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In some circles, science and mysticism are merging. In the 2004 movie What the Bleep Do We Know?  fourteen scientists and mystics share their ideas about the interconnectedness of all things. The film is now available streaming on Amazon Prime. Click here to watch the trailer. Although the film has its critics, it does make one think. Here are a few memorable quotes: “Knowing that we are all interconnected in the universe is at its fundamental level as good an explanation of spirituality as there is.” ~ Stuart Hameroff M.D. “It is my belief that our purpose here is to develop our gifts and intentionality and to learn how to be effective creators.” ~ William Tiller, Ph.D. “We are here to be creators. We are here to infiltrate space with ideas and mansions of thought. We are here to make something of this life… We must pursue knowledge without any interference from our addictions. And if we can manifest knowledge and reality in our body, we will experience this in new ways, in new holograms, in new ‘elsewheres of thought’ beyond our wildest dreams.” ~ Ramtha The only answer that is both satisfactory and meaningful is that consciousness is the Ground of all Being. ~ Ramtha “Quantum mechanics allows for the intangible phenomenon – the freedom to be ‘woven into human nature.’ Quantum physics is the physics of possibilities. “There is really no such thing as good or bad… there are things that I do that I know will evolve me and there are other things that will not evolve me.” ~ Micael Ledwith, Ph.D. “Welcome to the kingdom of heaven, without judgment, without hate, without testing, without anything – we simply are.” ~ Ramtha

Our friend Jan Magarigal is a local artist, concerned about what humans are doing to our environment, and is a lover of frogs. Her artistic interest is “to create beautiful, gentle and thoughtful designs for all people wanting to help move the world toward a kinder, gentler, compassionate and peaceful world whereby respect and dignity of all is a given, including our relationship with all sentient beings and Earth too.” She has T-shirts, mugs and buttons for sale on her Earth and World Peace website. Jane recently introduced us to a 1st grader named Justin and ForTheLoveOfFrogs.com  Jane describes Justin as “a young Jane Goodall – he is destined to be amongst the great environmentalists of the future.” You might enjoy watching Jane’s fun YouTube video or Justin’s inspiring YouTube video.

Brian D McLaren's 2021 book Faith After Doubt sets a framework for understanding faith development in four stages: Simplicity, Complexity, Perplexity, and Harmony. Spirituality is evolving from dualistic to pragmatic, then critical, and ultimately into non-dual thinking, McLaren gives people permission to doubt beliefs made obsolete with new science, scholarship, and an expanding worldview. The book may be particularly helpful for evangelical Christians who have moved from certainty into the deconstruction of traditional beliefs and are "lost in reconstruction," looking for a system that brings integration and harmony. What I find most interesting is the implications for how the Christian religion, particularly in the United States, is likely to evolve in the future. For many years church membership has been in a steady decline with a rise in "nones," particularly among younger generations. Few churches actually aim to help people navigate through their doubts. Faith communities that are quite progressive in their methodology may be rigidly conservative and regressive in their theology. On the other hand faith communities that are progressive in their theology may be rigidly institutional in their methodology - "Big on committees. Big on vestments and keeping the liturgy just so. A little low on action and energy. Really nice people... of my grandparent's generation." The result is that "nones" and those with doubts have fewer places to go to resolve these concerns and just give up on being part of a congregation. Observers have noted that politics has replaced religion in terms of the fervor of beliefs. People are still looking for purpose and belonging, but instead of meeting in building with stained glass windows, people are looking for meaning through podcasts and TED Talks. They are getting together and finding belonging by starting reading groups in living rooms and pub theology groups in bars and restaurants. Instead of attending church "52 times a year," they meet less frequently "for 52 hours" in festivals, retreats, excursions into the wilderness, and conferences. Churches are facing an "open-source revolution." "Doubt prepares the way for a new kind of faith after and with doubt, a humbled and harmonious faith, a faith that expresses itself in love..... "We need churches that are big on action and big on love, but small on beliefs and bureaucracy." ~ Brian McLaren This all reminds me of Living The Questions that I participated in several years. ago. Their curriculum "explores the biblical foundations, theological grounding, and spiritual practices at the heart of Progressive Christianity."

