Faith in the Northwest[Posted by Scott Silver on July 10, 2008] LISTEN TO "Faith in the Northwest" (24MB MP3)
Oregonians have developed a reputation for being "unchurched." Theology Professor Patricia O'Connell Killen has called the region the "None Zone" - since the northwest has the highest percentage in the country of people that identify their religious affiliation as "none." And while Oregonians may not go to church as often as people in other parts of the country, we're not necessarily irreligious. By some estimates, only 17% of Oregonians call themselves "non-religious." Are you religious? Are you spiritual? Do you find the northwest open or hostile to your ideas and beliefs? How does living here affect the way you express your religious beliefs? Do you see changes in the way religion is practiced and perceived in your community? Photo credit: hegtor / Flickr / Creative Commons
I am a non-theist and tend to have friends of the same faithlessness. Forced Catholic growing up, I finally realized that "faith in God,", which also meant belief in the devil, hell, heaven, etc. was the single most destructive force in my life. This long realization was the best thing that happened to me. I view religious faith, blind faith, as a manipulative, superstitious, post-stone age myth system, and a force that causes unbelievable harm within families and nations
My sentiment exactly Linda! I lost my religion in a foxhole in Vietnam, when I realized that praying for my brother Marines was futile. They died anyway. Religious superstition is the single biggest cause of war and other violence in the world and always has been. As long as people are afraid to think logically and refuse to boot religious superstition out of their lives and their politics, things will never change. Backward people like George W. Bush should keep to themselves instead of leveraging citizen fear into mass murder. Yes, you have the right to be religiously superstitious but you don't have the right to affect my life with it. Don't tread on me any longer!
Dear Friend,
I am sorry that you had to endure the horrors of war, and you are right that much conflict is caused by religious prejudice. Superstition ought to play no part in a true religion. A fundamental teaching of the Baha'i Faith is the independent investigation of truth. Check it out if you like at Bahai.org. Be happy, Gail
Faith in Jesus is central to my life. It informs my choices, even when I choose to behave contrary to what I believe. I freely admit that I often behave like the selfish youngster rather than my Big Brother, but He hasn’t given up on me even so.
This faith unifies my world view, it shows that being prolife means caring about a person from conception thru death. It leads me to oppose abortion and promote universal health care that makes sure the baby and mother are cared for. It motivates me to make choices that help the hungry and homeless, and to being aware and responsible for my impacts on the natural world. It means trying to understand others and be accommodating of other opinions without giving up on what I am convinced is non-negotiable. It means seeing my own choices against my Da as no less than anyone elses, and trying to stay focused on that enough that when I speak against actions it is clear that I am not condemning the person. Most folks I know at work know I’m a Christian; I don’t push it on them, but I don’t deny the truth either. I see great wisdom in being ready to answer questions about my personal experience (church folks call that my “witness” or my "testimony") and to admit my struggles and how I get through them; that said, I endeavor to never get involved in such a discussion without invitation. I recognize that the best I can do to follow what Da wants is build relationships that show a committed caring for others based not on what it does for me, but what it reflects to them. The community in Oregon seems no more or less hostile to Christians than elsewhere in the US. If anything, I would submit that I would rather have folks be honest about distrusting or even despising the church than to live where they join for social or political reasons; the negative impact of the latter on our message has been a millstone since Constantine first chose to make us legal in the fourth century. Do I hate the fact that our community and nation supports murdering children? Yup. Do I resent that we treat women and ethnic minorities as somehow less? You bet. Am I willing to say that some things are wrong and we should not do them, even when I take flack for it? I think I have answered that question already. Rather than make this into a sermon, let me wrap up by plainly saying: I am an adopted son of Da, the Living One, because my Big Brother Jesus paid for my mistakes and made my adoption possible. I know He can do the same for anyone, and I’m always willing to explain how if anyone wants.
I think science has a more magnificent story of creation than any religion. In the first instant of the Big Bang the entire universe could fit in the room I'm in. Science tells us that matter is composed of the smallest particles held together by energy bonds. If not for the energy bonds, we could walk through walls, if we didn't disintegrate first.
