Exploring naturalistic spiritualty since 1999
Two steps forward Y
ou often hear people say that humans never change, that progress is only an illusion and underneath we are all still cave people with tribal ethics. Worse, that progress has gone into reverse and we are retrogressing, reverting to barbarism, witnessing the breakdown of society. These claims have been made by almost every older generation about the world. They have not always been wrong. But the truth is usually more complex. Progress varies from one field of human activity to another. It is never smooth but often goes in fits and starts, two steps forward, one step back. The second half of the 20th century was one of broad advances in human rights and human welfare in most parts of the planet. The backward steps are often more dramatic and tend to occupy the focus of our attention. In the years after 9/11 the world seemed to polarize, religious fundamentalisms were strengthened, religious conflicts within countries over values deepened. Science and integrity seemed at risk, as inconvenient truths were suppressed and lies were buttressed by fabricated facts. Although we are not yet out of this wood, we can foresee an end to it. And yet there are areas where progress is encouragingly visible. The number and casualties of war have declined steeply since the end of the cold war, though you wouldn’t think that from watching television. The numbers of dictatorships have declined steeply, and the number of democracies has risen. This issue focuses on two issues where positive change in human attitudes and behavior is happening before our eyes – global warming and same-sex marriage. On both these issues the position of the World Pantheist Movement has been clear from the very start. We are unambiguously in favor of conservation of the maximum amount of biodiversity. We have had a strong environmental action component from day one, with our environmental action alerts, our click group for nature (now 227 strong and Features Earth at the tipping point Gay wedding ceremony Homosexuality and religion The state of gay marriage. Changing religions Seasons of the Day
Issue 19 Spring/Summer 2007
having saved 51 acres of wildlands) and our wildlife habitat scheme which has encouraged members to dedicate 184 acres to wildlife. We are unambiguously in favor of social justice, and opposed to discrimination in all its forms. We regard sex as good and differences in gender orientation as natural and optional both in animals and in humans. We would never dream of attempting to set rules for consenting adult behavior in the bedroom. Our members can, on request, be certified to marry their friends and relatives. We encourage celebration of samesex marriages where these are legal, or even symbolically, or as a demonstration in favor of changing legislation to recognize such marriages. In wider society both of these issues appear to have approached a tipping point – a place at which the speed of change in attitudes or practices reaches a critical mass and suddenly speeds up. In the case of global warming the shift has happened rapidly and broadly. In recent years a number of very large companies decided that ethics and marketing both argue in favor of stronger environmental policies. There has been an extremely visible shift in advertising, with environment being played as a feelgood factor by all kinds of companies – although often this is mere “greenwashing.” Even evangelical Christians are changing their message – and their theology. The publication this year of the alarming IPCC reports has moved the issue beyond the area of debate, into the area of what changes we must make and how fast we need to make them. On the gay rights front, progress is slower but still seems to be shifting into second gear. The stance even of mainstream churches has softened towards homosexual inclinations, though it has barely changed on homosexual actions. However, a growing number of parishes and some liberal churches have shifted, and a growing number of nations are adopting equal rights for same-sex unions or marriages.
News & Regulars About Pan magazine Pantheist numbers WPM Accounts 2006 Almanac & Calendar
Editing and Design: Paul Harrison
Associate Editor: Rene Lawrence
Printing: Blessed Bee
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Earth at the tipping point? For centuries humanity dodged all normal ecological limits by broadening the range from which we obtained our resources, and into which we dumped our wastes. Now we have reached the confines of the entire planet and the race is on. Which of these will reach the tipping point first – the planet’s delicately balanced atmosphere, frozen areas, and oceans? Or human cultures, economies and technologies? Paul Harrison, who edits UNEP’s annual state of the environment report, assesses the risks and the responses.
Risks
©Jill White, Fotolia
We are living in a unique age in the history of our planet – we know more about the environment than ever before, and face the most serious environmental challenges since the last ice age. Ice cores spanning over 600,000 years show clearly that the earth’s climate does not remain stable but changes constantly. Moreover, it does not change slowly and gradually but in short-lived spasms. There seem to be thresholds where changes accelerate, and the earth shifts into a warm era, or an ice age. This probably happens because of feedback loops which accelerate the pace of change. Right now we appear to be on the lip of such a threshold, and it will be touch and go whether we can pull back, or plunge. The world’s temperature has increased by about 0.2°C per decade in the past 30 years. Eleven of the twelve warmest years
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on record have occurred since 1995 and average global surface temperature is now within 1°C of the maximum temperature of the past million years. The effects of warming are complex and pervasive. Frozen areas everywhere are thawing. The annual total loss of mass from the Greenland Ice Sheet more than doubled in the last decade of the 20th century and may have doubled again since 2000. Melting is now occurring in areas of the Antarctic ice sheet. Thawing is occurring much faster than previous models predicted. These two ice sheets will determine how fast sea levels rise. Between 1993 and 2006 they rose by an average of 3.3 millimetres per year - over 50 per cent faster than the 2001 IPCC predictions. One person in ten world-wide lives less than 10 metres above sea-level and near the coast. Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and Egypt will be worst affected in terms of numbers. Florida, the Mississippi delta, Manhattan and London are all vulnerable. Sea-level rise could create
hundreds of millions of environmental refugees over a period of decades. Glaciers are receding and many may disappear in coming decades. Since many inhabited areas depend on glaciers to sustain dry season water supplies, this will have serious impacts on water for drinking, on agriculture, and therefore on food supply. China’s foremost glaciologist predicts that most glaciers in the Himalaya region of Tibet could melt by 2100. Ice and snow areas cool the land surface. As they melt, the land absorbs more of the sun’s heat and this speeds up warming. Evergreen forests will replace treeless tundra, and forests also absorb more heat. Permafrost in Northern latitudes is also melting, potentially releasing vast stores of methane which will add to greenhouse gases. Melting Arctic sea ice has the potential to slow down or halt the processes which drive the deep circulation of waters around all the major oceans, changing ocean currents. Impacts on wildlife species will be severe. If we follow business as usual 39 percent of the world’s land mass would develop completely novel local climates, while 48 percent of existing climates would disappear. Colder climate species, and species living at higher altitudes in tropical areas, will have nowhere to retreat to. Almost all scientists agree that human activities are driving global warming. While we are certainly making moderate advances in energy efficiency, growth in the world economy is outpacing them, and so our human emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels have actually speeded up. Between 2000 and 2005 CO2 emissions grew by 3.2 per cent—four times faster than in the preceding 10 years. Current CO2 levels are higher than at any time in the past 650,000 years.
