Dear Turkey Hen or Tom
Though we may never know your gender
And we never looked you in the eye
We gather here today in thanks dear turkey . . .
For your giblet stock and turkey gravy
Compliment our mashed potatoes,
Yams, and breads, and casseroles
So dearly and our tummies
Have been grumbling in anticipation
So, once again, dear Hen or Tom,
Thank you for a life well-lived!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
A Letter to the Turkey
Dear Wight's Farm Fresh Young Turkey from West Ogden, Utah,
This year will be my first preparing a Thanksgiving Turkey completely on my own ~ from Liberty Heights Fresh in Sugarhouse where I picked you up, to my parent's home in Sandy, you will have come a ways from Ogden where you were raised.
I do not know exactly the kind of life you lived. Apparently the owners of the farm where you were raised make about $100,000 a year and have been raising turkeys since 1974. I read two blog posts, one with an adorable little blond-haired girl playing with some baby turkeys, which say that your feed was made daily by hand by a farmer and his family. They say they never added anything weird to your food, and they let you out into the great outdoors to run around after you were about 7 weeks old.
Although I don't believe you had any sort of turkey spirit or soul that is still living someplace in the universe now, I do want to say “thank you” for the food that I am about to eat. It means a lot to me that no added growth hormones or antibiotics were added to your turkey body, and that you were able to run around with your turkey brothers and sisters in the sunshine for just over four months before you were killed so that I could buy you for just under $40. It would have been such a miserable four months if you had to be cooped up someplace with so many other turkeys that you couldn't move around comfortably. I'm very glad you didn't have to go through that kind of misery so that I could enjoy eating you.
Sometime this coming year, I will be going to Wights Family Farm in West Ogden, which is only about 45 minutes away from my home, so that I can see where you were raised. Preferably, I would like to go there sometime in the next month, because more turkeys are being raised there in preparation for more winter holidays in December.
When I was growing up, I always thought turkey meat tasted dry and bland and I never ate more than a few bites of it. However, these farmers at Wights sure know how to raise their turkeys as healthily and happily as possible. Because last year when I bought a turkey from your farmers, I could not stop eating more, and more, and more. The meat was soft, and tender, and juicy, and flavorful in every way I thought only the meat of a cow could taste.
I have always been the type of girl who savors the taste of meat when prepared to my liking. However, after finding out how many animals are treated while they are alive so that I can enjoy this savoury diet, I was so distressed that I could not eat the meat of any animal for quite some time. Eventually, however, my human body began to crave this sort of savoury diet once more, and in order to align my biological desires with my ethical principles, I began to research where and how I could find meat that was prepared by more compassionate humans. And last year, around the time of Thanksgiving, this search led me to Liberty Heights Fresh and Wights Family Farm!
So once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the farmers of such a venture as Wights, because I trust that my human body will be treated right as I consume the meat of animals who were treated right.
Someday I too will die, and I don't know of anyone who will eat me directly, but if what Mufasa told Simba was true, my body will turn into grass, and other animals (specifically antelopes) will eat that grass. Whenever that happens, I will have been able to run around in the great outdoors with my human brothers and sisters for a lot longer than four months, but I hope that, as was the case for you, there won't be any added growth hormones or antibiotics in my body either, that might contaminate this earth and/or those who live on it after me.
I love this earth very much, and am grateful that the natural cycle of life on this earth is one that provides the type of bountiful harvests we are gathering to celebrate today!
In Gratitude,
Elaine Ball
Certified Humanist Minister
This year will be my first preparing a Thanksgiving Turkey completely on my own ~ from Liberty Heights Fresh in Sugarhouse where I picked you up, to my parent's home in Sandy, you will have come a ways from Ogden where you were raised.
I do not know exactly the kind of life you lived. Apparently the owners of the farm where you were raised make about $100,000 a year and have been raising turkeys since 1974. I read two blog posts, one with an adorable little blond-haired girl playing with some baby turkeys, which say that your feed was made daily by hand by a farmer and his family. They say they never added anything weird to your food, and they let you out into the great outdoors to run around after you were about 7 weeks old.
Although I don't believe you had any sort of turkey spirit or soul that is still living someplace in the universe now, I do want to say “thank you” for the food that I am about to eat. It means a lot to me that no added growth hormones or antibiotics were added to your turkey body, and that you were able to run around with your turkey brothers and sisters in the sunshine for just over four months before you were killed so that I could buy you for just under $40. It would have been such a miserable four months if you had to be cooped up someplace with so many other turkeys that you couldn't move around comfortably. I'm very glad you didn't have to go through that kind of misery so that I could enjoy eating you.
Sometime this coming year, I will be going to Wights Family Farm in West Ogden, which is only about 45 minutes away from my home, so that I can see where you were raised. Preferably, I would like to go there sometime in the next month, because more turkeys are being raised there in preparation for more winter holidays in December.
