2010: Begin Again - The Gathering Part 2

The Gathering II

Introduction: The following is the second of a three-part blog that looks at the dangers fundamentalism poses to the Earth. On Sept. 12, 2010, I was speaking at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lethbridge. It was the day of our special 'Gathering of the Waters' ceremony. My talk and this blog plays off of the idea of human beings coming together is a similar fashion. I've divided it into three parts for an easier read and enhanced it with visuals not included in the talk. The final part will follow in the next few days. For your review: Part 1.

Warning: If you support fundamentalist religious or political beliefs, you may find parts of this series offensive. Sorry, but it's time we all opened our eyes and minds to what is happening around the Earth. These are merely my thoughts after living a life that has included membership in fundamentalist churches as well as becoming a secular humanist. If this isn't your cup of tea . . . don't drink it!

September is also the month that sees children back in school full-time. I don’t know about you, but the school playground could be the scene for a lot of animosity when I was a kid. I suspect it was the same everywhere and that likely little has changed since I was young.

Differences of opinion as to who was better would occasionally break down into the “my dad” debate. Maybe you remember it?

“My dad’s got a better car than your dad.”

“My dad’s job is better than your dad’s.”

“My dad’s richer than your dad.”

“My dad’s bigger than our dad.”

And the clincher . . .

“My dad can beat up your dad.”

Such silly, childish arguments should be relegated to our past. They should be. But they’re not. Substitute the word “god” for “dad” and see if the adult world makes any more sense.

“My God is better than your God.”

“My God is always right. Your God is wrong.”

“My God can beat up your God.” . . . and I’m going to prove it!

1 Corinthians 13:11; “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

Ladies and gentlemen, recess is over. It’s time to come in off the playground, put away childish things and do some growing.

I’m not saying people need to give up their spiritual beliefs.

But I think that for the future of this planet and for the generations that follow us, there needs to be a maturing of thought that allows for a fresh perspective and an open mind when it comes to religion and politics.

I believe a closed mind can easily fall back into an egocentric state; one in which people see their beliefs as correct and anyone with a different idea as being wrong. They see themselves in competition with others and since the ego is so vulnerable and sensitive they are compelled towards defensiveness and self-justification.

Their egocentrism manifests as an inability to see other people’s viewpoints. Lao Tzu, a philosopher in ancient China, summed it up nicely. “Without ropes they bind themselves.”

If the beliefs that serve as ropes only bound those so afflicted, perhaps it would be a tragedy only on a small, personal level. But it often seems that those so ensnared want to lasso the rest of society into sharing their same vision . . . or lack of vision as the case were.

We see that demonstrated today in the actions of religious fundamentalists of all stripes. Some seem intent on blowing up themselves and the rest of the world to bring all under the yoke of their concept of a Supreme Being. Others push to have their faith-based views serve as the basis for acceptable societal norms and to ascertain that the God of their holy scriptures is the only God.

To see this here in Lethbridge, just check out the letters to the editor in the Herald.

“My God is right; your God is wrong.”

The dangers inherent in such extremism are testimony to the wisdom of keeping church and state separate.

When a nation becomes a theocracy, the rights of minorities are often obliterated. You can see that today in some nations that are essentially Islamic theocracies. There are also those who’d like to push their nation along the path to a more fundamentalist Christian approach, especially in the U.S. Listen to them and you hear rhetoric that differs little from what’s coming out of Iran.

“My God can beat up your God . . . and I’m going to prove it.”

But the danger of extremism is already a part of the world of politics, isn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to wonder about politics as a way to foster positive change. Democracy is a beautiful concept, but the process seems to be grinding to a halt at provincial or state levels and higher.

Is the party system slipping away from the notion of governing with the best intent of the people in mind? Often it seems what’s best for the party governs decisions.

I hate being cynical, but sometimes I just can’t help it. Once a party is elected to form a government, the mandate no longer seems to focus as much on good governing as it does on keeping the party in power at all costs.

When such extremism comes in through the front door, rational debate is often pitched out the nearest window. Instead of intelligent argument and an exchange of ideas, you see political adversaries vilifying each other.

And you see religion dragged into politics and used as a weapon to bludgeon others for the sake of securing or retaining power, not for the good of a nation.

