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Freethought Association Minutes, January 12, 2005, #177
"I'm a God-fearing Humanist!"
Rev. Tom Owen Towle
Announcements:
We had a good turn out of Fountain Street Church members for this meeting and we welcome them for future Freethought Association meetings. On January 21 at 7:30PM the Fountain Street Church will host national radio commentator, progressive populist, public speaker and author of several books including Thieves in High Places; They've Stolen Our Country and it's Time to Take it Back, Jim Hightower. Twice elected Texas Agricultural Commissioner, Hightower is known to many for his Hightower Lowdown and his work with grassroots progressive populist efforts.
Snacks were brought in this time by this Secretary and by Jason Pittman. Our next meeting has a volunteer for the snacks and non-coffee/tea beverages too. Josh & Amanda faithfully bring in excellent selections to each meeting from Mainline Coffee, but Josh noted that the Freethought Commune on Lockwood, collectively, is responsible for the collaborative efforts of various kinds on behalf of our group.
We are taking nomination suggestions for our second Freethought Award. The recipient can be an individual or organization that has furthered the mission of freethought. The late Don Hansen, co-founder of our group and a wonderful exemplar of the character and compassion of Humanism and the value of the questing, independent mind, was our first award recipient. Some of his family joined us for this meeting. The 2005 Freethought Award Reception will be on February 12 at 6:30PM at the McCabe-Marlow Historical Mansion. Cost and RSVP info to be announced. Send nomination suggestions to info@freethoughtassociation.org.
Don Hansen provided for the Freethought Association in his final wishes. His generous $5,000 gift has been used to start the Donald Hansen Memorial Fund. Through investments and donations to it, we plan to grow this endowment fund to a point where the interest can support many of our goals, plans for the future and group activities. Don's belief and dedication to our mission will live on and honor him. Please consider donating to this fund for our long- term success.
This was our first meeting of the year. Our rent doubled for our meeting space, starting with this meeting, for a per meeting rental of $100. Your generous regular meeting donations are especially appreciated and necessary at this time, so that we can continue to provide stimulating, unfettered discussion, fascinating guest speakers, and all that we offer, uniquely, to west Michigan. As a 501(c)3 educational non-profit organization, donations are tax deductible.
December, '04 saw the publication of our first newsletter, the Freethinker. The contents included a brief history of our group, a summary of what the Freethought Association (FA) has to offer and to briefly explain our mission, long term goals and objectives and opportunities for members' involvement and support. We also now provide Freethought eNews, which is a great way to get up to date information on FA activities as well as other local, national and international news of interest to freethinkers. Visit our website to sign up for this service. At this website: www.freethoughtassociation.org http://www.freethoughtassociation.org/ you will also find meeting minutes going back to 1997, links to an array of essays submitted by FA members and articles from various periodicals, as well as an online bookstore, information for freethinking families, and links to related secularist groups and informative websites.
You may also sign up on our website to join our email discussion list, the mhf ( Michigan Humanists and Freethinkers), provided jointly by the Freethought Assoc. and the Great Lakes Humanist Society (GLHS). It is moderated by FA board member, Dr. Robert Collins and John Scalise of the GLHS. Joel Welty of the GLHS, will be giving the Sunday morning speech at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan (Mt. Pleasant) on the subject of Humanism. It will take place on January 30, at 10:30AM at the Art Reach building on South University Street, Mt. Pleasant. Welty has given wonderful portrayals of historical figures and fascinating presentations on other subjects to our group in the past.
Our first Freethought Book Discussion Group of the year will on January 13, at 7:30PM, hosted by Jeremy Crow. The featured book is Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, by Susan Jacoby. For details, directions and more info contact Jeremy at 616-706-2029 or jaycosmos@yahoo.com. The next three Book Discussion Group dates are January 20, January, 27, and February 10.
On Saturday, January 15, Jennifer Beahan will host 2005s first Freethought Women's Group meeting at 10AM. For more information and the schedule for future meetings, contact Jennifer at 616-706-2029 or musiqueforlife@yahoo.com.
Our last Freethought Movie Night featured the highly recommended film Chocolat, with many interesting ideas and freethought themes woven through it. The first one of this year, will be Stanley Kubrick's 2001; A Space Odyssey and will be on January 19 starting at 7PM. For more information, contact host and coordinator, Jason Pittman at 616-634-2471 or jpittman@backpacker.com. The next three Movie Night dates are February 2, February 16, and March 2.
All of the above social, informal discussion and activity gatherings are hosted by FA members of the Lockwood St. Freethought Commune.
Our next meeting, on January 26, will be a special treat. Roger Brewin will present a dramatic portrayal of the life and passions of America's greatest defense lawyer, Clarence Darrow, in Clarence Darrow Live! Brewin is editor of Religious Humanism- The Journal of HUUmanists, Minister of First Unitarian Church in Hobart, IN and Minister of UU Fellowship in Berrien, MI.
