July/August 2005 Newsletter

THE RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE NEWSLETTER
Volume 6, Issue 4 -- July/August 2005
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The Religious Language Newsletter is written and published every other month by Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D. (linguistics), from the Ozark Center for Language Studies (OCLS), PO Box 1137, Huntsville, AR 72740-1137 USA; e-mail OCLS@madisoncounty.net. It's available by e-mail only, in plain text, and is free to members of the Lovingkindness Network; thanks to generous donations, all issues are posted at http://www.forlovingkindness.org. To join the network and receive its newsletter, send $5.00 (annual dues for each calendar year) to OCLS; please be sure to include your e-mail address with your check, money order, or credit card information. (Supporting Memberships are $15.00.) Donations to Lovingkindness are tax-deductible. For more information, to request a free sample issue, or to cancel the newsletter, please e-mail OCLS@madisoncounty.net.
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IN THIS ISSUE: Editor's Note; Network Input; Quotes & Comments; Cyberspace

EDITOR'S NOTE

Thank you for all the excellent materials and resources that you've been sending me; I'm grateful. So much is happening right now with religious language -- including Supreme Court decisions -- that it's hard for me to keep up with it. I don't think I could do it without your help.

NETWORK INPUT

1, I had asked in a previous issue whether "Go inside and greet the Light" was a traditional sequence of Quaker religious language. Sally Lloyd wrote to say that....

" 'Go inside and greet the Light' is a beautiful way to introduce a child to Quaker worship. I hadn't heard it before, but 'Light' is a word many Quakers use to refer to God, whom we experience as 'inner Light' (Or 'inner Teacher', or 'inner Christ'). 'Standing in the Light' is how early Friends referred to worship, and they used to do it in groups, often very large groups, standing in silence in open fields. This was unnerving to the neighbors, however, so they started building meetinghouses so they could do it inside. Quakers believe that the second coming of Christ has already occurred and it is that of God (or Christ) in each of us -- even, for Universalist Friends, people who predated or never heard of the historical Jesus. That's why we believe the world is perfectable (more or less) and it's worth working on it, and why we worship in silence, listening for the 'still small voice' of the inner Teacher, who is Christ come again and the inner Light.

As far as universalism goes, many Quakers are universalists, believing the Light is in each of us, regardless of religious tradition. Others are evangelical, take scripture very seriously, and believe you must accept Jesus as your lord and saviour. ... "

And Wib Smith wrote...
.
"To go to [a Quaker] meeting is to put oneself in a position to receive the light of God, in a setting where others are there for the same purpose. There is really no need to go to a meeting to do that, and Quakers usually maintain no place or time is holier than any other. Having said that, as a Quaker, I feel closer to the light in a silent meeting for worship with others there for the same purpose than I do on the interstate. The phrase,'go in and greet the light' is Quakerly, and would elicit no particular comment.... I do think it is precise and concise, and a great phrase."

2. In response to my statement that I was "baffled by the idea that the behavior could only be called saintly if [John] Stott were a Catholic. Since when is Catholicism a requirement for saintliness? I'd welcome your input," I had three responses from Network members...

Douglas Dee wrote:
"I can think of two interpretations the author might have had in mind:

1. He may think that 'saintly' is an un-Protestant word, so that while Stott's coreligionists might call his behavior 'Godly', 'righteous,' 'Christian,' 'holy,' etc., they wouldn't say 'saintly.' It is easy to imagine how the author might have gotten such an impression. Saints seems to have a lower profile in the Protestant churches than in the Catholic Church (and than in the Orthodox churches). Most Protestants generally have no interest in relics of the saints, don't pay much heed to saints' traditional feast days, don't pray for the intercession of saints, and don't have an official procedure for naming new saints in addition to those recognized by ancient tradition.

2. The author may have the impression that Protestants have less high regard for austere living as a religious virtue than Catholics have. Members of Catholic religious orders take vows of poverty, but there seems to be no comparable phenomenon among Protestants.

