Travelling around Melbourne this morning got me thinking about the nature of spirituality, particularly for emerging generations.
I drove down to Fairfield Station with a colleague, caught the train into Melbourne, getting off at Flinders St Station. Walked around the centre of Melbourne for a while, before getting on the No. 59 tram to West Coburg. I got off at stop 16, waited for four minutes and caught the No. 55 tram to Melbourne Zoo. From there I wandered down Poplar Drive, in the wrong direction, before finding a courier having a smoke by his Honda 90. He and I looked at his Melways street directory to find that I needed to retrace my steps back past the zoo, past the golf course. Finally I arrived at the Treacy Centre in The Avenue, Park Royal.
Active spirituality is often measured (by church leaders) through levels of commitment to religious institutions, seen in long term weekly attendance of worship services and demonstration of use of traditional spiritual practices. What would happen if we started to recognise the spirituality expressed in participation in a variety of forms of community, in real time and over time, online and offline, some short-term, others long-term. And what about the journeys travelled alone? What about the roles of mentors who help discern direction?
Michael Madigan, Courier Mail journalist based in Canberra, reported yesterday on the injection of religion into the Australian history syllabus. He says that Julie Bishop, Federal Education Minister, has thrown her support behind a move to incorporate study of religious issues into study of Australian history.
Madigan is reporting on the Federal History Summit held in Canberra on August 17, during which it was agreed that history be made a core subject for Years 9 and 10 throughout Australia.
Professor Geoffrey Blainey told delegates that much of society could not be explained to students without religion. It appears as though discussion was vigorous. Religion was taken out of the syllabus for two key reasons - the Christian churches’ tendency to assume too much influence, and their inability to get on with each other. The introduction of religion back into mainstream syllabus would need to ensure that education was the focus, not proselytization, nor competition between faiths. Clearly not all the stories would be positive. Which would mean that honesty and a non-defensive attitude would be needed. As Tom Stannage said, we’d need to re-inject religion back into the state schools in “a non-controversial, open, inclusive sort of way”.
Religious topics could include the Catholic/Protestant divide and its impact on pre-war Australian society, with particular reference to the conscription referendum of 1916-1917. The examination of religion would not be confined to Western Christianity. Historians in Canberra raised the influence of Aboriginal spiritual beliefs, Muslim and Jewish religions.
Yossi Aron asks if it’s time to hold a Jewish history summit. He asks how much we know about the Jews included in the First Fleet, during the gold rushes, and after the 20th Century Holocaust, as well as the significance of Australian troops in the British fight for Palestine in both world wars.
Last Monday I worked with a Jewish Rabbi and Muslim Imam to introduce two Year 11 classes to the cultures and beliefs of the three main Abrahamic faiths. It was refreshing to engage in comparative religion together. The highlight for me was when we took a group of four students each, providing a tour of the exhibition of religious artifacts and photographs. The beauty was that we had the privilege of explaining all three religions to the students. Such collaboration could be useful in the local exploration of Australian identity and its connection with the story of religion.
ENFJ: God, help me to do only what I can and trust you for the rest. Do you mind putting that in Writing?
ENFP: God, help me to keep my mind on one th-Look a bird!-ing at a time.
ENTJ: Lord, help me slow downandnotrushthroughwhatIdoAmen.
ENTP: Lord, help me follow established procedures today. On second thought, I’ll settle for a few minutes.
ESFJ: God, help me have patience, and I mean right NOW!
ESFP: God help me to take things more seriously, especially parties and dancing.
ESTJ: God, help me to not try to RUN everything. But, if you need some help, just ask!
ESTP: God, help me to take responsibility for my own actions, even though they’re usually NOT my fault.
INFJ: Lord, help me to not be a perfectionist. (Did I spell that correctly?)
INFP: God, help me to finish everything I sta
INTJ: Lord, keep me open to other’s ideas, WRONG though they may be.
INTP: Lord, help me be less independent, but let me do it my way.
ISFJ: Lord, help me to be more laid back and help me to do it EXACTLY right.
ISFP: Lord, help me to stand up for my rights (if you don’t mind my asking).
ISTJ: Lord, help me relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 11:41.23 a.m. EST.
ISTP: God, help me to consider other people’s feelings, even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.
(c) 1987 Ellis N. Harsham
Ellis Harsham was a teacher at St Gregory Seminary in Mt Washington, Ohio, who resigned from the priesthood in 1993 after allegations of abuse from a former student. He served time in prison and was only this year removed from clerical status by Pope Benedict XVI. More ammo for the cynics looking for hypocricy in the church. More ammo for the cynics looking for evidence that the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is flawed. So is it just best to overlook the authorship? Or is it possible that flawed writers have the capacity to enhance the lives of their readers?