When I was growing up, I always thought turkey meat tasted dry and bland and I never ate more than a few bites of it. However, these farmers at Wights sure know how to raise their turkeys as healthily and happily as possible. Because last year when I bought a turkey from your farmers, I could not stop eating more, and more, and more. The meat was soft, and tender, and juicy, and flavorful in every way I thought only the meat of a cow could taste.
I have always been the type of girl who savors the taste of meat when prepared to my liking. However, after finding out how many animals are treated while they are alive so that I can enjoy this savoury diet, I was so distressed that I could not eat the meat of any animal for quite some time. Eventually, however, my human body began to crave this sort of savoury diet once more, and in order to align my biological desires with my ethical principles, I began to research where and how I could find meat that was prepared by more compassionate humans. And last year, around the time of Thanksgiving, this search led me to Liberty Heights Fresh and Wights Family Farm!
So once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the farmers of such a venture as Wights, because I trust that my human body will be treated right as I consume the meat of animals who were treated right.
Someday I too will die, and I don't know of anyone who will eat me directly, but if what Mufasa told Simba was true, my body will turn into grass, and other animals (specifically antelopes) will eat that grass. Whenever that happens, I will have been able to run around in the great outdoors with my human brothers and sisters for a lot longer than four months, but I hope that, as was the case for you, there won't be any added growth hormones or antibiotics in my body either, that might contaminate this earth and/or those who live on it after me.
I love this earth very much, and am grateful that the natural cycle of life on this earth is one that provides the type of bountiful harvests we are gathering to celebrate today!
In Gratitude,
Elaine Ball
Certified Humanist Minister
Monday, November 7, 2011
Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism
Secular
from the Oxford English Dictionary
2. a) Belonging to the world and its affairs* as distinguished from the church and religion; civil, lay, temporal . . . non-ecclesiastical, non-religious, or non-sacred
Humanism
from the Oxford English Dictionary
4. Sympathetic concern with human needs, interests, and welfare; humaneness
5. a) Any system of thought or ideology which places humans, or humanity as a whole, at its centre, esp. one which is predominantly concerned with human interests and welfare, and stresses the inherent value and potential of human life*
b) A variety of ethical theory and practice characterized by a stress on human rationality and capacity for free thought and moral action,* and a rejection of theistic religion and the supernatural in favour of secular and naturalistic views of humanity and the universe.*
* emphasis added
Now, you may be wondering who I am. And, perhaps my only real claim to fame is, that I am a Secular Humanist in Utah! We are sort of few and far between. But, as you may have seen from the Billboard put up recently by the Utah Coalition of Reason – You Are Not Alone! Rather, we are not alone. There are doubting, questioning, free-thinking, skeptical Utahans ~ everywhere across the state. There have been “doubters” for all of human history! And, today I want to tell you a little bit about what many of history's doubters have come to claim as their own life-stance or philosophy.
Secular Humanism is the philosophy that we, as human beings, have what it takes. To make this world better. To provide care and love for each other and this Earth we're on. To be happy. Happy Humanists. Without the supernatural idea that we're all waiting to arrive someplace better, or hoping for someone better to save us, or yearning for something better in some distant future . . . Secular Humanism is the idea that we can make it better! That we do make life better. That we always have, and that we can continue to do so. It means questioning religious answers to the problems we face on this world, in this life, here and now – it means coming up with secular, or non-religious, solutions to our this-world problems. And, it means doing so together as one human race.
A couple of my “prophets” are Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, authors of “Leaves of Grass” and “Walden.” My true “church” or “religion” can be found on a blustery autumn day when unsuspecting leaves, flaming red, yellow, and orange, are brought down to earth in piles by an early snowfall. Then, again, you can find me “at worship” hiking among the flies and bees up Millcreek Canyon in the spring, sloshing through mud and breathing in deeply the crisp mountain air.
To me, “humanism” is simply a profound awareness of my own humanity. Humanism is a deep compassion for the humanity of others. This is what brought me to lead the once-tiny Secular Student Alliance as an undergraduate at the University of Utah, and then to join forces with other humans to found SHIFT – Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought. This awareness of my own humanity and compassion for others is what has led me now to lead the Utah Coalition of Reason – and to, again, join forces with other humans – this time across the State of Utah – to create a deeper, broader community of awareness, compassion, and support. To let other freethinkers know they are not alone. To educate the broader religious community about what it truly means to us to be ethical human beings.
And, this is why I finally became a Humanist Minister this year : to remind ourselves and to educate others about what life is really like as a Secular Humanist – that we, too, celebrate life and mourn death. That we, too, feel and think and wonder and seek! That we are all human, and that it is what is human among us that we choose to relate with, not what is religious. It is what is secular, and humanistic, that unites us all, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist and all alike.
