In Who Wrote the Bible?, Richard Elliott Friedman writes, “[Wilhelm] Vatke … concluded that J and E reflected a very early stage in the development of Israelite religion, when it was essentially a nature/fertility religion” (25). A religion in this stage is not concerned as much with obeying God and his representatives on earth, nor in the fate of a dualistic immortal soul, as it is with the cycle of the seasons, prosperous crops and herds, and the general well being of the tribe. And in the JE texts, we see that Yahweh’s major concerns are not with making rules and punishing sinners, but with the second creation myth, cult legends (especially when relating to future centers of Israelite worship), etiologies ranging from the salt pillars near the Dead Sea to the foundation of Israel’s claim on Canaan, and fertility issues, where many women, starting with Sarah, require Yahweh’s divine aid to conceive.