Richard Dawkins, seen here at a book signing, is the author of ``The God Delusion.'' Religion News Service file photo courtesy of Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

LONDON — A controversial Oxford University professor billed by many as the world’s “most famous atheist” now says he is not 100 percent sure that God doesn’t exist — but just barely.

In a 100-minute debate with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on Thursday (Feb. 23), Richard Dawkins surprised his online and theater audiences by conceding a personal chink of doubt about his conviction that there is no such thing as a creator.

But, to the amusement of the archbishop and others, the evolutionary biologist swiftly added that he was “6.9 out of seven” certain of his long-standing atheist beliefs.

Replying to moderator Anthony Kenny, a noted English philosopher, Dawkins said, “I think the probability of a supernatural creator existing (is) very, very low.”

Dawkins, author of “The God Delusion” and other best-sellers, is a leader of the “New Atheist” movement that aggressively challenges belief in God and criticizes harm done in the name of religion.

“What I can’t understand is why you can’t see (that life started from nothing and) is such a staggering, elegant, beautiful thing, why would you want to clutter it up with something so messy as a God,” Dawkins told Williams, according to The Daily Telegraph account.

The archbishop, who heads both the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, replied that he “entirely agreed” with the “beauty” part of Dawkins’ statement — but said “I’m not talking about God as an extra who you can shoehorn onto that.”

Pastor Eric Blauer

“You will have to talk to the state.”

That’s what an Iraqi woman was told Thursday afternoon after she was informed the State of Washington no longer covers eye glasses for adults on state assistance. We had spent an hour at the optometrist’s office, after being referred there by the woman’s doctor. She was assured that insurance would cover the visit. Turns out the state would only pay for determining what was wrong, not for the actual care.

This woman has been trying to get a job for the past couple of years and so far has been unsuccessful. She attends English classes at night via the public transportation system and is a mother of two teenage children. She has diabetes and a medical problem with one of her legs.

She came here from Iraq during our military’s campaign in her country. She had to choose between staying as a refugee in a country outside of Iraq, which wouldn’t allow her residency, or she could move to the U.S. Her journey has been tough, leaving family and friends and struggling to adjust to life in America.

She looked at me as I tried to explain she would have to pay $100 for the glasses she needed. I know she lives on less than $500 cash a month and didn’t have the money. It was an awkward moment as we stood at the counter looking at the glasses, the bill and the financial distance between. I told the lady behind the counter that our church would pay for the glasses. The church gets donations for situations like this.

I want this woman to be well, to see correctly and to be able to succeed at finding a job and providing for her family. Our nation and state are facing deep budget cuts. I pay a lot of taxes and that money pays for all kinds of stuff I would never spend it on (like wars). On Thursday I felt the impact of those budget cuts as I was looked straight into the eyes of this woman.

I know the church is going to be called upon to step into the gap that is growing between the state and the poor. That will probably please some politically right leaning types of people, until they realize that the church is us.

So in the days ahead, the question will be — what are we going to do about it?

Rev. Marvin Harada speaks at Buddhist convention/Tracy Simmons - SpokaneFAVS

Since you’re a dedicated SpokaneFAVS reader you already know more than 300 Buddhists swarmed to the city last weekend for the 65th annual Northwest Buddhist Convention. But did you know that it was a convention for Shin Buddhists? Do you even know what a Shin Buddhist is? You can find out next week when the Spokane Buddhist Temple’s Introduction to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism class starts.

Last week Washington became the seventh state to legalize gay marriage. The story’s a week old, but it’s still a hot topic. Actually, it’s scorching. Bishop James E. Waggoner of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane isn’t shying away from the contentious legislation and said he, “welcome[d] the decision and am grateful that it recognizes the reality of relationships already being lived out faithfully and lovingly. The validation of legal status and related rights, including benefits, is overdue.” You can read about how Waggoner and the state’s other Episcopal bishops getting involved here.

