Heart

Others,

Restore the altar of your heart with burning faith!

Rebuilding the Altar at Mt Carmel
1 Kgs. 18:20
http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Pentecost/CProp4_RCL.html

Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.

Ahab had married Jezebel, a Phoenician. Faith in Melqart became fashionable in the kingdom. Melqart represented prosperity by military conquest (rule of law with weapons). The prosperity was developed by the exploitation of conquered people. 

Elijah represented faith in Nature's God with a rule of law based on relationship by agreement. Prosperity was part of providence by the promise. Cruelty had not been ruled out as an element in the story about retaliation for violent acts.

The killing of the prophets of Ba’al did not show respect for freedom of religion after the competition, but the imperial story about what was done in the name of Melqart threatened the existence of Israel. There was a literary battle for the hearts and minds of the people that pitted the rule of the One from the many against belief in the rule of the One.

Cruelty in the name of sectarian competition still hasn't been ruled out as much as possible. American military presence was increased in the Middle East to deter the incidence of terror due to primitive tribalism. 

Freedom of religion has been put into the constitution for nations that had had Islam as the only state religion.

“Establishment” had been implicit in Islam as a religion that was more primitive than Christianity or Judaism. Government should not establish religious leaders to rule over people. A religion should establish itself by persuading people that the faith has respect for the rights of others. 

Using the law to establish one religion as legal is the same as saying weapons are necessary to force people to worship a deity. Weapons are not needed for worship. Defense is the only justification for the use of force. Defense is the only justification for war.

Concession to the aggression of imperial expansion by military conquest was regarded as wrong by the prophets of Israel. It was an expression of support for the risk in military action when the prophets of Ba’al danced around and cut themselves with weapons, but it wasn’t an act punishable by death.

The story said that the prophets of Ba’al were put to death, but this was a literary element that envisioned the success of faith in the God of the Covenant in the fullness of time. The violation of the commandment against murder was seen as more active in relation to the pagans and the toleration of human sacrifice.

It wasn't entirely fictional in terms of faith. It is not likely that Elijah had the command of an army that could have had the 450 prophets put to death. It is more likely that the restoration of faith in the promise had eliminated the influence of their promotion of "prosperity" at the expense of conquered people. 

Elijah’s act of sacrificing a bull for a feast did not endorse war. The sacrifice celebrated the union of communion with God. People joined together to celebrate life by eating an animal that was given for the occasion.  They didn’t join together to say that killing others was necessary for prosperity.

As a Sacred Location
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Carmel#As_a_sacred_location
"According to the Books of Kings, there was an altar to God on the mountain, which had fallen into ruin by the time of Ahab, but Elijah built a new one."

1 Kgs. 18

Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name"; with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD...At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that you are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."

A burning faith was restored to the people. :-)

Archaeology
http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/orencaves.html

Burning Faith
Fm Ps.96

Say, yea Yah!
Yea you!

Rays of faith
burn from this heart as the sun
shines star fire as light
to sight for sound
in song.

Life loves to learn
to live past
time in the gift
of the present.

Now is the time
to seize that which
can be seized
about tomorrow
from the past.

Cease seizing the day
by violent aggression with weapons.
Invasion is a high crime
against the community of nations.
The agent for organization
needs to be charged
for the crime.

The limits for knowing
are set to extend beyond
what had been known.
Exploration is necessary
for growth but,
science limits knowledge
to that which can be acknowledged
as known to investigation
in the due process of law.

Propaganda writes
the story before and after the event
to defend the sale of weapons.
Truth for justice does not condone
killing for propaganda.

Learn to know
what had been the case
for reason and agreement
to see what can
be seen in sowing seeds for
peace and prosperity for living
where discord and poverty
had been the order
for things in dying.

Proclaim the good news
of salvation from day to day.
Declare growth for the economy.
Share resources for the production
of products and the cultivation of service;
risk safety only to protect health.

Insure fairness in commerce
with pricing that is regulated
for consumer consumption;
not the inflation of personal gain
by corporate greed.

There is majesty in the dignity of your presence.
There is splendor and might in the power
of your protection.

Ascribe gratitude for creation
to the Creator.
Ascribe honor and majesty
in achievement to the Performer.
Ascribe to the individual
the Personality of respect for others.

Bring offerings to celebrate community
in the presence of love.

Worship God in the beauty of holiness.
Let the whole earth shine
with the exchange of energy.

Warmth, light and moisture
cause hearts to glow
and help plants to grow
from the dark womb of soil.

The constancy of the law
makes the world as firm as earth.
It cannot be moved
without growth
in progress
for respect.

Let the heavens rejoice.
Let the earth be glad.

Let the thunder rumble
as water dives with droves of drops
from clouds to bodies on the ground.

Then the trees in the forest will shout for joy.
Light will dance on leaves for branches
to drink deeply for life;
liquid substance is shared
with the wind.

The world will be judged for righteousness.
Respect for others will be shown with truth.
Say, yea Yah!
Yea you!

====================

Justin Martyr, the Philosopher (100-167)
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/175.html

Justin was impressed by the steadfastness of the martyrs at Ephesus. He met an aged Christian man by chance while walking on the seashore. The man spoke to him about Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises made through the Jewish prophets.

