Showing posts with label Scripture Unbound. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scripture Unbound. Show all posts

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Spiritual Book Discussion - Scripture Unbound - The finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.




The finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.

Yet, the work goes on. Particular texts have been analyzed with historical-critical tools, and arguments among specialized scholars fill journals and the web. What’s more, as actual practitioners of the various religious traditions become versed with historical-critical tools and scholars outside the traditions improve their understandings of the cultural milieu, the study is bound to deepen and yield richer insights.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. 54). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

Plenty of fingers pointing at the moon and far fewer actually experiencing it.

Don’t make the same mistake.

Francis David said, “We need not think alike to love alike.”

  1. To what extent has the study of religious texts helped you become more loving?
  2. To what extent have you observed people who are experts on religious texts being of higher consciousness and exuding more loving attitudes towards themselves and others.
  3. To what extent have you found the study of religious texts as being helpful and nourishing in the development of your interior spiritual life?

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Spiritual Book Discussion - Scripture Unbound - Historical understanding


ANY LITERATURE or history teacher can tell you that texts are situated in the place and time they were written. The vocabulary, the genre, the structure, every aspect of a work is influenced by the time and culture of its origin—not to mention the author. While recent works may meticulously cite dates of publication, names of authors, and references, ancient works require detective work to unearth even these basics. That’s what historical-critical reading provides.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. 41). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

In an attempt to bring some sense of authority to religious texts many scholars engage in a historical exegesis. When was the text written, by whom, under what circumstances with what sanction and certification and how was it used by the communities that embraced it?

Meaning is not a matter of fact but of interpretation which can change over a period of time, contexts, and influence of power relations.

  1. If you were raised in a faith tradition which espoused a sacred text how has your view of the authority of the text changed over the years?
  2. Have you found yourself picking and choosing various interpretations of the text according to your biases?
  3. Have you found religious leaders attempting to persuade and influence people based on their interpretation of the meaning of the text?
  4. Have these religious leaders claimed they have the one, and only, and true interpretation and so should be accepted as authoritative?
  5. Have you ever used a religious text in this way to persuade, convince, and influence others?

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Spiritual Book Discussion Group - Scripture Unbound, Scripture and authority


 Scripture and authority

“IT’S IN THE BIBLE!” 


This statement is often used to justify a claim or argue a point by those who see scripture as a stable and reliable source of values in a time when social mores in the wider culture are shifting rapidly. On the other hand, many of those who are hostile to the idea of scripture say that it has been used as a weapon against their beliefs or identities.


Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. 13). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 


In logic, the appeal to authority is considered fallacious, and is called argumentum ad verecundiam. The argument is that something is true just because someone considered an authority says it is so. Parents use this argument when children complain and challenge the parent with “Why do I have to?!” and the parent says, “Because I said so!”


The idea that a sacred text is the revealed word of God and, as such, has intrinsic, unchallengeable authority to determine truth has become highly suspect since the time of the enlightenment.


Even if the text is considered authoritative, who is to determine whether any particular interpretation is more correct, authentic, and /or definitive than another?


The text is held up as an idol for worship rather than the thing being referenced by the text.


Texts considered authoritative often get used in political ways giving one class of people domination and control over others. 


Francis David, the Unitarian Pioneer, in the Sixteenth century, said that we need not think alike to love alike. 


Jesus taught that the way to the Kingdom is Love and often condemned the Sadducees and the Pharisees for their intellectual parsing of their religious texts. 


It is written in the first verse of the Tao Te Ching that “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.” 


It is written in A Course In Miracles that “The Course does not aim at the teaching of love, for that is beyond what can be taught.”


Sacred texts are the finger pointing at the moon, not the moon. They are a light illuminating shadows in the darkness so that we might sense the Divine more clearly but they are not science textbooks to be taken literally or a great deal of political, psychological, social, and spiritual harm can be done.


  1. What has been your experience of sacred texts? 

  2. Have they been used as instruments of coercive subjugation or tools of liberation? 

  3. Have sacred texts been used on you to exert compliance to the demands of external authorities or as vehicles for enhanced understanding and enlightenment?


Join our discussion group. We are hoping to have at least 10 members by the end of January. Presently, we have five.

Friday, January 1, 2021

Spiritual Book Discussion Group, Scripture Unbound, What's a canon?



What makes a book scripture within its tradition? Religion scholars Ninian Smart and Richard Hecht struggled with this question as they created an anthology. Traditionally, the definition is through a canon, a definitive list of what books or stories are in, and what are out.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. 4). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

In the Christian tradition the fights and arguments over the centuries about what texts should be considered scripture and which not is fascinating if one is interested in such topics. It is amazing how political this process is which often leads to schism and splitting with the dominant group declaring the people with opposing arguments and views as heretics. Some texts make it into the official canon as sacred while others are marginalized or condemned. This dynamic is observable in all faith traditions which promote a sacred text.

The argument for the dominant group often rests on the idea that the text is the revealed word of God and therefore the text, itself, is to be worshiped and respected as ultimate authority. Some would argue that this worship of text is a form of idolatry and the people making such a claim have made the finger the object of worship rather than the moon to which the finger is supposedly pointing.

What beliefs have you been taught about the ontological authenticity of scriptural texts? What beliefs do you hold now?

Editor's note:

You are invited to join our Spiritual Book Discussion Group. We currently have five members and our goal is to have 10 by the end of January, 2021. Will you help us spread the word?


Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Spiritual Book Discussion - Scripture Unbound, What God are we talking about?




 Which God are we talking about?

Though we may not view the New Testament and Hebrew Scriptures as divinely inspired, the Qur’an as dictated by God, or the Vedas as apaurusheyatva, we can appreciate the texts as gifts to humanity. We understand that, through the ages, these works have shaped whole societies and civilizations. We can honor and appreciate them as sources of wisdom that speak to us across generations and cultures. This attitude toward scripture places Unitarian Universalism in a position distinct from other faiths; rather than venerate one text over others, we feel free to read each in the light of all the others.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (pp. xiv-xv). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

Some people call it the “perennial wisdom,” the “perennial philosophy,” the “perennial theology,” but no matter what it is called there is a recognition that the world’s religions and scriptures have certain ideas and concepts in common. Rather than compete with each other in terms of which scripture is right and which is wrong, it is much more enriching and profitable to see how each provides a different perspective on the same phenomenon.

The word “God” has been used in many different traditions, in different cultures, in different texts and yet no matter what the concept is labeled, it always refers to a Transcendent power.

One time a student asked their professor, “Do you believe in God?” The professor replied, “It depends on which God you are asking about.”

Have you read different scriptures? If so, which have you found most illuminating at what point in your spiritual journey?

Editor notes:

Join our online Spiritual Book Discussion Group. Please invite others as well.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Spiritual Book Discussion Group, Scripture Unbound, Why read scripture


There is something about reading a text that is revered by a community, with a reach that is often worldwide and handed down through millennia. The practice of applying it to our own lives can help us feel less alone and more connected to a truth larger than ourselves. It prompts us to examine how we are called to be and what we are called to do in this world. This reflection is the beginning of wisdom. Scripture, then, can illuminate how, individually and collectively, we have come to where we are, and can push us toward more profound truth.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. xii). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

I love the mystical story about the finger pointing at the moon which reminds us not to mistake the finger for the moon.

It is interesting how religious people come to worship the finger. They make an idol out of it. They make the finger their god.

The point of looking at the finger is to discern where and to what it is pointing. The finger is a compass to help us find our way to our destination. We read and study scripture in the hope it will help us better find the moon and arrive at our destination.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Scripture can be a road atlas that can help us journey on our way to our destination.

What maps have you found helpful on your spiritual journey? How were they helpful? What part of your trip did they help you be more efficient and effective in your travels? How did you use them best? How have they led you astray? Did you ever find yourself lost and found a map that helped you orient yourself so you could proceed on your way?



Monday, December 28, 2020

Spiritual Book Discussion Group - Scripture Unbound, What is scripture?


 What is scripture according to Jonalu Johnstone?

She writes, "...scripture in this book will refer to texts that are affirmed by a community for their spiritual authority and that the community finds normative for good living, calls on for ritual, and uses to guide spiritual growth and development."

Did you have a text which guided your spiritual formation during your formative growing up years?

Do have a preferred text now that fulfills the functions which Johnstone names?

Leave a comment and/or join the Spiritual Book Discussion Group on groups.io


Sunday, December 27, 2020

Join our Spiritual Book Discussion group of Jonalu Johnstone's, Scripture Unbound

In January, 2021 we will be discussing, Jonalu Johnston's book Scripture Unbound. We'd love to have you join us.

 Join the Spiritual Book Discussion group by going here.

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Spiritual Book Discussion, Scripture Unbound - Fundamentalist or open minded when it comes to scripture?




IT’S IN THE BIBLE!” 

This statement is often used to justify a claim or argue a point by those who see scripture as a stable and reliable source of values in a time when social mores in the wider culture are shifting rapidly. On the other hand, many of those who are hostile to the idea of scripture say that it has been used as a weapon against their beliefs or identities. 

It’s easy to assume that scripture inherently requires its adherents to believe that there is only one possible truth and that this truth is known. But even a general overview of how scripture evolved in some traditions shows that some communities encourage a flexibility of interpretation.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. 13). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

People called “fundamentalists” in any religion usually regard their scripture as to be taken literally at a very concrete level. The text is considered to be the revealed and authoritative words of their god.

Others take a cafeteria or buffet approach to scripture and like panning for gold they look for nuggets of wisdom to confirm their biases and to enlighten their perspectives. Scripture is open to interpretation and one person’s interpretation may be taken as good as any others. 

