A man from Uganda reminded me that...

Last weekend in Chicago, at Brent House (the campus ministry of the Episcopal Church at the University of Chicago) I finally had the chance to meet Bishop Christopher Senyonjo . I have written about him in the past (including his work with the St. Paul's Reconciliation and Equality Centre in Kampala, Uganda and the St. Paul's Foundation for International Reconciliation in San Diego, CA) and how I have been inspired by his courage, his faith, and his determination as part of his ministry and mission for: human rights, women’s self help and advocacy programs, HIV/AIDS, decriminalization of homosexuality (it is illegal in 75 countries including his native Uganda), education, fighting poverty, and other critical issues. 

However, to read about him and watch his interviews on youtube quite frankly does not do any justice to this man from Uganda called Bishop Christopher, this human being called Christopher...to his humanity.

The following are some of the things that will stay with me for a long time as I (and everyone that attended 'A Conversation with Bishop Christopher Senyonjo') listened to him. This man from Uganda, this Christian, this human being reminded me that:

1) My path in life (like it has many times) will lead me to places and situations that are not part of the 'plan'. This can be very scary, but it can also be very rewarding.

2) That love and compassion are superior and stronger than hate.

3) That hate along with prejudice itself has no flag, no country, no religion, no government, no society, etc; hate and prejudice will use US in the name of flag, country, religion, government and society to do their work.

4) All of us regardless of where we come from can be either victims of prejudice or can be enforcers of prejudice one day, and the next day the roles can be reversed.

5) That education, knowledge, and compassionate dialogue are key against all types of prejudice. It is a risky venture, but it is worth it.

Also, I will remember his wife and her strong spirit as she spoke to us about how she knew she had to stand by the man she loves and how she understood him when 10 years ago he told her what he was going to do. It is truly wonderful to see two people (specially at this stage of their lives) be so committed to each other.

I will remember his laughter. His laughter during little moments like trying to 'correctly' fit his suitcase in the back of a car as he got ready to leave, or trying to find the correct page in the Book of Common Prayer :)

Also,

I will remember him asking me how to say "Bless you" in Spanish.

I will remember him giving big hugs to all of us.

I will remember his smile...

Will my faith make me abuse, torture and kill my own child?

My dear reader, I will try answer the question "Will my faith make me abuse, torture and kill my own child?" and I will address some points like this one by my friend JT when at the end of his latest blog entry "Spare The Rod, Spoil The Child Not Relevant In Child Abuse Case" stated:

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Lazy thinking and irrationality are evil, for they are mother to this kind of behavior. People who lend endorsement to irrationality by imbibing it in sub-lethal doses are failing their duty as a human being. We can point to the effects of the poison and all we hear from other believers is, “I swallowed it and I didn’t die!” This perpetuates the problem, and I hold all people who believe in faith accountable for that.

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Allow me to post for you the text of "Couple accused of starving daughter plead not guilty" as reported on Friday Oct 7, 2011 by Reuters. Please read the story and stay tuned for my thoughts on this.

Mario

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Couple accused of starving daughter plead not guilty

SEATTLE | Fri Oct 7, 2011 5:31pm EDT

(Reuters) - A couple accused of starving their adopted 13-year-old Ethiopian-born daughter and locking her outside in the cold, where she died from exposure, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to homicide and child abuse charges.

Although investigators found the Washington state couple adhered to a harsh child-rearing regimen prescribed by a controversial Christian parenting book, the prosecutor said Thursday that religion was not relevant to the criminal case.

Larry and Carri Williams, of Sedro-Woolley -- a town about halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia -- were arrested September 29, more than four months after their daughter, Hana, died of hypothermia in their backyard.

A Skagit County Superior Court judge reduced their bail from $500,000 to $150,000 each on Thursday, and barred them from contact with their eight remaining children, who were placed into foster care in July, or with each other.

Each is charged with homicide by abuse in connection with their daughter's death, and first-degree assault of a child stemming from mistreatment of her adopted 10-year-old brother from Ethiopia.

