The Lost Spiritual World: Mark - Ruth Rimm

[Guest guest]

Book Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

 

The Lost Spiritual World: Mark

Ruth Rimm

The Global Renaissance Society 02/07 Hardcover $33.95

ISBN: 0974575062

 

This unusual book presents the Jesus Seminar's 1992 Scholars Version

of the Gospel of Mark, a midrash that includes a celebration of all

the wisdom traditions, an innovative text with bold and colorful

designs, and a pathway to spiritual enlightenment that is in sync

with our scientific, postmodern world. The imaginative person behind

this daring interfaith work is Ruth Rimm, a young woman who by day

teaches at an inner city school in the Bronx and by night is hard at

work on further volumes in the Lost Spiritual World, all designed " to

foster an environment of peace, love, empathy, forgiveness,

tolerance, pluralism, inclusivity and reconciliation through

beautiful artwork, inspiring commentary and fresh translations of the

Scriptures of our great wisdom traditions. "

 

We knew we were on the same wavelength with the author when she used

the metaphor of the spiritual journey as a scuba diver since one of

our favorite quotations from Ramakrishna is " Dive deeper. " Then we

nodded our heads when she quoted Thich Nhat Hanh: " We human beings

can be nourished by the best values of many traditions. " Rimm

interweaves these quotations and others in and around the Gospel of

Mark where Jesus evokes ecstasy and wonder in others, demonstrates

the healing power of touch, sleeps at sea on a boat tossed by waves,

acknowledges an important place for women in his life, tolerates the

intolerant, practices loves and humility, and demonstrates a close

connection and communion with God.

 

Rimm points out the many constrictions of a judgmental, literalistic,

dogmatic, and harsh religion that is down on the world, science, and

sex. She discovers good in all religions and refuses to accept one as

superior to all the others. No wonder Rimm can commend the writer

Raimon Panikker who had a Catholic mother, a Hindu father, and who

studied first in America and then in India. He says: " I left as a

Christian, found myself a Hindu, and returned as a Buddhist, without

having ceased to be a Christian. " That is a fine and commendable

example of a new global spirituality that is at the heart and soul of

The Lost Spiritual World: Mark.

 

The Lost Spiritual World: Mark

Ruth Rimm