Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Meeting Jefferson's Bible

I would like to quote from one of Thomas Jefferson's letters-----------
“It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read.”
I was 22 years old and living in Georgia when my friend Bailey Jones first told me about the Jefferson Bible. He was a retired history teacher and he loved Thomas Jefferson. He would go on and on about Jefferson and his bible. Bailey Jones was a highly respected Baptist and a wonderful story teller. But Bailey Jones was also a flaming alcoholic and I took everything he said with with great reservation. We had many long talks about many subjects. Bailey had a wonderful mind.
Bailey had a stroke 6 months later and died. His wife ask me to paint a scene of the River Jordan in the baptistery of the new baptist church in his memory. I submitted a canvas for approval with three other artists and mine was accepted. I spent the next 3 months painting the scene of the River Jordan working in the Bailey’s beloved baptistery.
When our Chosen Faith class mentioned the Jefferson Bible---I was all for it. I hadn’t thought of Bailey Jones and his Jefferson Bible in years. I would finally after 50 some years get to read it.
When I was asked to think about what we would like to report on from our Chosen Faith Class, I chose Jefferson Bible. I was very interested in studying and discussing this book. But when we began reading I found that I was much more interested in the history of the”why and wherefore” of its origination.
As a young man Jefferson had been greatly influenced by the philosophical writings of Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbrook. His religious skepticism was engaging to Jefferson and it prompted him to record passages from Bolingbrook's writings into Jefferson’ s “ Literary Bible”,which was composed during the 1760’s and1770’s.
In 1798-1799 Jefferson wrote of of “several delightful conversations” with Dr. Benjamin Rush, a well respected scientist and outspoken Universalist. Their conversations were often of Christianity and Jefferson told Rush he would write down his views on the subject. Dr. Rush over the years continued to remind Jefferson of his promise.
In 1800 politics was rearing its ugly head. Jefferson was then standing as a candidate for the presidency. There were those who were already reviling him as an infidel too impious to be president.
The following spring a triumphant Jefferson wrote,”Our countrymen have recovered from the alarm which art and industry had thrown them;science and honesty are replaced on their high ground and you,my dear Sir, as their great apostle, are on its pinnacle.” This”great apostle” was Dr. Joseph Priestley, prominent scientist and Unitarian theologian.
Dr. Benjamin Rush and Dr. Joseph Priestly, helped reestablish Christianity for the reasonable and enlightened such as Jefferson. Rush was an ardent champion of theological openness. Priestly had determined that much of Christian doctrine was either defiant of or unnecessary to the Christian message and therefore not only obscured, but distance from the lives of many persons who had neither the time nor the means to investigate it.
Thomas Jefferson thought of Jesus as eloquent,benevolent,innocent, a victim first of the Roman state and then of the Christian Church.
In a statement of his faith,Jefferson wrote to Rush, I quote “I am a Christian,in the only sense he wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others;ascribing to himself every human excellence : and believing he never claimed any other”.
Jefferson’s quest-- I would call it began with passion in 1798. He finish the Gospels in 1820 at the age of 77. They had been sitting on his shelf for a decade and a half.
So this was the why and the wherefore. I feel that Jefferson believed he was creating a concise book that would be for Christian and non-Christian and would reach those seeking a good and moral life. He wanted to create and a real human Jesus. A reader’s digest version.
Do I think he did that? Yes, but I believe he looked upon it as something he must finish. But after all this was Jefferson and I am happy he did give us the Jefferson Bible at age 77!
For me studying the Jefferson Bible was something else. I will cherish it because it reminded me of an old storyteller that walked into my young life in a strange and wonderful way and returned again when I was an old woman.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Goodbye Uncle Paul

As I drove to my office my stomach was on the offensive, I had a meeting to go to;I was running late. I was thinking of Uncle Paul. He and I were going to the mountains this afternoon.
He was a kind and generous of spirit. He was one of those people who probably didn’t have an enemy in the world. He loved fishing for trout which also gave him incredible patience. When we were children my brother, 6 cousins and I were rowdy but for each holiday he would gather us up and play baseball in summer and monopoly or some board game in the winter. He was a good man and he loved us all dearly. He died and left us all grieving. He requested to have his ashes to put in the stream where he fished and I was the only one to be there. We had celebrated memorials back in the midwest and I brought Uncle Paul’s remains back with me.
BLOOOOY!!!! My left rear tire blew out. I pulled to the side of the road and jumped out of my car. A wrinkled old pickup pulled up behind me. A young,skinny cowboy looking kind of guy got out.
“Can I help you ,mam? Do you have a spare?”
“Well. I have a spare but I can call somebody.” I said. Now I am really late,I thought.
“If you open your trunk, I can change that tire in a few minutes---I promise I know how. And you can be on your way and take it to tire shop.”
I finally agreed and only if he would let me pay him $10. He was right I could be on my way. I opened my trunk and there was a Red velvet bag with Uncle Paul inside. I didn’t explain even as his eyes looked questioningly at the bag. He reach in and got everything he needed and was quickly at work changing the tire. I walked to the front of the car to get my billfold out of my briefcase. He put the damaged tire in the trunk with the advice that I shouldn’t have it repaired--it was in bad shape. He closed the trunk. I gave him $15 because I was grateful and would not be late for my meeting. I had enough time to take it to a tire shop and get a new tire put on. I came into the meeting only 10 minutes late.
Later in the afternoon I drove to the mountains to take Uncle Paul to his favorite place. I sat in the next to the spot where Uncle Paul liked to fish. I shed a few quiet tears and walked to my car,opened the trunk and imagine the look on my face when I discovered the Red velvet bag was gone! Uncle Paul was gone!
All kinds of scenarios went through my head as I followed my travels that day. I really thought I would find the Red velvet bag,at one of the places I had been. I never did.
The next week, I ran this classified in our local paper:
LOST: Red Velvet bag with box of ashes inside.
Please return it as it is our Uncle.
Just put the bag in the mail box. No questions asked.

Well. we never got Uncle Paul back but I know that is ok with him.
He is quietly laughing somewhere. I am not.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

OFF GUARD

It was a beautiful day in May. The kind that makes one think of beaches, bathing suits and picnics. No such luck today.
Kaye and I were on our way to have lunch at Barbara Hatcher’s home. Barbara was one of those business friends that develop out of need for each others goodwill in company business.
She was quite charming,a great hostess and a good idea of where she belonged in the scheme of things. She had always been delightful to Kaye and I, so when she called and told us she wanted to have us over for lunch before she left to go to Mexico for the summer. ( She went every summer) I laughed and said, “She probably wants you to take care of her dog.”
“Why me?”
“Because you live closer than I do. No, I was joking. She takes the dog with her. I don’ t know much about her, but I do know that. I have only met her socially about seven or eight times and then out to dinner with them twice. I think she is very nice. But I sure wouldn’t tell her all things you and I tell each other. I do not think of her as a close friend. She goes to your church doesn't she?”
“Yes, and she sings in the choir and has a nice voice. Molly told me that is about all they do other than give large donations to everything the church does. She was raised in Chicago and comes from big money. I don’t know how she knows that. And she told me that the women is totally unflappable. When her daughter was married about nine years ago here in their back yard, the caterer was from Lake Geneva and he had an auto accident.He called Ben and told him he would need to rent a van; he would have to reload everything into a rented van; he had started early but he told Ben he would be 45 minutes late.There was already seventy or eighty people of the hundred people invited to the house and no food! Ben was running around repeating ‘What will we do?’
Barbara told him calmly, “You get someone to help you and keep refreshing everyone's drinks. They may be drunk but they will all remember they had a good time.”
He did just that. Molly said they had a great time.
“Well, that is really keeping your cool. I am impressed. I do think Ben is kind of a nervous Nelly anyway.” We grinned at each other as I pulled into Barbara and Ben’s drive. The restored Victorian home was always a delight to see.
I rang the doorbell and soon Barbara was at the door greeting us warmly with a gentle hug and said,” I am so happy to see you girls again. I was hoping for a nice day and it is. Come in,come in. Let’s go out on the terrace, I made us a pitcher of frozen daiquiris. Do you like daiquiris? I have tea if you would rather have tea.”
Kaye and I agreed we would rather have the daiquiris. Barbara left us on the terrace to admire her wonderful roses. She soon returned with a pitcher and tall slender glasses in hand. She poured them carefully and handed each of us the wonderful cooling drink.
She ask each of us about our children and listen intently as though she was hanging on every word. She was such a perfect hostess I thought. Then I thought is she for real? And so it went small talk,small talk,small talk. Barbara jumped up and said, “Well, I must go check the chicken breasts, everything must be about done.”
I looked over at Kaye and smiled and she looked as bored as I felt.
Barbara called thru the door and Kaye and I picked up empty pitcher and glasses and walked off the terrace.Barbara met us with ,”Oh, you girls didn’t need to do that.” She smiled and took the tray. “Come in the dining room and sit down down.”
There the table was set for a very lovely luncheon.The food was elegant, the wine was too. We finally had stimulating conversation when I asked Barbara was she still doing water colors. I had stuck an information nerve in her and she told Kaye and I how she loved to go to Mexico. That she had a maid and gardener there and she did nothing but paint. How fine it was to realize this lady had a wonderful passion other than being the “hostess with the mostess.” We became totally caught up in her painting and she agreed to show us her paintings.
Kaye said,” Let Jean and I clear the dishes to the kitchen and you can show us water colors. We won’t take no for an answer. Will we,Jean?”
“That’s right you heard her.” We carefully carried crystal, china and wine bottles to the kitchen.
She returned with five water colors and an easel. There was an open stair case behind her now as she stood putting each water color on and taking the next off. “ They are truly wonderful,Barbara, I said. Why don’t you have a show?”
“Well, I have been approached by someone in”--------the look on our faces surely gave Barbara a indication that we were looking over her shoulder. She turned and saw coming down the stairs was a very pretty elderly lady wearing only her eye glasses and nothing else!
Barbara sighed deeply and calmly said,”Hello, Mother.” With a faint smile on her face she said,”Mother, I would like you to meet my friends, Kaye and Jean.” Mother nodded. We smiled and nodded.
Barbara turned and put a loving arm around her shoulder and said,”This is Ben’s mother and she makes her home with us. And she is going with me to Mexico over the summer. Mother,I think you better go upstairs and start to pack we have a lot to do.”
Barbara kissed her on the cheek and Mother went back up the stairs but turned and waved before she went through the door.
Barbara returned and continued telling about her chances for a one woman show as though nothing had happened. Kaye and I stayed for dessert and good conversation for almost and hour and a half. We never mentioned Mother’s nudity nor did she.
As we left we told Barbara we had a wonderful time and we would see her in the fall when she returned. Kaye and I agreed we would never tell anyone about what happened. Even though we laughed as we drove home that day.
Kaye said , “Well, Molly is right-- Barbara is totally unflappable.”