Religion: A Hodge-Podge of Thoughts
To paraphrase James, true religion consists of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked or, in other words, helping those in need. We all know from experience, though, that doling out money to the homeless man on the street generally amounts to little more than a handout to the tobacco and liquor industries, two fat cats who don't need your money but are happy to take it. What we don't really spend much time thinking about, though, is how that old homeless guy got into the sorry shape he is in.
Why is it, do you suppose, that the typical beggar on the streets of Baltimore, New York, and Washington, DC is black while the typical beggar on the streets of Phoenix or Albuquerque is a Native American? In my opinion, the theory that African- and Native-Americans are just lazy is not only not true, it's also completely useless in terms of helping us to get to the bottom of such a problem in order to solve it.
The truth is that both groups were ripped away from the happy and fruitful life they were living by our European ancestors who, in their quest for a better life, ignorantly assumed that this was okay.
Obviously, it's not possible (or not very practical, anyway) for us to return them to the life they were living between three and six generations ago. But understanding that what we did was wrong is a start and could serve to warn us that we shouldn't let the same thing happen to the few groups who still live free in scattered places here and there around the globe. Helping the indigenous tribes of Thailand, Indonesia, and other places to preserve their way of life would be a great start.
Where possible, we ought to set aside large portions of land where those Native Americans who wish to can attempt to return to a life somewhat resembling that of their ancestors just as at least one band of Mohawk did in New York State in the 1970s. We have so much to learn from indigenous people in terms of how to survive and thrive in alternative ways that I think it would be in our best interest to help interested people set up reserves where the "old ways" could be revived and re-tuned to work in today's world.
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An interesting thought about prophets:
The prevailing view of prophets in our culture is of doomsayers who can see the future. A recent Newsweek article on prophecy followed this line of thinking by focusing on the eschatological aspects of prophecy. However, I believe that the primary role of Old Testament prophets was to encourage the people (or the king or whoever it was that needed encouraging) to be fair in their dealings with others (or, as was most often the case, to discourage them from taking advantage of those less fortunate as they seemed to be prone to do). The prophet Amos is a good example of this:
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
Amos 8: 4-7
Another point: My belief is that true prophets aren't affiliated with a certain religious tradition but, rather, spring up in various places throughout time as societies require knowledge and guidance. One example of such a "prophet" (although he would probably bristle at the notion of being thought of as such) is a modern Israeli author and journalist by the name of Amos Oz. Oz is an influential member of the Israeli political movement Peace Now which seeks to create peaceful means of interacting with Palestinians so that both Arab and Jew can thrive in the Holy Land. In the summer of 1989, Oz gave a speech at a Peace Now rally in which, I believe, he prophecied the death of Yitzhak Rabin. Click here to read it for yourself and see what you think. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion, so e-mail me if you like: forgetfuljones@oocities.com