My dogma ran over my catma
I've been thinking about religion and my religious/spiritual beliefs lately. I guess it's understandable that I've been thinking about it, with the death of Sandy's granny, and what looks to be the start of the first "Holy Crusades" in almost a thousand years.

I was really annoyed with the Southern Baptist Minister who spoke at the services last Wednesday. How dare he pontificate about who would be saved, and who wouldn't, at a funeral! Who the hell was he to decide who is worthy in God's eyes of salvation????

I'm still steamed about it, which is why I'm taking some time to think about my religious beliefs and put them down in writing. Maybe, hopefully, someone else out there can find comfort through my approach to religion.

Although I consider myself a Christian, that is to say I believe that the creator gave up his (or her, if you believe Alanis Morrisette) son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice so that all mankind will be saved, I do not believe that any one particular denomination of Christianity is "the only true way."

At first glance, because I consider myself a Christian, it might appear that my beliefs follow along the path of the Unitarian Universalists, and indeed Sandy and I were married by a UUA minister, I don't really consider myself Unitarian. Instead, my belief follows more along the lines of the Bahá'í faith.

Essentially the way it works is this. I don't feel that there is any one "true" way to reach God, but that it's more important to live a life where you're respectful of all others around you; people from the Indian sub-continent would call this belief ahimsa, or cruelty-free living of compassion and unconditional love. It's my belief that all peaceful "religions" of the world that show tolerance, compassion, and consideration for others are truely blessed and are equally valid in the eyes of our creator. This includes all religions, even "non-religions" such as atheism and agnosticism, as long as the individual is kind and caring to those around them.

To explain my belief, envision all of the faiths of the world as the spokes of a wheel. God is at the center of the wheel, and each spoke represents a different path that a person may take to reach that center. In order to truly follow a spoke towards the center, a person would have to practice a life of ahimsa. It really doesn't matter which spoke(religion) you follow, just that you follow one of them. The spoke itself may be nothing more than living a good, caring, life while not expressing any particular devotion of faith; that would be fine, it's the living of a good life that is what is truly important.

I believe there are many misguided people that feel they are doing Gods work, when in reality they aren't. These people may be Muslim, Christian, Jewish or any of a number of different religions. I believe that when someone is so blinded that they believe their faith is the only true way, then they're not on their spoke. I believe that when someone believes that their God does not tolerate good people of other faiths, then they're not on their spoke. I believe anyone who shouts at passer-by's that they're going to burn in hell or should that they're whores and harlots, then that person is not on their spoke.

I believe hypocrasy is contradictory to living a life of ahimsa. A minister who wears large flashy jewlry while preaching a life of piety and frugality to their congregation is not on their spoke. Yes, even Jim and Tammy Faye would not make it in my book.

Essentially, I believe that there is a creator, that we often refer to as God. I believe that our God is really a caring God, and he loves all of his children; even the misguided souls. I do not believe that our God is spiteful, hateful, or cruel. I do not believe that our God would want good people, who live a kind, generous life, to suffer simply because they chose another religious path to follow. I do not believe that there is only "one true way."

Posted at: 02:42 on 02/04/2003   [ /essays ] #