Faith and Reason: A conversation about religion, spirituality and ethics

Woods apology: Buddhist, biblical and Bill Clinton-esque

A deeply apologetic Tiger Woods today added to his lengthy litany of sins, regrets and promises of repentance that he needs to return to Buddhist traditions.

His mother taught him the traditions and moral philosophy but as an adult, he says, he drifted away. Now it's time to return to finding balance and being centered again.

Buddhism, he said, teaches that "a craving for things outside ourselves" can only lead to "unhappiness and a pointless search for security. Woods said he needed to stop "following every impulse" and "learn restraint."

Then, with several gulps and a weary, steady sad face, he said he was heading back to continue his therapy.

While his pledge is to return to Buddhist ways, his point-by-point apology was classically biblical -- it's the same "turning" process that Bill Clinton cited, reading from a Jewish prayer, when he apologized for his Lewinsky affair in 1998:

Admit your wrongs, take responsibility for them, express your regrets to all who were harmed, and spell out your path to return to integrity and righteousness.

Whether that's enough for Brit-Hume-Christian-style forgiveness -- or everyone else's -- remains to be seen.

Should we follow what Woods said about his wife, Elin, in apologies: Can only his future behavior speak for him now?

On morality matters, it's Catholic vs. Catholic online

Put down the guitar and stamp out the campfire. There's no "kumbaya" for social justice Catholics and traditionalists who are busy flaming each other -- and their bishops -- on the Internet.

Name your topic: Abortion. Just War. Torture. Politics. Gay civil rights.

Right-wing Catholic Deal Hudson has launched a holier-than-thou attack on Catholics who don't agree with him -- starting with the leadership of the church in the USA, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, says Bryan Cones, blogging at U.S. Catholic.

Lost track of who Hudson is? Joe Feuerherd wrote for the New York Observer:

He was Bush's Catholic adviser and the editor of the influential conservative Catholic magazine Crisis. That is, until the National Catholic Reporter discovered that he'd taken advantage of a troubled 18-year-old student at Fordham, and been forced out of his tenured professorship there. The campaign dropped him, shocked, shocked that a moral leader would violate so many commandments at the same time. Crisis forced him out as publisher a bit later...

Now he's based online at InsideCatholic.com where, Cones says, Hudson's daily bread is skewering the "Catholic social justice infrastructure."

Statistically, that would be a whole lot of Catholics as most make their primary identification not in the sacraments but in serving the least, the last and the lost. A study sponsored by the church in advance of Pope Benedict XVI's 2008 U.S. visit found 66% said "helping the poor and needy is a moral obligation for Catholics" -- more than the 61% who say Catholicism's sacraments are "essential to my faith." Just 43% said they look to church teachings, the pope and bishops "in deciding what is morally acceptable."

Cones says Hudson starts with a scrambled-egg version of church history then moves rapidly to "guilt-by-association" tactics. Finally, Cones writes, Hudson settles on claiming...

... that the USCCB is analogous to the hated federal government, and suggests a "tea party" movement against it. Prepare the tar and feathers!

Cones argues that Hudson's actual goal is purely political -- to undercut Catholic support for Democrats.

... He thinks everyone should be a Republican, and he thinks if you're a Catholic, you should be a Republican because the only issues you should ever cast a vote on are abortion and gay marriage (as if the GOP is really pure in practice on either of those issues). Abortion and gay marriage are, after all, why Jesus came to earth.

And Catholics aren't allowed to take political action on any other pressing social issues that cause human beings to suffer and die until (1) abortion is illegal and (2) gay people aren't permitted any recognition in civil law for their relationships or families...

Cones, however, stands with the USCCB official statement on voting, which gives life issues high standing but still calls for...

... considering the broad swath of issues when I vote, as well as exercising prudence in choosing the social policies that I think will have the most effect for the sake of the poor and weak, including the unborn.

... Unlike the "fake Catholycs" on "the left," forever fretting about how to bring people of varying views together for a common goal, Hudson wants no namby-pamby "working together" nonsense. You're either for us or against us.

