The way Rev. Wayne Plumstead of Bloomfield NJ, a valued colleague of mine, has written on religion should be studied by the worldwide community of social scientists. As a minister of the United Methodist Church, he joins his understanding of Christianity to a respect for the religious and ethical striving in people of all faiths. This perspective is in his online publications, some of which I link to here. We begin with:
The Aesthetics of Religion. "I remember when I learned for the first time that which I now see as the very heart of religion: its basis in aesthetics. It was in an Aesthetic Realism lecture given by Eli Siegel on November 25, 1973...."
An Easter Prayer, which has these words: "Forgive us, O God,...for supposing that because he risked everything, we need not risk anything....Send us into the world, as you sent him into the world, to become the victorious servants of all...." (See more.)
How Much of the World Does Jesus Ask Us To Include? "Spiritual progress lies in our ability to feel we are taking care of our dear self, that single dot—as we honor our true kinship with all other people and things."
Statement in Friends of Aesthetic Realism—Countering the Lies, which includes: "the essential thing I learned is that my care for religion and desire to become a clergyman came from the deepest and most beautiful thing in me: my hope to like and respect the world..."(See more.)
