You may have seen or heard about a cartoon in which two people are talking and one suggests he wants to ask God why God doesn't do anything about the suffering in the world. His friend inquires why he doesn't ask, and the man states that he is afraid God will reply by asking him the same question. Some people want to separate prayer and action as mutually exclusive options and activities. Others get ticked off when God is thanked only for what appear to be favorable events from the perspective of the praise givers or when God is seen as getting credit that belongs to people. But if, as major elements of various sacred traditions suggest, (objective) reality is sacred and evil is the consequence of choosing a selfish delusion over a generous reality, if we are a part of this sacred continuum, and if we are then the hands and feet of the Divine, such errors and objections on the parts of the religious and non-religious fall away. Real theology, or theology of the most value or substance, doesn't revolve around philosophy, logic, or how to name or describe God. It is a lived experience reflected in moments such as this...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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A faith not lived is no faith at all.
ReplyDeleteA prayer without like minded actions is hollow and without meaning.
Exactly. In the same way, I believe many so-called agnostics and atheists have a more substantial relationship with God than many who cry out publicly bragging to be God's favored children.
ReplyDeleteWell, if God is reality, seen in...infused in all that is, then I would think that some people from all walks of life, regardless of religious affiliation, would end up more in tune. Fundamentalism in all it's forms is stagnating and suffocating.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I look to examples from all time periods and cultures for clues and inspiration. You can only walk one path at time if you want to get somewhere, but that doesn't mean you can't look around or speak to others you meet at the intersections.
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