"I agree kernel. Our ideas and beliefs are to a greater extent what define us and make us who we…"
The mixing of religious and non-religious beliefs in an individual.
AUTHOR'S BACKGROUND
Currently, it is January 15, the day
after my 80th. birthday. On one of several visits which the family and I
took to Bell Island www,bellisland.net Newfoundland, where I was born
in 1930, Bill (1912--2004), my oldest living brother at the time, told me:
"You were not born on a frosty Friday, as the old saying goes. You were
born, early in the morning, on a frosty Tuesday--January 14, 1930. I
remember it well. Da--the name we used for our father, Eleazar, in those
days--our oldest brother, Joe, born in 1906, and I, born in 1912, were
getting ready to go
to work in the iron-ore mines. We lived in a company-owned, un-painted,
gray-shingled, semi-detached house in what was called Old Number One, It
was named after an open pit mine--the oldest of six mines--not far from
where we lived. By the way, I was only 11 years old when I got my first
job as a signaler--the pay was ten cents and hour--in the mines.
"Our oldest sister, Gladys, born in
1908, was married to William Flight. At the time, they lived at Flat
rock, which is located to the north west--about three hours by boat,
across Conception Bay and had two young children, girls--Lucilla and
Rosella. We heard that the whole family was not that well. Our older
brother, Joe--also, not well, and his wife, Freda Spracklin--expecting
their first child--lived with us. Their daughter, Betty, was born not
long after you. There was also, Ern, who was born in 1920--in a
shack-town part of Bell Island, which was jokingly called The Green, not
far from the Number Two Mine. He was ten years old when you were born.
Number seven in the family, you were an uncle even before you were born.
Nancy, number eight and the last of the family, was born in October,
1932."
By the way, until fairly recent years there was no compulsory public education system in NL. It was provided as best they
could by the churches. It and other public services were either practically
non-existent or in a sad state of affairs.
I was born the seventh child and the
fifth son, of eight children--the son of a fisherman, a boat-builder, a
carpenter and iron-ore miner. His name was Eleazar and my mother's name
was Maude B. Kelloway. Born at a time and place when few Newfoundlanders
went to the church-operated schools, regularly, he had just enough
education (grade 3?) to be able to read and write. My mother? Often, I
have wondered about just how much education she had.
Despite the fact that, economically and culturally speaking, we lived virtually in Third-World conditions, I remember being a relatively happy child.
In addition, by the time I was five, in 1935, I had experienced the
deaths of my oldest brother, Joe; my oldest sister, Gladys; her husband
and her two young children and our mother--all the victims of
tuberculosis. It seems that at that time, death was thought of as a
natural part of life.
I asked Bill, "What about Medicare and other such social
safety-nets?" he responded: "Virtually zero. No Medicare at all! For a
population of ten thousand people with 2,100 miners working in dangerous
iron ore mines mines there were two doctors, a nurse, no hospital, no
motor ambulance and no public purse to pay the the bills. By the time
you were five (1935) we had lost our oldest brother (25); oldest sister
(23)
and she lost her husband and two very young children. This was followed
by our mother--all because of tuberculosis."
Namcy and I are the last two of our family.
http://www.bellisland.net.
===============================================================
=======================================================================
Because it helps me avoid using "I" too much, from here on I will write as the the narrator.
SEPTEMBER 1947 AND BEYOND
LGK started his undergarduate studies in 1947 at Mount Allison University, in New Brunswick.
After he completed his studies at Mount Allison University (Class of 1951), (Sackville, NB) http://www.mta.ca and at Pine Hill Divinity Hall--now called the Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax, NS, he was ordained in June, 1953, at 23.
THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT
The Rev. King met his wife, Jean Turner (teacher) of Hartland, NB, when they were both students at MTA. They married in 1952, at Bible Hill, NS,
when he was the student minister there. In June of 1953, they were
assigned to Happy Valley--then a squatters' town near the Goose Bay air
base in Labrador. Using Maritime Central Airways, Lindsay and Jean wife,
and a kitten, Holy, took their first commercial flight in a DC 3 from
Moncton, NB, July 18, 1953 and landed, around noon, at Goose Bay. It was
a beautiful, warm and clear day. There, they were xxxxx About what we
found. more will be added here.
THE FIRST COUNCIL.
In the area, there were about 25 Anglican families, 25 Moravian families, 50 United Church families and 15 Pentecostal families. New
families were moving in every week.
The council quickly came to the conclusion, and a motion was passed, that the authorities --the Base and government authorities--be approached
with a view to having the area become a municipality, in the near
future. This was accomplished in 1961.
HAPPY VALLEY GOOSE BAY TODAY 2010
http://www.happyvalley-goosebay.com/home/profile.htm
All his ministry he had been an advocate of the holistic approach to the human predicament. This includes his emphasis on complementary
solutions, including the use of complementary medicine for health
problems and complementary community currencies for dealing with the
problem of poverty. Details about this work can be found at his site at http://www.flfcanada.com the site of a registered charity he founded in 1973.
POST GRADUATE STUDIES IN BOSTON
In the Spring of 1954, the Rev. King was awarded a two-year scholarship to do post graduate studies at Boston University. Some of his professors
were from Harvard and Union Theological Seminary, New York. At the end
of June, 1954, the Kings left Happy Valley so that he could take up his
studies that fall. Completing his masters on the theme "THE HISTORY OF
IDEAS" he returned to Canada. He served three years in Tide Head, N.B.,
where he led the congregation in the building a new church, extensive
repairs were done to the manse, and there was extensive re-development
of the other churches on the four-point charge. Follow this, he served
three years in Pointe Claire, Quebec, five years in Scarborough and
twenty seven years in Willowdale, where he retired.
THE BASIS OF SPIRITUAL HEALING
In Willowdale, he did pioneering work in pneumatology (the mother of psychology) and introduced the idea of pneumatherapy--the pastoral use
of hypnotic technique--the basis of spiritual healing, which is commonly
called "faith" healing. At the time this was quite controversial. There
was actually a law preventing anyone without and M.D. from using
hypnosis. King's work help change this silly law. Preferring to wear
out, not rust out, in retirement he is serving as the volunteer CEO of
the Family Life Foundation, which is dedicated to community building,
the promotion of holistic health and prosperity.
The Kings have a daughter, Catherine (1956)--an artist and a drugless therapist. She and her artist husband, Wayne Adams, live on floating
house, near Tofino, B.C. In 1994, the year both Lindsay and Jean
retired, after visiting, visiting his family in Newfoundland, they made
their first visit to the floating house. At the time, there was only a
single-story house with just enough room for four.
The Kings also have a son, Turner (1958). He is a musician (the woodwinds) and a teacher. He and Farah--they met when they were both students at
York University--born in Terhan, Iran, are the proud parents of Neda
(1988), Sahar (1991) and Tyler. (1995).
================================================
NOW, THAT I AM IN MY 80TH. YEAR--MY VIEW FROM HERE?
==========================================================================
This is the first month of my 80th. year. An older Brother, Bill (1912--2004), told me: "You were not born on a frosty Friday, as the old saying goes. You were born, early in the morning, on a frosty Tuesday--January 14, 1930. I remember it well. Da (the name used for father in those days) Joe (1906--1932) and I were getting ready to go to work in the iron ore mines. Our sister, Gladys (1908--1932) was married to William Flight. They lived at Flat rock, across the bay. They had two young children, girls--Lucilla and Rosella. Your older brother, Joe, and his wife, Freda Sprackling--expecting their first child--lived with us. Their daughter, Betty, was born not long after you. Ern (1920--1978) was ten at the time. You were number seven, and an uncle even before you were born. Nancy, was born in 1932." She and I are the last of the family.
http://www.bellisland.net.
after my 80th. birthday. On one of several visits which the family and I
took to Bell Island www,bellisland.net Newfoundland, where I was born
in 1930, Bill (1912--2004), my oldest living brother at the time, told me:
"You were not born on a frosty Friday, as the old saying goes. You were
born, early in the morning, on a frosty Tuesday--January 14, 1930. I
remember it well. Da--the name we used for our father, Eleazar, in those
days--our oldest brother, Joe, born in 1906, and I, born in 1912, were
getting ready to go
to work in the iron-ore mines. We lived in a company-owned, un-painted,
gray-shingled, semi-detached house in what was called Old Number One, It
was named after an open pit mine--the oldest of six mines--not far from
where we lived. By the way, I was only 11 years old when I got my first
job as a signaler--the pay was ten cents and hour--in the mines.
"Our oldest sister, Gladys, born in
1908, was married to William Flight. At the time, they lived at Flat
rock, which is located to the north west--about three hours by boat,
across Conception Bay and had two young children, girls--Lucilla and
Rosella. We heard that the whole family was not that well. Our older
brother, Joe--also, not well, and his wife, Freda Spracklin--expecting
their first child--lived with us. Their daughter, Betty, was born not
long after you. There was also, Ern, who was born in 1920--in a
shack-town part of Bell Island, which was jokingly called The Green, not
far from the Number Two Mine. He was ten years old when you were born.
