“The Spiritual Gift

Unique to Our Species.”[1]

INTRODUCTION: The 19^th Century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer writes[2] that for most of us, when we look back on our lives, it seems that it all “fits together.” Those things which seemed chaotic, whimsical or coincidental at the time, in retrospect, all seem instead to have been a piece in the giant puzzle of our lives, as if the whole thing were intricately woven by a mystery novelist.

Since we know that wasn’t the case, the question then is, who did the writing of the novel of our lives…or more specifically who made the decisions that resulted in, we being we…in our lives following the patterns that they followed?

Schopenhauer suggests that for an analogy, we should compare it to our dreams: When we have a dream, the dream is a reality, but who initiated the dream? Dreams are not something we consciously are aware of initiating. We don’t intentionally plan our dreams. And yet, it’s fair to say that they are the product of our will, though not in a conscious way of willing. We don’t will to have a dream.

In the same way then, would it not be possible to think of the playing out of the totality of our lives being directed by our will in much the same way as our dreams appear? Though we don’t necessarily think of our lives as having a grand plan, there was an overall willing, or choosing, the various acts and stages of our lives…or so Schopenhauer contended.

I use that as a lead-in to address the theme of the sermon today: The spiritual gift unique to our lives. To explain it, let’s first talk about ourselves relative to other species.

Schopenhauer was a great advocate – and this was in the 1840s – of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He even went so far as to protest against the use of the pronoun "it" in reference to animals. Why? Because to do so, he concluded, contributed to the mistreatment of animals, as though they were inanimate things or objects. To reinforce his point, Schopenhauer referred to the look in the eyes of a monkey who had been shot, or the grief of a baby elephant whose mother had been killed by a hunter.

It was recognition of the uniqueness of animals. It was also an acknowledgement of their possessing characteristics of awareness far more than typically given. In fact, were animals able to communicate verbally, they would probably accuse humans of being “dumb animals.” One example: When there were no laws against child abuse in America, there simply were no constraints on what parents could do to their children. In one particularly egregious example in Baltimore, the neighbors to a barbaric and cruel set of parents sought to stop the abuse, but with no success anywhere. Finally, a social service agency used the laws against cruelty-to-animals to bring suit against these abusive parents. In the courts, they contended that children are animals, too; hence they should be protected by the same laws against cruelty to animals. They won and the tide of child abuse began to change. Animals do not abuse their young.

So recognizing our common ground with the rest of the animal population is very appropriate. And yet there is one distinct difference between and among our species. I’ve called it a spiritual gift. Its articulation comes from Jorge Santayana. It’s this:

1.     Our species can look back at the past and survey the good and the bad, the wrong and the right that we did. Sometimes it’s the recent past, or maybe it’s in the far distant past.

2.     Then, we can determine, based on our perception of the past, to make a decision in the present, to live our lives differently in the future.

A prime example of course is Alcoholics Anonymous, which has given millions of human beings addicted to alcohol, a fresh start on life. The consequences of drinking had become so overpowering that they were finally driven to find help through AA. The 12 steps program, and the regular meetings with others struggling with the same problem, were that help.

            In a gross oversimplification: One of the bedrock conclusions drawn from many studies of alcoholics who were successful in stopping drinking was quite simple: They had to look at what had happened to their lives in the past, and determine in the present, that they wanted the future to be different. 

            There are other illustrations besides addiction – patterns and practices, that when added together are compelling reasons for deciding to change the way one lives. But the point is very simple: Among all the other species, that gift of being able to look back into the past, and determine in the present, that we are going to live differently in the future: That’s a trait unique to our species. What it means is that we can start over. We can change our pattern and way of living.

It’s not that once we were sinners, and now that we’ve changed our practices, we’re a saint; rather, we’ve made a conscious decision to change the way we live. In effect, it’s the start of a spiritual metamorphosis.

I. IT CAN BE A SPIRITUAL METAMORPHOSIS.

That isn’t always something giant-sized or emotionally overwhelming. For me, it was as simple as wearing a clergy collar. Here’s what I mean:

Several years ago, I served on the board of Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma, eventually becoming president elect, before moving to California. Later, when I was back in Oklahoma, it was quite natural to get involved again in the work of Planned Parenthood. (My daughter had just gone to work for the High Plains Planned Parenthood headquartered in Amarillo, Texas.)

            About this time, a Roman Catholic group called “Rescue America” announced plans to come to Oklahoma City and “rescue” the area from the three women’s clinics approved by Planned Parenthood for first trimester abortions. It so happened that these clinics were the only public clinics providing first trimester abortions for women in Oklahoma County, which had close to a million people. The media alerted us to the fact that several Catholic priests were planning to join the “rescue” group in their protest.

            The two Unitarian Universalist churches in the area determined that we needed to have a presence in support of the women who would show up that day for abortions. With the help of Planned Parenthood, we put together training sessions for more than 200 people.

