Saturday, August 23, 1997

Jots and tittles from the world of religion

By TOM SCHAEFER

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

We're going to cover a lot of religious landscape, so jump aboard. You're free to disembark at any stop along the way.

---

Paul Wilkes, author of "The Good Enough Catholic: A Guide for the Perplexed," recently traveled the country and asked Catholics he met: What is it you do that helps you to live a Catholic life in today's world? What is it specifically about Catholicism that works for you?

The results of his conversations, dubbed "The Seven Secrets of Successful Catholics," were printed in the September issue of U.S. Catholic.

By dropping the reference to Catholics, unless you are a Catholic, we can make Wilkes' questions and answers also seem pertinent to folks of various faiths.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll save Wilkes' answers until we hear from you. Here's what I'd like to know:

What is it that helps you live your faith in today's world? What is it specifically about your faith that works for you?

In a paragraph or two, tell me what keeps you going, what keeps you grounded in whatever faith you have, whether you're facing critical situations or just getting by day to day.

I'll share some of your responses in an upcoming column so others might benefit from your experiences.

Send your comments to: Tom Schaefer, c/o The Wichita Eagle, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, Kan. 62701. You can also send via fax (316) 268-6627 or e-mail tschaefer@wichitaeagle.com

Don't keep them a secret.

---

Entertaining a lot this summer or plan to down the road? Take some tips from the Hindu tradition, as reported in the September issue of "Hinduism Today":

"All guests are God, Who comes in many forms. The greatest hurt is the thought that the host or hostess does not enjoy one's presence in their homes. Therefore, Hindus go out of their way to make each guest feel welcome."

Other protocols include: Hosts provide refreshments, children generally leave the room, punctuality is appreciated though not demanded, gifts are given by the guests if they stay overnight, and the length of stay is stated in advance.

Good practices, for the most part. Now, if guests will only show a similar respect to their hosts ...

---

Ettore Sottsass Jr., 79-year-old "enfant terrible" of the design world, talks about his work in the September issue of House Beautiful. (Yes, the world of religion includes fashion and furniture.)

Called one of the most successful industrial designers of the post-war era, Sottsass is most famous for the experimental design group called Memphis that he founded in 1981. His work in ceramics, glass, furniture, metalwork and textiles has had a major impact here and in other countries on consumer products and objets d'art.

Besides his artistic brilliance, Sottsass has also been known for his vanity. But that seems toned down by what he had to say about function and design, revealing a decidedly spiritual relationship between the two.

"I don't accept the strange optimism of modern civilization," he said, "trying to avoid the real problems of life and to build a very shiny, organized, artificial life instead."

His idea of design, he said, is "to surround us with things that make us more calm and patient, instead of the incessant compulsion of 'I want this, I want that.'

"For me, design is not about objects to look at, but what you might call life instruments objects that you really live with, that console you and that give you a more intense idea of life."

And ultimately, one hopes, of the Giver of life.

---

"The Physics of Immortality."

"The Mind's I."

"The Power of Myth."

All three are examples of books that have had a major impact on contemporary thinking.

You say you're not familiar with them? No matter. Their insights have filtered through popular media to affect us in ways we're not even aware of.

And that's the point Phyllis Tickle makes in her book "God-Talk in America" (Crossroad Publishing, $24.95).

These books, along with a host of other cultural factors, have created a "cumulative literacy" that has revolutionized the way we talk about God and religion.

In 258 pages, Tickle, contributing editor in religion for Publishers Weekly, takes us on a tour of the cultural landscape of America, from the 1930s to the present, and offers challenging insights into our religious makeup.

"The average seeker in America today is being shepherded to a large extent by commercially published books that owe allegiance to the experientially validatable and to a perceived mystery," she writes.

Heady stuff. And that's just one example of how Tickle challenges us to think about the spiritual climate in this country. Her point is that we have been bombarded with new concepts, influenced by pop culture and given just enough scientific and psychological information to muddle traditional understandings of religion. It's a sea-change in spiritual beliefs, and each of us is riding a different wave.

If you're not in a hurry and are willing to invest some brain power, read Tickle's book. You'll begin to understand why the spiritual undercurrents of this country have undergone such radical shifts and where they may be taking us.

---

(Tom Schaefer writes about religion and ethics for the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle. Write to him at the Wichita Eagle, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201, or send e-mail to tschaefer(at)wichitaeagle.com )

---

(c) 1997, The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.).

Visit the Eagle on the World Wide Web at http://www.wichitaeagle.com/

Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.