A New Religion in Canada According to ChatGPT (3)

 A while ago I delved into the wonderful world of artificial intelligence in my blog with the post, AI, and the Preacher (November 7, 2023).  I have been pondering the possibilities of AI.  The thought came that it would be very interesting to explore a new religion today in Canada, what would it be like if someone was to set out to create one.  I decided that I would pose that question to my friend ChatGPT, the AI phenomenon that has taken the world by storm recently.    I asked ChatGPT a series of questions about such a new religion and would like to share the responses over the next few editions of my blog.  Beyond exploring this, I am interested to see how this new religion proposed by ChatGPT compares with the Anglican Church of Canada.

The last two weeks I considered my first query I posed to Chat GPT, “I would like a 500-word essay on the characteristics of what a new religion in Canada would look like.”  Today I will consider the second question I posed to ChatGPT, “what would worship be like in such a religion?”  Here is the response from my buddy Chat:

In a new religion emerging in Canada, worship practices would likely reflect the diverse cultural influences and spiritual needs of its adherents. Here's a glimpse into what worship might entail:

1. Inclusive Rituals: Worship ceremonies would be designed to be inclusive and welcoming to people from all walks of life. They would incorporate elements from various cultural traditions, allowing individuals to connect with the divine in ways that resonate with their personal backgrounds and beliefs.
2. Nature-Centric Observances: Given Canada's breathtaking natural landscapes and growing environmental consciousness, worship in this new religion might often take place outdoors, in natural settings such as forests, mountains, or riversides. Rituals could involve honoring the Earth, expressing gratitude for its abundance, and seeking harmony with the natural world.
3. Mindfulness and Meditation: Worship sessions could include practices like meditation, mindfulness, or deep breathing exercises aimed at fostering inner peace, spiritual awareness, and connection with the divine. These practices would encourage individuals to quiet their minds, listen to their inner voices, and cultivate a sense of presence and reverence.
4. Community Engagement: Worship in this new religion would emphasize community engagement and collective participation. Adherents would come together to pray, sing hymns or chants, share stories, and engage in rituals that reinforce their sense of belonging and interconnectedness. Community service projects and charitable activities might also be integral parts of worship, reflecting the religion's commitment to social justice and compassion.
5. Interfaith Dialogue: Worship gatherings could provide opportunities for interfaith dialogue and collaboration, where members of different religious traditions come together to share their perspectives, learn from one another, and find common ground. These dialogues would promote understanding, respect, and cooperation among diverse religious communities, fostering a spirit of unity and harmony.
6. Sacred Text Study: Worship sessions might involve the study and contemplation of sacred texts or spiritual teachings from various traditions, drawing insights and inspiration from their wisdom. Adherents would engage in reflective discussions, explore the relevance of these teachings to their lives, and seek guidance for navigating ethical dilemmas and life's challenges.
7. Creative Expression: Worship could also involve creative forms of expression such as art, music, dance, or storytelling. These forms of creative expression would serve as vehicles for connecting with the divine, expressing one's deepest emotions and aspirations, and celebrating the beauty and mystery of existence.

Overall, worship in this new religion would be a dynamic and inclusive experience, blending ancient wisdom with contemporary sensibilities, and offering individuals opportunities for spiritual growth, community connection, and service to the greater good.

My overall impression of this new religion is that it tries to be all things to all people.  Perhaps by doing this it becomes nothing much to anyone in particular.  I think that the intention of being inclusive, accepting, and welcoming could be very positive.  The focus on the natural world would be embraced by many in this time of global warming and ecological challenges and is basically the call for stewardship of the world that God created.  The striving for inclusion of other religious tradition could be positive as there is value in many of those traditions.  However, where would be the basis of judging whether or not those traditions contained the true path that people can follow in their lives. 

The Anglican Church within the Christian religion has the foundation of the Ten Commandment and the teaching of the Great Commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us.  There needs to be a foundational teaching of such a religion, but it is not self-evident from the response.  The lack of such a foundational belief would be a serious failing of such a religion.  You can also consider how sacred texts would be handled if they conflict with others.  There are, of course, things within the Christian holy scripture that seem to conflict with each other which has been a challenge for many Christians for the last two thousand years plus.  The opportunity for spiritual growth is very much in concert with the Anglican faith but again, how do we judge if that spiritual growth is on a path that can be judged as being true without a firm foundation to build upon.    

I will leave it at that for this edition as I have gone on longer than usual.  There is, of course, more that can be explored on our journey with ChatGPT’s version of a New Religion in Canada. 

