First, Do No Harm

 

First, Do No Harm

“Primum non nocere”

Is the Latin translation from the original Greek

For the oath, “First, do no harm.”

It’s the Hippocratic Oath that medical students take.

But it’s also the tenets enshrined

In the world religions of Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism

 

Doctors will undoubtedly do harm

When they attempt to treat patients

How could they not order CT scans, MRIs, mammograms,

Biopsies, vaccinations, and blood tests?

These procedures could have deleterious effects.

But doctors have to recommend these tests

Because the potential benefits outweigh the risks

 

But religious faith traditions like Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism

Are known to have principles of “non-violence”

To these faith traditions the concept of “do no harm”

Not only extends to all living organisms of God’s creation

But to “how and what people think, their words, and deeds.”

For these believers “thoughts are influential in our interactions with all creation.”

 

“Universal Spirit, help us to use good judgment as we endeavor to “do no harm.”

Give us insight for making correct decisions in cases that are complex.  And help us to be wise in weighing the good benefits of our actions against the risk of harm.”

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Prayer for the Nation

 

Prayer for the Nation

O God! Help America during these challenging times.  We have been hit by the coronavirus that’s reaping havoc in our midst.  To whom can we turn, but to you to find solace from isolation and pain.  Tens of thousands around the world have died terrible deaths from this disease.  There have been countless hospitalizations, and many patients are on ventilators.  When will there be relief?  When will this pandemic pass? Give strength to those working on the front lines.  Help the scientists to develop a vaccine to help free us from this deadly affliction.

America and nations around the world are in crisis, and your people are crying out for justice.  God put it in our hearts whether we are able-bodied, handicapped, gay, or straight to embrace the fruits of compassion.  Let us see all as equal in your sight, and that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.  Be with our legislators and the justice system to uphold the tenets of the law in the land, for all men and women of every race, creed, and national origin.

“Omnipotent and merciful God, hear our prayer!”

Amen  

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Prayer Heals!

 

Prayer Heals!

Oh what a night!

Stressing that things will be right

Turn to prayer for solace

Little did I know?

My fears gradually melted away

I was comforted

Became relaxed

As I invoked the name of the Creator

 

The Almighty is magnificent!

I embraced this Ultimate Reality

Crying for help about the pain I felt

When all of a sudden

There seems as though a light shone

Deep within my heart

That touched my soul

And I was healed

 

God works in mysterious ways

No more will I stress about my illness

But I know that I’ll be living with affliction

It’s the price to pay for being older

But I’m sure I’ve revived

Undoubtedly, it’s miraculous!

 

“Everlasting Spirit of new realities thanks for soothing me.  I felt your warmth and grace that overtook me.  And you made me whole again in mind, body, and Spirit.”

Amen

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Life's Passages: From Guyana to America

 

Life’s Passages: From Guyana to America

By Erwin K. Thomas

How has the Christian faith shaped my life?  Why did I pursue an education in America?   Why did I marry an American woman?  How did I get a break at CBS Network Radio News?  Why did I become an American citizen?  How did I eventually become a professor, chair, and graduate director at an American university?  Why did I become an author?  Why am I writing religious books in retirement?  These are some of the questions answered in Life’s Passages: From Guyana to America.  This book is a spiritual autobiography that traces my life up to the present time.  Its theme captures the role of a loving and caring God in people’s lives.  Readers will journey in the local environment of a small South American country of Guyana, and explore the realities of living as a student and professor in America.

It’s a great tribute to remember a few words of the lyrics from Neil Diamond’s popular song “America”.

Far

We’ve been traveling far

Without a home

But not without a star

Free

Only want to be free

We huddle close

Hang on to a dream

On the boats and on the planes

They’re coming to America

Never looking back again

They’re coming to America

Poverty & Culture

 

Poverty & Culture

 Some nations are gifted with a variety of cultures.  In this mix there are identifiable characteristics in languages, ethnicity, social classes, status, and rank.  But a commonality with these cultures is that they worship the same God.  These diverse groups share common characteristics.  John Thune (b. 1961), a U.S. Republican senator from South Dakota wrote, “I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink.  It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom.  It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it.”  Although America is a predominantly Christian nation with diverse groups, some of distinctly ethnic groups rally under its flag.

