Thursday, March 02, 2006

Philosophy 301 Ethics Class, just completed, Midway SCD.

Philosophy 301 Ethics, Midway SCD class, Jan 10 to Feb. 28, 2006.

Jesus tells us a parable about the laborers who were hired at different times during the day, but at the end were all paid the same amount, regardless of how long they had worked. What is fascinating to contemplate is how this parable is a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. Can anyone earn entry, or is it an undeserved gift of grace and mercy?

Some of you worked harder than the others, a few a lot harder, both in debates and final papers. Some did really excellent work (and should consider going on to graduate school, I hope). Others did passing work but I also know that you work a full time job, and sometimes more than a 40 hour work week plus family obligations.

But none of you will likely encounter a teacher who challenges you as much personally as I did. Also I know that I am not an easy teacher as I crave your minds and hearts becoming engaged in a different way. So, for surviving me and my Out-of-the-Envelope style of teaching, you all receive an A in this course.

Did you deserve an A equally? Hardly. So I will be a metaphor of the Kingdom for you. At the end I choose mercy rather than justice. Why? Simply because at the end, I know this very imperfect man shall need mercy more than justice. ;-)

So, Smile and be happy today. ;-))
You are each a Divine Amazement.
Truly.
Dr. Paschal Baute
Coordinator, HRM program at SCD, Midway.
Chaplain, Amazing Grace Wedding Chapel
www.paschalbaute.com/wedding.
Facilitator, Fierce Landscape for the Spiritual Warrior, a spiritual growth group at the Fayette County Detention Center, Lexington, always looking for men and women who will give one hour per week to this interfaith personal growth groups for inmates of both genders.
Facilitator, Spiritual Growth Network of Kentucky.
Board member, Kentucky Storytelling Association, telling stories of Amazement.
http://www.kystory.org.
The Kentucky Storytelling Association is a non-profit membership organization whose mission is to develop on-going support and appreciation for the art of storytelling in the Commonwealth.

More information can be obtained on these projects from Paschal’s blogs at his web site.

1 Comments:

At 4:35 AM, Blogger Paschal Baute said...

Post Script. BTW, one simple reason you have not heard more Creation stories highlighting the Divine Feminine like mine: All the bible stories were told, remembered, passed down and written by MEN. Secondly women were regarded as property by all bible writers, with the only break in that tradition being how Jesus regarded women and some (not all) writings of St. Paul. A relic of that prevalent tradition today is the presentation, or "giving away" of the bride by the father at the wedding ceremony. Thirdly, at the time the Bible was written, men alone were presumed to hold the active principle of conception of life with woman being the passive recipient of the male egg (believe it or not. And, BTW, there is a great deal about our world that the Bible writers did not understand and could not understand, -like the earth being flat and the center of the universe-- as they were people of their times)
Paul said we are equal and free, but he was not consistent, which is one reason why some Baptist churches will split over the issue of women as ministers of the gospel and why the Roman Catholic church still denies full and equal rights to women.
The remarkable change in the last 15 years is the number of women going into full time ministry and being accepted in many jurisdictions as pastors. Lexington has a woman rabbi. My Creation story would also be known in the Hebrew tradition as "midrash."

 

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