Morning Meditation - How quickly we forget to share

"Our attachment to an economic system that maximizes self interest has broken our covenant with the earth and with one another. As a religious movement, we must grapple with what this means, including taking a hard look at the complicity of our religious tradition in this broken covenant. It is important that we do this. Multiple oppressions that our hearts cry out against - racism, sexism, the neglect of children, the abuse of the environment intersect in an economic system in which the bottom line is individual self interest."

Rebecca Ann Parker, Blessing the World, p. 77

Jesus talked about economic injustice all the time and our duty to the poor. He rarely talked about sex. What do you make of that?

So called Christians don't really understand or want to follow the teachings of Jesus because he talked about the covenant which we have with one another and the earth all the time. It is the major part of his teaching. How is it that it is totally ignored in our so called Judeo-Christian nation?

Greed.

The rise of the corporations who have no soul but only obligations to investors to increase their profit have perverted our spiritual values. Financial profit is their paramount value and "profit" is defined soley in dollars and cents.

We have bought into the capitalistic myth that there is no such thing as greed. The more money the better and any other human values: the environment, people, justice be damned.

I have heard more whining of late about people's stock portfolio's loosing value as if it is the end of the world. It destroyed one church that I was a member of because it perverted the congregation's values to protect their portfolio rather than invest in their people and the future of the church which would benefit their community. So Rev. Parker is right when she says UUs have been complicit. I have watched its pernicious effects on the destruction of a church covenant.

Jesus says it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into heaven.

We have seen the ongoing destruction of our society by capitalism out of control. Perhaps it is time to ressurect a spiritual vision of "creative poverty" as was discussed on the LifeNow! radio show back on December 11, 2008. The First Unitarian Church in Rochester, NY is doing a great job on these economic issues with its Great Good Project and the donations of its collection plate to community groups and agencies that meet community needs.

The opposite of greed is sharing. We all learned this kindergarten, but how quickly we forget.