The Pageless Book

Several different and competing views concerning the nature of the Divine seem irreconcilable. The dichotomy that I want to tackle in this article is of the intimate relationship with the Divine and the claim that the Divine is ultimately beyond human knowledge and understanding. How can we be intimate with something so vast and alien as God? The Divine is to our logical minds as a mainframe computer is to a dog’s mind. We simply cannot grasp its full measure.

At least, that is one way of seeing things. It also happens to be the way I’ve presented the Divine throughout my articles thus far. Will I continue to argue that God is unknowable? Of course, but the real question is, do I also believe that we can be intimate with something so far beyond our intellectual capabilities? Yes.

It may seem impossible to some, but I believe that we as humans are intimate with the strange and unknowable all the time. Stargazers are intimate with glimmering points of light in the night sky, and call them by name. Sailors feel intimate with the sea, and feel her call. Travelers, not content merely to read about other places, seek out these places for personal new experiences. It is the unknowable quality of these things that drive them to want a relationship with them. It is that unknowable quality that keeps the conversation going.

In Christianity, particularly Protestantism, followers are encouraged to have a personal relationship with Jesus. We have given Jesus Christ a personality, a voice, and a face; this is not an unknowable God, but a very intimate person with whom you can break bread and share wine. The Bible contains his words, with which you can learn more about whom he was, and what he was like. We make the Divine personal in this way, so to seem knowable. Isn’t that preferable to an unknown and distant God?

The problem is that this is a man-made image of God; Jesus Christ is the golden calf of Christianity. What you have isn’t a personal relationship with God, but instead you have a personal relationship with an idea of what God might be like. You think you know God, so you stop asking questions. It’s like falling in love with the idea of love. We are assuming that object of your affection is not merely an idea, but a real person despite how little you know of that person. How do you build a personal relationship with someone we don’t know? Through interaction.

How do we build a personal relationship with God? Interaction, of course. Just because you cannot know the nature of God does not mean you cannot commune with God. How can we interact or communicate with God? Through prayer and meditation, but even more important, through living your life fully aware of your circumstances and the consequences of your actions.

The Divine speaks though your life, in my experience. The Gated Emptiness pointed out to me you gain a deeper an understanding of the Divine with the more attention you pay to living your life in the best manner possible. Your relationships will be richer, your successes more fulfilling, and your failures will become new opportunities.

Try it yourself. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. Living perfectly may be impossible; by being more aware of the life you are living, you may learn to enjoy it more, regardless of any hardships. That is how you become intimate with the Divine.

Top Photo by Kenneth Freeman. Middle Photo by Gisela Giardino. Final Photo by Katie Tegtmeyer. Originally Posted October 22nd, 2007

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written by John \\ tags: God, Inspiration, Life, Meditation, Prayer, Reason

Photo Above by Richard Rutter. Photo Below by Lee Chisholm.

The Master doesn’t talk, he acts. When his work is done, the people say, “Amazing, we did it all by ourselves!” - Tao Te Ching, verse 17, Mitchell Translation.

At work, I’ve been trying to foster people-management skills within myself to further my career and in preparation to go into ministry. Too often I’ve heard that being a minister for a Unitarian Universalist Congregation is like herding cats, so I figured management-skills would be an important asset. What I’ve found interesting, though, is how much management philosophy has in common with my spiritual philosophy.

A great deal of emphasis is placed on achieving success through indirect means. For example, although managers have power and privilege above that of a normal employee, the point of those benefits is not to enjoy them for yourself, but to use them in accomplishing your job. The training material that I’ve read suggests using that power and privilege to reward employees and ensure they have the tools needed to succeed.

For those who’ve never been in a position of management before, it is quite a paradigm shift. Instead of doing something as a means to accomplishing an end, you are influencing people as a means to accomplish an end. Each manager is given the authority to make demands, force results, and discipline employees, but the power that a manager has isn’t derived from using his authority - rather it is from having the authority yet not using it that he is able to get things done. It is through mutual trust, respect, and communication that a manager achieves results.

