Living Religion

(Printer Formatted PDF File)

 

 

 

 

 

By Joseph L. Fisher & Margaret W. Fisher

 

 

 

Edited by George Kimmich Beach and Barbara Kres Beach

 

 

Clerestory Press

Arlington, Virginia

1993

 

Clerestory Press books are published under the auspices of

The Unitarian Church of Arlington, Virginia

4444 Arlington Boulevard

Arlington, Virginia 22204

 

© 1993 Margaret W. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Third Printing.

Printed in the United States of America.

 

Watercolor painting on cover:

“Surf on Hint Island, ” by Margaret W. Fisher. Cover design by Lynn Goldstein.

Text design by John Shackford.

 

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 92-74995 ISBN 1-56726-950-8

 


Contents

 

Part One Inspiration and Integrity. 6

CHAPTER ONE RELIGION AND LIVING.. 6

Inner Light 6

Religion and Living. 6

CHAPTER TWO RELIGION AND NATURE. 11

Peace of the Woods. 11

Inspiration from a Pond. 11

CHAPTER THREE RELIGION AND ART. 16

The Artist’s Song. 16

The Art of Living. 16

CHAPTER FOUR RELIGION AND CHOICE. 22

I’ll Make the Choice. 22

What We Choose Is What We Are. 23

CHAPTER FIVE RELIGION AND SOLITUDE. 27

A Place Apart 27

Religion and Solitude. 28

CHAPTER SIX RELIGION AND TIME. 31

The Fleeting Quality of Time. 31

It’s About Time. 31

Part Two History and Hope. 36

CHAPTER SEVEN RELIGION AND CHANGE. 36

Continuity. 36

Living with Change. 36

CHAPTER EIGHT RELIGION AND HISTORY.. 40

The Spirit of America. 40

Depth Perception through a Wide-Angle Lens. 42

CHAPTER NINE RELIGION, PEACE AND WAR.. 47

Of War and Peace. 47

Of Spears and Pruning Hooks. 47

CHAPTER TEN RELIGION AND POWER GAPS. 53

Respect for Diversity. 53

Gaps, Crises and Power 53

CHAPTER ELEVEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE. 59

Truth Beyond Reckoning. 59

The Lessons and Limits of Science. 60

CHAPTER TWELVE RELIGION AND THE GLOBAL FUTURE. 65

Out of the Shadow: A Prayer 65

Religion and the Global Future. 65

Part Three Community and Caring. 70

CHAPTER THIRTEEN RELIGION AND CARING.. 70

I Must Let You Go. 70

There Is a Bridge. 71

Am I My Brother’s Keeper?. 71

CHAPTER FOURTEEN RELIGION AND VOLUNTEERING.. 77

A Special Wealth. 77

The Volunteering Tradition. 77

CHAPTER FIFTEEN RELIGION AND THE CITY.. 82

Monuments. 82

What Makes A City Great?. 83

CHAPTER SIXTEEN RELIGION AND POVERTY.. 86

A House of Cards. 86

Poverty in an Affluent Society: A Religious Challenge. 87

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN RELIGION AND CRIME. 92

The Words of Gandhi 92

The Evil That Men Do. 93

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN RELIGION, CHURCH AND STATE. 99

Morality. 99

Blurring the Edge: Politics and Religion in the 1980s. 99

CHAPTER NINETEEN RELIGION AND ECOLOGY.. 104

Permanence. 104

Reflections on a Wasteful Society. 105

Part Four Living and Loving. 109

CHAPTER TWENTY RELIGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT. 109

Our Heritage—This Earth.