Skeptical Faith

Google Image I try to watch a limited amount of TV, but when I do, I try to avoid commercials. In my opinion, they often show the worst of society: rampant consumerism, stark individualism and pervasive self-absorption. “Lighten up,” you might say. “Some of them are funny. And they are trying to sell things, and to do that, they have to appeal to our sense of the need for stuff. ‘I want that,’ is what they’re aiming for.” That may be, but neither the widespread use of humor nor an explanation of their goals cancels the fact that they fly in the face of moderation, a sense of the common good and humility. Strut, Shout and Gesture Humility, in fact, may be the most counter-cultural of values today. Watch the typical NFL football game and you’ll see that after many plays, players strut, shout and gesture their “greatness,” as if making a tackle is equivalent to finding the cure for cancer. Apart from football, TV “celebrities” are shown with fans fawning over them, as if making a mo...

Google Image The bizarre storm that spawned December tornadoes and raged across the upper Midwest recently followed an equally freakish series of December tornadoes that 10 days before cut a devastating, 250-mile path through northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, northwest Tennessee and western Kentucky, killing at least 70 persons. All this followed last August’s disastrous derecho across the Corn Belt, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calls “the most costly thunderstorm disaster in U.S. history,” estimating damage at $7.5 billion, higher than many hurricanes. The middle of the country is hardly alone in experiencing unheard-of weather events. They’re happening around the world. Scientists lack enough evidence, from what I’ve read, to attribute the storms and tornadoes to global warming, but it’s the prime suspect. No doubt exists among scientists about what’s happening at the earth’s poles.   Steady, Ongoing Warming “The Arctic experienced its se...

Google Image I don’t know how old I was, but I recall that when I learned the earth was round and continually spinning  I wondered why we aren’t thrown off, or at least fall off. If that were today, I would “Google” it, and find articles such as the one I found on todaysdate.com by Kenneth Wegorowski that compares the earth’s rotation to that of a merry-go-round to explain why the spinning doesn’t throw us off.   “In one day the earth rotates one time,” he writes. “In one day the merry-go-round rotates 22,736 times. The earth spins at rate of .0007 RPM. The merry-go-round spins at rate of 15.8 RPM.” So the earth is spinning way too slow to throw us off.   Pinned to the Planet As to why we don’t fall off, I have answered that for myself. Gravity keeps us and our atmosphere pinned to the planet.   When I was back in elementary school, where I undoubtedly learned that the earth was round and spinning, I was unable to “Google” anything. The technology didn’...

Google Image "A Theory of Human Motivation" is apparently a classic in the field of psychology. It was written by Abraham Maslow in 1943 in the journal Psychological Review and has been widely quoted in books and articles. It is quoted in a book I just finished called, “Wild Happy: Dreams, Crises and Acceptance in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea” by Ryan Casseau. Maslow’s article describes a hierarchy of human needs that includes, from the bottom up, physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. His theory is much more complex than this brief description but basically attempts to prioritize basic human needs. Although dated, his theory has validity today, in my view. Author Ryan Casseau uses the theory in his description of his experience years ago in Papua New Guinea where, as a young scientist, he was collecting samples of native plants for possible use in medicines. Relationship with People But Casseau’s story is not so much about the plan...

Google Image If you regularly look at the videos in Facebook’s “Watch” category, you get the impression that the country has turned into a giant boxing ring with no rules. Watching videos is far from the kind of data gathering needed to know the true state of the nation, or the world. But news reports of increasing violence on airplanes, at restaurants, sporting events (often fueled by alcohol consumption), in supermarkets, families, school boards, political campaigns and religious communities make you wonder how many of us have become off-kilter. It’s true that violence is nothing new, nor is it confined to the U.S. But it does appear to be a trend, one that should concern people searching for God. Despite the impression given by some Old Testament writers (such as Ezekiel, whom I’m currently reading), the Judeo-Christian God is definitively non-violent. That becomes more apparent in the New Testament. Called Children of God “Blessed are the peacemakers,” says Jesus in Matthew’s...

Google Image Sadness has a way of creeping into life, even when you want to reflect the joy of faith. For me, this was occasioned by the recent death of my cousin and life-long friend, Dan Carney. Strictly speaking, we were of two generations. I am actually the first cousin of Dan’s dad, but Dan was only 3 and a half years younger than me and, even though we were together only occasionally, I fondly recall playing with him as a kid and in the last few years having long telephone conversations with him on religion, politics, family history, and one of his life-long passion, cars. Dan was in the seminary with me at Conception Abbey in Missouri and though he left after a couple of years, late in life he became a deacon and threw himself into that ministry. In between, he was in the auto salvage business, first with his dad, then on his own, and was a cigar-smoking auctioneer. His vocabulary was laced with words that are not used in polite society. When he told me he intended to study ...