Cynthia Payant wrote:
"While we all probably agree that anyone can be 'saintly', I imagine the reason the author of that articlementioned Catholicism was excessive caution. It's as if, because the Catholic Church is, after all, the one that has real, official 'Saints' and all the bureaucracy for selecting and vetting them, the author feared calling anyone else saintly might violate some sort of Catholic copyright."
And Diana Cook wrote:
"I thought it was because saints are canonized by the Catholic church. I didn't think there was any other way for saints to be created."

**Wonders never cease.... It had never occurred to me (someone who grew up Baptist) that Saint Peter and Saint Paul and the other handful of saints that turn up in our Protestant sermons and Sunday School lessons might be considered saints only because they'd been designated saints by the Catholic Church. Nor did I realize that the only way to become an "official" saint is to be so designated by the Catholic Church. I did a bit of research, and it appears to me that there are saints in the Catholic sense and then there are saints in the non-Catholic sense, with minimal overlap. I would appreciate any additional comments you might have.

QUOTES & COMMENTS

1. After a Buddhist jingle ("Have a Gohonzon!") set to the tune of "Hava Nagila" ....

"That song is a less graceful example of the longstanding tradition of incorporating intercultural elements into Nichiren Buddhist faith. The founder and namesake of the practice, Nichiren Daishonin, was a 13-century radical Japanese priest... Nichiren drew his teachings from the Lotus Sutra, one of the final sutras delivered by the Buddha. As the story goes, in order to make the liturgy accessible to everyone in the world, he completed a translation fusing all the known languages of the time. To this day, from New Jersey to Ghana, Nichiren's disciples chant _Nam-myoho-renge-kyo_, a combination of ancient Chinese and Sanskrit, pronounced with a Japanese accent."

[Source: "Chanting for Happiness," by Eliza Thomas; _Utne_ for 9-10/04, pp. 71-72; sent by Patricia Mathews.]

2. My thanks to Douglas Dee for a copy of " 'In Vain Have I Smitten Your Children' :Augustine's Definition of Just War," by Joyce E. Salisbury, on pp. 33-37 of the 4-5/05 issue of _Free Inquiry_. It carefully traces the history of the concept of the just war in Christianity, focusing on Augustine. Two quotes....

"For millenia, Christian thinkers have been trying to distinguish good violence from bad; that is, trying to determine whose side God is on. The favored side can claim that it is waging 'just war.' " (page 33)

"Our goal then as we struggle through this imperfect world is to fight wars only when absolutely necessary and conduct them with as much integrity as possible. Then, when they are done and we look back to examine whether they were just or not, it is the resulting peace that will determine the justice of the battle. Only in retrospect can we say with certainty that our children were not 'smitten in vain'." (page 37)

If I am understanding Joyce Salisbury correctly -- and frankly, I find it hard to believe that I could be -- she is claiming that if peace follows a war we can be certain that that war was just. Perhaps that's not what she meant; in any case, I recommend the article.

3. In fact, I recommend the entire 4/-5/05 issue of _Free Inquiry_, even the parts that I disagree with, for the issues raised and the interesting discussion. Among the articles in the issue are: "The Theology of the Tsunami," by Richard Dawkins; "Why Would God Drown Children?", by James A. Haught; "Tsunami," by Christopher Hitchens; "Putting to Rest the 'Christian Nation' Myth," by David R. Koepsell; "The Obscenity of War," by J. Harold Ellens; and "Jesus, the Defense of Marriage -- and Other Unspeakable Acts," by R. Joseph Hoffmann.

4. " 'God made the world and He saw that it was good,' Sofia's father had always told her when she complained of some injustice during her brief childhood. 'Not fair. Not happy. Not perfect, Sofia. Good.' "

That's on page 25 of Mary Doria Russell's _Children of God_, sequel to _The Sparrow_. These science fiction novels, with Jesuits prominently featured, are two of the most interesting and beautifully written novels on religion and religious language that you could ever read, in my opinion.

