In recent months there has been considerable controversy about the anti-Semitism in a certain new movie Mel Gibson is making. While I admire his talent as an actor, what I have heard thus far indicates that he leaves a lot to be desired as an interpreter of Scripture. Hardly anyone has actually seen the movie, mind you, but that did not stop Gibson from accusing Jews of trying to suppress his film--long before any Jewish leader had said a thing about it. By this malicious slander he finally got some religious leaders to denounce him, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy and generating free publicity for a film that would otherwise certainly flop at the box-office.
I am disgusted by Gibson's cynical Jew-baiting, but I am far more worried about the casual anti-Semitism found in nearly every church I know. In the Gospel According to John, for example, Thomas objects to Jesus going to Judea, and his words are usually translated as something such as "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" (John 11:8, New Revised Standard Version) Do you see anything wrong with this picture? Who's talking? A Jewish man. Who's he with? Twelve other guys who've all been circumcised and Bar Mitzvahed. Who's he talking to? A rabbi. The word "Ioudaoi" can mean either "Jews" or "Judeans." Does it make any sense at all to translate this as "the Jews were just now trying to stone you"? Not a bit. What does make sense is to say that "the Judeans" intend him harm, since the Judeans were seen by Galileans (Jesus and his friends) as a bunch of corrupt city-slickers around Jerusalem in cahoots with the Romans who oppressed them, and Jesus was talking about going to Judea when my namesake pitched a fit.
Throughout John's account of the life, death, and resurrection of Rabbi Yeshua, bad intentions are attributed to the "Ioudaoi" and in nearly every case, I would argue, the context indicates Judeans rather than the children of Israel, which is by the way what the community that nurtured Jesus generally called itself back then, rather than "Jews." Some translators get it right: the American Bible Society's Contemporary English Version reads (as does their Today's English Version), "the people there want to stone you to death!" Most translations, though, perpetuate Christian anti-Semitism.
I suspect that our sins of translation are born out of wounded pride: we are dismayed that not all the friends and neighbors of Jesus flocked to his movement, so we accuse them of rejecting him. Did any of his co-religionists "reject" Jesus? Some followed him, and some did not, just as some Christians followed Mohammed, but some did not, and some Muslims followed the Bahaullah, but others did not. Does this "rejection" bother Chrsistians. Sure. The same way our "rejection" of Mohammed bothers some Muslims, and the "rejection" of their founder bothers some Bahais. Is it fair to say that "the Jews" sought the execution of Jesus? Hardly. They didn't have the power to impose capital punishment, and most Jews probably saw Jesus as a good man who was unjustly treated by Imperial Rome.
The rising tide of bias crimes across our nation and around the world ought to prompt all people of faith to make a New Year's Resolution: no more lies about each other.
Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom
Special thanks go to an anonymous donor who gave the Long Island Council of Churches stock worth $98,875 on the day it was given. The gift is to be used for our emergency food programs, and can include a down payment on a building in which to house our Hempstead emergency food center and administrative offices. This is the largest individual gift the LICC has ever received, and we are exceedingly grateful for the donor's incredible generosity. We also thank JPMorgan Chase for its gift of $7,500 for our emergency food programs.
We also thank the following for their gifts of $500 or more:
Thanks go to a donor who gave a gift in memory of Charles Perry. We encourage you to contribute in memory of a loved one or in tribute to someone special for his/her special occasion. If you would like us to make an exception and publish your name as donor, please let us know in your related correspondence.
And we thank the numerous faith-based institutions, agencies, businesses, and others who gave less but whose gifts are just as important, and the individuals who gave but asked that we don't publish their names. Thank you for caring and for being a blessing to the hundreds of people your contributions enable us to help each month.
--Sara Weiss, Director of Development
One of my favorite passages in Hebrew Scripture is, "To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven!" There is a season to laugh, a season to cry, a season to love and, yes, there is a season to buy an Annuity.
Now is a good time to purchase a Charitable Annuity. In fact, anytime is a good time to buy a Charitable Annuity. Two excellent places to purchase one are with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation and The New York-Connecticut Foundation of The United Methodist Church. A good beneficiary of the Charitable Annuity to designate is the Long Island Council of Churches.
I like this particular season to purchase a Charitable Annuity because savings account interest rates are extremely low (only 1% or 2%), whereas the rate of return from annuities can be anywhere from 6% to 10% depending on your age and how much income you need. For someone in his or her early seventies, the annuity interest rate is usually around 6.5%.
For example, you have a savings account worth $50,000 and your rate of return on this account is 2%. That's a thousand dollars. Why not, instead, earn $3,250 (6.5% X $50,000 = $3,250)? Furthermore, unlike a savings account, an annuity gives you a guarantee that you will receive a quarterly check as long as you live.
Some people have highly appreciated stock but the stock is paying a very modest dividend. The ideal thing to do is to give the stock to the charity and have the charity purchase you an annuity. By giving the stock directly to the charitable organization, you avoid paying any tax on the capital gains. Additionally, whenever you purchase an annuity from a charity, you also receive a tax deduction because, upon your death, the charity receives whatever is remaining in your annuity account.
It's a good season to purchase a Charitable Annuity whenever you can benefit by receiving a tax deduction, a higher rate of return, and save on capital gain taxes.
Here are some ways you might celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25:
"Though with a scornful wonder we see her sore oppressed,
with schisms rent asunder, by heresies distress,
Yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up,`How long'?
And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song."