Making the best choice as consumers is not just about price and the quality of the product itself, but also the business practices of the company that makes it. The Better World Shopping Guide which grades companies according to five criteria (human rights, the environment, animal protection, community involvement, and social justice) is now in its 6th edition. They “provide our users with a comprehensive database of over 2,000 companies.” Among the A graded companies are: Tweezerman, Vancity, Wholesome Sweeteners, Wholesoy, Working Assets, Recycline, Seeds Green Print, Straus Family, Straus Family Creamery, Sunrise Banks, SweetRiot, TAP / FILTERED, TerraCycle, TerraPass, Theo, OnePacificCoast, Only Natural Pet Store, Organic Pastures, Organic Prairie, Oxo Brite, Pangea Organics, Peace Coffee, Pete & Gerry’s, Plum Organics, Preserve, Pura Vida, local farmers markets, local vineyards, Lotus Foods, Luna, Wolaver’s, World’s Best Eggs, Zhena’s Gypsy, Zia, Turtle Island, Vegenaise, Vital Choice, Vital Farms, Wikipedia, Wild Pacific, Wild Planet, Wildcatch, Wildwood, Swheat Scoop, Teva, Thanksgiving, The Green Office, The Honest Company, The Keeper, Therafit, Timberland, Tofurkey, Tofurky, Tulsi, Simply Organic, Sjaak’s, Sole Rebels, St. John Family, Steaz, Striped Bass,Weleda, WestSoy, Whole Foods, Woodstock Farms, Working Assets CC, Xerox, Xyliwhite, YouTube, Yves, Zola, Stonyfield Farm, Sun Flour Baking Co, Tender Care, Think, TofuTown, Twin Oaks, Unisoy, Vermont Bread Co., Vermont Soy, Rudi’s Organic, Shelton’s, Silk Road, Sipp, Small Planet, So Delicious, Speakeasy, Spectrum and Spicely. Those with an F grade are: Chevron-Texaco, Walmart, Kraft Heinz, Exxon-Mobil, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Verizon, Dow Chemical, Citibank, Nestle, Pfizer, General Electric, General Motors, Zee, Zephyr Hills, Zest, Abbott Laboratories, Koch Industries, Comcast, Monsanto, Ford, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Microsoft, Walgreens, Warner Brothers, Whiskas, Window, Windows Mobile, Winn-Dixie and Wonka. Their research is based on 76 reliable sources (linked) with 30+ years of data. Dr. Ellis Jones is the author of two books and an app is available for free download through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The Shopping Guide identifies corporate heroes and villains by-product with a brief list of buying tips and what you need to know. #socialjustice #animalprotection #communityinvolvement #environment #HumanRights

