Led by a spirit

"..., but he had no principles that were not common to others, if not to all; for others believed in the direct teaching of the Spirit, and these mistook their feelings for the effects of the Spirit, and their transient thoughts for emanations from the Spirit; and being thus enlightened according to their leisure and to the encouragement they gave to their thoughts and fancies, they could frequently see farther than other people into the Scriptures and the will of God, or fancied they could;..."
 How is it that so many people, claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit, claiming to follow Jesus, wind up going so many different directions? The above quote is from a book that was written about Matthias and his “Kingdom of Zion” that he tried to set up in the early nineteenth century. He was able to attach himself to a Bible study group who accepted him first as a prophet and then as ruler.
How is it possible for sincere people, involved in Bible study and prayer, to develop the idea that heaven and hell only really exist here on earth and the idea that souls go to another body when the people die, consequently your spirit match is of greater importance than your legal marriage?
Now, to be fair to the folks in the Kingdom of Zion, people today do many of the same things excusing their behavior on God’s will. We still interpret things idiosyncratically, and we still tend to rely on personal interpretation or whatever preacher/teacher we respect to tell us what scripture means (all while saying that it is just scripture). They had spirit matches, we have soul mates and incompatibility. Plus ça change…

Robert Matthews (Matthias actual name) denied Jesus functionally. He claimed to be the Spirit of Truth, having the spirit of Jesus and Matthias the apostle in himself and speaking on behalf of the Father while claiming the title of Father for himself and Mother for his “wife”. It was a bit eerie hearing that Jim Jones demanded that his congregation call him Father and his wife Mother.  While Robert Matthews never denied the existence of God and indeed stressed his own version of Old Testament understanding, Jim Jones ultimately wanted to get his people to leave Christianity, the entire Bible, and any god outside himself behind.
Both men were extremely controlling of those around them. While Jim Jones ultimately was more successful in drawing a large body of people around him and died in their midst while causing many to die rather than relinquish the dream, the control, Matthias did not. After he was accused of killing one of the members of the “kingdom” and beating his daughter who was married, he basically was abandoned by all but one person and wound up wandering the west before fading away into obscurity. We do not know where he died. We do know he had a run in with Joseph Smith.
What spirit led these men to death? I see the seemingly sympathetic smile of the gentleman with cloven foot from the fairy tales I grew up reading. “You want power? You want security? Money? Love? Trust me, I’ll give you what you want. Just follow me.”

Robert Matthews was apparently a natural leader and may have been responsible for a couple of physical deaths to say nothing of the spiritual. Jim Jones was even bigger, more successful, more set against Christianity, responsible for more death. He, too, was a self proclaimed prophet. He too made the claim of being what people called god.
While Jim Jones had a vastly larger following, both of them had people who otherwise would have been considered respectable following after them. How do so many people, some well educated, some apparently devout, become caught up in these movements that bare the fruit of Satan--lies, immorality, and death?

In favor of Segregation

We are all a part of the human race, so that is not what I am talking about.  No, something much more intrinsic. Male and female.

As a student teacher, I had a middle school geography class that I had to train for their tests. Now, one class towards the end of the day physically stank.  It was almost all boys, almost all of them were or had been under IEPs. They were a class that was being integrated into the “mainstream” of classes. They were the most engaged in the material.  They talked and batted the ideas around, asked questions, went off topic, but they were involved with the material. The other classes were neither as loud nor as physically stinky, and I certainly had more involvement from the middle school students than from the high school students when I was there, but they were less involved with the material, more hesitant to ask questions or answer them out loud.

As a teacher, I saw this played out in smaller classes.  If I had mostly boys, there were fewer behavioral issues and they stayed on task better.  If I had all girls, they were more relaxed and would talk much more freely about the subject.  They would engage with the material better.

With fairly evenly mixed classes, or classes with more girls than boys the students seemed more concerned about their peers opinions and the attention of the opposite sex.  This was true even down in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. On days when the girls were absent or out of the classroom for whatever reason, the boys would settle down and work; when there were girls in the classroom, they were more apt to goof off or try to be clever.  When the boys were absent, or when I had a class of just girls, the girls worked more steadily and were more ready to give answers to questions and enter into conversation about the subject material; when boys were present, they were more apt to be giggling or rolling their eyes at the boys or hesitant to answer on one side or becoming super condescending on the other.  These are overall patterns. This is not every boy and girl every day, but it is enough of a pattern to make it much easier to teach all boys or all girls rather than mixed classes.

The all-girls school and all-boys school sort of approach makes sense to me, but what if we were to segregate even just classes? This is the young ladies English class, the young men's English class--same curriculum, just separate classes? Bring them together for set activities and presentations--they do, after all, need to learn to communicate with each other--but allowing them space from each other in order to, ideally, grow more freely.  This, I am certain, would encourage academic growth in the students, but only if the teachers themselves were committed to teaching academics and not ideology.

