I am reading the Faith Club, a very interesting book my mom surprised me with about three women from the Abrahamic faiths having intense interfaith dialogues- confronting stereotypes, misconceptions and perceptions of each other. The Jewish woman in the book was expressing her frustration at a lack of being able to just let go and trust. To have faith and to just know that you believe what you believe, to really trust in the religion and the principles you were raised with.
She said something that resonated with me. We have faith in so many things in our daily lives, with no guarantee of a future, we just blindly trust in the people, or ‘the institution’ and that all will turn out like we want to believe. Why then, do I have so much trouble making the leap of faith with God? I have faith in marriage, that I will marry an amazing man and stay married. I have faith in the love, acceptance and growth of my family. I have faith in my belief of a higher power. I have faith in the ideal of government, in meditation, in love itself, and in people. I have faith good will triumph over evil. So what is my problem with the God part of the equation?
I have issues with Jesus. I feel blasphemous for even saying it, for writing it, especially with how my parents have chosen to live their lives. They believe with every fiber of their being in the saving grace of Jesus. I don’t not believe that he existed, or that he was something amazing. But, frankly I don’t believe that he died and came back. I think that like so many things, people believe what makes them feel better. What they want to believe. The gospels, or at least many of them, were written long after Jesus’ death, with every intention of spreading the new religion of Christianity. If I was a disciple or follower of Christ, I would probably tweak the details a bit too, you know, to increase the awe and splendor of it. That, after all, is what draws so many people to God.: the inexplicable grace, wonder and acts that are beyond human.
I want to believe in Jesus. I want to feel validation for the spiritual/religious tenants I have been taught for the last 21 years of my life. I do believe in God. I believe that God, Allah, Adonai, and Krishna- that they are all one. God creates religions as a tool for his grace and beauty and purpose on earth. Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, and the future messiah for the Jewish people present unique outlets of faith for ultimately the same end. Not one religion will appeal to everyone. People need different paths, different outlets of expressing their faith. That is why I love celebrating parts of each religion. I am not cherry picking the very best of everything to create some super religion. I just believe that inherently, all these religions have the same core. That there is truth to all of them, and that performing acts of kindness, going to my church, praying in a mosque and celebrating Shabbat all will bring me closer to the God I feel exists.
I find myself closest to my spiritual ‘high’ when I am appreciating nature. It is in nature that I see divinity and something more than what I can physically see. It just has to exist. Of that much I am sure. My trip with Christ Fellowship this week gave me back a piece of faith I have been missing for a long time. I'm still figuring everything out...it was quite a lot to absorb.
Mohammed, Buddha and Hare Krishna aren't gods?
ReplyDeleteWell Mohammed was the Muslim's final prophet, Buddha is the key figure in Buddhism and Hare Krishna's (sorry for the previous typo) worship Krishna as the one supreme God. I happen to believe, though I realize many disagree, that the different religions and by de-facto, God's presented to the world are all different paths to the same end. In essence, the different God's all become the same entity- though called several names, we all pray to "the" God that something that exists in the universe.
ReplyDeleteI hope that answered your question
Im not disputing your beliefs about g-d or religion, I am just saying that allah is the islamic god, mohammed was just their profit...
ReplyDeleteAnd Buddhism doesn't believe in a god, and buddah is a term refering to an enlightened person, there is no one buddah, similar to rebbes in judiasm
Maybe what I wanted to say didn't come out quite right. When I said, "I believe that God, Jesus, Adonai, Mohammed, Buddha and Hare Krishna- that they are all one," I meant that the figures representing the religions (such as Jesus and Mohammed) as well as the God himself present the world different images for the same end.
ReplyDeleteI realize though what you mean, I grouped all the religious figures together into one category instead of dividing them into the gods and the figureheads of those religions. Thanks for pointing that out!