Dave Roviks song They are Building a Wall

Dave Roviks is in Australia. 

Listen to this song at http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=111310&content=songinfo&songID=6265034

Our walls are built of razor wire and the deep ocean, but we are building walls. (A poster seen in Wales which came from an Irish Peace conference: The Walls of Division do not reach to Heaven!)

Lyrics

They're building a wall
A wall between friends
A wall that justifies
Any means for their ends
A wall between Semites
Rich and poor
Brothers and sisters
From not so long before
Many feet thick
And twenty feet high
No one can look through it
And into the eye
Of a person you might know
To whom you might confide
Now just a stranger
On the other side

They're building a wall
Between water and land
So we can eat fruit
And they can eat sand
A wall to make sure
That our orchards will grow
And our kids can get fat
And not need to know
Of the cities in ruins
And the children in fear
That your fathers and brothers
In tanks might be near
A wall to keep quiet
That which you fear most
So you don't have to listen
To your grandfather's ghost

They're building a wall
Between future and past
A wall to keep separate
The chambers of gas
From bulldozers, gunships
And the tears of a child
Dignity, love
And all honor defiled
To remove reality
From your facts on the ground
A wall to keep distant
The terrible sound
Of the houses that crumble
And the children that die
A wall to keep separate
The truth from the lie

They're building a wall
And at such a cost
Land, money and safety
And all the lives lost
A wall made of brick
But bricks can be broken
When the people of Zion
Have finally awoken
And said no more walls
No more refugees
No more keeping people
Upon their knees
And then the history books
Will someday recall
Before apartheid was ended
They were building a wall

Created February, 2004
Copyright David Rovics 2004, all rights reserved

Atonement

http://michaelcardensjottings.blogspot.com/2010/07/gods-friendship.html
A long post from Michael. It is so good to see him back. This is theology that talks the language which talks to me. That is about creation, about consciousness and renewal of the creation. The ideas may be behind much of the way we talk about our religion, but perhaps I need to "interpret and translate" too much when I hear it. I will be preaching in a few weeks time and want to tease out this idea of the language we use influencing the way we think.

but back to atonement: this paragraph comes some way in to the blog post:

"Atonement was key to the old Temple Judaism of the time (and remains so for Rabbinic Judaism too) such that what really happened was that Christians interpreted the execution of Jesus in light of the rituals and theology of the Day of Atonement as practised in the Temple (in 30CE at Jerusalem and one also at Leontopolis in Egypt). In these rituals the High Priest slaughters first a bull and then a goat and then takes the blood into the Holy of Holies. The blood is then sprinkled and smeared on various parts of the Temple. The Day of Atonement is part of the New Year festival at the autumnal equinox which celebrates the creation of the universe and the renewal of creation. Blood is life and the animal blood represents the blood/life of the High Priest who represents Yahweh, the LORD, who creates and renews creation by an outpouring of the divine life. In esoteric Judaism, this outpouring is understood as the Tree of Life of Kabbalah by which creation occurs through the outpouring of the divine light through the 10 Sefiroth or emanations that comprise the Tree and mapping the process of creation, of consciousness. In Christianity, Jesus on the cross pours out his blood/life as befits the Heavenly High Priest through whom all creation came to be. Jesus on the cross instantiates the divine processes of creation, atonement, renewal. More than anything else atonement is about healing creation, making it whole, restoring it to balance, which is why a key aspect of Jesus public career is healing the sick. Jesus also forgives sin; forgiveness and healing more often go hand in hand in the gospel accounts. Healing, renewal, liberation, and forgiveness are all part of the ancient Jewish theology of Atonement as expressed not only through the annual rituals of Yom Kippur but the associated sabbath and Jubilee years which were proclaimed on the Day of Atonement."

and a little later on:

"Nevertheless, while the Temple rituals of atonement were no doubt profound and awe-inspiring, death on the cross is not. It is brutal, disgusting, horrifying and shameful. Crucifixion was meant to debase and degrade as well as kill. So the sight of a person hanging bloodied and brutalised on a cross is not self-evidently an instantiation of the divine creative and healing process, far from it. I think it is this fact that lies behind the Christian stress on kenosis, self-emptying, that is understood from very early on as a hallmark of the divine, of the divine as manifested in Jesus. The god of Christianity is a god who submits to degradation and abandonment and death - eloi, eloi, lama sabacthani - this is a god who knows despair and brokenness. In other words this is a god who approaches humans on the same level, sharing human pain and desolation, who will submit to brutal death rather than summon legions of angels to lord it over humans."

Now, Michael does use another blog, so I feel no shame using his, but there is just so much more. He is really writing about apokatastasis; I leap a bit to say: universalism... Origen is one of my favourites and he was called (after his death) a heretic for this. But it stays with the eastern church. the west abandoned it totally but we should revisit it. I recommend the whole of Michael's post. now I return to "Le Tour" (maybe that is why I don't write these things myself! :-) )

Obama on clean energy.

From President Obama's talk to the nation from the Oval Office:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-nation-bp-oil-spill

"For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered.  For decades, we’ve talked and talked about the need to end America’s century-long addiction to fossil fuels.  And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires.  Time and again, the path forward has been blocked -- not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.  

The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight.  Countries like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that should be right here in America.  Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil.  And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.

We cannot consign our children to this future.  The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.  Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash America’s innovation and seize control of our own destiny.

