Thursday, October 14, 2010

God in America - Part 3

Last night was the final two hours of the PBS special God in America.

In Part 3 of God in America the dance of politics and religion in America continues with the fight against "Godless Communism" in the 1950's and '60's and abortion in the 1970's and '80's. The church's focus shifts from spreading the Gospel to political activism. Hot-button issues are used to mobilize christians as single-issue-voters.

But at the beginning of the 21st Century we are starting to see a new view of politics and religion, one in which all religions are respected and political action is guided by the "Golden Rule" rather than by hot-button issues.

The challenge to religious liberty continues, but if the church can regain its position as an agent of Christ's love and forgiveness, rather than an agent for political action, the Gospel's relevance will prevail.

You can find more info on the PBS God in America website. If you miss any of it you can watch it online or order a dvd copy.

Peace, Love, and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

God In America - Part 2

Last night the PBS special God in America provided two more hours of interesting, and sometimes a little less known, historical information about God and the American experience.

On one hand PBS went into great detail about Lincoln's personal religious struggles along with those of a divided nation during the Civil War... but on the other hand, as in Part 1, only a casual mention of the contributions made by the Quakers. There was also a great deal of material about the Jewish reform movement in the United States which I really had no knowledge of prior to last night.

In Part 2 of God in America it was clear that during the Civil War (as in all other wars before and after), the church was co-opted to be the mouthpiece of the government, both for the Union and for the Confederacy. Not a good thing to be in my opinion, the church is to be the mouthpiece of God!

The one take-away-point from last night was that religion in America was and is ever changing, yet never becoming a uniform system of belief for the whole nation. The Constitution protects and thereby fosters diverse religious expression in America... Thank God!

I am going to watch the last two hours tonight. You can find more info on the PBS God in America website. If you miss any of it you can watch it online or order a dvd copy.

Peace, Love, and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

PBS Special "God In America" - Part 1

The first two hours of God in America, a six-hour documentary series on PBS, aired last night.

My thoughts while watching the first part of God in America was God bless Anne Hutchinson and all of the other brave men and women who were led by the Spirit to challenge the Church-State power elite. We are truly a diverse nation of believers and thank God that our Constitution provides the place and protection for all us us to practice our personal faiths as our conscience dictates.

I am going to watch the next two hours tonight. You can find more info on the PBS God in America website. If you miss any of it you can watch it online or order a dvd copy.

Peace, Love, and Light!
Kevin (Cloud)

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Well, it has been five years since we switched from being grandparents to being parents again. Our little girl has given us much joy in the midst of the sad circumstances that brought her to us when she was just two months old.

My Quaker friend asked me back then if given this second chance at parenting if I would do anything differently. At that time I was pretty sure that I wouldn't change much of how I did things twenty-five years earlier.... but now I know that in spite of my self confidence I've had to adapt to our little girl's unique needs.

I am also finding ways to enjoy her ages and stages more than I allowed my self to do twenty-five years ago. Now I am not in such a hurry to finish parenting, but rather learning to be in the moment of it. Besides, why would I want to hurry up being in my late 60's?

Now I am trying to figure out how to follow my quest into the un-programmed, silently-waiting style of worship practiced by Friends (Quakers) with our little girl who we suspect is on the Autism Spectrum. That is the subject of an upcoming blog post.

My secret hope is that she grows up to write a children's book titled "I Was Raised By My Hippie Grandparents"... but in reality she will probably write "A Guide To Backyard Entomology".

Here are some links: