5:20 a.m. EST, November 29, 2011

SOUTH BEND — The St. Joseph County Bridges Out of Poverty initiative will offer a public presentation and group discussion Friday about “Sustaining a Spirituality of Service.”

The free event, which is open to all faiths, will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the United Way of St. Joseph County, 3517 Jefferson Blvd.

Colleen Vermeulen will explore why there is more than just one Christian way to help the poor. She’s a master of divinity candidate at the University of Notre Dame and was a summer intern with Bridges Out of Poverty.

As she explains: “We know it takes a variety of approaches, from providing direct care to alleviate suffering, to educating and intervening to prevent poverty; from reforming unjust practices and policies to facilitating transition and mentoring individuals moving out of poverty.”

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Roger Dufau, A Personal Journey

The ideas and notions of spirituality are many. We are often far apart on agreeing on common meanings that can serve us all. The American Heritage Dictionary defines spirituality as “relating to, consisting of or having the nature of spirit, not tangible or material, but affecting the soul, pertaining to God.”

I like this attempt at explaining something that is very elusive. If you don’t believe in God, it becomes almost meaningless.

Most of us have beliefs and opinions borrowed from the concepts and dictates of others, before we dared to express what it truly feels or means to us individually.

Even if you don’t believe in God, the powerful concepts do take some hold and are influenced by our cultural background. The good news about our ideas of spirituality is that, besides involving some religious beliefs, they are associated with love.

The various religions of the world claim to have most of the answers when it comes to spirituality and they indeed cover the essential values that are always related to love.

Where many religions stray from that truth is when their teachings deny the unconditional love of God. I personally can’t believe in a God of fear or retribution in order to motivate people to behave honorably and decently. It is like threatening a child, saying that if they don’t behave, God will strike them with lightning. It just doesn’t work.

I believe in the much larger and grander truth of a God of unconditional love, who gave us the amazing gift of total free will. That concept does not sit well with the notion of Hell or other fear-based beliefs.

You can’t have it both ways—either you freely create your own reality or you live in constant fear of creating something that can never be humanly perfect for this elusive and demanding God. I spent many years of my life not believing in God and still found my usefulness and happiness in society. Later on, after much soul-searching, I realized that a loving God truly exists.

To me, true spirituality is to live your life in a harmonious way that involves following a God who is full of love, truth and joy. Any spirituality deprived of these three essential values is for me a fraud and does not honour a true unconditional God of love.

It is, of course, left to our own discretion whether or not we choose to believe and act in a way that is honourable in all aspects of our daily lives.

To focus on the negative or fear-based concepts is never sustainable and, I believe, will end up leading to destructive behaviour, sadly poisoning life itself sooner or later.

God or life is endlessly creative and changes moment to moment. It is up to us to take spirituality to a higher level, leading us to be co-creators with God in all we do.

Elora resident Roger Dufau comments on spiritual issues.

The enduring power of spirituality for the Pasifika diaspora in every aspect of life, from sport to education, is a unifying theme of the Talanoa Oceania 2011 conference at Massey University’s Albany campus next week.

“A recurring theme in the conference papers is that our spirituality is alive and well, despite the upheavals of being part of the Pasifika diaspora,” says Massey’s Director Pasifika Professor Sitaleki Finau.

He says diverse spiritual and cultural values and practices are the focus of many research papers, including in netball and rugby league, being presented at the three-day annual conference.

Around 30 academics from New Zealand, Australian, Hawaiian and Pacific Island universities will speak on topics including psychology from a Pasifika perspective, health, sexuality and HIV stigma, parenting, trade, economics and industrial relations, language teaching, education of gifted Pasifika children, and contemporary, traditional, visual and performance arts and crafts.

“This conference, subtitled Niu Flavours, is about celebrating the achievements of the Pacific Islands in diaspora,” says Professor Finau. Niu Flavours plays on cross-cultural, multiple meanings of the word “niu”, which has two meanings in Pacific languages – most commonly referring to the coconut, the ancient, resilient ‘tree of life’ in most island environments, and in pidgin meaning new, novel or different.

“Talanoa Oceania 2011 invites Pacific Islanders to be both – to display not only what and who we are, but also what we have invented and/or accomplished,” he says. Talanoa means “talking, storytelling” in Tongan).

“Niu Flavours is about how the generations of Pacific diaspora readjusted their cultures to fit their new homes away from their home islands. Talanoa Oceania 2011 hopes to display every flavour that Pacific Islanders have discovered or invented along the process of transition in diaspora.”

Other themes are diaspora Identities, human rights, food and nutrition, indigenous notions of wellbeing, disaster management and climate change, social justice, empowerment and social policy, and women and community development. The conference runs from November 28 to 30 at the Albany campus’ Sir Neil Waters Lecture Theatres’ building.

Several new publications of Pasifika-related research on health, education, literature and community development will be launched at the conference by Massey’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Maori and Pasifika) Professor Sir Mason Durie, as part of the Pasifika@Massey series.

When Thanksgiving dinner conversation drifts into religious dogma, here is the way I’ll respond, with a wink and a smile: “That’s nice, Aunty. Thank you for sharing. But I am spiritual, not religious. I love the Brussels sprouts and chestnuts. Did you make that dish?” It is a polite way to change the subject.

In the U.S., it is increasingly common for people to describe themselves as “spiritual, not religious.” The phrase is repeated on campuses and in workplaces, at family gatherings and community meetings. It is repeated on social networking sites and in online dating profiles.

In their book, “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us,” sociologists Robert Putnam and David Campbell surveyed religiosity in the United States. The third largest “religious” group today is those who declare no religious affiliation at all. The unaffiliated represent 17 to 22 percent of the U.S. population. They now out number mainline Protestant church members. Putnam and Campbell call these the “nones,” but they actually represent something very interesting — a seismic shift in American religiosity.

The “nones” are overwhelmingly not atheists or agnostics. Instead, they are “spiritual, not religious,” a phrase that Putnam and Campbell don’t use, but which mostly fits the case. Their numbers are growing through the passing generations of pre-boomers, boomers and post-boomers. In the 1950s, the “nones” constituted 3 to 5 percent of the population. Among those who came of age in the 1990s and 2000s, roughly 25 percent say they have no religion.

I wonder what I would say if Putnam and Campbell came to my door with their questionnaire. “I am a member of the Religious Society of Friends,” I would answer. “But the chances of finding a Quaker on a randomized survey of the United States with a sample size of 3,000 are near nil,” I’d add. “Perhaps you’ve made a mistake in choosing me.”

When the sociologists asked about the frequency of my church attendance, I would feel a pang of guilt and a flush of embarrassment. The truth be told, I haven’t attended Meeting for Worship in many years. Instead I attend the Church of the Sunday New York Times, followed by an afternoon yoga class at the gym. The latter sometimes involves some chanting in Sanskrit and a silly, but mercifully brief, dharma talk by the instructor, but I wouldn’t call it church. There is no coffee hour afterward.

Perhaps the truth will not be told after all, or at least it will be exaggerated slightly in favor of my imagined ought-to-be-so self. If I am representative of others, and I suspect you may be a lot like me, then there is likely a large portion of the religiously affiliated types who over-report the frequency of their religious attendance. For others, frequency of church attendance is the wrong question. It doesn’t apply to the Diwali-is-fun Hindus and the selectively observant Muslims partying at Eid.

Some large percentages of the religiously affiliated have low levels of commitment to the congregation and the creeds. These are the High Holiday Jews and Christmas-and-Easter-only Christians. Except for weddings, funerals and seasonal holidays, we rarely go to church or synagogue. What shall we call ourselves? How about MIAs — “members in absentia” or perhaps “missing in action.” And while not exactly the “nones,” we have much in common with them.

The MIAs are, more or less, spiritual, not religious. We declare our affiliation, but it doesn’t mean a lot to us. We occasionally enjoy the music and social life at our local congregation. Like the nones, we do not differ much from the rest of the U.S. population in terms of education, income or social standing. We have grown cynical about religious institutions and enthusiasts. We are skeptical about a lot of the creeds and dogmas. We want good spiritual feelings without the long histories of failures and hypocrisy of organized religion.

When we add the MIAs to the nones, we end up with probably the largest “religious” group in the United States today. The new Silent Majority is spiritual, not religious, and it is not socially conservative. In fact, Putnam and Campbell correlate the dramatic rise of the unaffiliated with the rise of the Religious Right in American political life in the 1990s and onward. The new “nones” tend to be politically and socially liberal. They overwhelmingly approve of pre-marital sex, birth control, homosexuality and the legalization of marijuana. Religion is perceived to be incompatible with these values.

This is born out by other studies. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life conducted a large survey of the unaffiliated on why they reject religious identification. They perceive religious institutions and people as judgmental and socially conservative. Their rejection of religion is based on politics and not on theology or science. There is a sprinkling of atheists and agnostics, to be sure, but the nones are overwhelmingly spiritual, not religious.

Spirituality is thought to be something an individual can have without the ambivalent complexity of human societies and institutions. Spirituality is seen as an individual preference, so it enables hospitals, schools, and governments to better serve a religiously plural population. Medical schools now teach physicians about “spirituality and health,” but not “religion and health.” Spirituality is a way of defusing sectarianism in the public square and at holiday dinners.

The rise of spirituality, however, can also be understood as simply a recurrent pattern. Religious revitalization and reformation movements occur throughout history. They seek to recapture some imagined origins, unmediated revelations, authentic interpretations, purified communities, and mystical moments.

Yet those of us who are “spiritual, not religious” are generally not interested in returning to the past. We are more oriented toward living in the present and creating modestly better futures. We favor mystical experience and charisma over tedious scriptural debates, in part because we are distracted and can’t be bothered; there are more interesting things to read and discuss. While we tend to like science, we also tend to not know very much about science. We are easily seduced by pseudo-science. Our lack of rigor can sometimes reflect laziness and wishful thinking.

“Spirituality” turns out to be messy. There are businesses involved, conferences to attend, treatments to try, retreats to experience, books to read, schools for certifications, sports to pursue, and providers to pay. Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners are a telephone book of spiritual healing techniques. New Age conferences and publications offer a Walmart of esoteric practices collected from around the world. Building a diversified spiritual portfolio takes research and time. The rise of spirituality can be understood as the product of a culture that emphasizes individualism and consumerism. The independent variable — spirituality — turns out to be a dependent variable in the age of global capitalism.

So what is it that we mean when we invoke the word “spirituality”? Is there something there? The term derives from the Latin verb spirare meaning “to breathe.” The connotation is that we are surrounded by a divine reality as pervasive, intimate, necessary and invisible as the air we breathe. Similar concepts can be found in the Hindu word prana. The Chinese concept of chi energy may be analogous. Jewish mystics noted that the sacred name of God in Hebrew, YHWH, a name written in the Bible but never pronounced aloud by pious Jews, might itself be understood as the sound of human breath — an inhalation YH and an exhalation WH. Thus, every time a person breathes, she is actually saying the name of God. Muslim mystics make similar claims about the aspiration of the name Al-lah. There is a Presence that is everywhere present.

To talk of spirituality, then, is to affirm that there is an all-encompassing realm, an invisible reality that somehow transcends and sustains human life, consciousness, and values, indeed the entire universe. You don’t need to go to church for this, but you do have to apply yourself to your life. Take a deep breath — and a deep exhale. Pay attention to the details.

Take pleasure in your devout sister and brother-in-law, who go to a Pentecostal church with their children. Break bread with your younger brother, who joined Chabad Lubavitch in college and is now a strict Orthodox Jew. Drink wine with your New Age aunt, who is enthusiastic about some new Indian guru or Sufi sheik. Forgive your conservative, authoritarian father. He can’t help himself and neither can you. Woody Allen couldn’t write a screenplay quirkier than the eclectic mash-up of foods and faiths gathered around our Thanksgiving tables.

Unlike Sunday morning, the extended, blended reunion of families and friends on Thanksgiving mixes spiritual oil and religious vinegar in a big chopped salad of American religiosity. That’s how religion unites us, according to Putnam and Campbell. The diversity of our friends and families is the grace in American in the midst of inane political polarization and vicious culture wars.

Thanksgiving is an icon of that perplexing mix, so be sure to claim your rightful place at the banquet if you are a member of the new Silent Majority — the spiritual, not religious. Be thankful for the food you are about to receive and the crazy quilt of religiosity that is the world today. And don’t forget to breath deeply and pay attention. The Spirit is present.

 

 

 

AUSTRALIANS see spirituality as quite separate from religion, with the former much more widely accepted, according to the results of a national survey to be released in Melbourne today.

What they really dislike is celebrities endorsing religion, stories of healing and miracles, and doctrines about homosexuality and hell.

Commissioned by Olive Tree media, the survey of 1094 people shows that while Australians are generally open to spirituality, they feel they are unlikely to find it in church.

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Olive Tree director Karl Faase, who is releasing the report at a forum of 70 religious leaders, said the survey sought to identify the ”blocker issues” that turned people off faith.

The obstacle that annoys Australians most is the celebrity endorsements of religion so common in the United States – 70 per cent said they were repelled by it, questioning the motives behind it. Claims of miraculous stories (58 per cent) also repelled non-believers.

The biggest problems Australians have with the church is abuse by the clergy (cited by 91 per cent), hypocrisy and judging others (both 88 per cent) religious wars (83 per cent) and issues around money (87 per cent).

When it comes to church teachings, the main objections are its ideas about homosexuality (69 per cent), hell and condemnation (66 per cent), and the role of women and suffering (both 60 per cent). But 52 per cent were open to philosophical discussion and debating ideas; 54 per cent were impressed by people who lived out a genuine faith, and 60 per cent acknowledged a personal trauma or significant life change might change their attitude to religion.

About 40 per cent of Australians consider themselves Christian, compared with the 2006 census response of 64 per cent, the survey shows. Another 10 per cent identify with other religions; 19 per cent call themselves spiritual but not religious, and 31 per cent identify as having no religion or spiritual belief. Of those who identify with a religion, about half say they don’t actively practise it.

EVENTS

Christmas show: Free performance featuring illusionist Brock Gill at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Edgewood Baptist Church, 20406 76th Ave. W., Edmonds. Free child care will be provided. 425-776-5104 or tlarson@ebc-edmonds.org

DivorceCare: 7 to 8:45 p.m. Mondays at First Covenant Church, 4502 Rucker Ave., Everett. Those going through divorce can find experience and healing at the weekly session. 425-252-9191 or bill.goodwin@1stcov-everett.org.

Food drive: First Church of Christ, Scientist is sponsoring a food drive for a local food bank from Nov. 24 to Dec. 19. Drop of donations at the church, 1718 Broadway, Everett, 425-252-9182.

Guitarist and singer Enrique Henao: 7 p.m. today at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 21405 82nd Place W., Edmonds. Suggested donation $20. 425-778-0371.

Hymn singing: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 2521 Lombard Ave., Everett. 98201. Sing your favorite hymns. Refreshments will be served. 425-252-7038, ilce.office1@frontier.com or [URL]www.ImmanuelEverett.org;http://www.ImmanuelEverett.org[URL].

Pie social and singalong: 6 p.m. Sunday Trinity Lutheran Church, 2324 Lombard Ave., Everett. Pie, coffee or tea, and ice cream is $5 per person or $15 for a family. Whole pies to be auctioned off at the end of the evening. Proceeds go toward building repairs and a lift for wheelchair accessibility. 425-252-1239 or trinitylutheraneverett.com.

Pilgrims Christmas Concert: 6 p.m. Dec. 4 at Westminster Presbyterian church, 2531 Hoyt Ave., Everett. Sacred yuletide music and holiday tunes for all ages from a male chorus. Reception to follow. A free-will offering will be taken to support New Horizons Ministry. 425-252-3757.

Meetings, Services

Catholic Daughters of the Americas: St. Rita Court of Everett meets at 9:45 a.m. the third Saturday of the month at Washington Oakes Retirement Home. 1717 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.

Chabad of Snohomish County: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Torah study with Rabbi Zevi Goldberg at the center, 22225 100th Ave. W., Edmonds. For services and other information, go to [/URL]www.jewishsnohomish.com;http://www.jewishsnohomish.com[URL] or call 425-967-3036.

Harvest Time Church’s temporary location: The Lynnwood church has moved to the Main Hall of the Everett Trade Building, 2810 Lombard Ave., Everett. Services are at 11 a.m. Sundays. [/URL]www. harvesttimechurch.org;http://www.harvesttimechurch.org[URL].

Hindu Temple and Cultural Center: Open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. weekends. The temple is at 3818 212th St. SE, Bothell. [/URL]www.htccwa.org;http://www.htccwa.org or 425-483-7115.

Homeschooling support group: Home Oriented Meaningful Education meets at 7:15 p.m. on the second Tuesdays of the month at Parkridge Community Church, 3805 Maltby Road, Bothell. For more information, contact Heidi Curnutt at gardeniapassion@yahoo.com or go to [URL]www.HOME-Wa.org.

Independent Bible Study: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Christian Science Reading Room, 1718 Broadway, Everett, 425-252-9182.

Living Interfaith Church: Services at 11 a.m. second and fourth Sundays of the month at Alderwood Middle School, 20000 28th Ave. W., Lynnwood. www.livinginterfaith.org.

Masjid Umar al-Farooq: Prayers, Islamic holiday celebrations and special events. 5507 238th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace. www.farooq masjid.org or 425-776-6162.

Mommy’s Day Out: A program for children 2 to 10 years old, to give moms time for themselves. 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Registration fee is $50, $95 charge per month. To register, call 425-334-9422.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Home School Support Group: Meetings at 6:45 p.m. every fourth Sunday at the South Everett Neighborhood Center, 6315 Fleming St., Suite B, Everett. Members visit, pray the Rosary and discuss Catholic homeschooling. Tiffany Webb, 425-397-7249 or olog@yahoogroups.com.

Sikh Center of Seattle: Satsangs are held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays at the center, 20412 Bothell-Everett Highway, Bothell. 425-487-4878 or www.sikhcenter ofseattle.org.

Support group for caregivers: Daytime group at 10 a.m. every first Thursday. Evening group at 6 p.m. the last Wednesday of every month. Both groups meet at Faith Lutheran Church, 6708 Cady Road, Everett. Prayer, brief Bible study and sharing with one another. 425-355-6005.

Free meals, clothes

Annie’s Community Kitchen: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Edmonds Lutheran Church, 23525 84th Avenue W., Edmonds. All are invited for food and fellowship.

Everett First Covenant Church community dinner: 5 to 7 p.m. the fourth Thursday of each month at 4502 Rucker Ave., Everett. 425-252-9191.

Sanctuary Care Ministries: Free clothing: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursdays at Sanctuary Ministries church, 15533 75th St. NE, Lake Stevens. 360-386-9871.

Community dinner at Zion Lutheran Church: 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays at 4634 Alger Ave., Everett. 425-252-1429 or www.zionlutheranofeverett.com.

Dinner at the Bell: 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays; Everett First Presbyterian Church, 2936 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. 425-259-7139.

Community dinner at Northlake Christian Church: 6 p.m. second Thursday of each month at 19029 North Road, Bothell. 425-672-8044.

First Nazarene Church of Everett lunch: noon every Monday at 2502 Lombard Ave., Everett.

Free community lunch: Noon to 1 p.m. with social hour from 1 to 2 p.m. the fourth Thursday of each month. Faith Lutheran Church, 6708 Cady Road, Everett. 425-353-4758.

Dinner to feed the hungry: 6:30 p.m. Fridays at Praise Chapel, 604 Cascade Ave., Granite Falls. Saturday night jam sessions from 5 to 9 p.m. are drug- and alcohol-free events. 360-722-0636.

Food bank: 9:30 a.m. Sundays at Marysville Free Methodist Church, 6715 Grove St. All are welcome. Volunteers always needed. Bill, 360-657-3963.

Everett First Baptist Church Friday meal outreach: 5:15 p.m. every Friday at Everett First Baptist, 1616 Pacific Ave., Everett.

Free community dinner at The Table: 6 p.m. Thursdays, Mountain View Church, 9015 44th Drive NE, Marysville. Children welcome. 360-659-0445.

Free community supper: Loaves and Fishes from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays at Sultan Community United Methodist Church, 212 Birch St., Sultan.

Interfaith Dinner Bell: 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 2624 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. 425-252-7224.

Salt of the Earth Food Bank: Soup kitchen at noon Tuesdays at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2531 Hoyt Ave., Everett. Free sack lunches or hot meals are served to the homeless, low-income seniors and families, and kids on the streets. 425-355-1042.

Salvation Army of Everett fellowship meals: 5:15 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays. Recovery meetings, 6 p.m. Mondays. 2525 Rucker Ave., Everett. 425-259-8129.

Snohomish community kitchen at St. John’s: 4:30 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. 913 Second Ave., Snohomish. 360-568-4622.

Valley Clothing: Open from 10 a.m. to noon and from 6 to 8 p.m. first and third Wednesdays of every month at 17146 Beaton Road SE, Monroe. 360-794-7749. Donations of new and gently used clothing accepted during open hours or by arrangement. SnoValleyClothing@yahoo.com.