Prayer Thoughts

My usual 'Ironing' accompaniment with my mate Melvin

In Our Time discussion about Prayer  - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005465m

With Professor Russell Stannard, physicist, religious writer and author of The God Experiment; 
Andrew Samuels, Jungian analyst and Professor of Analytical Psychology, University of Essex.

In Our Time discussion about Dietrich Bonhoeffer -  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bkpjns

With Stephen Plant, Dean and Runcie Fellow at Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge

Eleanor McLaughlin,  Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at the University of Winchester and Lecturer in Ethics at Regent’s Park College at the University of Oxford

And Tom Greggs, Marischal Chair of Divinity at the University of Aberdeen

In Our Time discussion about St Paul - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kjk8z

Helen Bond is Senior Lecturer in the New Testament at the University of Edinburgh; 
John Haldane is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews; 
John Barclay is the Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University.

And my thoughts on Prayer inspired by this programme.

"Thinking of you", a modern secular way of saying "Praying for you". But is it enough?  We know that connecting with 'the other', a Supreme Being, is universal across all time and space.  Is there anything out there?  I agree with Samuels (and perhaps Stannard too) that researching the effects of prayer is likely to back fire.  The premises of the experiment is floored.  What if the experiment was repeated in Japan?  Is God's love dependent on The attention of a fan base?  I was interested by Carl Jungs book, described by Samuels, analysing the God of Job as a narcissist.  

I like the idea of the word 'pray' being banned.  

Beauty is a Vector

The arcing blades of wind-turbines bring wonder and inspiration,
But if just one stands stationary, this turns to consternation.

Beauty is a vector, motion creates depth of vision,
A beautiful face is nullified with a dull expression.

One, with large body and moled face,
Speaks with joy, fascinating, delightful, a warm embrace.

The other, beauty as seen on the screen,
Plastic expression, two dimensional, mean.

Making Myth

Elizabeth got her ICU diary back from safe keeping on Friday.  She read the diary without experiencing any trauma.  She did point out the historical inaccuracies (for example - that nurse was Christie, not Kirsty. I didn't use a letter board, I wrote with my right hand.)

It struck me that this is how myth evolves.  Slight inaccuracies which Liz is pointing out in the blog, are sometimes changed, sometimes not.  She says I have simplifies the story for my readers.  Perhaps so. After some time the story solidifies.  It is analogues to a pathway that is formed by many people treading the same route.  After a while it become difficult to re-route.

I remembered when I transcribed my great grandmothers memoirs and was then surprised that my mother, uncle and aunt did not seem very interested in it.  "Oh she exaggerated.  You can't believe what she wrote."  For me it didn't matter.  What she wrote might as well be the truth.  Didn't matter that much to me, as I was not emotionally involved.

I heard a Hindu explaining his understanding of Hindu mythology. He said that the things described in the Hindu texts happened so long ago.  No one can verify whether they actually happened or not.  And does it matter?  It's in the past.  Why not believe, but if you don't, it doesn't make much difference. The past is the past, a distant land.  Myth and reality; two sides of the same coin.

And I think about my own relationship with the sacred text of my faith.  Does the same perspective apply to me?  I recently listened to the 'In Our Time' radio broadcast on artistic representations of 'Judith'. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002hl7

The programme began with a discussion about whether the story could be described as an early historical novels.  Apparently the narrative is full of historical inconsistencies.  If these were corrected, then how would the story then play out?  The Protestants removed the book of Judith from the biblical cannon and put it in the apocrypha.  One reason for this it was argued was that Jewish scholars had already made this decision.

How important is it to identify myth?  Am I a myth maker?

“History is a set of lies agreed upon.” ― Napoleon Bonaparte

“What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. The question is what can you make people believe you have done.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, - A Study in Scarlet

"Truth is not born nor is it to be found inside the head of an individual person, it is born between people collectively searching for truth, in the process of their dialogic interaction."  - Mikhail Bakhtin

So to my conclusion - Myth occurs when questions end.  The truth is maintained and kept alive by shared lived experiences.  These are as beams of light projected on the truth from all directions.  

To quote Michel Foucault

Truth does not belong to the order of power, but shares an original affinity with freedom.

