Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 11:11am
We Are A Religious Nation--Or Are We?
Column: Spiritual Paychology
NOTE:
The enthusiastic response that I received to my column “We are a religious nation—Or are We?” published two years ago has encouraged me to revise and update it to reflect current events. I will continue to renew it periodically. If you have suggestions for additions please send them to me (OmniCns@aol.com).
COLUMN
Reliable polls tell us that America is the most religious nation in the industrialized world. More that 90 percent of our population say they believe in God and pray regularly. Even a sizable number of atheists pray according to a recent Baylor University survey.
In his New Testament Epistle James expressed the Christian view that "faith without works is dead." Similarly, Judaism calls for "mitzvahs" — good deeds. And Islam requires acts of charity. How do these views translate into behavior? Let’s look at our religious behavior report card.
We are a religious nation:
The gap between rich and poor is widening. The Census Bureau reports that 36 million Americans live in poverty. That includes one in five children. And the number living in severe poverty is rising according to a Penn State University report.*
We are a religious nation:
Our growing population of working poor is increasingly relying on food stamps and food banks. In Nov. 2008 the Washington Post reported that we were poised to exceed 30 million food stamp recipients, the highest in our history.
We are a religious nation:
A new class has emerged in America: The working homeless. Forty one percent of working homeless are estimated to be in families with children.
We are a religious nation:
Thirty-eight million Americans — one in ten households including almost 14 million children — experience hunger or food insecurity. Hunger in American households has nearly doubled over the last five years according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
We are a religious nation:
The food service industry throws away 96 billion pounds of food each year.
We are a religious nation:
The current federal minimum wage of $6.55 and hour will rise to $7.25 on July 24, 2009. That will still keep a family of three hovering at or below the poverty level. Many European nations have a higher minimum wage than the U.S.
We are a religious nation:
We are the only industrialized nation that doesn't provide healthcare for all its citizens The latest Government figures show that 46 million Americans, or 18 percent of the population under the age of 65 including 12 million children, are without health insurance — and that figure is climbing with the rise in unemployment. The United States is the richest nation in the world, but it is ranked 37th for health system performance by the World Health Organization.
We are a religious nation:
The elderly poor and other seniors on fixed incomes are often forced to choose between food and medicine.
We are a religious nation:
Katrina destroyed New Orleans and the lives of hundreds of thousands. We stood by and did little. The suffering in New Orleans continues. Reuters recently reported that 2,500 Louisiana residents had to vacate FEMA trailers by May 30,2009, that rents in New Orleans are up over 50 percent since Katrina, and that about a third of New Orleans properties are empty or in terrible shape .
We are a religious nation:
Scientists warn that the environmental doomsday clock is ticking. The icebergs are breaking away and melting before our eyes, revealing islands we never saw before. We watch and debate and do little to preserve the environment for ourselves and future generations.
We are a religious nation:
Americans make up 5 percent of the world population but consume 26 percent of the world's energy which yields carbon dioxide emissions that is raising the earth's temperature ("greenhouse effect") to dangerous levels.
We are a religious nation:
Fossil fuel consumption is destroying the planet, yet we refuse to develop a "Manhattan Project" for alternative energy.
We are a religious nation:
We have blind faith that science will bail us out from environmental disasters at the 11th hour in the future when catastrophe is imminent. But we have no faith in what science is telling us we must do now to avoid the point of no return. The bill passed last week by the House of Representatives has been called too little and inadequate to meet the environmental threat.
We are a religious nation:
Smoking continues to compromise the health of 43.4 million (20 percent) of our adult population who still smoke reports the Centers for Disease Control. Leading medical experts and past Surgeon Generals have informed us that smoking, in addition to contributing to a number of cancers, increases the risk of almost every known disease. The American Lung Association reports that each day nearly 6,000 children under 18 years of age start smoking. We chip away at the tobacco lobby but refuse to put an end to smoking.