But science has yet to give a convincing explanation of consciousness. How does the brain produce a thought? Maybe the brain is like a radio that picks up signals from outside. Our universe might hold all the thoughts that ever existed. Jesus is many things to many people. To me he was a rabbi who preached to Jews about how to deal with the Roman Empire, which was the supreme evil of its time. His strategy also applies to the Empire we live in -- civil disobedience and non-cooperation. The church of the Big Banger is all around us, as much as we try to mess it up. Religion exists in the mystery of another human being. We struggle to save ourselves from the evil empire we live in. In the end all power goes mad.
I don't understand why there is even a question regarding religion. There is absolutely no evidence of any god or gods. I mean zero. None. We could be discussing worshipping the tooth fairy for all the difference it makes. I just don't understand how there can be any serious discussion of some imaginary being and how he has any influence on us
Joseph Orr
Dear April,
You post an interesting suggestion. Truly people embrace Faiths for a variety of reasons and that is a good thing. It is exactly the diversity of people that challenges and enriches our spiritual growth. For whatever reason humanity has sought truth throughout the ages and we seem comfortable finding guidelines for our individual growth as well as guidance to create an ever-advancing civilization. How we interact with those of like Faiths and those of no professed Faith is the laboratory for spiritual growth. Let deeds, not words, be our adorning. Check out the Baha'i Faith if you like, at Bahai.org. Be Happy, Gail
Hello Joseph,
Baha'is don't attempt to define God...that would be an impossibility. However, we believe that there is a creative essence in the Universe and individuals throughout history who have given us spiritual guidance so that we can carry on an ever-advancing civilization on this planet. If you adhere to independent investigation of truth, check it out at Bahai.org. Be Happy, Gail
I think it's time we recognized the obvious negative effects of "faith-based" or evidence-free belief systems. For example, at a parent teacher night at Portland's Jefferson High School, a science teacher explained how local pastors (including one from Mt. Olivet Baptist Church) told their students to cover their ears, and close their textbooks, whenever "Darwin" or "evolution" were discussed...
The teacher laughed, however, noting that these pastors had apparently never heard of "natural selection," so he was able to generate an exciting, educational discussion of a central, evidence-based concept in biology in spite of religious efforts to hold the students back. But too often religion gets a free pass, when its supernatural ideas are unsupportable and ridiculous, and yet regularly referenced to dumb down science education, prevent access to medical options (particularly for women, but also care for the terminally ill), and diminish basic civil protections for lesbians and gays. My kids are always quick to respond to the question "But don't you believe in God?" with "Which god/goddess are you talking about? Zeus? Baal? Mary? The Flying Spaghetti Monster?" They know that our real world is a pretty cool place, too.
I am proud to be an atheist. I have felt oppressed by pushy Christians my whole life and I no longer feel the need to pretend that their behavior is acceptable. I can send you links if you like to reports about recent Federal budgets allocating taxpayer money to Christian organizations for the purpose of promoting religion, in direct violation of the First Amendment. In my PUBLIC high school my teachers used to talk about God in front of the class. I now believe such behavior warrants jail time. Seriously. Yet I still consider myself a spiritual person and I always celebrate all the Pagan holidays including Winter Solstice (commonly called Christmas), the Vernal Equinox and fertility rites known as Easter and Mayday; and of course my favorite, the Summer Solstice. You'll notice I'm not asking the taxpayers to help me promote my worldview. I wish the Christians could do the same.
One of the things I love most about Oregon (or I should say Western Oregon) is how "non-religious" it is. As someone who was raised Baptist but turned Agnostic in my late teens, moving here was like finding my true home (for many other reasons as well).