Number seven in the family, you were an uncle even before you were born.
Nancy, number eight and the last of the family, was born in October,
1932."
By the way, until fairly recent years there was no compulsory public education system in NL. It was provided as best they
could by the churches. It and other public services were either practically
non-existent or in a sad state of affairs.
I am still amazed that I was able to finish high school at sixteen, work for a year and get away to university when I was seventeen.
I was born the seventh child and the
fifth son, of eight children--the son of a fisherman, a boat-builder, a
carpenter and iron-ore miner. His name was Eleazar and my mother's name
was Maude B. Kelloway. Born at a time and place when few Newfoundlanders
went to the church-operated schools, regularly, he had just enough
education (grade 3?) to be able to read and write. My mother? Often, I
have wondered about just how much education she had.
Despite the fact that, economically and culturally speaking, we lived virtually in Third-World conditions, I remember being a relatively happy child.
In addition, by the time I was five, in 1935, I had experienced the
deaths of my oldest brother, Joe; my oldest sister, Gladys; her husband
and her two young children and our mother--all the victims of
tuberculosis. It seems that at that time, death was thought of as a
natural part of life.
I asked Bill, "What about Medicare and other such social
safety-nets?" he responded: "Virtually zero. No Medicare at all! For a
population of ten thousand people with 2,100 miners working in dangerous
iron ore mines mines there were two doctors, a nurse, no hospital, no
motor ambulance and no public purse to pay the the bills. By the time
you were five (1935) we had lost our oldest brother (25); oldest sister
(23)
and she lost her husband and two very young children. This was followed
by our mother--all because of tuberculosis."
Namcy and I are the last two of our family.
http://www.bellisland.net.
TORONTO STAR--Living on the edge
September 20, 2007
Jim Byers
Some 50 lighthouses dot the rocky shores of Bell Island and offer the perfect lookouts to the impossibly blue ocean. About 15,000 people used
to live here when the island boasted the world's largest subterranean
iron ore mine.
BELL ISLAND, NFLD. –It's the only place in North America directly damaged by the Germans in the Second World War. Nearby are the wrecks of four
ships sunk by German U-boats, where 69
soldiers went to their deaths. [At 12 years of age, in 1942, I was just
a few hundred yards away from the explosions of the torpedoes. Later,
and saw some of the bodies laid out in Lance cove.]
It should be a beacon for history buffs. But when you arrive on Bell Island, just a few minutes from St. John's, there is no sign of what
happened here. Not a Heritage Canada marker. Not a government of
Newfoundland placard. Nothing.
It's not until you follow the signs for the shop of a man who makes cement animals that you spot a small roadside sign pointing the way to a "Seaman's memorial and picnic
area."
It's easy to miss the turnoff. And at the bottom of the hill, you arrive in a tumbledown RV park, where the only memorial is a patch of grass with a couple of plaques, a flagpole and a
giant anchor.
Bell Island, only a few miles from St. John's in the middle of Conception Bay, has stunning cliffs, vertical slides of chalky brown shale and
sandstone pounded by impossibly blue ocean waves.
There's a chatty lighthouse keeper who'll give you a free tour of his place. Visitors can check out the iron ore museum showcasing the mines that
once reached miles and miles underground, which is why the Germans
attacked in the first place.
A mysterious crater appeared on one end of the island in the 1970s, an occurrence some blamed on a ball of lightning, but which others insist was the doing of U.S. army mad
scientist or even the Russians.
It's a truly magical place. But aside from the No. 2 mine iron ore museum, which is a sophisticated and highly worthwhile stop, they don't do much here to advertise one of the
best day trips you can take in Newfoundland.
Karen Seward shrugs when asked about the lack of signage for the German bombing site.
Her grandfather worked the mines and features in legendary photographer Yousuf Karsh's collection of Bell Island pictures on display at the
museum.
"We think like Bell Islanders," she says. "If you're lost, you'll knock on someone's door and they'll take you there."
Luckily, the No. 2 mine signs are a lot easier to find.
The first things you'll probably notice in the museum are the stunning photos, some by Karsh. One shows a boy who can't be more than 12 years
old, surrounded by four older, soot-covered workers, three of whom look
as though they returned from the depths of hell.
Another shows a worker with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, a lunch box popping out from under a well-muscled arm. The story goes that Karsh was here
in the summer of 1954 to photograph Premier Joey Smallwood and his
Cabinet but ventured to the island and was taken with what he saw. The
originals of his Bell Island photos are in Ottawa's National Archives.
Seward explains workers at the mine tunneled miles under Conception Bay, about half a kilometre below the water. All told, 70 million tonnes of ore
were shipped from the world's largest subterranean iron ore mine from
1895 to 1966.
Workers started as early as age eight or nine, picking unwanted rocks off the conveyor belts that brought the precious ore out of the depths below the bay. Outside the museum is a
giant heap
of unused rocks hauled out over the years.
"My son," Seward says, "calls that the `Monument to Child Labour.'"
A short tour takes you deep underground and gives visitors a sense of what it was like for the workers. Back inside the museum is a
collection of various instruments and household items that illustrate
the life of the miners in the depths of the earth. Included is a box of
soap; cruelly, the label reads "Sunlight."
The 10-year-old museum has four full-time employees.
"Don't think that's much, do ya?" Seward asks a visitor. "Well, that means four more families can stay on this island and that's pretty special."
There used to be 15,000 people on the island. Many fled when the mines shut down; a lot of them to southern Ontario. There are now only 3,000, but
the population is slowly rebuilding.
"It's a great place," Seward explains. "Ninety-five per cent of people here know my kids' names if they see them on the road."
Seward said Bell-Island children are raised to be independent.
"They'll leave, of course," she says. "But they'll come back."
There aren't many more scenic spots in the province than the lighthouse at the north end of the island. It's a cool place to learn something about
the 50 or so lighthouses that dot Newfoundland.
"Been here more than 20 years," says Bill Clarke in a patented Newfoundland accent. "We used to be out there on the bluff," he says, gesturing toward a small
point now empty of buildings, "But a government geologist came and they
found some caves under the point.
"They said it was only a matter of time before we might tumble down into the ocean, so they moved the lighthouse back here."
He also explains the difference between a Clark and a Clarke.
"The good Clarkes have an `e' on the end, or so they say back in England," he says. "The ones without an `e' are the bad `uns."
Clarke lovingly shows off an old foghorn – a two-metre high, hulking metal thing that's probably five metres long. It's no longer operational, but
Clarke plays a tape of different sounding lighthouse horns used to emit.
"This here was three seconds long, then 27 seconds of silence. Other lighthouses had different tones, so if you were fogged in, you could
tell by the sound just where you were."
After a clamber up some metal spiral stairs and a few steps up a steep ladder, visitors are shown the light itself.
A lone Canadian flag flaps below, overlooking the Avalon peninsula nearly five kilometres away and the blue-green Atlantic.
There's a sign warning tourists not to venture out on to the point where the lighthouse used to sit, but Clarke explains many folks go have a
look-see.
"Just don't get too close to the edge."
The small effort is hugely worthwhile. You get a great view of two towers of rock rising from the bay, with a huge, V-shaped chasm between them.
The tops are dotted with conifers and dozens of birds, while the
bottoms are battered by breaking waves of deep blue water. At the
bottom of one of the towers, a small cave leaves a hole for surf to
surge through.
It's breathtaking.
===============================================================
14
Rev. LINDSAY G. KING
A short biography (as of January 9, 2010)
OVERVIEW:
From a statistical perspective, the probability of Lindsay King extending his education beyond grade eight was quite remote. He was born at the
beginning of the Great Depression. It was at a time when the government
of Newfoundland
had declared bankruptcy and reduced its budget for education by fifty
percent. To make matters worse, both of his parents died before he
attained the age of fourteen. None of his older siblings got the
opportunity to obtain any kind of education.
Despite almost formidable obstacles, Lindsay got his basic early grades and completed grades seven and eight in one year at the top of his class.
In addition, his principal permitted him to advance from grade eight to
grade ten. He completed high school at 16, two years earlier and at the top of his class.
Following a year of gainful employment, which provided him with the funds he needed, he went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at Mount Allison University. In September, 1951, he entered Pine Hill Divinity Hall and graduated with his license to preach. Subsequent to his ordained in 1953 he was assigned to serve his first pastoral charge at Happy Valley, Goosebay, Labrador. What would have a discouraging experience for many newly ordained ministers because a remarkable opportunity for Lindsay that set the tone for a highly creative ministry that has lasted over half of a century.
During his time at Goosebay, he found a community divided against itself and in a stressful and divisive state. He went on to establish a new and successful union church made up of three denominations. In addition, while his wife Jean, took on the task of teaching fifty-two children, Lindsay set about to finishing the construction of a manse, started the construction of a new church building and established a community council. This council laid the foundation of what later became a new municipal council with the first elected mayor of the new municipality.
