Blitz Post #2

[altarflame]

There is a lot of very compelling ecumenism in my religion class - which I raved about here - that makes me think. One Saturday was all about "health and spirituality", citing studies that show things like open heart surgery patients being three times more likely to survive if they depend on a (any) religion, and the increased immune function of people who attend (any) religious services weekly. The lists of pros to being spiritual even in a philosophical (Buddhist, for instance) or solitary (meditation and feng shui) way is extremely long, and significant to (at least what I see as) quality of life - decreased stress, sense of connectedness, supportive community, meaning in loss, and a bunch of other things I can't remember right now.

We watched Baraka, and I was genuinely shocked to find we were looking at the inside of a Sufi (mysticism of Islam) temple in the middle east, because I had been sure it was Orthodox (mysticism of) Christianity - the priests dress the same, with the same hair and beards, and carry the same swinging incense past candles and everyone is kissing things and they have something locked up front that looks just like a tabernacle.

I sometimes find all this not in conflict with Christianity and very comforting overall; other times it seems to speak to a larger truth I can't quite put my finger on, but have been pondering over for years. Then it all blurs.

I'm sitting here staring at the word "larger" in the last paragraph.

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(Sorry for the weird angles in a couple of these)

The mushroom soup I mentioned last night, full of spring onions and garlic and chicken and beef broths...I puree some of it and add it back in at the end. Yum.


We went over to Kristin's for the afternoon/evening last Saturday. Grant was working on her chicken coop and she made awesomely delicious spring rolls for us.

Chopped veggies.


Plus sprouts and boiled up rice noodles and a pack of spinach just out of the shot.


Kristin wrapping, Aaron and Oliver soaking more rice paper wrappers.






It's hard to be patient, especially when the cooks are taking their sweet time chatting and changing the music and feeding things to the bird.


She crushed a bunch of garlic and ginger into some soy sauce, too, and got out some rooster sauce. Kristin's big on presentation, there is lots more sauce out of the shot.

Mmm, pocky.



Kids love them!


Especially with fancy little glasses of pink tea.



More to come...

Comments

[mommydama.livejournal.com]

Just as an example of the strong relationship between Zoroastrianism and Christianity that does not at all negate the Truths I believe, tradition indicates that the "Three Wise Men" that came to visit the Christ Child were actually Magi, or Magicians, Zoroastrian priests. The tradition goes that when the Jews were in captivity in Babylon, a man named Daniel (of the lion's den fame) rose very high in Babylonian government and religion (he may be a symbol of many young Jewish men who did this, who knows) and shared his Israelite beliefs and prophecies with the religious elite of Persian society. Probably both religious cultures influenced each other deeply. Does that mean God did not act? Not to me. It means He planted the seed of His Messiah deep into the beliefs of both the Israelites and the Zoroastrians. And some from both belief systems found Him and believed in Him. Israelite shepherds and Persian wisemen. To me...this smacks of Truth, passed down through generations and through many cultures.

[mommydama.livejournal.com]

I could give examples like this from Paganism as well. As I have taught my children Greek, Roman, and Norse myths in history/literature studies, I've been amazed by these threads, similarities. Yes, figuring out how they all fit together and "choosing" which one is most Pure seems an impossible task. But as I said earlier, I did my best to wade through it all years ago and come to my own conclusions. And here I am. I will defend my Faith to the death or the last word I can utter, but that does not mean that I any way disrespect other faiths...quite the opposite, I see them as precious jewels.