Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - October 12, 2017
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)
- The October Issue of “The Peaceable Table” Is Now Online
- Original Sin, part 10
- This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
1. The October Issue of “The Peaceable Table” Is Now Online
Contents include:
- Part II of the Editor's Corner Essay, "On Wounding and Healing Among
Activists," discusses Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder and the importance
of the healing of those afflicted if they/we are not to pass on to others
the trauma we may suffer in our work.
- No fewer than 74 rabbis have signed a statement, based on traditional
Jewish principles, encouraging their fellow Jews to move toward a
plant-based diet. See the NewsNotes.
- Subscriber Maru Vigo presents a Special Report from Lima, Peru, about
spay-and-neuter campaigns for companion cats and dogs among economically
deprived residents.
- The October Pioneer is Benjamin Lay, a radical Quaker of the early
eighteenth century, who denounced human slavery in dramatic actions, and
who, because he considered animals as well as humans to be indwelt by God,
refused to exploit them in any way.
- A Children's Television Review by Benjamin Urrutia describes the animated
program Dinosaur Train for preschool children. It exemplifies values of
species diversity and tolerance, while educating viewers about the
prehistoric periods visited by the time-traveling train.
- The Recipe for Gracia Fay's Cheatin Chili will enable a busy cook pressed
for time to stir up a really tasty and nutritious dinner.
Gracia Fay Ellwood, Editor
To check out this issue,
go
here.
2. Original Sin, part 10
In prior essays, I have discussed how the need for self-esteem and the
desire for “attractive” mates undermine the development of peaceful,
harmonious communities. Communities stay together when conflicts arise over
competition for “success” (in the common pursuit of self-esteem) and or
attractive mates by blaming one or more scapegoats. As René Girard astutely
observed, a common contempt for and hatred of scapegoats generates and
maintains communities.
This, I think helps us understand “Original Sin.” Augustine thought that
humanity was burdened with original sin because sexual intercourse
transmitted sinfulness from the beginning of time starting with Adam and Eve
until the present. Modern science doesn’t give much credence for this
theory, and I think we should think of Original Sin differently. Original
Sin reflects human nature, which includes flaws that tempt us to sin. Adam
and Eve’s sin was a consequence, not the cause, of Original Sin.
Humanity needs to be saved. Without salvation, we will always have
violence and scapegoating. And, with the capacity of individual humans to
cause more and more destruction, the need to transcend these human
tendencies has become more urgent. In future essays, I will explore how we
might be saved through Jesus Christ.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
Making Idols before God
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