Secular
from the Oxford English Dictionary
2. a) Belonging to the world and its affairs* as distinguished from the church and religion; civil, lay, temporal . . . non-ecclesiastical, non-religious, or non-sacred
Humanism
from the Oxford English Dictionary
4. Sympathetic concern with human needs, interests, and welfare; humaneness
5. a) Any system of thought or ideology which places humans, or humanity as a whole, at its centre, esp. one which is predominantly concerned with human interests and welfare, and stresses the inherent value and potential of human life*
b) A variety of ethical theory and practice characterized by a stress on human rationality and capacity for free thought and moral action,* and a rejection of theistic religion and the supernatural in favour of secular and naturalistic views of humanity and the universe.*
* emphasis added
Now, you may be wondering who I am. And, perhaps my only real claim to fame is, that I am a Secular Humanist in Utah! We are sort of few and far between. But, as you may have seen from the Billboard put up recently by the Utah Coalition of Reason – You Are Not Alone! Rather, we are not alone. There are doubting, questioning, free-thinking, skeptical Utahans ~ everywhere across the state. There have been “doubters” for all of human history! And, today I want to tell you a little bit about what many of history's doubters have come to claim as their own life-stance or philosophy.
Secular Humanism is the philosophy that we, as human beings, have what it takes. To make this world better. To provide care and love for each other and this Earth we're on. To be happy. Happy Humanists. Without the supernatural idea that we're all waiting to arrive someplace better, or hoping for someone better to save us, or yearning for something better in some distant future . . . Secular Humanism is the idea that we can make it better! That we do make life better. That we always have, and that we can continue to do so. It means questioning religious answers to the problems we face on this world, in this life, here and now – it means coming up with secular, or non-religious, solutions to our this-world problems. And, it means doing so together as one human race.
A couple of my “prophets” are Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, authors of “Leaves of Grass” and “Walden.” My true “church” or “religion” can be found on a blustery autumn day when unsuspecting leaves, flaming red, yellow, and orange, are brought down to earth in piles by an early snowfall. Then, again, you can find me “at worship” hiking among the flies and bees up Millcreek Canyon in the spring, sloshing through mud and breathing in deeply the crisp mountain air.
To me, “humanism” is simply a profound awareness of my own humanity. Humanism is a deep compassion for the humanity of others. This is what brought me to lead the once-tiny Secular Student Alliance as an undergraduate at the University of Utah, and then to join forces with other humans to found SHIFT – Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought. This awareness of my own humanity and compassion for others is what has led me now to lead the Utah Coalition of Reason – and to, again, join forces with other humans – this time across the State of Utah – to create a deeper, broader community of awareness, compassion, and support. To let other freethinkers know they are not alone. To educate the broader religious community about what it truly means to us to be ethical human beings.
And, this is why I finally became a Humanist Minister this year : to remind ourselves and to educate others about what life is really like as a Secular Humanist – that we, too, celebrate life and mourn death. That we, too, feel and think and wonder and seek! That we are all human, and that it is what is human among us that we choose to relate with, not what is religious. It is what is secular, and humanistic, that unites us all, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist and all alike.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
November Peace
A day of baking brings ~
Pain à la citrouille (pumpkin bread) mini muffins for First Unitarian Church tomorrow
Banana bread mini muffins left over from baking earlier this week
Artisan cheese bread
Ricotta stuffed shells with roasted tomato sauce and seasoned ground beef
A hot mug of tea before bed and an extra hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings Time.
A no-going-out-to-eat pact throughout the holidays because, after all, why would we??
Pain à la citrouille (pumpkin bread) mini muffins for First Unitarian Church tomorrow
Banana bread mini muffins left over from baking earlier this week
Artisan cheese bread
Ricotta stuffed shells with roasted tomato sauce and seasoned ground beef
A hot mug of tea before bed and an extra hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings Time.
A no-going-out-to-eat pact throughout the holidays because, after all, why would we??
Friday, October 14, 2011
100 Influential Unitarian Universalists
On a wall in the front lobby of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Salt Lake City hangs a poster with the names and pictures of 100 Influential Unitarian Universalists throughout history. I wrote down the first 25 names today, as I am interested in learning more about these people who have in varied ways influenced the history of this religion I now hold so close to my heart.
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, the first Vice-President of the United States and the second President. John Adams was the first President of the United States to only serve one term. Abigail is famous for the letters she wrote in correspondence with her husband, which demonstrated their unusually strong, respectful and emotionally connected relationship of equals. She became known as "Mrs. President" during the short time she was First Lady, because she was so much more politically active than Martha Washington had been. In March, 1776 she wrote a memorable letter to her husband John and the Continental Congress, requesting that they "remember the Ladies" in the forming of this new nation. John and Abigail are both buried in the Adams Family crypt underneath the United First Parish Church (Unitarian) in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, the first Vice-President of the United States and the second President. John Adams was the first President of the United States to only serve one term. Abigail is famous for the letters she wrote in correspondence with her husband, which demonstrated their unusually strong, respectful and emotionally connected relationship of equals. She became known as "Mrs. President" during the short time she was First Lady, because she was so much more politically active than Martha Washington had been. In March, 1776 she wrote a memorable letter to her husband John and the Continental Congress, requesting that they "remember the Ladies" in the forming of this new nation. John and Abigail are both buried in the Adams Family crypt underneath the United First Parish Church (Unitarian) in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Community Vigil & Into the Light Walk
Tonight, Friday, September 9, 2011 an Into the Light Walk and fireside vigil will be held at Liberty Park, beginning in the northeast corner of the park at 8:00 p.m.