5. The 6/05 issue of _Language_ has a review (on pp. 518-519) of Kenneth Cragg's _Faiths in their pronouns: Websites of identity_, published in 2002 by Sussex Academic Press. Reviewer Paul B. Bick writes on page 518:

"Kenneth Cragg ... explores the nature of the religious self and the relationship of man to his God as expressed in the various uses of pronouns by the poets-psalmists of the world's great religions."

And on page 519: "As pronouns are, for C[ragg], websites of (religious) identity, he calls for 'webmasters' to maintain and distinguish their religious use from tribal and nationalist usages which tend to misuse or exclude the plural forms and create disharmony and disunity -- the antithesis of religious love."

[The title of Chapter 9 -- "Two great sexes animate the world" -- suggests that Cragg also concerns himself with "the relationship of woman to her God as expressed in the various uses of pronouns...."]

6. According to Jeff Baenen ("Christian comics find legions of fans," in _The Star-Ledger_ for 6/6/05), Christian comic books are becoming a strong medium. For example...

" 'Archangels: The Saga,' produced by Cahaba Productions of Houston, is celebrating its 10th anniversay. The nine-book series, featuring sword-wielding, armored angels battling grotesque demons for a man's salvation, has sold 729,000 copies worldwide in 10 years. 'Your time is short, demon! The Almighty God has prepared a place for you and your kind,' a muscular angel declares as he punches a helmeted, winged demon with a mighty 'KRAK.' "

I am amused by the idea that angels, in order to exert their power, would have to be "muscular," or would need to go around punching things with their fists. The idea that they'd be in danger if they weren't wearing armor is bizarre. As for the sound of an angel's fist being a mighty "KRAK" .... words fail me.

7. Thanks to Kathe Rauch for "Some doctors see miracles," by Adelle M. Banks, in the 1/14/05 Raleigh _News & Observer_, a report on a national survey of 1100 U.S. doctors released by the NY Jewish Theological Seminary. Religious affiliations of the doctors included Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu [sic], and "other." Some of the results: 55 percent of the doctors said they had seen treatment results they would consider to be miracles; 59 percent said they pray for individual patients; 51 percent said they pray for their patients as a group.

8. Thanks to Hal Davis for "Syrian village struggles to keep language of Jesus," by Craig Nelson, in the 3/27/05 _Dayton Daily News_. There's a bit of confusion here -- the headline says "estimated 600,000 Aramaic speakers in the world today," while the story puts the number at "about 800,000" -- but the main message of the story is clear: Aramaic is an endangered language. Even in Malula, Syria, which had been a stronghold of Aramaic, the planned construction of an Aramaic institute has failed and the masses in local churches are no longer said in Aramaic. Nelson notes that the use of Aramaic in "The Passion of the Christ" means that "the nearly dead language has been heard by more people recently than probably have heard it in decades, if not longer." He notes that it was the lingua franca for the Middle East for more than a thousand years, but says that the "surviving speakers are confined to tiny pockets in Iran and southern Armenia, as well as... in Malula and two nearby villages." There may be speakers in "hamlets in Turkey and Iraq". One more quote:

"In stark terms, the impending death of Aramaic in some ways is not different than any cultural loss. ... But the disappearance of Aramaic somehow strikes an especially deep and saddening chord to the people of Malula, for language is not just an instrument of communication. It is a way of seeing, explaining and experiencing the world. Something besides words, they say, will be irrevocably lost if Aramaic disappears."

I'm a bit surprised that there's not a strong movement from the religious Right to preserve Aramaic, frankly. I would have thought that "the language of Jesus" would be something that evangelicals and fundamentalists would perceive as having a special status -- especially since "The Passion of the Christ," which surely put to rest at last the idea that Jesus spoke English. Perhaps something is going on that hasn't yet made the news. Or perhaps a language that still has hundreds of thousands of speakers doesn't seem endangered when compared with the many languages that now have only a handful.