            The media interest precipitated a local news show of which I was asked to be a part, along with the state director of the ACLU and the minister of the First Baptist Church. It was really a little unfair, two against one: two liberals against one very conservative Baptist preacher.

In the process of taping the show, I realized the Baptist minister was feeling the pressure. Once we were off camera, the Baptist minister protested in front of the moderator that I shouldn’t quote the Bible as I had done, since I didn’t believe it. I replied that I believed the Bible, but I just didn’t believe it the way he did.

Anyway, come the Saturday we knew Rescue America was to arrive, I also knew there were going to be clergy-collared, black-shirted, Roman Catholic priests present. I wondered as a Unitarian Universalist clergy what to wear.

My one black-shirt with a clergy collar was still hanging in the closet from a ministerial luncheon I had bought it for to debate Congressman Ernest Istook in opposition to his proposed constitutional amendment putting prayer back in schools. That was the first time I had worn such a shirt. I remembered that when I had put it on, it was like a magic cloak. I had a different sense of self because of that collar. Others treated me differently, as well. In fact, I even drove differently.

Now this protest at the clinics seemed like another time to consider wearing it. But before doing so, I thought about my past. It was a long ways from where I had started in the Pentecostal Holiness Church, to the United Methodist Church, to Planned Parenthood, abortion clinics and opposing Rescue America. But I decided to wear a clergy-collar in the defense of the women’s health clinics. Twenty or more years later, I’m still wearing it most of the time.

And there were ancillary benefits: My ways of thinking and acting all improved. I not only drove a heck of a lot better; but fundamentally, I wanted to be a better person and the collar helped me to do so. Santayana said that only our species is capable of making those kinds of decisions, of being able to realize those kinds of gifts.

And while we’re on the subject of women’s right to terminate their pregnancies, our governor and the Republican majorities in the Florida legislature are now in the process of passing bills seeking to make it even more difficult for a woman to make her own decision about becoming a mother. Our voice needs to be heard. Republicans need to stay out of women’s bedrooms. Those kinds of decisions are between a woman and her physician, not Florida legislators.

II. APPLICATION.

So what’s the spiritual application here? Two things: First, is theological awareness. Unitarians are good with that. I realized how good when I started our workshop a couple of weeks ago using the 1963 bestseller, Honest to God. What made it so interesting is that much of what the author is advocating is what liberal religious congregations like ours have long ago appropriated and put into practice. But I found it stimulating to realize the progress that we’ve made.

Sometimes we take progress for granted as I discovered with my own sister, a few weeks ago. She’s had a unique spiritual journey. Like me, she was raised in the Pentecostal Holiness Church. After high school, she married and moved to San Jose, California. In addition to raising two kids, and going to college once they were in school, she became the Director of Music at her little Pentecostal Holiness Church. It became bigger and bigger and bigger.

One day the minister announced that from that day forward, everyone who was on the platform during any part of the services would need to be at church services 30 minutes early for a special prayer time. Something in Grace rebelled. It wasn’t only the time, or the burden it put on her family. She simply didn’t have any inclination to spend 30 minutes on the platform of the auditorium in prayer before the service. She said, no, and the minister said it has to be yes. Even though they had been high school friends, she gave up her position and the church.

Thirty years later, she called and said she was wanting to begin attending church again, and she asked me for advice about which of three liberal religious churches to attend in greater Oklahoma City. She chose to attend First Unitarian Church in Oklahoma City.

When I spoke to her yesterday, she said she had been twice and it was like a breath of fresh air. She didn’t realize how fulfilling it could be and how much she enjoyed the intellectual stimulation, but also the interaction with the kind of people that a Unitarian church attracts. Awareness is basic

But there’s one other principle of application:

Spiritual awareness isn’t only the process of acquiring knowledge; it’s also the discipline of following a regular spiritual practice that includes attention and awareness....

Once we realize that we can change our lives, and the patterns of our lives, then there is also a need to reinforce that change by adding a spiritual dimension. That can be reflection, contemplation, meditation, music, prayer, and many other intentional spiritual practices. The point is that it needs to be something we do regularly.

CONCLUSION.

Dr. Patricia Bloom[3] has several times given a lecture entitled "Meditation as Medicine: What Neuroscience Has to Teach Us about Health and Happiness." In it she speaks about how our modern lifestyle triggers the body’s stress response — the ancient "fight or flight" mechanism which evolved to help our species survive in times of imminent physical danger. Our lives in America in the 21^st Century are not that often challenged by imminent danger, but we are often stressed, and chronically so. Chronic stress has the potential to produce all kinds of bodily illnesses – cardiovascular and gastrointestinal, and even infectious diseases.

            But here’s the good news: Counterbalancing the research showing the negative effects of chronic stress are studies demonstrating that a spiritual practice can elicit the body's own relaxation response, which helps us to recuperate from stress. Activating the relaxation response helps us to handle stress better. And spiritual practice develops the brain’s capacity for experiencing happiness and fulfillment.

Shalom. Salaam Aleikum. Amen. And blessed be.