I have mentioned my disbelief of the Source of all life and creativity being defined, explained, and contained within any one single book nor even any one single tradition. This above all is too limiting, too narrow to be humanly possible and the theme of duality (in or out, with us or against us, Heaven or Hell, Saved or Lost, etc.) reeks of Divine injustice. For example, if we say that the Mennonites are "Right" then by default every single person on the planet is doomed for having the wrong belief. Those who are doomed because of their difference of culture can be saved by a Plan B: the unsaved being judged by the contents of their heart. But the Christian Plan B only works if you haven't denied Christ, which is a one way ticket to the Hellfire. I wonder if there is a Plan C for Atheist who've outright rejected Christ before ever hearing the Gospel because they thought too much and lacked the proper faith? Could God punish us for using too much Reason with the very brain that he created us with to use?
I used Christianity as my example because out of all the religions that I've read about Christianity seems to be the most tribal and unaccepting of other religious traditions. Without sounding hateful and negative towards Christianity (as a Christian myself), spreading the Gospel in hopes that the story itself will turn people to God is beautiful yet unrealistic. Yes, we should spread the Gospel but the rejection of it should not be equated with the rejection of what it symbolizes: Love for your fellow man. Some WILL reject the story but this does not mean that they are rejecting the principal of loving your fellow man which I believe is the heart of Christ message. Why do I mention love for your fellow man and fail to mention love for God? Because loving your fellow man is more practical than loving an invisible and mute God. What I mean by this is that we can do more good for the world by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and fighting acts of injustice than we can by worshiping God. This DOES NOT mean that God is unimportant and should be swept under the rug but service towards our fellow man IS an act of worship towards the Divine.
Is this not what the core of our world religions are pleading with us to do every single day? Be kind to your neighbor, do not lie, do not steal, be honest and patient with one another, etc, etc, etc. Yet it is our tribal nature that has us brutally defend that which defines and shapes our tribe: our beliefs, our traditions, our view of God. We are blind to the fact that our different paths to God are due to our vastly diverse and creative nature and not because there is only one solitary path to God. A tribe may find and shape a path, but God as infinity may be found within all paths, even if it's just a teaspoon of God's spirit. If there is to be any judging by an Almighty triune God, as I was raised with, how can we be judged by anything other than Plan B: the contents of our heart? If God is to be a Just God how can It judge us for wrong belief, wrong faith, misinformation, or even thinking too much? Or maybe we have it all backwards and God is not about justice, but about Love.
New Year. Final Post.
10 years ago
1 comment:
Excellent, excellent post! Well put, well thought out and of course, spot on!
Don R
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