Practice What You Preach, Preach What You Practice

By Ronald Barnes

What does it mean to be religious? Religious ethical morality is not just a Sunday set aside, or a social protocol to conform to peer group expectations, nor should religion be used as a refuge of forgiveness for negative actions that do not change.
It is important to respect the religion of others even if you do not agree with their teachings. However, without a basic knowledge of other religions, there is no basis for evaluation other than hear say and ignorance, which are not rational foundations for evaluation.
Because the voice of women is diminished by men who devalue the contribution of women or men who attempt to dictate and define what should be the womans role and contribution. As a result, the world lacks the moral input of women, who are considered the moral exemplar for humanity, even by many male religious leaders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Nov 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504368513

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Copyright © 2016 Ronald Barnes.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-6849-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-6850-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-6851-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016919266

Balboa Press rev. date: 11/29/2016

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter I Introduction To Religion

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Cooperation and Collaboration based on Common Interest and Understanding

1 Basic Religious Concepts, Terms and Definitions

2 Christian Biblical Precedents for Practice What You Preach – Preach What You Practice - Recommendation from Dr. Richard A. Rosengarten

3 Hinduism and Western Religion

4 Buddhism and Western Religion

5 Judaism

6 Christianity – Protestant / Catholic

7 Islam

8 The Cosmology of Religions – Theories of Creation

Chapter II The Logic Foundation for Christian Theology based on works by Paul Tillich

1 God and the Ground of Being

2 Jesus is the Christ

3 Being Grasped by Spiritual Presence

4 The Relationship between Existence and Estrangement

5 The Theological Circle (A search for answers)

Chapter III Ethics And Morals – The Foundation Of Religion Values

1 Religious Ethics And Morality Theories

Frederic Nietzsche

Elizabeth M. Buscar

Ronald Green

2 Religious Ethics And Morality Philosophies

David Hume

Emmanuel Kant

3 Religious Ethics And Morality Theories – Comparison / Comments

Chapter IV The Paradox Of Religion

Christianity and Slavery - Biblical / Religious Arguments (Pro-Slavery / Anti-Slavery).

Rev. Francis Wayland (Anti-Slave argument) - Rev. Richard Fuller (Pro-Slavery argument

Chapter V Christian Controversy

1 Christian Controversy

Chapter VI Americans And Religion

1 Americans And Religion

Chapter VII Conclusions – Author Commentary

Special Appreciation And Acknowledgment

References Resources

Citations

PREFACE

This, my first formal publication, is dedicated to the Ultimate Creator, also known as God, Allah, or Yahweh who gives life, unconditional love, beauty and order to the universe in spite of human efforts to destroy the magnificent beauty of his creations.

I am also dedicating my first publication to my father and mother, Cleophas Lee Barnes and Valeria Willie Hubbard Barnes, who for me are blessings from God and examples of a man and woman relating in a positive and loving manner. They also displayed an excellent adult example for their children, Ronald and Derek. They are examples of parents who loved and sacrificed for their families, parents who overcame life’s difficulties, and parents who solved their own conflicts constructively. I’ve a touching sentiment that misses their presence. I’ve a strong pride in having absorbed their influence as their son.

Here’s an insight into my father’s nature:

Driving along the Magnificent Mile on the Gold Coast of Chicago with my father, the subject of our conversation was centered on a destitute man. He appeared to be searching through garbage looking for anything to aid his survival. My dad called the man to my attention. He stated, See that man over there? I replied: Yea dad, he’s a bum going through the garbage. My dad responded: Right, he can find all of what he needs to take care of himself and survive on what other people throw away. Maybe he’ll live longer than you or I. Anyone who only takes care of themselves and has no interest in helping others is no better than a bum. If a person is only for themselves without concern for others, then who are they? Those words have stuck with me for over 25 years and are a motivation and foundation for my current life direction.

Lastly, I want to give a special thanks to my professors, administrators and educators at the University of Chicago Divinity School: Professor Richard Rosengarten, Professor William Schweiker, Professor Dwight Hopkins, Professor Kevin Hector, Professor Cornell Fleischer, Professor Curtis Evans, Professor Alireza Doostdar, Dean Margaret Mitchell, Dean Teresa Owens and Margaret Norbeck, all of whom have made a significant contribution to my learning, assimilation into the academic environment and my development of clarity regarding theological and religious issues. They have made important contributions to reinforce my commitment to the direction my life is now taking. The value of Americia Huckabee, Nathelda McGee, Linda Lyles and others who contribute significantly to the administrative support necessary to maintain the scholastic excellence at the University OF Chicago Divinity School is not unnoticed and is appreciated.

At the very least, the pages of this publication represent my effort to contribute positive thought into our society, to express hope for a better society, to close the gaps between people of all races, religions, genders and gender persuasions; to be another voice repeating the cliché statement all human beings are created equal and should co-exist in harmony without regard to race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, and ideally to reinforce the notion that people should actually live according to the principles they profess to believe. I’ve always considered appreciation and support of the individual differences in others to be a significant human accomplishment." Human beings that hate, steal, kill, covet, lie, deceive, and embrace greed, racists, those who discriminate or otherwise contribute negatively to our society and world are the weak and the sick. This book is written for them as well.

A universal truth is that humanity is no stronger than its weakest link. The strength of the human race lies in the strength and well-being of all its members - ALL of its members.

Where one person sees an ‘idealistic impossibility’, another person sees a ‘realistic possibility’ and yet another has absolute clarity to accomplish what others call impossible.

Ronald D. Barnes

University of Chicago Divinity School (2015)

Chicago, Illinois

June, 2015

INTRODUCTION

The objectives of this book are as follows:

– To give the reader an introductory overview of the world’s dominant religions. The irony of distinguishing between different religions is that their doctrines are very similar regarding how humans should relate to each other; as presented in Chapter I.

– To present an argument and viewpoint on the logic of religion. Faith is the cornerstone of most religions but there is also a logic to the importance of religion in people’s lives. This logic is presented in chapter II of the book.

– To present basic historical moral and ethical theories that are the foundation of religious belief and human behavior; Chapter III

– To present challenges involved in interpreting religious doctrine and the paradox trap involved in the application of religious doctrine to life and human behavior.

– To present arguments that explore the way human beings practice Christianity and its practical contemporary relevance to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

– To present a position on what it means to be religious and be responsible for religious leadership.

– To provide information on the contemporary influence of religion on society, and to motivate discussion regarding the ethical and moral state of American and world societies.

– To present contemporary arguments and ideologies on the application of religion to human behavior, as an influence on human behavior, assuming that religion is in-disposable to world societies and has positive purpose.

– In general, the objective of this book is to present the basic beliefs of the major world religions, exploring the commonalities between them and the absurdity of citing religious differences as a reason for conflict and disrespect of one religion by another, or one people by another. I believe knowing the basic beliefs of each religion discussed herein, may help reduce, ideally eliminate, the barriers to human cooperation among diverse people and societies, and lessen the disinterest, inability, or ignorance of leaders in each respective society to resolve differences peacefully among themselves. This book also argues it is the responsibility of religious leaders, clergy, ministers, pastors and others to set an example to the world regarding how religious commitment should be expressed in a society. In my opinion, as long as religious leaders isolate themselves within their own religious and denominational cliques, the members and congregations of the world religious community are exposed to a fragmented, dysfunctional example of how religion should be practiced. To argue which religion is better is senseless and irrelevant to this book.

Certainly there is much more that can be written on each religion; however, my purpose is to engage the readers’ understanding, not to convert them. Information in this book will hopefully give the reader a better understanding and knowledge of the purpose of religion and a general basis upon which to compare and respect different religions from one’s own.

Often, people act in ways that appear to contradict expressions of their confessed beliefs. Likewise, people express beliefs that do not coincide with their observed actions. This has historically been an issue in American and the world’s societies regarding the dynamic relationship between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, race, culture and gender roles, and even personal relationships. While America is a predominantly Christian country, America is also a melting pot of various races, religions and nationalities. America has a constitution that guarantees the equal rights of all its citizens, yet America is also a country with a significant population of prejudice people and prejudice practices that discriminate against others because of religion, race and beliefs that are legally guaranteed to all American citizens. Prejudice has even become foundationally institutionalized in America. Violation of human rights guaranteed to all American citizens under the Constitution of the United States of America is betrayal tantamount to treasonous behavior (acts that engage one’s own selfishness, greed and prejudice regardless of the conflict with values, ethics and laws of the general society in which one is a citizen). If treason is an overstatement or exaggeration, at minimum, human actions that violate the Constitution of our great nation is anti-American behavior and violators should be punished to the maximum for the preservation of our union. Racism is, at the least, a crime against democracy and racists should be considered terrorist. I think it is a relevant argument to make that the reason racism is not a crime and terrorist acts against minorities is dealt with in a neglectful manner, is because unconsciously and even consciously, people have inclinations of racism. I am not saying all non-minority Americans are racist. I am saying that I can argue a significant population of American people are either racist, racist in remission or have no motivation to eliminate the institutional practice of discrimination in America. Often prejudice overrides one’s sense of justice and fair practice. To do nothing against racism is to be racist. Response to racism, as the destructive element that it is to our great democracy, should be the same response as 9/11 when the World Trade Centers were destroyed. America professes to be a country of equal rights yet America discriminates against minorities, women and people with different religious backgrounds and gender preferences. Those who consider themselves to be the mainstream of America (aka the moral majority or silent majority as they have been called) are the most significant violators of the Constitutional rights of those with whom they do not agree. The concept of equality in America is contradicted and can be argued by statistics revealing men are paid more for doing the same job as women (who probably do a better job anyway).¹ Whites are often paid more than minorities for performing the same work.² The truth is that America belongs to all of its citizens and effort needs to be made to make America work for all citizens, not just a certain group, race or religion. Room must be made for everyone. The phrase often used by politicians, we need to take our country back or we will take our country back or let’s take our country back has meaning. What does it mean is the question? Take our country back, from whom? Take our country back from American citizens? Take our country back from people others do not agree? Frankly, in my opinion this statement has racist and prejudicial overtones representing the viewpoint of Americans who do not deserve to be leaders in civilized society. The truth is that American belongs to all American citizens, not just the few (the minority few) who think they have special privilege to subjugate the rights of others while their primary concern is to promote their own agenda that only serves a small minority of Americans. However, there is an emerging current generation of white Americans who realize the ignorance in racism and surprisingly do not harbor racist views and who strive to make our society better.

It is unfortunate that discussions about race are often engaged with uncomfortable and awkward interactions or avoided all together. It is reality that people are racially diverse. Discussion about race should be easy to engage because it is a reality of our human existence and a widespread reality throughout the world. People are confused, ashamed and guilty engaging discussions about race because the white race has unethically and immorally created a negative history as racist beginning with slavery in the Americas. Dealing with the reality of race requires the world openly and with ethical morality, to engage communication on the subject, talk about it in positive manner and develop solutions to racial discrimination. Otherwise the problem will not be resolved. To ignore racial discrimination is a problem is stupid and makes matters worse. It is an embarrassment to humanity that race is a problem in the first place. It is also a flaw in the character of white culture that has caused others to suffer; even decent white people suffer because racist attitudes in white culture conflict with whites that are honest, just and decent people. Unfortunately, we have to deal with the darker side of racism to discover solutions, open the doors of human ethical and moral consciousness and thought that bring into our society positive resolution to the problem of race in America, in the world. I too, feel the embarrassment of having to deal with the subject of race in such a brutally honest manner but I also believe that if we, the American people, can get past the dark we will find the light. Consider the words of George Washington, the first President of the United States of America; the government of the United States, which gives to bigotry, no sanction; to persecution, no assistance; requires only that they live under its protection, should deem themselves as good citizens.³ There are those who will say he was only talking about white people. My response to that is; if that is the way you feel then you should get out of America and go live somewhere else because George Washington expressed the reality applicable to all human beings created by God.

