[Summit] lecture series at Church of Redeemer

[libertyliterary at cox.net]

Dear Henry,

I think your informing this list about the Labyrinth Talks is entirely appropriate, since they are free public events within the Summit neighborhood.  I would expect this forum to neither promote religion
- nor ban it.  

I am especially interested in this as relating to a letter I responded 
to in the Providence Visitor last Fall.  Both are below, and deal  with questions of concern about the environment that springs from a spiritual basis.

Perhaps this could be a topic in one of the series events.  I would 
be pleased to assist in planning such a discussion .

Blessings,

Liberty G
**************************************************To The Editor, The Providence Visitor
September-1, 2006

I am moved to respond to the letter from Marilyn DeMoranville 
because I share her concern about our role as stewards of 
God’s creation.  However, I have a couple of additional, 
somewhat different views to offer.  

First, I think it is very important, both on a spiritual and realistic 
level, to understand that there is no separation between us and 
“the environment”.  We are part of a miraculous interdependent 
web of life - “What goes around comes around”.  Whatever we 
do that affects the earth and its other inhabitants has an equal 
power over our own health and well-being.  In my work as 
Director of the Toxics Information Project (TIP), this is clear to 
me every single day.  Research and experience combine to 
create a huge weight of evidence that environmental concerns 
and human health concerns are totally intertwined. 

Second, I would like to defend The Visitor to some degree on 
the charge of lack of attention to this concern.  I have myself 
submitted information about two environment-related events 
to you - both were ably covered and described by Bill Patenaude.  
One began, “The conspicuous absence of any mention in the 
Book of Genesis of weed killer, fertilizer and fungicide begs 
the question: Just how far have we strayed from Eden?  “  
He continues later,  “These are people seeking to provide a stewardship over the earth that is balanced, productive and, 
above all, healthy. .For Catholics, this is an area in which 
individual parishes and even the diocese itself could provide significant leadership.  Considering the significant acreage 
owned by parishes, cemeteries and retreat centers, a shift 
to safer methods of landscaping would not only help protect 
people's health, but it would send a clear and deliberate 
message to the pesticide and lawn-care industry that 
Catholics demand a safe approach to tending God's creation.  “

Bill adds, “Catholic educators, at all levels, could carry this 
message even further, into the homes of thousands of students, impacting families all across the Ocean State, and beyond. 
In fact, just a brief mention in the parish bulletin discussing 
the matter, listing resources for more information (see below), 
would undoubtedly impact a handful of parishioners' landscaping habits - most likely making for healthier homes.”

If this does not address Marilyn’s concern, what would?  
This article appeared in The Visitor in August, 2004.  Since 
then, they have published a May 2006 report on our RI Science 
Fair Awards to several Catholic School students, one of whom commented, “God’s gift of the worms is better than our chemicals.”, relating to his fertilizer research project .

The problem, I believe, is mainly that, like many publications, 
The Visitor has limited staff and time, and often has to address 
other issues of special concern to RI Catholics (Disclosure - 
I myself am a Quaker).  However, the solution could be to 
specifically invite and welcome more comments and articles 
dealing with the earth stewardship and unity with nature topic.

Perhaps Ms. DeMoranville’s letter and mine could serve as a 
catalyst for increased discussion of this important spiritual and temporal issue.

Blessings,

Liberty Goodwin, Director
Toxics Information Project (TIP), Providence, RI
 “Lighting the Way to Less Toxic Living”
Tel. 401-351-9193, E-Mail:  liberty at toxicsinfo.org
Website:  www.toxicsinfo.org
*********************************************************
Original letter from Marilyn DeMoranville:

8-24-06

Editor: 

After seeing the film, "An Inconvenient Truth," I feel compelled to 
write to The Visitor and urge every person of faith to view this 
important film. I feel that our role as stewards of God's creation 
has been underplayed in the Catholic Church. Except for a few 
casual mentions of the beauty found in nature, I have never heard 
the issue of the environment given much "air time" in homilies 
or print, especially in this paper. To me it seems like our most 
basic area for a discussion of the sacredness of life must start 
with a concern for the earth. If we continue to ignore our actions 
which are wreaking such havoc with the world, the question of t
he "quality of life" will cease to be important. 

Marilyn DeMoranville 
North Kingstown 
********************************************************

---- "Gould wrote: 

=============
Dear neighbors,
 
Hello - I've been lurking on (& enjoying) this list for a while now.
I've lived in Summit for about 30 years, at a few different addresses.

 
I'm a member of the vestry at Church of the Redeemer, the Episcopal
church on Hope St.   This spring we're starting a monthly
lecture/discussion series, called the Labyrinth Talks.  We're inviting
people from various backgrounds to give informal talks, dealing with
issues on the boundary between religion and science, sacred and secular,
faith and doubt, etc.   The idea is not so much to preach or
proselytize, but to explore different facets and questions in this
field.  
 
I'm forwarding a press release for the first lecture; hopefully we'll
soon have a schedule for the complete spring series.  
 
My sincere apologies in advance to anyone offended by the mention of
"religious" activities in the neighborhood.  I understand those qualms.
If this is an inappropriate type of posting to this list, please let me
know.  I don't plan to bombard the Summit list with such notices - but
wanted to get the word out about this event, which is free and open to
the public.
 
Thanks -
 
Henry Gould
Fisher St., Providence
________________________________
Church of the Redeemer
655 Hope St., Providence
Rev. Jo-Ann  J. Drake, Rector

January 15, 2007

  P   R   E   S   S      R   E L   E   A   S   E

The Church of the Redeemer, an Episcopal church located at 655 Hope St., Providence, will present a series of monthly lectures this spring, called the Labyrinth Talks.  The series will focus on various approaches to understanding God's existence and nature. We will explore relations between faith and reason, religion and science, philosophy and theology, belief and doubt.  The symbol of the 
labyrinth is meant to suggest a gradual, roundabout way of approaching these abiding mysteries.  The aim is to attract people 
who are curious, uncertain, or simply wish to learn more.

The first lecture in the series will take place on Wednesday, 
February 14th, at 7:30 pm, in the main meeting hall (entrance at 
rear of church, on Savoy St.).  The speaker will be Rev. David A. 
Ames, whose lecture is titled "Reintroducing God".  All talks are 
free and open to the public, with discussion and refreshments afterward.

Church of the Redeemer is located on the East Side of Providence, 
on Hope Street, between Fisher and Savoy Sts. (about three blocks south of Rochambeau).  For further information on the series, or directions to the church, please call the church at 331-0678, or
 email contact person Henry_Gould at brown.edu <mailto:Henry_Gould at brown.edu> . 

David Ames is Interim Rector at St. Mark's Church, Riverside; 
Adjunct Faculty in the Dept. of Philosophy at Rhode Island College; 
and a consultant for non-profit organizations with the Executive 
Service Corps of New England (ESCNE).  He serves as a Board member of ESCNE; he chairs the Committee on Trustees at the Wheeler School; and he is a member of the Ethics Committee of 
the R.I. Genomics and Proteomics BioBank. He also has an appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor of Community
Health, Brown Medical School.
*****************************************************************