When religion and science conflict in the public sphere, the results are often dramatic: millions of dollars can be spent on attorneys, and our airwaves are filled with competing claims. What's often lost in these large battles, though, are the consequences on individuals. At times some individuals step forward to take much needed action -- and often they do so at very large personal cost.
Al (he wants to remain anonymous to avoid further repercussions) is one such person, and he deserves our admiration for making an important difference. He saw a problem, took steps to rectify it, and is now suffering unreasonably and unfairly as a direct consequence of his actions.
It's my pleasure to share his story with you.
Al had a successful industrial career in applied physics. His original career plans didn't involve physics, though. When he was maturing and thinking about his future, he decided to go into the ministry in the church he loved. After a good deal of soul-searching in college, however, he felt he couldn't move forward with his plan.
As he describes it, the sticking point was that he didn't have an answer to a question that was deeply troubling him: "Which is right, the creation stories or evolution?" His appreciation of science kept running into the dogma some in religion were expressing: the stories in the Bible needed to be taken literally, and such a literal interpretation must always trump science when the two were seen to be in conflict.
Al not only changed his career plans, going on to have a scientific rather than a ministerial career; he completely left the church for a decade and a half. Al returned to the church only after coming to the conclusion that "both the creation stories and evolution are correct. They cover different concepts -- different but compatible."
With his wife, Judy, serving as director of Christian Education for United Methodist Churches, Al came into contact with lots of kids, kids who increasingly were migrating away from formal religion. After discussing their decisions with them, he came to the conclusion that many were leaving for the same reason he did: they saw the church forcing them to choose between dogma and Darwin. He was, and continues to be, confident that the church would be far healthier if it formally acknowledged the compatibility of religion and science.
When a new minister assigned to his congregation began preaching a version of biblical literalism, and when that minister made it clear that he didn't accept evolution, Al decided that he needed to take action. Discussions with his minister proved fruitless, and he was only granted a meeting with his bishop after taking out a newspaper ad in which he ran an open letter to the bishop. This, too, accomplished nothing positive -- even when Al pointed out that the United Methodist "law book" made it clear that the church accepted the findings of science. The "teachings" of the church were dismissed as not being clear enough. So Al decided to make them clearer.
He authored two petitions to be presented to the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church. Such an action was virtually unheard of by an individual, as almost all petitions come up through various committees. But Al's minister and bishop effectively shut him out of the normal process.
Al worked tirelessly on behalf of his two petitions, personally writing to each of the 1,400 United States delegates and alternates who would vote on the petitions, and calling each of the 86 delegates on the committee that had first crack at the petitions. His worked paid off handsomely. Both sailed through the committee with the petition explicitly accepting evolution passing with 80 percent of the votes of the full Conference; additionally, the petition endorsing The Clergy Letter Project passed with a 96-percent-favorable vote. Al modestly described his actions as having "quietly moved Methodism into the 21st century."
But back at home, Al has paid a very high price for his actions. His minister has stripped him from playing any role in his local congregation, not even permitting him to continue to sing in the choir or lead "hymn sings" at nursing homes. Because of the minister's actions, many fellow congregants now shun him. Al's wife, retired from a career in the United Methodist Church, moved to a church in a different denomination as a result. Al's son no longer permits Al to take his grandchildren to his church because he doesn't want them to see how poorly Al is being treated.
His wife regularly urges him to follow her to her new congregation, reminding him that her new church and its denomination think as he does. He responds simply but forcefully, "They don't need me, the United Methodist Church does!"
Unfortunately, there are some who assertively believe that religion and science must be in conflict. Al is certainly not one of those people, and he makes the case for compatibility simply and eloquently: "Because I have witnessed the wonderful things science can accomplish for humanity, I almost cry when some in religion shortsightedly ignore those humanitarian accomplishments by misinterpreting various portions of the greatest directive to exercise humanitarian goals -- the Bible."
I've gotten to know Al reasonably well over the past five years, and I've seen the pain he's experienced for taking a principled stand for something about which he feels so strongly. His commitment and perseverance has impressed me deeply, and I'm proud to be able to call Al my friend.
In my mind, Al is an American hero, and he deserves far better treatment than he has received from his church. Please join me in thanking Al for all he's accomplished.
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This is the second in the "Profiles in (Evolutionary) Courage" series. The first focused on Denise, a high school biology teacher who stood up for her students. What's so very sad is that both Denise and Al felt that I could only tell their stories if they remained anonymous. It is a shame that the cost of promoting modern science can be so high. If you know of someone who you think deserves to be profiled, please let me know.
Follow Michael Zimmerman, Ph.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mzclergyletter
David Loye
Courage is a good attribute.
Of course the stories are not fact - but they are most often presented as fact.
That failure to identify fiction as fiction makes the priest or nun who tells the story a deceiver rather than an ordinary story teller.
It is necessary to be clear that a story is metaphor.
...and many of us did things like, oh.....say......, received a BS in Biology from a Jesuit University that required roughly 12 hours of new and old testament study along with another roughly 12 hours of philosophy. This would qualify me for at least a mail order Ph.D. of Ministry.
