Spiritual Literacy Blog

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat read the "book of the world" for spiritual meanings.

"Those who oppress the needy insult their maker," says Joseph Hough, quoting the writer of Proverbs. Hough is the President of Union Theological Seminary in New York, a bastion of progressive Christianity. In an interview with Bill Moyers, he argues that the people of Abraham (Jews, Christians, Muslims) must say no to the growing gap between the rich and poor. "By their fruits you shall know them," he adds, quoting Jesus. See what "God's humble fruit inspector" has to say about the religious conservatives now in power.

More than one billion young people — half of all children living in the developing world — are now living in conditions of "severe deprivation," meaning they lack one basic human need, such as food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, and education, according to UNICEF. These facts give rise to compassion and call out for action.

In this age of shopping malls, cookie-cutter chain stores, and Internet commerce, does it matter when a neighborhood store goes out of business? Yes, if you consider the spiritual values that go with it — continuity through the generations, tradition and rituals, community sharing.

There's a slogan in spiritual circles that goes, "Whatever you attend to grows." Keep that in mind when you read Joan Chittister's account of two news stories that happened in Erie, Pennsylvania. One got national attention; one didn't.

Psychologist James Hillman believes that inanimate objects are ensouled, noting that "Theology calls this distribution of the divine within all things the theory of immanence." Okay, so what happens when we neglect and ignore our things? They can turn toxic. That's a sobering thought when you contemplate how many things are floating around in space.

The box-office winner last weekend was Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1, an example of a movie that waters the seeds of violence in each of our shadow sides. Only problem is, this violence is glorified, not lamented. Or it's considered fun and funny. And it's perpetrated on and by women. This is a feminist's nightmare if we ever saw one. The message, says John Leland in the New York Times (site registration required), is "You've come a long way baby. Now kill someone."

Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote that "prayer and sacrifice must be used as the most effective spiritual weapons in the war against war." By sacrifice he meant that we are to "restrain our own instinct for violence and aggressiveness in our relations with other people." Too bad that's not what President Bush means when he talks about sacrifices the American public must make for the Iraq War.

Jim Wallis in Sojourners (free registration required) asks whose sacrifice is this? When the President told the nation about the $87 billion cost this year, "many of those who will actually pay that bill were unable to watch. They had already been put to bed by their parents."

To test your ethics and conscience, follow the link for a running tally of the cost of the War in Iraq, and compare it to the cost of pre-school, kids' health, public education, college scholarships, and public housing.

American citizens may want to bookmark this link to check periodically — especially when Congress is debating the budget. Contact your representatives and let them know where you want your tax dollars to go. For example, as of February 2007, after President Bush sent a budget to Congress asking for another large increase in defense spending and money for the Iraq war, the money already spent on the war could have built 3.3 million housing units for the poor, or hired 6.3 million public school teachers, or paid for 48.5 million pre-school children to attend Head Start for a year.