If convicted each faces a prison term of between 20 and 29 years, according to state sentencing guidelines.

Hana Williams, adopted from Ethiopia by the couple in 2008, died on May 12 after she was found unconscious outside shortly after midnight, in temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, authorities said.

Investigators say the abuse she endured included beatings, starvation, being forced to sleep outside and use an outdoor toilet, and that she had lost a significant amount of weight since her adoption. Prosecutors said the 10-year-old brother was similarly mistreated.

The parents kept the family isolated from non-relatives, home-schooled the children and followed strict religious principles described in the Christian parenting book titled "To Train Up a Child," investigators said.

According to court documents, their 16-year-old son told investigators that Hana "was kept in a locked closet and the only light switch was on the outside of the closet. He stated that his mother would take her out every other day to walk and exercise. They played the Bible on tape and Christian music for her while she was locked in the closet."

But Prosecutor Rich Weyrich insisted that issues of faith were not a factor in the case against the couple. "Religion's not an element we have to probe. We have to prove that the children were assaulted, tortured and died," he told Reuters on Thurday.

Larry Williams, 47, who works for Boeing, and his wife, Carri, 40, a stay-at-home mother, were being held in Skagit County Jail.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and Greg McCune)

Corrects book title in 9th paragraph

What is Hell, to you, to me, to us?

A while ago, I wrote something as I was thinking about the following question:

"What is hell?"

During a conversation I had last night with an old friend and a new friend, the topic of the "afterlife" was discussed among the many topics we talked about. As I was reading some of my previous blog entries for inspiration and/or to perhaps revisit some ideas, I came across this blog entry I wrote a while ago on the topic of Hell. Allow me my dear reader, to share this with you once again.

peace,

Mario

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What is hell? Many Christians have thought about this and we have debated this for centuries. This in not a new question. Once we realize this then we can try to understand the controversy about Rob Bell's book "Love Wins".  I cannot wait to read it. In the meantime all I have is a book description, a couple of interviews and the video in youtube; you may know the one, the one when he asks "Gandhi is in hell? Really? Do we know that?"

But let us stop for a second: if Gandhi is in hell (or not) is not THE question to me. Because I believe that is one of many, many questions. And every time I think of this, I ask: what is hell?

Depends who you ask since to start, it has many names:

Hades..

Tartarus..

Gehenna...

Sheol...

Inferno...

And those are just the names. So what is hell like?

Is it to be taken literally as described in those places in the Bible, using the names we mentioned before?

Is hell something like we see in a Bosch painting?

Is hell separation from God?

Is hell a separate place from heaven?

Is hell a spiritual state?

Out of the many reactions that I have seen regarding Rob Bell (I believe one phrase was something similar to "progressive Christians like Rob Bell") I found one very interesting. A writer admired that many people have been able to get help at Mars Hills (Rob Bell's church) with drug problems, marital problems etc.  But then he said: "a therapist can do that." He went on to say how important it is that people like Rob Bell tell the truth (with love) about the orthodox Christian teaching of hell and how a soul can end up in hell.

That got me thinking about two things:

1) If one of us, or someone we know, is a drug addict and gets the help he/she needs, what is more important: that the help was given without strings, or that the helper must fit the proper definition of a helper?

2) The "orthodox Christian teaching" of hell? What is that? And even if we had the answer, why are we so concerned about the AFTERLIFE teaching of hell? What about hell in THIS life?

If a 9 year old boy is forced to fight in a war, is he not in hell?

If a 9 year old girl is forced into prostitution, is she not in hell?

If a friend looses his house and everything that he owns in a flood, is he not in hell?

If a friend is bullied every day at school, is she not in hell?

If a family member is in pain every day due to a medical condition, is he not in hell?

So, is hell ONLY the place we go in the afterlife because we did (or not) this or that, we thought (or not) this or that?

Or is hell also right here right now.

And if you, me, or someone we know is in that hell right now, would we care for the "love" of the "orthodox Christian teaching of hell"?

Or, would we say: help me get out of this hell, please...