Andrew Cort's Blog, page 46
February 24, 2011
Unity
freedom ... !,
originally uploaded by kalyan02.In this time of so much turmoil in the Middle East, it'd be good to remember that there is a commonality of inner meaning and purpose that unites Judaism, Christianity and Islam; that gives our traditions real spiritual meaning; that fosters love and respect rather than fear and hatred.
Unity
freedom ... !,
originally uploaded by kalyan02.In this time of so much turmoil in the Middle East, it'd be good to remember that there is a commonality of inner meaning and purpose that unites Judaism, Christianity and Islam; that gives our traditions real spiritual meaning; that fosters love and respect rather than fear and hatred.
February 7, 2011
Controversy, Civility and Compromise – THE PURPOSE of RELIGION
Controversy, Civility and Compromise – THE PURPOSE of RELIGION
I was recently interviewed by Robert Rose on his radio program. Tune in!
I was recently interviewed by Robert Rose on his radio program. Tune in!
February 2, 2011
Egypt and the Future
Eventually a time will come when we look back in hindsight and wonder how we could not have known what was going to happen. But right now, it's such a huge unknown! Will the departure of Mubarak be followed by an America-hating terrorist regime and an end to Egypt's peace with Israel? Or will it be followed by a democratic government that human rights and prosperity to Egyptians and renewed support for their neighbor? Should America and other nations be patient with Mubarak so there is time for a safe, stable democratic transition, or should we use all our influence to get him out sooner rather than later -- before the protesters turn against the west and hitch their star to our enemies? Does the rising tide of protest and demonstration throughout various nations of the Middle East mean that freedom and peace are the future? Or will it all be co-opted by forces of hate, chaos and oppression? I hear explanations all day long from journalists and politicians, assuring me of one or another of these outcomes, and they all sound so wise and convincing! What do you think?
Egypt and the Future
Eventually a time will come when we look back in hindsight and wonder how we could not have known what was going to happen. But right now, it's such a huge unknown! Will the departure of Mubarak be followed by an America-hating terrorist regime and an end to Egypt's peace with Israel? Or will it be followed by a democratic government that human rights and prosperity to Egyptians and renewed support for their neighbor? Should America and other nations be patient with Mubarak so there is time for a safe, stable democratic transition, or should we use all our influence to get him out sooner rather than later -- before the protesters turn against the west and hitch their star to our enemies? Does the rising tide of protest and demonstration throughout various nations of the Middle East mean that freedom and peace are the future? Or will it all be co-opted by forces of hate, chaos and oppression? I hear explanations all day long from journalists and politicians, assuring me of one or another of these outcomes, and they all sound so wise and convincing! What do you think?
Egypt and the Future
Eventually a time will come when we look back in hindsight and wonder how we could not have known what was going to happen. But right now, it's such a huge unknown! Will the departure of Mubarak be followed by an America-hating terrorist regime and an end to Egypt's peace with Israel? Or will it be followed by a democratic government that human rights and prosperity to Egyptians and renewed support for their neighbor? Should America and other nations be patient with Mubarak so there is time for a safe, stable democratic transition, or should we use all our influence to get him out sooner rather than later -- before the protesters turn against the west and hitch their star to our enemies? Does the rising tide of protest and demonstration throughout various nations of the Middle East mean that freedom and peace are the future? Or will it all be co-opted by forces of hate, chaos and oppression? I hear explanations all day long from journalists and politicians, assuring me of one or another of these outcomes, and they all sound so wise and convincing! What do you think?
Egypt and the Future
Eventually a time will come when we look back in hindsight and wonder how we could not have known what was going to happen. But right now, it's such a huge unknown! Will the departure of Mubarak be followed by an America-hating terrorist regime and an end to Egypt's peace with Israel? Or will it be followed by a democratic government that brings human rights and prosperity to Egyptians and renewed support for their neighbor? Should America and other nations be patient with Mubarak so there is time for a safe, stable democratic transition, or should we use all our influence to get him out sooner rather than later -- before the protesters turn against the west and hitch their star to our enemies? Does the rising tide of protest and demonstration throughout various nations of the Middle East mean that freedom and peace are the future? Or will it all be co-opted by forces of hate, chaos and oppression? I hear explanations all day long from journalists and politicians, assuring me of one or another of these outcomes, and they all sound so wise and convincing! What an incredible moment! What do you think will happen?
