Docta Ignorantia VI

For The Vestry and Staff of St. Thomas Episcopal Church

By David R. Graham

We are living in a Global Village (R. B. Fuller). We always have been living so, but certain circumstances enabled us to disregard the fact.

Our people are dealing with adherents of every major religion and with participants of most types of society.

The conditions of our existence are unprecedented for all but a handful of us. We are driven by fate to experience the rule of life, which is, the Law of Expansion.

We are aware that our dealings with people are beneficial when they reflect the qualities of respect and self-confidence.

I would like to suggest that we explore the requirements and the consequences of declaring St. Thomas Episcopal Church a unit of the Diocese of Olympia and a Prayer Hall for the adherents of all religions.

Possible negatives:

1. Deemphasis or elimination of parochial dogmas, such as, centrality the of Eucharist as means of Grace, and, centrality of communalism for salvation.
2. Influx of persons attracted by realistic attitude of congregation.
3. Psychic dissonance in or membership disavowal by persons opposed to accepting the validity of other-than-Christian religions.

Possible positives:

1. Recognition of the validity and vitality of other-than-Christian religions.
2. Leadership of the whole congregation of believers, Christian and other-than-Christian.
3. Proper construction of the first clause of Article I of the Bill of Rights.
4. Adequate preparation of young people for the world they must inhabit.
5. Tracking of Christianity onto what is its future, namely, Environmental Morality.

For exploring these matters, we may bear in mind these facts:

1. The canons are made for humanity. Humanity is not made for the canons.
2. The Name of Jesus is the property of all believers, not just of Christians.
3. 'Religionless Christianity' (D. Bonhoeffer) is our condition now, today itself. 'Cosmogenesis is Christogenesis' (P. T. de Chardin) is the Truth.
4. In a Prayer Hall, staff is sextons, advisors and comforters.

   Adwaitha Hermitage
   April 12,1992

   DI TOC