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Responses 2007 saw a marked shift in the seriousness with which governments took the issue of climate change. In 2006, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference met to decide arrangements when the Kyoto treaty expires in 2012, but could not agree on future cuts. By mid-2007 the mood had changed. Hardly anyone now disputes the fact of climate change or claims that doing nothing is an option. In June the G8 agreed the need for “strong and early action” towards “substantial cuts” in emissions by 2050. The European Union, Japan and Canada announced a target of a 50%. The Chinese announced
a goal of improving energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2010. Though the federal government still did nothing meaningful, many US states and cities were taking action. The private sector has also been undergoing rapid change, with more and more companies stepping up to the plate. At the head of the pack, probably, is Wal-Mart. Although decried for its social and health impacts, it is committed to shift to 100 percent renewable energy and zero waste, with goals of increasing fleet efficiency and reducing solid waste by 25% each by 2008, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2012. Because of Wal-Mart’s enormous reach, these policies will spread globally among suppliers and competitors. Rupert Murdoch declared that his News
Spring/Summer 2007
Corporation would become a carbon neutral company. Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson pledged to invest US$3 billion over ten years in renewable energy. On the biodiversity front there has also been progress. In 2006 the US declared the world’s largest ever marine conservation area off the coast of the northern Hawaiian Islands. The governor of Brazil’s Pará state declared the largest strictly protected area ever created in a tropical forest. Climate change is certain, and we will have to adapt, and help natural species to migrate. We have at least a sporting chance of slowing it significantly - but if we are to succeed then governments, businesses, civil society, individuals, and even religions will all need to take the task with total seriousness.
Make a difference and help the WPM make a difference Green up your life with our one-stop checkup By now you must have seen dozens of lists of “How to green your life” or “Ten ways you can save the planet.” And they are all valuable. We don’t have to wait for politicians to see the light. Individual actions do work, directly, and also by setting an example for our friends and neighbours. One page you might find very useful is the WPM’s Greenup page. Here you can audit your lifestyle; check your local area; offset your pollution; find green energy options; check for the greenest vehicles; find energy-efficient appliances; find farmers’ markets – and much, much more. It is all geared to practical action, and to putting you in touch with the resources in your local areas that can help you consume more wisely and waste less. http://www.pantheism.net/greenup.htm
Give space back to wildlife
Consider setting aside some of your yard or land as a wildlife habitat for native plants and animals. We have moved into their territories. We probably won’t hand back our houses – but at least we can make sure our yards are not full of poisons and alien plants. Through the WPM’s Wildlife Habitat Scheme members and friends can declare a personal commitment to manage part or all of any land they control so as to encourage natural biodiversity and native species. No change in ownership or control is involved. Even small areas and parts of gardens can qualify. So far our members have declare 184 acres as wildlife friendly. Signatories receive a beautiful printed certificate suitable for framing. Find out how you can participate here: http://www.pantheism.net/reserves/nature.htm#habitats
Save habitat at Ecology Fund Save 500 sq ft of wildlife habitat instantly, and 63 sq ft a day after that! With 252 members, we are the largest religious group at EcologyFund, and we have saved more land than any other religious group - over 51 acres. That’s more than the UUs, more than the Buddhists, more than the main Christian groups. The only group close to us is the Pagans for Mother Earth. In fact we have saved more than fans of the WWF or of the Sierra Club! Currently you can save around 63 sq ft per day - sometimes it’s double that. If we can just save a little faster, we are less than an acre short of getting into the top ten of all groups. The scheme pays for the purchase of wildlife habitat, and is financed by advertisers whose ads are displayed on each click page. We know the scheme works: we checked it out very thoroughly when the WPM took out an ad there and saved 75 acres. Our check for $1000 went directly to the World Parks Foundation. If you are not a member already, join the WPM’s click group at EcologyFund. This page has the instructions: http://www.pantheism.net/reserves/nature.htm#Click. If you are already a member, make sure to remember! Make it your first Web visit of each day. Also, it’s important to check that your clicks are registering. If “My EcologyFund” on the left does not show your total or the WPM group info, then re-register at EcologyFund with just your name and email, and it will remember you. Occasionally certain changes to your browser can stop the cookie working, so you can see that totals but they are not increasing. In that case you need to write to
