Dem
47
GOP
53
When (Z) served as a TA for History of Religions (back then, History 4), and for History of Christianity (back then, History 161), the phrase that professor S. Scott Bartchy surely used more than any other was "radical inclusivity." That is the nutshell version of how Jesus' version of Judaism was different from what came before. He largely rejected various forms of ritual purity (particularly keeping kosher) and said, "What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." Yehshua ben Yosef did not prefer to figure out who was in the tent, and who was outside, but instead to try to make the tent as big as is possible (and to treat even those who are outside the tent with kindness and decency).
The worldview is a pretty darn good one, which is why it is not too surprising there are plenty of folks who have been believers in Jesus the philosopher, even if they didn't believe too much in Jesus' religion. As many readers will know, Thomas Jefferson was particularly famous for this, and even edited a version of the Gospels in which he removed the supernatural material, and just left the philosophy. He titled the work The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. Starting in 1940, then stopping in the 1950s, and then starting again in the 1990s and continuing today, every new member of Congress gets a copy. If you are interested in taking a look at the original, the Smithsonian Institution has put a digitized copy online.
Guess we lied when we wrote, above, that the history lessons were done for the day. Sorry about that. In any case, while it makes sense to us that one could embrace the philosophy of Yehshua without necessarily embracing the religious doctrine, it does not make sense that people can embrace his religion without embracing his philosophy. What he was saying was, "Here is a moral code, by which you can get into the kingdom of heaven." Some people (e.g., Jefferson) didn't/don't believe in the kingdom of heaven, and so don't have a use for that part of it, but they do have a use for moral codes. However, if you want Part B, well, Part A is not optional. The Lamb of God was quite clear about the rules, and St. Paul (neé Saul of Tarsus) was arguably even clearer. You don't get the reward without adhering to the doctrine. And yet, there are plenty of "Christians" today who practice radical exclusivity, and who are interested not only in figuring out who is outside the tent, but in making those people pay for their alleged shortcomings. Did none of these folks read the part about "Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone?" While we are hardly degree-holders in Divinity Studies, we think we are on pretty safe ground in saying that the Son of Man would be horrified by many of the actions undertaken in his name today.
We say this as prelude to a few words about the work and the website of Father Matthew P. Schneider. He is Roman Catholic (as you might guess from his title, as well as the fact that we are a U.S.-centric site). In his tagline bio, he describes himself as a "Priest, Religious, Moral Theologian, Bioethicist, Autistic, Writer, Podcaster, Social Media Guru, etc."
The important part of that, for our current purposes, is "Autistic." As a Catholic, Schneider knows that your average Mass is somewhat heavy on the visual and auditory elements. After all, this show has been a work in progress for nearly 2,000 years. And, as someone with autism, he knows that for those who are neurodivergent, it can be just a bit much. Or more than a bit much.
Consequently, Schneider has made it his business to put together a map of low-sensory, adaptive or sensory-friendly Masses, along with how frequently they are held. The map is still a little bit sparsely populated, but that will improve over time as: (1) Schneider collects more information, and (2) more churches decide this is something worth doing. One can also imagine the map expanding, perhaps, to include other kinds of accommodations, say for people who are deaf or are blind. Heck, (Z) passes by the Holy Angels Catholic Church of the Deaf several times each week.
We do not presume to know how Yehshua would feel about the specific doctrines that have been adopted by the Roman Catholic Church, or by other Christian denominations. That is way beyond our pay grade. However, we are absolutely certain he would cheer efforts to create a space for as many different kinds of people as is possible. Remember: radical inclusivity. We might even imagine that Buddha, Guru Nanak, Muhammad and Baháʼu'lláh would join him in those cheers. So, kudos to Fr. Schneider.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)