St. Gregory's Episcopal Church of Boca Raton has a rich history of discussion groups, especially on Sunday noontimes, Wednesday breakfast, and Wednesday evenings. This effort follows the tradition created by Debbie Self, Jack Dawson and Steve Bruenn at Sunday noontimes. This format is quite different as it will be on-line via e-mail and maybe soon a page in Wikipedia. Our name might change. At present it is www.InterfaithEngagement.com and/or www.InterfaithEngagement.net, but discussion is needed about melding that discourse following Ramadan with the traditions of other faith communities.

1. Armstrong traces the evolution of our consciousness from 30,000 BCE. She says "in most premodern cultures there were two recognized ways of thinking, speaking, and acquiring knowledge. The Greeks called them mythos and logos". (cfg p xi) Logos helps us function in the world (building tools and solving problems), but logos is less helpful in dealing with our humanness, grief, and mystery which mythos is better suited for.(cfg)
2. Before the 17th Century the writers of our sacred books did not expect their work to be read explicitly. Their work was in the tradition of the Greek "mythos".(cfg)
3. Mythos does not have to do with factual reality. It has to do with the ease with which we find words (ineffable). Armstrong gives importance to Apophatic theology which attempts to describe God by saying what He is "not" and relates this to mysticism. (cfg p 140)
4. Faith, spirituality, or religion (whatever we wish to call it) was expected to be realized importantly thru ritual and "inner work". When ritual is absent, faith may fail (cfg p 188-9).
5. In the 17th century logos started making very rapid advancement with the Scientific Revolution and new ideas in physics, astronomy, biology, human anatomy, chemistry, and other sciences.
6. Our formal religions failed to creatively respond to advances in logos (science) beginning in the 17th century and thus have faced great challenge.
   • The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) killed 35% of the population of Central Europe (cfg p 191) largely as a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics.
   • As the "Age of Reason" evolved many many gave importance to literal and certain knowledge and gave less importance to matters of faith.
7. Postmodernism:
   • Postmodernism refers to post 1960's "anti-ideological ideas", associated with feminist, racial equality, gay rights, late 20th century anarchism, peace and anti-globalization movements (Wikipedia).
   • Europe & America experienced great challenges to faith in the 60's and atheism became popular (cfg p 290).
   • In the 60's, the youth culture sought mythos, but it's quest for spirituality was often wild, self-indulgent, and unbalanced (cfg p 291-292).
   • The late 1970's brought dramatic religious resurgence, often militant. Fundamentalism becomes a widespread force. (Moral Majority by Jerry Falwell, Ayatolah deposing the Shah of Iran, al-Qaeda).(cfg)
   • It is important to understand, though, that fundamentalism is not traditional religion, it is an aberration. (cfg p 294)
8. Certainty ?
   • Both mythos and logos are essential. They needn't compete.(cfg)
   • HHDL was asked which religion is best. He said we have many because each human can find the one which serves him/her best. None is best for all.
   • HHDL has identified the qualities common to all religions as: love, compassion, forgivenesss...(and gratitude & mindfulness may also be very useful ideas). Whatever makes these qualities grow in us is good for us.
   • Lots and lots of our pain comes from thwarted ego. HHDL says rising above ego is paramount.
   • We can be wonderfully creative (and self-serving) in interpreting all this stuff. Discernment & authenticity are immensely important.
   • Faith is a personal matter. We should be slow to judge others on their faith.
   • Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris are the leading deprecators of religion among scientists. But they are deprecating fundamentalism, a straw horse; they are not addressing traditional religion.(cfg)
9. Islam
   • "In the (early) Muslim world, Jews, Christians, and Muslims were able to collaborate and learn from one another. But in Western Europe... the first Crusades were launched against Islam." In 1096-1099 when the Crusaders finally conquered Jerusalem they massacred some thirty thousand Jews and Muslims. The Crusades remained a major passion for the West until the end of the thirteenth century. (cfg p 139)
   • "At the same time as Christians were slaughtering Muslims in the Near East, others were traveling to Spain to study under Muslim scholars in Cordoba and Toledo." (cfg p 140)
   • Sunni fundamentalism developed in Egyptian concentration camps where thousands of members of the Muslim Brotherhood were tortured and interred without trial between 1918 and 1970. (cfg p 297) Many whose only offense had been passing out leaflets or attending a meeting were radicalized. This is where jihad as armed conflict became central to Islam for some Muslims.(cfg)
   • Terrorism is not about religion, it is about territory. A careful study of suicide attacks between 1980 and 2004 concluded that 95% of suicide attacks were committed with the objective to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland. (cfg p 299-300)
10. Questions for continuing work
    • How does our thinking about economic growth, competitiveness, and the work ethic bear on this ?
    • Does this sufficiently adress social justice ?
    • "Self-esteem" and "saving face" are built into our culture, thought to be positive, and deeply related to ego. Paradox might be an important idea.

• Atoms & Eden by Steve Paulson (Jim Miller can help us on this.)
• Singularity (Bill Unger can help us on this.)
• Science and Creation, The Search for Understanding, by John Polkinghorne, 1988, Shambhala Publications, Inc. (from Joel Turmo's library)