I recently moved from the Portland area to Silverton, which is a more conservative area with a lot of churches (there is one on the other side of my backyard fence - I like to sit on the patio drinking a local craft beer on Sunday morning while the church-goers file in). But I would say that it is still a much more open-mided area that many other parts of the country, and I genuinely like it here. But in Oregon as in the rest of the USA, Christians try to legislate their beliefs into law and force them on the non-religious population. Fortunately this actually occurs less often here than in many other states, but we are still bound by Federal law (another good reason for Western Oregon and Washington to secede from the union, but that is another disucssion....). Since I have no religious beliefs, I am only affected by religion when laws are passed that force me to conform to some religious norm or idea, or support a religious institution. Examples: 1. Teaching creationism in public schools (which somehow is a valid theory yet global warming is hack science) 2. Federal funding for religious non-profit organizations (which both parties' candidates support) 3. Censorship (if someone is offended by what is written or broadcast, don't read it or watch it!) 4. Religious display in government buildings, and even on our money! As I said, I am glad to live in Oregon which is a much more enlightened area than most of the country, but I fear the day when we will be overwhelmed by Federal laws forcing Christian "values" down our throats.
Hello,
I am a retired public school teacher and I was always appalled by those who would ignore the separation of church and state and try to add or remove subjects from the curriculum based on their particular religious bent. Book banning is another topic of great concern. I was so happy to find the Baha'i Faith which combines reason with religion and each individual is allowed to read the Holy Writings without the interference and/or interpretation of a clergy member. Check it out if you like at Bahai.org Be Happy, Gail
As a member of the Baha'i Faith, a Faith that actively seeks new members, and someone who has also lived in the midwest and the southeast, I find the Northwest one of most receptive populations in the country to the teachings of our founder, Baha'u'llah. Baha'is offer weekly devotional gatherings, children's classes, and classes for adults concerning how to live a spiritual and moral life. Baha'is see that people have a strong desire to find spiritual meaning in our lives. We see people report great comfort and satisfaction in these activities. We see the stronger sense of community improve the quality of individual's lives.
I consider myself a very spiritual person. My problem with most religions is the hierarchy that is inherent to the organizations. I don't trust them - I have a large problem with authority - especially illegitimate authority.
Worship to me is personal and can happen anywhere - from the mosh pit at a rock show to the solace of sunrise on the beach. God is either everything or nothing. I choose to believe the former.
Hello,
Your concept of worship is exactly the same as in the Baha'i Faith. Even work, if performed in a spirit of service can be made holy i.e.worship. There is no clergy in the Baha'i Faith, but there is order. Members themselves are both followers and teachers and sometimes administrator. Check it out if you like at Bahai.org Be Happy! Gail
I believe my religious beliefs are quite similar to the trends that Mark Silk described. I was born and baptized Catholic, attended vacation bible school and Sunday school, etc. I still will tell people that I am "Catholic" however I only attend mass twice a year - Christmas and Easter (sometimes referred to as "Chreasters").
My spirituality is far more rooted in my beliefs surrounding nature and my political beliefs. I am an "unchurched" Oregonian. And I find that gardening, hikes, and activities along the lines of "back to the land" are far more spiritually fulfilling for me.
Dear Ambrose.
You sound like a spiritual person; one who tries to do the right thing and doesn't need a church in which to worship. Truly it is easy to find an atmosphere of spirituality in nature and it is vital to go there and refresh ones self from time to time. And, when one is God-conscious it is possible to find God in the midst of poverty and the uglier things we encounter, like Mother Theresa did. Religion can be about service to mankind, and that doesn't require clergy or a building. God has revealed guidance to mankind throughout the centuries through chosen messengers. Baha'is truth wherever it is found and embrace all previously revealed religions. Check it out if you like at Bahai.org Be Happy, Gail
Dear April,
Of course one can have a personal relationship with God, which may be quite private. But, religion is also in fellowship and creating service projects, such as schools which demonstrate our concern for others and for the future. Sometimes group strength is a plus. I think both are part of the religious experience. Check out the Baha'i Faith if you like at Bahai.org. Be Happy, Gail
I think that we need to make a clear distinction between faith and religion.
I see faith as something that is within each of our hearts and minds. It helps to define who are, the decisions we make, and what be believe. I see religion as a corrupt institutional influence on so many societies. I strongly believe that the messages that come out of organized religion negatively influence our faith, our economics, and how we treat our fellow humans. I feel very lucky to have been raised in an environment free of influence where I could make decisions on my own in regards to my faith. -Aaron in Portland |
07/10/2008 3:24:39 PM
