Inside Looking Out or Outside Looking In?: Part 1-Where do I Belong?

1 Corinthians 10:14-22 (NIV)

¹⁴Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

¹⁸Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? ¹⁹Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. ²²Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

In What Do Christians Believe, author Malcolm Guite states that there are three core elements of being a Christian: belonging, believing, and behaving. Belonging in Christianity is being a part of a faith community while also not belonging entirely to this world. This community united by one body with Christ as the head is shaped by the other two elements of believing and behaving.

Tristan Pentecostes.jpg [Luis Tristán (Toledo, 1585 - 1624), Pentecostes. Museum of Fine Arts, Bucarest, Romania.]

---

I was born and raised in the SDA church up until my Junior year at Georgia-Cumberland Academy when the seedlings of doubt were planted and I began to question what it meant to be a Christian. I had (and still have) no quarrel or dispute with the church itself but this goldfish began yearning for a bigger tank. Of course any serious questioning whatsoever is frowned upon in the mainstream denominations and the SDA church was no exception. Breaking from the core beliefs in Christianity was incredibly painful on both emotional and social levels. Even though I consider myself a Christian I feel like a Christian in exile, on the outside looking in. Not because of my behavior but because of my change in beliefs. I don't believe that Jesus was exclusively God incarnate but that he resembled the spirit of the Divine, love incarnate. History can only tell us so much about Jesus but I do believe that he did exist and that he was fully man. Even bad behavior is still acceptable to a point as long as you believe. Once you cross that line of right belief there is no turning back.

There are many reason why I reject the trinitarianism view which I won't go into now, but I will say that I find it too limiting and awefully confusing. As a Christian who dared to look outside of the established borders I am now automatically associated with unsaved outsiders looking in. I was not literally exiled for my beliefs but any conversations with "real" Christians bring up that familiar "uh ohh, he's unsaved" look. For those who haven't received that look it's not the best feeling in the world espescially from family and friends. It makes you feel inferior, doomed, and worst of all, lonely. Like a puppy at an animal shelter people pity my situation. Some try to save me by bringing me back into the fold until I attempt to explain (I'm horrible at explaining my spiritual beliefs to other people) that I don't need saving which I'm sure I come across as an arrogant and ignorant soul who doesn't want to be saved. How can you save someone who seeks God on their own and is moving beyond the dualism of saved and lost?

So am I drinking from the Lord's and the Demon's cup? No, I believe that the cup of Love that I drink from is the Lord's cup. If Love is what binds Christians in one body with the Logos am I not considered one of them? My ego yearns for that feeling of acceptance found in a community to quell its loneliness. But I also feel that by seeking out the Source myself I may find a connection, harmony, and state of being that transcends the need to satisfy the ego. I believe that community is a big part of a person's spirituality, or at least for me and I lack that. I still attend church with my family but it is a large church and my wife and I feel a bit disconnected from the congregation. And the pastor's knowledge about my beliefs, or lack thereof, doesn't help much either. So where do I truly belong? It may not be with a particular faith system or it may be with multiple ones at a time. As long as my spirituality can grow I can be anywhere, or everywhere. Wherever I AM that is where I belong.

---

Inside Looking Out or Outside Looking In?: Part 1-Where do I Belong?
Inside Looking Out or Outside Looking In?: Part 2-What do I Believe?
Inside Looking Out or Outside Looking In?: Part 3-Why do I Behave?

Read all three back-to-back, here.

Evidence Vs. Evidence or The Battle of the Bags

Evidence. When it comes to anything religious everyone (including my dear mama) who tries to prove their views on religion against others has got a bag full of logical, historical, and scientific evidence (I've got my bag sitting next to me right now). These may either strengthen your own argument or used to pull the rug out from under your opponents. But does evidence lessen or increase the validity of the view your supporting? What happens then if the evidence is later disproved, do we come up with new evidence? Does it then render your beliefs outdated and worthless?