There have been four attacks (that I have read of) on young gay men in Utah within the past few months, and after one particularly brutal one on August 31, community and religious leaders have been galvanized to come together for this supportive event.
Please read more here about the Into the Light walks that have been taking place around the country since May 2011. I have heard people say that they are tired of feel-good events that don't address the horror and discrimination people of "different" sexual orientations and gender identities experience in our society on a day-to-day basis. I just want to respond with these remarks, which I've been asked to share at tonight's vigil and walk :
My name is Elaine Ball. I was recently certified by the American Humanist Association to be a Humanist Minister here in Utah. I want to thank the organizers of this event for bringing everyone together this evening, as well as for inviting me to speak briefly as a representative of those whose “faith” is not traditional, who may not believe there is a god, or who may not see the relevance of a god in their lives.
As a Humanist, I believe that morals arise from a common sense of human value. The attack on Dane Hall on August 31, as well as other recent attacks have been, in the words of the Utah Pride Center, “attack[s] on all of us.” This could have happened to you. This could have happened to one of our moms or dads, to one of our sisters, brothers, or children. This could still happen to any of us.
I am here to tell you, though, that as members of this human family, we do have the power to change our world for the better, and, more specifically, to change our selves, our families, and our neighborhoods for the better! Come out to your friends, family members, and neighbors, in rallying support against destructive behaviour such as these attacks. Please, begin the vital conversations with your peers that will turn hearts and minds toward love.
I would like to reach out to those of you who may not identify with a specific religion or faith tradition, and say, let us work together! Let us all work to build the bridges necessary to come together as one human family in support of love, for all of humanity!
I would like to finish by sharing these thoughts from local humanist leaders:
Florien Wineriter, Board Member and former President of the Humanists of Utah, says that:
“ As a Humanist, [he] define[s] Morality as those actions and thoughts that contribute to the growth and dignity of human life; immoral actions and thoughts denigrate and destroy life. The physical and verbal activities that injured Dane and others should not be tolerated by a civil society. ”
Lisa Miller, also a current Board Member of the Humanists of Utah, says:
“ [It is] extremely damaging when we have this idea that everyone has to be forced to be the same or [else] be shunned/beaten/ridiculed out of the group. We [all] have different likes and dreams and goals and abilities . . . [and] great pain comes as soon as we start trying to force everyone into the same box. The beauty of a humanistic philosophy is that we embrace and encourage the differences of individuals, rather than having the far opposite reaction of violence, enforcement, and fear. ”
And finally, Board Members Wayne Wilson & Jason Cooperrider share:
“ [Humanists] strongly oppose hate crime ~ humanism means understanding humanity's role on this earth, and striving to achieve its' potential for ourselves and our posterity – such that all humans are treated with an inherent dignity, equality, and respect! Society is most benefited when others are embraced for their differences, rather than persecuted for them. Life would be very boring if everyone were the same. ”
Thank you again, for coming here tonight in support of love and equality for all!
There have been four attacks (that I have read of) on young gay men in Utah within the past few months, and after one particularly brutal one on August 31, community and religious leaders have been galvanized to come together for this supportive event.
Please read more here about the Into the Light walks that have been taking place around the country since May 2011. I have heard people say that they are tired of feel-good events that don't address the horror and discrimination people of "different" sexual orientations and gender identities experience in our society on a day-to-day basis. I just want to respond with these remarks, which I've been asked to share at tonight's vigil and walk :
My name is Elaine Ball. I was recently certified by the American Humanist Association to be a Humanist Minister here in Utah. I want to thank the organizers of this event for bringing everyone together this evening, as well as for inviting me to speak briefly as a representative of those whose “faith” is not traditional, who may not believe there is a god, or who may not see the relevance of a god in their lives.
As a Humanist, I believe that morals arise from a common sense of human value. The attack on Dane Hall on August 31, as well as other recent attacks have been, in the words of the Utah Pride Center, “attack[s] on all of us.” This could have happened to you. This could have happened to one of our moms or dads, to one of our sisters, brothers, or children. This could still happen to any of us.
