November 21, 2008
Psalms 139 : 13
For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mothers womb.
President-elect Barack Obama was asked about his decision toward choosing a puppy for his families upcoming abode. With self deprecating humor, Mr. Obama stated that his family would have to choose between a purebred puppy or one like himself, “a mutt”. This term is the modern slang substitute for another term “mongrel”, they both surprisingly are in the dictionary. Often these terms are used in a disparaging manner, mostly as an insult intended to damage one’s reputation.
Though these terms are largely out of current usage, being replaced by more supposedly insulting words, Mr. Obama effectively turned the table and diffused any such criticism. His own birth was in question, being the son of a white mother from the heart of America and a black immigrant from the African state of Nigeria. He was raised by a white grandmother who instilled in him that in America, regardless of one’s heritage, anything is possible.
The question of origin is so pivotal in each of our lives. This present and changing American culture is in the process of throwing off such stereotypes as “purebred”. The truth be told, we are all “mutts”, a mixed people from differing races, intellectual abilities, economic potential, societal skills, geographic origins, and spiritual priorities. So why is this question still so important to us?
In an attempt to at least begin to find an answer, consider these related questions, are we really alone in the universe? Do we exist in a vacuum, a blind plasmagenic experiment with no beginning and no end? The answer “yes” to these questions is why the proponents of traditional theology have been so understandably adamant about opposing any accommodation with the evidence of evolutionary scientific theory.
According to traditional theology, the proclamation that God is somehow in the mix of our origins is fundamental to our understanding of our existence. It is the ground floor of an ethic that is right for society and is far beyond any legal definitions. We peoples of the earth are showered with possibilities because of our full heritage, both in the physical and spiritual worlds.
There is a middle ground of understanding that could be positive for both the theologian and the scientist because neither one has all the answers. The writer of Psalm 139, expresses God’s involvement in a very personal and yet scientifically insightful manner, why can’t we listen to one another?
We are all mutts yet we are all of divine origin.
G. Goslaw
Victorville, CA. 92395