[Mesha stele (also called the Moabite stone) - a Transjordan stele (c.850 BC) describing the victories of Moabite king Mesha over the Kingdom of Israel. French scholar André Lemaire suggested that line 31 of the Stele bears the phrase "the house of David" (in Biblical Archaeology Review [May/June 1994], pp. 30–37)]

---

Prove it. Not only do these two words hint at a disbelief in our fellow man (why should we be quick to take each others words anyway?) but it shows that we're too lazy to look up the information itself. Prove it.

So we each take out our bags of evidence and duke it out, but the point is missed entirely. We can not prove that our views, statements and beliefs on God, religion, and spirituality ring truer based on evidence which may be disproved in the future. Saying that Islam is an evil religion is as false and misleading as saying that a book written and edited by man is inerrant and infallible. One may believe these things but these have no basis on facts. This is not to say that we can't find evidence to support certain claims within the battling communities. If we dig into the ground and we find that Nazareth did not exist during the life of Christ, as some claim based on "evidence", then we are left with two choices: either it did and we move on taking our shovels to go dig elsewhere, or it did not and we should reexamine what we know of Jesus and Nazareth (or Jesus the Nazarene). Science is man's tool which is used to study these tangible clues to our past. Our science is not 100% foolproof when handling and examining evidence which is why we have theories. Once we have refined our scientific methods a bit more and dig up more clues then we can make boldly say that the Earth does revolve around the Sun or, to stay on topic, that there were other Christianities that sprung up, but eventually died out, along with the proto-orthodox Christianity which won the battle. Losers don't get to write the history books.

This is where faith steps into the battle of the bags. It may not mean a thing to you that Nazareth may not have existed during the time of Christ or that we may have evolved from our Auntie Ida, but to many many people any evidence that contradicts their own bag of evidence is a definite problem. Why? Because evidence shapes how we view the Divine. Again I believe we are missing the point. If we base our faith on evidence we're always faced with the fear of that evidence crumbling from beneath our feet. Why stand on evidence to support your views/beliefs instead of standing on the principles that are at the heart of your beliefs? If your beliefs cause you to be a more compassionate, loving, and reasonable person, why muck it up with evidence like the Mesha stele? Sure it may be a reference to the house of David but it doesn't teach us anything about the historical David. Don't get me wrong, the Mesha stele is incredibly important that it seems to verify the existance of the Kingdom of David but it stops there. It doesn't prove that God exist nor anything else for that matter. Our bags of evidence may be worth their weight in some areas of study but it comes to a point where they become meaningless in others. What does the age of the Earth have to do with my faith in God? Either it's billions of years old or it isn't. What does the character of God as portrayed in the Old Testament have to do with MY love for my fellow man? God can be a loving, benevolent Deity, a bloodthirsty, childish God, non-existent or He may even be a flying spaghetti monster (everlasting praise to His Noodliness); regardless of his character I'm still going to continue loving my fellow man.

Any and all evidence, be they logical, historical, or scientific, in relation to religion should be considered, discussed, and debated so that we may continue to increase man's knowledge of our collective spirituality. But we can not explain away any evidence that disagrees with our personal views. We must face these challenging questions in an ever changing world, and if that means we need to reform our views on the Divine so that we may move forward I'm all for it. Polytheism had it's time in the sun before Monotheism came into town and, if we don't kill each other off in the process, might lead to an even greater spiritual movement.

Evidence, Shmevidence. Let's drop the gloves (and the bags) and find out the truth together.

Piece by Piece

For the last few weeks I've been working on a puzzle in my in-between time on a table set up in the garage, my private Idaho. This is the second puzzle I put together from start to finish that contains more than 100 pieces. So what's the point of putting together a puzzle? To challenge and remind ourselves that no matter how long it takes us to finish it each piece has a specific place in the overall picture. We can not force a piece to fit in a place where it does not belong but we must remember that ALL the pieces do belong. We just have to wait and the spot will reveal itself, piece by piece.