 

 

First Principle and Foundation (2)

Last week I wrote about the principle of Ignatian Spirituality which is to develop the first principle and foundation of your spiritual life.  The first principle and foundation of Ignatian Spirituality is:

God created human beings to praise, reverence, and serve God, and by doing this, to save their souls. God created all other things on the face of the earth to help fulfill this purpose. From this it follows that we are to use the things of this world only to the extent that they help us to this end, and we ought to rid ourselves of the things of this world to the extent that they get in the way of this end.

The question which came to mind when considering this is, how do we know if the first principle and foundation is true to who we are created to be?  What if someone has determined that their first principle and foundation is to gain as much money, or material goods, or power that they can, and heaven help anyone who stands in their way.  There does not seem to be anything that will determine, in and of itself, that a first principle and foundation is what will be good for the world or for the individual who professes this.  Christians can, of course, base their first principle and foundation on the Great Commandment of Jesus i.e., to love others as he loves us and to love our neighbours as ourselves.  This seems to be, what you could say, is what lies beneath the first principle and foundation of Ignatian Spirituality.

I was reminded recently, when considering this question, of a traditional aboriginal teaching to help us further unpack this question:

A wise elder is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

This states the quandary quite clearly.  It is possible to have a first principle and foundation that feeds either of the wolves which are inside each of us.  We have the free will which God has given us to decide which wolf we feed. 

Another way of looking at this issue, which is not directly a religious one, is to examine it from the perspective of unity and division.  Does a principle and foundation work for unity or does it promote division in our lives and in the community?  Northrop Frye, the great literary critic and author of the Great Code, addressed this in his preface to The Bush Garden, subtitled, Essays on the Canadian Imagination:

Real unity tolerates dissent and rejoices in variety of outlook and tradition, recognizes that it is man’s destiny to unite and not divide, and understands that creating proletariat and scapegoats and second-class citizens is a mean and contemptible activity. 

That was written circa 1970 and is ever so true today where the mean and contemptible activity which strives for disunity seems to fill the news. 

Which wolf will you feed on your journey?  May you be blessed to feed the one which brings love and unity.

Love Your Enemies – Yes Really.

Sunday, Christians celebrated The Reign of Christ in the Christian Calendar.  Does this mean that the Kingdom of God has been established?   Well, yes and no.

Jesus gives us the great commandment which will be the rule when the Kingdom is fully established.  The Great Commandment from Matthew 22: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

That certainly is a challenge but Jesus does not stop there.  He ups the ante, “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

This is the essence of the Kingdom of God; love – love your neighbours and even your enemies.  Can you imagine if you were to tell this to someone who is not Christian or even many Christians?  I haven’t seen a lot of evidence of people loving their enemies on the news.    If we are honest, how many of us can say that we love those who persecute us or even neighbours who are difficult or even nasty?  If asked I will admit that I may be able to love the difficult people in my life with a lot of effort.  However, the nasty people are very difficult, if not impossible. 

How then, are we to love our neighbours of every variety and type- pleasant and nasty, good or bad or even your enemy – how are we to live out the Great Commandment that our Lord and Saviour gives to us as Christians?  I don’t know if you are familiar with Richard Rohr.   He is a Roman Catholic priest who I find very helpful in my journey following Jesus Christ.  He recently provided something which I believe can be helpful in this challenge to love our enemies.  I would like to invite you to participate in this short exercise.

Father Richard offers a practice of deepening love and healing:

How do we come to know love so that we can live from its depths? Love cannot be understood by the mind. And if God is love, God will never be subject to the mind as we know it. God and love can only be experienced. This simple practice is an invitation to encounter love in its very physical, connective reality.

Place the palm of one of your hands on your heart. Feel your heart beating, letting its rhythm bring you into the present moment and into the awareness of God’s blessing on your life, beat after beat after beat.

Bring to your conscious mind a loved one, an ancestor, a favorite place or animal, or anything that makes you smile with undeniable, spontaneous, unconditional love and joy.

Bring that particular beloved being or thing down from your mind and place it right under your palm, in your heart space. Relax your mind and let your heart relax at the same time, feeling the sensation of blood vessels, muscles, and chest cavity opening in warmth and love for that particular loved thing. Smile.

Now humbly place a challenging person, issue, or problem directly under your palm, within your wide-open heart space. This could be someone or something currently challenging you or an old hurt from a person gone from the living world. Silently continue to smile and hold this challenging thing in the warmth of your heart.