PBS Newshour reports that only “11% of Republicans and 37% of Democrats say they trust National media organizations.” In 2017 the term “fake news” was used 174 times in tweets by President Trump. Perhaps that’s why? Wikipedia defines fake news as “a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media. Fake news is written and published with the intent to mislead in order to damage an agency, entity, or person, and/or gain financially or politically, often using sensationalist, dishonest, or outright fabricated headlines to increase readership, online sharing, and Internet click revenue.” By such a definition, many think that much of Fox “News” should qualify as fake, but instead, last week President Trump had his own list of “fake news” awards for the New York Times, ABC News, CNN, Washington Post, and Newsweek. Some inaccurate reports by these media have been acknowledged as a mistake, which is different than fake. Now the Pope is warning the world against “fake news and likens it to the “crafty serpent” in Genesis in his 2108 World Communications Day Message: Fake news “has to do with false information based on non-existent or distorted data meant to deceive and manipulate the reader. Spreading fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions, and serve economic interests… It appeals to the insatiable greed so easily aroused in human beings. The economic and manipulative aims that feed disinformation are rooted in a thirst for power, a desire to possess and enjoy, which ultimately makes us victims of something much more tragic: the deceptive power of evil that moves from one lie to another in order to rob us of our interior freedom.” On the one hand, there clearly are some malicious deceptions intended to increase online advertisement revenue and foreign attempts to influence political elections. Facebook and other social media have been implicated in spreading fake news and are changing their focus in response to such criticism. On the other hand, there are “alternative facts” and other untruths coming from politicians and political-opinion-personalities on cable TV who masquerade as purveyors of objective, unbiased news. Those who regularly watch Fox News “live inside an entirely different worldview bubble” than those who get their news from the PBS Newshour and NPR! And how does one label the deliberate attempt by some members of Congress and the White House to discredit the integrity of our Justice Department and Special Counsel investigating possible Russian collusion? It’s an orchestrated “cycle of distraction.” Shouldn’t we just call this all yellow journalism or propaganda? The Pope is imploring a “rediscovering the dignity of journalism and the personal responsibility of journalists to communicate the truth.” Unfortunately, I expect the dignity of journalism will not be rediscovered until the Oval Office is occupied by someone with more respect, restraint, decorum, and humanity, appropriate to the high office of the President of the United States, instead of someone who cries “fake news” as a counter-punch to divert attention. In the opinion of most people I know, journalists are not the problem! Thank you, to the majority of professional journalists who have the courage to speak truth to power, in spite of continued insults from those currently in power who attempt to distort the truth. Thank you Snopes and Poynter! Neiman Labs publishes weekly Real News About Fake News. RAND Corporation has released a 300-page report entitled Truth Decay: An Initial Exploration of the Diminishing Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life. “Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts” – Patrick Moinahan The Truth Will Set You Free ~ John 8:32 Image Credit: “Fake News” from an 1894 illustration by Frederick Burr Opper #Poynter #yellowjournalism #FakeNews #cycleofdistraction #Propaganda #Snopes #TruthDecay

The film Walk With Me is about Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village. It is being shown on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary of the Center for Spiritual Living. The film is about a community of Zen Buddhist monks and nuns who have dedicated their lives to mastering the art of mindfulness under the wisdom ways of Thich Nhat Hanh. River Oak Sangha meets Wednesdays from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Meditation Pavilion art Center for Spiritual Living to practice mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. They welcome everyone with an interest in mindfulness practice, including first-time visitors and guests. A sangha is a community that supports people in the practice of meditation, ethical living, and the development of wisdom. They aspire to apply mindfulness to everyday life while balancing practice and study. Such a path can decrease suffering, increase happiness and ultimately lead to the natural development of compassion and wisdom. There is no dogma to believe in. Instead, practicing mindfulness with a sangha is an opportunity to explore our own life experiences using the tools of meditation and reflection in the context of a supportive community of fellow practitioners. River Oak Sangha includes Buddhists and non-Buddhists.

The 7th Parliament of the World’s Religions was held from November 1-7, 2018, in Toronto, Canada. The theme was The Promise of Inclusion & the Power of Love. The Parliament of the World’s Religions creates the opportunity for people of faith and conscience from around the world to assemble and to hear from wisdom leaders, which in the past have included His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Nelson Mandela, President Jimmy Carter, and UN Messenger of Peace Dr. Jane Goodall. Over the years more than 50,000 participants from 200 unique spiritual backgrounds have traveled from more than 80 nations around the world to past Parliament conferences, bringing their attention and action together to dialogue, forge solutions and build networks of action. “Open to anyone interested in experiencing a fresh and sometimes boundary-pushing multi-faith encounter, the Parliament leaves a lasting legacy of cooperation in its hosting cities and changes the lives of all who are drawn into attendance— this extends into the spheres that are also represented in the Parliament, including academia, government, media, business, NGO leadership, and grassroots activism.” The world’s oldest and most diverse global interfaith event marks its 125-year anniversary in 2018 by bringing together leaders and followers of more than 200 spiritual and secular traditions to “pursue global understanding, reconciliation, and change” in the world’s most culturally diverse city. More than 12,000 delegates are expected to convene in Toronto later this year. “The Parliament of the World’s Religions is an international, non-sectarian, non-profit organization, established in 1988 to host the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions. The international office of the Parliament of the World’s Religions is located in Chicago, Illinois. Its periodic Parliaments and ongoing initiatives cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful, and sustainable world.” Image Credit: Photo of Basilica de Notre Dame, Montreal, Canada by Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikipedia #harmony #sustainableworld #justice #WorldReligions #engegement #peace #interfaith

