The Human Agenda

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Is A Mormon A Christian? Who Should Answer That Question?

I was active in speech and debate at Excelsior High School in Norwalk, California. It was good for me to be part of a group where I fit in and felt comfortable. My debate partner for several years, Lynn, was a Mormon. She was a good friend and asked if I wanted to attend a class on Saturday to learn more about the Mormon faith. I agreed and attended. Following the class my parents gently, but clearly informed me that Mormons could be a cult and I needed to be careful about getting too close. It was the only time I recall them warning me about a girlfriend or a religion.

For the last three decades I have been actively seeking better information about other religions and spiritualities. I have been blessed with many friends who have shared their faith journey with me and have been gracious in listening as I have shared mine with them. My work with The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council has been a significant arena for my passion for celebrating the gifts of religious pluralism.

In recent years the presence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints (commonly called Mormon) has been more and more in the limelight. It appears likely that the Republican Party will nominate a Mormon to be their candidate for president and this has resurfaced the questions that my parents raised decades ago. The soon to be dedicated Temple not far from my home has added further pressure for me to respond to the questions about Mormons and Christians.

In the early days of the Jesus movement when Christianity was morphing from a cult within Judaism into a major religion it was important to define who was in and who was out. Creeds were developed to clearly establish what it meant to be “Christian” in a world of tremendous diversity. For centuries the Christian establishment controlled who could be identified as part of this major world religion. Times have changed. Christianity, like many other world religions, has evolved and divided into numerous branches and not so unlike the early church, one can find rich diverse theologies, practices, rituals, and beliefs all identifying themselves as part of the Christian family. I find this rich diversity a gift and have discovered deep meaning in the various branches I have experienced.

I would not imagine asking another Lutheran, or Roman Catholic, or Baptist, or Quaker, or Assembly of God, etc. “Are you Christian?” Although we differ on many things, we respect each other enough to allow self-definitions to suffice. Therefore, I would offer the following easy solution. If you want to know about another faith group, get to know someone who is part of that group and interview them. Ask respectful questions about their personal experience with the faith and why it is meaningful for them. Ask the questions and really listen to their responses. Listen for understanding, not to correct them or challenge them. If a Mormon answers, “I am a Christian” I totally accept that and seek to learn more about their faith life. Let’s quite talking about others so much and start listening to and talking to each other.

Would Mitt Romney be a good president of the United States? I don’t know. I know I won’t be voting for him, but that is not because he is Mormon. Do Mormons have some teaching and practices we can learn from? Their commitment to family is impressive. Their insistence about preparedness for the future seems like an excellent idea. Their commitment to stewardship impresses me. I have been told that before the first shovel went into the ground for their new Temple, the entire project had been paid for. Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have doctrines I do not understand? Yes, and I hope to learn more about them in the coming months. Do Mormons make good debate partners? I knew one that sure was good and she was a joy to know. We were good together. In the coming weeks take some time, if you are interested, to learn about some of your neighbors. February 8th at 1 p.m. we will learn more about the new Temple in the Kansas City Northland. For several weeks The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Book Club is studying The Book of Mormon. There will be continued reflections in the media throughout this presidential election season. I encourage all of us to keep talking with each other and far less talk about each other.

Muslims as Neighbors and Friends

Top Ten List Concerning Our Muslim Neighbors

1. For centuries, Christians and Muslims have lived in peace as neighbors.
2. Both Christians and Muslims have waged wars and both have to deal with extremists. Both The Holy Bible and The Holy Quran have problematic passages about war.
3. For too many Americans little was know about Muslims until September 11, 2001.
4. There are significant theological differences between Muslims and Christians.
5. There are significant historical and theological doctrines we share.
6. There at least these Five points of common ground: • Authentic Life is found in complete submision to God. Islam means, “surrender.” • There is only one God. Allah is Arabic word for God. • We are encouraged to pray at least five times each day. • Fasting bring us closer to God • Helping the poor and working for justice is a commandment and our responsibility.
7. The current wave of anti-Muslim hatred is orchestrated intentionally by a small group of people and if feels very anti-American to most of us.
8. The USA will soon be a nation of minorities. Diversity is a reality. We get to choose whether to celebrate that reality or to resist it.
9. Building bridges is more fun, more productive, and more satisfying than building barriers.
10. Jesus made it clear that Muslims and all others are our neighbors.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. A Legacy Worth Celebrating January 2012

Kansas City has some of the best celebrations of Dr. King in the country. I encourage each of you to find the time and place for you to again focus on this amazing and relevant man and his message. I offer information on two gatherings that are worth attending.

