6-19-14 Gordon Eastern-Senses.Pdf

THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS / THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 / A13 Religion “Theyaresayingtofolks:‘Ifyougothisfar,youarerisking your membership.’” JAN SHIPPS, ARETIRED RELIGION PROFESSORFROMINDIANAWHOISANON-MORMONEXPERTONTHECHURCH The Rev. Ronnie Floyd is the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention. (AP) BALTIMORE Arkansas pastor Kate Kelly is shown in April is named Southern with other Mormon women Baptist president on a march to An Arkansas megachurch Temple Square pastor is the new president in Salt Lake City. of the Southern Baptist The protest was Convention. aimed at push- The Rev. Ronnie Floyd ing the church received 52 percent of votes to allow women last week from delegates to into the priest- the annual meeting of the hood. Kelly, the nation’s largest Protestant founder of a Mor- denomination. Floyd beat mon women’s out the Rev. Dennis Kim, the group that seeks Korean-American pastor of gender equality, a bilingual Maryland church, said the church who received 41 percent of the nowistryingto vote. excommunicate (AP ﬁles) Floyd has been the pastor her. at Cross Church in northwest Arkansas for 27 years. About 8,500 people worship each SALT LAKE CITY week at one of the church’s several locations. He was nominated by the head of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Rev. Albert Mohler. Mormon women’s group Mohler told the crowd of 5,000 meeting in Baltimore that Floyd is a person who can lead the denomination at founder faces excommunication a time of “horrifying moral rebellion” in the nation. By Brady McCombs Church leaders seem to be drawing a line for them to repent and return someday. BALTIMORE The Associated Press between private or informal expressions of Excommunication is not a lifelong ban. wo months after Mormon Kate Kelly discontent with church teachings and public Nobody has solid numbers on how many Southern Baptists led hundreds in a demonstration to protests, Mauss said. church members are excommunicated oppose gender T shed light on gender inequality in the “The LDS Church is not a democratic each year, but the number probably is reassignment religion — defying church orders to institution and has never claimed to be,” between 10,000 and 20,000, a fraction of the stay off Temple Square — the founder of a Mauss said in an email. “So, such actions are 15 million worldwide members, said Matt Delegates to the Southern prominent Mormon women’s group is interpreted by church leaders as attempts Martinich, a member of the LDS church Baptist Convention’s annual facing excommunication. to displace or undermine their legitimate who analyzes membership numbers with meeting last week passed a Kelly said she was shocked, dismayed and authority over church policies and teach- the nonprofit Cumorah Foundation. resolution declaring gender devastated to receive a letter last week from ings.” Kelly and Dehlin both hope to be allowed identity is determined by the bishop of her congregation in Virginia Singling out two critics of church policy to continue to be members of a church they biological sex and not by self- informing her a disciplinary hearing had who have made themselves very visible love that has been a part of their lives since perception. been set for June 22 to discuss the pos- seems like “boundary maintenance” by the birth. Both served Mormon missions and The resolution approved sibility of her ouster. The leader of Ordain church, said Jan Shipps, a retired religion were married in temples. June 10 states the denomina- Women is accused of apostasy, defined as professor from Indiana who is a non-Mor- Kelly, an international human rights tion opposes hormone therapy, repeated and public advocacy of positions mon expert on the church. lawyer, said she stands behind everything gender reassignment surgery that oppose church teachings. “They are saying to folks: ‘If you go this she has done since forming Ordain Women and other efforts to “alter one’s John Dehlin, the creator of a website that far, you are risking your membership,’” in 2013. She said she has not spoken out bodily identity.” provides a forum for church members ques- Shipps said. against church leaders or church doctrine, According to the resolu- tioning their faith, is facing the same fate. Church officials said in a statement there only saying publicly that men and women tion, “God’s design was the He received his letter from a local church is room for questions and sincere conversa- are not equal in the faith. creation of two distinct and leader in Logan, Utah, last week, giving him tions about the faith, but some members’ The bishop’s letter doesn’t include precise complementary sexes, male until June 18 to resign from the faith or face actions “contradict church doctrine and lead examples of why Kelly is accused of apos- and female.” an excommunication hearing. The letter others astray.” tasy. The resolution expresses says church leaders are deeply concerned In certain cases, local