Traditionalist Catholics at Eternal Word Television Network recently featured a guest who made liberal Catholic blogger Andrew Sullivan gag -- former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen, who is a cheerleader for the enhanced interrogation techniques (i.e. torture), which the Catholic Church explicitly condemns.

Sullivan writes:

More to Thiessen's point that torturing is a legitimate form of self-defense in just war theory, let me again reiterate the US Catholic Bishops' spokesman's statement on the matter: "Torture is 'intrinsically evil' and 'can never be justified.' There are some things we must never do. We must never take the lives of innocent people. We must never torture other human beings.

So is the campfire totally out on Catholic "kumbaya"?

God & ganja: Travel pro Rick Steves says marijuana laws not 'Christlike'

Travel guru Rick Steves has been flying higher than we might have thought all these years. He's gone public his use of marijuana and support for legalizating the drug. And he makes his case, in part, as a faithful Lutheran who finds activism more "Christlike" than conforming.

Amy Frykholm recently interviewed Steves, prolific guidebook author and Public Television travel show host, about his book, Travel as a Political Act, and his faith for Christian Century. But she saved the dope news for one of blogs that CC hosts, Theolog.

Steves tells her that people should take a "courageous" stand against drug laws that don't work. In the blog, Steves says,

For me, marijuana is not a harmful substance. I consider using it to be a civil liberty and have used it responsibly as an adult for creative purposes. I used to write a popular monthly column in World Concern Magazine, (a great Christian relief organization here in Seattle) and just for fun, I would write the article high. It helped me see things differently.

Steves says he's not pro-drugs he says, or overlooking to the problems drugs cause for kids or the dangers of driving, not just typing, while high.

I am saying that drug abuse is a painful and expensive problem in our society, and we are tackling it the wrong way. There are 80,000 people in jail for marijuana possession ... They get caught in that whole destructive and criminalized world. There are constructive and creative ways to help people, without locking people up, driving up the street value and enriching organized crime...

My pastor knows about my activism, and while he may not agree with me, he respects me for it. The church council supports some de-criminalization activities in Seattle. It is not at all incongruous to being a Christian or a Lutheran. It is a little odd, because most Christians are mindless conformists when it comes to these issues. I don't think mindless conformity is very Christlike.

I was mighty surprised by all this. I traveled in France with Steves himself and interviewed him often during my time as USA TODAY travel writer. I found him to be thoughtful, intellectually astute, culturally sensitive and fun. High? Not as I could tell but, having never smoked, (I may have been the original "designated driver" in the '60s) I probably wouldn't have known.

Still, his judgmental line on Christians who do follow the drug laws, even if they might vote to change them, doesn't seem so very Christlike to me.

Does reading these quotes make you less interested in Steves' advice, on travel or politics or marijuana -- or more interested? What does your religion tell you about smoking marijuana?

Buddhist advice for Tiger Woods: Get over yourself

Tiger Woods says he'll meet with a select pool of journalists Friday and, among other things, apologize for his recent serial adulterous behavior.

We don't know whether Fox News ex-anchor Brit Hume, last heard from calling on Woods to dump Buddhist wisdom and detachment for Jesus and Christian forgiveness, will have more to say.

Woods is certainly detached from Accenture, the sponsor that was first to drop him when the floozy news hit the fan. Woods scheduled his scene-stealing press conference during an Accenture-sponsored tournament.

But what will the spirit of his press conference be? During the Hume-crusade,
Momma Zen (Karen Maezen Miller, a Zen Buddhist priest) wrote, in part,

... It's clear that Woods doesn't practice the selfless compassion that is at the heart of Buddhism. It's equally clear that Hume doesn't practice the selfless compassion that is at the heart of Christianity. Sadly, I call the situation fair and balanced.