Examples of wrongful inequities and discrimination in America include:

I think it is long past the time to correct these and other injustices for the sake of America. It is far past the time for America and its citizens to "Practice what they preach, and Preach what they practice".

It is my intention in Chapters I and II to explore foundations for general and common religious beliefs; to give insights into the logic and ideologies of the major world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism); then explore the thoughts and beliefs upon which these religions are based. The purpose is to provide awareness that each of these religions have something positive to offer. It is important to respect the religion of others even if you do not agree with their teachings. However, without a basic knowledge of other religions, there is no basis for evaluation other than hear say and ignorance, which are not rational foundations for evaluation.

The primary audience for this book is anyone who can read, religious or not. Persons who are theologically or religiously educated or trained as ministers, pastors, scholars, academics or intellectuals are readers whose feedback would be valuable. The persons who are theologically and intellectually trained in religion already have background in much of the subject matter contained in this book and are in a position to give constructive commentary on the arguments proposed. Such people may find this book reinforces beliefs, ideologies and practices to which many already subscribe. I would like to hear from those who may disagree, as well. The religiously-educated intellectual and religious scholars who primarily deal with religion from an academic viewpoint, I believe will find issues raised in this book good subjects for discussion and debate. Primarily, it is my intention to open the minds of people to the value of religious philosophy and belief, even those that may differ from one’s own. At the least, religions different from our own deserve to be respected. Additionally, Practice what you Preach, Preach what you Practice is intended to be an agent of influence to encourage theologians of all religions and all denominations to break down the barriers that separate them from realizing the work they do under the name of their God or Gods, is the same for all. Theologians, ministers and pastors need to break down the barriers that prevent them from working together. They need to create stronger synergy that binds them on the basis of common interest rather than to cling to the differences that separate them. Another objective of this book is to strengthen one’s religious faith and conviction by understanding how religion connects faith to logic. I want to encourage people to respond in a more positive manner to others and to become more respectful and responsible to other people in society, being aware of the ethical and moral values which drive our daily behavior. Being tolerant, respectful and understanding of others with different beliefs, people of a different race or those with a different sexual orientation should be normal. A better understanding of principles and beliefs expressed in the main religions of the world will allow us to understand that these religions have common values and similarities regarding how people should relate to and treat each other. Understanding different religions and beliefs, even regarding the ambiguous logic of religion, allows people to sort what is religious reality, from religious myth, from religious fanaticism. Doctrines of all religions have been translated into many languages from the original over hundreds of years. It is believed by many scholars that scriptures have gone through drastic changes over the years; some original text was discarded, there is belief some original scripture text was mistranslated. There have been several revisions of the translations and several editions of the Bible. It is estimated the Bible has been translated into over 500 languages.⁴ Credible arguments can be made that God’s intended meanings have been mistranslated and tampered with by man, likewise with the intended meanings of Jesus in the New Testament. Hopefully in reading and studying the Bible people can identify religious beliefs that should be internalized from what is religious myth; relating appropriate life lessons to be learned. Readers hopefully will realize the fact that the religions discussed in this book have more in common than they have differences. Ideally this book will influence societies and people to incorporate moral ethical behavior toward others in their daily lives; instead of saying one thing and doing another.

Chapter III explores various philosophies on religious ethics and morality. Religious ethical morality is not just a Sunday set aside, or a social protocol to conform to peer group expectations, nor should religion be used as a refuge of forgiveness for negative actions that do not change. Ethics and morality should be integral to our human value system to which we adhere and practice on a daily basis. I think it is important for the common man to be aware of some universal religious philosophies on ethics and morality in order to understand the broader concepts upon which religion is based. My intent is to present a religious foundation that supports and motivates practical applications in our society; applications that give religion a presence in daily life. By understanding the variety of philosophies on morality and ethics the human being will hopefully gain insights into other foundations for religious beliefs and thought as well as understand the rationale and impact resulting from the lack of religious morality in society. The works of Frederic Nietzsche give insight into a society that is based on the rule of principles determined by the powerful elite rather than ethical and moral based principles for the benefit of all people.