In Catholic news, Bishop Blase Cupich of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane has gotten national attention for his column in America: The National Catholic Weekly. While many bishops are not happy with Obama’s contraception coverage mandate accommodation, Cupich’s been praised for his optimistic outlook and call for civility:

“I believe that an even greater opportunity is before us, namely to have a deeper and on a more prolonged basis a fundamental dialogue about the role of religion in society in general and the nature of religious liberty, especially as it applies to faith-based charitable, health and social service ministries in the United States, in particular. I also believe that the president, relying on his personal experience with church, which he cited once again this week, has not only the potential but also the responsibility to make a significant contribution to this more sustained and expansive discussion.”

Speaking of Catholics, Gonzaga made big news last week when the university announced Archbishop Desmond Tutu (not a Catholic) would be the keynote speaker for the undergraduate commencement ceremony in May. But you better be attached to a graduate if you want to go — space is limited.

Local Lutherans are using this Lenten season as a reminder of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod’s commitment to an Anti-Malaria Campaign. You can read Bishop Martin Wells’ Lenten reflection here.

Finally, a shout-out to the Latter-day Sentinel for highlighting the Coeur d’Alene First Ward for their work in fighting homelessness.

Have something you think should be included in next week’s roundup? Email it to tracy.simmons@religionnews.com

Megan Hershey/Whitworth University photo

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, religious violence in Nigeria and the indictment of four high—profile Kenyans for post—election violence will be the topic of the second lecture at Whitworth University’s 55th annual Great Decisions Lecture Series on March 8.

Whitworth Assistant Professor of Political Science Megan Hershey will be the speaker. She specializes in African studies and won the Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship, as well as the Carlton T. Hodge Prize in African Studies, for her work on NGOs addressing HIV/AIDS in Kenya. She is proficient in Swahili, completed her field research in Kenya and has spent time in Tanzania and Sierra Leone.

“I’m excited for Megan’s first public presentation of her materials at Whitworth,” said Patrick Van Inwegen, Whitworth associate professor of political science and chair of the department. “Since she has lived and studied in Africa, Megan has an excellent perspective on the future of democracy on the continent.”

Hershey  joined the Whitworth faculty in 2011. She received her Ph.D. from Indiana University and her bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College. Her areas of academic expertise include comparative politics, African politics, international development, politics of HIV/AIDS, NGOs and foreign aid.

The Great Decisions Lecture Series features five speakers who focus on current political, cultural and economic subjects of interest to the international community. The public is invited to attend the lectures free of charge. Hershey’s lecture, “Democratic Challenges and Change in Contemporary Africa,” will take place at  7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 8, at in the Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall at Whitworth University.

Great Decisions 2012 is sponsored by the Whitworth Political Science Department.

Additional lectures will take place on March 29, April 12 and April 26. For information on upcoming lectures call (509) 777-4937.

Photo courtesy of the Southern Baptist Convention

As the Southern Baptist Convention recently weighed changing its name, denominational leaders were bombarded with suggestions. Hundreds of them.

Most suggestions avoided the word “Southern” but one hinted at the denomination’s regional flavor: Baptist Ultimate Bible Believing Alliance, or BUBBA.

In the end, leaders recommended the unofficial moniker “Great Commission Baptists.”

Here’s a sampling of some of the more intriguing rejected names:

– Association of Thriving Baptist Churches

– Baptist Southern Convention

– Christian Synergy Convention

– Ends of the Earth Baptists

– Eternal Baptist Convention

– Friendly Family Church of America

– Global Association of Immersing Christians

– Global Association of Immersing Evangelicals

– Jesus Christ is Lord Baptist Convention

– League of Baptist Messengers

R. Skyler Oberst

R. Skyler Oberst, a student at Eastern Washington University, recently returned to Spokane after interning for the Pluralism Project at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., where he worked closely with Diana Eck and other faith leaders.

He wanted nothing to do with religious diversity, until one day he saw attackers assault a group of his Muslim peers.

“Something shifted inside of me after that evening. I realized that the anguish and torment occurring in front of me was happening all over the world, and that in order to create a lasting peaceful world, action started not on the floor of the United Nations or the United States Senate, but in my heart and through my actions,” Oberst wrote in a recent letter to Harvard.

That event, he said, prompted him to start the Compassion Interfaith Society at EWU. He described the student group as a forum for understanding and appreciation. He’s also involved in Friends of Compassion, a group of Spokanites interested in exploring compassionate action.

