Hell, Hate, and St. Francis of Assisi

Years ago, I was phoned early on a Sunday morning by someone identifying himself as a preacher who said he was taking an informal survey of beliefs. The only thing he wanted to know was if I believed in the existence of a physical burning lake of fire where unbelievers go. I suspect his findings were to be aired in a sermon that morning as evidence of whatever he was trying to prove. That was West Texas.

That there is judgement is an undeniable tenet of Christian belief. It is just how that is used that bothers me. When faith is used on others to hurt, shame or harm, then my faith quickly becomes a tool for hate and injury instead of healing. In a 90's poll measuring belief in Americans, around 95% of those polled said they believed in God. Of those, 65% said they believed in a literal, burning hell BUT only about 6% thought that's where they would end up. This means that most American Christians probably believe in hell for someone else, but not for themselves. That is using the faith to do harm, not good. I wouldn't be surprised if current surveys from Gallup, etc. showed very similar results among Americans.

So what would I do if I was asked that question about a real burning lake of fire in 2008? At the advice of a UMC bishop and friend of those years, I would ask in response, "Do you believe in hell on earth?" Another friend who is in my spiritual direction class said, and I quote "Religion is for those who want to be saved from hell; spirituality is for those who have already been there." That's from Bill, a Catholic Christian, who is in recovery. We can all learn from him.

My study this Lent has brought me in close connection with St. Francis of Assisi, who knew Jesus not as the judge but as the judged, the condemned. Alot of the world's suffering seems to be caused by people of faith who think that their God is out to get them- or others who don't agree with them. So much suffering in the world is caused by a false image of God, one that is shaming and condemning and very much like them. Jesus died to show us that, no matter what we do to God, to Jesus, or to love, God continues to love the world in a way that heals and does not harm.

Gratitude and Energy Level

Researchers at The University of California, Davis, compared the results of keeping a daily gratitude journal with a control group and then measured emotional, physical, and social well being over a three week time frame. The subjects, all who suffered from a neuromuscular, chronic disease, reported:

1. Significantly higher levels of positive emotions in the gratitude group.
2. No difference in negative emotions.
3. Significantly higher positive effects for life appraisal, such as connection to others, life as a whole, and the upcoming day
4. MORE HOURS OF SLEEP! ALMOST ONE FULL HOUR OF SLEEP for those in the gratitude group.
5. No more exercise and no effect for pain was reported.

#4 is amazing! Just think what your energy level could be with almost one more hour of sleep per night!!

Gratitude Works!

Do you doubt the impact that practicing gratitude has on wellness? If this is just happy-ology, then it is powerful enough to change longevity and life satisfaction for the better.

For example, the oft-cited Nun Study by the University of Kentucky looked at the autobiographies of nuns by coding each one for both negative and positive emotions. The study found an amazing SEVEN year difference in the life-span between the most negative and the most positive. Of those who used a low number of positive emotions, 54% had died by the age of 80 and of those who used the highest number of postive emotions, only 24% had died by 80. Or look in the great little book, How Full Is Your Bucket, by Rath and Clifton, in which this study is cited.

In his lecture titled Gratitude: The Science and Spirit of Thankfulness, Robert Emmons of the University of California presented a study on "gratitude intervention" among middle schoolers. Sixth and seventh graders were asked to count their blessings over a three week span. The gratitude induction correlated with higher optimism, and overall life satisfaction with different domains, such as school, home, etc. at both the immediate post test and the three week follow-up.

One way to get started with gratitude as a spiritual practice: try doing a daily gratitude examen. At the beginning of each day- or in the evening if you prefer, take a few minutes to reflect on the previous 24 hours and list 2 or 3 experiences for which you are grateful and why (how did this benefit you?). Clergy are in special need of a practice like this- not in order to avoid the spiritual life- but to draw us into a deeper experience of it.

There is no instant spiritual life or community, despite what church ads promise! Gratitude works,and gratitude also is a practice, a discipline.

The Grace of Gratitude

When I heard about the amazing results in the new field of gratitude studies, it was as if heaven opened. Dr. Emmons of the University of California, and author of THANKS! , maintained in a 2007 lecture that practicing gratitude can have a positive impact on everything from quality of sleep among those with chronic illnesses to life satisfaction and optimism in middle school youth.

Many core findings can be found in his little volume,Words of Gratitude, and also in the article "Positive Psychology Progress" available at http://www.authentichappiness.org/.

My own story includes traumatic (and not totally unique) early childhood events, such as having my stomach pumped due to an accidental overdose of chewable aspirin. Another time my wind pipe began to close from a severe viral infection. Blue in the face, I required emergency breathing assistance until the EMS/Police could arrive with oxygen. Our neighbor and friend, Dr. John Bibbs, was available each time and in my gasping episode, he tilted the vaporized air flow into my nose and mouth with a cupped hand. Brilliant! After my struggle for air, I can still remember the wonderful relief of just having the air to breathe!

From these experiences, a recognition which fostered a deeper gratitude began to take shape. I began to see my life and the contributions others made to it in a different way. I realized that the benefits I received were life- changing- and that they were intended for my good. The help came from outside myself. But gratitude, according to Emmons, is not only a virtue or a gift- it is also a discipline and one that works wonders in the human spirit!

If gratitude intervention works for middle schoolers, surely it works for clergy! Those middle schoolers and a group of Kentucky Nuns is what we look at next.