Weekly Newsletter - August 31, 2016
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. CVA Materials
  2. Reflection on Comments by Jonathan Sacks in Not in God’s Name, part 1
  3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
  4. The Vegan Cookbook

1. CVA Materials

Go to CVA Materials where you can get bumper stickers, T-shirts, sweatshirts, CVA booklets, books, and a lot more. Everything is very reasonably priced – we want to get the message out there.

2. Reflection on Comments by Jonathan Sacks in Not in God’s Name, part 1

Among the many insights from Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, written in Not in God’s Name:
 
“The 21st century has left us with a maximum of choice and a minimum of meaning. Religion has returned because it is hard to live without meaning.”
 
It seems to me that the rise of fundamentalism among adherents to virtually all religions tells us something about our age. Perhaps the rise of religiousness is related to the failure of the modern, scientific worldview to offer insight into fundamental existential questions, notably: Where did “I” – the sense of identity we carry throughout our lives – come from? What happens to me when I die? What am I supposed to do with my life?
 
Science’s answers are not definitive and, at best, tend to be unsatisfying. Where did I come from? Scientific evidence indicates that the sense of personhood – the “I” – is produced by the brain, a physical entity that did not exist until I was conceived and grew into a human being. What happens when I die? Scientific evidence indicates that, when the brain dies, “I” disappear completely. So, what am I supposed to do with my life? Scientific evidence indicates that my life has no inherent meaning. My life only has meaning to the extent that I ascribe meaning to my existence.
 
Modern science has improved the quality of our lives in many ways. Most of us are not worried that we will go hungry today or tomorrow, most of us have shelter, and most of us have access to medical care that (with public hygiene measures) has made debilitating illness and death in childhood or early adulthood much less common than in ages past.

Many of us enjoy the pleasures and diversions that scientific technology has provided. Yet, if science cannot address our spiritual needs, many of us look toward religion for answers. This shift in orientation carries certain hazards, however. It can be tempting to disregard science when its findings conflict with religious tenets. This can result in disastrous public policy, and it can undermine one of science’s main virtues. Because science is grounded on observations that any human might can make, science can be a common language among people of different faiths. Conflicting religious tenets lead to irreconcilable views among people, while science has the potential to be a framework of mutual understanding.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
 
Humble Ourselves Before God

4. The Vegan Cookbook
 
The Vegan Cookbook by Jack Truman has just been released on Smashwords, and will be in other online distribution channels shortly. The new Ebook is a compilation of 497 plant based family recipes compiled over Jack's lifetime. Here's a link to the book, which costs $1.99 to download.

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