This successful adventure helped qualify Lindsay for a scholarship to Boston University. He completed a Master's degree in Systematic Theology in 1955. Following post graduate studies he moved to his second pastorate at Tide Head, New Brunswick, a four-point charge near Campbellton, N.B. There he was faced with the huge task of redeveloping all church properties, including the manse. At Tide Head, the central point on the Restigouche Charge, he prepared the architectural drawings and the plans for and supervised the construction of a new church building. It was a substantial all-brick structure in the centre of the community next to the school.
Lindsay then spent three years in Pointe Claire, Quebec, five years in Scarborough and then he moved to Willowdale United Church, now North Toronto, where he served for twenty seven years. It became another unique experience. He saw a congregation go thru three stages: First it was a sleepy bed-room community. Then it became a busy and developing suburb. Thirdly it became a down-town situation developed with a subway, residential high-rise buildings and business towers.
During his years in Willowdale he helped the congregation grow substantially in membership and attendance at weekly worship services doubled. In addition, many people were attracted by an innovative meditation program and his approach to holistic healing in cooperation with medical doctors. A lay leader was
appointed and special service and weekly programs flourished which
attracted people, of all and no denominations from far and wide. This
went on throughout his ministry at Willowdale.
Since retirement, he prefers to call it re-directment, he has developed an internet ministry. Currently, it is estimated that over 1.5 million people, internationally, are drawn to his online
writings on pneumatology, psychology, religion and healing.
Lindsay is also an accomplished artist. Over 300 of his paintings exist, some of which have a spiritual theme. A most major work of art of his is a wall painting at Willowdale United Church. It depicts The Evolution of Consciousness from creation until now. It covers approximately 1,600 square feet of wall space and has won critical acclaim. It was accomplished, with the help of another artist, over a six-year period.
REMEMBERING “BIG NICK”
Asked how he got his assignment to Happy Valley Lindsay said: “It was Saturday, June 13, 1953. Ordination Sunday and was the following day. He had just finished lunch in the cafeteria of Truman House. As he was about to leave he heard a booming voice from across the room. His friends and he recognized the tall figure of Dr. Clarence M. Nicholson, Principal at Pine Hill and Professor of Theology. He was also serving as Moderator of the United Church of Canada.
“Big Nick” as he as known spoke loud and clear. 'Lindsay' he said, 'I have been looking for you'. As he approached, Lindsay feared that his ordination was being cancelled. Then he announced “I have been to your home province of Newfoundland for a few days. I visited and spoke to your Conference. Of course they knew of your choice to be ordained here and gave their approval. However, they still have the right to decide where you will go on your first assignment. He reached for the letter in his pocket he said, 'This was given to me by the Chair of the Settlement Committee. The letter informed Lindsay that his first appointment was at Goosebay, Labrador. Lindsay had never been to Labrador and did not know what to expect. A HAM radio conversation with a church representative in Labrador provided Lindsay with an idealistic picture. Upon arrival Lindsay found that the actual situation was totally different to the point that he and his wife did not have a place to live in and the church building was a tarred paper shack.
EDUCATION:
With encouragement and help from his older siblings, especially his oldest brother, who never went beyond grade three, Lindsay took his early education at the United Church School on the Belle Island. Although he did not get to grade one until he was eight years old, he was able to finish high school when he was sixteen. How he did this makes for an interesting story.
After a year of work, first in a grocery store and then as a labourer for the Dominion Iron and Steel iron ore mines, he saved enough money to enter Mount Allison University in September of 1947. He graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951. In September of that year he entered the United Church seminary, Pine Hill Divinity Hall, now part of .Atlantic School of Theology, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
While at Pine Hill in 1952 Lindsay married Jean Turner (Mount Allison class of 1950). The following year Lindsay was ordained on behalf of the Newfoundland and Labrador Conference, at Sackville, New Brunswick.
HIS CAREER as an ORDAINED MINISTER:
As indicated above, his career as a minister of the United Church of Canada for over 40 years began in 1953 when he was assigned to be the first charge in Labrador. It was a squatters' town of about 115 families. Before his arrival, Happy Valley was part of the Labrador Mission of the United Church of Canada. It was served by The Rev. Dr. Lester Burry. He saw the need for help in expanding the mission to Labrador. Interestingly, in 1946, Dr. Burry served on the commission which helped bring about Newfoundland's become Canada's tenth province.
MORE ON EDUCATION, HOLISTIC HEALTH OF BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT RE-DISCOVERING THE PHILOSOPHY OF PNEUMATOLOGY IN 1964
Looking back, Lindsay recalls that he took the first step in his journey of what he later discovered was called the philosophy of “pneumatology” when came out of his own self-consciousness when he came to the discovery of his personal spirit (pneuma); when he became aware of being aware, and that he was an individual apart from his parents, his siblings and others. Since then he became very curious about what it means to be a human being.
THE MIRACLE OF RADIO:
In 1936 the Kings got their first Marconi radio. For Lindsay, the radio opened up a magical world filled with music, news and stories, sports events and the voices of very entertaining and
interesting people from as far away as St. John's, Boston and New York. It was a treat for Lindsay when by radio he could listen to a church service and other programs from St. John's on Sundays. Even at a young age he found the Bible reading, stories from the Bible, even the preaching interesting. He could hardly wait to get old enough to be able to read the Bible, one of the few books his family had.
THE BEGINNING OF HIS SERIOUS SEARCH FOR PNEUMATOLOGY
Lindsay’s search for pneumatology began in earnest when he became a freshman and a theological student at Mount Allison University in 1947. He was always interested in science and religion. There he met the newly-appointed faculty adviser, the Rev. Arthur Ebbutt. During the process of completing his doctorate in theology, he was also in charge of the about sixty theological students. Lindsay found him to be a theologian with a very rational and open kind of mind. "When you come into my classes" he was fond of saying, "I do not want
you to leave your brains where you hang your hat." This gave Lindsay the opportunity to take a scientific attitude and approach to all religious studies. From then on he read everything he could find on psychology, philosophy, religion and the total health of body, mind and spirit. His adviser frequently pointed out that Jesus told his followers not just to preach but to teach and heal. This is the pattern, the rational integration of philosophy, psychology and theology, and their role in helping us to enjoy total health, which Lindsay followed all through university and for all his forty years of pastoral ministry and on into what he now refers to as re-directment.
As already indicated, he was ordained to the ministry of "preaching, teaching and the cure of souls". Interestingly in Happy Valley, there was a Grenfell Mission Nursing Station. As if to fit in with his interest in health, he and his wife lived next door to it. They had a very good working relationship with the two nurses who performed excellent work. To make a long story short, the rich experience of that year inspired him to pursue post-graduate studies in theology at Boston University.
1953-1954 WAS A PIVOTAL YEAR FOR REV. KING:
Under the guidance of faculty from Boston University, Harvard and Union Theological Seminary, NY, Lindsay pursued a course of studies based on the general theme: THE HISTORY OF IDEAS--physically, mentally and spiritual. He wanted to know: “How come we believe what we believe and behave as we do?” What he learned led him to take a definite and scientific approach to spirituality and religion, including the integration of philosophy, psychology and theology. It laid the foundation for the remainder of his ministry to which he devoted much of his time advocating the practical value of the holistic approach to physical, mental and spiritual health.
Lindsay was Influenced by his studies of the writings of Harry Emerson Fosdick, Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking, 1952) Leslie D. Weatherhead (Psychology,
Religion and Healing), the writings of the Harvard psychologist,
William James, the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, Milton Erickson, Norman Cousins (a psychiatrist and hypnotist) and others. This inspired Lindsay to preach several series of sermons on psychology, religion and the healing. He also talked about the healing ministry of Jesus and his influence on the churches down through the ages. As a result of this, an increasing number of people began to request time with him. He taught people how to stop destroying themselves and start healing themselves.
CATHERINE LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESS:
In 1963 after his daughter had a series of lung problems he used what he called pneumatherapy — spiritual use of hypnotic technique. It enabled Lindsay to help her heal herself from within.
1963-1964 WAS, FOR ME, ANOTHER PIVOTAL YEAR
In the spring of 1964 his daughter was on the road to complete recovery from a deadly lung condition. With the help of a mentor and the encouragement of their family doctor, Lindsay applied what the mentor referred to as the "pastoral use of hypnotic technique". Lindsay now refers t it as “pneumatherapy”. Lindsay recalls that all he did was to encourage his daughter to take personal, or spiritual, responsibility for what was going on in her own mind and body. Rapidly, she became a healthy child and was
never bed-ridden again.
Lindsay’s Biblical and theological training; the influence of the mentor who taught him the pastoral use of hypnosis, and a book he read, Prayer Can Change Your Life (1957), by a spiritual-minded psychologist, William R. Parker and writer, Elaine St. Johns, influenced him to call what he was doing, “PRAYER THERAPY”. Encouraged by several members of his congregation he delivered a series of lectures under this title.
PNEUMATOLOGY—The Study of all Things Spiritual
The term 'pneumatology' came later. Putting spirit (pneuma) first, Lindsay began offering a series of lectures on the relationship of psychology, religion and healing and to explore how of faith, hope and love can affect the human but animal-like mind (psyche) and body (soma).