Next: Politics and religion. Religion and politics. When fundamentalists blend the two, the results can't be good. It's the final part of The Gathering.

2010: Begin Again - The Gathering Part 1

The Gathering

Introduction: The following is part 1 of a three-part blog that looks at the dangers fundamentalism poses to the Earth. On Sept. 12, 2010, I was speaking at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lethbridge. It was the day of our special 'Gathering of the Waters' ceremony. My talk and this blog plays off of the idea of human beings coming together is a similar fashion. I've divided it into three parts for an easier read and enhanced it with visuals not included in the talk. The next two parts will follow during the coming week.

Warning: If you support fundamentalist religious or political beliefs, you may find parts of this series offensive. Sorry, but it's time we all opened our eyes and minds to what is happening around the Earth. These are merely my thoughts after living a life that has included membership in fundamentalist churches as well as becoming a secular humanist. If this isn't your cup of tea . . . don't drink it!

The Gathering

Imagine if this is it. Imagine if this is the only oasis of life in the cold, black expanse of space.

Yes, yes I know there are plenty of stars in the night sky. Science tells us there are billions of stars in our own galaxy and billions of galaxies in our universe. And perhaps one day we’ll discover our universe is only one of billions in a multiverse.

Now that can make you feel a little insignificant, can’t it?

Carl Sagan, noted astronomer and perhaps best known as host of the old PBS series Cosmos, said “We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a hum-drum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.”

But what if this is it for life?

Currently, we have no proof of life existing anywhere else. Not sentient life. Not advanced life. Not even microorganisms. Many would say that, given the reality of the number of stars in the universe, we can’t be the only planet orbiting one in such a way as to have life develop and evolve on it.

But what if we are? What if we are unique in the universe?

You can forget that feeling of insignificance I mentioned a moment ago, because suddenly each one of us, indeed, every living thing on this plant becomes more precious than the rarest gem imaginable.

Earth, our home, becomes the treasure trove of all life. And our responsibility to look after this jewel escalates beyond all levels of comprehension. We become the caretakers of the one island of life in a celestial ocean that stretches beyond our ability to perceive or even conceive.

Wow! Wouldn’t that be a magnificently noble cause to which all of humanity could aspire? For eons our species has asked why are we here, searched for our purpose and this could be it. But we’re not anywhere near there yet, are we? In fact, I would say we’re a long way from being the caretakers this planet needs.

To save the Earth, we first need to save ourselves. To save ourselves, we first need to become more united. To become more united we need to grow beyond the tribalism we have embraced for thousands of years. And to do that we need to be willing to change.

Today I’m asking you to be open to the idea of change. Some people find that a real challenge.

I do not know every individual here well enough to know your personal beliefs, faith or spiritual preferences. And my intention is not to attack any particular group or tradition. I don’t want to offend, but I hope you won’t mind that I’m going to be a little bit rude from this point on.

You see, it’s often said that in polite company there are two things we do not discuss. And those would be . . . politics and religion.

Ladies and gentlemen, take a look around. Take a good, hard, honest look at the world. The time has come to stop being so polite! Our tribal societies keep us divided and much of our tribalism is dictated by politics and religion.

The Earth is our only home and if we cannot unite in it’s preservation, we will fall victim to our own tribal ideologies. At the time of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln noted: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” This is our house and if we cannot stand united, we will fall divided.

Nine years ago this month, we witnessed an extreme example of the effect of living in insular tribes. Do you remember where you were on on Sept. 11, 2001?

On that day, members of one tribe, guided by the ravings of someone with influence in their lives, turned four passenger jets into weapons of mass destruction, smashing into the twin towers of the world trade centre, the Pentagon and into a field in Pennsylvania.

Certainly, this is an exceptional case. It’s easy to point fingers at the perpetrators of these acts of terrorism, to despise them and to hold everyone who follows their faith to blame. But doing that means we need to turn a mirror on our own tribes and reflect on our history. Horrific atrocities have been committed to spread beliefs that many in our society hold dear.

No group can claim its hands are clean. We could wonder around like latter-day Lady Macbeth’s, wringing our hands and crying “Out, damned spot, out I say” in anguish over the blood shed for many pointless reasons.

