The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Today's the day: Matthew Fox's video meditation is below! |
Pride
Month: Science’s Latest Findings on Sexual Diversity among Numerous Species 07/01/2024 |
I
write this at the end of Pride month, but it will run on July 1. For years I have cited a statistic that science has found 464 other species besides humans who practice homosexuality. That number has now blossomed to over 1500 observed species. |
Why is this important? Because for many centuries the argument against the diversity of gender preference has been that it is “unnatural.” For heterosexuals, who are surely the dominant group of humans, homosexuality seems “unnatural;” but for homosexuals or bisexuals, that is |
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not
the case. When we find other species where gays and lesbians practice same-sex attraction, then that tells us something additional about the diversity of gender preference in nature as a whole. And all this tells us something about God as well, for as Thomas Aquinas alerted us in the 13th century, “a mistake about creation
results in a mistake about God.” Thus we need to consult science before we pronounce on many topics of ethics and morality. Ignorance about nature results in ignorance about God, and can create havoc in our churches and theologies. |
Ma-Nee Chacaby, of the Ojibwe-Cree Nation, explains what it is like to live as a “Two-Spirit” person. Video by OurStories
eTextbook. | Many
Christians and Christian institutions have told us that, in effect, God is homophobic and does not tolerate sexual diversity. But that would seem not to be the case at all, as we study human populations where about 8% of people are gay or lesbian all around the world. Furthermore, as Seneca woman |
and
Franciscan Sister Jose Hobday told me years ago, most spiritual directors to the great chiefs in America were gay or “two-spirited,” and it is recognized among her people that gays are more spiritual than straight people. This is true in Celtic and many other traditions as well. A recent study about animal same-sex-behavior concludes that the entire topic is underreported.* Common bottlenose dolphins, giraffes, African elephants, penguins, beetles, lesbian sea gulls, swans, and numerous other species display gay
sex. |
Josh L. Davis, in his book, A Little Queer Natural History, published by University of Chicago Press, demonstrates how “sex in the natural world is wonderfully diverse,” and includes splitgill mushrooms with over 23,000 mating types. “The diversity we see in our own species needs no justification and represents just a |
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fraction of what exists in the natural world.” Those who pontificate from a place of homophobia, be they popes or politicians passing homophobic legislation, ought to operate from a place of modesty and humility in the face of Creation’s vast diversity. |
* Same-sex behavior among animals is being underreported, study finds, Rosa Rahimi, CNN.com, June 21, 2024. See Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominations Priest, pp. 42f., 202, 255f., 345f., 355, 93, 184, 143, 382. See also Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the
Flesh, pp. 259, 377. And Fox, “The Spiritual Journey of the Homosexual...and Just About Everyone Else,” in Wrestling with the Prophets, pp. 243-266.
Banner image: The USDA
headquarters on the National Mall in the District of Columbia, lit up in Pride colors during June, 2022. Photo by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikimedia Commons.
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image. You will be taken to today's post on the Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox website, where you can see the meditation in a larger version and also view and post your Comments. In the sharing that follows, a kind of community is developing around the DM. If you can't reach today's post on the website directly, click HERE. If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE. |
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Responses are welcomed. To add
your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Queries for Contemplation |
What follows vis-à-vis homophobia in society—including the effort to pass over 400 anti-LGBTQ bills by politicians this past year—when the news of nature’s sexual diversity is unveiled? |
Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)
Matthew Fox’s stirring
autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of
this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity, and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self |
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Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil
that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly
masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics |
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Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life
In one of his foundational works, Fox engages with some of history’s greatest mystics, philosophers, and prophets in profound and hard-hitting essays on such varied topics as Eco-Spirituality, AIDS, homosexuality, spiritual feminism, environmental revolution, Native American spirituality, Christian mysticism, Art and Spirituality, Art as Meditation, Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism and more. |
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In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages
The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical,
cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet. "Matthew Fox does it again, here for our young ones, who so need a positive, cosmic vision
to thrive, or even survive, in a sad time." - Father Richard Rohr, Author of The Universal Christ "Matthew Fox offers a resounding affirmation of what our souls have always suspected: we are made for joy." - Mirabai Starr, Author of God of Love and Wild Mercy |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
MONTHLY: Join Matthew Fox, Mariko Middleton, and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors. Last Tuesday of every month, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478
Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Join Matthew Fox and 11 other speakers for a 6-week course on Cosmic Water: The Radical Roots of Mystical Christianity hosted by Advaya.Life (Matthew speaks on June 18). Tuesdays, May 28 - Thursday, July 4, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT Register HERE (for 10% discount use code
FOX-WOW) |
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Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Prayer: A Radical Response to Life in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, July 18, 6:00 - 7:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox speaks on "Preserving Things in the Good" at the Unity of Walnut Creek Earth Day worship service held on April 21, 2024. |
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Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
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