With closed eyes, look at the thing that causes you pain, visualizing the detail that bothers you the most, all the while smiling. Consider that there may be reasons why this thing brings hurt. Smile at the fragility, suffering, or misunderstanding that makes it this way.

Finally, give the person or problem to your heart and ask that your heart’s wisdom and love take over. Rest in the Love that loves both you and the other and wants to transform all into its loving image.  Open your eyes and return to what is around you. 

Let us love one another as Jesus loves us.  With God’s help it is possible.  May you be blessed on your journey to experience the love of Jesus and share that love with your neighbours - even those who are your enemies.

I acknowledge that we are on Turtle Island, the original homelands of the many Indigenous Nations who have lived since time immemorial in Canada or as many First and other Indigenous Nations
All of the lands in Canada are the subject of up to one hundred Treaties signed by the Crown in the right of Canada with these Nations.  I will only mention a few of the Nations: the Cree, Ojibway, Blackfoot, Blood, Dakota, Mig M'ag, Huron, Inuit and these lands are also home to the Metis people.

 

Love God or Else

 I want to open with a quote from Lorna Harris – someone with whom I share my life every day:

I completely sympathize with those who are done with Covid. I am done with winter. It’s been miserably cold here for days. And it is freezing cold like this every single year. I ‘m not able to go out. Well, I can go out, but I have to put on my winter coat, a scarf and hat, my winter boots, maybe long johns and/or snow pants and of course mittens. This is just too much. I have a right to my freedom from winter. I am going out today and wear just a T-shirt and shorts. It's my personal choice. Winter doesn’t exist for me. And no one gets to order me around on this issue, but if I get frost-bite or pneumonia, I do expect, as my right, the best in medical care.

This was a comment that Lorna made on a Globe and Mail on-line article which talked about people who had, “had enough of COVID.”  Lorna was worried that people would take what she said literally and not as a satirical comment on this laissez faire attitude to COVID restrictions.   These people just want to get back to a life without restrictions such as wearing masks, or showing proof of vaccination status or whatever.  Lorna skewered that reasoning – if you can call it that – beautifully by showing how illogical that way of thinking is.  Just because we are tired of all the restrictions and constraints on our day to day lives, it doesn’t change the situation we are in.  To put it another way, “COVID doesn’t care.”

I must admit that I find that I have very little patience for people who take that attitude.  On the one hand, I can understand that people want to get their lives back and to be able to live without these constraints and restrictions.  Many people have been affected by the COVID pandemic rules to a much greater extent than I have been.  Indeed, as a strong introvert there are aspects of staying in my small corner that I enjoy.  I do not have young children that are being home-schooled at times.  I don’t know how I would cope with that.  I am retired so I haven’t had to deal with COVID restrictions at work.  So, on reflection I can sympathize with people who are completely fed up with the restrictions.

However, this desire to escape regardless of the impact on others and society in general are what I see as dangerous indications of what is becoming a much more prevalent attitude in our culture today – me first and foremost and to hell with others.     It is one that goes completely against the great commandment of Jesus Christ, to love your neighbour – or to give it in full:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  This is the first and great commandment and the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.

The challenge for this commandment – and it is definitely a challenge – is that it seems easier to hate than to love.  It seems natural for us to hate the Other – whoever is different from us and whom we see as a threat to our way of living.  I can only say that as a Christian, I am called to follow that Great Commandment and love not hate. 

In closing, I will turn to my go-to guy in song, the saint of song, Leonard Cohen:

Let's talk of love not hate,  things to do: it’s getting late, there’s so little time and  we’re only passing through.  

Let us be blessed to talk of love on our journey.  

A New Plan and A New Commandment

Last week I wrote about how God’s plan seemed to be much more specific and detailed in the Old Testament than the New Testament.  The instructions from God given to Moses on how to build the tabernacle were detailed down to the last jot and title.  Indeed, all the instructions in and around the law and how God was to be worshiped were extremely detailed.  However, the plan that we were given in the New Testament was, in comparison, a big picture approach which was built around the Great Commandment i.e. it all comes down to love.  That is all well and good, but how in God’s name are we supposed to manage that?  I find that to be a challenge; there are many people including me who find it a challenge to love as we are commanded despite our best efforts.

I received a comment on what I had written and I am always grateful for feedback.  I will quote the comment as I found it to be thoughtful and thought provoking, “I disagree that God is not a detail-oriented today. I think God is. God sent many prophets, gave us the law and the commandments, and then sent Jesus Christ, who established a church, filled with many saints and holy people. How much more detail do we want?”

