"What we need is a new liberal humanistic guilt spirituality..."
Posted on 07/21/2005 7:38:31 AM PDT by SmithL
Liberals have complained for two decades that conservatives misuse religion for political gain, but it wasn't until well-organized evangelicals powered President Bush's election in November that some decided that they had to do more than gripe.
The latest post-election attempt at transforming the spiritual energy of the left into political clout began Wednesday at UC Berkeley, where 1,200 people attended the opening of a conference on "Spiritual Activism."
The goal of the four-day conference is to create a spirituality-based platform to counter the religious right, but organizers are also intending to connect with "religio-phobic" liberals through seminars such as, "I Don't Believe in God, But I Know America Needs a Spiritual Left."
"This is not an attempt to put spiritual words on the old liberal agenda, " said conference organizer Rabbi Michael Lerner, an antiwar activist in the 1960s who is now editor of the Tikkun magazine in Berkeley. "This is about transforming the society away from materialism and selfishness."
After a follow-up conference scheduled for February in Washington, organizers hope to see a spiritual politics caucus in both the Democratic and Green parties in the coming years. They're counting on participants to return to their communities and launch a spirituality movement that is rooted in values that transcend religion, such as eradicating poverty.
One conference speaker who thinks the culture will be receptive to this message is Jim Wallis, the liberal evangelical author of the best-selling "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It."
Fresh off a tour in which 80,000 people attended his book-signing events in 49 cities, Wallis said, "Something is happening out there.
"It will be easy for the religious right to dismiss...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
That would be Howard Dean, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton's etc motive - but I think that Michale Lerner is sincere - and I think that plenty of rank and file liberals are sincere - so I'm willing to set aside my cynicism for a while and watch...
Lord, am I really supposed to pray for these idiots?
O.K,O.K.,O.K., Here it goes...Lord, only you can fix stupid...
LOL.
Perhaps the Lord would prefer they suffer some humility first.
Again, then, ignorance is bliss. They'd never know they were suffering humility, would they?
2425 The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with "communism" or "socialism." She has likewise refused to accept, in the practice of "capitalism," individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor. Regulating the economy solely by centralized planning perverts the basis of social bonds; regulating it solely by the law of the marketplace fails social justice, for "there are many human needs which cannot be satisfied by the market." Reasonable regulation of the marketplace and economic initiatives, in keeping with a just hierarchy of values and a view to the common good, is to be commended.
Sorry, I don't worship trees or kangaroo rats.
Someone better monitor the Kool-Aid sales to Berkeley.....
When that happens, they will no longer be leftists.
Ping.......Gonna Write Me Some Religion! Democrat Theme Song
don't lick that stamp!
Ping.
"What we need is a new liberal humanistic guilt spirituality..."
Actually, it's a good thing that the left is finally admitting that they follow a moral code. For years they've been screaming, "Don't force your morals on me!" only to force their morals on us--animal rights/anit-meat, vegetarianism, homosexuality, environmentalism/Gaia worship, abortion, etc. If they finally admit that they follow a religious moral code it will be easier to defeat their moral-based laws--"Hey, hippy--don't force your morals on me!"
'I think it'll be Wicca, Gaia worship, transcendental meditation, Scientology, etc. that'll be their "spirituality".'
Must quote from the Strawberry Alarm Clock:
Life's created, automated
Yesterday's invalidated
Hip mankind on, turn your mind on
Sit with the guru
Meditation, ooo-ooo
High, high where eagles fly
Leave today untouched in the sky
Stretch out your mind to humanity
How many tomorrows can you see?
Git out that Kool-Aid and those Ravi Shankar CD's and git 'er done!
We aren't all yahoos in flyover country. But there are already practicioners of Wicca and Satan-worship here, so it will be pretty easy, actually. In fact, the State of Wisconsin has a Wiccan minister on the payroll to "minister" to the inmates in State prison! Don't forget that Wisconsin in the home of Madison -- the Berkeley of the midwest. Add to that all those who worship "diversity" and "nature" and it will be a cake walk!
>>"Liberal spirituality." How's that for an oxymoron?<<
I'm Catholic and my point is that I've seen what "liberal spirituality" has done to my Church. I'm not impressed. It's been like a cancer eating away at the very foundation of the Church.
LOL!
bttt
Got my love beads right here, man.
Peace.
"scuse me while I kiss the sky... .
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