Walter Brueggemann's Examen: "When is a misrepresentation a lie?"

A persisting "heresy" (choice) of Christianity in general, has been to institutionalize and over-emphasize representational reality and alienate the community of believers from natural reality, thereby enabling the waste, sacrilege, of Natural Sacrament.

 In his presentation before the Theology of Land Conference (Collegeville, MN, 1985), Walter Brueggemann enunciated the critical wrongdoing of Western Christian culture, namely, the sanctioned exploitation (rape) of land and women, and failure to represent the inseparable connection of land/ humankind (women):

 "Adam, that is, mankind, has a partner and mate, adamah, land. Humankind and land are thus linked in a covenantal relationship, analogous to the covenantal relationship between man and woman ...unfortunately, in our society we have terribly distorted relationships between man and woman, between adam and adamah, distortions that combine promiscuity and domination.... Likely, we shall not correct one of these deadly distortions unless we correct them both". [Bernard Evans & Gregory Cusack, Editors, "The Theology of Land", 1987, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota]

 

See: pg 138, at http://www.evolution101.org/Manuscript%20GREEN%20RELIGION.pdf also:  #40, pg 51, at http://www.evolution101.org/Thinking%20Global.pdf

 In liturgical practice, Christianity has hyped Representational Sacrament and theologized it to the point that the faithful value it above the reality of Natural Sacrament.

 "Reality" endures in Natural Sacrament (the Naturalis Sacramentum Ordinis) which is sacred by reason of spiritual (divine) instance, intelligently expressed in natural prevision and provision, and celebrated in the understanding of Divine Providence. Grace and authenticity come from fidelity to nature, to female reality, the ground-state of all vitality.

 The profound degradation of nature is a failure of human prevision/ provision, of "religious" disregard and exploitation of nature, of women. As affirmed by Vatican II, "Faith supposes reason as grace supposes nature." (Fr. John Courtney Murray, SJ.)

 The rape and prostitution of natural ecology (femininity) are about exploitation, for profit, of nature's vital resources, what are "favors of female gratuity". All the fruits of natural vitality are fruits of female sexuality, not a gratuity to be exploited (prostituted) by male dominion but to serve the vital wellbeing of communal, interdependent life.

 If priesthood isn't about service to universal Order in Natural Sacrament, it misses the point of service responsibility and functions as a demon of cultural ideology and social mischief.

 Unless institutional priesthood represents symbiotic fidelity to Natural Sacrament, it defeats the true-to-life accountability of purpose and responsibility. The obsessive, patriarchal myopia of dominion theology and imperial ecclesiology has lost its sense of life's universal purpose and conscience.

 In light of Walter Brueggemann's Examen and global, ecological collapses, the heretofore unasked question must now be asked, "When is a misrepresentation, a lie?"

 1. Is the Genesis Rib-Story of woman's origin from man, a lie?

2. Is the belief that God requires woman to be submissive to man, a lie?

3. Is the Scholastic teaching that the male sperm is a miniscule male, a lie?

4. Is Church belief that Church teaching is inerrant, a lie?

5. Is belief that spirituality and materiality are distinct and separate realms, a lie?

6. Is belief that God is more present in bread and wine than in nature, a lie?

7. Is disbelief in evolution, tacitly and expressly taught, and belief in 7-day creation, a lie?

8. Is Church credible when lies are allowed to be advanced, as truths?

9. Isn't a lie malicious when it is factually obvious, taught, and does personal harm?

10. Isn't Church obliged in conscience to confess, repent and make amends for its lies?