Or we could take a different, more productive path. One of change.

Next: Part 2 of The Gathering looks at the need for humanity to grow up and leave our childish ways behind if we are to every become the caretakers of this planet Earth.

The Spirit Within

Spirituality has become an important part of my life in the last few years.

I don't mean religion. That's essentially a battery of man-made traditions couched in a veneer of institutionally dictated series of beliefs. It is a self-limiting pretense at understanding God usually based on an extremely narrow perspective.

Most organized religions keep God locked up in a box of their own creation. Then they play the "my God's better than yours" game that leads to anger, hostility and bitter resentment. Until we free God from our chains of limitation, I don't believe we can ever really understand the essence of God.

Recently I have had the opportunity to engage in some conversation about spirituality with someone who is pretty special. This person is intelligent, articulate and always makes me think. They indicated to me a degree of frustration with the whole concept of God, Christianity, the Bible and what it means to be spiritual. And I could sympathize. This person has a warm and caring heart and I believe wants to be connected to something bigger than self.

Don’t we all?

I believe that everyone is on a spiritual journey whether they accept it or not. Some people will agree and some will disagree. That doesn't matter. The truth is some of those who agree still aren't really doing anything about it.

My friend's frustrations address a real challenge in our society. Often any talk of the spiritual nature of life ends up tainted by societal concepts based on a culturally historic link to Judeo-Christian beliefs. When we have been surrounded all our lives by a traditional understanding of God as being the all-powerful spirit being of the Bible, our Holy Father in Heaven, a thing to be both feared and loved, breaking free from those thoughts can be difficult and leave us wondering, if not this picture of God, then what?

What indeed?

Suffice it to say we now live in a society shaped largely through beliefs fostered by a Bible that was essentially created by a group of bishops who decided what stories to include and what to leave out during a period of history in which political upheaval was a real possibility and a way to placate and control the people was desired. Does that sound like a reliable reference upon which to base a modern concept of God?

For those with a vision filtered through beliefs tied to such a system, of course it does. Those who can be open and live beyond the scope of ancient perceptions may start to see God outside the confines imposed by humanity.

I don’t believe there is a god, but I believe that God is all there is. By opening our minds and hearts to the fact that our limiting beliefs cannot contain God, we allow the reality of spirit to embrace us. We are not separate from God for God is not an individual being. God is found within us and we are within God. If you really want to see God, go look in the mirror. God lives through the creative energies that shape this universe and exist in every part of it, including us.

Faiths that claim a monopoly on God are shaped by a limited vision that adheres to concepts forged on anvils of ignorance. The challenge that arises for some of us comes when we think beyond that box in which many organized religions would keep us contained.

Jesus is quoted as saying ‘you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Coming to the realization that much of what is preached as the truth in most churches today is in reality concepts shaped by the minds of men and not Spirit can be a harsh awakening. Many who turn away from church end up turning away from the beauty of living a spiritual life because they associate God with religion. But God actually has very little to do with religion.

The truth can make you free if you can grasp the idea of God beyond the church.

Recently I came across a website that comes very close to what I have come to accept as my understanding of God. Check out www.spiritualatheism.org. It references the idea of ‘Spiritual Atheism.’ That would seem to be a combination of two contrary concepts. In reality, it makes perfect sense. As the website notes:

“Although Spiritual Atheists do not believe in a literal 'God'; they generally recognize 'God' as an important and powerful symbol of the inter-connectedness and one-ness of the Universe. They see that, individually, everything in the Universe is a part of 'God'; and, collectively, everything in the Universe is 'God'. And that there is only ONE 'God'.

"Even so, many Spiritual Atheists are extremely reluctant to make use of the word 'God', due to the extreme desecration it has suffered by common Theists and Atheists alike.”

For me, the truth is I can walk away from churches that place their perceptual limitations on God. I can start to find the peace that comes from accepting and understanding that the true spiritual journey does not have to follow one specific path. And I can reclaim the very word ‘God’ from those who desecrate the concept, whether they are theists or atheists.

To my friend and any others who may read this, you are a child of the universe. Do not let the limitations others impose on God keep you from the spirit you feel within.

Peace, love and light.