I am here to tell you, though, that as members of this human family, we do have the power to change our world for the better, and, more specifically, to change our selves, our families, and our neighborhoods for the better! Come out to your friends, family members, and neighbors, in rallying support against destructive behaviour such as these attacks. Please, begin the vital conversations with your peers that will turn hearts and minds toward love.
I would like to reach out to those of you who may not identify with a specific religion or faith tradition, and say, let us work together! Let us all work to build the bridges necessary to come together as one human family in support of love, for all of humanity!
I would like to finish by sharing these thoughts from local humanist leaders:
Florien Wineriter, Board Member and former President of the Humanists of Utah, says that:
“ As a Humanist, [he] define[s] Morality as those actions and thoughts that contribute to the growth and dignity of human life; immoral actions and thoughts denigrate and destroy life. The physical and verbal activities that injured Dane and others should not be tolerated by a civil society. ”
Lisa Miller, also a current Board Member of the Humanists of Utah, says:
“ [It is] extremely damaging when we have this idea that everyone has to be forced to be the same or [else] be shunned/beaten/ridiculed out of the group. We [all] have different likes and dreams and goals and abilities . . . [and] great pain comes as soon as we start trying to force everyone into the same box. The beauty of a humanistic philosophy is that we embrace and encourage the differences of individuals, rather than having the far opposite reaction of violence, enforcement, and fear. ”
And finally, Board Members Wayne Wilson & Jason Cooperrider share:
“ [Humanists] strongly oppose hate crime ~ humanism means understanding humanity's role on this earth, and striving to achieve its' potential for ourselves and our posterity – such that all humans are treated with an inherent dignity, equality, and respect! Society is most benefited when others are embraced for their differences, rather than persecuted for them. Life would be very boring if everyone were the same. ”
Thank you again, for coming here tonight in support of love and equality for all!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Tim DeChristopher
Have you heard of Peaceful Uprising? Also known as PeaceUp, they are "defending a livable future through empowering non-violent action." At the helm is Tim DeChristopher . . . recently sentenced to 2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine "for protecting our future, while corporate CEOs walk free with millions of dollars for destroying it," as their site eloquently protests.
On Tuesday, July 26 I watched Tim DeChristopher walk from the Peaceful Uprising rally of support to the courthouse to be sentenced . . . camera crews, attorneys and many others surrounding him. I began to cry. We are all Bidder 70. He was absolutely composed; ready to deliver this speech before the judge . . . the judge who spoke of "so-called environmentalism" and showed no understanding of the actual impact of what Tim has done.
I just finished writing my first letter to Tim, c/o the Davis County Correctional Facility. I do not know if he will have the time or ability to return my letter, but I hope in the future to send him some pictures as well, drawings from myself and my siblings showing the beautiful earth we are grateful he is determined to protect.
He strikes me as a poet-prophet, in the vein of Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. I hope that he will be freed from this 2-year sentence.
On Tuesday, July 26 I watched Tim DeChristopher walk from the Peaceful Uprising rally of support to the courthouse to be sentenced . . . camera crews, attorneys and many others surrounding him. I began to cry. We are all Bidder 70. He was absolutely composed; ready to deliver this speech before the judge . . . the judge who spoke of "so-called environmentalism" and showed no understanding of the actual impact of what Tim has done.
I just finished writing my first letter to Tim, c/o the Davis County Correctional Facility. I do not know if he will have the time or ability to return my letter, but I hope in the future to send him some pictures as well, drawings from myself and my siblings showing the beautiful earth we are grateful he is determined to protect.
He strikes me as a poet-prophet, in the vein of Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. I hope that he will be freed from this 2-year sentence.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Love, Your Family
To Whom it May Concern,
It has been said that "family" is not about "love." I have heard from some that "family" means, only, that blood is shared, passed on through the sperm of one male human and an egg of one female human. That's it. A God intended it, and your family is your family because of this and only this situation having taken place. Not because they love you, or because they have given you any reason to love them. But only, and I repeat, only, because they bore you in a certain way.
Yes, they cared for you. Yes, they fed and clothed and sheltered you and showed you a certain kind of love in the best way they knew how. But why did they try to show this love? And why would they rip it away from you? Any reason? Can you think of any reason why you would remove your love from the life of your child? If "family" is only about a God having meant for certain things to be, then of course. If this God commands you to burn your only son, then of course you'll do it. You'll even give him the wood to carry to his own alter.
But perhaps "family" actually does mean "love." Perhaps "family" is something more complicated and difficult than sperm meets egg. Perhaps "family" goes back to the literal interconnectedness of every living thing on this planet. Perhaps we are all family.
I need to give voice to parents of adopted children. I need to give voice to strong birth mothers who give their biological children to others because they are not in an emotionally and/or economically healthy position to raise that child from birth to adulthood. I need to give voice to all families and say, if you believe in a God who only speaks to a certain select number of this vast human race . . . perhaps you have never met an adopted child. Perhaps you have never offered sheltered to an abandoned teen. Perhaps you have never known a niece or nephew who couldn't talk to their parents, but could talk to you. Perhaps you have been living your life in a way that no one who does not share your selective world view would feel able to "come out" and speak to you as a loving, supportive, caring human being they could trust.