In keeping with his explorations at the time, he felt the need to create a new word specifically related to the study of matters having to do with the human spirit. Thus, based on his knowledge of ancient and New Testament Greek, Lindsay concocted the word 'pneumatology' to which he gave the meaning: the study of the spirit. At the time he was unaware that this word was in the larger dictionaries. Shortly thereafter, he found
it in World Book Dictionary, which defines it as a branch of theology
having to do with doctrines about the Holy Spirit and about spiritual
beings. The World Book Dictionary further states that in the 1600s it was considered a branch of metaphysics.
PANENTHEISM, HOLOTHEISM AND UNITHEISM
Inspired by idea of pneumatology, Lindsay has been working on an approach to theology which he prefers to call “holo-unitheism”. Instead of using the noun, God, which has the implication of making god into a human-like and masculine being, he chooses to use any one of the following acronyms: GOD, GØD, or G0D—note the zero '0' What does that acronym stand for?
The G--and this is just his opinion--stands for the actual and potential Good in all things, physical, mental and spiritual. Ø, in his opinion, stands for the Order of things as explored by the sciences. In a non-science sense, one could just use O, 0. Interestingly, the symbol came to his mind in 2005, before he was told by a fellow pastor at a science forum that it is a mathematical symbol called the “null”. He discovered that ∅ means the set with no elements. { } means the same thing. He assumed it to be like the point in calculus; it has no dimensions.
The great inventor Nicola Tesla, who wrote about religion, said, "God has no properties." A Google search may lead one to findthat Tesla was a very spiritually-minded scientist who, with his invention of AC electricity, gave us the technology as to how to put
hydro power to practical use. Tesla was
the son of an Orthodox priest and also said that Christianity and
Buddhism, put together, would make for the best philosophy of religion. D, stands for all that we find Desirable, the beautiful, the true and the well-designed. When
push comes to shove, do not all humane people, even if they call
themselves atheists, want a universe filled with Goodness, Order and
that which is Desirable? In Lindsay’s view, GOD, GØD, or G0D represents too large a hypothesis, or concept, to be contained in even a proper noun. For him it avoids the danger of anthropomorphism, the tendency to create a god in our own image.
When Lindsay thinks of GØD as the one idea behind all that is, he can think as a theist; when he thinks of GØD as the point or unit of all things, he thinks as a unitheist; when he thinks of GØD as the whole, which contains and interpenetrates all things, he thinks as a holotheist. It is possible that guided by the love principle, to see GØD in all things: as do the polytheists. After all, as Bible scholars inform us: Moses was actually a henotheist--My God (YAHWEH) can beat up on your god.
REALITY, EXCEPT IN THE ABSOLUTE SENSE OF THE WORD, IS NOT JUST ONE THING, IT IS A COMPLEX
Lindsay likes the theory which says that every single living creature, with any level of consciousness, including human beings, animals and insects are
constantly creating holograms of what they perceive reality to be. And,
especially for human beings, it can happen moment by moment. Even those who
live together in families, or as husband and wife, do not perceive of
things--physical, mental or spiritual--in exactly the same way. Perhaps
humans Lindsay suggests, are incapable to perceiving the absolute--GØD. Lindsay finds that the process philosophy and theology of Alfred North Whitehead is very helpful in understanding the idea that we, including what we call God, are all in the process of becoming ad infinitum.
Perhaps there are those of us who need a mother, a child, a lover, or just a friend. This why Lindsay feels it is highly important for us to be careful not to impose our holograms on others. Lindsay suggests that some of us want a god who lords it over us; one who judges us and forgives our sins when we repent and bow before him; some make things, power,
property, fame and wealth into gods, and some of us even makes
ourselves into a god who has all the answers, even when we are not sure
what they are. He further suggests that some
very creative people are so good at hologram thinking that we think of
them as having illusions and being deluded, even insane. They think of
themselves as philosophers, scientists, artists, geniuses, or even
clergy mediators of the power and love of God.
THE SO-CALLED FAITH-HEALERS?
Please do not confuse the approach which Lindsay took, and still takes, with that of people like the so-called faith-healers like: Oral Roberts, Catherine Kuhlman, Benny Hinn, Peter Youngren and the like. He includes those who believe in what is called Christian Science. He suggests that through experience that beliefs and faith can have a powerful effect on total health. However, Lindsay has never been a fan of blind faith. As a columnist for a paper over a number of years, he took the opportunity to investigate, close up the claims and results of several "faith" healers.
ONE SO-CALLED FAITH-HEALER EVEN CLAIMED: "GOD WILL FILL TEETH, WITH GOLD."
One so-called faith healer Lindsay investigated worked exclusively on dental problems. He even claimed that, "God will replace the amalgam fillings in teeth with gold fillings. Sometimes God will
even replace missing teeth." The news media gave this story all kinds
of a laced-with-skepticism kind of coverage. Naturally, it attracted
the curious, along with the faithful. One evening Lindsay attended one of the demonstrations. Following the "healing" service and demonstration, Lindsay interviewed
one who was told, by the "healer": "You now have all gold fillings in
your teeth, not the amalgams with which you came." Lindsay asked her: "Do you really believe what you were told?" Obviously a "believer" she invited him to look, for himself. He replied that the lighting was not conducive for him to verify he lady’s your claim. He suggested that she check with her dentist to which she agreed. Lindsay suggests that if we can come up with the evidence, he is a strong believer in concrete evidence, that if one can now have gold and not amalgam fillings, he would do all he could to promote the story. Lindsay heard nothing back from anyone, including the lady or her dentist. He concluded that
the claims were fraudulent. The "subject" believed what she was told by
the "faith healer" because she was in a hypnotic trance at the time. That was the first and last time he heard about this magical approach to dentistry. Obviously, the claim had no validity.
LINDSAY’S APPROACH TO FAITH
Rather than asking people to take a blind leap into the darkness, Lindsay prefers to ask them to take a careful walk in the light available to them. In his search for a rational approach to "faith healing" he was greatly influenced by the very well-researched and controversial book “Psychology, Religion and Healing” by the minister and psychologist, Dr. Leslie D. Weatherhead of London, England.
Sampling of CONTENTS:
SUMMARY: FOREWORD BY THE REV. DR. ERIC S. WATERHOUSE & BY DR. GEOFFREY EVANS.
PREFACE. INTRODUCTION-MAN'S EARLIEST SEARCH FOR HEALING.
SECTION ONE - EARLIER METHODS OF HEALING THROUGH RELIGION.
I. CHRIST'S HEALING MIRACLES.
II. HEALING IN THE EARLY CHURCH.
III. THE PROBLEM OF DEMON POSSESSION. SECTION TWO - EARLIER METHODS OF HEALING THROUGH PSYCHOLOGY.
SECTION THREE - MODERN METHODS OF HEALING THROUGH RELIGION.
I. THE LAYING ON OF HANDS.
II. THE PHENOMENA OF LOURDES.
III. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE.
IV. HEALING MISSIONS.
V. PSYCHIC PHENOMENA AND HEALING.
VI. OTHER RELIGIOUS HEALING MOVEMENTS.
VII. THE PRACTICE OF INTERCESSION.
SECTION FOUR - MODERN METHODS OF HEALING THROUGH PSYCHOLOGY. I - VI.,
SECTION FIVE. DO MODERN PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS OF HEALING NEED RELIGION? I. - VII.
SECTION SIX. DO MODERN RELIGIOUS METHODS OF HEALING NEED PSYCHOLOGY? I - III.
SECTION SEVEN - THE MODERN SEARCH FOR HEALING THROUGH PSYCHOLOGY AND RELIGION.
I - IV.
HYPNOTISM
Lindsay was impressed by the fact that the minister and psychologist, Dr. Leslie D. Weatherhead took an interest in the phenomenon of hypnotism. While
hypnotic-like phenomena are mentioned in ancient Greek and Egyptian
papyri it is generally agree that all modern hypnotism stems from the
work of the physician, a graduate (1766) of the University of Vienna, Franz Anton Mesmer. From his name we get our verb to mesmerize. He called the phenomenon, “animal magnetism”. When Lindsay came to the chapter on "hypnotism" he was fascinated by the phenomenon. He decided to make an effort to understand what it was and to learn how to use it. The more he looked into it the more he was amazed at the simplicity of it and at how natural it is. He discovered that it was a natural phenomenon.
Lindsay explains that it is not unlike the way a child learns to walk, run, talk, sing and play. As children grow, physically, mentally and spiritually, with the help of wise parents and teachers, willing to risk giving children as much freedom as possible, they can learn to become masters in any field or fields they happen to choose. The making of choices is what Lindsay calls a pneumatological, a spiritual and freedom-based-phenomenon.
A NAME THAT STANDS OUT, WEATHERHEAD
During the period after the Second World War, in which English Protestant non-conformity declined rapidly, a handful of exceptional names stand
out, and one of the most remarkable was that of the Methodist minister
Leslie Dixon Weatherhead. Both through his ministry at the City Temple, in the heart of London,
and more generally through the massive sales of his books, Dr.