Vital Conversations January 11, 2012, 1 p.m. The Letter from the Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. will be discussed and we will listen to Archie Williams as he delivers one of Dr. King’s speeches. This response to a published statement by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama was composed under somewhat constricting circumstance. This document is considered by many as contemporary scripture, revealing the “word of God” in a modern context. Copies are available on line.

"From the Mountain Top" January 16, 2012 Words of Martin Luther King Jr will be read aloud on Monday, Jan. 16, from 9 am to 4 pm at Grace and Holy Cathedral (Episcopal) by members of the Men's Bible Study and others at Founders Hall, 415 W 13th St. (13th and Broadway). Following the continuous reading in the morning, at 12:05 pm, a short Holy Eucharist service is offered, after which the reading resumes through the afternoon. Visitors are welcome to drop in to listen. Scheduled readers are ready to invite visitors to participate in the reading. Texts include "Letter from Birmingham Jail," “I Have a Dream,” “Remaining Awake through a Great Revolution” (delivered at the Washington National Cathedral, this was the last sermon King ever preached ), and “I've Been to the Mountaintop.”

Selected passages from “Letter From The Birmingham Jail”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere in this country.”

“In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: 1) Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive. 2) Negotiation. 3) Self-purification and 4) Direct Action.”

“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.”

“History is the long and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups are more immoral that individuals.”

“So segregation is not only politically economically and sociologically unsound, but it is morally wrong and sinful.”

“We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands.”

Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated as a national hero because his words and his work transcend time, race, religion, and class. His message is the message of the United States and we can all join in remembering and recommitting to the truths he revealed. Make this National Holiday a “Holy Day” for you and your family and friends by joining in the gatherings around our city and nation. Read, listen, ponder, discuss, write, and live the powerful message this American Saint offers us.
David E. Nelson D.Min.

Disturbing Best Seller World Wide

The Prague Cemetery By Umberto Eco

“We need an enemy to give people hope. Someone said that patriotism is the last refuge of cowards; those without moral principles usually wrap a flag around themselves, and the bastards always talk about the purity of the race. National identity is the last bastion of the dispossessed. But the meaning of identity is now based on hatred, on hatred for those who are not the same. Hatred has to be cultivated as a civic passion. The enemy is the friend of the people. You always want someone to hate in order to feel justified in your own misery. Hatred is the true primordial passion. It is love that’s abnormal. That is why Christ was killed: he spoke against nature. You don’t love someone for your whole life – that impossible hope is the source of adultery, matricide, betrayal of friends… But you can hate someone for your whole life, provided he’s always there to keep your hatred alive. Hatred warms the heart.” P. 342

“Civilization cannot exist without absolute tyranny, because civilization can only be promoted under the protection of the ruler, whoever he is, and not by the mass.’ There we are. And look at this other document: Since there has never been such a thing as a constitution that has emerged from the wishes of a population, the plan of command must spring from a single source.’ And read this: ‘We shall control everything, like a many-armed Vishnu. We will have no need of the police; one third of our subjects will control the other two thirds.” P. 410

Amazing book about Europe over 100 years ago but in reading it I hear echoes of the daily newspapers and incessant chatter on radio and TV.

Vital Conversations - Dec. 14, 2011

Celebrating Kansas City

Discovering, Nurturing and Celebrating Greater Kansas City

For the last three decades I have lived in this city. It was great growing up on a small town and I loved years living in a rural area, but life in a city is where I love to be now. There is a vitality and excitement that only a city can provide. There is a diversity that emerges in a large metropolitan area that rarely happens elsewhere. There are some difficulties that need to be addressed, but that is for another time or another space. In this musing I want to celebrate the gifts of a welcoming city and especially rejoice in Greater Kansas City.

1. A welcoming city insures safe and interesting neighborhoods. As I drive through my hometown, Kansas City, I am constantly amazed at the many neighborhoods that have a sense of self-identity. It is delightful to witness the warmth and uniqueness of a “little Italy” or “little Vietnam.” It is fun to find neighborhoods that have embraced their evolution and identify houses where kids know they are safe and have an ally. I envy my sisters and brothers who have real neighborhood organizations that address the needs and possibilities of urban gardening and community activities. A great city is made of many great neighborhoods, each unique and wonderful. I love the ability to go to ethnic restaurants, ethnic festivals, and diverse spiritual centers. Each neighborhood, large or small, is a light shining for others to see. Together these lights create a beacon shining brightly to the world outside this city.