[email protected] and ask Matt to send you a link to reset things. http://www.ecologyfund.com/registry/ecology/donate_home. html 3
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The ring symbolizes earth and sun WPM member and UU minister Pete Tolleson shares and universe this ceremony which he celebrated for a lesbian couple. One of life’s greatest mysteries is how two people come to meet one another, how some magical, mystical spark is kindled within each, and especially how they come to take the risk of giving voice to their private feelings. From ages forgotten and long before recorded time, humanity has rejoiced and offered prayers of hope and thanksgiving when two have found each other. Today we gather as witnesses to contribute to a public declaration of love, and today we join together to give our blessing to the joining of two who have found each other. What makes this celebration today distinctly different is also part of life’s mystery. There is love, there is commitment, there are flowers, family and friends, music, an officiant, and lots of caring people who have given up their day to be here. But the two who are pledging their devotion, loyalty, love, and responsibility are both of the same gender. This reality will increase the need for honest conversation; this reality will increase the need for showing respect to one another; this reality will increase the amount of responsibility they must take for and with one another. Anna and Mary, it is not easy for two people to love one another. It is not easy when they are both of the same gender. It is not easy to proclaim your affection, your attachment, or your bond openly, for many are not yet willing to see beyond their own fears and celebrate the love which we are witnessing this evening, yet you are doing it with candor and frankness. You are forcing new paths of growth for many, and we are touched deeply that you are joining your lives together in marriage. In your marriage you are two persons, each bringing to it your own unique richness, but you are also more than two. Together you are a new and greater being, but that being can 4
flourish only in openness. You will need open hearts, welcoming one another’s loved ones and friends, their joys and their cares, but remembering always that the way you build your marriage and your life together is yours alone to determine. Anna and Mary, today we welcome you to the human community as two whose lives are joined in marriage, as members of a fellowship of countless others whose faithfulness and devotion have made marriage honored throughout the human family and through untold years of human history. Today we celebrate your marriage, offering
it our recognition, but only you could create your marriage, and only as you continue to celebrate it in your hearts each day can it mature and blossom in its fullness. As you share your years, may you also always share your love, caring for one another with patience and understanding, comforting one another in sickness, trouble or sorrow, not grieving for what is no more, but sharing your joy in what still can be. A circle is the symbol of the earth and the sun and the universe, of wholeness and perfection and peace. It is worn on the third finger because of an ancient Greek belief that a vein from that finger connected directly to the heart, thus
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symbolizing the depth and sincerity of love. The rings you give and receive this day are symbols of the endless love into which you enter. Anna and Mary, you have affirmed before your families and friends your love and your caring for one another. You have come from different backgrounds. You have walked different paths. You are different individuals. Your love has transcended these differences, and your lives are joined in marriage.
Mary: I, Mary, take you, Anna, to be no other than yourself. Loving and trusting what I know of you, with respect for your integrity, and with faith in your love for me, through our years together, in all that life may bring us, I accept you as my partner in life. Anna: I, Anna, take you, Mary, to be no other than yourself. Loving and trusting what I know of you, with respect for your integrity, and with faith in your love for me, through our years together, in all that life may bring us, I accept you as my partner in life. In the years before you may the richness of the traditions that have nurtured you enhance and brighten your lives as you help to create and shape the future. May the challenges of your life together be met with courage and optimism. May you learn from your failures and grow in your achievements. May life bless you with children, friends, and family in a wide network of mutual support and enjoyment, May you face pain, toil, and trouble with strong but light hearts. May you share with others the radiance of your seasons of joy and pleasure. May you always remember that laughter is the medicine of the gods. May the spirit of love be ever a part of your lives, so that the union we celebrate here this day will be worthy of continued celebration tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Names changed to protect privacy.
