Warning: Written after reading about, and pondering, Trump’s draft on defining religious freedom. This post is blasphemous. It may offend you. Don’t read it. I just have to write it.
Sometimes I think the human species is like a fetus: full of potential. But, if the Life that holds it decides, it can be ended.
Like spoiled children we will fight to the death over our special knowing of God and His truth. We cannot conceive of a God bigger than our own religion, our own experience; it’s too scary. We have to be right, others have to be wrong. Complexity makes us uneasy, angry even.
We’ve grown in technology, our economy has spread across oceans, our science has discovered constellations and black holes….yet, we cling to our small notion of God. He couldn’t have blessed the Christian, the Buddhist, the Hindu, and of course not the Muslim, right? And the traditions of Native Indians? Well they were primitive, and in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We hold to the belief that there is only one path to God. And that path is, of course, through our particular Savior, Prophet, Enlightened One. We can’t even consider that God might delight in being discovered in a temple, in an ashram, a cathedral, a mosque or even just in silence. We can’t consider the possibility that He can send His Son with no intention of setting Him up in competition with Buddha. We forget that all of life, all over the globe is His creation. Our God is small….
We’re not content to live our beliefs. We must convince others they are wrong. And if they don’t agree, force them…through law, through domination. When religion marries government, it can only go off. A sign the fruits of our beliefs are so weak, living them is not enough. God’s justice is not enough. We must intervene.
Abortion is the hot button. Murder! Yet we manage to put it in a different category than all the other life/death choices made. Choices made according to the criteria we’ve determined are right: collateral damage happens; who gets the kidney; when profit is more important then clean water/air. We have fought righteous wars over sugar, land, oil. We argue over whether should there be a death penalty. We eat meat because we can (we’ve dominion over them). God evidently set it up so we’d have to make choices, deal with gray areas. We don’t like it.
I think it’s why we focus so determinedly on abortion. Here we can be self righteous in our interpretation of “Thou shalt not kill.” It’s emotional – a baby after all (or a potential baby). In it’s defense, we can put aside the times when we’ve made trade-offs about which life matters most. In a world that is complex and messy, maybe we need to grab onto something that doesn’t immediately affect us. It’s a relief to focus on someone else’s womb, someone else’s choice.
I realize the irony of this post, pushing my beliefs in the name of Truth, as others do theirs. People I respect, who are sincere in their beliefs. People who don’t believe we can coexist: that someone has to win, one religion and it’s laws dominate. I hope they are wrong.
In the meantime, be true to yourself. I know I will.
Thanks, Barbara. I rely on you and my other friends to speak sanely during this time of amazing political activities.
I’m grateful that I have horses to pay attention to.
Barbara, there is a typo, 4th paragraph, I believe you meant to say belief, and you said believe?
What If We Are All Gods in Human Form?
I wonder if that is the “third way.”
Great post Barbara,
I am doing a sermon tomorrow on “Spiritual but not religious” and will incorporate some of this thinking
Thanks Peter. Let me know how it goes.
God radiates from you as you. God is love. I am. U R.
BE present and notice when you are not present. BE what you want to see. As always, be true to yourself no matter what. It is ironic how darkness can be penetrated so easily by light. We are in need of much penetration as a human race!
Thanks Lee Ann.
Sometimes I think the role of one soul is to provoke the truth out of another soul. In this case with Trump, I expect there will be much provoking.
Agree.
Thanks Barbara, for sharing this – heart-felt, and thinking deeply. We need more of this!
Thanks Kathleen.
I now longer value the concept of organized religion as it always comes down to them and us, power and control , ego-based concepts of right and wrong/ more and less/ war-based language that robs the soul of light and inner peace.
In fact, I believe the animals have it over us as far as being spiritually connected, present, accepting what is without resistance/judgement. I have quit going inside a church building to to connect with God and all that is. I sit in the sun with my two loving basset hounds, look back into their, listen to the birds sing and tell them all the last IDIOTIC words Rump spoke. They don’t mind. They don’t care. They are ok. I am OK.
I call the new commander, President Rump. Its i typo.
In my post I left out “eyes” after look back into their … It is another typo. I don’t care.
The point I am trying to make is that this simplistic thinking which is being demonstrated is like a challenge to the conscious ones to rise up and shine and transpose, transform, hold the space for the “more of reality” which is all around us all the time. The main thing is to hold the space for love within and radiate love out there. Pure love casts out all fear. As we consciously intend to be present in each moment, both within our own souls and connected to all the others, the more able (Able) we will be and the more able the others (Cain’ts) will become to be that. We are unfolding slowly and chaotically now in the face of much old style thinking and “corporate confusion”. I am working with my own practice of staying present, generating good will for my own self and others/ if there really is my own self. I am getting better and better at realizing when I am present and when I am not.
Then, my only choice is to get present again and be at peace. It is constant effort which is clearly worth it. I cannot create if I am not present and at peace within and without.
The thing I love about you the most right now is that you are willing to express yourself no matter what. I love that. It is so liberating and so freeing. You hold the space open, B.
“The main thing is to hold the space for love within and radiate love out there. Pure love casts out all fear. ” This is the blessing of this time. No matter what, I think we are all being challenged to go inside to that part of us that is connected to our Source (by whatever name one calls it). Hugs!