I must agree, however, it seems that God does is working more indirectly in the New Testament and today, if I understand what the commenter is saying. Indeed, God does seem to be giving us a plan in different ways today than in the Old Testament.  That, of course, is what the new covenant in Jesus Christ is proclaiming and fulfilling.  Rather than a law which is incredibly detailed as in the Mosaic code, we have a law which can be summarized in the Great Commandment to love.  That does give us freedom.  We don’t have to worry about putting a step which is not in exact correct place.  However, with the freedom comes responsibility.  It is a responsibility which leaves a great deal up to us try and figure out what it means to love our neighbour and how we go about doing that.  Needless to say, this is not easy.  We need to discern on an ongoing basis if what we are doing is fulfilling that commandment and if not, how can we repent i.e. to turn around and get back on the correct path. 

I agree with the comment that God has also given us holy people to guide us in finding the path God intends for us.  Indeed, I recently attended a retreat which offered such help.  The retreat was offered by the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine in Toronto.  It was entitled Praying With Evelyn Underhill.  Evelyn Underhill was one of those holy people who God sent us to give a guidance.  She was an Anglican mystic and spiritual guide who lived and practiced in England in the first part of the 20^th Century.

The retreat was different than many I had attended as it focussed on the practice of prayer rather than on transmitting information.  We were invited to do just what the retreat title said, to pray rather than to absorb a lot of information about Underhill and her life and teaching.  There was some of that but primarily we were to practice rather than being in what is more comfortable for me, a place where I can be in my head.  The approach which we were invited to participate in has three ways of praying which were taught by Underhill; Adoration, Communion, and Self-offering.  After a short introduction to each way we were given time to engage in that way.  Here is a brief summary of the three ways in Underhill’s words.

Adoration: “takes us out of ourselves, out of limited capacities and our own needs and emotions, sweeping us past all this to God as objective fact, as mysterious gift to us―sweeping us to a place where things of God enter the MIND.”

Communion: “The mystic is in love with God not in any idle or sentimental manner, but in the vital sense which presses at all costs through all dangers towards union with the beloved.”

Self-offering: “More is required of those who wake up to the reality than the passive adoration of God or intimate communion with God.  Those responses, great as they are, do not cover the purposes of our creation…The Church is in the world to save the world.  It is a tool of God for that purpose , not a comfortable religious club set in fine historical premises.”

On refection, the commandment of Jesus is where the rubber hits the road.  We have to come to that third step of self-offering which is the most difficult for me and probably for most people.  Most of us are not going to be able to jump to the third way without travelling the path through the first two.  However, the blessing that is offered by Evelyn Underhill and other holy and wise people is to give us a road map to follow on that journey.

Blessings on you journey.

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

Are you old enough to remember that 1970’s TV series, The A Team?  I am embarrassed to say that I remember it and even more embarrassed to admit that I did watch it a few times.  Actually a few times was all that was required because it was as formulaic as any series that has been on TV, which is saying a lot.  In any case, as I recall our intrepid team of heroes was headed by George Peppard who played John “Hannibal” Smith. The cast also included Mr. T who played one of the team members and was more memorable for his appearance than his acting, even in a cast noted for woodenness. 

I have engaged in this trip down memory lane because of one of the memorable lines from the show.  Our intrepid leader Hannibal would say in every show (indeed, it was the catchphrase), “I love it when a plan comes together.” I have been following a suggestion by my Bishop, Bp. Linda Nicholls, that every Anglican join in an exercise to read the bible in a year.  We are assisted in this through an on-line web site, The Bible Challenge https://thebiblechallenge.org/.  Now, I believe that this is an excellent suggestion because Anglicans are not generally known for their biblical knowledge and reading the bible regularly is something that can benefit every Christian.  In any case, being a dutiful priest, I am trying to follow that suggestion and have been doing so faithfully for a while.  There have been a number of passages that I had not been aware of and that have surprised me.  One that I found most interesting was the Old Testament passage for February 7^th, Exodus chapters 26 and 27.  This section of the book of Exodus goes into great detail about God’s command to Moses to built a tabernacle which would serve as a portable dwelling place for God while they were in the wilderness.

The detail that God gives to Moses in these chapters is quite amazing; for example, the passage begins with a description of the curtains which will form the dwelling:

“Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. 2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, [1] and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. 3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. 4 And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 5 Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. 6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.