Spring/Summer 2007
WPM members are unanimous As a UU minister, I’ve been officiating at same-sex marriages for several decades. The only real difference from “mixed” (opposite sex) marriages is that they can’t be registered with the state. For over a year now, I’ve taken the position that I won’t sign the civil licenses for opposite sex couples I marry. I will perform the “religious” ceremony, but I won’t be part of a “civil” system that denies marriage to same sex couples. It’s a simple matter for those opposite sex couples to have their “civil” marriage performed by a magistrate, and most are in strong agreement with with my position. Pete Tolleson I wholeheartedly agree that the Pan official policy should be to treat same gender couples exactly the same as they treat couples of opposite gender (within the current limits of the law). I believe there are no motives for denying same sex couples the benefits, rights and obligations of marriage except prejudice based on emotional discomfort or religious dogma. I have yet to hear an argument against same sex unions that couldn’t be ultimately traced back to one of those two root causes. Susan M. Quinn I believe that WPM should take a pro-active stance on gay marriage (which is currently the situation). Any WPM sanctioned celebrant may perform a gay marriage. In some locales, such as where I live, it would be a symbolic gesture and the marriage would not be recognized by the government. Celebrants that are not comfortable performing a gay marriage should not be under any compulsion to perform one, nor put their WPM celebrant status in jeopardy. As far as terminology is concerned, in the context of WPM, I believe that gay marriage should be called “marriage”, rather than the vogue PC term “union”. The phrases “husband & husband”, or “wife & wife”, or “spouse & spouse” to be used, depending on the preferences of the couple. I think a collection of celebrant marriage materials would be very useful. A “marriage ceremony packet for WPM celebrants”. Since we are a fairly diverse crowd, and not saddled with centuries of tradition, we should try to gather several different themes of packets: the outdoor nature theme, the small gathering of immediate family and closest friends in a living room, the ecumenical co-religion marriage. Those who have performed a marriage in the capacity as the celebrant officiator would be good resources to tap. Eljay Love-Jensen Following a holiday season dinner out with family, my nephew asked where his mom was. “Your moms have left already” one of my sons told him. I turned to my son and said, “Honey, your cousin only has one mom.” In surprise, he asked why. Following my explanation about how families are made up in all different ways, my sons promptly put their arms around their cousin and, in the most reassuring manner that can be mustered by a 4 1/2 year-old and an 8-year-old, they told him that “it’s okay if you don’t have two moms.” Sarah Rollman Being a Pantheist and a UU, I am very in support of Gay unions as well as other healthy non-harming commitment relationships. My position is to be supportive of healthy, non-harming commitment relationships of all kinds. I feel it is not my place to cast judgement on others relating to their preference for love and intimacy. GBMan Personally, I find it hard to understand why anyone is AGAINST samesex marriage. I ascribe it to the very anti-sex bias of much of Christianity. And, historically, much of Jewish law was aimed at dividing Jews from the surrounding pagans. I see no reason (other than acceptability to homophobes) for not supporting same-sex marriages. Jill Miller 5
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Traditional religious standpoints on homosexuality Judaism TORAH
You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination Leviticus 18:22 If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguilt is upon them. Leviticus 20:13
Christianity PAUL
Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9-10. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for … the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. Rom. 1:26-28.
God’s plan for San Francisco? Lot and his daughters flee as Sodom burns, by Albrecht Dürer.
MEDIEVAL PENANCES
He who sins with a beast shall do penance for a year. He who defiles his mother shall do penance for three years. He who befouls his lips shall do penance for four years. He who commits sodomy shall do penance for seven years. The penitential of Cummean. c 650 CE
CATHOLIC CATECHISM
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstance can they be approved. The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. §2357-9 6
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Here, should you need to refute them, are the texts on which fundamentalists rely. The canonical scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam condemn homosexuality (although Jesus himself said nothing on the subject). Liberal theologists re-interpret these verses. Buddhism regards sex as grounds for expulsion from a monastic order; for lay folk the concern is the effect on future lives.
Islam KORAN If two men among you commit indecency, punish them both. 4:16 If two (men) of you commit it (adultery), then hurt them both; but if they turn again and amend, leave them alone, verily, God is easily turned, compassionate. 4:20-21 You lust after men instead of women. Truly, you are a degenerate people. 7:81 Do you commit indecency with your eyes open, lustfully seeking men instead of women? Surely you are an ignorant people. 27:54-55
HADITH Kill the one who sodomises and the one who lets it be done to him. al-Tirmidhi If a man who is not married is seized committing sodomy, he will be stoned to death. Abu Dawud A bishop and his proctor, hanged for sodomy in 1640
Buddhism
There is no uniform Buddhist attitude because of the wide variation between schools and the absence of central authority. For Theravada monks and nuns there is a general ban on any kind of sex, seen as a form of craving. Should any bhikkhu — participating in the training and livelihood of the bhikkhus, without having renounced the training, without having declared his weakness — engage in the sexual act, even with a female animal, he is defeated and no longer in communion. Intentional discharge of semen, except while dreaming, entails initial and subsequent meetings of the Community. Should any bhikkhu, overcome by lust, with altered mind, engage in bodily contact with a woman, or in holding her hand, holding a lock of her hair, or caressing any of her limbs, it entails initial and subsequent meetings of the Community. Should any bhikkhu, overcome by lust, with altered mind, address lewd words to a woman in the manner of young men to a young woman alluding to sexual intercourse, it entails initial and subsequent meetings of the Community. Bhikkhu Patimokkha No sex please! We’re monks. 7
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Same-sex marriage - a global shift? The fundamental principle of non-discrimination is powerful and expansive. In terms of legal rights, it began with religion starting in the 17th century, extended to gender from the late nineteenth century on, then to race and disability. It shows no sign of stopping its spread, as groups who feel discriminated against appeal to the same basic principles, and to a deepening conscience in society at large. Choice of gender and sexual orientation is the latest and most active frontier. Most developed countries have now legalized consenting sexual acts, and in 2003 a Supreme Court obliged all US states to do. Many developed countries also have laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Opposition to gay marriage tis one of the last bastions to remain standing - but there are signs that it too will eventually fall. We are seeing the skirmishes and battles within societies and inside religious and social organizations 1989
Denmark – same-sex civil unions are allowed, with the same rights as marriage.
1993
Norway follows Denmark’s lead.
1995
Sweden follows Denmark’s lead.
1996
Iceland follows Denmark’s lead.
2000
USA: After a court rules that discrimination against same-sex couples is unconstitutional, Vermont became the first US state to offer homosexuals the right to join in civil unions, giving them the same benefits as married couples on matters such as life insurance, health care and child custody.
2001
Netherlands: New marriage laws do not mention gender, hence giving the full range of rights to gay marriages.
2003
Belgium follows the Netherlands model. Argentina gives gay civil unions legal rights similar to those for heterosexual couples, but excluding adoption and inheritance rights. USA: The Supreme Court rules that laws making homosexual acts illegal are against the constitution. Eleven US states, all of them in the South and Mid-West, are obliged to repeal the laws (see map2).