Christ as Truth
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/evangelistsandapologists/martyr.html

Justin said, "I fell in love with the prophets and these men who had loved Christ; I reflected on all their words and found that this philosophy alone was true and profitable."

Later he moved to Rome. He founded a Christian school. He wrote two bold apologies (i.e., defenses—from the Greek apologia). Justin's First Apology, addressed to Emperor Antoninus Pius, was published in 155 CE. He explained the faith. Christianity was not a threat to the state. He asserted that it should be treated as a legal religion.

The proposal to accept Christianity as legal did not rule out acceptance of other religions. While polytheism was flawed insofar as emperor worship was included as a requirement, it allowed for a multiplicity of faiths.

The cult for each god or goddess was an expression of faith for a different religion. The greatest flaw for monotheism as a state cult was that it increased the risk for violence against those who did not belong to the cult.

The argument for Christianity as a legal religion however did not go as far as the provision for freedom of religion. This provision clearly affirms each person has the right to free exercise so long as the establishment of a religion for the state is not being promoted. 

The role for the state in terms of religion is to defend the right for an individual to participate in a community of faith. Respect for the right of others to the same freedom is a requirement by law.

Justin was asked by the prefect to denounce his faith after he was arrested in Rome by making a sacrifice to the gods. Justin replied, "No one who is rightly minded turns from true belief to false."

It was an easy answer. Justin had spent most of his adult life discerning truth from deception. Freedom of religion asserts that it would also be wrong for the state to ask anyone to denounce the right to another faith by claiming allegiance to Christ, God, monotheism or any particular religion.

It is also wrong to force a suspect to confess to a crime with the threat of violent force.

Suspect Killed During Interview
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/22/justice/florida-fbi-shooting-boston/index.html 

  
"Ibragim Todashev, who died during the interview with authorities, not only confessed to his direct role in slashing the throats of three people in Waltham, Massachusetts, but also fingered Tsarnaev in the deaths, the official said Wednesday."

It was reported that Todashev was shot seven times. One shot was delivered to the back of his head. It was reported that he attacked the FBI agent with "some kind of weapon." 

He had turned over the table after signing the confession. Doesn't the excessive use of force scream “forced confession”? How many times does someone without a gun have to be shot to stop the perception of a threat?

The song “Baba O’Riley” sings.

"I don't need to fight to prove I'm right."

The statement is very true, but the corollary is not:

            I don't need to fight to prove that civil and human rights are just.
            They are natural. They don't need to be defended with violent action.
            Valid arguments support justification for proof.

The cruel dehumanization presented throughout the history of civilization as "justice" made the defense of rights a constant struggle. It is not the defense of my rights that transcends and promotes progress as evolution in the process.

Each elitist defaults to his or her right to accumulate capital despite the cost to others. It is the defense of rights for others that wins respect. This defense earns respect for individual rights in the life of each person.

I don’t need to fight to prove I’m right, but I will use truth to defend freedom with justice.

Steve K.

Meritocracy

Occupy the meritocracy of democracy!

Others,

Consider the case of a disease that not only threatened to kill many, it threatened to kill all. The Black Death killed 1.5 million out of 4 million people in England between 1348 and 1350. There was no medical knowledge of the disease. It was not known how to treat it at the time.

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/black_death_of_1348_to_1350.htm

Was the plague a curse from God? Was it punishment for sin? What caused the disease? From where did it come?

The outbreak of the Black Death actually started in China in the 1330’s. It was transported to Europe by Italian merchant ships that arrived in Sicily in October of 1347.

http://www.themiddleages.net/plague.html

Boccaccio recorded the symptoms: “The first signs of the plague were lumps in the groins or armpits. After this, livid black spots appeared on the arms, thighs and other parts of the body. Few recovered. Almost all died within three days, usually without any fever.”

Medical inquiry has to evaluate relevant evidence. Questions regarding God’s role are set aside to favor the investigation of the relation between physical symptoms and causality. Theology can interpret findings after a cause has been identified and a treatment has been devised.

What were the people of England to do? Suppose they knew that the disease started to rampage after a ship had landed from Italy? Should they assume biological warfare? Should they send an army to Italy; then on to China? Would that cure the disease?

It became apparent to objective observation that it was fleas from rats that started the contagion. The rats had climbed onto the ships that sailed from China to Italy; then from Italy to England. It was then spread by close contact with other humans.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/plague.htm

What could be done? It was the lack of community sanitation and the close living quarters that provided a favorable environment for the disease to spread. Garbage was not taken to public landfills. Bodily waste was not disposed away from the household. The unsanitary conditions were favorable for the rats that harbored the fleas that spread the contagion.

The cure for the time was environmental. They didn’t come up with an inoculation that cured the disease. They had to change the living conditions. Community and household sanitation had to be improved to the extent that the rats would not have such a happy home.

This was a time in history where Europeans were coming closer to understanding the microbial causes of disease. The fleas on the rats were the vectors for the disease, but it was some invisible microbe that caused it.