January 26, 2011
The Real Purpose of Religion
Do you find yourself wishing for higher meaning in life, but you just can't stomach the blind fundamentalism, the empty orthodoxy, or all the nastiness and bigotry that religion seems to foster? I invite you to read The Purpose of Religion: Enlightenment, Meaning and Love in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Symbology (now available on Amazon or in bookstores). You will see that the usual self-righteous insistence on conflicting moral precepts, and the irrational requirement for unquestioning belief in unscientific dogma, are all distortions of what was really intended by our Traditions. You will see that the stories were never meant to be read as literal history. Rather, they are symbolic allegories filled with useful psychological and spiritual meaning. And you will discover the stunning underlying unity within Judaism, Christianity and Islam that does away with any need for religious hatred, violence or war.
January 20, 2011
Dinah and Joseph
The Kabbalah tells a strange story about the birth of Dinah and Joseph. Leah was fruitful and had given Jacob six sons. She also gave him two more sons through her handmaid, Zilpah. Rachel also gave him two sons through her handmaid, Bilhah. But Rachel herself had long been barren. Now Leah was pregnant again, and at long last so was Rachel. Leah was carrying another boy, and Rachel was carrying a girl.
Leah felt pity and compassion for her sister and prayed to the Lord that Rachel might give birth to the son (so that Rachel would give posterity at least one of the prophesied twelve tribes) and she herself, after having so many sons, would carry the daughter. God heard her prayer and switched the children in their wombs! Leah then gave birth to Dinah, and Rachel gave birth to Joseph.
In Scripture, the birth of a son represents a new spiritual attribute of the Mind, and the birth of a daughter represents a new spiritual attribute of the Heart. Some legends claim that eleven of Jacob's sons had twin sisters, feminine analogues of the masculine attributes of the brothers (and after hearing of Joseph's death, Genesis says that all his "sons and daughters" could not comfort him). What this story is really getting at is that the Patriarchs, like Adam when he first was created and like all levels of Divinity, were/are both male and female.
Only Joseph and Dinah were not born with twins. But the miraculous story of their birth shows how deeply they were connected, that they were spiritual twins. Together, these two children represent the male and female aspects of the human Soul.
Leah felt pity and compassion for her sister and prayed to the Lord that Rachel might give birth to the son (so that Rachel would give posterity at least one of the prophesied twelve tribes) and she herself, after having so many sons, would carry the daughter. God heard her prayer and switched the children in their wombs! Leah then gave birth to Dinah, and Rachel gave birth to Joseph.
In Scripture, the birth of a son represents a new spiritual attribute of the Mind, and the birth of a daughter represents a new spiritual attribute of the Heart. Some legends claim that eleven of Jacob's sons had twin sisters, feminine analogues of the masculine attributes of the brothers (and after hearing of Joseph's death, Genesis says that all his "sons and daughters" could not comfort him). What this story is really getting at is that the Patriarchs, like Adam when he first was created and like all levels of Divinity, were/are both male and female.
Only Joseph and Dinah were not born with twins. But the miraculous story of their birth shows how deeply they were connected, that they were spiritual twins. Together, these two children represent the male and female aspects of the human Soul.
January 16, 2011
God Comes to Kill Moses (You might've missed this one)
At a night encampment on the way, the Lord encountered him and sought to kill him. So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin, and touched his legs with it, saying, "You are truly a bridegroom of blood to me!" And when He let him alone, she added, "A bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision."(Exod.4.24-26)
Here is the customary interpretation: Moses had circumcised one of his sons, but not the other. This was because he was honoring an agreement he had made with his uncircumcised father-in-law, Jethro: Moses had consented to circumcise one child as an Israelite, but the other would remain an uncircumcised Egyptian. But now Moses had passed beyond the level of Jethro, and this 'agreement' was not acceptable to the Lord.
Others say that God belatedly wished to punish Moses for killing the Egyptian, or that God was still resentful at all the objections Moses had raised at the Burning Bush.
But none of these interpretations have a satisfactory ring to them when compared to the extraordinary bloodiness and eeriness of the story. There has to be more.
God's attempt to kill Moses means that something in Moses, something in the Initiate, would have to 'die' and be reborn. Circumcision is a universal symbol of rebirth.
Here is the customary interpretation: Moses had circumcised one of his sons, but not the other. This was because he was honoring an agreement he had made with his uncircumcised father-in-law, Jethro: Moses had consented to circumcise one child as an Israelite, but the other would remain an uncircumcised Egyptian. But now Moses had passed beyond the level of Jethro, and this 'agreement' was not acceptable to the Lord.
Others say that God belatedly wished to punish Moses for killing the Egyptian, or that God was still resentful at all the objections Moses had raised at the Burning Bush.
But none of these interpretations have a satisfactory ring to them when compared to the extraordinary bloodiness and eeriness of the story. There has to be more.
God's attempt to kill Moses means that something in Moses, something in the Initiate, would have to 'die' and be reborn. Circumcision is a universal symbol of rebirth.