2004
New Zealand recognizes gay civil unions. California: San Francisco’s new mayor defies state law and allows gay weddings. Marriage licences are issued to same-sex couples in February 2004. The move is later annulled by the state Supreme Court. Massachusetts becomes the first US state to issue marriage licences for gay couples in May. State legislators propose a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriages, but would allow civil unions. Oregon: Officials in the Portland area begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In November voters approve a constitutional amendment banning such weddings. Governor Ted Kulongoski says he will back a new law to allow gay couples to form civil unions.
2005
Spain legalizes same-sex marriage and homosexual adoption. Britain gives same-sex registered partnerships similar rights to married couples, in pensions, property, social security, and housing. Canada: A bill to legalize same-sex marriage becomes law. Gay marriage was already legal in eight out of ten provinces and one of Canada’s three territories. California: In March a San Francisco judge rules that the law banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. In September a bill that would have legalized gay marriage is vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Connecticut becomes the second state to allow same-sex civil unions. But it specifically defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
2006
South Africa: Civil Union Act gives same-sex couples the right to marry. Table information based on CNN, BBC and Wikipedia summaries
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Current state of play: Civil unions or partnerships offering some or all of the benefits of marriage are available in Andorra, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. They are also available in parts of Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and in the US states of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, Vermont, and District of Columbia. Most of the world does not yet offer same-sex unions. The other side of the coin: In the deeply polarized US, pro-same-sex marriage action and its few successes have also provoked backlashes. Since 1998, 27 US states have voted constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriages. In a swathe of African countries and countries with Moslem majorities or significant minorities, homosexual acts face serious penalties that range up to life in prison or worse. Same-sex intercourse carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. In Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria and the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with jail time, fines, or corporal punishment.
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Shifting grounds Parallel to the shifts in social legislation, religious groups are also changing their positions.
UnitarianUniversalism Unitarian Universalism has opposed discrimination against gays for longer than most churches. In 1970 the Unitarian Universalist Association adopted a resolution calling on all UU churches and organizations and society at large to end discrimination against gay and lesbian people. In 1975 they established an office of gay concerns (now the Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Concerns). They enacted non-discrimination in ministerial employment in 1980. In 1984 they officially endorsed the practice of a growing number of ministers who were conducting services of union of gay and lesbian couples. In 1996 they voted to support and promote the legalization of same-sex marriages.
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Other churches supporting same-sex marriage The United Church of Christ’s Office for Church in Society [formally endorsed marriage equality in 1996.] United Church of Religious Science.
Gay angelg © Alexander Band, majesticmoose.com
The gay consecration and same-sex marriage issue is tearing the Anglican Communion apart, dividing the US Episcopal Church (ECUSA) on the left, from Third World (especially African) churches on the right, with the Church of England
desperately trying to hold things together from the center. In 2003, ECUSA became the first Anglican province to ordain an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson. Increasing numbers of Episcopalian churches were blessing same-sex marriages. These moves created deep divisions within the world-wide Anglican community. Conservative archbishops denounced the moves. Conservative parishes in the US requested oversight from foreign branches. A 2004 report to the Arcbishop of Canterbury recommended that the US Episcopal Church should express regret over Gene Robinson’s consecration, and impose a moratorium on further consecrations as well as on further same-sex marriages. In February this year the mainstream Anglican Communion adopted this as policy. ECUSA responded, saying it was sorry for “straining the bonds of affection” and for not considering the impact on other sections of the Anglican Communion. However, it did not agree to avoid any more blessing of same-sex unions or consecration of gay bishops and said it would seek its own ways of accommodating the conservative parishes. Both sides have very deeply and strongly held beliefs and it does not sound like either side is ready to back down.
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News of World Pantheism
All about Pan magazine If you have ever been interested in contributing to Pan magazine, here’s most of what you need to know. In these early years, we were trying to build up a broad picture of what it means in terms of belief and practice to be a naturalistic pantheist. We have generally tried to vary issues across four main areas: Nature; Living; Science; and Pantheist practice (celebration, organization etc). The magazine contains three types of article: 1. Features on a single theme. The typical full article ranges from 800-2000 words. We aim for quality writing - accessible, accurate and wellresearched on matters of fact, and/or perceptive, insightful or inspirational. The features are usually obtained by invitation, based on qualifications and/or list writings related to the theme (but see item 4 below). 2. Shorter viewpoints on the theme. These are chosen from responses to a general call for viewpoints on the topic of the next issue, on our major member lists (Ideas and Community). Material is chosen on the basis of quality and can be 100-400 words long, or just a pithy axiom! 3. News and other items related to the WPM. This is usually based on key developments, but if you run a local group or a new Web group, please LET US KNOW! 4. WPM WIKI: We shall quite soon have our own WIKI up and running, and there will be a place for people to post articles, or material that might make good articles.
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5. Not on the Web yet? We would like to be open to nonWeb connected people - one way is to ask a friend to submit it for you to our WIKI after it’s launched. Ask them to do it in front of you and explain how it’s done. Maybe that will make you more confident in getting to know computers or getting online. Material must be in digital form so that retyping is not needed.
