Prior to his death, President James Madison prepared one final message to the country he had helped found. With the U.S. Constitution as his greatest gift to us, he also left us with a posthumous warning which he entitled “Advice to My Country.” It reads in pertinent part: 

Due to numerous theological differences – including the issue of forced celibacy – the Great Schism of 1054 split the Christian church in two. Thereafter, the bishops of Rome declared themselves “Popes” of the Roman Catholic Church and banned their clergy from getting married and later still from having any sex. And the bishops of Constantinople (now in Istanbul, Turkey) adopted the term “Patriarch” for the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which has always allowed its priests to marry.

Recently, the front cover of a well-respected magazine, The Economist, queried: “Gendercide: What Happened to 100 Million Baby Girls?”

A top Muslim scholar and cleric, Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, issued a 600 page fatwa yesterday against Muslim terrorist – calling them “Unbelievers.” This label is significant because in The Holy Quran only those who do not believe in God are deemed Unbelievers. In other words, Dr. Qadri is calling members of Al Qaeda and other terrorists Muslim groups non-Muslim.

Karen Armstrong, former nun and one of my all-time heroes, has won an award for her lifetime achievements from TED (stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design): www.TED.com

In her acceptance speech, Ms. Armstrong made a “wish” – that people all over the world would help her compose a “Charter for Compassion.” 

A wonderful series entitled Women on the Edge of Evolution is taking place and I have been listening to the weekly podcasts – all focused on how and why women are at the cutting edge of the evolutionary shift toward a more compassionate and enlightened society. I encourage women and men to listen to these podcasts.

See: www.WomenOnTheEdgeOfEvolution.com

In 306 CE, a group of western Catholic bishops met at the Council of Elvira and adopted the first anti-sex canon, although they stopped short of banning marriage (i.e., priests could remain married but had to practice celibacy). Then in 1039, Pope Leo IX imposed celibacy on all clergy, a decision that contributed to the Great Schism of 1054, when the Catholic Church split. The priests who formed the Eastern Orthodox Church have always maintained that the Catholic celibacy rule is man-made, as opposed to Divine law.

A week ago, my grandmother Ruby turned 92 years old. Today, I am wondering whether she is still alive. I was planning to visit her tomorrow along with my mother, sister, and daughter – four generations of women at the birthday party! But she fell a few days ago, breaking her neck and cracking her skull. As I write this, she is undergoing surgery.