---

I'm not a puzzle fanatic (did I mention this is only my second puzzle I've ever put together?) but I love the theme of interconnectedness and unity of puzzles as a metaphor for my spirituality. The obvious place to begin a puzzle is to start with the borders, but a border would imply that our spirituality is limited in growth. Some people do put up internal borders which they do not dare cross (homosexuality, other faiths, etc), and this may be fine with them. As long as your comfortable with your spirituality and it truly makes you a better and happier person than go as you were. But for those who cannot stand living in a tiny goldfish bowl, we attempt to tear down these spiritual borders and come face to face with the vast expanse of infinite spiritual growth. I can barely grasp the image of the infinite let alone experience it as others have. What an experience that would be!

But we can not jump from A to C without going through B. A person's spirituality is all about growing, learning, and feeling our way bit by bit, piece by piece, through life's experiences. As we pick up new pieces we study it, learn from it, and implement it into our lives at the right time. I've mentioned before that I've recently began practicing meditating for a few minutes a day. I honestly thought I would feel something, anything, right away: calmer, quieter mind, less stressful, anything. I found out shortly thereafter that mediation is about being mindful of your present state of being, yes these benefits may come later but I must not lose heart just because I did not experience any immediate benefits. I am not ready for that piece yet so until then I will set it aside and continue practicing, continue growing.

My Religious Studies teacher, the inspiring Rabbi Rami, once said, "Too bad the puzzle doesn't come with a picture of the completed work on the box cover." So where do you begin with a puzzle that contains an infinite amount of pieces? At the time of that posting I used this analogy as a way to describe the interconnectedness of all religions but I did not perceive that spirituality can expand infinitely beyond religion. This is where we begin to understand that the deeper you go into your own puzzle the bigger it gets, "further up and further in." All pieces are important even though we may not yet know where they belong in the big picture. Returning to the question, you must first ask yourself what you want out of life. Meaning or purpose? Relationship with God? Peace and understanding with your fellow man? To Love and be loved? Whatever the answers may be, this is your spiritual journey which begins and ends (if it ends at the grave) with you.

When working on a puzzle it is far easier to put together the pieces that stand out and work your way towards the pieces that lack any distinctive traits. The same goes for your spirituality by cultivating that which enables you to grow spiritually: prayer, meditation, study, or simply being a part of a religious community. Once you grasp what you want from yourself and begin your own methods of cultivating your spirit, you can begin adding pieces to your God-sized puzzle. If your foundation, your core, is love for your fellow man you will find that all religions have teachings that express this in a vast diversity of ways. They are independent, though similar, voices that when put together sing the awe-inspiring beauty of our interconnectedness. At first, it is difficult putting together a puzzle, but as you continue to add pieces and step back you can begin to see the big picture spreading out in all directions. So, how far can your puzzle grow?

Symbol, Symbol, What's in a Symbol

As I perused around the Internet the other day for information on Jainism I stumbled upon this unholy demonic symbol. How can anyone dare to call this a religious symbol? Sacred? Holy? For those of us in the West, the Swastika is associated with pure evil and, except for Neo-Nazi groups, no one dares to walk down the street displaying this symbol without drawing an angry mob. But the stigma of this once culturally ubiquitous symbol is held by us Westerners only after its use in Hitler's Germany. What, or should I say who, gives meaning to a symbol? Is it possible for a symbol to hold multiple meanings, and if so how do we deal with that multiplicity?

[The Universal Jain Emblem adopted during the 2500th anniversary of the nirvana of Lord Mahavira]

---

Symbols have been an integral part of humanity's existence as a means to communicate a broad range of ideas. They can transmit ideas as simple as Stop, Danger! to as complex as E pluribus unum. Yet at the sight of some of our ubiquitous symbols, which have developed different and at times contrasting meanings, can touch the very foundation of our collective souls and stir up a wide range of emotions. Intentionally or not, we bestow these symbols with meaning and the "appropriate" emotion connected with the local interpretation. The burning of an American flag on American soil can stir up hatred towards the flag burners, whereas the burning of an American flag on foreign soil can stir up hatred towards the people (or concept) the flag represents. What I mean by appropriate emotion is just that, the appropriate emotion that is found to be acceptable by the local populace. Mores.