Both of them are equally eligible for redemption. Atonement starts with apology: the simple act of seeking forgiveness for the harm caused by one's own selfish ignorance. Atonement is central to all great religions and all religions are great. They teach us to transcend the false supremacy of one's own ego. No matter what faith we profess to have, our own persistent self-righteousness gives us the occasion to atone many, many times a day. Forgiveness, in a sense, is easy. I would imagine, though, that the next step in Buddhism would be equally difficult for either of them: to forget oneself.

Miller also has a smart little column answering those who thought Buddhism shouldn't turn the other cheek when Christians beat up on them. Ross Douthat wrote,

The idea that religion is too mysterious, too complicated or too personal to be debated on cable television just ensures that it never gets debated at all.

I would fear TV talking heads in an apologetics showdown would turn quickly into the Holier-Than-Thou Hour. But Miller has a more elegant argument against the idea that faiths should "man-up" for ideological combat. She writes...

The faith that competes is not faith.

The faith that disputes is not faith.

The faith that defends is not faith.

The faith that debates is not faith.

The faith that needs others to take it seriously is not faith.

I also found a site on Tibetan Buddhist art iconography that explains various symbols such as the lotus, the drama wheel and, of course, the tiger. A tiger skin, it says...

... represents the transmutation of anger into wisdom and insight, also offering protection to the meditator from outside harm or spiritual interference.

Will we still care about Tiger's spirituality once he's back in the golf swing of things? Or will we ask, as Sarah Palin might: How's that forgive-y, change-y thing working out for you? Can he -- or we -- get over ourselves?

'Get your ash in gear' with Lent ideas reverent & edgy

You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate the Lenten season.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, 40 days of prayer, fasting and confession leading up to the Easter holy week.

There are Lent Calendars on line such as one from American Catholic to guide believers to traditional Catholic observances and feast days.

But for a different twist, check the calendar at Busted Halo, the web site that aims to connect faith (chiefly but not exclusively Catholic) with spirituality and popular culture. Its calendar has imaginative, and sometimes irreverent, suggestions to "get your ash in gear." There are quotes from science, philosophy, even Barbara Bush (you have to wait until March 11th to found what she says.)

Editor Bill McGarvey says,

Lent really becomes a time of taking ancient practices and putting them in a relevant context. For many Catholics Lent is just about giving up chocolate. Instead, we give away chocolate (to people who sent in suggestions for the calendar) and talk instead about transformation.

We try to give people options. a real do-able, practical way to be inspired each day, to fast, pray and give. Because Lent is not just about what you don't do, it's about what you do.

McGarvey's own favorites on the calendar include Einstein's opening quote:

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: His eyes are closed. Albert Einstein

The advice for today on this site:

Fast from rushing through your day without noticing the beauty around you.
Pray that God might show you something beautiful that you hadn't noticed before.
Give some time to enjoy a piece of art or a nature scene.

And don't forget service, President Obama reminds people in his message for the Lenten season released from the White House today:

Michelle and I join Christians here in America and around the world in observing Ash Wednesday. We mark this solemn day of repentance and promise, knowing that Lent is a time for millions to renew faith and also deepen a commitment to loving and serving one another.

Pope Benedict XVI's thoughtful Lenten message also reaches beyond the Catholic faithful to invite everyone to turn toward God, saying:

... conversion means changing the direction of the path of our lives ... It is going against the current when the "current" is a superficial, incoherent, and illusory way of life that often drag us down, making us slaves of evil or prisoners of moral mediocrity...

Do you observe Lent? Have you ever tried any new practices for the season?

Why Vatican says 'Don't' to 'I do' at sea for weddings with a priest

Hold off if you were dreaming of having your Catholic wedding on a cruise ship, even one with a chapel. The Vatican has laid down the law that this sacrament should not be offered at sea, says my colleague Gene Sloan of the Cruise Log.

The church has serious concerns with how folks tie the knot, so, no, it was not a payback for Celebrity Cruise Line's decision to stop offering cruises for priests who offered daily Mass on the ships (although they'll be invited on board for major holidays).

But why the new rule? I asked Rev. Eric Andrews, head of Paulist Productions and the founder and co-star with a wedding planner of the Busted Halo video series all about where faith meets fabulous in weddings, The Princess, The Priest, and the War for the Perfect Wedding.

Andrews says the reasoning lies in church law. Catholic couples are expected to go through a marriage preparation process with their parish and then, if they have a destination wedding planned, their home parish priest sends the proper paperwork and authority (delegation) to the priest who will do the ceremony. The wedding priest then has to be sure the marriage is properly registered in the correct parish. Andrews says,

... Since on board a cruise ship, getting that delegation in advance is tricky or impossible, the Church is making this policy. This would insure that the Church's sacraments are being administered validly and properly. (It also protects) the couple down the line if there are any canonical or legal issues that arise from a marriage that wasn't properly recorded by the priest who was bending over backward to assist a couple who on a lark want to get married...

You can bet that this will be an upcoming episode of The Priest & The Princess!

Did religious requirements encroach on -- or enhance -- your wedding celebration?

Tebow pro-family ad leads to surprising 'choice' message

Focus on the Family considers its Super Bowl ad -- the one with "Miracle baby" Tim Tebow and his spiritually and physically tough mom Pam who tackled a life-threatening pregnancy and lived to brag -- a smashing success.

But followup looks reveal some interesting -- and counter-intuitive -- lessons including a message on"choice."

Barna Group, a Christian research firm, surveyed 1,001 adults during the lead-up and airing of the "Celebrate life" Tebow ad. It found, unsurprisingly, that pretty much everybody everywhere saw the game and 62% of those who saw it were aware that it was controversial. Even so, the Barna study found, ..

... many viewers expressed confusion regarding the commercial's meaning and sponsor. In fact, when asked to describe what they thought the main message to be, one-fifth of viewers (20%) were not able to venture a guess about the ad's main message. A minority of ad viewers described it as anti-abortion (38%) although the commercial never used that term or discussed that procedure. Another 19% thought it was about being pro-family or expressing that family is important.

Only 2% picked up the main message of the ad -- go to the Focus on the Family web site for the real, detailed pitch against abortion. Two thirds of all ad viewers had no idea who sponsored it and only 14% could identify the sponsor as Focus on the Family

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, concluded that while the majority of those surveyed found the ad appropriate for Super Bowl family audiences and inoffensive, it was also ineffective. The "main message and organization behind the ad were lost to a majority of viewers."

But what about those 500,000 hits Focus had on its web site following the game? Visitors got plenty for their time. Will Saletan of Slate burrowed in and watched wrenching videos of Pam Tebow and other mothers who also had life-threatening pregnancies.

Given her multiple medical issues, age (37) and location in the Philippine countryside in 1987, he writes,

... It's hardly surprising that Pam's doctor recommended an abortion to protect her life. But Pam said no. "We were determined to trust the Lord with the children that he would give us," she calmly explains in the interview. "And if God called me to give up my life, then He would take care of my family."

But wait... Saletan notices something else in the Focus follow-up, the materials the anti-abortion group spent millions of ad time to invite viewers to see. The women are all, in a way, pro-choice exemplars. Indeed, his piece is subtitled: "The pro-life case for pregnancy termination." Follow their links and, Saletan writes,

Read more »

Sarah Palin, rogue prophet, channels Daniel

Sometimes you need a Bible at hand to follow today's political rhetoric.

Frank Rich in Sunday's New York Times pounds the Democrats for quailing and failing before Sarah Palin's impeccably organized populist onslaught. He goes on and on with examples of Palin and GOP sleight-of-hand successes, showing how annoying facts and repeated exposures of half-truths and untruths don't halt the juggernaut. (Could it be because the Pentecostal-reared politician is wearing the full armor of God? See Ephesians 6:11)

Rich writes of her Tea Party talk a week ago, crib notes at hand:

Her only concrete program for dealing with America's pressing problems came in the question-and-answer session. "It would be wise of us to start seeking some divine intervention again in this country," she said, "so that we can be safe and secure and prosperous again." That pretty much sums up her party's economic program, at least: divine intervention will achieve what government intervention cannot. That the G.O.P. may actually be winning this argument is less an indictment of Palin than of Washington Democrats too busy reading the writing on her hand to see or respond to the ominous political writing on the wall.