Do you, honestly, when you look inside yourself, see a family with adopted children as "less" ? Do you, really, when you stop to think, believe that your God created some of his children as "less" worthy of your love?
This saddens me and I hope that, someday, I may welcome you into my family. My human family. Of love. Because my definition of "family" has broadened to include you, even if you disown me. Even if you disagree with me, hate me, or wish I didn't exist because your life would be "easier." My definition of "family" means human beings who genuinely care about other human beings, allowing them into their hearts and homes.
I am a humanist, and I love you.
It has been said that "family" is not about "love." I have heard from some that "family" means, only, that blood is shared, passed on through the sperm of one male human and an egg of one female human. That's it. A God intended it, and your family is your family because of this and only this situation having taken place. Not because they love you, or because they have given you any reason to love them. But only, and I repeat, only, because they bore you in a certain way.
Yes, they cared for you. Yes, they fed and clothed and sheltered you and showed you a certain kind of love in the best way they knew how. But why did they try to show this love? And why would they rip it away from you? Any reason? Can you think of any reason why you would remove your love from the life of your child? If "family" is only about a God having meant for certain things to be, then of course. If this God commands you to burn your only son, then of course you'll do it. You'll even give him the wood to carry to his own alter.
But perhaps "family" actually does mean "love." Perhaps "family" is something more complicated and difficult than sperm meets egg. Perhaps "family" goes back to the literal interconnectedness of every living thing on this planet. Perhaps we are all family.
I need to give voice to parents of adopted children. I need to give voice to strong birth mothers who give their biological children to others because they are not in an emotionally and/or economically healthy position to raise that child from birth to adulthood. I need to give voice to all families and say, if you believe in a God who only speaks to a certain select number of this vast human race . . . perhaps you have never met an adopted child. Perhaps you have never offered sheltered to an abandoned teen. Perhaps you have never known a niece or nephew who couldn't talk to their parents, but could talk to you. Perhaps you have been living your life in a way that no one who does not share your selective world view would feel able to "come out" and speak to you as a loving, supportive, caring human being they could trust.
Do you, honestly, when you look inside yourself, see a family with adopted children as "less" ? Do you, really, when you stop to think, believe that your God created some of his children as "less" worthy of your love?
This saddens me and I hope that, someday, I may welcome you into my family. My human family. Of love. Because my definition of "family" has broadened to include you, even if you disown me. Even if you disagree with me, hate me, or wish I didn't exist because your life would be "easier." My definition of "family" means human beings who genuinely care about other human beings, allowing them into their hearts and homes.
I am a humanist, and I love you.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Fred Edwords and the United Coalition of Reason
Fred Edwords is the Executive Director of a national non-profit organization which inspires me greatly. He is a past president of the American Humanist Association (from 1984 - 1999) and wrote one of the phenomenal documents about Humanism I mentioned in my last post. He was also an editor of Greg Epstein's recent New York Times best-seller, "Good Without God - What a Billion Non-Religious People Do Believe."
The United Coalition of Reason is the name of this non-profit which so inspires my life. This group has coordinated with groups around the nation to put up billboards which I would be surprised if you haven't seen on the news. They say, "Are You Good Without God? Millions Are." or "Good Without God? You Are Not Alone." or "Don't Believe in God? Join the Club." and they give the websites of local Coalitions of Reason, such as the Utah Coalition of Reason which is recently blossoming into one amazing community resource.
Because many people who are not affiliated with an organized religion do not consider themselves "joiners," it can be difficult to perceive that you are alone in your non-belief. It can be frustrating to see your children pressured into participating in religious activities with friends, or having the impression that if one is not religious, one is automatically seen as "bad" or "a bad influence." These billboards are in no way proselytizing, or trying to "recruit" people of faith to stop believing. They are reaching out to those in closets in our communities, to say, "Come out!" Stand up, be proud of your beliefs, even when they do not in any way come close to those of the mainstream. Be proud of what you do stand for as a non-religious person! There are many of us, and it is time for the stereotypes to end that say we are not, or can not be, good, contributing, strong human beings.
Fred Edwords is coming here, to speak with the Members, the rank-and-file, of all the non-theist groups in Utah. As a Coalition we have been trying our best to get the word out to all the members of these groups. Please, if you are Good Without God in Utah, and/or know anyone who is, send them to meet Fred Edwords this Sunday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. at the University of Utah. Find the Event Page online here, and please share the great news with all your friends, that these billboards will be coming here!