Oberst has applied to Harvard Divinity School.

For SpokaneFAVS he plans to write about pluralism and interfaith issues.

Welcome to the team, Skyler!

Daya Goldschlag

Daya Goldschlag was born and raised in the Bronx in a Russian-Hungarian-Italian Jewish family. When she was 19 years old she spent almost a year hitchhiking around Europe and the Middle East including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Israel.

“It opened my culturally-sheltered eyes to see how differently people’s lives were lived and what beliefs they held.  I realized international borders were basically artificial and that we were really all one people,” she said.

Shortly after returning, Goldschlag went to live and train at the San Francisco Zen Buddhist Center and its monastery, Tassajara.  The abbot and head teacher at that time was Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (of “Zen Mind, Beginners Mind”). Goldschlag was lay ordained by him in 1971 and he has remained a powerful influence on how she tries to live her life, she said.

“Suzuki Roshi always emphasized Zen practice (even enlightenment) was ‘nothing special’ and is essentially to ‘just be yourself.’ I have taken this to mean that one must make every effort to be present without making much ado about it.  Through that effort arises a sense of humor about the joys and suffering in life, compassion toward yourself and others, and the understanding of the interdependence of all sentient beings,” Goldschlag said.

She was trained by Dr. Milton Trager  in therapeutic bodywork. Goldschlag maintains a private practice in integrative bodywork in Spokane.  Once a week she leads a Zen meditation and study group and has helped lead retreats at Tassajara. She currently offers half-day meditation retreats three or four times a year in Spokane. Goldschlag lives in Tum Tum with her husband Ted. They have four grown children.

Goldschlag will blog about everyday activities, responses, questions and observations from a Zen perspective.

“I hope to grow from this dialogue with you,” she said.

Welcome to the team, Daya!

Dear Dr. Heller, 

I have a question about something that was brought up at Judy Shepard’s recent presentation on her son Matthew’s death. Her son was gay and was killed by two other young men out of hate for homosexuals. Judy is a Christian, and with a son whose sexual orientation is by the Bible’s definition a sin, this woman is caught between love for her son and the truth of the Bible. At one point in her presentation a question was voiced over how she felt about this contradiction. Her answer confused me. She said, “the New Testament gives us permission to move away from the teachings of the Old Testament.” She believes that Jesus’ call to love our neighbor regardless of their sins makes homosexuality OK. What are your thoughts on this? I’m a bit confused on how to feel about homosexuality and how to love these people without accepting their way of life as one approved by God. 

Thanks for any insight on this issue, 

Travis

Dear Travis,

Dr. Karin Heller

Your message raises a question on the way we very often come to a conclusion on biblical texts. Is it my personal experience that determines how we should interpret texts? Or does a right interpretation of a biblical text depend on interaction between the author of the text, its reader and the larger Christian community? Martin Luther went with the first option. Only personal experience counts. This choice led to the Reformation and a splitting up of Christians in thousands of different denominations.  The Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches continue to stick to principles of biblical interpretation represented by the second option.

It’s not my goal to displease the lady whose son died in such horrible circumstances. But the harshest words on homosexuality can be found in the New Testament (Romans 1:26-27). Yes, according to God’s law and Jesus’ new commandment (John 15:12), we are called to love one another as Jesus loved us. Now, what does “to love” mean? It does not mean to disregard sin, any sins, including homosexual acts. Homosexuality is a human condition just as heterosexuality is. Both, homosexuals and heterosexuals, have a sinful nature; both can sin. To love people is not to accept whatever they do or hold. To love as Jesus loved is to show homosexuals and heterosexuals a path to life where all are offered healing from sin, including homosexual acts and sexual sins related to heterosexuality.  This lady just wants homosexuality to be OK! Does she want she and for her son to be totally healed from whatever sin? That’s the ultimate question.

- Karin

Dr. Karin Heller is a professor on the theology faculty at Whitworth University. Her blog, Table Talk with Dr. Karin Heller, features her responses to questions that students have asked her over the years.  Check back each week to see new posts, and if you have a question leave it in the comment section below.