Weatherhead became a dominant figure, with an influence far beyond the British Isles.
The City Temple, a Congregationalist church, was widely seen at the time as the greatest English Free Church pulpit. It ensured him a wide audience, while the quality of his preaching, combining emotional and intellectual power, wit and eloquence, won him admirers
among all the churches. It led
to offers from a number of American and Canadian universities and
congregations, as well as numerous honorary degrees from British and
American universities. Despite his Congregationalist call, he remained
a Methodist minister, and indeed became President of the Methodist
Conference. Perhaps even more important was that he was one of the
earliest to recognize the value of the applications for the clergy of
the insights of Freud and Jung.
His seventy-odd publications, of which, The Christian Agnostic, and, Psychology Religion and Healing, were the most influential. They bring
out not only the theological liberalism that made him suspect in some
circles, but also his understanding of the value of healing and of
psychological insights. The result was that his 'lay theology' had a
vast following. Although three other books have appeared about
Weatherhead since his death, PNEUMA, PSYCHE, SOMA--SPIRIT, MIND,
BODY--components, or essential parts, of human nature
PNEUMATOLOGY
Lindsay proposed: "Why do people use the word 'pneumatological?"
His response is because it refers specifically to the human spirit (pneuma). That is the spirit as distinct from our animal-like minds. We call ourselves 'human', thinking and self-conscious beings.
PSYCHOLOGY
When asked,"Why not 'psychological'--having to do with the mind, which is usually associated with the brain?"
Lindsay’s response is because he has some basic training in philosophy and psychology, he uses it especially when he wants to refer to what people have in common with animal beings. Before psychology broke away from its mother, philosophy, it was called 'pneumatology'--meaning study of the spirit. It is also interesting that it was Wilhelm Wundt, the son of an evangelical Lutheran minister, who, in 1879, in Leipzig, Germany, set up the first laborarory. His findings led the development of the school behaviourism and a new emphasis on physicalism. Much controversy
broke out.
SOMATOLOGY
Lindsay also uses 'somatological'--having to do with the body, including the brain. The brain is a physical organ. But we need to ask: “Is it confined just to the head?”The latest research seems to indicate that our mind/brain has a kind of wireless connection with much more than just our immediate environment. In Lindsay’s view, the spirit component, an essential part of our human nature, craves more and more freedom from the limitations of the mind and the body. This poses several important questions which he addresses to himself:
What kind of spirit am I? Am I a spirit who wants to make good choices? Or am I driven by my ego and unconscious drives to make ones that are not so good, even painful and evil ones? How free am I, really?
FREEDOM OF THE SPIRIT
Lindsay suggests, howfree am I to say that I have the freedom of will to make this choice, or that. I would like to feel that I am, and will be, what I choose
freely choose to be. Therefore, I choose freely the good, to lovingly
discipline my mind and body, as I would my children, to come along. In
other words, I choose to be at one with Spirit, Life, Love, all Being,
GOD, the
Spirit of goodness, order and design in and through all that is. Can I
not do this without even using the acronym 'GOD' or the noun 'God'?
Lindsay believes that one of the basic tools of the Spirit is imagination, the ability to visualize what is good, or evil. Je suggests that from his perspective, he has the power to use his will and imagination for good, or evil. He can say yes, or no, to Life and Being. If he chooses to do nothing, he can choose to do evil. One cannot be neutral. He believes that on their own, the mind and the body, like stubborn children, tend to resist the change necessary to get this freedom and to live as
spiritually attuned adults.
BACK TO BRAID
Back to learning how to use the phenomenon, which Dr. James Braid admitted he misnamed "hypnosis". He tried to change "hypnotism" to "monoideism", the ability to focus on and imagine one idea.
As Lindsay studied the history of what Braid, Mesmer--Mesmer called what Braid called "hypnosis" "animal magnetism"--and others before them had discovered, he soon discovered that, in modern times, it is surrounded by all kinds of myths perpetrated by the media and fiction. In the Far East it was known as "yoga".
MOVIES AND MYTHS—EVEN FALSE ONES
Not all myths he suggests are false but, for example, the novel, Trilby, which was written in 1894 by George du Maurier, is filled with a FALSE myth. In 1931, when John Barrymore played the role of the manipulative hypnotist Svengali, in a movie based on the book, the myth was spread to all who
saw it. It spread all kinds of false concepts about the "power" of
hypnotists. The fact is he suggests is that hypnotists have only the power which subjects, using their imagination in an unconsciously and negative way, give them.
THE MASTER-SUBJECT MYTH
The fact is: all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. Lindsay suggests that it is up to us whether or not we become subjects or partners in a health-producing partnership.
INTRODUCING MILTON H. ERICKSON
Lindsay suggests that Erickson was more of what he callsa pneumatherapist than he was a hypnotist. He led his clients to take control into their own hands and not have to depend on a master from
outside.
THIS IS INTERESTING AND CONTROVERSIAL
AND MAXWELL MALTZ
It was back in the 1970's that Lindsay first read [color=#ff0000]PSYCHO-CYBERNETICS, A New Way to GET MORE LIVING OUT OF LIFE (Prentice Hall, 1960).[/color]. Not long before his death, he had the pleasure of meeting the author, Dr. Maxwell Maltz , a plastic surgeon by profession. Following a very interesting lecture Lindsay got the opportunity to tell him about his interest in the integrative approach to total health of body, mind and spirit. He informed him about what he then began calling pneumatology, the study of spirituality. Spirit (Pneuma), as he understands it, it is what, Echart Tolle describes in his book, The power of the NOW--calls the Un-manifested Source of all that IS--physically and mentally. He informed Dr. Maltz that even as a student minister he had the feeling that he was not in the ministry just to preach, to declare the basic principles of living the good life, but also to teach about health and help people heal themselves. He was interested in helping people be the kind of spirit-filled people we all want to be, in the NOW. Lindsay was not into converting anyone to any absolute form of religion dominated by fixed-position thinking, the kind of religion which promises, 'pie in the sky, by and by, when you die', if followers agree to obey self-appointed religious hierarchy,
pray to a god as defined by this hierarchy and pay what is demanded of
them. Lindsay showed Dr. Maltz a written outline of the lecture series which he started giving in 1964 under the general heading PRAYER THERAPY. Later, he used the term PNEUMATOLOGY, the study of all things spiritual. After he viewed the outline his words to Lindsay were highly encouraging. Lindsay urged his pneumatology students to read Dr. Maltz's book, Psycho-Cybernetics. His book is more about what Lindsay refers to as Pneuma-Cybernetics.
However, Lindsay has not retired from ministering to the larger community. Following the tradition of the 18th Century reformer, John Wesley, the founder of
Methodism, has always thought of the role of the church as that of serving the whole community, not just its members. Lindsay, like Wesley believes that "The world [is his] parish".
FEATHERS—NEITHER A LEFT NOR RIGHT-WING—APPROACH TO ECONOMICS
Lindsay is also deeply interested in the role that politics and economics play in all our lives, and how they can be used to provide health, wealth,
justice and peace for all people, of all races and creeds, who live on
planet earth. In 1993 he ran for election to the federal parliament. In 1994 he ran for mayor of the Town of Markham. In 2004 he ran provincially for the Freedom Party.
CHURCH ON THE WEB:
Lindsay is now the volunteer director and office manager of the Family Life Foundation, a registered charity which he helped found in 1973. The Family Life Foundation offers counseling, education and weekly discussion groups in the local community and in its on-line forum site.
Similar to what he did when he was a parish minister, the Family Life Foundation is dedicated to the promotion of the HOLISTIC, physical, mental and spiritual, approach to health and prosperity, for all. As part of this approach, since the early 1960s Lindsay has been a strong advocate of the use of local currencies as a way of creating employment for those who find it difficult to compete in the
market place. Local currency advocates favour the free market approach.
It can be demonstrated that local currencies help make the market truly
free. Details may be viewed at www.flfcanada.com It is fully interactive and growing.
UNITHEISM
"The Rev"—referring to his 'revolutionary' and non-status quo way of thinking, is a life-long student of philosophy and psychology, his
undergrad major. He believes that there need be no conflict between
good science and healthy religion, one rooted in sighted faith and reason.
Theologically speaking, in the 1980s, he began preaching and writing about what he called "unitheism". Later, he discovered that others are now using the
same word and that it is not unlike the kind of panentheism, the theme
of Professor Marcus Borg's book, THE GOD WE NEVER KNEW, Beyond Dogmatic Religion to a More authentic Faith (1997). Lindsay advises that Unitheism is a way of thinking about God, or the Holy Spirit, as that great mystery, immanent and transcendent being, which is total, universal and all encompassing. This ineffable Spirit he explains, surrounds and permeates that we
call the natural and material universe. To indicate that unitheism
differs from pantheism, deism, monotheism, and to avoid
anthropomorphisms, the Rev likes to use the Orthodox Jewish way of
spelling the divine name: G-d.