9. The 2/7/05 issue of _The Nation_, page 10, had a piece by Katha Pollitt titled "Jesus to the Rescue?". [Thanks to Patricia Mathews for the copy.] Pollitt begins by pointing out that "quite a few powerful liberals are wondering if they can frame their politics as 'faith' the way the right has so effectively done." For example, Jim Wallis, editor of _Sojourners_, whose new book _God's Politics_ has been a smash hit. However:

"Wallis draws a sharp line between the God-on-our-side Christianity... and the social-justice kind he favors. Yet the triumphalism and self-righteousness he condemns in the former crops up throughout _God's Politics_: 'religion' and 'faith' are usually synonyms for Christianity, and Christianity mostly means evangelical Protestantism. ... At times Wallis seems to be in a kind of denial: If it's wrong, it isn't truly evangelical, therefore evangelicalism is purely good. Today's robust evangelical right is the fault of -- wait for it -- 'secular fundamentalists'!"

And "I don't see how we benefit as a society from translating politics into theology. ... [I]f you're not a believer, you're out of the discussion. In this sense, Wallis's evangelicalism is as much a power play as Pat Robertson's."

If that's true, it's unfortunate; I haven't yet read the Wallis book, and therefore can't comment. I do know, however, that I was deeply disappointed by the "progressive spirituality" online conference held in May by George Lakoff's Rockridge Institute. A major part of the discussion was aimed at effectively framing politics as faith and/or "values," as a way of competing with the Right for ordinary voters, but the language used in the discussions was unrelentingly the language of academics and intellectuals and the elite. I fussed about this, as a matter of principle, but got no response. Perhaps everyone else participating was perfectly happy with the situation and my complaints were perceived as spoiling the party; I have no way of knowing. On the technology side, the conference was a marvel, and I recommend it as a model for online conferences; in every other way, it struck me as standard Academic Regalian preaching to the choir.

CYBERSPACE

1. From _Religion BookLine_ for 5/11/05:

"The organization World ORT, through its 'Navigating the Bible' program (http://bible.ort.org/intro1.asp?lang=1), available free online, provides translation, transliteration and recorded chanting of the entire Torah, plus the prophets and writings."

2. At the "Religious but not Right" blog [ http://religiousbutnotright.blogspot.com ], the not overly tactful introduction goes like this: "For many of us, the Religious Right has about as much to do with religion as military intelligence has to do with ... well, you get the drift. Somehow, though, the mainstream media seems to think if you don't like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, or the other tele-blowhards, then you must be one of those 'secular left' folks. Guess what? Some of us actually pray, go to church, and even think that God has a plan for our lives. (We sometimes have a bit of trouble recognizing it, but we're pretty sure all the T's are crossed and the I's dotted...) Anyway, welcome. Argue, agree, throw your well-considered opinions around... that's what we're here for."

3. I was uneasy about discussing religious language at my blog, for much the same reason that many of us avoid bringing up the subject of religion at our family's Thanksgiving dinners -- that discussion so often ends not only with people being angry but with people feeling deeply hurt. However, it was requested, and I decided that it was more than a tad cowardly for me to refuse. The discussion began on May 22, 2005, went on at great length, and started winding down in late June. I haven't yet decided whether I should have just said no, given the amount of hostility that was generated before it was over; maybe when I've had more time to think about it I'll be able to perceive it more clearly. I do know that I wasn't able to accomplish what I was trying to accomplish -- perhaps because of the sensitive nature of the topic, but more probably because I'm not an experienced blogger. I learned a good deal, and it was certainly interesting. If you'd like to see how it went, the URL for the first post is http://www.livejournal.com/users/ozarque/ 114134.html?view=1638358 .

4. From the 6/8/05 _Religion BookLine_, in a review of David Benley Hart's _The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami?_:

"This book expands on the... theological thesis that 'what God permits, rather than violate the autonomy of the created world, may be in itself contrary to what he wills.' ... The book begins with an elegant description of the geological factors leading to the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Hart then admits that, upon learning of this devastation, 'we should probably all have remained silent for awhile.' But since few did, he joined the chorus in an effort to counter some upsetting arguments given to help people understand God's role in the disaster."

