so…

yesterday I picked-up on s story about Pope Francis and his decidedly un-traditional approach to the Papacy, and offered-up a quick post: Pope Francis is a “Love Kat”. while I don’t feel that qualifies him as a contrarian (other than within the Catholic Church), it was enough to get me thinking about other lines drawn in the “proverbial” sand.

NOTE: just to be chosen for his role he had to appeal to a majority, some how. that has to say, if not indicate something meaningful about what people want, or think they want, or maybe what God wants. but, we’ll investigate that later.

meanwhile, what I decided to pick-up on was the references to the “traditional Catholics” that had their collective backs up. they evidently have blogs. reference: Rorate Caeli, one of the most-read traditionalist efforts. they reacted to the Pope Francis foot-washing ceremony by declaring the death of the prior Pope Benedict’s eight-year project to correct what he considered, “the botched interpretations of the Second Vatican Council’s modernizing reforms”.

“The official end of the reform of the reform — by example,” ”Rorate Caeli” lamented in its report on Francis’ Holy Thursday ritual.

I think to keep things balanced, within reason, I’ll need to include Muslims because they appear to be a growing organization /1 - kind of like the way Samsung Android devices outnumber the iPhone. …what… in fact, there are evidently seventy three (73) different types of Muslims that include . sunni, shia, bahi, sufi, mirzai, wahabi, and, alawites.

are traditional Catholics to the Catholic Church what the Orthodox are to the Jews (is that the correct way to reference those fascinating people, “the Jews”?), and Extreme is to Muslims?

while we (assuming you are tracking with me, here) are at this, are “traditional”, “orthodox”, and “extreme” qualifiers along the lines of “evangelical” in terms of Christians? if things got heated enough could some describe Evangelicals as Extreme? I’m thinking the Holy Wars funded by the English nobility that riled Muslims so much that they decided to promote the idea of Jihad. but, I digress.

there must be a significant difference amongst the groups because they all get heated-up about their positions, roles, view points, stances, and ability to dance.

is there a point system?

and, why don’t they have sports teams? I’m certain they all have blogs. and we know they have schools. and, if they do, can they all throw a baseball well, or kick a soccer ball effectively?

well… many of them actually do have sports teams and athletic clubs. the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, for example. there are probably many others, just as there are secret societies. but, I don’t care about any of that, for the moment.

all the major religions (referenced in this blog post) are centered on God. and, they all have very similar rules of conduct with the focus cast on Old Testament, which I find very comforting, mind you (the common foundation more so than the confusing, albeit epic, story-arc nature of the Old Testament).

I’m making less of a point, here, than I am setting-the-stage. I’m a ponderous thinker. so, more later. I’m probably just getting started.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

1/

• The largest religion (Christianity) is aprox. 68% larger than the second largest religion (Islam) and 246% larger than the third largest religion (Hinduism).

• The nine smallest religions combined have fewer adherents than the third largest (Hinduism).

• And the eight smallest religions combined have fewer adherents than the fourth largest (Buddhism).

• The combined adherents of the three primary Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, makes up approximately 52.8% (3,202,240,666 persons) of the total population – more than half. Some times also Sikhism and the Bahá’í faith are counted as Abrahamic religions, in which case that number will be slightly higher.

• Non-religious people and people belonging to religions not part of the 12 world religions makes up slightly less than 27%. A smaller number than the largest religion, Christianity, but larger than the second largest religion, Islam.

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that’s Mr. Bernstein, to you.

Harry left us this past Friday at the age of one hundred-and-one years of age (Harry, not the rest of us, yet). that’s hard to do, as are writing books, and good books, at that.

I never met Harry. and, I don’t why. but, I’ve read his books. The Invisible Wall, and possibly The Dream. you may argue for his, The Golden Willow, as would likely Harry himself (it was a focus on Ruby, his wife of seventy years) will likely be the most notable. he wrote several dozen others. however, he destroyed the majority of his work when they failed to be published. I suspect that after you can’t put down What Happened to Rose you will find yourself comparing Harry to the likes of Frank McCourt and his own Angela’s Ashes, D.H. Lawrence and even Isaac Singer. you’ll need to investigate those. do it!

The Invisible Wall was a love story, of sorts. in some respects his books were about religion as viewed through life, as a lens.

from his Wikipedia profile:

“You’ve got to be taught to hate. You’ve got to be taught from the time you’re six or seven or eight. It’s put in your mind. It’s handed down, almost like an heirloom, among Christians. They didn’t know why they hated us.”

all that said, as I was pondering Harry, and what he will eventually mean to us all, I came across the following quote from him that dated back to his ninety-seventh year:

“When you get into your 90s like I am, there’s nowhere else to think except the past. There’s no future to think about. There’s very little present,” Bernstein told the AP in 2007, when “The Invisible Wall” was published.

I’ll keep this post short. rather like a nod towards Harry, if you will. his life was long although his notoriety was not. yet, he has offered us all something of a legacy with vital lessons around tolerance, love and perspective. that will certainly endure.

so all that has Harry finishing well with us all reminded we can always contribute, and always.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

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Aaron Masih, that rascal, sent over a link to this article penned (since that does not really happen, much, any more, he likely tapped a keyboard) by that redoubtable Englishman and journalist John Naughton: Forget Google – it’s apple that is turning into the evil empire.

this makes me think of; and, I’ll, thusly, ask you: do you remember Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks?

in any event, my first thoughts after a quick read of the article might include:

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I don’t pretend to be a Christian.

many people do, though.

but, prayer is for everyone regardless of how or what people define faith – theirs, or otherwise. it focuses the mind and aligns it with heart and spirit.

I tend to pray most when I want something, or think I need something. I used the word “something” twice in one sentence because the concept of the what ever it is renders itself huge.

just like God.

lately I’ve been praying (or, mumbling) quite a bit because of what’s been happening to my Shockers. I’m going to lose a bunch of them and a dream long worked hard for. it feels like treachery and satan and all that stuff. I face a genuine Kobayashi Maru. however, I know darn well that change can be a good thing. it really comes down to what you make of it. character seems to be part of the definition.

so… I’m pondering the whole prayer thing. my question is now this: do I, or that collective we, pray for the things we think we want or need? Or, does He have us pray to align our minds, heart, spirit and actions with what He wants or needs from us?

my eyes are welling up as I tap these words gently into a keyboard. I’m so incredibly blessed, lucky and fortunate . my family is happy and healthy (other than some challenges with school and grades). business is great. and, I feel pretty good as my training continues. so, that list of positive adjectives could run on for some time. but, suffice it to say that the ball has bounced in my favor many times – and, possibly because I always try to do the right thing.

this post is already being populated by words that I had not planned in advance. so, maybe God is carefully at work, because, as I create this message, I’m thinking my prayer(s) need to be that God have me do the right thing(s), soften my heart, and simply steer me where I am actually needed and wanted. I’ll raise my hand.

I just need a path and an opportunity to be a beacon to light that of others.

Peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

Brian Patrick Cork

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