Future of the magazine This may be the last issue of Pan before we start a new system for producing it. In view of the burden of producing Pan while earning a living, plus unforeseen obstacles that can crop up for any one individual, we need to move to a more collegiate way of creating and producing the magazine. We have a yahoo group for SERIOUS volunteers who are willing to actually do work. You can join at http://groups. yahoo.com/group/panmagazine/ There has been some discussion of whether we should alternate the “heavy” one theme issues with a newsletter containing more member material. Alternatively, the latter could be an eight page pull-out in a 16 page mag. This would allow more room for non-special-theme related material and volunteered material. We will be running a poll about Pan and other WPM services before too long, but this may take a while to design (there’s nothing worse than launching a poll and realizing you missed some key question or option.) We will consult on the poll design.
Back Numbers
Upcoming Pan theme possibilities
Pan 01 Who We Are Pan 02 Millennium & Calendars Pan 03 Freedom of Religion Pan 04 Sustainable Living Pan 05 Birth & Renewal Pan 06 Getting in Touch Pan 07 Pantheist Ethics Pan 08 Saving Wildlife Pan 09 Pantheist Art Pan 10 Guide to the WPM Pan 11 Life’s too short Pan 12 Coping with Disaster Pan 13 Pantheist Therapy Pan 14 The Evolution Wars Pan 15 Natural Death Pan 16 Pantheist Meditations Pan 17 The Earth and Us Pan 18 Pantheist practices Pan 19 Love&Marriage
* Marriage and partnerships * Coming of age & youth * Education * Caring for the body (diet and exercise) * Child-rearing * Dealing with addictions * Care-giving (handicapped, mentally ill, elderly) * Coping with life crises (divorce, redundancy, illness) * Our relationship with “pets” * Animal rights * Wilderness and species rights * Relation to individual places. Haunts. Pilgrimages? * Naturalistic Spirituality: different approaches and strategies * Skepticism and spirituality * Science: What role does in play in our spirituality? * The Universe and our relationship to it * Evolutionary and psychological foundations of religions
Access back numbers in PDF format on the web at the members center: http://www.pantheism.net/members/imdms/
If you have contributions, check out the new WPM WIKI when it is launched. You will be able to load material there. 11
Pan Magazine
Sping/Summer 2007
How many World Pantheists? Inside the WPM Finding out how many friends and members of World Pantheism there are is not a simple task: it’s not just a matter of adding up the numbers in each of our lists, because there’s overlap. Excel can be used to remove the duplicates and find the total number of unique individuals on the lists. The results are interesting. There are 1,650 separate people on our major regional and state lists and our four major active mailing lists – Ideas, Community, Spirituality and Intro. If you add in the passive News list, for people who want to receive announcements, the number rises to 2,198. And if you add in all the people in our database – people who have at one time or another filled in a join form – the total rises to 4,890. This is the total with overlaps removed. Of course that’s probably somewhat of an overestimate, because people change their email addresses and some of these addresses are defunct. But it does give us a rough idea of the numbers of our immediate friends and members. In addition, our bulletin board at Ezboard has 501 members, but emails are not registered so these could not be collated. The people in the database come from 84 different countries in all continents except Antartica (though there is an alleged penguin group on Frappr!). In the USA they hail from all 50 US States plus eight territories.
News of World Pantheism Outside the WPM We are continually coming across pantheist groups previously unknown to us, which is very heartening. We have a presence at MySpace – where our profile has 406 friends, and there are three pantheist forums with a total of 537 members. Facebook, the social networking site that is booming by 3 per cent per week, already has three pantheist groups, with a total of 288 members. Then there’s Meetup, where 1,589 pantheists have signed on for groups or are waiting for groups. And finally the pantheism map at Frappr, with its slide show of new people. More than 3,200 people have signed up here. These outside fora add up to over 6,000. Since they all have different user IDs, there is no way to collate them and there must be overlaps. However, when you dip into any of these outside fora, you rarely see familiar names. So there’s a very large number of people who are pantheists “at large”, who have not joined a WPM list. Adding the numbers inside and outside, we get to a total of over 11,000 in known lists and forums. You might take off a few thousand for overlap and defunct emails, but at any rate the totals are substantial and getting larger and larger. And of course, there are almost certainly even larger numbers of completely unattached pantheists who have not popped up in any of these known groups but simply “do their thing” on their own.Eventually we will reach the “critical mass” effect where local groups form more easily. Friends & Members left, Facebook Pantheists, right
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Pan Magazine
WPM will fund 21 Pantheist Meetup locations Deputy organizers needed
WPM fossil hike, Simi Valley, CA
The directors voted that we would fund extra organizers at Meetup up to a total of $1000 per year. This means that we can cover up to seven organizer fees. Each organizer fee allows us to organize three separate locations and to appoint deputies living there who can do all the actual running of the group. So we can cover as many as 21 locations in total. For example, membership secretary Sharon Wells is the organizer for the active Smoky Mountains group in North Carolina, but her fee also covers another active group in Atlanta. Jose Mayaudon is the deputy organizer there, and does the actual work of choosing locations, emailing invites and so on. Right now we immediately need deputy organizers for London and San Francisco. Other promising locations (based on the numbers waiting for a group to form) would be Tampa Florida (25 waiting), Chicago (22 waiting), Seattle (21), Dallas-Fort Worth ( 20), Minneapolis (15), Sacramento (11). However the size of the city is not at all critical. What’s matters, more than anything else, is keenness. If you would like to see a local group become a reality within reach of you, if you would like to grow yourself a whole new set of like-minded, open-minded friends, then even if you live in a smallish town, you will succeed. Conversely, living in a huge metropolis may appear to increase the audience, and yet poses other challenges, such as anonymity and traffic jams that increase travel times. Sometimes it’s best to have more limited goals, such as focusing on a particular area of a metropolis where you could, for example, make use of local newspapers, community noticeboards, and literature tables in UU churches. Please email Sharon or Paul if you are interested.