What is perhaps even more interesting is how a manager finds job satisfaction in the achievement of others. They are like engine grease; it is their job to make sure all of the parts are running smoothly and aren’t causing friction. A manager knows he has done a good job when he is no longer needed to get the job done. It requires a sense of the larger picture - a manager needs to be able to see how all the parts of the business fit together.

How are these thinks like spirituality? The same panoramic understanding of business, when applied to life, helps us see our place in the grand scheme of things. We know that we are but a small part of a whole, greater than the sum of its parts. Power is not within money or fame, but in the trust and respect of others. People are the ultimate power source; they create authority. The trick is to understand that power and authority is most effective when given back to that source of power and authority. Using the trust people place within you against the better interests of those people results in diminished respect… diminished authority.

The lessons are clear - pay attention, respect and be respected, do good unto each other. Moral teaching of the great religions have found a home within effective management philosophy. Of course, that doesn’t mean that learning how to manage people is easy. Then again, neither is religion.

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written by John \\ tags: Career, Lessons, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Work

Photo Above by Mohamed Abdulla Shafeeg. Photo Below by Toni Lozano.

At the beginning of this week, I felt restless and discontent, but couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was bothering me. Although I am currently on vacation, I hadn’t been truly enjoying myself. What is it that was bothering me? For the life of me, I just couldn’t grasp it.

I discussed it over dinner with my wife, and she asked exactly what it was that I had planned to accomplish while I was off. My personal agenda included spending quality time with her, writing, hiking, and going down to the beach. Then she asked if there was something keeping me from doing those things. I explained that I just didn’t feel inspired to write and felt altogether disconnected. The problem was that I had not felt spiritually nurtured these past few days. Cathy then suggested that I write about the importance of daily spiritual nurturing - here I am doing exactly that.

You see, I’m not very good at taking the time for my spiritual pursuits. I go to church on Sundays, but sometimes that isn’t enough. Church is a social gathering place, and as such a few Sundays out of the year focus on that social aspect - last Sunday was just one of those Sundays. Couple that with my habit of staying up well past midnight, as well as not taking proper care of my anxiety, and Johnny-boy becomes a soulless twitching zombie. It’s important that I find the time to do *something* spiritual each day, and writing about spirituality is too cerebral to count.

Why is it so important that I do something spiritual each day? Because it provides clarity and inspiration. I love to create and my main outlet for creativity is writing. Without proper inspiration, my writing becomes noticeably flat. Spiritual practices allow my to step away from my fears and live a fuller life. As an introvert, I have a hard time connecting with others - but spirituality makes it possible for me to let down my guard and become more personable. Although I am naturally an optimist, I have also had bouts of depression in the past. Spirituality helps me maintain a positive outlook and is good therapy when I find this challenging.

If nothing else, I should at the very least find time to meditate every day. Optimally, I would like to meditate, read, pray, and perhaps engage in a little qabalistic ritual every day, but that might be a bit of a tall order for me, seeing as I’m such a slacker. Regardless of what I do, doing a little bit each day is what I personally need in my life. I don’t pretend to speak for everyone, but I find it necessary. Perhaps you might feel the same way?

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written by John \\ tags: Inspiration, Life, Nurturing, Ritual, Spirituality

Photo Above by Danielle Blue. Photo Below by Wired Protocol.

I come from a lower middle-class family with two blue-collar working parents. When my mother had first met my step-father, he was a union steel worker, which was at the time a secure job you could count on until retirement. Someone forgot to tell the company owners that, because throughout my childhood our family suffered temporary lay-offs which lead to unpaid bills and eventual eviction notices. I don’t blame my parents; they were raised in an industrial society and were unprepared for the shift to a technological white-collar based economy.