Other events from our calendar happening in coming months are the aforementioned 2005 Freethought Award Reception on February 12, and on that same evening, there will be a Darwin Day Celebration hosted by Kathy and John, 826 Fairmount SE starting at 6PM. More information to follow. On March 23, we will have our second Freethought & the Arts presentation. Contact FA Secretary, Charles LaRue at calart@hotmail.com for more information.
Our first Freethought Garage Sale will be coming up after that; more information to follow. And on July 9 we will have our Annual Freethought Picnic, this year at Millennium Park, Open Shelter A, from 12 noon to 6PM. Coordinated by Charles LaRue.
2004 wrapped up with a special meeting on November 24, where the FA Board presented The Future of Freethought in West Michigan; Establishing a Vision. This was an opportunity for the Board to present goals, objectives, our vision for the future and get critical feedback and suggestions to help shape our direction from the membership at large. Then, on December 8, we had our Annual Freethought Solstice Party at the Yen Ching Restaurant in Grand Rapids. A very good time was had by all and special thanks go out to Dr. Greg Forbes for coordinating this event.
Gordon Matousek records our meetings in audio-video format for release on GRTV to larger audiences.
Jeff Seaver noted in his announcements that we meet socially after our regular meetings at Vitale's Restaurant on Leonard, near downtown G.R. This is a good opportunity to meet other freethinkers in a relaxed and accommodating environment.
Presentation
The topic for this meeting was: I'm a God-fearing Humanist! It was presented by Rev. Tom Owen-Towle, Senior Minister Pro Tem, Fountain Street Church. Owen-Towle was ordained in 1967 and has served congregations in Wisconsin, Iowa and California. For 24 years, he and his life mate, Carolyn, were co-ministers of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. He is the father of four children and 5 grandchildren.
Rev. Owen-Towle has authored 17 books, most recently one entitled Growing the Beloved Community. He plays the guitar as well as tennis and is currently learning the art of magic to fascinate his grandchildren and counter arthritic hands! He remarked on our membership composed of younger and older individuals both. Many other Humanists who have attended or presented have also commented on this, seeing this as a healthy sign. He dedicated this presentation to the spirit of Don Hansen and said that our existence, representing a strong and vibrant presence in west Michigan, was a blessing for the area and for the country.
He talked about UU minister and colleague, Roger Greeley, being a pillar of Freethought and how he did performances of Clarence Darrow and his beloved Robert G. Ingersoll, whom Greeley has based books, talks, dramatic portrays and sermons on. He did presentations in San Diego where Owen Towle became acquainted with him as well as serving as a minister for many years in the Kalamazoo area.
Rev. Owen-Towle regards himself and others who share his vision as freethinking mystics with hands. Freethinking, because he looks to governing truths to inform and enlighten him, but not to the absolute truths of more fundamentalist religionists. He is always awake to omens of the divine and to the ineffable things beyond him, so he regards himself cloaked in mystical garb as well. But it is not enough to be alive to spiritual experience and to develop the unshackled roving mind of the freethinker; he believes one must also have hands at the ready. Hands to embrace and comfort and touch as well as to physically work toward goals for the improvement of the human condition. This takes in the trinity of head going to heart and then to hands, where each part is essential to an actualized Humanist, in his view.
Freethinking Mystic With Hands is the name of one of his books. Another book he authored is Wrestling With God, which will also be the title and theme of his February 20 sermon at Fountain Street Church. He talked about how Jacob in the Bible wrestles with God through an entire night, emerging from the contest with a limp and a changed life. The limp and the long duration of the wrestling match signify the effort that needs to be expended in the struggle of working through issues pertaining to the divine and one's own spiritual growth. The limp shows that one is marked or even scarred by the odyssey.
Rev. Owen- Towle asserted that religion, historically and theologically, is rooted in Humanism. He noted at one point in his talk, how the Hebrew prophets raged against the infantile renditions of the creator. The god- fearing humanist mystic serves as a bridge between heaven and Earth. Note: I am respecting our presenter's approach as to capitalization. He quipped that he tends toward an e.e. cummings-esque way of leveling the playing field of concepts. In his mind, god is not capitalized. It is capitalized in this summary's presentation title, bowing to convention for how titles are rendered, and when there is mention of the Bible God, as opposed to the personal meaning he affixes to the god of his worldview.
He discussed the search for the lurking places of the divine. The divine, for him, is not limited to the typical places and events for worship and reflection on the sacred. One can find it in people and things one would not associate in this way typically, if one is open to it. He discussed the varieties of Humanism, including the more secularized species. He feels that those who eschew any sort of god, often spend more time downgrading faith in G/god than in finding faith in people.
Rev. Owen-Towle strives to be spiritually ambidextrous, rooted firmly in the reality of life on the ground while remaining connected to what lies in the mysterious beyond, or above. He termed himself a theological hybrid, since the Humanist and the theist live within him equally. Sometimes one is puzzled by the other, but they are willing to talk. Coming together they can acquire trans-rational epiphanies, as he called them. Theists can get lost in the mists, or the ether, while atheists may disallow the numinous aspects of life to be absorbed and felt. Bridging the two makes for a fullness and completeness for him.
Rationalism is essential to his brand of god-fearing Humanism, as is service. Care for the Earth and for one another brings us closer to the divine, he stated. Owen-Towle (whose surname is a blend of he and his wife's names) talked up the importance of playfulness and silliness. The word for silliness, in fact is etymologically linked with that for blessedness in the German language. If one is too focused on the mundane or the fully logical, one may miss opportunities for play and abandon.
Another important element to embrace is silence. Words, he allowed, were the medium of this night's exchange in this setting, but in one to one, heart to heart contacts with others, words can get in the way. He mentioned the Jewish tradition of visiting someone ill in the hospital, where there is touch, then embrace, and finally tears, before words are even spoken. Pain cannot be explained away; the suffering person longs for touch- to be cared for. In this vein, he mentioned the Eastern emphasis on quiet (those in the West have long been noted for their dread fear of silences) in general and in the Buddhist thought: Don't just do something, be there!
In straddling the two sides of being a spiritualistic Humanist one seeks to surrender the self to existence without giving one's self away. This is not easy to achieve. One must strive to be dogged but not dogmatic; fluid and free in mind but disciplined as well. Freethinking is not a passive, flaccid way to live, but is ever demanding on the individual.
The UU minister talked about findings regarding the medicinal efficacy of prayer. Prayer for him is a form and method of grounding and is never to seek rewards. Yes, no and maybe are all potential outcomes of the prayerful penitent. He talked about refusing to be stunned. Allow your spirits to be wide open to the mystery. It is OK not to fully comprehend the wherefores and whys of existence. Let things be and you free yourself for human expressions of compassion.
Next Rev. Owen-Towle spoke of making a point to meet with first and second graders in the church, since they tend to be too easily overlooked by ministers. He would try to engage them; explaining why he was there—but then asking why they were there. What moved them about the experience, what interested and excited them. One of them replied that his two favorite things were dinosaurs and magic. Our presenter saw this as indicative of the two aspects of humanity. One part looks to the earthly things, while another is intrigued by the more mystical aspects of existence. Heaven and Earth; science and mystery.
Another quote Owen- Towle gave us was to go up into the gaps and live there. As an illustration for this thought, he spoke of seeing the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome, painted by Michelangelo. Focusing in on the portion depicting the creation of the first man, Adam, by the heavenly father, he noted that in this singularly important tale, that the real drama is in the outstretched arms of the two. Adam, made from the Earth, yearning and striving toward divinity—to catch that fateful spark, to make contact with god. But there is that timeless gap in between their fingers. This can be seen as a metaphor for humanity, being of the natural realm, tirelessly reaching for what lies beyond, to transcend the mere mortal coil. It is in the gap where all the mystery dwells. This is where one juggles life's fierce ambiguities.
He is not interested in certitudes, he declared, but rather in the Yin and Yang of life. Who wants it all wrapped up in some neat little package, he asked rhetorically. Why reduce all the wonder of life to bumper stickers and slogans? He smiled over the obituaries he had seen in our part of Michigan. What creative fabrications he found in them. In the end, we miss those loved ones who have died and they are missing out on the life that goes on after theirs has ended.
Our speaker gave his presentation in the manner of the preacher, with an abundance of pithy thoughts and the linguistic touches of one giving a sermon, but he stated that he was not standing before us to convert anyone to his way of experiencing life. Perhaps, he mused, if someone's soul grew a size or two, that would be sufficient. Humanism should be inclusive. He had never heard of anyone being excommunicated in the Humanist community; or asked to leave the fold. One must approach life with humility and humbleness. The arrogance of one who knows The Truth has no place in the Humanistic journey. He told us about proselytizers who would come to his door. He has a hunger for human contact and conversation and would tell them that he would gladly meet with them when they could sit down and have a real discourse. His deal was that they could give him a quality half hour of their take on life and he, in turn would give them his own best half hour. He noted wryly that there have been very few takers on this offer.
Rev. Owen-Towle discussed with us how the god-fearing part of his moniker fits into his larger view of life. It has nothing to do with groveling before deities. But there is a sense of respect that is more felt than defined. The beginning of wisdom is fear (not blind terror), he quoted. Turning to the Melville classic, Moby Dick, he reflected on how Captain Ahab did not want anyone on his ship who had no fear in him. He spoke next of the spirit; the inner spirit, infinite spirit, the spirit of life...however one wishes to express it. It is always beyond our comprehension and control. It is sometimes puzzling, he confessed, but is always right there with him.
In the 1933 Humanist Manifesto, the majority of the signers were neither secularists nor supernaturalists. They did not worship some omnipotent sky being, but were still open to the divine in the world. They were hard-minded and soft-hearted, he explained. Their collaborative effort of uniting head and heart work; seeing the divine in others but coming out of a naturalistic perspective equated to carrying forward the creation; in helping humanity to be its best, we are “doing god” but not prostrating ourselves before a god. It is part of a cosmic partnership as co-creators; a holy quest.
Our speaker next talked about the three H's. Being humble, humane and humorous. If these are incorporated fully it combines to become god in action. Taking the last term first, he noted that laughter is too often used to denigrate others but it should be used to lift others. Laughers last, he said. Laughter and a sense of fun and humor can heal and even save one's sanity. He recommended laughing at one's own flaws and the foibles in the universe. He quoted Kennedy in saying that there are three things that are real: god, human folly and laughter. Since the last one is the only one we can sufficiently deal with, we might as well embrace that.
He said that he was not interested in greatness. Goodness is sufficient. We should relish the wonderful puzzle that is humankind but not elevate it to a point where we worship humanity. We are not the center of the universe and no one possesses a god's eye view of the world. We are neither angels nor demons. We have to surrender ourselves to something—we did not act as creators or sustainers, and may not even be significant enough to ultimately end creation. We came from the dirt and return to it. Funerals are for closure and symbolize the completion of the cycle. Life is a noble, humbling story. We are lucky to be a part of it. We should travel the road of life with this sense of humbleness but also humanely and with a belly full of laughter.
In the Question & Answer portion, Reverend Owen-Towle was asked why he put “god” in the title of his presentation. He spoke of the need for collaboration with a partner and that he coveted the sense of moving along with a presence. He said that we should be the finest version of Humanist we can to satisfy our souls but that he cannot leave off the divine in his life and still maintain his full humanity. The fear aspect, he partially reiterated, is more about respect and awe.
Life is not about what words or phrases one has attached to oneself but about embodying existence. Live by hopes not accomplishments.. See the flaws but see what can be aspired to as well. One should strive to resemble whatever it is one calls oneself.
Humility and pride should be balanced, he noted. Arrogance and conceit increase with power. If you start with humility, it helps keep you grounded while still realizing that you are a worthy creation and a child of the universe, open to receiving the curses, blessings and challenges of life.
Focusing on words and labels is counterproductive; words get in the way. Instead of concerning oneself so much about the yearnings and wishes of a Supreme Being, people should focus more on those same considerations regarding their fellow humans. We should sometimes simply put away readings and writings on certain ways to be and just be it. Manifest, incarnate, tangibilitate what you feel you are or should be. Contemplating metaphysical questions does not get a person very far, or to quote the Buddha, as he did: metaphysical questions do not tend toward edification.
Another attendee said that one could reverse the sentence: god is love and say that one gets to god through love. Owen-Towle spoke of how establishing a connection with the divine helps in connecting with one's sisters and brothers and the Earth itself. His sense of god is not the all judging, punitive, discriminatory being; embodying this gets one into trouble. Back to what the audience member said, he noted that love is not something competitive. Love is not to be used to squash another person's love or be better than another's.
Somehow we got to a story about a man he knew who used to make WWMD wearable items. Instead of WWJD (What would Jesus do?), WWMD asked: what would mother do? We really cannot know what Jesus would do in many circumstances, but we can be much more certain of what mother would do. Mother can also refer to Mother Earth, or cradle of life, though it might be reasonably conjectured that some people would have as much trouble predicting the intentions of these as with Jesus.
More questions about the god he references caused him to say that the question is not so much who is god or what is god, but where is god? It can be found in service, in loving, enmeshed in a fully lived life. Glimpses can be discerned even when just walking alone or when being playful.
Another question regarded justice and god's place or role in this. Rev, Owen-Towle does not believe in an all powerful being that causes things (such as catastrophes that some say are divine justice played out) to occur. It is better to concern oneself with repairing the creation, rather than what god is like. Touch and be touched and be transformed by touching lives and ask yourself, he suggested, what makes you feel awesome. See the divine in unexpected places. People do not need to experience Road to Damascus epiphanies to find awe. One can see divinity in stopping a school fight. Instead of looking for a singular being or specific place, perhaps one should regard god as the sum total of awareness and consciousness.
Secretary: Charles LaRue |