Am I now required to argue the Reformation, Hume, and Kierkegaard to to 'prove' sufficient standing to comment within the "Religious" section of my news source? Apparently it does.
Therefor, my first comment is that this section should labeled "Doubt" so as to recognize us readers who do not use faith in our daily lives rather than insult us by making some of us (atheists) Trolls. "Doubt" is a good and fair label preventing any of us, theist or otherwise, to have to feel like a Troll when we read or comment in this section.
BTW: Nice Marketing call Huffing Post.
The Bible is not now, and never was intended to be a science book – that is left to those with God-given intellect to decipher. When the Bible is misinterpreted as teaching science, what are metaphors become contradictions in many ways.
The Bible contains collections of wisdom to give guidance on how to live our lives – as individuals and as communities.
I wince when religious leaders (who ought to know better) fail to lift up the religious principles – especially with the creation stories – thereby degrading the Bible to little more than a fictional novel.
The creation stories use beautifully catching stories to teach principles of relationships. And responsibilities. Relationships and responsibilities to a higher order, to each other, and to the natural world.
It is interesting that other metaphors of the Bible are more widely accepted as metaphors. For example, few misinterpret Jesus' instruction to “teach the Gospel to the ends of the earth” as saying the earth is flat (a round earth doesn't have ends).
So, thanks to the many of you who have expressed support, understanding, and encouragement to continue. Isn't it interesting that it is taking a science trained person to help religious leaders to not misinterpret the Bible!!!
My question is: Why Christianity? I mean, why NOT Buddhism, or Islam, or whatever? I can get past the whole "fairy tale" aspect by viewing the Bible in terms of metaphor. But what I DON'T get is why I should believe the Bible and not all those other religions. It just doesn't make sense to me that God would create ALL humankind, and then only reveal His Gospel to the "chosen" few.
Absent an explanation for that question, I don't see any reason to follow ANY traditional religion.
--jrd
As a Christian, I have only passing knowledge of other religions, and so will not comment on those. I accept that there are several main religions, each (I think) with many variations within them. Unlike some who try to force their religion down the throats of everyone, I respect other denominations and religions. I see no overriding reasons why we can't peacefully co-exist in this world, or even on the same street. Co-existence should not imply a requirement to be identical. Peaceful co-existence requires all to follow the Golden Rule (found in all the major religions) - which includes NOT arrogantly forcing one's beliefs on others, or belittling those with different (or no) theistic beliefs. (I have yet to find anyone who is without some moral beliefs.)
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Church|Tue, Apr. 27 2010 05:35 PM EDT
Survey: Most Young People Are 'Lost' Despite 'Christian' Label
By Audrey Barrick|Christian Post Reporter
Though a majority of teens and young adults identify as Christian, a new study suggests that only 15 percent of them have personal relationships with Christ and are deeply committed.
Most American "Millenials" – those born between 1980 and 1991 – don't pray regularly. Few read their Bibles or
other religious texts, and many don't attend church on a weekly basis, according to a LifeWay Research study.
"[W]e cannot forget the vast majority of lost young people in this generation. Our hearts should be broken with
this reality," said Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources. "We should be convicted if we do not yet have a heavy burden to reach this generation."
Sixty-five percent of Millennials called themselves a Christian in the study that was conducted on 1,200 young Americans in August 2009. But Rainer estimates that 85 percent of young people are lost.
"Many are either mushy Christians or Christians in name only," Rainer told USA Today. "Most are just indifferent.
The more precisely you try to measure their Christianity, the fewer you find committed to the faith."
For more:
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100427/survey-most-young-people-are-lost-despite-christian-label/
MY BLASPHEMOUS BLOGS
Bible Belts
http://biblebelts.blogspot.com/
Holy Heretics - Jesus, Maimonides, Spinoza, the Founding Fathers, Herzl, Einstein.
http://holyheretics.com/
The fear of that hell fire is the problem that most of the faithful face. It is rammed in their heads that BELIEVING is the important thing, and because God allegedly knows all of their thoughts, they are afraid to even THINK about doubting. It is a really, really solid grip that the religious leaders have on the psyche of their "flock" due to the fear they put in these people as children. It takes a very special person to reject it. It is really sad to watch people live their lives so closed off from reality and in perpetual fear.
Face it guys, it’s baloney.
"Al," even after getting a good education and presumably lots of practice in using reason and logic, is unable to overcome his early childhood mythological indoctrination, and sets about trying to reconcile reality to the fictions. He spends a good amount of time trying to get his revered institutions to 'water down' the extremist dogma, only to meet with marginalization, ostracizing, embarrassment and rejection.
Poor guy. His parental units really screwed it up for him. A very subtle but amazingly damaging form of child-abuse, unwittingly perpetuated in many cases by previously indoctrinated parents and authority figures.
A cultural virus.
Hooray for religion that makes claim to one thing yet does the other. In this case Al's otracization.
Fanned as well.