This morning
welcomed me with dampened sounds drifting through bare branches. The nearby
Lutheran church bells were playing Holy, Holy, Holy. I love the sound of
church bells, not because it makes me think about a deity or because it makes
me want to pray, but because it breathes on my own internal wind chime and
stirs a feeling of wholeness in me.
What is holy
and is this word anchored to religion only? The English etymology goes back to
the 11th century meaning—something that must be preserved whole
and cannot be violated. The Scottish hale means health, happiness
and wholeness, not necessarily related to a god. The word holy is often
replaced with the word sacred.
Most
religions connect sacredness with icons such as the Bible, the Quran.
Sometimes people become violent when their religious icons are destroyed, such
as in the 2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests where 30 people were
killed and many more injured. To some, the word holy is a companion to war,
which destroys life. I believe in the holiness of life, not objects or
religious icons.
What is
sacred for me are intangible moments such as the time I spent with my father in
the Oak Crest chapel with rays of light coming through the window. It was not a
holy instant because the setting was in a chapel; the magic and meaning had
nothing to do with religion. It was sacred because it illuminated the
connection I held with my father. For me, what is most sacred are connections
that touch the human spirit, with or without belief in any god. Thismoment,
thisnow, is holy. I am connected and whole.
Director & producer Roger Ross Williams Photo Credit: Marc Yankus
Roger Ross Williams's curiosity about people who hate him led to his three-year project as director and producer of the soon-to-be-released documentary film, God Loves Uganda. The result of his journey is a revelation of the connection between the Christian evangelical movement in the United States and Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill which would make homosexuality punishable by death. Roger Williams is openly gay, although he was not open about this while filming in Uganda.
His background laid the foundation for this curiosity. He grew up in a black Baptist church and sang in the choir, his father was a religious leader and his sister is a pastor. But, he says,
For all that the church gave me, for all that it represented belonging, love and community, it also shut its doors to me as a gay person. That experience left me with the lifelong desire to explore the power of religion to transform lives or destroy them.
For the filming, Williams and his team followed the International House of Prayer (IHOP, but no relation to the restaurant chain) proselytizers from the U.S. to Uganda. Through the camera we see young people from the IHOP plan and pray as they prepare to go on a religious adventure to teach Ugandans the Bible and to persuade them to accept Jesus. Evangelists believe in their mission as do many Americans who pour contributions into missionary work there.
Last night I saw a screening of God Loves Uganda at the Maryland Institute College of Art's Brown Center as part of a series of events, a partnership between the Maryland Film Festival and the local public radio station WYPR's Spotlight Series. As I watched the story unfold on the screen, this story of missionaries in Africa, some childhood memories flashed in my mind.
In my early life, I was a faithful member of our neighborhood's Trinity Evangelical United Brethren Church, which preached the joy of spreading God's word. We thought we had important answers and that we were saved by our faith; it was God's will and our duty to spread the word to poor enlightened souls in Africa and other parts of the world. Some of the money in the collection plate passed around every Sunday went to help our missionaries.
As a child, the first hint I had of something askew was a story I heard of bras sent to missionaries in Africa so that the indecent bare-chested women could cover up. The African women, happy to receive these presents, began to wear the bras around their waists as purses and to use the cups as pockets to carry items.
Trinity Evangelical United Brethren Church in Baltimore
The second hint I had that things were not as I had perceived was when I was twelve. At a Sunday service, we had a guest preacher, an African missionary. My church and school were not integrated and I had recently read a story about David Livingston in Africa, so I was especially curious about this guest. I was living in a neighborhood fearful of blockbusting tactics beginning in Baltimore--tactics by greedy real estate speculators who used bigotry to profit. This particular Sunday, I listened closely to the sermon given by a "colored" man in my white church. Even at the age of twelve, I recognized that he was a dynamic speaker who had much to say. This is why I was surprised to hear parishioners grumbling to one another as they left at the end of the service, "What makes him think he can tell us something?" Even as a child, I understood the translation: "What makes a Negro think he can come into our church and talk to us white people as an authority figure?"
These memories came back to me as I watched God Loves Uganda and as I saw the enthusiastic young people preach to Africans about how they were not living an acceptable life and how they needed to change their beliefs.
The sinister part, however, is how evangelists use the Bible to show what they believe to be the evilness of homosexuality: homosexuals have a "choice" and if they accept Christ and stop their sinful life style, then they can go to heaven. This has grown to become a them and us thing which has led to shunning, hating and legislation in Uganda's parliament to make homosexuality a crime, punishable by life imprisonment or death. David Kato, a Ugandan gay activist who was interviewed by the filmmaker, was bludgeoned to death before the project was completed. There are powerful scenes of his funeral in the movie.
