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Sarah Masters reviews the film

Islamic Mysticism: The Sufi Way

Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam, and it is said that while a Muslim prays five times a day, the Sufi prays without ceasing.

This film captures the Sufi quest for deeper meaning in all things, and includes entrancing footage of Whirling Dervishes endlessly circling in search of God. The Sufis spin into altered states of consciousness as they shun what they consider to be the secularization of Islam. Islamic Mysticism: The Sufi Way was filmed close to three decades ago in unspoiled and magnificent Islamic architectural settings. The camera wanders from Morocco to Turkey to India.

Commentary from Professor Huston Smith, renowned scholar of world religions and author of A History of Man, enriches this in-depth look at a gentle religious people who follow a strict regimen of fasting, prayer and study. Sufis are little understood by the West and Chaplains will come away with a greater appreciation for distinct Islamic traditions.

Completed: 1979
Running Time: 30 Minutes
Director/Producer: Elda Hartley

If you are interested in purchasing this film, you can do so at www.hartleyfoundation.org. Just click on “Hartley Classics” on the homepage for more information. The cost of the film series is $19.95 for a VHS.

Book Review

Rabbi Dr. David J. Zucker and Rev. T. Patrick Bradley review

Jewish and Catholic Bioethics: An Ecumenical Dialogue

As this volume admits, today the “dominant orientation of bioethics has become secular, nonreligious, or even antireligious” (139). By contrast, this work addresses specific religious traditions, that of (Orthodox) Judaism and Roman Catholicism.

The four major sections to this book are: "Ethics and Philosophy," which is a review of the philosophical writings of Baruch Spinoza; "The Sanctity of Human Life;" "Suffering and the Sufferer;" and "Healing and the Healer." The book begins with an essay on "Issues in Biomedical Ethics: Comparison of Jewish and Christian Perspectives;" and concludes with a chapter, "Epilogue: Religion and Bioethical Discourse." The essays in this volume come out of a conference held in 1996.

Perhaps the most important point for readers, at least from the standpoint of Judaism is that “each of these authors underscores the fact that the Jewish perspective is a highly nuanced one” which has been described as a “form of pluralistic casuistry” so that there is no “strict hierarchical ordering of values that is universally applied” (xiii-xiv). That said, one of the limitations of this book is that it represents primarily (if not exclusively) an Orthodox Jewish view. As one of the authors, Ronald M. Greennotes in his chapter titled “Jewish Teaching on the Sanctity and Quality of Life”, he focuses on the “Orthodox tradition of Jewish religious law, halakhah” even though “most modern Jews do not regard themselves as bound by halakhic norms” (26). To his credit, he does recognize that there are alternative views, and he points in an endnote to the important essay by Louis I. Newman, “Woodchoppers and Respirators: The Problem of Interpretation in Contemporary Jewish Ethics” in Eliot N. Dorff and Louis I. Newman, eds., Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality (New York: Oxford UP, 1995). He also quotes the liberal ethicist Mark Washofsky and his essay on “Abortion and the Halakhic Conversation: A Liberal Perspective” in Walter Jacobs and Moshe Zemer, eds., The Fetus and Fertility in Jewish Law: Essays and Responses (Pittsburgh and Tel Aviv: Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakha, 1995).

Certainly it is correct that, as another essayist, Shimon Glick points out in his chapter “The Jewish Approach to Living and Dying,” Jewish ethicists do “ultimately fall back on the classic Jewish sources, no matter how differently they are interpreted – and there is certainly room for various interpretations” (43).

The essayists present a diverse cross section of views on Catholic Bioethics. It is important to remember that the Magisterium (the foundational teachings of Roman Catholicism) does not pretend to pronounce on every detail of moral issues. It does not impose final decisions. The role of the Magisterium is to provide guidance to believers. The final judgment and application of this guidance is left to the faithful and their conscience.

As a hospital chaplain, reviewer T. Patrick Bradley finds this book largely to be esoteric, academic, and theoretical. Nonetheless, the essay by James Keenan does offer practical information for those who are included in end-of-life discussions with families. It points to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) publication, “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.” In that work, it notes that the guiding principle of patient autonomy requires “the surrogate must be ‘faithful to the patient’s intention.’” Further, it stresses that “the staff must consult the person who is in the position ‘to know best the patient’s wishes’” (92). [Note: though Keenan refers to an earlier version, a 2001 copy of this document is downloadable from the USCCB website, www.USCCB.org, (Church Documents, Bishops Statements, Ethical and Religious . . .)] These are critical points for those of who live in the world where bioethics is not just of hypothetical interest.

The book title suggests that this is a “dialogue” between people knowledgeable in Jewish and Catholic Bioethics. In reality, this volume is really two monologues, not a dialogue in the common understanding of that word. There is neither continuity between the essays, nor a common thread. Rather the editors provide a diversity of topics related in some way to bioethics. This said, as a theoretical introduction to the issues covered – Sanctity of Human Life; Suffering and the Sufferer; and Healing and Healer, the volume is a good contribution to the field.

Jewish and Catholic Bioethics: An Ecumenical Dialogue, Edmund D. Pellegrino and Alan I. Faden, eds., (Washington, DC: Georgetown UP, 1999), 154 pp., including Index.

The Rev. T. Patrick Bradley, MA, LAT [Licensed Addictions Therapist], BCC is the Director of Pastoral Care at United Medical Center in Cheyenne WY. An NACC Board Certified Chaplain, he is also a psychotherapist.

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