| Sunday,
July 18, 2019 Diversity and Unity
Although this essay is based on the Lessons for the day, this isn't a
sermon. Bear with me.
The lesson for the day is from Luke 40.
Luke tells us the story: Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, were
entertaining Jesus and his disciples in Bethany, a few miles east of
Jerusalem. Martha rushed about the kitchen and
household, seeing to the cooking, bringing wash basins, changing towels, and
doing the other things needful when one's home has been unexpectedly invaded
by a celebrity and his entourage. I give the King James version rather than
the rather insipid translations being read nowadays:
"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
"And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus feet, and
heard his word.
"But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said,
Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid
her therefore that she help me.
"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou are careful
and troubled about many things:
"But one thing is needful: Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall
not be taken away from her."
Luke 10:38-42)
The psalm for the day is Psalm 15. Modern translations turn this into
something insipid. The best translation I know of is the Coverdale, which is
based on both Luther and the Vulgate and to the best of my knowledge isn't
contested by Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish authorities. It is
inscribed on the tomb of Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, and is
often recited at the close of Scout meetings -- or used to be, anyway.
Domine, quis habitabit?
LORD, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle : or who shall rest
upon thy holy hill?
Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life : and doeth the thing which is
right, and speaketh the truth from his heart.
He that hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour
: and hath not slandered his neighbour.
He that setteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes : and maketh
much of them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth unto his neighbour, and disappointeth him not : though it
were to his own hindrance.
He that hath not given his money upon usury : nor taken reward against the
innocent.
Whoso doeth these things : shall never fall.
There was a time when a large portion of the the populations of England
and the United States would have heard these lessons once a year. The
translation might differ, and Sunday on which the
lesson was read might be different, but a lot of people would have heard
these lessons and be familiar with not only the stories, but often the
language itself. Authors could count on this: those who could read had
probably read those lessons and knew those stories.
Moreover, most people in the US and England, and for that matter most of
Western Europe and great numbers throughout the civilized world would not
only be more or less familiar with the Psalm, but agree with its sentiments.
They might be Jewish or Catholic or Evangelical or Unitarian or agnostic or flat out
atheist, but they'd pretty well agree that taking reward against the
innocent would not be a moral or ethical thing to do. They might have some
quibbles about what it mean to put money upon usury, but they'd pretty well
agree that grinding the faces of the poor was a despicable way to make a
living; that keeping your word and not disappointing your neighbor even if
that wasn't to your best advantage was the right thing to do.
Many might not follow those precepts: if the reward against the innocent
is large enough, or the hindrance for keeping your word to your neighbor
severe enough, the temptation would be great and one might succumb: but
that's another story. A very long time ago historians told stories of those
who knew what was right and who actually did right. But there was fundmental
agreement on what was right, and moreover, and doing right applied to all
those around you. After all, the Lesson of the Good Samaritan had been read
a few Sundays before, and that explicitly defined who was your neighbor.
Those who didn't go to church would still have heard much of this in the
public schools.
And while the lesson of the story of Mary and Martha is not so clear,
Kipling could assume that most of his readership would be familiar with it,
and thus he could write The Sons of Martha; and we can all be grateful that there
are daughters and sons of Martha. The world doesn't work very well without
them.
The Sons
of Martha
Of course those lessons are no longer permitted in the schools at any
level, lest someone be offended. Perhaps we are better for this, but it is
something to be contemplated. A nation must be built on some common
agreements, and there are indications that the common pool of agreement is
getting shallower every year. When there comes a generation which has no
daughters and sons of Martha, can we survive?
=======================
So we know now that a project out by Dulles Airport proudly boasts of its
$18 million stimulus and the jobs created by that. It turns out that the
total number of jobs created by the project is under 20. Perhaps there ought
simply be a lottery: give half a million cash, no taxes, to 20 winners.
Require each winner to hire someone at minimum wage for a year. They could
spend the rest any way they wanted. I am sure they'd spend it, and some
might even invest it; and I suspect the effect on the economy would be no
worse than achieved with the various projects. It might even be
cheaper to run the lottery than to award the project, too. Other savings
come to mind.
===============
The paperback of
Niven and Pournelle, Escape from Hell, is available. If you haven't read
it, I am pretty sure you'll like it. I read it over again the other day and
I sure found it readable.
===============
Felons Voting Illegally May Have Put Franken Over
the Top in Minnesota, Study Finds
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/12/
felons-voting-illegally-franken-minnesota-study-finds/print
The six-month election recount that turned former
Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken into a U.S. senator may have been
decided by convicted felons who voted illegally in Minnesota's Twin
Cities, according to an 18-month study conducted by a conservative
watchdog group.
The six-month election recount that turned former
"Saturday Night Live" comedian Al Franken into a U.S. senator may have
been decided by convicted felons who voted illegally in Minnesota's Twin
Cities.
I know no more about it than this, but I did find it interesting that
they kept counting until Franken won. And I make no doubt that will happen
this November as well. It's always best to have a decisive win. Recounts
generally go to the party employing the recounters.
===============
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