Many people regard religious texts, even those they regard reverently as sacred, as being symbolic, metaphorical, and laden with many meanings from the superficial gloss to the deeper and more hidden meanings.

There probably is no such thing as a fundamentalist Unitarian Universalist. We believe in the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which can easily be different things to different people. There are many roads to Rome and many ways to skin a cat. As Francis David said, the Unitarian Founder back in the sixteenth century we need not think alike to love alike.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:15 - “He that has ears let him hear.”

In the East there is a saying that when the disciple is ready, the Master appears.

Unitarian Universalism is a religion for only mature people who are secure in their spiritual development. The God of Unitarian Universalism is too big for any one religion and so UUs seek and they will find, when they are ready, the message that the Universe is sending to them.

  1. How does scripture, if it does, speak to you? Which scriptures, when, and how?
  2. Is fundamentalism a stage that people pass through during their religious journey or is it a permanent position that people hold over time?

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Spiritual book discussion, Scripture Unbound, What's your scripture?


Topic three
What’s your scripture?

Community use of a text, then, shapes and helps decide what ultimately becomes scriptural. Though the dictum of authority has its role, scripture has to have a community endorsement, or it will die. We can study scriptures of cultures and societies that have ceased to exist, but in each case the scripture still has its source and foundation in a particular group of people.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. 7). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

A great deal of texts used in Unitarian Universalist worship services is insipid. It tends to veer into psychobabble and flowery poetic expressions of verses better suited for greeting cards. The fact that UU has no agreed upon cannon of wisdom sayings undermines its institutional and ritualistic power and authority. 

The lack of cohesiveness in Unitarian Universalist worship undermines its sustainability as a religious force in shaping and guiding the spiritual development of its members and influencing the external world.

A common vocabulary is necessary for effective communication among members and with external audiences, and the lack of development of this shared glossary hampers UUs ability to sustain, let alone attract new members.

The one exception to this criticism seems to be the doxology and the seven principles. Perhaps these can be the building blocks of a shared experience that can sustain the covenant which people enter into when they become members of the UU community.

  1. What is your scripture? 
  2. Are there texts which you turn to on a regular basis for prayer and contemplation to sustain and nurture your spiritual faith?
  3. Are there texts that you regularly share with others when talking about your faith?

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Spiritual Book Discussion, Scripture Unbound, The free and responsible search.

 

Topic Two

The free and responsible search.


“In terms of understanding our Unitarian Universalist heritage, early Unitarians and Universalists were biblical people, immersed in the stories and symbols of Jewish and Christian scripture. Many of them reached their so - called heretical positions through Bible study, as we’ll see in chapter 7.” p. Xii


“Among the six Sources of our Unitarian Universalist living tradition, we claim Jewish and Christian teachings, as well as wisdom from the world’s religions.” p.xiv


“This attitude (respecting other religious texts) toward scripture places Unitarian Universalism in a position distinct from other faiths; rather than venerate one text over others, we feel free to read each in the light of all the others.” p.xv


As Francis David, the pioneering Unitarian in the 16th century said, “We need not think alike to love alike.”


One of the wonderful things about Unitarian Universalist tradition is the idea that my God is too big for any one religion.


Unitarian Universalists are an especially religiously literate  people. They are free to explore the perennial philosophy and theology from whatever source. It is this comparison and contrast and wide ranging religious exploration that deepens rather than detracts from the understanding of a universal faith.


The fourth principle of seven in Unitarian Universalism is the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. 


  1. To what extent has your religious tradition facilitated this search? 

  2. What has your journey been: from where to now? 

  3. Where are you inclined to search next?



Sunday, November 1, 2020

Spiritual Book Discussion, Scripture Unbound, What makes a text sacred?



 What makes a text sacred?

A person may think of a text as sacred to them individually. And while I certainly endorse a wide and inclusive view of what can be considered sacred, for the purposes of this book we will focus on the specific role of a text in the context of a religious community and, ultimately, on the potential role of touchstone texts for Unitarian Universalist communities. To that end, scripture in this book will refer to texts that are affirmed by a community for their spiritual authority and that the community finds normative for good living, calls on for ritual, and uses to guide spiritual growth and development.

Johnstone, Jonalu. Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach (p. xi). Skinner House Books. Kindle Edition. 

What makes a text sacred? There are two things at least: Texts that the individual finds holy and special as if they exist in another than the ordinary material dimension, and texts that are held in reverence by a community of believers. 

Some might say the text is the authoritative word of God being given through chosen intermediaries. Some students take the text literally and some symbolically and metaphorically.

What texts do you consider sacred? What texts have special significance and meaning in your life? What texts have contributed to understanding and guidance in your life. Give an example or two.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Spiritual book discussion book for November, 2020, Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach by Jonalu Johnstone

 Spiritual book for discussion in November, 2020, is Scripture Unbound: A Unitarian Universalist Approach by Jonalu Johnstone. Buy it now to be prepared for November's discussion. You might also consider it as a holiday gift.


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