Financial Insecurity and Faith
The past week was interesting on a number of levels. While I was attending a summer session course at Pacific School of Religion called "Jesus for the Nonreligious" taught by Bishop John Shelby Spong (also the author of a book by that title), the financial markets were gyrating and financial folks were panicking all over the world.
Human beings cling to myths. Much of what Christian fundamentalists insist is the absolute truth of the Bible, is really only powerful legends, poetry, and myths. Our global economic system is also built on myths -- the first being that 'money' has intrinsic 'value'. The 'science' of economics is steeped in modernity along with many of our 'traditional' Christian beliefs. Money is really only an abstract - not a truth. The love of money or a dependence upon money for security or happiness is meaningless -- but it can prevent us from recognizing that which has genuine meaning.
The conclusion of Bishop Spong's book and class was that our imagination of God/god needs to shift from theism (a belief in a supernatural God who is 'out there' somewhere controlling world events). He also contends that Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ of Christianity, is best understood as 'fully human'. Although I am deeply appreciative of Bishop Spong's scholarship and intellectual rigor, I cannot get my mind around any concept of an ultimate spiritual energy or being that is dependent on the enlightenment and modernity's 'myth of human progress'.
I would like to agree with Spong's conclusion that humanity is not so much 'fallen' as it is not fully mature but I am confronted with my own human inability to distinguish what is good or beneficial for creation from that which does harm. A wise man once said, the line between good and evil cuts right through my own heart. Given the state of our environment and world today, I do not believe that humanity is inherently good (without recognizing at the same time that there is some sort of inherent negative energy).
As people all over the United States and the rest of the world feel a sense of insecurity due to the debt crisis and instability in the financial markets, I would like to propose that the true source of security is recognizing that life and death are not separate (we should not fear death anymore than we fear the seasons of the year), and that all living creatures (in fact all of creation) are part of an interwoven web of relationships.
More on these subjects later. But for now, markets cycle. The trading values of stocks and bonds and other financial instruments are abstractions... not the ultimate reality.
Peace,
Robyn


