Lee Harmon's Blog, page 110

Book review: How We Believe

by Michael Shermer

★★★★★
Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, the director of the Skeptics Society, and host of the Skeptics Lecture Series. I don't need to tell you what sort of direction this book is going to take. But even knowing what to expect, this was a fun book, well worth the read!
Shermer, noting that 96% of Americans believe in God and 73% believe that angels regular visit earth, asks one question: Why? Why do even 40% of scientists proclaim a belief in God? Why do more people believe in paranormal phenomena now than they did 100 years ago? Why do we believe at all, and why must we seek meaning in higher places? What is our fascination with ghosts and séances? Is belief in God genetically programmed? Some kind of "God module" in our brains?
Mankind is a pattern-seeking animal, whether this talent is used to see the Virgin Mary in patterns of light and shadow or to see meaning within the randomness of coincidental events. Mankind is also a storytelling animal. We love our  stories, and our stories do more than describe our reality, they help create our realities. So, as we move from pattern-seeking to storytelling, we naturally journey on to mythmaking. Origin myths abound in various cultures. But the journey of humanity doesn't end there. From mythmaking we jump ahead to morality, from morality to religion, from religion to God. Perhaps we are wired to believe; perhaps there's a certain inevitability in the way the human experience has evolved.
Shermer presents a number of studies and interviews as he leads us on this journey. One of the most fascinating studies in Shermer's book compared answers to two questions: "Why do you believe in God," and "Why do you think other people believe in God?" The answers don't jibe. Other people believe in God because they were raised that way, or because it brings them comfort to believe, or because people have a need to believe. But what do people answer as to why they believe? Well, because they've thought it through, of course; the universe is too orderly, or the experiences they've had could only come from God.
Shermer's approach is scientific, yet controversial. The conclusions are his own; but I guarantee the book will make you think, and I guarantee you'll enjoy the read.

Matthew 10:2, who were the Twelve Apostles?

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these;
//I won't bore you with the rest of the verse. You probably won't recognize some of the names anyway. Ever hear of Lebbaeus?
The four gospels, the book of Acts, and Paul all agree there were twelve. In fact, they insist. Twelve men, to govern the twelve tribes of Israel when the Messiah returns. But who are these twelve men?
Different writers give different lists, and this has led to endless research, tracking down just exactly who is whom. Here's the full collection, borrowed from the Skeptic's Annotated Bible, if you'd like to try your hand at this exercise.

APOSTLES of JESUSMATMARLUKJOHACTGAL1ANDREWXXX
X
2BARTHOLOMEWXXX
X
3JAMES ALPHAEUSXXX
X
4JAMES, BROTHER of JESUS




X5JAMES ZEBEDEEXXXXX
6JOHN ZEBEDEEXXXXX
7JUDAS, BROTHER of JAMES

X
X
8JUDAS ISCARIOT, SON of SIMONXXXX

9JUDAS, NOT ISCARIOT

XX

10LABBAEUS THADDEUSXX



11LEVI ALPHAEUS, the PUBLICAN
XX


12MATTHEW, the PUBLICANXXX
X
13NATHANAEL of CANA


X

14NICODEMUS?


?

15PHILIPXXXXX
16SIMON PETERXXXXXX17SIMON the CANAANITEXX



18SIMON ZELOTES

X
X
19THOMAS DIDYMUSXXXXX

Book review: The Calling: Living a Life of Significance

by Kurt Senske

★★★★
This is a self-help workbook for Christians, complete with exercises. A guide to spicing up everyday life with meaning, by discovering and living in alignment with the purpose God has set for our lives. It's "impossible for us to live the life that God created uniquely for us and continue to live in our old ways." So, Senske provides a workshop for people who want to change their lives now, who are dissatisfied now with a life of insignificance.
How do we choose our job? How do we manage our finances? How do we budget our time? Although the focus of the book is on secular issues, the solution is always finding the path that's in harmony with God. We must recognize that we don't choose our calling; God chooses it for us. Step one, then, according to Dr. Senske, is to make God central to our lives.
Step two is to "connect the dots," recognizing God's hand in all of life's little synchronicities. Step three is to incorporate rituals into our daily lives. By the time you reach the final exercise, your life will be transformed … by accepting God's purpose for you.
I confess that, as a liberal Christian, I had trouble relating to a few of the themes. Perhaps I overestimated myself when I offered to review a book for Christian living, based upon practices and beliefs many of which I, myself, have grown away from. While I have no trouble imagining a God-filled purpose to life (where "God" may be defined very differently from person to person), I can't quite relate to praying to Jesus, or seeing the hand of a divine being in odd coincidences, or attending church every Sunday without fail.
I'm going to give the book four stars instead of five, being true to my measurement of how much the book taught and captivated me. But there is much wisdom in many of its strategies, and I'm certain its teachings will click even stronger with more conservative Christians.