Flickr photo by Sarah Korf

A federal court on Wednesday struck down a Washington state rule that requires pharmacists to dispense the morning-after pill even if it violates their religious beliefs.

Religious liberty advocates cheered the decision. They have decried the 2007 state regulation as a violation of pharmacists’ First Amendment rights, which guarantee freedom of religion.

“Today’s decision sends a very clear message: No individual can be forced out of her profession solely because of her religious beliefs,” said Luke Goodrich, deputy national litigation director at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

The Becket Fund was co-counsel for two pharmacists who believe that life begins at the fertilization of a human egg, and can be destroyed by the pills.

Many advocates for women’s health had applauded the state’s Board of Pharmacy rule of as a way to guarantee greater access to the drugs within the short time frame — between three and five days after intercourse — when they are effective. When taken soon after unprotected sexual intercourse, the drugs (known as Plan B and ella) are between 75 to 90 percent effective at preventing pregnancy.

The decision comes in the midst of a firestorm over the Obama administration’s Jan. 20 decision to require nearly all employers to cover free birth control through their insurance plans. That decision has outraged religious conservatives who consider it a directive to ignore their religious convictions.

This is the second in a three-part series. Read the first entry here.

Daryl Geffken

Today I’m continuing a “three-piece” (pun intended) series on how playing with Legos has helped me deconstruct materialism (pun also intended).

I love playing with Legos. I could, and have, construct sets for hours.  It is a unique joy for me to construct things, to see how they can be sturdy and aesthetic at the same time.  Now here’s the deal, I get all jazzed when I get a new set, and I love sitting down and putting them together and getting all the pieces together and whatnot.  And then, as soon as I’m done, it seems like I just look at the model for about two minutes, and almost instantaneously want a new set. I’m not satisfied with what has been created. Once the anticipation of having something accomplished is complete I’m anxious to move on to something else.  It doesn’t fully satisfy.

The analogy is fairly clear, many of the things in life we want are incredibly appealing and we anticipate that they will fulfill our desires and help make us more complete.  It is often only after achieving or acquiring these things that we realize it was just smoke and mirrors and the desire still remains, it has simply switched focus to something new that we don’t possess. If our value rests in this endless pursuit, well, we’re doomed.

I have said before that I believe each person in the history of the world longs for three things — to be known, to be loved, and to be significant.  We have this desire in us. And we seek to have it fulfilled in all sorts of ways.  Over the years I’ve collected lots of stuff; more education, more toys (Apple products and technological sundries seem to be the option du jour), more popularity (have you read my blog, lately?) and, well, you get the point.  To continually fulfill our desire for significance, we acquire.

And then we trash.  A lot.  Only 1 percent of all materials used in the production, distribution and consumption of our market economy is still in use after six months; 99 percent is trashed. If the world’s population were to live as the average American does, it would require three planets to sustain such a lifestyle (facts taken from Leonard, 2005).

In her poignant documentary film, “The Story of Stuff,” Annie Leonard (2005) claimed, “We have become a nation of consumers. Our primary identity has become that of consumer, not mothers, teachers, farmers, but consumers. The primary way that our value is measured and demonstrated is by how much we contribute to this arrow, how much we consume.”

Through concepts such as planned obsolescence (making things that break down quickly so we must buy more) and perceived obsolescence (convincing us that the model we have is outdated and depreciates our value, so we must buy more), we have been trained to want more, convinced to think that we need more.

What shopping trip would be complete without a look in the mirror?  Does what I’m buying fit?

You are complicit in this; as am I.  The responsibility is ours.  This is a highly complex issue, but I would like to encourage you to do a few things.  Limit your consumption. Start incrementally, start a consumption log, and after a month determine what you can cut out of your life.  Second, watch “Story of Stuff” (it’s only 20 minutes long and you can watch it right here… no, you don’t need an Apple), and so you can be more fully informed, maybe look for what critics say about it.  Third, spend some time in reflection determining what brings real value to your life.  Fourth, spread the word (maybe even write in the comments below ideas for limiting this system). This may feel like a lot, but I believe it is well worth it.

If you’re going to spend anything in the next week, spend the time to delve deeper into this.