5. From "Medical student prescribes a religion," by Greg Garrison, in a Religion News Service article in the 6/2/05 online _San Diego Union_:

"Ford Vox started a religion in his spare time. He calls it Universism, and is recruiting atheists, deists, freethinkers and others who can rally around the notion that no universal religious truth exists, and that the meaning of existence must be determined by each individual. ... After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, well-meaning non-religious people can no longer stand by and do nothing, he said. They need their own religion, he said, one that opposes absolute truth claims."

You can read a speech by Ford Vox, in which he claims to have the endorsement of Edward O. Wilson and Stephen Pinker, at http://www.universist.org/120703.htm .

6. There is an article -- a long and polemic political article -- titled "The Godly Must Be Crazy," written by Glenn Scherer, online at http://www.grist.org/news/ maindish/2004/10/27/scherer-christian . Scherer's concern is with those of the religious Right who feel that "concern for the future of our planet is irrelevant, because it has no future." And with those who he says may believe "that environmental destruction is not only to be disregarded but actually welcomed -- even hastened -- as a sign of the coming Apocalypse."

I am aware that some readers may find this article offensive; however, it is important as a discussion of the real world effects of religious language. I recommend it in that context, whatever your spiritual affiliation may be.

7. Lani Perlman has an interesting article titled "Orthodox Women Change Passover Table" at http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=2269 ; its first sentence is "Orthodox Jewish women have been pushing a quiet revolution for the past 25 years." Sample....

"And next to the traditional cup of wine awaiting the return of the prophet Elijah sits a cup of water dedicated to Miriam, the ancient prophetess and sister of Moses. Miriam's Cup is passed around the table and each guest pours a bit of their water into the goblet."

8. From "Democrats Needed & Need a Religious/Spiritual Left," by Rabbi Michael Lerner:

"If the Democrats were to foster a religious/spiritual Left, they would no longer pick candidates who support preemptive wars or who appease coporate power. They would reject the cynical realism that led them to pretend to be born-again militarists, a deception that fooled no one and only revealed their contempt for the intelligence of most Americans. Instead of assuming that most Americans are either stupid or reactionary, a religious Left would understand that many Americans who are on the Right actually share the same concern for a world based on love and generosity that underlies Left politics, even though lefties often hide the value attachments. ... It's time they got over that elitist self-righteousness and developed strategies that could affirm their common humanity with those who voted for the Right." [See http://www.tikkun.org ]

9. Thanks to Janet Coburn for sending "Air Force probes religious bias charges at academy: Cadet complaints are rising at Colorado school, officials say," by Mike Mount. Mount writes:

"Among the allegations are that cadets are frequently pressured to attend chapel and take religious instruction, particularly in the evangelical Christian faith; that prayer is a part of mandatory events at the academy, and that in at least one case a teacher ordered students to pray before beginning their final examination. The report said it found that non-Christian cadets are subjected to 'proselytization or religious harassment' by more senior cadets... "

You could read this article at a horrendously long link I won't burden you with; a Google search would be simpler, and would turn up numerous articles on the subject. I was particularly interested in a dialogue I watched on CNN on 6/22/05 in which a pundit argued that the sequences of language being objected to are an intrinsic part of the religious language of evangelical Christianity, and that any attempt to restrict or limit their use is religious harassment, religious discrimination, and a violation of the First Amendment. I had not heard that approach to the issue before; if you have other examples, I'd be pleased to see them.

10. "PlayStations of the Cross," a very thorough and interesting article by Jonathan Dee on the Christian videogame industry, first appeared on 5/1/05 in the _New York Times Magazine_, it's now all over the Internet. One reliable link is http://newsgris.typepad.com/palladio/2005/05/playstations_of.htm . It's long, and it's complicated; choosing quotes isn't easy. Here's one...