Spring/Summer 2007
World Pantheist Movement Financial Summary for 2006 INCOME Dividend From PayPal Money Market Interest Income Other Income Membership Dues: CC memberships Check memberships PayPal memberships TOTAL Membership Dues
$137.91 $68.27 $19.40 $7,352.00 $3,965.00 $2,183.00 $13,500.00
TOTAL INCOME EXPENSES Advertising Banking fees/charges: CC processing fees/charges Citibank account fees M and T fees PayPal fees TOTAL Banking Fees/Charges
$13,725.58
$6,040.14 $941.11 $20.50 $4.30 $97.75 $1,063.66
Incorporation fees Postage and shipping Printing Costs Services Software Supplies Telephone Web hosting
$75.00 $702.48 $2,315.62 $150.00 $39.95 $202.71 $7.20 $168.00
TOTAL EXPENSES ASSETS as of 31 December 2006 Bank of America M&T Bank PayPal Total accounts as of 31 December 2006
$10,764.76
$1,395.95 $19,227.39 $4,027.84 $24,651.18
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Pan Magazine
Sping/Summer 2007
The Seasons of the Day Tor Myrvang reviews The Music of Silence, by David Steindl-Rast, a Dominican monk, and Sharon Lebell (Ulysses Press): It has long been the practice of Pantheists to celebrate the changing of the seasons of the year at the Spring and Autumn equinoxes and the Summer and Winter solstices. But each day also has the corresponding seasons of dawn and sunset, noon and midnight, which evoke varying moods, and prompt us to rejoice in the good things of life, or to meditate on our place in the Universe and how to conduct our lives. The themes that follow are adapted from the book. The author recommends that we should not be swept along by the demands of the clock, by external agendas, and by mere reactions to whatever happens, but we should consciously respond to the real rhythms of the day. This involves devoting a few minutes at different times of the day to stop and reflect.
DAWN
A
t dawn we celebrate the coming of light. We feel renewed after a night’s sleep, and receive the new day as a gift, full of opportunities. Do we have eyes to open to the morning light? Do we have ears to listen to the sounds, and feet to walk and lungs to breathe? What gifts! We delight in the freshness and beauty of the new day, the dew glistening on just-opened flowers, the sun shining through the trees. The appropriate response is spontaneous praise of Nature and the Universe for the fact of life itself. We prepare for the coming day with a feeling of renewal and purity. We receive the day as a gift, so the appropriate response is to be generous with our time and our compassion with our fellow beings. Anything we do to communicate that we really care about one another helps. It creates a sense of belonging, a sense that we are sisters and brothers in this home of ours, which is the whole world.
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We should prepare for our work with conscious clarity, and keep in mind that as long as we do our work out of love for those whom we love, we do it for a good reason, and that our work, if we do it well will help the whole human enterprise, that we are all working together with others whom we will never see. If we do all this we can make the world a little brighter. Time to rise and shine!
NOON
A
t high noon, the sun stands at its apex. But although this is the time of the full blazing of the sun, it is also a time of great silence. Even the birds are silent; often you only hear the buzzing of the bees and the drone of the flies. We must align ourselves with the harmony and peacefulness of this hour of the day. To the extent that we attune ourselves to the flow of life, our lives can become peaceful in an alienated and torn world. It is the hour of temptation to laziness and despair. At this turning point we decide the fate of our day, and cumulatively the fate of our lives. Do we renew our fervour and commitment, or do we succumb to temptation? In the bright light of day our shortcomings are exposed, we should review them, and endeavour to overcome them. We must summon the courage to stay the course, to remain true to our ideals through the rest of the day. If we take something to eat at this time, even if alone and with a simple meal, we should eat with care and awareness, remembering that we are in communion with all of life. Eating is always a communion, a celebration with all those who have laboured to bring us this food, with all those living beings who have lived and died to give us this food, and with all others who eat on earth.
Pan Magazine
SUNSET
MIDNIGHT
A
L
s evening descends, we have finished our daily work, and as the lamps are lit, we can enjoy this hour of peace and serenity. The time just after sunset has a magical quality. In the evening light, trees and figures are silhouetted against the sky. The world seems perfectly framed, intensely beautiful. Sometimes, after the sun has set, the clouds begin to glow with colours of water and colours of fire. Buildings and mountains also glow, and the sun is reflected like molten gold in the windows of faraway houses. In the garden, flowers unlock their fragrance.As daylight fades, we notice the sounds of crickets and frogs, and little white moths fly up from the grass. The garden teaches us each day that life is a round of gestation, birth, growth, flowering, fruitbearing, fading, dying, and gestation again in the dark of winter. We let go of the day with all its chaos and stress, its achievements and disappointments, and allow our spirit to be refreshed in the quiet beauty of the evening. It is a good time to heal whatever rift we feel between ourselves and others and from the heart of being. We should forgive those who have offended us, and seek to effect a reconciliation. To actively bring the spirit of this hour into everyday life, we should light whatever lights we can in this dark world - “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”. What candles can we light? A smile, a kind word, a visit, an act of caring and commitment? We move closer together when it is dark. The hour is a call to neighbourliness and caring for our family and friends.