Pastor Scott Lively also appears in the film. An American author and
activist who takes credit for inspiring Russia's anti-gay laws, Lively
testified in the Ugandan parliament and helped inspire Uganda's "Kill
the Gays" Bill. He has been sued in U.S. Federal Court by the organization Sexual Minorities of Uganda alleging that he incited persecution, torture and murder of gays and lesbians in Uganda.
International House of Prayer meeting in Kampala, Uganda. Photo Credit: Roger Ross Williams
This film goes much deeper than my brief introduction here. It shows how American dollars are tied in with the evangelist movement and how rich some of the African clergy are because of it. We see how a religion that is supposed to be spreading love is instead spreading hatred with calls for murder. We see self-righteous, well-meaning young people trying to change a culture. Uganda had one of the highest AIDS rates until a successful condom campaign began to turn things around. Then the religious right in America started preaching abstinence as the only way and the funding options on this distant continent took a turn. Condoms were not needed--only abstinence. God would help people be strong, help them to abstain. The AIDS rate then sky-rocketed again. American missionaries teach children to read in the schools they create and to heal those who are sick in the hospitals they build but they also promote dangerous religious bigotry.
The film's press kit says it succinctly:
As an American influenced bill to make homosexuality punishable by death wins widespread support, tension in Uganda mounts and an atmosphere of murderous hatred takes hold. The film reveals the conflicting motives of faith and greed, ecstasy and egotism, among Ugandan ministers, American evangelical leaders and the foot soldiers of a theology that sees Uganda as a test case, ground zero in a battle not for millions, but billions of souls.
After the film last night, soft-spoken Roger Ross Williams was interviewed by Tom Hall for a future radio segment on WYPR radio. Afterward, the audience had a chance to ask questions. I was engrossed in both the documentary and what Williams had to say after the screening. The interview will appear sometime soon on WYPR. (Tom Hall is arts and culture editor for Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast on 88.1 FM between 9 and 10 a.m. weekdays.)
God Loves Uganda will be opening across the country in October. It is paced beautifully through the photography and editing, allowing not narration but the participants to reveal the truth to us. It is a must-see documentary that will make you question your religious perceptions.
Area: 93,072 square miles, about the size of Oregon
Official languages: English and Swahili
Life expectancy: 54 years men, 55 years women (2010)
Fifty percent of the population is under 15-years-old.
LGBT rights around the world:
78 countries have legislation that persecutes people on the basis of sexual orientation.
Homosexuality is a criminal offense in 85 countries.
In 7 countries, homosexuality is punishable by death.
In 113 countries, homosexuality and homosexual acts are legal.
In 2011, 85 countries signed a United Nations Declaration to decriminalize homosexuality.
In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed the first resolution on LGBT rights, condemning homophobic discrimination, violence and hate crimes.
Today? How can it be Friday already? I blinked and another week passed!
I’m in the third quarter of my life, or the fourth quarter, depending on how long I might live. Days no longer stretch out like forever long strings of taffy as they did when I was a young child. Now the days remind me of my 5-year-old self who would begin running downhill and eventually the run grew out of control and my legs couldn’t move as fast as the hill was descending. Of course, I’d eventually fall. It was inevitable.
Eventually my taffy strings will break, my “legs” won’t be able to keep up with my subjective time and I’ll fall.
At age 65, with a time perspective different from that of my childhood, and as I experience the death of family members and friends, I sometimes think about my own departure from the life I know now. As a child, I learned that we live a good life today and then in the next life there will be a good life in heaven—forever.
That was comforting but very distant. Today I realize that nobody knows the “beyond” answers. And, really, I don’t care if there is a heaven or not. I live the best life I’m capable of living—now. Afterward, as the old song says, “que sera, sera.”
I don’t dwell on the beyond but today I read two thought-provoking discussions of heaven and death (unusual day to begin my day, right?):
One makes the case that even if there is a heaven, it might not be so great.
Visible light image of the Helix Nebula, compiled from Hubble telescope and ground-based images in 2004. the Helix Nebula known also as The Eye of God, The Helix or NGC 7293. It is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation of Aquarium. It was discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding around 1854 and is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae. The Eye of God is about 700 light-years from the Earth. Credit: NASA, ESA and C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
A few days ago, I listened to The Story on NPR where I heard an interview with Rosemary Stewart Stafford, daughter of mixed race parents, who infiltrated white supremacist hate groups when she was an adult. One of these groups, Christian Identity, is a right wing “religious” sect that has embraced Anglo-Israelism, a belief that Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Scandinavian, German and related cultures are racial descendents of the tribes of Israel, the ancient Israelites of the Old Testament. Members tend to oppose gun control and participate in militia movements.
They have extended this to racist and homophobic beliefs and believe Jews to be descendants of Satan. In the radio interview, Rosemary Stafford told of talking with one member of a group she had infiltrated who actually called for the murder of all who are not part of the perceived special Anglo-Israelite group. The reason? To clean the earth of all undesirables so Jesus could return to the earth. You can listen to it here.
