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Richard S. Beam

#26 Religion (and Tolerance?)

3/27/2015

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I have a problem with religion.  Actually, I’m not sure that’s completely true, as I think that having a set of beliefs which provide one with a sense of security, community and comfort in a universe which is often troubling is probably a good thing.  One cannot deny that, historically, religious practices have provided much to humans as the basis for positive moral values and for much of the legal system, which is basic to modern society.  I don’t have a problem with that.  I guess what I have a problem with is the institutions that have been set up to define and regulate what we claim are our religious beliefs. 

For much too long religion seems to have become an excuse for intolerance, bigotry, prejudice and self-satisfied arrogance to the point that I have found it hard to accept the ideas that I learned in the church (Christian, Protestant) which I grew up in are actually supported by “believers.”  Having done a little bit of looking into contemporary religious practices, it would seem that the values I learned in my church are all too frequently ignored by many “religious” groups, and this doesn’t seem to be limited to just those practicing (or claiming to practice) differing sets of specific beliefs.

It’s been noted more than once that there are a number of fundamental ideas which reoccur pretty much across the board in basic religious teachings.  That is, there are ideas which are (at least mostly) supported in the teachings of pretty much all religions.  One list of such ideas is listed below.  It’s by Joran Slane Oppelt.  I got it from https://integralchurch.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/15-great-principles-shared-by-all-religions/ but similar lists aren’t too hard to find.

15 Great Principles Shared by All Religions

1  The Golden Rule / Law of Reciprocity – The cornerstone of religious understanding.  “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.” – Christianity

2  Honor Thy Father and Mother – Knowing them is the key to knowing ourselves.  The day will come when we shall wish we had known them better.

3  Speak the Truth – “Sincerity is the way of heaven, and to think how to be sincere is the way of a man.” – Confucius

4  It’s More Blessed to Give than to Receive – Generosity, charity and kindness will open an individual to an unbounded reservoir of riches.

5  Heaven is Within – “Even as the scent dwells within the flower, so God within thine own heart forever abides.” - Sikhism

6    Love Thy Neighbor / Conquer With Love / All You Need is Love – Acts of faith, prayer and deep meditation provide us with the strength that allows love for our fellow man to become an abiding part of our lives.  Love is a unifying force.

7  Blessed Are the Peacemakers – When people live in the awareness that there is a close kinship between all individuals and nations, peace is the natural result.

8  You Reap What You Sow – This is the great mystery of human life.  Aware or unaware, all are ruled by this inevitable law of nature.  (This seems to me to be close to the “Threefold law” or “Rule of Three” believed by many Wiccans/Pagans. RSB)

9  Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone – The blessings of life are deeper than what can be appreciated by the senses.

10 Do No Harm – If someone tries to hurt another, it means that she is perceiving that person as something separate and foreign from herself. (This also seems to me to be closely related to the Wiccan idea of "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will" RSB)

11 Forgiveness – The most beautiful thing a man can do is to forgive wrong.  - Judaism

12 Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged – This principle is an expression of the underlying truth that mankind is one great family, and that we all spring from a common source.

13 Be Slow to Anger – Anger clouds the mind in the very moments that clarity and objectivity are needed most.  “He who holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; others only hold the reins.” - Buddha

14 There is But One God / God is Love – Nature, Being, The Absolute.  Whatever name man chooses, there is but one God.  All people and all things are of one essence.

15 Follow the Spirit of the Scriptures, Not the Words – “Study the words, no doubt, but look behind them to the thought they indicate; And having found it, throw the words away, as chaff when you have sifted out the grain.” – Hinduism

Now, I have no real problems with any of these ideas.  Unfortunately, too much of what I seem to see (from “believers” espousing many religious traditions) doesn’t really suggest support for these ideas.  It’s easy to point fingers at those “Fundamentalist Islamic terrorist types” who don’t follow the ideas of their (claimed) religion, but I seem to see some of the same attitudes from followers of other teachings.  For example, take the passage in Matthew 6,6.  This passage reads; “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.)