We are a religious nation:
Historically, Christianity, Judaism and Islam have taken a dim view of usury—charging excessive interest rates. There were times when Christians were excommunicated for usury. Islam forbids interest. Try to tell that to our credit card companies that charge unconscionable rates despite efforts to chastise, curb and regulate them.
We are a religious nation:
Leaders of some of our biggest corporations, investment banks and financial advisory firms—men and women who often profess "faith"—have cheated, financially raped and destroyed their companies and clients ruining the lives and futures of untold numbers of individuals and families.
We are a religious nation:
The House of Representatives just passed a 550.4 billion dollar defense budget. Our military spending is more than six times larger than that of China, the second-highest military spender.
We are a religious nation:
We went to war in Iraq on a false premise (weapons of mass destruction). While we have accelerated our exit plans we continue to sacrifice the blood of our dedicated and patriotic military and innocent Iraqi civilians.
We are a religious nation:
A million innocents were slaughtered in Rwanda. We watched and did nothing. Now we witness the slaughter in Darfur and the Congo and do little. Our media barely reports on these events..
We are a religious nation:
In the United States there are at least 26 Holocaust museums to raise our awareness of the Nazi genocide and help prevent such horrors from happening again. Who is listening, who is learning? Who is acting?
What is religion? It is love, caring, serving, giving, sharing, oneness, brother and sisterhood, compassion and selflessness. Summed up:Thy neighbor is thyself.
I'm so glad that we are a religious nation.
*Figures on poverty, homelessness, hunger and lack of health care are based on data that can be a year or two old. Up-to -the minute data is not availablle. Some of the figures are currently probably significantly higher in veiw of the financial crunch and rising unemplyment.
— — —
My latest book "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality And Psychology To Be Truly Free," published by Rowman and Littlefield, is available at Amazon.com,Barnes& Noble.com and other major book outlets.
— — —
Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City University of New York, now teaches “Psychology and Spirituality in Film” at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to his work in radio (“The Longevity Report”), he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles to numerous major newspapers and other publications. He is also the President of the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy and is the main United Nations representative for the Institute of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India.
E-mail: OmniCns@aol.com
© Copyright 2009 by Bernard Starr
The enthusiastic response that I received to my column “We are a religious nation—Or are We?” published two years ago has encouraged me to revise and update it to reflect current events. I will continue to renew it periodically. If you have suggestions for additions please send them to me (OmniCns@aol.com).
COLUMN
Reliable polls tell us that America is the most religious nation in the industrialized world. More that 90 percent of our population say they believe in God and pray regularly. Even a sizable number of atheists pray according to a recent Baylor University survey.
In his New Testament Epistle James expressed the Christian view that "faith without works is dead." Similarly, Judaism calls for "mitzvahs" — good deeds. And Islam requires acts of charity. How do these views translate into behavior? Let’s look at our religious behavior report card.
We are a religious nation:
The gap between rich and poor is widening. The Census Bureau reports that 36 million Americans live in poverty. That includes one in five children. And the number living in severe poverty is rising according to a Penn State University report.*
We are a religious nation:
Our growing population of working poor is increasingly relying on food stamps and food banks. In Nov. 2008 the Washington Post reported that we were poised to exceed 30 million food stamp recipients, the highest in our history.
We are a religious nation:
A new class has emerged in America: The working homeless. Forty one percent of working homeless are estimated to be in families with children.
We are a religious nation:
Thirty-eight million Americans — one in ten households including almost 14 million children — experience hunger or food insecurity. Hunger in American households has nearly doubled over the last five years according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
We are a religious nation:
The food service industry throws away 96 billion pounds of food each year.
We are a religious nation:
The current federal minimum wage of $6.55 and hour will rise to $7.25 on July 24, 2009. That will still keep a family of three hovering at or below the poverty level. Many European nations have a higher minimum wage than the U.S.
We are a religious nation:
We are the only industrialized nation that doesn't provide healthcare for all its citizens The latest Government figures show that 46 million Americans, or 18 percent of the population under the age of 65 including 12 million children, are without health insurance — and that figure is climbing with the rise in unemployment. The United States is the richest nation in the world, but it is ranked 37th for health system performance by the World Health Organization.