Once again, religion is used as a conduit for hatred!
On the same day I heard the NPR interview, someone posted the text of “A Letter from God” on her Facebook wall. It was originally broadcast by Paul Harvey. You can hear it here.
I’m posting the text below. It puts things into perspective in modern vernacular as if God is writing us a letter:
My Dear Children (and believe me, that's all of you),
I consider myself a pretty patient Guy. I mean, look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And how about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell and gene by gene. I've even been patient through your fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Me for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.
But on this occasion of My Son's birthday, I want to let you know about some things that are starting to tick me off.
First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me up a wall. Enough already! Let's get one thing straight: These are your religions, not Mine. I'm the Whole Enchilada; I'm beyond them all. Every one of your religions claims there's only one of Me (which, by the way, is absolutely true). But in the very next breath, each religion claims it's My favorite one. And each claims its bible was written personally by Me, and that all the other bibles are man-made. Oh, Me. How do I even begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?
Okay, listen up now: I'm your Father and Mother, and I don't play favorites among My Children. Also, I hate to break it to you, but I don't write. My longhand is awful, and I've always been more of a "doer" anyway. So all your books, including the bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. I made sure of that, so that you would never trust a written word more than your own living Heart.
You see, one Human Being to me -- even a Bum on the street -- is worth more than all the holy books in the world. That's just the kind of Guy I Am. My Spirit is not an historical thing, It's alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next breath.
Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not more so than the least of You. They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with Me.
Which brings Me to My next point about your nonsense: You act like I need you and your religions to stick up for Me or "win souls" for My Sake. Please, don't do Me any favors. I can stand quite well on my own, thank you. I don't need you to defend Me, and I don't need constant credit. I just want you to be good to each other.
And another thing: I don't get all worked up over money or politics, so stop dragging My name into your dramas. For example, I swear to Me that I never threatened Oral Roberts. I never rode in any of Rajneesh's Rolls Royces. I never told Pat Robertson to run for president, and I've never ever had a conversation with Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! Of course, come Judgment Day, I certainly intend to...
The thing is, I want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your religions is so that you can become more aware of Me, not the other way around. Believe Me, I know you already. I know what's in each of your hearts, and I love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy Me. That's what religion is best for.
What you seem to forget is how mysterious I Am. You look at the petty little differences in your scriptures and say, "Well, if this is the Truth, then that can't be!" But instead of trying to figure out My Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature -- which, by the way, you never will -- why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in every religion?
You know what I'm talking about: Love and respect everyone. Be kind. Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage and be of good cheer, for I Am always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear My Still, Small Voice (I don't like to shout). Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are My Own Child. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die will surely die, and the parts that can't, won't. So don't worry, be happy (I stole that last line from Bobby McFerrin, but he stole it from Meher Baba in the first place.)
Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It's like you're always looking for an excuse to be upset. And I'm very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think I care whether you call me Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Wakantonka, Brahma, Father, Mother, or even The Void or Nirvana? Do you think I care which of My Special Children you feel closest to -- Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Me and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would go about My business of loving one another as I love you. How can you keep neglecting something so simple?
I'm not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents. But do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your heart; I don't mind that at all. And I don't want you to combine all the Great Traditions into One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that people can find the best path for themselves.
But My Special Children -- the ones your religions revolve around -- all live in the same place (My Heart) and they get along perfectly, I assure you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none.
My Blessed Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive religious bigotry and confusion. The whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns. Get with the program! If you really want to help Me celebrate the birthday of My Son Jesus, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor. I've given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving, and laughing together.
Finally, My Children everywhere, remember whose birth is honored on December 25th, and the fearlessness with which He chose to live and die. As I love Him, so do I love each one of you. I'm not really ticked off, I just wanted to grab your attention because I hate to see you suffer. But I gave you Free Will, so what can I do now other than to try to influence you through reason, persuasion, and a little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation? After all, I Am the original Jewish Mother. I just want you to be happy, and I'll sit in The Dark. I really Am, indeed, I swear, with you always. Always. Trust In Me.
Bonnie J. Schupp (1944-2021) was raised in Baltimore and graduated from old Eastern High School in Feb. 1963. She earned a bachelor's degree from Frostburg State College, her master's from Johns Hopkins University, and, at age 60, a doctorate in communications design from the University of Baltimore. She was over the years a public school teacher, camera store owner, writer and award-winning photographer, and mother of two daughters,. She self-published half a dozen books combining her writing and photographs, notable among them "Dog Tag Poetry" (2012, Blurb Books), "365 Gifts on Turning 70" (2016, Amazon), and, posthumously, her memoir "Curious Possibilities" (2021, Amazon) edited by her husband, David M. Ettlin.
