FOODFORTHOUGHT

Raising my hand in anthropology class, I called out, "professor?"


"Yes John, what's your question?"


"You said that there is evidence that every human civilization in the
historical record has participated in some type of spiritual ritual
or worship. Why do you think this is the case?"


"Well, that's really outside of the scope of this course.
Anthropologists study all humans in all places and in all times. We
can tell you that civilizations believed in a spirit world because we
can observe the evidence of their ceremonies. However,
anthropologists can't tell you why they believed. The scientific
method is not very helpful in this regard."


Feeling disappointed by the answer, I pressed for more insight. "Why
do you think they all believed in a spirit world? What's your
opinion?"


The professor looked uncomfortable as he evaded the question. "My
opinion is not important to our class discussion" He quickly ended
the questioning and went back to the course outline on the over head
projector. His body language indicated he was uneasy with the thought
of discussing spirituality in class.


I later learned that many university professors are ostracized by
their colleagues for expressing a belief in God. Public universities
in particular are under intense pressure by the Government to
maintain a separation of Church and State, or risk the loss of
funding. This is not to say that all hope is lost. Academic scholars,
such as Huston Smith and Stephen Mitchell, for example, have
contributed significantly to the exploration and discussion of a
metaphysical world. However, many religious experts are often hidden
in the Ivory League schools and very rarely reach the average
citizen. Instead, the mainstream population acquires its spiritual
enlightenment from the mass media, which are far from qualified. This
conundrum perpetuates the deception. Spiritual thinkers must
transcend the deception of the world if we are to truly understand
our existence.

PRAYER
"Lord Jesus, you nourish and sustain us with your very own presence and life. You are the bread of life -- the bread that sustains us now and that produces everlasting life in us. May we always hunger for You and be satisfied in You alone."



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