The environment established by humans was favorable to the communication of the pathogenic microbe, so improvement of living conditions would come to provide a preventative measure.

Did everyone respond objectively to the plague? Albert Camus, a writer associated with existential philosophy, wrote a novel called “The Plague” that evaluated the social situation. He used it to comment on the German occupation of France; an occupation that had only recently ended.

The leadership of the time was sectarian. They supported state religion. They called it Christianity. They said that the disease was a punishment from God. They used it to control the population by frightening it into submission. They tortured suspects. They killed people who were not Christian. Quarantines of infected communities and the documentation of physical conditions were the only effective actions applied by the government.

http://www.enotes.com/plague

The central character, Dr. Bernard Rieux, heroically applies objective inquiry into finding a treatment for the malady. Ultimately, the plague ends on its own despite the lack of medical knowledge. The torture and execution of suspects would prove to be criminal. The plague would eventually come to serve as an argument for public sanitation. 

A movie called “Black Death” was released in 2010. It is set in England during and after the period of affliction. A friar is called to investigate reports of resurrected bodies in a town in the country. He is sent with an envoy of knights appointed by the bishop. The movie becomes a depiction of the conflicting claims of christianity and paganism, but ultimately it serves as an argument against devotion to destruction. The argument also supports freedom of religion.

The town where the friar was sent did not suffer from the ravages of the disease. They claimed that the plague was a punishment from the christian’s vengeful God. It did not affect them because they were not christians. The christians on the other hand were convinced that the claims of resurrection were the work of a necromancer and witches.

The pagans tortured the christians to get the renunciation of Christ as God. The christians killed the pagans for witchcraft. The cruelty of the affliction ruled the actions of both sides. It was not a typical movie insofar as both sides were shown as being wrong. Neither side was depicted as being just. The development of the central character was not heroic. It was pathetically tyrannical.

Neither side favored the rule of law based on due process in investigation. Their only investment in evidentiary investigation was to determine if the people whom they did not know were christian or pagan. The findings were then used to put the members of the other side to death.

It was emotionally disturbing and seemed all too historically accurate. I wouldn’t call it enjoyable entertainment, but it had an educational value in the implied support for non-sectarian and representative government.

This review of the bubonic plague serves as a lesson from history. The disease was not a punishment from God. Faith in liberty and love however played a role in calling for improvement in medical knowledge, public sanitation and representative leadership for the general public.

Praise for the God of gods then, is not a call for sectarian government or state religion. It is a call for learning about representative leadership for human being from the lessons of history.

Fm. Ps.50

LORD,
you are the God of gods.
You call the earth
from each rising
of the sun
to the next.

You reveal yourself out of Zion;
perfect in beauty;
majestic in glory.

God will come from
before the dawn.

LORD, you come
from nowhere
out of silence.
A consuming flame
precedes you.
There is a raging storm
all around you.

You call the heavens and the earth from above
to witness the judgments of justice.

“Assemble my people.
Renew the covenant of love.
Seal it with sacrifice and celebration.”

Let the heavens declare the rightness of justice;
for God is the judge.

===============

One thing government and people have in common is the conflict of battling factions. Initially, it can seem that the answer to factional conflict is to eliminate the factions. This is the basis for dictatorship however. Dictatorship always shows favor to one group to the disadvantage of others. It is “the party” that rules over and against any other parties.

Democracy operates on the assumption of factional disagreement. Debate is entertained from at least two parties to find agreement by the reduction of disagreement. The goal is to weigh the oppositions against each other in order to find a resolution. The participation of the people is required. Otherwise, representation is limited to those opposing factions that can afford to support the debate between the political leaders.

The “Underworld” movie series looks at the battle between vampires and werewolves as factions of society. The vampires are the death dealers. They represent the aristocracy that was out to eliminate opposition. Currently, they have a correspondence with that industrial leadership that seeks to destroy the competition.

The werewolves used to be slaves to the vampires. The vampires operated at night. The werewolves worked in the day. They were the hard working peasants who had worked so hard that they became as fit as warriors. They became so strong in serving that they rebelled against oppressive leadership. They represent labor. This movie series is about class warfare.

The romance between Michael and Selene underscores the love that can grow within the drama of war between factions.  War and oppressive government can be so cruel that the cruelty threatens to eclipse the experience of love. Humans won’t reproduce without love. The species would die were it not for the reproductive urge. Somehow, couples find a way to love working together. This love represents the ability to stay together to the end; to the last breath.

Evanescence – Last Breath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ZyHwj4wQU&feature=related

Romance is eclipsed when opposing factions play the love of the couple for each other against the responsibility to parent offspring. The pattern had been for the male to act as the income provider and the female to act as the household manager. Modern life and democracy have altered the pattern. Now, both parents often work. The male is not necessarily the primary income provider.

Currently, the trend to promote the industry of war is an effort to regress to the old pattern of male domination. Democracy abhors single party leadership. Representative leadership is not patriarchal. It is not matriarchal. It is a meritocracy that values experience with education.

Don’t succumb to the call for regression. Occupy the meritocracy of democracy.

Steve K.