This is not some distant vision for America.  The transition away from fossil fuels is going to take some time, but over the last year and a half, we’ve already taken unprecedented action to jumpstart the clean energy industry.  As we speak, old factories are reopening to produce wind turbines, people are going back to work installing energy-efficient windows, and small businesses are making solar panels.  Consumers are buying more efficient cars and trucks, and families are making their homes more energy-efficient.  Scientists and researchers are discovering clean energy technologies that someday will lead to entire new industries. 

Each of us has a part to play in a new future that will benefit all of us.  As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs -– but only if we accelerate that transition.  Only if we seize the moment.  And only if we rally together and act as one nation –- workers and entrepreneurs; scientists and citizens; the public and private sectors.  
When I was a candidate for this office, I laid out a set of principles that would move our country towards energy independence.  Last year, the House of Representatives acted on these principles by passing a strong and comprehensive energy and climate bill –- a bill that finally makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America’s businesses. 

Now, there are costs associated with this transition.  And there are some who believe that we can’t afford those costs right now.  I say we can’t afford not to change how we produce and use energy -– because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater. 

So I’m happy to look at other ideas and approaches from either party -– as long they seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels.  Some have suggested raising efficiency standards in our buildings like we did in our cars and trucks.  Some believe we should set standards to ensure that more of our electricity comes from wind and solar power.  Others wonder why the energy industry only spends a fraction of what the high-tech industry does on research and development -– and want to rapidly boost our investments in such research and development.   

All of these approaches have merit, and deserve a fair hearing in the months ahead.  But the one approach I will not accept is inaction.  The one answer I will not settle for is the idea that this challenge is somehow too big and too difficult to meet.  You know, the same thing was said about our ability to produce enough planes and tanks in World War II.  The same thing was said about our ability to harness the science and technology to land a man safely on the surface of the moon.  And yet, time and again, we have refused to settle for the paltry limits of conventional wisdom.  Instead, what has defined us as a nation since our founding is the capacity to shape our destiny -– our determination to fight for the America we want for our children.  Even if we’re unsure exactly what that looks like.  Even if we don’t yet know precisely how we’re going to get there.  We know we’ll get there.   

It’s a faith in the future that sustains us as a people.  It is that same faith that sustains our neighbors in the Gulf right now."

Letter to PM Julia

this was sent via Get UP Welcome Writ Large

Dear Prime Minister,

warm congratulations on yesterday (24th June). I hope it will be a fulfilling and exciting time for you.
My plea is that you will be mindful of the needs and terrors facing those who seek asylum in our country. Those who cannot obtain a visa to fly in and whose only hope is to take to the seas in leaky boats.

I do not share that worry about border protection that you talked of in your press conference yesterday, but I understand that you do know more about it than I do. However, I would hope that you might lead us to be the welcoming nation that we were when I was at school in the 1950's. A time of migration and a time when Australia was a refuge for many fleeing the aftermath of war.

But now, we need a new story to build on the strength of the multi cultural society we have become. I ask that you might seek to find that.

I would also encourage you in your efforts to place a price on carbon and to bring Australians with you.
Climate change is not something to "believe in", but something to cause great action and deep changes in the way we live our lives. Changing our lives to combat this danger can bring great benefit to all of us.

I write as a "Woman in Black", one who has stood at the back entry into Parliament on those early mornings of a new sitting. As I watch you all (politicians and others) come into the Parliament to work I am very aware of the weight of the task that we lay upon your shoulders. May that task be light upon you, enjoyable and fulfilling,

yours sincerely,

Michael's latest piece. Christianity's "Fall".

http://michaelcardensjottings.blogspot.com/2010/06/whos-responsible-for-christianitys-fall.html

Another  fascinating blog from Michael Carden. I love the new eyes that he uses to see the christian story.

Rejecting the dualism of Paul versus Jesus... Pointing out the Californian Jesus of the 'Jesus Seminar'...

There is a lot here, worth looking at deeply! thank you Michael!

The Broad Vision

http://changingattitude-england.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-is-archbishop-of-canterbury.html

Colin Coward is again broadening the view!

"There is a movement of the Spirit flowing in our world which is leading people in new directions, towards a reconnection with the earth, our environment and the inherent unity of all creation in God and away from dualism, polarization and the abuse of our planet and of each other."

I am taken by calls for "new eyes for seeing" (since the WCC gathering in Canberra 1991). Colin quotes the Archbishop of Canterbury's sermon to the Royal Society

To keep the eye open is to keep open the possibility of health for the whole body (says Our Lord). And surely not only the body of the individual but the body of a society..

But we are always hindered by what Bergson alerted us to:

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend"

an archbishop writes to the Anglican Communion...

I was unwilling to post a link to Archbishop Rowan William's letter to the Anglican communion until I read Bishop Katharine's response. I can't find that response on the web so I put it up on our parish web site.

A conversation, a "listening process" requires two participants. The way I read what the communion is saying to the episcopal church is "stop doing it" (or you will go blind?)"; no, "stop doing it" and you listen to us. Who is listening to the episcopal church?

A typical problem for conflict resolution. Every one is feeling wronged, or taking the role of the under-dog, the victim, it's all their fault...

Perhaps both bishops are trying to get beyond that. I just don't see it very clearly. (Maybe more clearly while writing this, but now I have to go and do women-in-black. There is still work to be done!
The Archbishop of Canterbury +Rowan Williams wrote to the Anglican Communion at Pentecost. A summary and link to the letter is at http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2876
Download the letter at the Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter [89kbWordDoc]
Episcopalian (USA) Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori responds to the Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost letter.http://www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au/Response.html
(Brian has found it at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_122615_ENG_HTM.htm)


Colin Coward's comment is now on the changing attitude blog at http://changingattitude-england.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-archbishop-of-canterbury-and.html