Prayer for Those Who Don't See Things My Way
God and good parent of us all, who looks with favor on every one of your children, keep me from thinking otherwise and, worse, acting on it. When I want, sometimes passionately, for you to vindicate me and show the world that I have it right, that those who see it otherwise are not just going away from me but from you: then, God of patience and mercy, give me pause. Give me pause... to consider how nearsighted I can be when you can see for ever. Give me pause to measure the meaner reasons I do what I do, especially when I am so quick to condemn the motives of others. Give me pause to remember just how much you and others close to me have had to put up with me. Give me pause to count the times I have gone down the wrong road and the last thing I wanted to do was to admit it.
But, more, God of everyone, give me patience and trust and humility and courage and kindness. Patience to wait, for the truth to emerge, be it mine or the other person's. Trust to hold on, until you deliver the new day according to your gracious design. Humility and courage to alter my course and admit the error of my way, when it diverges from yours. And kindness to offer those who have opposed and sometimes ridiculed me.
Help me, please, God, for I am so often thickheaded and unbending. I do not ask for special favor, though sometimes I make it sound that way. Give me what I need, not what I want; that I may yet become the kind of person I like to be with. In the name of the one who blessed the gentle of spirit and merciful, who for all his righteousness was ever approachable, Jesus, through whose gracious life and death your treasures of the spirit have been bequeathed to the world. Amen.
(c) 2003 Bob Howard (used with permission)
As a Raj Yogi, I have a variety of practices, the first of the day being the foundation. Rising at 4:00am, while the world around me still sleeps, but the day has just begun, I seek "Yoga" (which means union) and have communication with God. This gives me the experience that creates a real faith. I explore ALL relationships with Him, not just of Father, but God as Mother, Teacher, Guide or any other role, so I can count on Him to be my constant companion. Words are unnecessary, but those that do come are life altering, and reinforce my love and commitment to acquire higher knowledge. I receive the blessing of God's light, and might and feel his strength, which I hold onto throughout the day.
The divine union is formed deep in my soul, not in my physical body that houses it. "Raja" means sovereignty over the self. The physical pull of the world makes the soul forget who it is, and it's divinely good qualities. The five senses are like horses that are out of control. The soul needs a non-physical strength to rein them in, not to be led, but to control our thoughts, words, and actions. This gives power to the most important sense of all, the spiritual sense.
HEALTH: "You are what you eat." If we are not careful, we ingest the ills of the overwhelming sorrow and negativity that surrounds us. Yoga (union) with the God the Healer combats Dis-Ease in a diseased environment.
WEALTH: "Ashes to ashes" The true worth of our existence are our Actions; this is what determines real wealth. Spiritual wealth comes from the jewels of knowledge, and the realization that perishable wealth is left behind.
WISDOM comes when I fix my mind on the Supreme Guide, and apply all I have learned at the right time, and in a higher consciousness. With His power, this allows me to use his gift, to uplift others, and myself.
--Wendy Feld
2004 marks the 60th year since Heifer's first shipment of fifteen heifers to Puerto Rico in 1944. During that time almost five million families worldwide and in the United States have been enriched by gifts of over thirty types of animals to over 100 countries.
During the past decade Heifer has significantly expanded its global outreach, including responding to new requests from "iron curtain" countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Bloc. There are also new and exciting initiatives taking place in agroecology, gender equity, aids prevention and urban agriculture (including a new program in New York City).
Tom Lyon of the Mount Sinai United Church of Christ has recently been appointed Area Volunteer Coordinator for the New York Metro region. He is available to churches to 'spread the Heifer story' and is also looking to recruit Heifer volunteers to assist in their work. He can be contacted at 631-928-4317.
"We know what it is like to stretch the budget. Maybe that is why, when I told you of a woman who could not afford heating oil, so many of you responded so generously and so quickly, stuffing bills in my hand until I was able to bring $400 to the Long Island Council of Churches. The man there was so beside himself with joy and wonder that he ran right down to the woman's house and called the oil company. A neighbor of ours has heat now, but more than that, she has the blessing of a community that is fashioning its own struggles into blessings. In so doing, we have made our community a blessing to our neighbor. Now perhaps, we can begin to ask why, in such a place of abundance, such suffering occurs at all."
WHAT: Church World Service Interfaith Trauma Response Team (ITRT) will offer a seminar to assist faith leaders and caregivers prepare to meet the long-term challenges stemming from traumatic events like September 11, 2001 and Oklahoma City April 19, 1995. The "Long Term Challenges After a Disaster" seminar covers the nature and scope of public trauma, the responses by the faith community to public trauma and preparing appropriate responses and interventions to meet the long term emotional and spiritual needs of faith communities and those traumatized by a crisis event. The seminar also covers stress management techniques.
Dr. Katrina Bright is the presenter and comes with extensive experience from the Oklahoma City tragedy of April 19, 1995, and two years of workshop and training seminar work in the NYC and Washington D.C. areas.
The seminar is open to leaders of all faiths providing spiritual and emotional care to their congregations and communities.
There is no cost to attend the seminar.
WHERE:
The Presbytery Center
42 Hauppauge Road
Commack, Long Island
WHEN:
Wednesday, 21 January 2004
9:15 am - Registration
9:30 - 12:00 - Seminar Part I
12:00 - 12:30 pm - Light lunch provided
12:30 - 3:00 pm - Seminar Part II
SIGN UP: If you plan to attend, please register prior to the date of the event. Please e-mail or call:
Bill Sage, Coordinator
CWS Interfaith Trauma Response
Register via e-mail to: cwsitrtsecr@aol.com
Or fax to: (212) 288-6906
Or telephone to: (212) 288-6857