The Universal Jain Emblem is an example where any average Joe from America could mistake this symbol as the banner for some sort of Muslim Nazi group. Why Muslim? Because many people unfamiliar with Eastern script (including myself) could mistake the writing as Islamic because of the widespread ignorance and fear of Islam here in the States. Click here and here for an interesting detailed breakdown of the Universal Jain Emblem.

Not all symbols have multiple meanings but imagine what we could learn from our global neighbors if we educated ourselves in those that do. We would find that the swastika itself is a sacred symbol to over a billion followers if the Eastern religions. In fact the swastika has a long history throughout the world and "by the early 20th century, it was widely used worldwide and was regarded as a symbol of good luck and success" (Wikipedia). Of course it went sour after that, but it seems that we've all but forgotten (at least in the West) what the symbol originally stood for.

We can't turn back the clock and erase the damage done to our collective soul and to the name of a holy symbol, and it may even be associated with Nazism until the end of time. My goal isn't to undo the past but to positively influence the future through encouraging mutual respect and understanding among all cultures, faiths, and nations. I believe it is possible to look past our own interpretation so that we may glimpse into how others interpret the symbols that surround us. By understanding the symbols our neighbors live by we might be that much closer to understanding our neighbors themselves. A Muslim doesn't have to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior to be able to appreciate the love shared that binds Christians together through the act of Christ's sacrifice anymore than either one having to accept, but at least appreciate, the awe-inspiring transcendent beauty of the Buddha's enlightenment. Listening leads to understanding which leads to compassion and mutual respect.

So will it hurt you to listen?

Thou Shalt Cover Thy Mouth

I love to surf the net and randomly select an aspect of a world religion so that I may introduce myself to the awe inspiring diversity of our spirituality. I would love to learn about other beliefs from the practitioners themselves but outside of a local mosque (which I have yet to visit) there isn't much of a religiously diverse community in my town unless I drive into Nashville. What a friend I have in Wikipedia!

[The hand with a wheel on the palm symbolizes the Jain Vow of Ahiṃsā. The word in the middle is "ahimsa". The wheel represents the dharmacakra which stands for the resolve to halt the cycle of reincarnation through relentless pursuit of truth and non-violence.]

---

Ahiṃsā (Sanskrit : अहिंसा, Prakrit : अहिंसा) means “non-violence”, “non-injury” or absence of desire to harm any life forms. Ahiṃsā is the fundamental principle of Jainism forming the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine. Vegetarianism and other non-violent practices and rituals of Jains flow from the principle of Ahiṃsā.

What does a religion look like with the principle of non-injury as its foundation? Well, take a look, but don't be too quick to judge. Although sweeping the ground as you walk and covering your mouth to avoid injuring even the tiniest lifeforms sounds a bit extreme (probably on the same level as wiping your bum with your left hand as some Muslims do in Islam) take note that the focus is to become mindful of the sacredness of all life. This is done because injury toward others is a behavior that injures and limits the soul's potential for attaining moksa, the liberation of the soul. Even words can lead to injury so at times it is wiser to stay silent.

What I admire about Ahiṃsā is that it is not done to please the Divine or because it's Divine commandment for humanity to follow but that it is done for 1) the general welfare of society and that 2) harming others harms your own soul. An internal drive to non-injury I believe is more beneficial to spiritual growth than following the commands of an external force. Jainism's approach to non-violence doesn't trump the Monotheistic faiths which asks their believers to internalize this behavior, but that the desire originates from within the soul. I believe the desire to avoid harming one another is essential regardless of where that desire originates.

Understanding the concept is one thing, internalizing it is another, and we're all guilty of failing to internalize this noble practice. But failure should not keep us from moving "further up and further in." Everyday brings us the opportunity to internalize Ahiṃsā by constantly testing us through interactions with our brothers. Without interaction how could we experience love? How can we call ourselves human if we can not face each other, let alone live as neighbors, as we harbor hiṃsā (violence) in the depths of our being? It may be that man is at its core violent in nature, but I pray that this is not the case. So until science cracks the nature vs. nurture question on violence this fallible creature will begin to cover his mouth.