FAMILY
Lindsay and his wife Jean have a son Turner who is a professional musician and school teacher. He and his wife Farah are the parents of three Neda, Sahar and Tyler. Their daughter Catherine is an accomplished artist who lives with her artist husband Wayne in British Columbia.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=-3&i...73&l=ebcae3bf23
www.flfcanada.com
=======================================================================
Because it helps me avoid using "I" too much, from here on I will write as the the narrator.
SEPTEMBER 1947 AND BEYOND
LGK started his undergarduate studies in 1947 at Mount Allison University, in New Brunswick.
After he completed his studies at Mount Allison University (Class of 1951), (Sackville, NB) http://www.mta.ca and at Pine Hill Divinity Hall--now called the Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax, NS, he was ordained in June, 1953, at 23.
THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT
The Rev. King met his wife, Jean Turner (teacher) of Hartland, NB, when they were both students at MTA. They married in 1952, at Bible Hill, NS,
when he was the student minister there. In June of 1953, they were
assigned to Happy Valley--then a squatters' town near the Goose Bay air
base in Labrador. Using Maritime Central Airways, Lindsay and Jean wife,
and a kitten, Holy, took their first commercial flight in a DC 3 from
Moncton, NB, July 18, 1953 and landed, around noon, at Goose Bay. It was
a beautiful, warm and clear day. There, they were xxxxx About what we
found. more will be added here.
THE FIRST COUNCIL.
In the area, there were about 25 Anglican families, 25 Moravian families, 50 United Church families and 15 Pentecostal families. New
families were moving in every week.
The council quickly came to the conclusion, and a motion was passed, that the authorities --the Base and government authorities--be approached
with a view to having the area become a municipality, in the near
future. This was accomplished in 1961.
HAPPY VALLEY GOOSE BAY TODAY 2010
http://www.happyvalley-goosebay.com/home/profile.htm
All his ministry he had been an advocate of the holistic approach to the human predicament. This includes his emphasis on complementary
solutions, including the use of complementary medicine for health
problems and complementary community currencies for dealing with the
problem of poverty. Details about this work can be found at his site at http://www.flfcanada.com the site of a registered charity he founded in 1973.
POST GRADUATE STUDIES IN BOSTON
In the Spring of 1954, the Rev. King was awarded a two-year scholarship to do post graduate studies at Boston University. Some of his professors
were from Harvard and Union Theological Seminary, New York. At the end
of June, 1954, the Kings left Happy Valley so that he could take up his
studies that fall. Completing his masters on the theme "THE HISTORY OF
IDEAS" he returned to Canada. He served three years in Tide Head, N.B.,
where he led the congregation in the building a new church, extensive
repairs were done to the manse, and there was extensive re-development
of the other churches on the four-point charge. Follow this, he served
three years in Pointe Claire, Quebec, five years in Scarborough and
twenty seven years in Willowdale, where he retired.
THE BASIS OF SPIRITUAL HEALING
In Willowdale, he did pioneering work in pneumatology (the mother of psychology) and introduced the idea of pneumatherapy--the pastoral use
of hypnotic technique--the basis of spiritual healing, which is commonly
called "faith" healing. At the time this was quite controversial. There
was actually a law preventing anyone without and M.D. from using
hypnosis. King's work help change this silly law. Preferring to wear
out, not rust out, in retirement he is serving as the volunteer CEO of
the Family Life Foundation, which is dedicated to community building,
the promotion of holistic health and prosperity.
The Kings have a daughter, Catherine (1956)--an artist and a drugless therapist. She and her artist husband, Wayne Adams, live on floating
house, near Tofino, B.C. In 1994, the year both Lindsay and Jean
retired, after visiting, visiting his family in Newfoundland, they made
their first visit to the floating house. At the time, there was only a
single-story house with just enough room for four.
The Kings also have a son, Turner (1958). He is a musician (the woodwinds) and a teacher. He and Farah--they met when they were both students at
York University--born in Terhan, Iran, are the proud parents of Neda
(1988), Sahar (1991) and Tyler. (1995).
================================================
NOW, THAT I AM IN MY 80TH. YEAR--MY VIEW FROM HERE?
==========================================================================
This is the first month of my 80th. year. An older Brother, Bill (1912--2004), told me: "You were not born on a frosty Friday, as the old saying goes. You were born, early in the morning, on a frosty Tuesday--January 14, 1930. I remember it well. Da (the name used for father in those days) Joe (1906--1932) and I were getting ready to go to work in the iron ore mines. Our sister, Gladys (1908--1932) was married to William Flight. They lived at Flat rock, across the bay. They had two young children, girls--Lucilla and Rosella. Your older brother, Joe, and his wife, Freda Sprackling--expecting their first child--lived with us. Their daughter, Betty, was born not long after you. Ern (1920--1978) was ten at the time. You were number seven, and an uncle even before you were born. Nancy, was born in 1932." She and I are the last of the family.
http://www.bellisland.net.
Views: 60
Tags: 1932, 1947, 1955, community, currencies, cyberclass.net, holism, hypnosis, pneumatology
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Comment by Kernel John on January 30, 2010 at 10:48pm -
Lindsay, thank you so much for this imprint. RG is, I'm sure, flattered by your gesture. We have talked on the telephone - as you may recall. We have a few things in common.
Not only are we both in the same 905 area code, I too was brought up in the United Church of Canada. As a young boy, I remember my father working with others in the community to bring the United Church to Roxboro Quebec. Coincidentally, its first minister was the one whom you left Newfoundland to begin you more worldly ministry - Cyril Gough. My parents were as liberating as the United Church itself and as a young boy they informed me I was no longer obliged to join them each Sunday. This was the early 60's - to be sure, I took full advantage of their offer only later realizing they had duped me into finding out where I then wanted to go next.
This release was what allowed me to realize I was a Christian because my parents were and that it was possible to now explore a world comprised of many shades and complexions. Eventually, I was given the opportunity to travel in my youth. As a result, I changed. My perspective was altered. I returned to school and became engaged in a process of community service - more.
I was so fortunate to know the United Church of Canada and meet people just like you Lindsay. We are now speaking in an international forum and many may not know you were a true revolutionary in your time so I have placed a brief video clip that will quickly reveal you were far ahead of your time. .
I congratulate you my friend for what I see to be your courage to associate with a movement of people who definitely were ahead of their time. To give you the label of revolutionary would give some perspective to what we are experiencing now. My hat is off my dear dear sir. This was the quiet revolution - MORE.
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Comment by david thurman on February 23, 2010 at 9:05pm -
Rev. If more people were like you, well the world would be a different place. Outstanding life one that is have been well lived and meaningful. Keep it going you only have about 30 more years or so...:D
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Comment by RevLindsay G King on February 24, 2010 at 11:36am -
Kernel and David, thanks for your much appreciated comments. What a contrast to the kind I have been getting since last August.
Since last August, I decided to try and have what I hoped would be rational dialogue with Agnostics and Atheists . It has been an interesting, but not an easy experience. I began with the thread: http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=857&nav=messages&a...
Many A/A's--a few are polite--love "dogpiling on fundy dopes". Not knowing what to do with a non-fundy unitheist--one who sees GOD and the total universe as one and the same--the adjectives became purple, indeed. Thank GOD there is an ignore button.
BTW, I took this initiative because I wanted to hear what A/A's, living in their own virtual space, have to say, their thoughts and feeling about religion, spirituality and the like.
FYI: http://www.about.com/ focusing on Agnosticism/Atheism
This is interesting:
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab... about the use of reductio ad Hitlerum.
Yes, in the A/A forum I did mention RG. Without mentioning your connection with me, it would be interestesting if others from RG made a post or two in the A/A forum, told them about RG. And see what kind of a response you would get.
A moderator, atheist, J. Dean (PadawanHOST), female, seems to be fair and level-headed.
BTW, as of this Saturday, I will be in Treasure Island, Florida for three weeks.
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Comment by Roman Kozlowski on February 24, 2010 at 12:12pm -
Hi Rev, how do you get on with your Muslim grandaughters? What books have you written?
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Comment by RevLindsay G King on February 24, 2010 at 1:30pm
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RK, you ask about my Muslim relatives? I also have a grandson--a good athlete and very bright. They are better "Christians" than most Christians! LOL!!! The Muslim grandmother thinks more like a Zoroastrian. The grandfather, now deceased, was a great person. Before the Islamic revolution, he was a member of the Shah's government, as civil servant.
My books are all down in the form of hand-written sermons I have done since 1953, and have in files---and in the stuff I have written on line since 1997. I am medipraying that an editor-type will come along and help me organize this material and put them in the form of a book or two. I am more of a speaker than a writer.
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Comment by Roman Kozlowski on February 24, 2010 at 2:04pm
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Post up some of your work on RG, I'm sure it will be appreciated here.