So, I'm sleepy, nothing new.

I'm sitting here processing the day in a loose sort of way.  Big Sleep and Case Study and Baptism and Info Tech fun-ness.  RFID.  What does that make you think of?  What comes to mind?  Do you have an emotional response?

What about Baptism?  Is it a singular occurrence, or is it something that can be repeated depending on circumstances?  Example: random person, raised Catholic, strayed from faith, decides to commit life to Christ, wants to be baptized.  Does the infant baptism count for something?  Is it a "questionable" practice?  Is a second baptism a good or bad idea?

That's all for this week.

Yes, I am going to make the effort to post once a week.  Oh, the baptism question was inspired by a conversation that I overheard in the library.  It was interesting.

Who'd have guessed?

From way back at Bethel

So, I sat down to supper with some cool people (Jocelyn, Mary-something?, and Kelsey Collins) and skittles was the topic.  We had a serious discussion about the order in which skittles are eaten and the flavours.  Jocelyn commented that it was the best discussion she'd had all day.  I thought to myself, "I just had an even better discussion in class--WAIT!  That was an education class!"  That never happens.  I should say "almost never happens," but this class is different.  We are not required to read the text book.  Dr. Able talks with us about the exceptionalities in a practical sort of way and encourages a lot of class discussion.  Today we were talking about gifted students and ways to help them.  I really think those students I have a particular passion for helping to learn beyond the curriculum.  Anyway, we discussed compacting of lessons.  (Give a pre-test, those who score above a certain level get to skip the grind work and do a related "enrichment" project instead).  After class, I talked with the teacher a bit more.

Here is the thing I think people should realize, giftedness is not necessarily just an inborn trait, it can be developed through an encouraging environment.  I think if more parents or other adults spent more quality time with young folk, working with them, playing with them, teaching them, they would develop the attributes associated with giftedness--intellectual curiosity, analytical and creative faculty, asking the questions, discovering answers, designing, researching, inventing, leading . . .

(I still think "giftedness" can be developed, as a teacher I see some students grow from seeming to be backwards at everything, to developing talents in particular areas, to doing well in much.)

What doesn't kill you . . . :-)

(Multiply Archives)

Recently, I finally finished a sort of “homework assignment from God.”  I felt led to read, reread, copy, reread I Peter.  It was a pretty big disciplining experience as well as an enlightening one.

One of the verses that strengthened my resolve in life said: “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

Here is the thing–”if necessary.”  Any difficulty that arises can not only be used for good(i.e. an opportunity to grow) they are necessary in life.  That awareness along with other verses from the same book (  “. . . Prepare your minds for action . . .” “all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.  . . . For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayers . . .”) Gave a new focus in my life.  I was strengthened in my internal battles against sin, and in my commitment to live for God.  They really go together.  I still trip at times, or become tired and start to drag my feet, but the point is to keep going.

A parallel in the physical world would be my martial arts class that I added on Thursday August 25.  It was hard work getting through the exercises they had us do.  I felt like falling down.  It was, leg lifts, fast as you can go! 20 seconds–10 second breath–drop push ups to the side, as many as you can, 20 seconds–10 second breath before–jump squats back and forward, 20 seconds–10 second breath–jump down sideways, into the air, down the other side, 20 seconds–10 sec. breath–one legged squats, 20 seconds, you can go faster–10 second breath–Do you get the point?  It was hard and fast and they kept us at it for 4 minutes, gave us a 1 minute break and had us going again, and so on until we had gone at least 15 minutes.  The ten second breaks were just long enough to make me realize how weak I was.  They lead us in stretches and then talked with us before dismissing us.  I felt wobbly and amazing, similar to when I realized that the blessing I inherit is the Creator’s personal attention.

Then I realized, I need to keep this up.  If I don’t, I’m going to be a pulp next time.  So Friday morning, I exercised with some roommates a bit.  I was terribly stiff and sore Friday night, but there was still the realization that this was a good thing.  The pain will not last forever, endurance will come.  The same goes for my spiritual life, and that is exciting.

So, now I'm reading Micah (re-reading), and tomorrow will be my second martial arts class.  My legs have just regained approximate normalcy.  Here's to continued growth!

A bit of a look into Victorian New York

Our perceptions of the world present and past are shaped by the biases that are naturally developed through training and experience.  The way moderns perceive the culture of the Victorian age is, therefore, quite naturally different from the way in which a person from that time would perceive it.  Lydia Maria Child wrote this volume of letters from New York in which she commented on pretty much every aspect of society, but the thing that stands out most is her commentary on culture as related to morals.  Whether she is talking about Five Points or the Battery, slavery or temperance reform, women's rights or penitentiaries,  the morals of those issues and circumstances and the morality which they breed is constantly present.  So, let Lydia Maria Child be a guide to the culture of New York, principally, and to that United States of yesterday, in a larger sense.  She herself expresses the belief that society and circumstances make people who they are.  Consider her, then a person created of that time and society and see through her eyes into that era and culture.