MICHEL FOUCAULT, History of Sexuality

From My Perspective- In the Beginning

Elizabeth's arrival in this world was interesting.  Either pregnancy, or the awareness it provided, alerted us to Margaret's high blood pressure.  She  moved into hospital six weeks before the birth and I spent my days racing between work, moving into Sandra's house, and the hospital.  Margaret was deprived of all the time she had thought she would have to get ready for our first child.  I came away from the hospital with lists of equipment to buy, which we subsequently found surplus to requirement, such as a 'Top and Tail bowel'. One day I came in to the hospital and waited for Margaret by her empty bed.  I asked a midwife where she might be.  The midwife looked blank, then brightened up and said "Oh yes, she is on the delivery suit." I was shocked.  Elizabeth was supposed to be 4 weeks away.  I raced up the stairs, passing a father I knew from parentcraft classes.  He was beaming and  saying isn't it exciting.  I grimaced and raced on past, hoping that I might not have missed the birth.  Margaret was on the delivery suit only as a precaution as her blood pressure was raised.  We were eventually able to choose Elizabeth's birth date and she was induced on the 6th September, safely placing her into the new school year making her the oldest, rather than the youngest in her year.

Elizabeth's birth was healthy, and Margaret was well cared for by Ann, her midwife.  I did the traditional thing and cut the cord.  For Margaret's sake, She and Elizabeth stayed in hospital, and for a few night, I too slept in a chair in her room.  Then, as Elizabeth slept, we saw shaking in her arms and legs.  These were strong twitches.  What was more disconcerting was that the medics didn't seem to have an idea what was going on.  Elizabeth was moved to the neonatal unit.  It was so distressing to be separated from her so soon.  I mused that on the neonatal unit,  parents hand over their tiny bundles to the staff hoping that they might be saved.  For us Elizabeth seemed perfect.  She was so much bigger than the other children in the ward.  We did not have this relationship with the staff.  The a whole battery of test were undertaken.  This was very distressing for me.  Elizabeth had her wrist stretched back for blood tests, an evasive ultrasound which pushed down through the fontanela, and a lumber puncture to test fluid in her spinal cord.  When all the tests, including EEG, came back negative, the doctors said they would do them all again.  Much distressed, I pleaded with them not to.  They agreed but I saw that they wrote 'father refuses second test'.  I thought 'well that's on my head then.'

After we got home with Elizabeth, all went well until the jerks returned.  This time we all moved into the children's hospital. I was impressed that although Elizabeth was less than a week old, she was given a Play Specialist. What's a new born baby going to play with? Elizabeth was given a musical box that projected light onto the ceiling.  It was perfected. I really felt that the children's hospital understood about our needs as a family.  We felt at the time together was precious, and strengthened our bonds.  The nurses helped us do all of Elizabeth's care, including taking urine samples.  The label we came up with was 'hepnic jerks'.  Pretty soon these were gone, and we thought nothing of it.

The only other challenges Elizabeth has faced have been vitiligo, an autoimmune problem where the body attacks its own pigment.  When Elizabeth was about 14 she did a cart wheel on the beach,  and jarred her knee badly.  Her knee swelled up and was very painful.  She ended up wearing a leg brace and using crutches.  At school she discovered that there was a small population of young people who have to use the lift to get around the building.  She got a sense of what it is like to be disabled.

Over the last four year, a scar has developed on Elizabeth's head. This has grown gradually as a line of longitude traversing round her scalp in a line.  Eventually Elizabeth was diagnosed with 'coup de sabre'.  Again, this is an autoimmune abnormality where the body is attacking itself for no apparent reason.

New Thoughts from listening to the New Testement

How about listening to the New Testament read by wonderful voices.
Each book is read by a different actor including- 

John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, Juliet Stevenson, Sheila Hancock, Timothy West and Thora Hird

Matt 1:19 Because Joseph was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

How long was Joseph left to stew?  This must be the character building part of the relationship.  Sometimes we are left to stew.  Isn't this the training  required of us in this life. 

I note that the people Jesus heals seem all to have suffered for many year.  

In Mark Jesus feeds the 5000 in Chapter 6.  5 loaves and 2 fish.  And in chapter 8, the 4000 with 7 loaves.  Jesus discusses this later in chapter 8.  Was this different stories being mixed?  Why should it not happen more than once.  Perhaps it happened on other occasions?  Surely this is the first communion.