leaders step in to Her group drew the ire of church leaders opposition to government about Dehlin’s recent comments about no clarify false teachings and ensure other in April when members marched on Temple efforts to “validate transgender longer believing fundamental teachings of members aren’t misled, the church’s state- Square in downtown Salt Lake City and identity as morally praise- the faith. ment said. Disciplinary hearings only come asked to be allowed in a meeting reserved worthy.” The cases against the two lifelong mem- after members are counseled and encour- for members of the priesthood, which The resolution also con- bers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- aged to change behavior. includes most males in the church who demns the bullying and abuse day Saints mark the most high-profile “Some members in effect choose to take are 12 and older. They previously had been of transgender people and examples of excommunication proceedings themselves out of the church by actively told they wouldn’t be let in and warned by expresses love and compas- since 1993, said Armand Mauss, a retired teaching and publicly attempting to change church leaders to stay off church property to sionGrand for “those Rapids whose sexualPress 06/19/2014professor of sociology and religiousCopy studies Reduceddoctrine to %d%% to comply from with theiroriginal personal to fit letterpreserve page the sanctity of general conference self-understanding is shaped at Washington State University. That year, beliefs,” the statement reads. “This saddens weekend. by a distressing conflict the church disciplined six Mormon writers leaders and fellow members.” Mormon church officials said the between their biological sex who questioned church doctrine, ousting Even if Kelly and Dehlin are kicked out women’s group’s views represent only a and their gender identity.” five and kicking out a sixth temporarily. of the church, the door will remain open small fraction of church members. INTERFAITH INSIGHTS Religion below the surface: an experience of the senses By Katie Gordon visitors are by members of the community, kind and is the Sikh expression Other forms of pranam include Program Manager at the Kaufman greeted with singing hymns from their scrip- of hospitality. kneeling and placing your fore- Interfaith Institute at GVSU vibrant color ture — the Guru Granth Sahib. head to the ground, as well as fter spending a week and bright deco- Additionally, in Hinduism, chant- SMELL bowing with your hands folded Aat a Religious Diversity rations that sur- ing is said to be a purifying and The smell of a temple is inte- and touching your chest. Leadership Workshop at round the mur- cathartic practice, both for the gral to the spiritual experience. Religion is about more than Hartford Seminary in Hartford, tis (images of person performing the chant and When we arrived at a Buddhist just scripture or doctrine Connecticut, I left with a new Gordon God). Hinduism the person hearing it. temple for a meditation prac- — it’s about how these are appreciation for the ways the is centered on tice, incense was lit to mark expressed, both humanly and world’s religions express their darsan, which takes sight to TASTE our presence in a sacred space. divinely. This overview does spirituality and values — espe- mean something beyond the Sharing food is a unifying act Further, in the Hindu and Jain not come close to capturing the cially through engaging all five colors; it is the experience of see- and is an important element of temples we toured, the smell of depth of worship through the senses. The Eastern religious ing the divine image and, in turn, Sikhism through prashad and the oil lamp offerings signified senses or the traditions of the houses of worship we visited, being seen by the divine image. langar. Upon leaving the sanctu- the full engagement of self in religions, so I encourage read- including Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, This is considered the essential ary, the worshipper or guest is worship. ers to experience this for them- and Sikh temples, encapsulated personal practice of worshipping offered a handful of a sweet rice- selves. By focusing on engaging this beautifully. Here are a few the divine. like food called prashad, which is TOUCH all five senses, people can better short examples of how the reli- considered the grace of the Guru. In Indian, and especially understand other traditions’ gions of India use all five senses HEARING Following the visit is a commu- Hindu culture, there is a tradi- experiences while strengthening in worship and practice. Music and chanting are power- nal meal shared by Sikhs and tion called pranam, which is their own. After all, religion is ful tools for spirituality. In the non-Sikhs alike, called a langar. a ritual of touching the feet of not just meant to be heard; it is SIGHT Sikh Gurdwara, part of the wor- Eating together represents the elders and teachers as a sign of meant to be felt.

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