2. A welcoming city provides quality public education. There is a place for private education, but a strong city guarantees a quality education for all its children and educational opportunities for all its adults. When any school district in the Greater Kansas City area is struggling, all districts are impacted. As a part of North Kansas City School District I share a deep concern for what happens to the Kansas City School District and I trust all others in this great metropolis share that feeling as well. We may have been created, years ago, to avoid connection, but those days are long gone. The world is too small and life is too integrated for any family to be content until every family is confident in the school their children attend. Public education is one of the basic elements that assure an educated and welcoming community. Adult educational experiences can prepare us for the changes that are forever a reality in the workforce. Education and public services, at their best, teach us how to explore the world and train ourselves to find a place where we can plant out gifts

3. A welcoming city celebrates the gifts of pluralism. Diversity is a fact in my city and in most cities. The United States will become, in only a short time, a nation of minorities. We can moan that fact or we can celebrate the many blessings it can bestow on us all. Pluralism is a decision to embrace the diversity and it is a choice. I gladly make that choice and invite others to celebrate anew the rich possibilities of people and activities offered to us. I cannot imagine my life without regular impact with people who share very different political opinions. My life would be poor without my Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Native American, Christian, and other friends who invite me to recognize and live in the presence of the sacred in diverse sacred traditions and rituals.

4. A welcoming city shares stories of the past and the future. We are shaped by the stories we tell. There are an incredible variety of stories about the city I live in: stories of a conflict that almost tore our nation apart; stories of corrupt politics that even make today’s political arena blush a bit; stories of a cow town and the birth of Kansas City Jazz; all stories that are part of the mosaic in which we find ourselves today. It is important to listen to them and embrace them as our journey to where we are today. It is equally important to start telling our stories of the future. We are shaped by the stories we tell. We can create a new narrative as a people. We are both celebrating our past and creating our future as we dream of possible futures that make this area even more welcoming for all people. If we truly believe in a more exciting and dynamic community, lets tell those stories to our children and our neighbors.

5. A welcoming city connects its citizens to the world. Kansas City is an important point of the map, but we are not alone. We travel from here to every point of the compass. We have relatives in all the states and nations far and near. The nature of a city is to embrace its citizens and empower those citizens to be people of the world. We are “far from any sea” but we are as near as we choose to be to the other members of the human family. Our sister city program and International Visitor Council offer us rich opportunities to connect and share a vision of the world, which begins in the hearts of our citizens. I love the international travel I have been able to do and it always brings me back to the wonder of Kansas City.

I love this city. It is my home. Of course I see its failures and challenges, but more brilliantly in my brain is the incredible reality of a city that welcomes all people. We can identify, nurture, and celebrate this place and this people as the most welcoming city for all people. I invite you to do your part to discover what makes your neighborhood work. Find new friends to listen to and share social time with. Embrace the truth you choose to live.

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving Blessing Rams Horn - Estes Park, Colorado November 24, 2011

Loving and Nurturing Creator We pause on this national holiday to count our blessings, express our gratitude, And to align ourselves with the whole human family.

We praise you, as we gather in this remarkable place, for the wonders of creation And we pray for healing for all those who have suffered this years because of natural disasters.

We thank you for this nation and the vision of hope it offers the world And we pray for any and all that suffer today because of terrorism, war and violence.

We thank you for the opportunity to work and contribute to the national welfare And we stand in solidarity with all who seek increased employment.

We rejoice in the presence of our families and the many joys they bring And we pause to feel compassion for those whose families are sources of pain and fear.

We rejoice in good health, for healing medicine, and rich full lifes And we remember with gratitude those who have completed their earthly journey, whose presence is felt even in their physical absence.

We are grateful for this food which is richly blessed by the earth, sun, rain, and hands that have prepared it with love And we pause to remember those who will be hungry today, tonight and tomorrow.

Fill this time together with tasty food, delicious conversations, and deepening relationship as we move a small step forward toward the feast you have promised and prepared for us all in the world to come.

So Be It .. Amen and Amen.

October 26
DIWALI (Deepavali) A very popular Hindu festival know as the Festival of Lights.
JNANA PANCHME - Some Jains celebrate transcendent wisdom by fasting for 36 hours, others perform rituals and pray for right knowledge.

CCM 2011

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

One of the best novels I have read in years tells the story of friendship, cultural crossing, injustice, spirituality, family, love and hope.  I will visit Martha's Vineyard next summer and it will feel different after reading this gripping story of the first Native American to attend and graduate from Harvard in the 1660s.  The story is based on a few facts.  Brooks has woven them together in a masterpiece that invited me to live for a week at another time and place.  Getting into the language of the times was a challenge at first, but soon felt like home.  The story could have been modernized but instead placed this reader into another time and place.   I hope we can read this together in Vital Conversations sometime in the future.