Somehow, in this day of “mega churches,” prayer on television, massive (religious) rallies (which all too often serve politics more than religion), putting little “Christian” symbols (like the fish) on cars, business signs, etc. it’s a bit hard to believe that these good “Christians” are following the words of Jesus very closely.  To me, this feels a bit more like folks wanting to advertise their “CHRISTIANITY” to make sure that everyone knows that they are "good Christians."  That seems a bit out of step with what I learned in “my” church, but I could let that go, even though I find it a bit hypocritical.

I become quite incensed, however, when political action is taken which encourages any sort of discrimination in the name of “religious freedom.”  Such an action was taken today, March 26, 2015, when  

"Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) quietly signed legislation Thursday that could legalize discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

"The Religious Freedom Restoration Act would allow any individual or corporation to cite its religious beliefs as a defense when sued by a private party.  But many opponents of the bill, which included business leaders, argued that it could open the door to widespread discrimination.  Business owners who don't want to serve same-sex couples, for example, could now have legal protections to discriminate.

"'Today I signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, because I support the freedom of religion for every Hoosier of every faith,' Pence said in a statement Thursday.  'The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action.'"  (Huffington Post, March 26, 2015)

Somehow, I find it hard to accept that this sort of discrimination was intended by our Founding Fathers when they wrote the First Amendment.  In fact, it doesn’t feel like religious freedam, it feels like bigotry.  What may make this even worse, I believe, is that this law appears to allow a religious “defense” against almost any sort of suit.  In an earlier Huffington Post article today, it was suggested that

"… if the bill passes, someone residing in a city like Indianapolis could claim a nondiscrimination law doesn't apply to them, said Eunice Rho, advocacy and policy counsel for the ACLU.

"'This bill would give anyone the right to argue that they don’t have to follow state or local laws -- including basic civil rights laws related to employment, housing and public accommodations,' she added.

"The Human Rights Campaign, which opposes the legislation, said in a statement on Thursday that 'if signed into law, this bill could empower police officers to refuse to patrol the areas around synagogues or mosques [and] allow doctors to withhold medically-necessary information from their patients.'"

If this is true (as it appears to be), then “religious freedom” (previously used to justify a variety of forms of discrimination) could now be a justification for ignoring a variety of laws and excusing almost any form of discrimination.  If I don’t wish to deal with gays, Jews, Catholics, “other” Protestant groups, Negroes, blondes, Germans, Arabs, Chinese, almost anyone; all I have to do is argue that forcing me to do business with them is a violation of my religious beliefs.  That would appear to lead directly back to the days of segregation in schools, public accommodation, restaurants, public transport, etc.  Anybody remember the signs for "Whites only" on restrooms?  If the gains of the Civil Rights movement can all be overturned simply by claiming a “religious” exemption; what was accomplished by the turmoil of the 50’s and 60’s?  The Women’s movement had better keep a sharp eye out….

 It’s sad, but I have to point out that we have seen such attitudes before.  We, as Americans have an unfortunate history of religious, racial and ethnic intolerance.  It has been said that the most segregated time of the week is still Sunday morning because different races and ethnic groups still tend to go to separate houses of worship.  Most people seem to choose not to consider that.  The fact is, however, that using religion as a direct means of oppressing others is still around.  Nowadays, the easiest, most familiar example used to be the Taliban.  Given the recent actions in Indiana, however, I’m not sure that’s still the case.

I can’t (and won’t) support this sort of Talibanesque tactics in the United States.  I believe that the Bill of Rights (I think [hope] most US citizens still support that) was intended to protect my rights in large measure by establishing that YOUR rights stop at the point where they interfere with MINE, as mine do in relation to yours.  Thus, your right to declare your religion as superior to the law and your (its) beliefs as providing you with the right to ignore laws established for the common good would seem to violate the spirit (and the letter) of the Bill of Rights, not to mention the teachings of virtually all major religions.

Of course, it may be that the only recourse sane people have is to refuse to do business with bigots and to organize and take political action against the politicians who are looking to maintain their own political power by playing to the worst possible motives and prejudices of the least thinking in our society. 

Personally, I call on the leaders of ALL religions to condemn this sort of action.  Perhaps the next major motto for bumper stickers should be “Samaritan.”  After all, Jesus made a hero out of a Samaritan (one of “those” people) at a time when the Jewish community did not view members of that group positively.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be totally inappropriate for more of us to claim that we, also, are “Samaritans.”  At least it might get the “Christians” to think a bit about the actions they wish to take to “protect” their belief in Jesus’ teachings. 

And, by the way, Jesus was a Jew!  Look it up.  It’s not hard to find.

LLAP

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#25 Unintended (?) Messages in Advertising

3/23/2015

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A couple of weeks ago (entry #24), I spent a bit of time (space) discussing what I thought of as interesting signs which I had seen alongside of the roads I’ve traveled.  That got me to thinking of other ads, mostly on TV, which I’ve encountered that struck me as having the possibility of sending messages which seem to be unintended by their creators.  You probably know what I mean.  The ads that make you sit up and think “Is that really what they meant to say?”  It seems like I’ve noticed a fair number of these.

A case in point might be ad with the guy talking to an insurance agent on the phone in the middle of the night whose wife seems to think that he’s talking to a female “dial a porn” agent.  The “wife” grabs the phone and says, “Who is this?”  The (male) insurance agent responds and she says to her “husband,” “She sounds hideous.” or something like that.  Then the “husband” responds, “Well, he’s a guy!”  Okay, I may be reading too much into this, but the “gay” implications of this has always struck me as odd, and unnecessary.

Then there’s the negative political ad which said,  “She’s been caught plagiarizing many times, but with a record like hers, you’d plagiarize it, too.”  Somehow the idea that this candidate should be expected to only espouse completely original ideas seems unreasonable.  And, perhaps worse, there seems to be an implication that it’s likely that the average viewer doesn’t really understand what plagiarism is, just that it’s a BAD thing.  I think that we should reward candidates with the knowledge to recognize a good idea and promote it.  Yes, they shouldn’t claim it as originating with themself, but I don’t understand why they seem to think we should expect perfect creativity from everybody.  That seems contrary to logic.  It also seems somewhat insulting to the viewer’s intelligence.

The ad for some sort of pet medicine featuring Jack Hanna showing people (all Caucasian as I remember it) and dogs frolicking on the beach while a version of “Wimoweh” (more like The Tokens 1960’s version (called “the Lion Sleeps Tonight”) than the 50’s one of Pete Seeger and/or The Weavers) plays has always seemed odd to me.  The song, “Wimoweh,” of course, is an African song, which refers to a lion sleeping in the jungle, and seems to make little sense as an accompaniment to video of white people and dogs playing on the beach.  Perhaps it’s just that I’m an old “Folkie,” but this has always struck me as making little sense, and, perhaps, being a little racist.

Then there’s the constant barrage of ads indicating that older people have absolutely no understanding of Facebook, etc., which seems to build on the rather prejudiced belief that “old” people are completely out of touch with contemporary reality.  It’s also contrary to the fact.  According to the Pew Research Center, 49% of Internet users age 65 and up use social networking sites.  Perhaps it’s just that I (as an older guy) resent this implication that old means stupid, but it seems that this is, probably, what is being implied.  While this may not be intended, it is a reasonable conclusion to draw from this sort of ad and doesn’t seem particularly funny, at least to me.

There have been frequent attacks on the lingerie and fashion industry for ads promoting unrealistic body images for women, so the idea that ads may have unintended messages isn’t just mine.  I think that Victoria’s Secret has been the most common target in the media, but there are others, as well.  Now I won’t argue that using exclusively tall, skinny (but busty) models may send unrealistic messages about the “ideal” female body, but much the same could be said about a lot of fashion advertising for men (or children).  While it can be, and has been, argued that advertisers are not intending to promote unhealthy images, that, is, generally, the result of these ads.  Certainly the problem appears to be greater among (especially young) women.  However, most of these ads also seem to reinforce the idea that all men should be tall, broad-shouldered, athletic appearing, etc.  These are not particularly reasonable images for either sex.  On the other hand, it’s understandable that manufacturers would a desire to want potential customers to think that their products are used by “attractive” people, which is why they use these types in their ads.  After all, if these “attractive” people use our products, they must be part of what makes them attractive.  