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Comment by RevLindsay G King on February 24, 2010 at 8:40pm
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HIGH ADVENTURE IN THE MIDDLE NORTH
--a true story
Happy Valley-Goose bay, Labrador, is in the middle north. I call it the middle north because much of it is south of the tree-line. Here are several maps of the area of Newfoundland&Labrador (NL), whiich is one province:
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/introduction.html
http://www.happyvalley-goosebay.com/aboutlab.htm
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/facts.html
Believe it or not, Labrador is over three times the area of the island of Newfoundland http://www.heritage.nf.ca/nfld_fullmap.html It is not just about fishing, mining, hydro-electric power and forestry, important as they are. There are also quite a number of farms in the area. Because of the long and warm summer days, especially in the Goose Bay area, with light until after nine PM, it is possible to grow lettuce, potatoes, turnips, cabbage and the like, as good as, or even better than, that grown in many places far to the south. Another plus is the soft and sandy and fertile soil. For details check out.
http://www.nr.gov.nl.ca/agric/about/
http://www.happyvalley-goosebay.com/comprof.htm
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/labrador_fullmap.html
http://www.mun.ca/geog/lhrg/Tree-line_ecology_and_change.php
1953-1954
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Jean, class of 1950--we met when were were both students at Mount Allison University--was a trained teacher. She and I (class of 1951) were appointed, by the United Church authorities (St. John's, NL) to be the first resident ministers. Because we have always been a team act, I include her. We were there in 1953-1954, and, sorry to say, we have not been back since. If we can arrange it, we plan to remedy this the coming summer, 2008
By the way, in 2003, I received a letter from the people who are now the leaders of the church in Happy Valley-Goosebay, inviting us back to join them in celebrating the 50th anniversary, which was planned for 2004. For a variety of reasons, we could not make it.
However, later, by phone and e-mail, we did get in touch with a former minister who is lives there in retirement. As I recall, he raised his family there; some of them even work there, and, would you believe, in his retirement he owns and operates an organic farm.
MINISTRY IS MORE, MUCH MORE THAN JUST PREACHING
================================================
After my ordination to the Christian ministry, in June of 1953, I soon discovered that doing any kind of spiritual-based ministry is not just about preaching--a valuable thing when done with sensitivity--it is also about teaching, community building and helping with the healing of the whole person, including the body, mind and spirit. It is also a career in which one can have a real, even high adventure, especially in places like Labrador.
================================================
STORMY WEATHER ON LAKE MELVILLE
=====00000=====
At its first incarnation, Happy Valley, had no official status as a settlement. It was simply a squatters' town made up of a few families living in shacks and tents, not far from the landing strip of the huge air base at Goose Bay, which the Canadians and American built during the early part of WW 2. The base was built because there was a real fear of invasion by the powerful German forces stationed in Greenland.
This second incarnation of Happy Valley came about when the base authorities decided to move the squatters several miles from the base to an area on the north bank of the Hamilton River, not far from a settlement of native Inuit who lived on an island just off that north bank.
The road from the base to the new Happy Valley was a long, winding and dusty road. I was told that, because the land was very sandy and relatively level, the road could have been a straight one. But it was a winding road because the operator of the bulldozer got lost. is for another time. Keep in mind that the people of "Happy Valley"--now called Happy Valley-Goosebay--because their labour was much in demand, were welcome to stay in the area, but not too close to the base. Originally, they had come from the coastal communities of Labrador & the island of Newfoundland to find work on the base.
Today (2009), HVGB is about 9,000 people. Jean and I helped form the first council--I was the chair of it and the local school committee--which later morphed into a municipal council. So I guess you can say: I was the first mayor--with the help of my mayoress--of the newly-organized squatters' town.
VISIT TO NORTH WEST RIVER (NWR)
http://www.townofnwr.ca/home/4
http://www.townofnwr.ca/home/5
One evening, Bob Davis--a member and leader in our local congregation--came to visit me and my wife. He was the salt-of-the-earth type--the kind I would trust with my life. He was, when called on, the captain of our UC Labrador Mission boat, the Glad Tiding III (GT III), which was usually kept in North West River, about 25 miles, 33 KM's, to the east of us.
Bob told me: "As you know, the GT III, is owned by UC Mission to Labrador. It is for the use of the Rev. Lester Burry, who lives at NWR. He is the one and only UC minister, until you arrived arrived, in the whole of Labrador. In winter, he used to use dogs. Now he has a snowmobile, which, as you remember, he used when he came to visit here last winter. He is away for a few days and he has left the boat in my care. It is tied up, just behind the manse, here. He told me to take you and Mrs. King to visit the church and the medical Mission at NWR."
Then he asked: "Would you like to go and visit the Mission, tomorrow? NWR is on the north side of Lake Melville, of which we are a part of the inlet to the Hamilton River. Lake Melville is quite an ocean-like and deep lake.
"I don't mean to scare you, but in bad weather, the lake waters can be dangerous. Many souls have gone to heaven...or to the other place...via Lake Melville" he said with his usual quiet smile. "If you are interested, I would love to take you and Mrs. King with me, tomorrow. We'll leave early and make a day of it. It could be fun."
"If I am interested...? You gotta be joking. When do we leave, and what do we need to take with us?
"By the way, Bob, relatives on both sides of my family (the Kings and the Kelloways) earned their living on the Labrador going back to the Liveyer days. My Father was here when he was 11 (1891) as a cabin boy on a schooner. He was also a goat-boy, I'll tell you the story of the captain's wife's goat, sometime, a sad but also amusing story...Later. I remember my father telling me that he was actually treated by Dr. Grenfell once. He burned his feet when, by accident, he jumped down the galley stairs into a pot full of piping-hot brewis, on the floor of the galley. It had just been taken off the galley stove. Was the cook ever mad at him."
Laughing and sounding like a hero out of a movie, he said, "We leave at dawn. There are enough life jackets on the boat. Just bring some food and wear warm clothes. The water can be cold, even on warm days. However, the weather looks good for the next day or so ... I hope it stays that way. See you in the morning."
"We'll be ready at dawn, and we will pack some food."
"By the way", I asked, "In case we have to stay overnight, what will we do with Holy?"
Holy--an appropriate name for the minister's cat, don't you think?--was the name we gave to our one-year old and beautiful cat. He had long black hair, and a white face. No, he did not look like this:
http://humor.about.com/b/2006/06/14/hitler-cats.htm
And certainly not like this:
http://www.funnycatpix.com/_pics/white_ninja_cat.jpg
He was more like this
http://www.greatdreams.com/Sylvester.JPG
However, he did not have a red nose, he had an interesting but not an angry face, and the white of his face spread down and across his chest and looked like a holy cross. Now you know where he got his name.
THE GRENFELL MISSION NURSING STATION
====================================
Fortunately, we lived next door to the Grenfell Mission Nursing Station. Two nurses, both very friendly people, lived there and looked after all kind medical problems. They also did the midwifery. Nurse Watson was a Brit, and Nurse Rhodes was all the way from Australia. Both loved animals, including our cat, Holy, and he loved them.
BARTER WORKS
==============
The Mission was the only place in HV with electricity, which was generated by a four horsepower diesel motor. In return for my operating the diesel motor, we got much-welcomed power for a few lights and a radio. By the way, There was no power starter. I had to crank the motor by hand. This was no fun when, in the deep winter, it was often 30 below zero, F. And keep in mind: In those days quite a few young families were having babies, who sometimes choose to come into this world in the dark hours of the early morning. And guess who was called on to light their way: Every now and then I heard a Rap! Rap! Rap! on my bedroom window. Then came the usually pleasant voice of one of the nurses: "Rev. King, there is another one on the way. As the Bible says, "let there be light." And there was light.
When I told them about my trip to NWR and that I had arranged for someone to start the motor when needed, I got the response I expected "Don't worry. Holy is a beautiful cat. We will take good care of him."
ABOUT THE GRENFELL MISSION
============================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Mission
http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/panl/exhibits/intro.asp
The trip east to North West River was a warm and pleasant one, to say the least. The sky was clear, blue and beautiful. There were just a few clouds, and the lake seemed more like we were travelling on a great deep blue ocean than on a lake.
We had a wonderful day, at North West River. We met all kinds of people connected with church and the famous Grenfell Mission . We saw the area when it had not changed all that much from what it was like in the 1930's. We visited the home of Dr. Anthony Paddon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Anthony_Paddon
We also learned a lot about the history of the area
long before it was like it is today--the day of the personal computer (PC) and the inter-net.
http://www.townofnwr.ca/home/2
http://www.townofnwr.ca/home/4
http://www.townofnwr.ca/home/9
http://www.townofnwr.ca/home/11
http://www.achart.ca/publications/trappers.htm#bottom
We visited the the NWR manse, where the Rev. Lester Burry-- the missionary responsible for my being appointed the to Happy Valley--lived. At the time, he was travelling elsewhere, with a friend.
ABOUT LESTER BURRY
===================
http://friendsofsafeharbour.org/revlesterburry.htm
The story of The Rev. Burry was written by a cousin of mine, The Dr. Hector Swain.
BTW, THE FOLLOWING SURE EXPLAINS WHY IT WAS CALLED SAFE HARBOUR
http://friendsofsafeharbour.org/families.htm#map
TIME TO GO
==========
Then I heard Captain Bob say: "It looks like there has been a change in the weather. I think we need to leave as soon as possible. "
"You're the captain, Bob" I said. "Just say when..."