from: https://www.womensmarch.com On January 21st thousands of women, femmes, and allies came together to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March and to launch our collective 2018 Women’s March agenda: #PowerToThePolls. This anniversary event in Las Vegas was the kick off a national voter registration and mobilization tour targeting swing states to register new voters, engage impacted communities, harness our collective energy to advocate for policies and candidates that reflect our values, and collaborate with our partners to elect more women and progressives candidates to office. Where will you be to make your voice heard?

Google is getting more aggressive about “helping you make searches faster and get customized experiences in Search, Maps, Now, and other Google products.” This “translates” into monitoring your search activity in order to monetize you – YOU are the product. These are not your friends just trying to be caring, so beware of your privacy settings. Have you noticed ads repeatedly popping up elsewhere on your browser for items you have comparison searched on Google after you clicked several of the convenient picture shopping links? Google’s privacy policy enables the company to share data across a wide variety of services. These embedded services include millions of third-party websites that use Adsense and Analytics. In the summer of 2016, Google quietly dropped its ban on personally-identifiable info in its DoubleClick ad service. You can control your Google Experience and turn off the blue toggle switches to protect your privacy, although you may also lose some functionality you enjoy. If you don’t want push notifications from Google+ you can just say “NO THANKS!” In addition, you should control what information is collected through a Privacy Checkup of what you share on YouTube. Facebook also has Basic Privacy Settings & Tools you should visit and use. Here’s a handy link to Epic.org’s Online Guide to Privacy Resources.

AARP’s Bulletin has an article about how to Boost Your Brain Power. Here are some key research findings regarding boosting your cognitive reserve: Activity –  brisk walking for 40 minutes four times a week, increases blood flow to the regions of the brain shown able to grow new cells. Eat a Mediterranean Diet and maintain good gut bug flora. Mindfulness – pay attention to what you’re doing. Meditation, yoga, a walk in the woods: focus your mind and relax. This may build clearer memories. Unplug and don’t let your smartphone hijack your attention span. Watch your numbers – keep cholesterol and blood pressure numbers in an acceptable range; limit sugars and prevent or treat diabetes. Don’t smoke tobacco. Don’t fall and get a head injury. Prioritize sleep. Learn something new – remain curious and continue to grow as a person. Socialize – Don’t live alone and party with others to avoid depression. Cognitive reserve is “the combination of a person’s innate abilities and the additional brainpower that comes from challenging the mind. Studies show that diverse, mentally stimulating tasks result in more brain cells, more robust connections among those cells, and a greater ability to bypass age- or disease-related trouble spots in the brain. The more you work your mind, the greater your cognitive reserve. And the greater your reserve, the greater your ability to withstand the inevitable challenges of aging.” "Unfortunately, there is no pill or procedure to help you maintain your memories (yet). Forget digital-brain-games and don’t sweat using antiperspirants with aluminum. Vitamin supplements such as E and Ginsing won’t help either and the efficacy of Prevagin is questionable." Check out Brainblogger for the best and worst of Neuroscience and Neurology.

