Robert C. Fuller (1) (1952–)

Robert C. Fuller’s Spiritual but not Religious explored faith traditions embraced by the seekers of spiritual growth. These were those individuals who were interested in Swedenborgianism, Transcendentalism, mesmerism, spiritualism, and countless others. But what was of interest to this reviewer was the role played by psychology of such figures like William James, Abraham Maslow, Carl Jung, and Carl Rogers. Gordon Allport, professor of personality theory at Yale University, and James Fowler, director of the Center for Faith Development at Emory University commented on the stages of spiritual growth. These stages could invariably lead to spiritual maturity, but some remain stuck in a traditional religious mode.
A religion like Wicca saw God in the monotheistic religions was patriarchal and women weren’t considered playing leading roles in religious life. God was the Father in the Old Testament; Jesus Christ was his Son in the New Testament. Most of the prophets were male, and it was always them who made decisions concerning women. In the ancient societies of Asia, Rome, Greece, and the Middle East males dominated. For it was the men who were wealthy, held power, and made decisions.
Ancient cultures considered women as inferior. The laws mainly made for men didn’t recognize the rights of women. This was prevalent in the gospels of the New Testament. That’s the reason why all of Christ’s disciples were male. Only Mary – Jesus’s mother was given any importance in the Catholic Church’s teachings. Even the angels were all male. These were divine and celestial beings in the Bible that had the power to carry out God’s plans.
The World’s Religions were no different. In Islam the Prophet Muhammad had many wives. These were his concubines, and for the most part they were young women. The Koran has accounts of women fighting for their equality before Muhammad was able to recognize their rights. Laws were against women and if a woman was unfaithful to her husband the judgment was that she would be stoned to death.
Other aspects of the scared scriptures of the world’s faiths showed that there was rampant class discrimination. Hinduism was known for its caste system. The untouchables were the pariahs in India. This class was condemned to live lives as outcasts. With the coming of India’s independence legislation was instituted to change this law. But this stigma still persists. Buddhism’s outlook was different. Buddha was instrumental in doing away with these class distinctions in his teachings. But still this problem continues to exist in the Eastern tradition culture.
Culturally the sacred texts emphasized values that are skewed in favor of Europeans. In most cultures in the East and West - Asian, and African, Europeans are favored with their lighter complexion. So in the Bible although Jesus was Middle Eastern, countries that have been colonized by Europeans always present God, the Father, and Jesus, his Son, with white complexions. It was only in contemporary times when the religious holiday of Christmas is celebrated that some cultures began seeing Santa Claus not only as white, but of different ethnicities.
Undoubtedly, there have been some changes in people’s spiritual life. Many protestant churches presently have both male and female priests and deacons, but the Catholic Church still insists that their priests should be male. The Episcopal Church and other denominations have gay priests and bishops. But still there is controversy about LGBTQIA’s in the life of congregations. Abortion is hotly debated, so are issues about the environment in the major faith traditions of the world. Change is however inevitable as seekers of a new spirituality are evolving to deal with these issues.… (més)

Will the Antichrist never quit dogging us?

This is a fascinating peek into America’s obsession with the Antichrist, from the time of our founding as a nation until today. While the Bible speaks of antichrists in only two short books–First and Second John–and while these passages refer only to people who have already lived, fundamentalist churches 2,000 years later still anticipate the arrival of a demonic force akin to Revelation’s Beast of the Sea. This “Antichrist” may take the form of an organization, like the Catholic Church, or a person, like Mussolini, depending upon whoever is in the news at the time. In latter times, the Antichrist has been discovered in computers, bar codes, rock music and the Susan B. Anthony coin.

Fuller is an oft-published professor of religious studies at Bradley University, and his writing style is precise and engaging. He carries us through dozens of America’s apocalyptic enemies, so-named the Antichrist by vigilant stalkers of the Beast, going clear back to King George III in 1777. Yankees, Masons, liberals, communists, Catholics, unions, feminists, socialists, modernists, few people have escaped demonization by various clergy in the cosmic war of good versus evil. Popes, world leaders, diplomats and too-liberal preachers are identified by name. Just wars are fought under the banner of God, spurred by apocalyptic lyrics such as the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Entire nations are portrayed as evil empires, even from the presidential pulpit, compared to the “Gog” of Ezekiel and Revelation. Charles Taylor solved the sinister mystery of Gog: Gromkyo, Ogarkov and Gorbachev, with that birthmark on the latter’s head surely disclosing his beastly identity.

Beware anyone preaching tolerance, advocating pluralism, striving for universal brotherhood, saving the whales, or hoping for world peace. Fuller rightfully observes in the final line of his book that “this relentless obsession with the Antichrist appears to have done more to forestall than to signal the realization of the Kingdom of God on earth.”

Written before the turn of the century, Fuller’s book surely struck a chord with readers mystified by the manic draw of the millennium end. At the time, over half of adult Americans expected the imminent return of Jesus, accompanied by the fulfillment of cataclysmic biblical prophecies including the appearance of Revelation’s Beast. The whole obsession would be comical to me, had it died before my own lifetime, but when Fuller got to the 70’s the tone turned somber. I remember the panic over communism, the demonization of Kissinger, and Gorbachev’s antichristic delusion that peace was possible. I remember counting the letters in Ronald Wilson Reagan to reach 666. I remember when Greece became the tenth member of the EEC, completing the ten horns of Revelation’s beast. Had the rediculousness ended with the printing of 2001 calendars, I could write it all off as the nonsense of a prior age, but it hasn’t. Our newest president has far and wide been the subject of this same religious madness.

The Antichrist may never fade away, but thank goodness for reasonable studies like this one to help us understand and cope with this odd cultural phenomenon in the United States. A must read.

Oxford University Press, © 1995, 232 pages

ISBN: 0-19-508244-3… (més)