Google Image “Who am I to judge?” This must be Pope Francis’ most famous quote. It came from a press conference on an airplane in 2013 when Francis was asked about gays in the church. The phrase was considered revolutionary for a pope and launched a controversy about how the church should respond to homosexuality. It brought praise from some; condemnation from others. Some critics said it confused people. Others said it appeared to place the pope on the side of moral relativism – the term used to describe denial of the existence of objective morality, holding instead that there is “your right and wrong and my right and wrong.” Indeed, the pope’s words were a shock for the Catholics who believe judging is exactly what a pope is supposed to do. Clear? But isn’t the gospel pretty clear on the subject? “Judge not and you will not be judged,” Jesus is quoted as saying in Mathew’s gospel. Does that apply to popes? And he continued in an even more powerful way, saying, “Why do you s...

Google Image I find myself upset when the vehicle in front of me is going 20 mph in a 35-mph zone. I carefully examine the checkout lines at the supermarket before joining one, then am irritated if the person in front of me takes “too much time.” Recently, I considered myself a victim because I was sitting “too long” in a pharmacy waiting room. As you can tell, I’m not a patient person. It’s a character trait of which I’m not proud. For years, I’ve been aware of my impatience, have prayed about it and tried to get better. But to be honest, there’s been little improvement. (On the bulletin board in my office where I write these blog is a sign in 60-point type that says, “Patience.” It blends with all the other stuff on the board and I manage to avoid seeing it most of the time.) Wanting the Future Sooner? “Waiting impatiently is just another way of saying we want the future to come sooner,” writes Anne Kertz Kernion in a recent issue of the National Catholic Reporter. How ironic...

Google Image Geez! I’m doing dishes, again! And now I have to go on a long trip because my spouse wants to. Tomorrow I have to skip work because my kid is sick. Next week, I’ll have to go to the birthday party of my brother’s wife, and I hate that. These are all hypothetical scenarios, but oh, what we do for love! Some balk at it, viewing such “demands” as a curtailment of freedom and deciding that if love makes demands, it’s not worth it. A similar dynamic plays out in love of God. A big difference is that we don’t see it that way. To many, religion is about diminishing our freedom and rules that aren’t in line with what we want to do or not do. For many, the definition of freedom, in fact, is doing what we want, and for them, doing what’s right keeps us from “being our true self.” Other People's Rules The reality is that for people searching for God, trying to be Godlike is essential. But unlike the spouse characterized at the beginning of this blog, it’s not a matter of ob...

Google Image Some try to avoid it at all cost. Others try to minimize it. Still others deny it. But some seem to accept adversity with courage and grace. What’s their secret? I don’t know, but I’m working on it. In a recent weekend liturgy, Mark’s gospel told the story of James and John, brothers and, like Peter, former Sea of Galilee fishermen who became ardent followers of Jesus. When Jesus and his disciples, including the two brothers, were on the road to Jerusalem, according to Mark’s gospel, Jesus predicted that he would be arrested and executed there. That should have been enough to burst the disciples’ bubble about their leader establishing an earthly kingdom. But James and John either misunderstood or weren’t paying attention because they came forward and asked Jesus, “Grant us to sit, one at your right and one on your left, in your glory.” Were they referring to some future “glory” in the afterlife or, ignoring his prediction about arrest and execution, about a more im...

Google Image A defining moment in U.S. history is occurring with little fanfare. Francis Collins, who has headed the National Institutes of Health for a dozen years, has announced that he is leaving that post by year’s end. In a Twitter article, Nell Greenfieldboyce and Scott Neuman describe the Institutes as “the largest funder of basic and clinical biomedical research in the world.” Under Collins’ leadership, I would add, no institution has had a greater impact on American medicine and Americans’ health. Trained as a geneticist, Collins was previously director of the National Center for Human Genome Research, which was in charge of a massive effort to fully identify humanity's genetic code. The project was completed in 2003. To give some idea of the challenge, humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes. Each of us has two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent. Willingness to Be Upfront But in my estimation, Collins’ greatest strength lies in his commitment ...