Neti Neti: A Manifesto to End Religious Violence

66 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 25 YEARS OF TIKKUN NetiNeti: AManifestotoEnd ReligiousViolence byRamiShapiro H umansareintrinsicallyreligious.Religions are intrinsically human; we make them in our own image, after our own likeness, often to conjure divine sanction for what we know is evil. Religionisn’tevil,butitisdangerous.Whenlived as mythos rather than logos, religion offers paths to selftranscendence rooted in compassion. When lived as logos rather than mythos, self-transcendence is blocked, and religion breeds fanaticism, self—obsession, xenophobia, arrogance, and violence. Weliveinanageoffanaticsandfantasieswherereligionsrootedin jealous gods are hijacked by even more jealous demagogues, and thepiousareimprisonedinafogofself-servinglies.Mypassionis toliftthefogandfreeothersandmyselfforself-transcendence.My method involves the Neti Neti (Sanskrit for “Not this, Not that”) Manifesto. For the past few years I have used the Neti Neti Manifesto to foster conversations across the United States about the nature of religious violence. I invite you to do the same. Share the following manifesto and ask people if they are among the “we” for whom it speaks.Iftheanswerisyes,askthemtoexploretheimplicationsof their affirmation. If no, ask them to explore the implications of theirrejection. Neti Neti Manifesto We believe God transcends theology; that no idea about God can adequately encompass the reality of God. We believe that revelation is not given to people, but through people to the Rabbi Rami Shapiro directs Wisdom House, an interfaith center in Nashville, Tenn., and writes a regular column for Spirituality and Health magazine.HismostrecentbookisEcclesiastesAnnotatedandExplained. That Tikkun has already paved this direction for the past twenty-five years is plenty of reason to celebrate it, and to seek the support of visionaries to help Tikkun both financially and creatively with prose writing, poetry, art, music, and dance. I urge everyone connected to Jewish Renewal or other forms of religious and spiritual renewal to both subscribe and read it carefully! I Kavanah Intentioniswispy,madeofwind. It’sgivinganIOUthatyouhope willnevercomedue. It’slikesaying you’resorrywhenyoudon’tmean tochangeoneiotaofhabit. IntentionisaPotemkinVillage neverintendedtohouseanyone orsolidifyintorealworkbehind thosejazzyfacades. Itmasks prettilywhatwillneverexist. Actionsweatsandgetsmessy. Doingcanpullamuscle,can knockyoudownintothedirt, canforceyourdaysintonew shapesandbleedyournightsdry. Intentionspoken,evenpromised quietsandperfumestheair ennoblingthespeakerwithgarlands. Itfeelshalfdonealready. Praise rains. Thenitalldissipates. Wemakeresolutionswedon’tactually meantokeep,likeagarment hanginginthebackofthecloset thatneverwillfitourheftybodies— oh,whenIlosetwentypounds. Onespringwenoticeit’sgone quiteoutofstylesowithrelief wedonateittoGoodWill. Somany ofourbestintentionsage,notlike wineorcheesebutlikesourmilk. —MargePiercy W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 W W W. T I K K U N . O R G T I K K U N 67 BarbaraSmithhasworkedforjusticesincethe1960s.In2005shewasoneof1,000womenaroundtheworldnominatedfortheNobelPeacePrize.Sheis servinghersecondtermontheAlbany,NewYorkCommonCouncil. HowWeTreatEachOther MakesaDifference byBarbaraSmith W hat I would most like to share with future generations of people committed to workingforjusticeisthathowyoutreatpeople in the course of doing your work makes a difference . It is true that movement organizers often work under very challenging conditions, and we sometimes lay our anger and frustration at the feet of friends and allies who are much more accessible than the powerful who perpetuate the cruel systems of oppression we oppose. Conflicts and failed communications are to be expected and can usually be resolved with honest dialogue and by sincerely owning one’s mistakes. What concerns me is the type of oblivious and self-involved behavior that becomes so pervasive that it saps energy and even breaks the spirits of those who encounter it. I think that there is a contradiction in claiming to work for a better world in the future while at the very same time causing people a lot of pain because of how one acts in the here and now. Although I have always believed that how we relate to others is important, my awareness of this has been heightened by the arena in which I am currently engaged. In 2005 I ran for Common Council in the city of Albany, New York, and I am now servingmysecondterm.Afterdecadesofworkinginmovements world. We believe that the truth in each scripture is common to all scriptures, calling humanity toward justice, compassion, humility,dignity,respect,loveforbothpersonandplanet,andthe transcendingofselfthroughservicetoothers. We recognize that filtering divine revelation through human hands allows fear, greed, anger, ignorance, and violence to masquerade as truth. We recognize that much if not most of the evil plaguing our world is rooted in this masquerade, and the violent imageofGodthatcomesfromit. Wecommit ourselves to ending this evil by rejecting religious violence and the false god who sanctions it...