April 19,2000
Page A6
Œhv
JUurUanìt
(íDbeeruer
Have a happy
Easter
Family lavin
A Faith based look at the Resurrection
FOR i i n P o r tland O bserver
“W hat do other faiths make o f the
Christian idea o f resurrection?”
Jew s either believe in a general
resurrection at the end o f time or
believe differently.Their religious
view is that this life is the one you get;
make the most o f it even as you serve
the Lord by keeping his m itzvot (his
commands for the fullest life for all).
The Islamic belief in “resurrection.”
holds there will be a judgment day, a
g e n e ra l re s u rre c tio n , and the
righteous shall enter heaven and the
unrighteous shall suffer hell. Christ
has already been raised, and will
return to Jerusalem.
Most humanists do not believe in a
resurrection. In the end, this life is it,
and that is good enough reason to
live well and ethically— to leave a
better w orld for your children’s
children.
Hindus believe that after death a
person’s soul gets re-incarnated in a
new body, depending on how one
has lived. If one lives well and
connects deeply with the divine, you
may simply enter the divine, you may
not need to incarnate again. To many
Hindus, Jesus o f Nazareth was an
incarnation o f the God, Krishna.
Buddhists do not believe in Hindu-
like “souls.” Rather, at death the
elements which composed a person
come apart and the person simply is
no more. But some o f those elements
com e back together, perhaps in
another person, in a re-birth. If you
practice following the Buddha’s path,
you may reach a point at which you
no longer will be reborn, unless you
choose to be.
That may be a confusing handful o f
religious ideas, but the Christian idea
o f resurrection is confusing to those
who are not Christian.
When 1 ask Christians, “ What is the
resurrection? What are you saying
happened?” 1 get different answers.
Some say Jesus’ body came back to
life. Some say it was a new body, a
“spiritual body.” Others conclude
that it was a sacred vision that
happened to some o f the disciples or
just an experience 1 ike an apparition.
Science-minded Christians call it a
collective, psychological projection.
Many consider it a mystery you have
to accept on faith; don’t even try to
understand it.
Trying to figure “resurrection” out
from all those different versions gets
confusing. Which explanation is
better or truer?
O v e ra ll,
th e
m e ta p h o r
of
“resurrection” keeps open the idea
that reality truly is far greater, more
open, and more creative than usually
we think it is. So the poetry o f the
“resurrection” metaphor may help
any o f us, even non-Christians, stay
more open to that truth about life.
I’m sure these understandings of
mine are a like a street person’s rags
compared to the rich wardrobe of
“ re s u r r e c tio n ” m ean in g th at
practicing Christians wear. But they
are honest rags. May my poorer
understandings give offense to no
one, and may we all find it in our
hearts to keep talking and working
to g e th e r
to w ard
b e tte r
understanding. Rev. Mark Hoelteris
minister o f the Unitarian Universalist
Community Church in Hilsboro.
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Give the gift of life: be an organ donor
1. ON TRIBt TEDS TORT
National Organ Donors Awareness
Week is April 16 to 22.
Thanks to advance in medical science,
m any people can now receive a
second chance at life through organ
tran sp lan tatio n . T echnology has
made it possible for a person in need
to receive new kidney, liver, pancreas,
lung or heart and live long and
productive life.
But potential organ recipients have
to be very lucky to find donor organs.
Unfortunately, there are not enough
donors to fill the increasing need for
transplantation. Sadly, many patients
die before they can be helped.
Over 85,000 Americans have been
given a second chance at life through
kidney transplantation. More than 70
percent o f them received a kidney
from a living donor-most often from a
family member. Since most o f us are
born with tw o healthy kidneys,
donating a kidney can be done with
little or no risk.
A am one o f the lucky ones who
received a kidney transplant from a
living relative. 1 was told as a young
c h ild th a t my k id n e y s w o u ld
eventually fail because o f a strep
infection that left me with chronic
nephritis. 1 was very fortunate that
my kidneys waited for technology to
catch up before they failed and my
sister came forw ard to offer her kidney
without being asked. Our surgery
and recovery went perfectly and I
have enjoyed 10 years o f good health.
However, most people with kidney
failure don’t have a suitable living
donor and have to go on waiting list
for a cadaver kidney. Over 44,000
people are now waiting for kidneys
and nearly 70,000 are waiting for all
organs.
You can help! If you know someone
who needs a kidney, volunteer to be
tested. O r sign an organ donor card
so that you can give the gift of life. A
signed donor card serves as notice o f
intention to donate any or all o f the
body’s usable organs and tissues
upon death. Even if an organ donor
card is signed, next-of-kin will be asked
for consent at the point o f death.
Therefore, it is most important to
discuss your wishes regarding organ
donations with your family.
Organ donation is the gift o f life. It
can also be a gift to the donor and his
or her family, knowing they’ve made
a tremendous difference in the lives
o f others. David Broach is a member
o f the Board o f Trustees o f the
American Kidney Fund. For more
information on how you can become
an organ donor, contact American
Kidney Foundation at 1-800-638-8299
orvisitw w w .kidney.org.
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Steps to buying you’re new home
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Ask lots of questions. This is a big
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Findagoodlender& get pre-approval
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the amount o f your loan payments.
Your Realtor and lender will work
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Determine what kind o f home and in
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Do you likeolder homes, newer homes,
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D o you p re fe r a p a rtic u la r
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Ideal locations can add thousands of
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Distinguish wants from needs! At
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These amenities, the style o f home
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Search for your new home. Your
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