It seems that there is in New York a sense of moral obligation to help the unfortunate.  Some of this is seen in things as simple as the keeping of public parks and gardens.  These are to be found in the New York that Child knew and not as common in Boston, to whom Child principally writes.  Child defends these public places: "Let science, literature, music, flowers, all things that tend to cultivate the intellect, or humanize the heart, be open to 'Tom, Dick, and Harry;' and thus, in the process of time, they will become Mr. Thomas, Richard, and Henry.  In all these things, the refined should think of what they can impart, not of what they can receive" (6).   More than general public availability of beauty and science is the positive activity directed toward helping the unfortunate.   Child speaks of the Temperance Society and the city-wide parade they had.  An anecdote in which a minister of the Temperance Society finds a poor drunk on the street and takes him in to give him clothing a find him a job is an example of the focus of this group.  The focus is on lifting up the oppressed.  After all, "society makes its own criminals,"(8) so if we turn society to rescuing those on the lowest rungs of society, we shall better their morals and better society.  Similarly, Child references a Benevolent Society of displaced Highlanders whose aim is to aid their "indigent countrymen." 

One can glimpse a bit of the poverty that is being combated in Child's description of Five Points.  In January, she speaks of naked children running the streets in that place and in various places comments on the filth of the place. Another bit shows a similar picture—a young boy, "about four years old, with a heap of newspapers, 'more big as he could carry,' under his little arm, and another clenched in his small, red fist."  Child projects a likely future involving drunken parents, theft, and arrest.  The law becomes merely an enemy to the unfortunate soul who has known nothing more than poverty and desperation.  On the opposite end of the scale, one can perceive glimpses of the fantastically wealthy in the mention of pleasure yachts and luxury.  Even more distinction can be noted in how well educated Child shows herself to be.  She is very familiar with Greek and Roman mythology, classic literature of the time.  She is very aware of the modern sciences of the day.  She writes in an elegant, if sometimes ponderous style.  It displays an education that the poor could not hope to get.   Perhaps it is appropriate that in this time of enlarged distinction between the upper and lower classes of America, elements of society would turn toward the aid of those in the less fortunate position.

Much of societies' ills, Child blames on society—" society . . . makes its own criminals, and then, at prodigious loss of time, money, and morals, punishes its own work."(8)  A physical comparison is made to a place in New York that used to be a fresh spring.  It was filled in for construction purposes and at that time, had become a stinking den of poverty and water now had to be transported in at great expense.  But there is another aspect of morality and culture that influences negatively—the relative positions of men and women. 

(And that is the first segment of the report).

It is interesting to see this bit of a report..."society... makes its own criminals" This is a dangerous proposition.  We live in a fallen world.  It seems James' explanation for wars and contentions is more to the point.   
You desire, and you do not have. You envy and you kill, and you are unable to obtain. You argue and you fight, and you do not have, because you do not ask.
You ask and you do not receive, because you ask badly, so that you may use it toward your own desires.

Today is beautiful

(from Multiply)

The day started out cold and gusty--I love days like that.  I woke up just in time to get ready for class and slide in as the teacher, Dr. Lankford took role.  College Algebra class--I am so glad I was able to switch to that class rather than taking Basic College Algebra or waiting a semester.  We did some word problems today and that happens to be an area that Mr. Deland focused on at Cedars. So, that was kind of fun really.
Understanding Old Testament--the teacher had me concerned for a bit as to whether he believed that the Bible is the inspired word of God.  Sometimes, that class had me feeling so frustrated, but today the conclusion was reached and it puts me much at ease.  Before, he referenced the two names for God in chapter one and two of Genesis as two gods and the stories as two separate stories.  Today, we finished the discussion.  That was a discussion of seeming, today was a discussion of meaning.  With meaning, you look at what the text actually says, what it meant (to the best of our ability to discover) to the people at the time of writing, and what it means for us.  Chapter one ends in the beginning of chapter two with the seventh day on which God rested from His labour.  We were created in His image, and created to worship Him.  The second telling of the creation of man concludes with the creation of woman and man and woman being joined as one flesh.  The teacher drew from this the importance of humanity coming together in respect and love.  He drew a parrallel from these two stories to the brief statement of the first commandment that Jesus made: You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, mind and strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Part of what he did before going into his explanation was to present us with the scenario of his being a friend who is a sceptic--he sees two gods, two stories, and doesn't see how they fit or make sense, and he really doubts this whole god thing and is asking you what you are getting from these passages.  Apparently, this was something the teacher went through, and that has an influence on his round about methods of coming to a point.  In any case, it has me thinking....