"[Ralph] Bagley told me that N'Lighning 'didn't want to create a nonviolent game. That wasn't really my mission or my vision. Spiritual warfare -- that's the whole premise in both of our games. Some of these games, you've got Joseph herding some sheep into a little field and how many sheep can you put in the pen, you know? Sorry, that's not going to cut it in today's environment. Maybe for a 4-year-old, but not for the assistant pastor who wants to go home and play a cool game."

Dee writes that the industry is united in its determination to break into "the high-profile, high-revenue world of console games"; he quotes Bagley saying that "What we need to do is create a Christian game section in all these retailers. You go into Wal-Mart and there's a Christian music section. That's what I'm fighting for."

Nothing in the article about whether it would be okay to have a Jewish videogame section at Wal-Mart, or a Buddhist one, or one from any other faith. My thanks to Frances Green for sending me the material; I recommend it.

11. I also recommend -- for its clear focus on the _effects_ of religious language -- "Antichrist politics," by Michelle Goldberg, online at http:// thereitis.org/displayarticle255.html. Sample, quoting analyst Chip Berlet:

"My argument is that you don't have to say 'I am a dispensationalist' to be a person influenced by these apocalyptic metaphors. The more you're embedded in a Christian fundamentalist culture, the more you're going to be influenced by these ideas even if you claim you aren't."

Goldberg says of dispensationalists that "they believe that the return of Jews to Israel and the restoration of Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount is a precondition for the rapture, the apocalypse and the return of Christ."

12, From a brief review of Brennan Manning's _The Importance of Being Foolish: How to Think Like Jesus_ (Harper San Francisco) in the 5/25/05 _Religion BookLine_:

"Manning offers a fiercely provocative call to arms that exhorts Christians to stop pandering after the things of this world (wealth, power, influence, pleasure) and instead choose to be so 'foolish' as to follow Jesus. This book is not for the easily offended, as Manning pulls no punches and does not attempt to soften the radical nature of Jesus' message. ... Manning upholds a Christian faith that is simultaneously hard-line about the intransigent demands of the New Testament but also wrapped in grace and mercy, not judgment and condemnation."

13. Quaker Tom Gates, in "Remarks on Religious Language," suggests four characteristics that he feels such language should have. [Full text online at http://www.quaker.org/chestnuthill/tgates.htm .] As follows:

"... [O]ur words should be humble. ....
Words are necessary. However inadequate our religious language may seem, words are nevertheless the only way we have of expressing our faith, sharing our spiritual experience, inspiring and teaching one another, and passing along our tradition to others. ... "...
[W]e need the courage to speak our truth in the language and the metaphors through which we have come to understand it. ...
[W]e need the courage to listen."

14. In a 5/28/05 Linguist List review of Paul Chilton's _Analysing Political Discourse: Theory and Practice (Routledge 2004), Susana Sotillo discusses Chilton's analysis of George Bush's speech on 9/14/01 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, in which it is compared with an English translation of a speech by Osama bin Laden:

"Both texts invoke historical and theological background knowledge shared by two different audiences, a westernized American public and Muslim and Middle Eastern receivers, who mentally process different representations of the world. Cognitive frames and metaphors are analyzed... which reveal that whereas in the bin Laden text there is no separation between the religious and the secular, and sacred space seems to extend over an entire region, the Bush text shows that God is partly hidden and oriented with his face toward the speaker's own face, in a more intimate local space."

[2005 reviews are at http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/indices/Review2005r.html .]

15.. Cyberplaces to visit.... "Guest Post: Priesthood, Culture, and Misogyny," at http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=235 , suggested by Stephen Marsh; "Will the poor always be with us?", by Bryant Myers, at http://www.sojo.net/ index.cfm?action=news.display_article&mode=C&NewsID=4847 ; an interesting (and long) article on the history of the concept of "liberty of conscience" among Baptists, at http://www.baptisthistory.org/pamphlets/freedom.htm ; "The Pagan Institute: Essays for Pagan Activists" website, at http://www. paganinstitute.org/PIR/essays_activism.html (suggested by Elizabeth Barrette) .

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