Spring/Summer 2007
ooking up at the night sky we are reminded of the immense mystery in which we are immersed. Darkness is symbol and image of the mystery of existence. Darkness holds all that exists, including you and me. We feel at home in this immensity of which we are a part. The rhythm of the day parallels the rhythm of our life, and midnight brings us thoughts of the end of life itself. Death and impermanence are part of life. To acknowledge that each day comes to a close, that each life comes to a close, is a challenge to make something of this day, this life. We fear death most when we feel that we haven’t yet lived. The more fully we live, the easier it is to let go, to die. Out of the silence dark thoughts rise up, and we seek the strength to ward them off. We may confront this inner darkness by examining our conscience, asking ourselves “What went wrong today? Where did I fail to meet the challenge?” And resolve to do better tomorrow. We return to our spiritual womb to be reborn again next morning, as above us the silent stars go by. We entrust ourselves to the night as if it were a deep ocean containing the promise of rest and the chance of marvellous dreams.
SILENCE
W
E have arrived at the Great Silence, the bridge of silence between midnight and daybreak, when the crowing of the cock will inaugurate the cycle of the Seasons of the Day anew. 15
Pan Magazine
Spring/Summer 2007
I am proud to be part of this wonderful natural system and strive to safeguard it whenever I can and to actively resist the wanton mis-use of resources. I believe that we are merely guardians for our descendants, as we have inherited it from those who gave us life. We must do no harm and try to actively heal the hurts of others. We are individual organisms in an enormous system, and should wonder at its beauty and complexity. Deborah Wells, London, UK
hinting at the many worlds beyond. I believe that my existence is part of this whole and my living is a daily prayer to the spirituality of the universe. Ken Morris, Northern Ireland, UK No other religion or spirituality has called me like this. Every day I am amazed at the complexities and vibrancy of this island Earth. BC, California, USA
Why I am a Pantheist
I have always been enthralled by the natural world, by its beauty, power, and majesty. My life is part of that natural world and it is here and now. Other belief systems seem to be fantasy and superstition and do not make sense to me. Stan Molinari, Florida, USA I don’t fit anywhere else because I am too logical for other spiritual paths yet too spiritual for other logical paths. After reading about you I feel this is as close as I will ever get to belonging to something. For the first time what I am saying makes perfect sense to me. Cathy Adamson, NSW, Australia The palpable strength and joy in nature does not leave me. Michael Venuto, Washington DC, USA Pantheism resonates with what I instinctively know when I forget myself and look up at the universe on a starry night. Judith Hilinski, Ohio, USA As I type this I look out on a sunny day at the infinite variety of textures and light in the world and at the pale morning moon
Special events
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New members write As I grew older I felt a need to search for a meaning to my life that I could understand and truly believe. I yearned for a vehicle to help me to make a difference in my life without blindly asking for divine assistance from something I never truly believed in. John Bruner, Indiana, USA It is my responsibility to enhance awareness in my children and those around me of the importance of preserving the earth and treating all living things with respect and love. It is my purpose to assist in the evolution process towards a more harmonious and peaceful existence between humans and nature, and a more considerate and compassionate consciousness in humans. Christie Hill, Alberta, Canada
Calendar & Almanac
The ceremonies of pagan religions are used to raise energy and direct it, but I believe that energy is natural, available to you at all times without intervention by a higher being. It is the energy that was instilled within us at conception and it runs through us and all the natural world. I feel it among trees far from the city, or even out on my patio, listening to the rain. Teddy Tolley, Texas, USA I honor the earth and revere nature without needing anything supernatural beyond that. Karen Ramos, New Jersey, USA I stand in awe of nature’s elegance and beauty, and recognize that I am at its will. I am governed by the laws of nature, and hence seek to understand them. I reject all supernatural explanations, as I find reality to be just as enchanting and yet more meaningful. Robert Honer, Texas, USA I do not believe in the mystical “entity” of God, but do not consider myself an atheist per se. I believe in the natural world around me, I cherish it, see it, touch it, feel it. It alone is uplifting and good. Bobbie Coleman, Kansas, USA I don’t need ghost stories to tell me life is special Joel Pelletier. California, USA Nature has no regard for us as individuals; we will all die and our material will be recycled. Yet while alive I can look at my daughter, or a sunset, or a millipede and feel a connection arising from the ‘oneness’ behind everything. Tim Dale, Oxfordshire, UK
Equinoxes & Solstices
June 5: World Environment Day: Conserving the environment. 21: Midsummer Solstice
August 6: Hiroshima Day - focus on peace 12: Perseid meteor shower: Starwatching 26: Krakatoa day: global tectonics. Harvest (according to location)
Summer solstice June 21 18:06
July 4: US Independence Day: democracy 5: Anniversary of supernova that created Crab Nebula. 12: Birthday of Thoreau 14: Storming of Bastille - liberty, equality, fraternity 20: Moon landing day (1969)
September 16: UN International Peace Day 23: Autumn equinox
Full Moons
Autumn Equinox September 23 09:51
June 30 July 30 August 28 September 26
13:49 00:48 10:35 19:45
All times Universal time = Greenwich Mean Time