STRONG WINDS
==============
During the early part of the trip back to Happy Valley there was much excitement as we saw numerous birds and lake seals--beautiful. They were ahead, to the left and to the right. Like circus seals--or were they clowns?--these magnificent animals did their best to entertain us. And, for a time, they did. Most enjoyable.
STRONGER WINDS
================
But then, as I recall, at this point serious trouble began to develop. At the time, I think we were in the middle of the lake, about half way to Happy Valley, it looked as if the leaden sky was getting ready to drop on us. The winds began to pick up. Soon, they started to blow to blow at near-hurricane force. The Glad Tidings, with it bottle-shaped hull, tossed this way and that way, like the bottle it was. Soon the waves looked larger than the boat.
SHOULD I BE WORRIED?
====================
At this point I said to Captain Bob: "Captain, in 1951, I crossed the North Atlantic in weather not unlike this--I was an officer in training at the time, on a Canadian naval frigate, the Swansea. With the help of our ship and our good captain, we made then. What are we to think now?"
"Look at me..." he said, with a gentle smile. When you see me with a frown on my face, it is time for you to have one too."
Suddenly, there was a thud-like sound.
"What is that?" I asked.
"Look back" he said, "Our tow boat..."
I looked. Here is what I saw: Our tow boat was adrift. There, it tossed like a cork in the violent storm.
I asked: "What happens next? Do we just let the tow boat go and meet its fate?"
"Without our tow boat, you will see a deep frown develop on my face." Captain Bob said. "We must retrieve it, or else. Keep in mind: It is designed to be be unsinkable; to float like a raft. In case the Glad Tidings goes down, it is our life jacket. Any more questions? he asked."
When I asked, "How...?" here is what he said, in his usually quiet way:
JEAN AT THE WHEEL IN THE STORM
==============================
"Mrs. King--his way of offering respect--you take the wheel. Watch my signals, and keep turning the boat around and around. in circles. until we get near enough to the tow boat for me to jump in it. Then I will bail out the water which has accumulated. Watch for my signals."
"Bob! what do you want me to do?"
He said: "This is crucial. I want you to stand by the gunwales, with the boat hook. When we are close enough together, use the boat hook to grab either a rope I will throw, or the boat itself, whatever.... Then I will come back here and we will continue on our way."
With Jean's steering skills--learned on the spot--we got close enough to the tow boat for Captain Bob to make a daring leap into it, as it tossed like a bull at a rodeo. Anxious time passed as we watched him. Frantically, he bailed and bailed. Eventually, he emptied the tow boat of its excessive water. Then he gave us the signal to come close, and get him. We did.
This process happened, twice, before we finally reached a sheltered area, near Happy Valley.
NOW THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL
=========================
At this point, as the sun was beginning to set, the motor of the Glad Tidings III simply gave up the ghost. Exhausted, it refused to start. However, with the use of the poles and a sculling paddle, often used for pushing boats in shallow water, we were close enough to make it home. And we did. Otherwise, I would not be here to tell the story.
Bob's final comment was: "Rev. did you and the Mrs. say any prayers?" I smiled and nodded, yes. "But not in the pleading-sort of way."
By the way, Bob was quite a reader. We had several talks about not taking the Bible and theology, literally. He introduced me to astronomy and loaned me his copy of the book, The Nature of the Universe, by Fred Hoyle--sceptic of the Bible and fundamentalist religions.
Then he added, "When we lost the boat for the second time and I developed the feeling that the motor was getting a little tired, I am glad I was too far from you for you to see the frown on my face. By the way, I was singing, 'Throw out the life line...throw out the life line, someone is sinking today... and I hope it is not us, at least not today."
Incidentally, after we had moored the Glad Tidings--in the same place we had left from earlier in the day--and were walking towards the manse about one hundred yards from the shore, I felt a dull pain in my left shin. Then I noticed blood trickling down and over my boot. When I pulled up my pant leg, I noticed a deep hole in the soft tissue just under my shinbone.
Apparently, during the storm the boat hook had done the job on my leg. Fortunately, because the hook missed my shinbone, the damage was minor. During the excitement of the storm I never felt a thing. In times of stress, nature does seem to take the edge of pain. Nurse Watson did an excellent job cleaning and fixing up my wound. It healed in no time.
"One inch more" she said, "and you could have had a nasty break in your shinbone. You are fortunate, indeed ... Oh, Holy is having a nap on my bed. He's been asking us when you'd be back. I'll get him for you" she said with her usual friendly laugh. Then she added: "You'll probably be able to have a good sleep tonight. I don't thing there are any babies on the way.
==============
The above is just one of our Labrador adventures.
[I might revise it a bit, okay? Tell me what you think of this story. Feel free to offer even critical comments, including editing.]
-
Comment by RevLindsay G King on June 20, 2010 at 8:01am
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In the following thread at WONDERCAFE.CA
http://www.wondercafe.ca/discussion/religion-and-faith/one-month-at...
I was asked about my reading habits.
Rev. LGK:
"I'm maybe not on topic, but I'm wondering if you read Science Fiction at all? Happy Genius has posted a thread on a story written by Isaac Asimov. I find his writing quite difficult but very interesting." [/quote]
I responded:
StarDust, I read the brief outline of the life of Asimov. With all that writing he did, did he have time to do anything else? Some proflific writers, like the late Pierre Berton, make use of researchers who help them dig out the material needed. BTW, I would be interested in knowing if he wrote anything about the nature and function of money?
Then I gave an outline of the type of reading required by those preparing for the United Church ministry:
My reading? in my student days and in the early part of my ministry, the bulk of my reading had to do with the courses I took. There were courses such as: A survey of English Literature, the Bible as literature, History of Fine Arts, and of Music. Of course there were courses on: philosophy, psychology, theology, Old and New Testaments, Comparative Religions, Hebrew and Greek, history, including church history. I was especially interested in the HISTORY OF IDEAS--and how we came to believe what we do believe.
Fiction? While at university--and following in church drama groups--I did enjoy reading and taking part in plays, including Shakespeare's, As You Like It. Would I be boasting if I said I actually got the opportunity to play Orlando, several times? Of course, in those days the CBC radio was famous for it radio dramas, and there were some great movies, including sci fies. But I saw no regular TV programs until I got to Montreal in 1958.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Looking back I now realize that Jean and I--she taught and I, praught? --played a small role in the history of Labrador. My first assignment, as a new ordinand (1953), was to establish a new UC pastoral charge at Happy Valley-Goosbay, NL (1953). HV was then a squatter's town (115 families). We formed a union church and a squatter's-town council made up of all the denominations (UC, Anglicans and Moravians) willing to be involved. The Pentecostals opted out. In 1961 HV-Goosebay became a municipality--50 years ago next year. Interesting story.
THE HISTORY OF IDEAS
Following this, because of a scholarship and thanks to the money Jean earned as a teacher, we had enough money to travel and I take advantage of the opportunity to study in Boston (where, btw, I have a lot of relatives--Kelloways and Kings). There, I did a masters, on my my favourite topic, History of Ideas, at Boston University (1954, 1955). Our professors were from Union Theological Seminary and from Harvard--just across the Charles River from our seminary--as well as from BU.
My exploration into the H of Ideas led me to explore more than just the rise and fall of rulers, towns, cities, nations and Empires. I studied the history of philosophy, the sciences, the arts and the religions. This also led me to take an interest in the history of the Bible, the Koran, the Vedas and other sacred texts.
It soon dawned on me that all the great philosophers and thinkers, especially the ones who wrote the Bible and the Koran, talked a lot about the use and abuse of power (the personal and collective kind) and wealth. They also talked about the impact that power and wealth, or the lack of it, had, and still has, on the lives of individuals and societies as a whole. This led me to take a deep interest in understanding how the political economy works.
On the same theme, beginning in the 1960's I began to do some serious reading and study of the history, nature and function of money. I also started to read about, what Thomas Carlisle called the "dismal science": economics. The word comes the Greek, oikos (house) & nomos (rules of) and is used in the New Testement. We translate it as stewardship--from sty (animal stys) plus ward (keepers of). For our ancestors animals, among other things, were money.
For now, I will conclude by saying that, IMO, we need to take a close look at, and question, the way we have done, and do economics; and, because we have not done a good job of distributing what Adam Smith called, The Wealth of Nations, justly, we ought to take a new look at the economy and find a better way of so doing.
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Comment by RevLindsay G King on September 11, 2010 at 9:14am
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Kernel, I am just getting around to thanking you for drawing my attention to the follow video. Just recently I found the right plug-in to play it.
ABOUT THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA--which came into being just five years before I was born. Long before Newfoundland confederated with Canada (in 1949) it was very much a part of my life when I was growing up in NL.
BTW, when I was a minister in Pointe Claire, Quebec (1958-1961) I knew Cyril Gough who you mentioned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afv75YrDT08
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Comment by Kernel John on September 26, 2010 at 10:32pm
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In these times especially, what a privilege to know a church that remains so true and to know those who served it so well. I wish to be but half.
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