We are a religious nation:
The elderly poor and other seniors on fixed incomes are often forced to choose between food and medicine.
We are a religious nation:
Katrina destroyed New Orleans and the lives of hundreds of thousands. We stood by and did little. The suffering in New Orleans continues. Reuters recently reported that 2,500 Louisiana residents had to vacate FEMA trailers by May 30,2009, that rents in New Orleans are up over 50 percent since Katrina, and that about a third of New Orleans properties are empty or in terrible shape .
We are a religious nation:
Scientists warn that the environmental doomsday clock is ticking. The icebergs are breaking away and melting before our eyes, revealing islands we never saw before. We watch and debate and do little to preserve the environment for ourselves and future generations.
We are a religious nation:
Americans make up 5 percent of the world population but consume 26 percent of the world's energy which yields carbon dioxide emissions that is raising the earth's temperature ("greenhouse effect") to dangerous levels.
We are a religious nation:
Fossil fuel consumption is destroying the planet, yet we refuse to develop a "Manhattan Project" for alternative energy.
We are a religious nation:
We have blind faith that science will bail us out from environmental disasters at the 11th hour in the future when catastrophe is imminent. But we have no faith in what science is telling us we must do now to avoid the point of no return. The bill passed last week by the House of Representatives has been called too little and inadequate to meet the environmental threat.
We are a religious nation:
Smoking continues to compromise the health of 43.4 million (20 percent) of our adult population who still smoke reports the Centers for Disease Control. Leading medical experts and past Surgeon Generals have informed us that smoking, in addition to contributing to a number of cancers, increases the risk of almost every known disease. The American Lung Association reports that each day nearly 6,000 children under 18 years of age start smoking. We chip away at the tobacco lobby but refuse to put an end to smoking.
We are a religious nation:
Historically, Christianity, Judaism and Islam have taken a dim view of usury—charging excessive interest rates. There were times when Christians were excommunicated for usury. Islam forbids interest. Try to tell that to our credit card companies that charge unconscionable rates despite efforts to chastise, curb and regulate them.
We are a religious nation:
Leaders of some of our biggest corporations, investment banks and financial advisory firms—men and women who often profess "faith"—have cheated, financially raped and destroyed their companies and clients ruining the lives and futures of untold numbers of individuals and families.
We are a religious nation:
The House of Representatives just passed a 550.4 billion dollar defense budget. Our military spending is more than six times larger than that of China, the second-highest military spender.
We are a religious nation:
We went to war in Iraq on a false premise (weapons of mass destruction). While we have accelerated our exit plans we continue to sacrifice the blood of our dedicated and patriotic military and innocent Iraqi civilians.
We are a religious nation:
A million innocents were slaughtered in Rwanda. We watched and did nothing. Now we witness the slaughter in Darfur and the Congo and do little. Our media barely reports on these events..
We are a religious nation:
In the United States there are at least 26 Holocaust museums to raise our awareness of the Nazi genocide and help prevent such horrors from happening again. Who is listening, who is learning? Who is acting?
What is religion? It is love, caring, serving, giving, sharing, oneness, brother and sisterhood, compassion and selflessness. Summed up:Thy neighbor is thyself.
I'm so glad that we are a religious nation.
*Figures on poverty, homelessness, hunger and lack of health care are based on data that can be a year or two old. Up-to -the minute data is not availablle. Some of the figures are currently probably significantly higher in veiw of the financial crunch and rising unemplyment.
— — —
My latest book "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality And Psychology To Be Truly Free," published by Rowman and Littlefield, is available at Amazon.com,Barnes& Noble.com and other major book outlets.
— — —
Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City University of New York, now teaches “Psychology and Spirituality in Film” at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to his work in radio (“The Longevity Report”), he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles to numerous major newspapers and other publications. He is also the President of the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy and is the main United Nations representative for the Institute of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India.
E-mail: OmniCns@aol.com
© Copyright 2009 by Bernard Starr