Locavesting is “a call to rethink the way we invest so that we support the small businesses that create jobs and healthy, resilient communities.” Just as “Buy Local” campaigns have found that a small shift in purchasing from chains to locally owned enterprises can reap outsized benefits for a community, so, too, can a small shift in our investment dollars. The phrase Locavesting was coined by journalist Amy Cortese in 2008 (and the title of her book published in 2011) to capture the ‘citizen investor’ phenomenon she saw taking hold in the wake of the financial crisis.” The Local Crowd is crowdfunding like Kickstarter, except with a distinct local investment focus. The Local Crowd is a Wyoming, LLC founded on the belief that strong local economies hold the key to a strong national economy. Their model “combines the power of Internet crowdfunding with a strong educational focus designed to increase the knowledge base and sophistication level of rural entrepreneurs and investors in using the Internet to raise money and make investments in local companies.” They offer a “full-service package including locally-based crowdfunding software, consulting and instruction–including webinars, seminars, workshops, retreats, classes (in-person and online), and courses for groups and individuals.” Local Futures, also known as the Economics of Happiness, is a pioneer of the new economy movement, dedicated to the renewal of community, ecological health and local economies worldwide. Local Futures is offering a FREE webinar on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. PST – a deeper dig by Shaun Chamberlin and Helena Norberg-Hodge into the work of the late Dr. David Fleming, author of Surviving the Future: Culture, Carnival and Capital in the Aftermath of the Market Economy – a different vision for a post-growth society. Register Here. This event is jointly organized by Local Futures and Transition US. Check out DarkOptimism (Shaun Chamberlin’s blog), which “offers a better future for a troubled world… unashamedly positive about what kind of a world humanity could create, and unashamedly realistic about how far we are from creating it today.” This 2 ½ minute YouTube video highlights the benefits of localization. “Now is the time to repair and restore the atrophied social and ecological structures on which most human cultures were built – not only because we miss them dearly, but also as an absolute practical priority, for they are the only basis for a nourishing and cohesive society that might survive the turbulent times to come. This work could become the story of our times, and living it imbues our days with joy and meaning.” #LocalInvesting #LocalFutures #Locavesting #GlobalEconomy #Localization #TheLocalCrowd

In the YouTube video (above) Rev. Carol Devine, Director of Blessed Tomorrow, interviews Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jones about Season of Creation. on EcoAmerica,'s weekly podcast Let’s Talk Climate. They discuss the history and significance of this time period, the many resources available, and how clergy and lay leaders can get involved. In 2000, St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Adelaide, South Australia, celebrated the first Season of Creation. Since then, churches around the world have joined in celebrating Creation and deepening their commitment to climate solutions in the fall of each year. This year the Season is from September 4th to October 2, 2022. Greenfaith is organizing a worldwide campaign called Faiths 4 Climate Justice between October 2nd and November 6, 2022 (the eve of the COP27 climate talks). Download the Action Guide. Additional church climate action resources are found on the Preaching For Gods World website. Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is Missioner for Creation Care; Creation Care Advisor for the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA and the Southern Northeast Conference of the United Church of Christ. She writes a blog full of resources at RevivingCreation.org

