This is the Reading Instruction Show.
I'm your host, Dr. Andy Johnson.
The title of today's podcast,
and it's somewhat about reading,
is called Don't Pray For Me.
Now I've been around for 64 years.
In these 64 years, I've had many rich opportunities
to encounter people of widely varying
and different views on things.
Quite often, I encounter people
who have different political views,
different religious views,
and different views on reading instruction.
And we all seem to be very impassioned
about our views here.
We all think that our views are the right views,
or why else would we have them?
Now, I'm a bit of an outlier in certain circles.
My political views are very progressive.
In some circles, I'm known as one of those liberals.
You liberals!
You liberals always!
Labels like these are really a shortcut to understanding
that leads to an un-understanding.
Liberals are not a herd of zebra running around
believing the same thing.
They're not a monolithic group
who all believe and think the same.
People with progressive views
have vastly differing ideas on all sorts of things.
Now my views on reading instruction are these.
I am the holiest of whole language practitioners.
It's called the neurocognitive theory of reading,
or a meaning-based approach to reading instruction.
This is because it's based on the latest research
in cognitive science and neuroscience,
and also people have a strong negative reaction
to the term whole language,
even though most really don't understand
exactly what whole language is.
A neurocognitive approach as opposed to a skills-based approach
that use reading as simply sounding out words.
Here reading instruction is comprised of low-level
sounding out word instruction.
I understand reading as creating meaning with print.
Here reading instruction involves some low-level
sounding out word instruction,
along with instruction related to creating meaning.
Now my religious views, and the point of this podcast,
is that I'm not quite certain what label to put on me these days.
I may be unlabelable.
I started out as a traditional Lutheran Christian
once upon a time.
I was involved with charismatic Christianity for a time.
Then I became fascinated with world religions
and discovered the sacred elements in all of these.
I discovered that shamanism is the basis of most religions.
I saw how this and other mystic traditions
were essential elements of early Christianity.
Christian Gnosticism and the Christian mystics
converged with Jungian psychology and quantum physics.
Tick Nhan, the Buddhist monk, showed how a Buddhist view
of Christianity, a view focusing on dispositions
or states of mind, created a more powerful,
dynamic view of biblical scriptures and Christianities.
So what is my religious label?
I embrace the traditional Christian images
and symbols I grew up with.
I use these along with scripture to bring me to a higher place.
Now the Bible is real and accurate, but not on the historical plane.
It occurred, is occurring, and will occur on the cosmic inner realm.
Jung would call this universal consciousness,
Implicit Order, the Kingdom or Kingdom of Heaven, God within.
I am not a Christian, but I am wherever Christianity takes me.
Christianity and other world religions are vehicles
to take me to a higher place.
I have noticed that sometimes in the world of religions,
adherents become so enamored with the vehicle
that they never get out of the garage.
In Christianity, there are those so focused on biblical literacy
that they spend all their time polishing the car
without actually driving the car.
Christianity and other world religions are vehicles
to take you to a higher place.
That higher place is where you're better able to nurture self,
others and your environment.
Unfortunately, some use Christianity to take them to a lower place,
a place where they become destructive to self,
to others and to others.
The result is judgment, hate, selfishness, self-centeredness,
prejudice, religious bigotry, racial bigotry, tyranny,
and parochialism.
Now, when people realize you have a religious view
that doesn't match their own,
there are three things that often happen.
The first thing that happens is to be able to see
how wrong you are and to convince you of your wrongness
so that you will adapt a view that is more closely aligned with your own.
This also happens with political views and reading instruction.
We've all done this myself included.
However, this gets in the way of listening and understanding
and it robs both parties.
The second thing that often happens is name calling, labeling,
disparaging comments and the use of unflattering objectives, adjectives.
This happens in politics and reading instruction
and it happens in religion.
Instead of addressing the idea,
there isn't a thing that's more important than the idea.
And it happens in religion. Instead of addressing the idea,
there is an attack or a demeaning,
a diminution of the person.
I've discovered, however, that when the name callers run out of adjectives
and names to call you,
when they have said all the bad things about you,
they have nothing left to say.
And this second thing creates walls and further separates people.
Now, the third thing that sometimes happens,
and it happens only when talking about religion,
is that the person will say they will pray for me.
When they find out I have a different perspective
and they cannot convince me of the wrongness
or damage me with their words,
they say they will pray for me.
I'll pray for you.
Three questions. First,
everyone benefits from having a good prayer sprinkled over their head now and again.
But why would you waste your prayers on me?
I appreciate the thought, but I'm good.
I have a pretty good life.
I'm in good health.
I'm happy most of the time.
I love my wife and she actually loves me.
Imagine that.
There are many more people who need your prayers,
much more than I do.
There's plenty of hungry, grieving, sick, and abused people in the world.
It seems a silly waste of prayer to pray for me.
And the second question I have is,
are you really going to pray for me?
Or are you just saying that?
And if you are going to pray for me,
what will that prayer sound like?
Dear God, please help Andy believe the right thing.
Dear God, make Andy see things the way that I see them,
sincerely ours.
Dear God, Andy is sick and misguided.
He is a sinner. He needs your help.
Dear God, help Andy see the truth of your divine presence.
And the third question I have is,
isn't it just a bit presumptuous to tell God what to do?
Again, I really appreciate the sentiment,
but use the energy to do what Jesus instructed.
Help somebody.
Feed and clothe the poor.
Visit somebody.
Provide health care for all.
Faith without love is meaningless.
Prayer without doing anything, doing anything, does nothing.