The United Coalition of Reason is the name of this non-profit which so inspires my life. This group has coordinated with groups around the nation to put up billboards which I would be surprised if you haven't seen on the news. They say, "Are You Good Without God? Millions Are." or "Good Without God? You Are Not Alone." or "Don't Believe in God? Join the Club." and they give the websites of local Coalitions of Reason, such as the Utah Coalition of Reason which is recently blossoming into one amazing community resource.
Because many people who are not affiliated with an organized religion do not consider themselves "joiners," it can be difficult to perceive that you are alone in your non-belief. It can be frustrating to see your children pressured into participating in religious activities with friends, or having the impression that if one is not religious, one is automatically seen as "bad" or "a bad influence." These billboards are in no way proselytizing, or trying to "recruit" people of faith to stop believing. They are reaching out to those in closets in our communities, to say, "Come out!" Stand up, be proud of your beliefs, even when they do not in any way come close to those of the mainstream. Be proud of what you do stand for as a non-religious person! There are many of us, and it is time for the stereotypes to end that say we are not, or can not be, good, contributing, strong human beings.
Fred Edwords is coming here, to speak with the Members, the rank-and-file, of all the non-theist groups in Utah. As a Coalition we have been trying our best to get the word out to all the members of these groups. Please, if you are Good Without God in Utah, and/or know anyone who is, send them to meet Fred Edwords this Sunday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. at the University of Utah. Find the Event Page online here, and please share the great news with all your friends, that these billboards will be coming here!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
American Humanists and the Humanist Manifesto
The American Humanist Association is an organization I have been a member of for two to three years now. As I began to leave the religion of my youth, I began also to read and study all I could about other faith traditions. Reading Karen Armstrong, Dawkins, Pinker, Harris, and others, I eventually came to the conclusion that religion was historically created by humankind, so I began to continue my search for truth through humanistic pathways. I continually look for the good in humanity, and I have found it in abundance. I became a Humanist because everything I read about Humanism aligned with how I was coming to see the world as a place where people could actually work together as a human race to reach common goals.
I have recently begun the process of applying to become a Humanist Minister, so that I will be able to officiate at wedding & commitment ceremonies, child welcoming celebrations, and memorial services. During this process of asking people I know to write reference letters, and filling out thoughtful responses to the questions on the application, I have been learning more and more about my Humanism - as my life-stance, my chosen belief system. I feel that I am quite young to be applying to become a Minister, at only 26 years old. But I feel so much joy and compassion from every document and book I read related to "Humanism and its Aspirations." This is the very title of the "Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933.
I have now read through it multiple times. My highlighter seems a superfluous tool, as I agree and connect with virtually every sentence strongly enough to highlight it. I hope you will read it, if you are curious to know what I believe, or if you want to know more about Humanism and to what, exactly, that word refers. It is truly beautiful.
I have recently begun the process of applying to become a Humanist Minister, so that I will be able to officiate at wedding & commitment ceremonies, child welcoming celebrations, and memorial services. During this process of asking people I know to write reference letters, and filling out thoughtful responses to the questions on the application, I have been learning more and more about my Humanism - as my life-stance, my chosen belief system. I feel that I am quite young to be applying to become a Minister, at only 26 years old. But I feel so much joy and compassion from every document and book I read related to "Humanism and its Aspirations." This is the very title of the "Humanist Manifesto III, a successor to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933.
I have now read through it multiple times. My highlighter seems a superfluous tool, as I agree and connect with virtually every sentence strongly enough to highlight it. I hope you will read it, if you are curious to know what I believe, or if you want to know more about Humanism and to what, exactly, that word refers. It is truly beautiful.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Elaine's Responsibility Code
First of all, the inspiration for this post's title :
1. Always stay in control.
2. People ahead of you have the right of way.
3. Stop in a safe place for you and others.
4. Whenever starting downhill or merging, look uphill and yield.
5. Use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
6. Observe signs and warnings, and keep off closed trails.
7. Know how to use the lifts safely.
I saw this posted near the cashier at the Park City Mountain Ski Resort yesterday when checking out my ski rental equipment. It comes from the National Ski Areas Association and is called "Your Responsibility Code." I found it most helpful to have start-off guidelines for etiquette and safety in an area I had never been and where I had no idea of what to expect. Many of the code items were similar to what I observe or expect when hiking, so this immediately put me at ease. But the first one on the list sure made me smile! Stay in control. So, here is my "Responsibility Code" of sorts; these are my suggestions for how to "stay in control."
What I learned the first day :
1. This is not a comfort sport. Don't expect to be comfortable when learning; it will hurt! As I read on one site, "Get in shape to ski. Don't ski to get in shape." I found this amusing more than annoying, because honestly, skiing is a luxury sport. The lifts and runs and equipment are all expensive to maintain and make available. So I found it amusing to put my foot into that first rental boot, only to look around me thinking, people pay for this kind of discomfort? (see what I learned day 2 for better news) But how could I feel annoyed? Surprised a bit, but perfectly ready to take a deep breath and think about something else ... like the fact that I would soon be learning how to ski down a mountain of snow!