Revelation 16:16, The Battle of Armageddon

Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
//Revelation tells us that an army numbering 200,000,000 people will be defeated on the plains of Armageddon. "Armageddon" derives from a Greek pronunciation of the "mountain of Megiddo" located north of Jerusalem.  Revelation's prophecy places the battle in the plain of Megiddo near Mount Carmel (no Mount Megiddo exists).  In antiquity, all roads connecting Africa with Asia and Europe passed near Megiddo.  Seven major passes entered the valley. Its strategic position ensured that many important battles would be fought there—over 250—in the valley under the mountain.
One could surmise that this appears to be a God-chosen battleground.  Both Gideon and Deborah, judges of old, earned a victory there.  In that valley King Josiah, King Ahaziah, and King Saul perished.
Here's what makes this valley fascinating to me. It's literally in the backyard of Nazareth. Jesus would have walked across this valley many times, perhaps musing on the promise that "all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword." This famous valley where so much blood was shed may have influenced the humanitarian teachings of our Prince of Peace.

Book review: Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist

by Brant Pitre
★★★★★
Ever wonder how the Eucharistic teachings of the New Testament evolved? Where did Jesus get the idea for his Last Supper ritual? How did Paul think to tie this ritual to his theology of atonement? Why does John's Gospel emphasize so strongly the Paschal Lamb? Why were the church fathers so adamant about tying the Eucharist to the Passover?
Because the Sacraments have deep Hebrew roots. I have studied a little about the pagan influences on the ceremony of bread and wine, this concept of "eating the body" and "drinking the blood," but never delved much into its Hebrew side … other than to imagine how bizarre it must have appeared to God-fearing Jews, who had been taught since childhood never to ingest blood. Pitre digs into scripture and Judaic writings, and his research is fresh, scholarly, and easy to digest. If I can find more Pitre books, I'm going to snap them up.
Absolutely fascinating, and critical to Pitre's conclusion, is a chapter in his book about the "shewbread" (showbread), what Pitre calls the "Bread of the Presence." This bread, kept fresh in the Holy of Holies at the back of the Temple, shares a table with the libation flask, and thus links to the wine offering. Judaism has long connected the bread and the wine, back to the days of the very first priest, Melchizedek. But this holy bread carries with it a certain symbolism, understood by every Jew each time it was carried out for their viewing at the major festivals. Jesus references this "Bread of the Presence" (the presence of God, if you haven't already guessed) directly in the Gospels, and it forms an important basis for understanding Jesus' teaching at the Last Supper.
One interesting conclusion Pitre reaches is that Jesus never finished the Passover meal with his disciples! The fourth and final cup of wine, which each participating Jew shared during the Passover celebration, was never drunk. Instead, Jesus drank this final cup just moments before his death. Pitre thus brings the theological meaning of Jesus' timing to life in a most intriguing way.
Pitre writes from a conservative Catholic perspective, as seems appropriate. (I'm no scholar of current-day religious practices, but who finds more ritualistic meaning in the Eucharist than the Catholics?) He does lean toward a Roman Catholic understanding of the bread and wine, though he avoids the word "transubstantiation" in favor of the baggage-free phrase "reality of Jesus' presence in the Eucharist." But I guarantee Christians of all denominations will enjoy this one.

John 13:5, The Johannine Passover

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
//I've mentioned in multiple posts how, in John's Gospel, Jesus dies before the Passover, and thus does not share a Passover meal with his disciples. But this is not quite true. While Jesus does, indeed, die the afternoon before the Passover begins, there is still a Passover ritual of sorts. It's just spiritual, not literal.
The setting of today's verse seems to be a Johannine version of the "Last Supper," which verse 15:1 explains occurs before the Passover. The Last Supper is not a Passover meal in this Gospel.
In John, Jesus interrupts the evening supper, his final meal with the apostles, to perform a foot-washing ritual. What's interesting about this is that a ritual washing of hands is part of the Passover ceremony. One of the family members brings a water bowl and towel to each person, and pours water over their hands in purification. It occurs before the meal, not during, and Jesus has transposed this from hand-washing to foot-washing. But are we supposed to recognize the parallel to the Passover ritual? Let's go on with the story.
John, the beloved disciple reclines on Jesus' breast, just as the youngest member of the household often reclines on the leader of the Passover celebration. As the Passover appetizers are shared, this child begins to ask rehearsed questions, prompting the lesson of the Passover. In our case, Jesus has just shared with them the news that he would be betrayed. So, John, probably the youngest, asks questions. Verse 25: Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
The Passover parallel continues. Shortly after the time of questions and the sharing of a cup of redemption, Matzah is dipped in bitter horseradish. According to revered first-century rabbi Hillel, enough of the bitter herb should be taken to bring tears to the eyes. Verse 26: Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.
Immediately after this Passover ritual, one or more members are supposed to be dispatched to serve the meal: the Passover lamb. So, in verse 27: As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him.
Can you guess what happens next? Who the Passover lamb is? Aw, I think you already know.