 American culture exported around the world reaches a community of nations.  One way is by the mass media that not only presents news and information 24/7, but sports, and Christian programing.  This fare via print and electronic media is carried by satellites, radio, TV, and the Internet.  Through the media America is able to share and exchange values about Christianity worldwide.  Because of these phenomena tourism is flourishing and citizens interact globally.  They experience the beauty of religious and historic sites, worshiping, and enjoying beaches.   Leslie Jamison (b. 1983), a novelist said, “Armchair poverty tourism has been around as long as authors have written about class.  As an author, I have struggled myself with the nuances of writing about poverty without reducing any community to a catalog of its difficulties.”  This was true.  Some see poverty stricken communities and rattle off statistics as though they know what poverty is all about. 

 Travel & Transportation

 Saint Augustine (354 AD–430 AD), an early Christian theologian and philosopher wrote, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”  It’s also true that if people who live in one place have lived in all places.  Believers that do so are religious monks, nuns, and hermits that experience austere lives locked away in monasteries worshiping, and serving God.  These individuals it is said experience life to the fullest. 

 In many nations travel is encouraged and citizens take advantage of it.  There are however constraints on more than 7.5 billion people living worldwide in villages, and shanty towns.  These poor people are more concerned about having the basics, like a place to live, food to eat, and clean water to drink.  With adequate transportation poor people are able to travel from one place to another.  In the modern world - even in America, some lack transportation because they are unable to pay the fare.  Corrine Brown (b. 1946), a U.S. representative for Florida said, “States get to improve transportation infrastructure; that creates economic development, puts people back to work and, most importantly, enhances safety and improves local communities.”  Everyone benefits from having a good infrastructure.  Adequate public transportation goes a long way in helping poor people and the unemployed.  Such an improvement could well mean that the poor will have work opportunities in places other than their neighborhoods where they live.

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Save Our Children

 

Save Our Children

Save our children who are drowning

in a vast cesspool.  A cesspool that some adult leaders

have created by their behavior and rhetoric 

Pay attention to what they watch on TV,

listen to on the radio, learn in school, and from their peers 

Parents must take an active role

in saving their kids from having dysfunctional lives 

It is our responsibility

to save children in these turbulent times 

It’s unwise to leave them to the whims of the world. 

Children are our nation’s future.

 

“God, help us to figure out the best ways to save our kids.  Let us always be cognizant that our children have to be nurtured and raised well to be decent human beings.  Guide us so that we don’t shirk these responsibilities.”

Amen

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Good & Bad Wildfires

 

Good & Bad Wildfires

Wildfires can occur in any country -

United States, Canada, Australia,

And even the Western Cape of South Africa

Natural fires generally start by lightning.

Some are by spontaneous combustion

Caused by sawdust and dried leaves

And these fires burn by a number of other reasons

But there are good and bad forest fires

 

Wildfires are good when they are beneficial.

They turn dead trees and decaying plant matter into ashes

Causing nutrients to return to the soil,

Instead of being trapped in dead plant vegetation

So wildfires clear the decaying trees of debris by returning health to the forest

And some plants depend on the heat to help them germinate

 

Wildfires are bad when they destroy homes

Causing a loss of lives and millions of cultivated acres

People suffer and many species are wiped out

Such fires also kill trees that prevent erosion

Thus having a negative impact on the environment

 

In forests more trees die because of insect infestation,

And disease than from fires

So nature is both good and bad,

For fires help restore the forests’ ecosystem

And decomposed organic matter enriches the soil

With minerals and new plants grow

 

“Eternal Essence you have shown that from wildfires there could be good and bad results.  So help us to have a better understanding of nature.”

Amen

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