2. Don't take your skis inside restaurants. People look at you funny. This is why there are complimentary ski racks to lean them against right outside the restaurant doors.
3. Learn how to walk in heels. (again, see what I learned day 2 for better news) I spent all of the first day thinking I should go home and practice walking in heels more often ~ toe-to-heel, toe-to-heel, like an elegant princess! I used to walk like this, "to practice being a princess," when I was a little girl ... but I never did become graceful, I always looked like a fool doing it! I also looked like a fool all the first day of wearing those rental boots.
4. Do yoga. I should have done an hour of yoga the night before my first time skiing ~ you wouldn't think it looking at those people all bundled up the way they are, but you want to be flexible if you're going to be a skier.
5. Skiing can be very much like ice skating.
What I learned the second day :
1. Wake up early, eat delicious and filling food, drink plenty of water (and go to the bathroom), and don't be opposed to warming up the insides with an early afternoon cocktail! I luckily learned each of these things simply by being grateful I did them, not by experiencing any mishaps like having to go home early because you peed in your getup.
2. Rent equipment from a place that gives you amazing-quality boots that don't hurt and beautiful blue Salomon skis! Then you also learn that your toe-to-heel endeavors didn't actually make any sense whatsoever, so scratch that bit about learning to walk in heels ... there still remains no reason I can think of for that kind of torture being a good idea.
3. Don't cry when you fall. It's not so bad, and then once you have fallen, if you went on something super-challenging for your level, you learned exactly what you should work on next so you can do what you just did again, later, without falling.
4. Always stay positive. Look around you and learn. Even if something's hard or it hurts, you're still skiing! Keep moving (and be willing to move SLOWLY) and you'll get better.
1. Always stay in control.
2. People ahead of you have the right of way.
3. Stop in a safe place for you and others.
4. Whenever starting downhill or merging, look uphill and yield.
5. Use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
6. Observe signs and warnings, and keep off closed trails.
7. Know how to use the lifts safely.
I saw this posted near the cashier at the Park City Mountain Ski Resort yesterday when checking out my ski rental equipment. It comes from the National Ski Areas Association and is called "Your Responsibility Code." I found it most helpful to have start-off guidelines for etiquette and safety in an area I had never been and where I had no idea of what to expect. Many of the code items were similar to what I observe or expect when hiking, so this immediately put me at ease. But the first one on the list sure made me smile! Stay in control. So, here is my "Responsibility Code" of sorts; these are my suggestions for how to "stay in control."
What I learned the first day :
1. This is not a comfort sport. Don't expect to be comfortable when learning; it will hurt! As I read on one site, "Get in shape to ski. Don't ski to get in shape." I found this amusing more than annoying, because honestly, skiing is a luxury sport. The lifts and runs and equipment are all expensive to maintain and make available. So I found it amusing to put my foot into that first rental boot, only to look around me thinking, people pay for this kind of discomfort? (see what I learned day 2 for better news) But how could I feel annoyed? Surprised a bit, but perfectly ready to take a deep breath and think about something else ... like the fact that I would soon be learning how to ski down a mountain of snow!
2. Don't take your skis inside restaurants. People look at you funny. This is why there are complimentary ski racks to lean them against right outside the restaurant doors.
3. Learn how to walk in heels. (again, see what I learned day 2 for better news) I spent all of the first day thinking I should go home and practice walking in heels more often ~ toe-to-heel, toe-to-heel, like an elegant princess! I used to walk like this, "to practice being a princess," when I was a little girl ... but I never did become graceful, I always looked like a fool doing it! I also looked like a fool all the first day of wearing those rental boots.
4. Do yoga. I should have done an hour of yoga the night before my first time skiing ~ you wouldn't think it looking at those people all bundled up the way they are, but you want to be flexible if you're going to be a skier.
5. Skiing can be very much like ice skating.
What I learned the second day :
1. Wake up early, eat delicious and filling food, drink plenty of water (and go to the bathroom), and don't be opposed to warming up the insides with an early afternoon cocktail! I luckily learned each of these things simply by being grateful I did them, not by experiencing any mishaps like having to go home early because you peed in your getup.
2. Rent equipment from a place that gives you amazing-quality boots that don't hurt and beautiful blue Salomon skis! Then you also learn that your toe-to-heel endeavors didn't actually make any sense whatsoever, so scratch that bit about learning to walk in heels ... there still remains no reason I can think of for that kind of torture being a good idea.
3. Don't cry when you fall. It's not so bad, and then once you have fallen, if you went on something super-challenging for your level, you learned exactly what you should work on next so you can do what you just did again, later, without falling.
4. Always stay positive. Look around you and learn. Even if something's hard or it hurts, you're still skiing! Keep moving (and be willing to move SLOWLY) and you'll get better.
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