The sparse input by women to have a significant voice on the world stage regarding religious ethical morality is presented in writings by Elizabeth Buscar. Buscar argues the voice of women is diminished by men who devalue the contribution of women or men who attempt to dictate and define what should be the woman’s role and contribution. As a result, the world lacks the moral input of women, who are considered the moral exemplar for humanity by some male religious leaders.

I’ve heard it expressed that privileged people perceive religious behavior one way and the poor disadvantaged people another. Likewise, it’s been said that white people have one concept of religious and spiritual responsibility while black people have another concept of religious and spiritual responsibility. The paradox of these statements is contrary to my understanding of religion. I always thought moral ethical and doctrinal religious belief and practice according to the principles advanced by God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Hindu belief and Yahweh teaches and preaches that people should be judged by their devotion to their religious doctrine and God, the content of their good deeds and their character and soul rather than the size of their wallet or the color of their skin. I was taught that the religion of Jesus Christ applies equally to everyone.

The Bible, the Quran, the Torah, and the scriptures of Hinduism and Buddhist religions, should be viewed as road maps for life, guidelines for living, rules and directives that give structure to daily life. It does not matter whether one is atheist, agnostic, spiritualist, non-religious or religious; these scriptures are relevant, if for no other reason, than to give historical perspective on how people have lived their lives and the resulting consequences thereof; insights on how people should live their lives and expectations of results thereof. Learning from the experiences of life situations detailed in these great books is something from which everyone can benefit.

The section of this book on ethics and morality is very important for the common man to gain insight. I could argue with supportive facts that there are factions of our American business community who operate daily with little regard to ethical and moral behavior. Based on the stories regarding unethical business practice reported in the news media on a consistent basis, I will assume there is no need to go into details regarding unethical business practices by individuals and corporations in America. Their only objective is to make money, often at the expense of others. Money becomes their center, their God, their ultimate concern. Often greed detaches humans from having compassion for others. This is also a sickness and identifies a significant area most ministers and pastors can contribute to help members in their congregation become better Christians and better human beings. I am not suggesting in the least that the achievement of financial success is a bad thing. Rather, I think it is a good thing when achieved in the right way with the right ethical values. Done right, financial success is a blessing. The drive to make money, however, often ignores consideration of others and develops a greedy selfishness that often lacks any benefit to all involved. Usually only one or a few benefit from unethical financial transactions or financial transactions that involve the element of greed. The lack of an ethical spiritual conscious is a character flaw that is often displayed in transactions involving finance and money; often resulting in people being swindled or cheated. Often Persons displaying such unethical behavior contribute negatively to our society yet manage to maintain a respectable image and go to church. This is an opportunity for the pastors, ministers or psychologist or psychiatrist to counsel their congregation members or patients so they contribute more positively to our society. Often such behavior is hard to detect and hidden but a general assumption is that if you swim in water, you will get wet or if you play in dirt you will get dirty. The point is that the industry of money and finance that involves handling the finances of others needs to be more influenced by ethical and moral values. There is a high propensity for greed and unethical behavior in the industry of money. Pastoral ministry or even psychiatric counseling should be considered; drying off the wetness or a cleansing of the dirt metaphorically speaking. It is a well-known fact that money is a temptation with high probability of engaging unhealthy greed. It is only preventative for handlers of other people’s money to have reality checks on a constant basis. It should be considered a financial drug-testing (greed testing) program (of sorts) to protect those who place their trust in money handlers.

The temporal existence of happiness seeded in money creates a fragile foundation to center one’s sense of value. Religious and spiritual influence strengthens the moral and ethical nature of the human being. It can be the difference between happiness and depression. Hopefully, understanding concepts of moral and ethical behavior will be motivation for us to re-evaluate our own moral ethical character. Again, I want to reiterate, I am not in the least against financial gain. An ethical