Honest To Goodness Honest to Goodness (2019) by Martin Prozesky explores what it means to be a Christian when governed by ethical values.” Prozesky is an academic theologian and ethicist who points to “goodness as the reality that drives everything that is noble and lasting valuable in our existence. Goodness itself requires that we make every effort to protect and enhance all that is already good in the world, and to transform all that is not good.” This scholarly book traces the author’s semi-autobiographical “ethical and spiritual odyssey’’ over a span of 50 years in the Episcopal and Anglican tradition. His faith evolved from his early years of conservative Christianity, then gradually adopting more liberal views, and finally ending up embracing progressive Christianity. He found a “new Christian radicalism far closer to Jesus himself and the great spiritual and ethical movement he launched.” Prozesky’s most important contention of the book is: “Supreme goodness is the only true foundation for faith and practice, and everything in Christianity, and every other faith and philosophy, must align with and serve it or lose moral depth, spiritual credibility, and power.” He lists principle facets of goodness: love, truth, justice, respect, generosity, active care for others, freedom without harm, inclusiveness, non-violence, respect for life, tolerance, equal rights for all, gender justice, beauty, open-mindedness, judicious criticality. Love and truth are foundational. Truth-loving includes unfailing respect for factual evidence and logical consistency. Using the norm of “perfect goodness”, Prozesky concludes that “too many of the very influential belief and practices of conservative Christianity prove too flawed to merit continued acceptance. He agrees with John Shelby Spong who “showed us convincingly, as one who knows his Bible backward, that Scripture contains material that is unethical about the environment, women, homosexuality, children, Jews and what he calls ‘certainty’ – the belief that Christianity has a monopoly on religious truth.” As South Africa navigated through apartheid, it became “abundantly clear that Christianity can be shockingly ambivalent about central ethical values like truth and socio-economic justice.” In his loving critique of conservative and liberal Christianity, he laments that “worship and belief are treated as the main business of conservative Christian churches, having priority over ethical practices.” Biblical fundamentalists tend to be inward-looking, in a self-perpetuating way. Religions should be a comprehensive value system first and foremost, rather than belief systems. He slowly evolved into progressive Christianity and a panentheistic understanding of Godhead. The Abrahamic concept of God as a supreme personal being “is simply too restrictive to do justice to a goodness that is too rich and deep to be adequately contained in any of the models and metaphors we may employ.”He now rejects a belief that God could “ordain the ultimate cruelty and injustice of eternal punishment to those who do not embrace Christ as the only savior. To be clear Prozesky, is not suggesting an “embrace of materialistic atheism and the belief that the universe of matter and energy that science studies is the only reality, which makes religious faith in transcendence just a delusion.” He sees the cosmos as the ultimate reality – this isn’t primarily about beliefs, doctrines, and creeds but in goodness, love, and concern for truth. I feel a resonance with Prozesky’s critique of conservative and liberal Christianity. My personal faith journey has evolved from traditional biblical Presbyterianism, prompted by a quest for the historical Jesus and “living the questions” into a progressive understanding. My path includes some of the same scholars he mentions: N. T. Wright, Marcus Borg, John Dominick Crossan, John Shelby Spong and Lloyd Gerring, but added mystic activist Matthew Fox and contemplative Richard Rohr. I appreciate the author’s unique perspective from South Africa and his centering on ethics. It makes me wonder if an ethics-first approach could persuade white evangelical followers of Donald J. Trump to re-evaluate the cognitive dissonance of his personality, temperament, and policies with the core value of goodness. The book is not easy to read because it’s scholarly bent slowly takes the reader through the thought processes of various other scholars to understand nuanced points of agreement and/or disagreement. Concepts are introduced in one chapter and later elucidated in subsequent chapters or Parts. While informative, this style is at times gives more detail than is desired. As such, the book is not easy to skim and get the gist of what is most important. Nevertheless, I recommend the book as it continues to entice me into greater interest in ethics as a unifying focus – more powerful and universal than religion. I was disappointed that for a book of 309 pages there is only one paragraph on the ethics of saving the earth and its inhabitants from the perils of climate change. Martin Prozesky is a research fellow on the faculty of theology and religion at the University of the Free State in South Africa. He studied theology at Rhodes and Oxford Universities and at the former Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did his doctorate on Friedrich Schleiermacher, and has been a visiting scholar at universities in South Africa, the United States, Trinity College, Oxford, and Australia. He is the author of six books. Honest to Goodness is currently available on Kindle for $2.99 instead of the $38 list print price. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.

The Oregon Climate Action Plan (OCAP) was signed by Governor Kate Brown two years ago by executive order EO 20-04. Brad Reed, Campaign Manager for Renew Oregon says, "OCAP mobilized a broad array of state agencies to respond to the climate crisis and make a transition to a clean energy economy in multiple sectors including transportation, public health, clean energy & buildings, natural & working lands, and to hold the state’s largest climate polluters accountable." Highlights of the Plan include: 🏭 The Climate Protection Program took effect on January 1, 2022. 🚛 Two major Clean Trucks rules passed. 🌡️ Worker protection from extreme heat & wildfire smoke rules are nearly finished. 🌲 First time in state history, we have a concrete goal for Oregon's forests, wetlands, and agricultural lands to capture and store millions of tons of greenhouse gases. 🔥 The "Future of Methane Gas" is under discussion.. "One thing I know is these kinds of things get better when people show up to demand change.". With great regard for Governor Brown’s leadership and the hard work from directors and staff at the state agencies, I can’t think of a single one of OCAP’s many highlights that hasn’t gotten better because people like you showed up to write an email, make a public comment, testify in front of a commission, or share your story with decision makers." #ORClimateAction