That suggests to me that the real problem is with the societal notion of what is “attractive.”  Maybe if we all stopped worrying about buying these products in order to “prove” that we are “attractive,” (at the most superficial level, of course) these companies might be more likely to use more “normal” body types, etc.  Of course, the real unintended message here is that there is only one definition of “attractive” and we all have to conform to that.

Hotels, etc. are always advertising that they feature a “Free hot breakfast” or “Free Wi-Fi” and the like.  The alternative word choice to “free” is “complimentary.”  Of course, it takes little thought to realize that what this really means is that you have already paid for it in the cost of your stay, but the assumption (and the message) seems to be that you are too stupid to realize that.

There’s a ad for some university I saw recently which claimed, “At ************** University, everything is possible.” which seems unlikely, if you think about it, but the ad goes on the suggest that “The people at *****************University will always find a way to make you succeed.”  I’m probably reading too much into this, but it sounds like they are saying that they will lie, cheat, inflate grades, etc., in order to make sure that there is the appearance that you are successful.  It seems to me that if there is no possibility of failure, there’s unlikely to be much benefit, either.  I don’t think that this is the intended message, but it does seem to be what they’re saying.

Automobile ads can be interesting, as well.  For example, there’s the ad showing a teen-aged couple awkwardly kissing in a car (a VW Beetle) with the voiceover suggesting that “Your car is an engine for life.”  There’s also the Subaru ad which says something like “When our little girl was born, we got a Subaru.  It’s where she said her first word, went to her first day of school, made a best friend forever.  The back seat of my Subaru is where she grew up.”  To anyone who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s (at least) the idea of “growing up” in the back seat of a car, or that a car can be an “engine for life” suggests something which, I think, is probably not fully intended by the manufacturers.

There’s also the Jaguar car ad which shows a Jag doing “wheelies” and the tag line says that you should “mark your territory.”  Perhaps you have to be a cat owner to appreciate it, but this seems suggest a lack of awareness as to how cats actually accomplish this.  In any event, I’m not sure the message sent aligns with the intent.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that none of the, seemingly, unintended messages are really unintended.  I suspect that the lawn supply store in Omaha known as The Grass Pad, is probably aware of the implications of their slogan, “Get on down to the grass pad.  The grass pad – high on grass.”  

Maybe I’m just reading too much into these, but I do find it interesting and amusing that so much advertising seems to have messages beyond the obvious ones.  Am I the only one who notices this?  If you have favorite ad of this sort, let me know.  I’d love to hear about it.
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#24 Signs Seen on the Highway of Life

3/6/2015

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A few days ago, while on a driving trip, I realized how much I miss the old “Burma Shave” signs.  For those of you too young to remember them, the Burma Shave Company (manufacturers of “brushless” shaving cream) used to post a series of small, rectangular signs (typically 4-6 in a group) along the side of various highways.  Each of the signs had just a few words on it, but together they formed a little poem, and the poem would end with the words (in their logo font) “Burma Shave.”  I am told that these came in a couple of different color schemes, but I only remember white letters on a red background.

Some examples of the poems from these signs are: Our fortune / Is your / Shaven face / It's our best / Advertising space / Burma-Shave; When the stork /Delivers a boy / Our whole / Darn factory / Jumps for joy / Burma Shave; Said farmer Brown / Who’s bald / on top / Wish I could / Rotate the crop / Burma Shave; She eyed / His beard / And said no dice / The wedding’s off / I’ll cook the rice / Burma Shave; and, If you want / A hearty squeeze / Get our / Female / Anti-freeze / Burma Shave.  I remember looking forward to seeing these along the highway as a kid traveling with my family.  They are gone now as bigger, faster highways increased the average speed of driving and made them hard (perhaps dangerous) to read.  I also don’t think Burma Shave is still being made.

