Tracting

Christians today disagree on the value of trying to give out tracts in the High Street. I can see both advantages and disadvantages. We continue to try and go out once a month, however, and I find it stimulating. Last time we went most did not take tracts but some did. One lady wasn't going to but then did.

Among the refusers were a lady who claimed to be an atheist. Apparently there is a lack of evidence so I suggested she take a look around. She was unconvinced so I pointed out that God had sent me to her to tell her that there is a God/ She was unimpressed. It is hard to see what more could be done.

Another refuser said he did not believe in Christianity. I try not to get wound up but I did tell him he was a silly man as the whole reason I was there on the streets was to reach people who don't believe.

I also saw three Hindu priests dressed in saffron accompanied by a minder. They were heading for the opticians. They politely refused my Christian tract.

At one point I saw someone I knew. I thought it was someone else, a woman who grew up coming to the church, at first but then I realised who it was. I don't think what I said was out of place.

Some of the time there was a lull and at one point the wind blew a tin can about so that it danced in quite a delightful way for about 30 or 40 seconds. God puts on these little shows sometimes quite unexpectedly just to amuse us.

At one point a girl stopped to sit on a bench nearby and take a stone out of her shoe. I remember thinking - if only all problems were as easy to solve.

Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

In the same section of Waterstones where I saw the Jhumpa Lahiri short story collection I saw a copy of Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. I first became aware of this book many years ago reading  James W Sire's very helpful book The Universe Next Door. He mentions it in his chapter on Basic Eastern Pantheistic Monism. The book is certainly a great advertisement for that way of thinking. It relates the story of the eponymous hero from his Brahmin youth, through his time as a samana and encountering the Buddha, through a sansara period of sex, riches and gambling then back into a more traditionally Hindu  approach to life. It is very well written and so lures in the unsuspecting. It was written (in German) in the twenties but reached popular heights only by the sixties when the Beatles and others were looking east for inspiration. It is still worth a read - in order to understand eastern thought and read well written and simple prose.

Spurgeon on religious terrorism

I have started ion Tom Nettles' wonderful new biography of Spurgeon Living by revealed truth and noticed this from his fast day sermon at the Crystal Place in 1857. Whole sermon here.

 

Any religion that does not infringe upon morality is beyond the force of legislature. But when once religious teachers teach immorality, and when once a religion compels men to sin, down with it; no toleration to it. It is impossible that there should be any quarter strewn to vice, even though embellished with the name of religion. If it be any man's religion to blow my brains out, I shall not tolerate it. If it be any man's religion to meet me as the Thugs do, and garotte me, and murder me, I shall not tolerate his Thugism. If it be a man's religion to commit bestial acts in public, I for one would touch his conscience, but believing that he has none, I would touch him somewhere else.

Multicultural London

London's multicultural nature is all around us but occasionally you notice it in particular. Last Saturday I walked past our nearest Hindu Temple and could hear music. There was  obviously a big event going on there. I supposed the music must be Indian but on closer inspection I saw there was a pipe band in full regalia roasting under the sun. Apparently the band is South Asian and makes use of Indian Dhols with more traditional Scots drums.

Then today I saw in a local Costa (an Italian company founded in London that employs mostly East Europeans) a notice saying that they are opening until 10 pm for Ramadan, which begins today.

More from the census

Norwich had the highest proportion of people reporting no religion with 42.5 %, closely followed by Brighton and Hove with 42.4 %.

Some local authorities in Wales also reported some of the highest levels of no religion. Caerphilly had the largest percentage point increase since 2001 of 16.7 to 41.0 %! Blaenau Gwent, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Torfaen also saw large increases of no religion with 16.0, 15.5 and 15.4 percentage points respectively.

In London, the boroughs of Newham, Harrow, Brent and Redbridge had the lowest proportions of the population reporting no religion. Other areas under 15 % included Slough in the South East (with many Hindus and Sikhs) and Knowsley, Blackburn with Darwen, Copeland, Ribble Valley and St Helens in the North West.

Tower Hamlets has the most Muslims (34.5 %) Harrow has the most Hindus (25.3 %) Slough has the most Sikhs (10.6 %) Barnet has the most Jews (15.2 %) Rushmoor in Hampshire has the most Buddhists (3.3 %).

Bee Season

Eleri and I sat down to watch the 2005 film Bees Season the other night on DVD. Based on a novel by Myla Goldberg, it didn't do too well at the box office, I believe. I think that is understandable given the subject matter, although it was not without merit.

Richard Gere is the central figure a Cabbalistic Jewish father who lectures in the university on the subject. His daughter a feels untalented and neglected by him but is eager to catch his attention. She eventually does this through her ability to win spelling bees. Her father sees her gift as a possible route into mystical union with God, and pushes her hard in that direction, while she simply wants his love. Meanwhile the older son, who has been closer to his father drifts away from him to the point of an open rift, provoked chiefly by his secret alliance with an attractive young girl who is a devotee of Hinduism. The fourth member of the family is the French former Catholic mother who lost her parents in a tragic accident, played by Juliette Binoche. She is the most mysterious of the four. It eventually becomes apparent that she is suffering some sort of mental breakdown. In her case the desire to please her husband and fulfil his mystic dream is a factor but instead of it drawing him to her as she hopes, it only repels him.

So, an enjoyable film for me, touching on spelling (I couldn't resist attempting every one of the many words given to be spelled) and religion. Quite what the film is saying is difficult to be sure but it is certainly intense and disturbing and to me a reminder that religion itself is divisive rather than a force for cohesion. Bad teaching will have a deleterious effect in the end.

Great for provoking discussion.

Swastika

We had an interesting after church update on work amongst Asians in West London last night from our friends Robin and Muno Asgher. He also spoke a little about Hinduism and mentioned the swastika as one of Hinduism's symbols. Thanks to the Nazi party most people have forgotten the history of this symbol. As a boy I remember that my grandfather had a swastika on his watch fob (he always wore a waistcoat with his watch in a pocket). My instinct was to think it was German war memorabilia but in fact it was the symbol of his regiment in the Great War. That might seem strange but what about this 1921 quote from Robert Baden-Powell?

" ... as you know from the account of the Swastika Thanks Badge which I have given to you in Scouting for Boys, the symbol was used in almost every part of the world in ancient days and therefore has various meanings given to it.
"Anyway, what ever the origin was, the Swastika now stands for the badge of fellowship among Scouts all over the world, and when anyone has done a kindness to a Scout it is their privilege to present him or her with this token of their gratitude, which makes him a sort of member of the Brotherhood, and entitles him to the help of any other Scout at any time and at any place.
"I want specially to remind Scouts to keep their eyes open and never fail to spot anyone wearing this badge. It is their duty then to go up to such a person, make the scout sign, and ask if they can be of service to the wearer."

See this fascinating page here. Also see a good article here.