Empathy and respect. That is what will result in better conversations between conservatives and liberals according to 2015 research by Robb Willer, sociologist at Stanford University and Matthew Feinberg, Assistant Professor of organizational behavior at the University of Toronto, co-authors of How to Make Effective Political Arguments. “Research suggests such moral rhetoric is largely ineffective for persuading those who do not already hold one’s position because advocates advancing these arguments fail to account for the divergent moral commitments that undergird America’s political divisions.” Willer cited a 2007 study by Jesse Graham, Jonathan Haidt, and Brian A. Nosek: Liberals and Conservatives Rely on Different Sets of Moral Foundations. They found that liberals consistently showed greater endorsement and use of the Harm/care and Fairness/reciprocity foundations compared to Ingroup/loyalty, Authority/respect and Purity/sanctity foundations, whereas conservatives endorsed and used the 5 foundations more equally. Put another way, liberals should appeal to values of moral purity, patriotism, respect for authority and loyalty in trying to persuade conservatives, while appealing to the values of fairness, preserving the environment and doing no harm are more likely to persuade liberals. Daniel Schultz writes about How Liberals Should (and Should Not) Talk about Values: “Start with a story. Drop the labels, the identities, the principles, and tell a story. As it unfolds, let the values come through…People will listen to a concrete story and absorb its message much more quickly than an abstract argument. The goal is to find powerful stories that prompt people to understand the world in a different way. It’s really hard to do.” “Morality contributes to political polarization because moral convictions lead individuals to take absolutist stances and refuse to compromise.” But moral reframing (being more careful about how we communicate) can lead to greater cooperation and collaboration. After all, we are all in this together. #conservatives #communication #liberals #moralvalues #Respect #storytelling #politicalpolarization #Empathy

On November 17, 2022 the Creation Justice Church program of the United Church of Christ (UCC) had a one-hour YouTube webinar on Becoming a Creation Justice Church. Click here to watch the webinar. "As Christians, this is our first calling in the Bible. It is also a calling that has been integral to the DNA of the UCC as a denomination and the historic role played by the UCC’s Commission for Racial Justice in launching the environmental justice movement. In the face of the climate crisis," ~ UCC Creation Justice Church program As the UCC’s Minister for Environmental Justice, the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt introduced the program and hosted four church leaders who have helped lead their church into becoming Creation Justice Churches: Barbara Smith-Bacon from First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida Rev. Robert Grabill from the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College Rev. Nancy Leckerling from First Congregational Church in Guilford, Connecticut As a member of the SNEUCC Environmental Ministry Team, Rev. Leckerling was instrumental in expanding the Conference's "Green Congregations" program for UCC churches, and IREJN’s "Green Houses of Worship," a four-tiered recognition program for environmental ministry. Claire Stiles from Lakewood United Church of Christ, St. Petersburg, Florida Rev. Berndt spoke about the four elements of discernment: 1. theology and worship; 2. institutional life and practice; 3. circles of awareness and advocacy; and 4. connecting to a broader movement. He offered a strategy addressing these elements in each quarter of the year. This webinar is part of a special series of Thursdays for the Soul webinars focused on twelve Just World Covenant programs in the United Church of Christ. One of these programs will be featured on the third Thursday of each month. "The Creation Justice Church program has provided a path of active hope for a growing number of congregations." ~ UCC Creation Justice Church program

COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, scheduled to end Friday, November 18, 2022, lingered as nations clash. As NPR puts it, "The main sticking point in negotiations centers on the issue of loss and damage – the question of what developed countries, which contributed the most to climate change, owe to smaller, developing countries, which are suffering its effects now." Before coming ill with COVID, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry noted on November 17th: "Seventeen of the 20 countries in the world most affected by climate change are in Africa. Collectively, they've contributed roughly 0.55% of all emissions warming the world." Vulnerable countries have very little power to affect what rich countries do, shy of walking out on negotiations. Finally on November 20, 2022, the UNCC issued the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan. which: "Recognizes that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C requires rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43 per cent by 2030 relative to the 2019 level. Also recognizes that this requires accelerated action in this critical decade, on the basis of equity and the best available scientific knowledge, reflecting common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty..." "Reiterates Articles 2, 4, and 9 of the Paris Agreement and highlights that about USD 4 trillion per year needs to be invested in renewable energy up until 2030 to be able to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and that, furthermore, a global transformation to a low-carbon economy is expected to require an investment of at least USD 4–6 trillion per year..." "Let’s be clear. Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now – and this is an issue this COP did not address." ~ UN Secretary General The Guardian reports: China and US renew commitment to tackling climate crisis but differences remain. Xie Zhenhua said he’d had ‘very constructive discussions’ with John Kerry at Cop27 but there’s no change on finance issues "Overall progress to address global warming and pay for its effects is looking grim. Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions must be cut in half this decade to avoid runaway sea level rise, deadly heat waves, mass extinction of animals and plants and a variety of weather disasters. Right now, countries have collectively promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions by only about 3% by 2030. ~ NPR Professor Jem Bendell's blog post of November 18, 2022- Capitalism Versus Climate Justice – thoughts on my first and last experience of climate COP said we have "a capitalism and consumer culture problem... we are beginning to see a global ‘disaster capitalism’ where businesses are seeking subsidies from the state for their various schemes... the failure of humanity to bend the emissions curve over the last 30 years is because of the dominant expansionist logic of global capitalism that it is so widely ignored." Colombian President Gustavo Petro gave a speech at COP27 where he made it very clear we can’t tackle climate separately from "the exploitative and extractive global systems that serve the rich." COP27 was the first time Professor Bendell mentioned ‘Deep Adaptation’ (seeking to reduce harm and save more of the natural world while/despite anticipating the breakdown of most modern societies in the near term) as an ethos and framework at a UN event. In November 2021 Bendell co-wrote with Rubert Reed about the ‘Davosification’ of COP calling for system change - "the Davosified elite at COP26 have no intention of a significant course-correction." "The climate agenda must be reclaimed from elites" ~ Professor Jem Bendell Click here to listen on SoundCloud as Michael Dowd narrate Bendell's recent blog post. On a positive note, a October 26, 2022 New York Times Magazine article by By David Wallace-Wells Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View says "scientists believe that warming this century will most likely fall between two or three degrees. (A United Nations report released this week ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, confirmed that range.)" "Thanks to astonishing declines in the price of renewables, a truly global political mobilization, a clearer picture of the energy future and serious policy focus from world leaders, we have cut expected warming almost in half in just five years." ~ NY Times Magazine Image: IAEA Imagebank, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Oregon Coast Energy Alliance Network (OCEAN) is "a cross-cultural community-based organization with the mission to explore the opportunities and challenges of floating offshore wind and other advanced energy technologies. Learn about floating offshore wind systems of tomorrow on the OCEAN website - guiding principles, challenges, potential ecological impacts, newsletter, and membership "OCEAN is promoting a “bottom up” process of front-loaded stakeholder engagement designed around our coastal community perspective and interests. Their goal is to inform and influence coastal energy projects and policies when they are in the earliest, formative stages to maximize the benefits to our coast’s citizens, ecology, and economy." Learn more about oceans and climate from the SOCAN website, which has 94 posts related to the subject!.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! A table grace from BrianMcLaren.net. "For this breath, for this heartbeat For this meal with these companions For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts. For sun and rain, for soil and season, For ocean, mountain, forest, meadow, For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts. For all to whom this food connects us From field and farm to store and table For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts. For bread and wine upon this table For this deep mystical communion For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts."