Dear Kathleen:
I understand you were upset with the opening invocation at the memorial service for the Tucson shooting victims. Here’s what you had to say about it on Twitter:
Father Sky and Mother Earth, seriously?
You probably didn’t realize that it was a nod to Native American beliefs, rather than a New Age-y expropriation of those beliefs. That’s all right, I understand. Religion isn’t your beat. Besides, New Mexico and Arizona are exactly alike. How is a major CNN contributor like you to know what they do out in the sticks?
And sure, “Father Sky and Mother Earth” isn’t exactly “In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” It’s downright weird, isn’t it? It’s almost as bad as “Brother Sun” or “Sister Moon,” or “Brothers Wind and Air.”
Really?
How about “Sister Water”? C’mon. Really? Really? No no, I can top that: “Brother Fire.” Best of all: “Sister Bodily Death.” Who comes up with this crap?
Oh, wait. A major Christian saint came up with that crap (Hint: He died in Assisi). As a bonus, he talked about “Mother Earth.”
You may find that it’s helpful to know something about a subject before you start talking about it. Just a suggestion.
Hugs and kisses,
Pastor Dan