The Gospels and Acts are challenging, but present no real ethical dilemmas for modern society.  Romans goes straight into controversy.  Chapter 1 26-27.  These are strong negative judgemental sentiments that make me want to ask 'do you understand? or are you following the Torah's unambiguous teaching?  Anyone who knows loving gay couple can not recognise the sentiment in these verses.

1 Cor 11:3 starts by saying the head of 'Man' is Christ, and the head of woman is 'Man'.   Reason- Woman came out of man in the creation story.  This is hard to hear.  Modern science notes that the male gene is a corruption of the female gene, XY to XX.   The domination of the female gender is visible in many mammal species.  I think this ethological observation is amoral.  Human's live to a different law.  In verse 11 Paul introduces new thoughts offering a different perspective.  He notes that Man is born of Woman.  Is Paul taking a old 'Torah' teaching and nudging some balance into it.  No modern Christian believes Paul's teaching on head covering needs to followed.  Are we picking and choosing from our bible?  In chapter 10 Paul argues for liberalism.

A Memory Test

Visitors so far

Adam
Fran
Cameron
Rich
Ruth
Sarah
Emma
Margaret (iii)
Joanna
Andrew
Granny
Grandma
Frances
Paul
Bill G
Sara G
Marjorie
Mary W
David H
Susan H
Claire P
James P
Anny
Elise
Ruth S
Rachel
Emily
Tash
Mary
Evie
Dorothy
Jonney
Dave B
Dave M
Lis
James
Tom B
Mary G
Anna G
Mary 
Miriam E
James
Josh S
Naomi S
Rebekah S
Louise S
Rachel
James B
Fran B
James (jr)
Sophie B
Joseph B
Ollie B
Michel B
Cathy B
Charlie C
Sophie C
Hannah C
Jill C
Mary A
Tim D
Audrey D
Karen D
Kate Z
Chris Z
Greta Z
Ella Z
Mathew M
Anande M
Vendela
Tom
Phillipa
Jatinder
Fernando
Ivone
Ronney
Ellie (Adam)
Elisabah
Naomi (ii)
Yewande
Rashem
Nita
Jochanan
Brian
Marje
Asli
Hana
Taybah
Susanna
Tejal
Komal
Vadahe
Amiee
Minal
Shryea
Liz M
Mrs Tom
Roger B
Helen B
James W
Lala
Max
Mamta
Sandra
Ben C
Fliss
Richard
Beth B
Rachel B
Sara Z
John Z
Isabella
Ali
Neda
Diana
Kate C
Ian
Ellie
Fiona M
Theo
Patricia
Jesse
Susanna W
Chloe
Maya
Rebecca
Matthew
Jonathan
Paul W
Vicky W
Thomas
Gary 
Maria
Toby
Alex
Imogen
Ellie
Min
Abigail
Miriam S
Pooja
Zahara 
Zainab
Judyanto
Kris
Cecilia
Vontas
Juliette
Peter
Kate J
Elaine
Jess
Susie
Ness
Andy P
Sarah P
Alice
Isobel
Graham



159

I Relate to You

This is timeless,

Before you were, we chose you,
Not fair I know, you had no say.

With you, an overwhelming abundance of love,
Overwhelming us all.

Selfless love is not simple.
I care of the good sweet Sonia in 'War and Peace'.
She gave her vulnerable heart prematurely to someone not to be trusted.

What about Mary in Middlemarch?  I clear headed woman, and more astute.
She told Fred that if he became a Parson, she would not marry him, for he was not cut out to serve, and she couldn't live with a lie.

And then there is poor, suffering Joe Gargery, in Great Expectations. Pure, simple, enduring, abused love. 

I think of 'The Father' in the Gospels, sitting, longing in agony for his son to hit rock bottom and return.
Time and distance had no influence over how he felt.
A powerful man, powerless, holding his pain.

In the garden, the Creator realised this unequal love and knew his creation would never be satisfied. Selflessly He formed  a perfect partner, and then stood back, eyes averted.

King David desired to build a temple to the Lord .  But he was not the one, and accepted that his role was to be a supporting act.  Vital, but without the glory.

Listening is the channel,
Forgiveness is it's highest expression,
Love is powerful, it burns to the touch.