Anyway, this train of thought led to my thinking about the signs I see along the side of the road and how they can, on occasion, catch one’s eye.  So, I thought I’d write a post about some of the signs I have seen which struck me as being interesting or funny.  For example, the other day I saw a sign in front of a local church that said: “Having trouble sleeping?  Come hear our Pastor.  Services at 9:30 & 11:00.”  It may not have been intentional, but the idea of encouraging church attendance by saying that the pastor will put you to sleep struck me as wonderful.

Churches seem to be particularly good places to find interesting signs, at least in my experience.  A local church here in Omaha had a whole series of announced sermon topics based around the performances of the tour of the musical Wicked a few months ago.  These sermon titles included: The Emerald City; Defying Gravity; Sentimental Man; Popular; Dancing Through Life and No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.  I confess that I found it intriguing that these could become the basis for sermons, although it does seem possible.

I also remember a sign in a church parking lot in Tryon, NC (I think), when I visited there on a Girl Scout excursion with my girls many years ago, which said: “Here thou shalt not park.”  That seemed more appropriate than the usual “No Parking.”

The sign identifying the “Oasis Southwestern Grill” (with a drawing of a palm tree) made me (and Bonnie) wonder if that meant that there were belly dancers performing to a Mariachi band.  Then, the sign for the “Terminal Café” made me wonder about the life expectancy of its patrons.

The “Les Bourgeois Café and Winery” puzzled me as to whether the proprietors thought that this reference to the tasteless “Nouveau Riche” conveyed some sort of sense of class to their establishment.  My limited understanding of French, led me to interpret this as more of a suggestion of exactly the opposite of a “high-class” environment.

Then, there was the billboard I saw in Missouri for the “Tiger’s Bank” which showed a picture of a chipmunk with the text “Bank high on the food chain.”  This suggested to me the idea that the bank intended to eat the customer for lunch, but that was, probably, not the idea they wished to express.

The used car dealer sign with the slogan “We’ll tell you where to go” also seemed to be conveying a message different from what I suspect they probably intended.  And, I confess that the sign for “Naked Live Bait” (now gone, sigh) left me wondering exactly what was being advertised.

I’ve seen a number of signs for gun dealers which struck me as a bit odd.  The “Bootlegger’s Gun Shop” with a picture of a Thompson sub-machine gun seemed a bit worrisome, as did a sign for another gun shop advertising “Big Boy Toys” with a similar picture and yet a third gun shop proclaiming its name as “Black Market Arms.”  None of these struck me as exactly the sort of thing which the NRA would like to project to enhance gun ownership, but I could be incorrect.

Even what apparently are official street (highway) signs have their moments of weirdness, like the (at least official appearing) red on white “No Parking” sign I saw somewhere which read “NO PARKING BETWEEN THIS POINT” with a double headed arrow underneath it which looked like this “⟷.”  

Of course, my warped sense of humor has always enjoyed those standard official signs which say “ROAD ENDS – NO OUTLET” or “NO RETURN TO HIGHWAY” which may be perfectly legitimate but have a sense of finality about them which is both funny and a bit scary.

What may be my favorite sign of all time, however, is probably a comment on our having had children at the correct moment in history to have enjoyed a particular 1974 book (and poem) by Shel Silverstein.  The picture of this sign (below) was sent to me last October by Kate, our older daughter (who was fond of the book as a child, as was Maggi,) in an email which just said “I found it!” 

Perhaps I should explain that Silverstein’s book, and its title poem, are called Where the Sidewalk Ends (it’s still in print).  Some of you may know and love it, too.

Picture
Perhaps you have a favorite sign which you would share with me?  I'd love to see what others have found/seen.


On a completely different tangent, in honor of the passing of Leonard Nimoy, I've decided that I should end this post with --
LLAP
P.S. If this has to be explained, shame on you.
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