Note that God just doesn’t say make some curtains.  He gives instructions on the number, what they will be made of, their dimensions, how they will be attached and by how many loops, and so on.  This level of detail continues for all aspect of the tabernacle and all the equipment that will be used in it and all the furnishings.  God seems for this to be a very detail oriented divine being.  In this, God would agree with the immortal Hannibal Smith that it is necessary to have a plan if you are going to succeed.  God would also agree with Hannibal that God loves it when a plan comes together.

Now this is great for someone who is detail oriented.  I am not one who is accomplished at making detailed plans; I am more of a big picture person (at least that is my excuse).  However, I heartily agree that detailed plans are helpful and even necessary to being something to successful fruition.  I become rather frustrated when plans are not well thought out and are not very clear, as I am reminded whenever I try to follow an operating manual for computer software or the instructions for assembling something I have just bought.  As I have said in those times, the three most frightening words in the English language are, ‘some assembly required’. 

The point here is that God seems to be saying int his passage that here are the instructions for doing what I am commanding you to do, Moses.  And they seem to have been good instructions because, according to the account in Exodus, the tabernacle was built to the satisfaction of God; and God was not easy to satisfy in those days.  I wonder if God is any easier to satisfy today?  Perhaps we need a new set of instructions regarding how to fulfill God’s commandment.  God doesn’t seem to be as detailed oriented today as God was back in Moses’ time. 

We have been given the commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  However, we seem to be lacking a set of operating instructions how we are to do this seemingly impossible task. 

Well, perhaps God has more faith in us than we have in ourselves.  However, it hasn’t seemed to have worked out very well so far but we are called to keep trying.  Indeed, a quote by Samuel Beckett I heard this past weekend seems to apply, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better”.

God knows that we are going to fail in so many ways in our attempts to follow this commandment but we are promised forgiveness when that happens.  So, I would say keep on keeping on and love you neighbour even if he or she is not particularly lovable.  Then again, I am not particularly lovable at times either.   Perhaps we will fail better if we have a plan.  Perhaps it will actually come together. 

Blessings on your journey. 

The Great Comma and the Great Commandment

Last time I wrote about love being more important that doctrine.  If that is the case what do we do about the creed(s)―the statements of faith that are supposed be a foundational statement of belief that all Christians hold.  It is one of the parts of the worship service that most Christian denominations include.  Indeed, those that do are considered to be credal Christians.  The Anglican Church of Canada has both the Nicene Creed and Apostles’ Creed in the Book of Alternative Services.

The creeds are statements of what Christians are supposed to believe about God and Jesus.  However, as has been pointed out by Richard Rohr (who has become my go to guy on things theological and religious), they leave out what Jesus did in his public ministry which is primarily what the Gospels speak about; his miracles and parables and other important things in his life.  Rohr states:

If you worship in one of the liturgical Christian traditions, you probably know the opening words of the Apostles’ Creed by heart:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell;. .

But have you ever noticed the huge leap the creed makes between “born of the Virgin Mary” and “suffered under Pontius Pilate”? A single comma connects the two statements, and falling into that yawning gap, as if it were a mere detail, is everything Jesus said and did between his birth and his death! 

In Christian theology we have the Great Commandment, "you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  The Great Commandment, therefore, is an important part of what is represented by the Great Comma. IT is through Jesus life that we are shown the Way to live; it is love in action. 

If love is more important than doctrine i.e. belief, then Jesus life, is what we should be paying attention to as a model of how we should love one another.  I must be honest and confess that I am somewhat ambivalent about the creeds and having people recite them in our worship services.  Our prayer book does make it optional with the instruction that the celebrant may (my emphasis) invite the congregation to recite it.  On the one hand, it is foundational and states the things that all Christians are supposed to believe in, including the virgin birth and the (bodily) resurrection.  However, the creed can be a stumbling block to those who have trouble with these and other statements of faith.  Personally, I can reconcile the statements in the creeds with what I believe and statements such as the virgin birth mean what I intend them to mean; to take the lead from Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland, “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

That being said I do not believe that the creed should be an impediment for people being part of a Christian community.  Jesus certainly had short shrift for impediments and stumbling blocks, “It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble”.

That does not mean that I agree that Christian clergy should believe anything and everything including being atheists as in the case of Gretta Vosper who has been confirmed as a United Church of Canada minister and who is a self declared atheist―but that is for another discussion. 

So, you can see from this the mine-field, or perhaps I should say mind-field, doctrine can lead us into.  In conclusion, I believe (that is creedal language) that we should focus on the Great Comma and the Great Commandment rather than the Creeds, as important as they are. 

Blessings on your journey