Book review: Is There An Afterlife?

by David Fontana

★★★
"There is no doubt in my mind," says Fontana, "that the question of whether or not we live after death is by far the most important that faces us." Surely we are more than merely biological accidents with nothing more to motivate us beyond the struggle to remain alive. Luckily, the back cover promises, "After reading [this book] and assessing the evidence, there can no longer be any doubt that there is life after death."
As far as I'm aware, this is the most exhaustive study ever on the afterlife. 496 large-size, small-print pages. The sheer volume of evidence would appear overwhelming, except that the majority of the book is about mediumship. I was a bit disappointed in this focus, but Fontana lists "Professor of Transpersonal Psychology," "Vice President of the Society for Psychical Research," and "Fellow of the British Psychological Society" among his credentials, so his primary focus should come as no surprise.
There are other topics, including apparitions, hauntings, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and studies of reincarnation, but they receive comparatively little attention. One chapter summarizes the findings of what the afterlife must be like; whether we will sleep, enjoy sex, become wiser, retain our individuality, interests, memories … if you're curious, Fontana concludes that in the afterlife you're going to be pretty much the same person as you were in this life.  
Overall, I found the book unconvincing, but I'll try to include some reviews shortly of other books on the topic that I found more fascinating.

Matthew 6:11, Our Daily Bread

Give us this day our daily bread.
//The "Our Father," or the "Lord's Prayer," may be the most memorized of all scripture. Millions repeat this uplifting prayer of Jesus on a daily basis. But do you know what it is you're praying for as you speak these words?
The story begins back in Exodus. When the Children of Israel escaped from Egypt, they grew hungry, and God fed them with miracle food. Manna. Daily bread from heaven, the "food of angels." So impressive was this daily bread that Jews began to yearn for the bread of angels again. Many of the rabbis taught that in the age to come, what they called the "Messianic age," God would again provide bread from heaven. No one would ever go hungry.
One day, Jesus fed a multitude with loaves and fishes, but they weren't satisfied. They begged for another miracle; they reminded Jesus that their fathers ate manna from heaven. This wish for the Messianic age to be ushered in with "angel food" was alive and well in Jesus' day.
Now we come to this prayer of Jesus. Give us this day our epiousios bread. The Greek word epiousios is what scholars call a neologism (a "new word"). It occurs for the first time here in the Lord's Prayer. This makes it very difficult for scholars to determine exactly what was meant.
Some suggest the word means "for the current time." Others interpret it as "for the coming" day. Still others read it as "for existence." But if you break the word up into its two main parts, epi means "above," and ousia means "substance." Putting them together renders something akin to "supernatural substance." It is, I believe, a direct reference to the end-of-days anticipation of divine food, the daily provision from God, that we may live forever.
Christians who utter this prayer are begging for the beginning of the era of God's rule, when all people will live in harmony and all will be filled. This is further made clear by the request, "thy Kingdom come."

Book review: Ashen Sky: The Letters of Pliny the Younger on the Eruption of Vesuvius

Illustrated by Barry Moser

★★★★
Here's an interpretation of the two letters of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus, about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. Black-and-white wood engravings by artist Barry Moser illustrate the grotesque images described in Pliny's letters. Moser's engravings have illustrated more than a hundred books, including Moby Dick and Alice in Wonderland.
Ashen Sky is a good title. Ash from Mount Vesuvius' eruption in Italy spread to Egypt, Syria, and Africa, spreading pestilence. Two cities at its base, Pompeii and Herculaneum, were completely buried in ash and lost to history … finally uncovered 1,800 years later by a chance archaeological discovery.
Readers of my book about Revelation will immediately recognize the connection of Mount Vesuvius to my religious book blog. Its eruption eerily mimics the description of fire and brimstone torment in the book of Revelation, and many Bible scholars surmise that the image must have burned itself permanently into the mind of Revelation's author. Read especially chapter eight, about the seven trumpets.
It's hard to overestimate the cosmic importance of this event; an eruption of this magnitude happens somewhere on earth about once every 1,000 years. If parts of Revelation begin to sound like the ravings of a madman with a fist full of prophetic scriptures to explain, we can surely pardon its author. So if you're curious about Revelation's inspiration and wish to read the letters of Pliny the Younger, you may as well choose a fun picture book to read.

Proverbs 15:3, Don't make me come down there!

The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
//God's omniscience is a matter all Christians understand. From a little child, we're taught that God is watching us. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, promises the book of Hebrews. But when did God develop this omniscience?
You might remember God playing hide-and-seek with Adam and Eve in the garden. "Where art thou?" God asked. No omniscience yet. Or the little plea bargain Abraham had with God. God was about to destroy Sodom because of their wickedness. Says God, "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know." Abraham says, "but what if you find fifty righteous men? Will you still destroy the city?" God says, "if I find fifty there, I won't destroy the city." It goes on, God promising he'll count carefully when he gets down there.
We can't expect God to notice everything that happens down here, can we? In Hosea 8:4, God confesses, "They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not." Still no omniscience.
But things have changed since then. My advice: Don't count on your sins going unnoticed anymore. Just as a young mother begins to grow eyes in the back of her head, God has over time developed the same skill.