A Rant

Okay I love that in our New Thought centers we learn from and honor all the major world traditions. What I do not appreciate is that in so many New Thought centers, in honoring the worlds religions, we've lost Christianity. Well, not lost it, but don't really allow ourselves to jump into it fully without fearing to offend someone.



Today in Children's Church they learned about Diwali - a Hindu Festival Lights that this year was celebrated in October. Next week is Chanukkah, and the following week is Kwanzaa (which is generally after Christmas, not before). I asked were they going to do Christmas? The answer? They did last week...



Julian was there last week, he heard one story about Jesus, colored a picture of Advent Candles...that was Christmas. Is this insane? The 2 main religious holidays this time of year are Christmas and Chanukkah, why not fully celebrate them? Why not really give ourselves to the judeo-christian religious teaching and allow our children to experience the stories fully...along with so much of the culture around them?



So I have to go find another church at this time of year for Julian to really get a feel for Christmas - my religious/spiritual roots - because I can't find it in the church of everything.



Then New Thought folks wonder why we have such a hard time with our children's programs...we teach abstract, metaphysical concepts that the human brain is not programmed to understand until around 11 or 12 years old...we pay little attention to the magnificent mythical and historical roots of these metaphysical principles...which is exactly the part that kids love.



On the way to church one day, Julian was asking who David was from the Christmas carol lines, "Once in royal David's city" ...so I told him the story of David and Goliath....he then had me tell him the story 2 more times that day...he told it to his class the following week, then asked me to tell it to him again...



In embracing everything, we can lose so much.





Oh and...read an article in the Washington Post about the guy who headed up the bail out who is now detoxing from D.C....I understand that. Even as I read the article, I was reminded of the characters in War and Peace...so many underlying motivations, ambitions, fears, desires...all being played out via a wide variety of personalities. Really, nothing is new...