Handwriting on the wall. Get it? That would be the book of Daniel, the one all about God's sovereignty over political power. Chapter 5 has the king of Babylonia terrified when handwriting mysteriously appears on the palace wall. Daniel, the prophet, alone could interpret the words -- a warning that for all his power and riches, the king had failed to honor God. The king promptly lost his land and his life.

Of course, some folks have trouble casting Palin in the role of prophetess. But she is evidently undaunted, sure that any Godly intervention would favor the same policies she does, whatever those actually are.

Can only one party or "movement" claim to a monopoly on God's word? Is "God's will be done" sufficient to run the nation?

Pope rock: No 'Sympathy for the Devil'

Bummer! The Rolling Stones' Beggars' Banquet, my personal fave, didn't make the cut with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. It's published a list of top pop picks for a Holy See rock heaven including albums by Michael Jackson and the Beatles.

The newspaper has stepped up its pop cultural coverage in addition to providing intense coverage of the papacy and the governance of the worldwide church.

Last fall, the paper drew attention with a critical review of Avatar that praised its glorious visuals but knocked it for a vapid message. The film played in Rome but there's no indication His Holiness has seen it.

So don't expect to see Pope Benedict XVI with ear buds, tuning in Santana's Supernatural (in the Top 10) instead of Beethoven. Benedict, a classical pianist, is not actually consulted for reviews and lists like this. They're creations of the newspaper staff, which picked Paul Simon's Graceland but nothing from the "King" of Graceland, Elvis.

Still, it's fun to imagine the austere German-born scholar with an iPod and a Netflix list.

What three songs or movies do you think would be on those lists? What should be? Give your "Would" or "Should" lists here.

Lindsay Lohan's Jesus look incites anger, laughter

Is it time for the Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen star to go to Confession? A French fashion magazine's new cover features Lindsay Lohan, arms splayed, in a crown of thorns and low-cut white robe.

Catholic League chief Bill Donohue says "not only is the pose inappropriate, the timing is offensive" due to the proximity to Lent (starting Wednesday), and that the actress should apologize, according to Politics Daily's Disputations column.

Of course, it's a near-naked publicity stunt by Purple. But wait, aren't there some similarities between Lindsay and Jesus?

That's a provocative question from Rev. Jim Martin, blogging at In All Things for America magazine.

Noting that both got their big career launch as pre-teens, Martin has a little fun comparing "how their records stack up" before socking it to the starlet. A few examples:

Lindsay is a "triple threat" in Hollywood: a singer, a dancer and an actor. Jesus is a member of the Holy Trinity.

Lindsay has recorded for Universal Music. Jesus is the King of the Universe.

Lindsay released a self-tanning product in collaboration with Sephora, and was the face of the Fornarina, an Italian clothing line. Jesus visited the Roman town of Sepphoris in Galilee, and is the face of God.

Lindsay worked on a film called I Know Who Killed Me. Jesus knew who killed him, and forgave them from the Cross.

Lindsay will star in a movie called The Other Side, hoping for a comeback. Jesus died, went to the Other Side and had a big comeback, too: Easter.

Life lesson for Lindsay: Be careful who you imitate, lest you suffer by comparison.

Lohan is not the first celeb to find herself berated by Catholics and other faithful for depicting or referencing Jesus -- remember Madonna on the cross in her Confessions concert tour? Even Lohan herself has been in hot water before for a magazine cover imitation, though it had much more to do with baring it all than with beliefs: the New York magazine Marilyn Monroe shoot.

DO YOU THINK Lohan should apologize to Christians? Or should they ignore it to avoid giving her and the magazine cover more attention?

--Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY

Continue reading older posts »