In time, the temporary lay-offs stretched from weeks into months, until one day they closed down the plant at which my step-father worked. This event sent my parents into a panic. I remember long nights of listening to them argue about money, bills, and blaming each other for how bad things had gotten. At some point, I became tired of worrying and fearing the next crisis. Had we not survived these issues before? My parents had always seemed to pull their resources and their wits together at the last minute, finding a means for us to survive as a family. I began to see all the arguing and worrying as a waste of time and energy that could have been better spent resolving or even preventing my family’s financial problems. We would always survive; the question became how well we would survive.

In stark contrast to my parents, I had developed hope for the future. Now this wasn’t a naive hope - after all we had been through, I learned that hard times are always a pink slip away. However, times would not always be hard, and every passing moment of in-fighting was another lost opportunity to make the hard times a little less hard. Why waste that energy and time?

So, when my wife came home early from work seven months ago and told me with a stunned look on her face that she had been let go, I didn’t panic. I knew that we would make this work - no stressing needed. I was pretty confident that she would have a new job within the next couple of months. Even though I was wrong, and we have struggled through these last seven months, I knew that we would survive. There was no question in my mind that this was a temporary situation.

On Saturday, my wife visited me on my lunch break at work and told me that she had an interview with a local company. This company she was referring to has a great reputation, and she is looking forward to working for them. After such a long period of shrinking prospects and temporary positions, we may finally be looking at the opportunity for which we’ve been waiting. The hard times are almost over. Do you know what? They weren’t all that hard after all.

What does this have to do with spirituality? It shows that hope does win out in the end. These financial issues that I have witnessed in the past and am living with in the present are a microcosm of the ills in this world. Faith - that which is at the very heart of spirituality - does not need to be blind, deaf, or dumb to our present situation to be maintained. Not once when I expressed hope for the future did I ignore the truth of the present, and I am aware, even now, that this new opportunity isn’t guaranteed. However, it is the message of spirituality that, no matter how horrible things become, we have the capacity to survive, adapt, and even thrive. It is what experience has taught me and what history proves. Even in our worst hour, we have been living off the fruits of Hope.

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written by John \\ tags: Faith, Family, Life, Spirituality, Work

Image Above by Hyun Lee. Photo Below by Kah Zanon.

You wouldn’t know it by all the theological terms used and violence done under the banner of one religion or another, but the heart of spirituality is child-like. We, as adults, try to take all the fun out of spirituality. Why are we so disappointed when we dissect poetry for literal meaning? How can we expect to have a feeling of awe and mystery when we debate, analyze, and label every aspect of our religions? Are we so caught up in our own insecurities - our own arrogance - that we seek to control even that which gives succor to our very soul?

The heart of spirituality is filled with awe, curiosity, gratitude, and hope - all are attributes we characterize as being child-like. These are also attributes of vulnerability. When we are in awe of something, whether it be nature, life, love, or God, we are giving up our power over that thing. When curious, we discard our assumptions and open ourselves to learning something that might contradict what we currently believe. In times when we show gratitude, we give recognition to those aspects of our life which we don’t control, yet still sustain us. Finally, when we hope, we trust that the future will give us the opportunity to make a better life for ourselves, despite the fact that there is no way of knowing.

Adults don’t like to be vulnerable, yet we cannot overlook the fact that true, deep, abiding spirituality demands it. So how do we instill in ourselves those child-like qualities? Personally, I look to my god-child and niece for inspiration. From the day I first held her, I’ve been learning to see the world through a child’s eyes. One of the things that has always characterized my relationship with my niece is laughter. Even when she was an infant, I would talk in a funny voice to her and she would laugh hysterically.

These days, at the mature and noble age of five and a half, she is always remarking how silly I am. And I am silly. I am willing to play the fool in any situation to remind her of what is and isn’t important in life, while constantly learning the same from her. I think it’s important for all adults to have a child or child-like person in their life to provide perspective. We need those experiences to make it easier to see ourselves as children of God. I know that sounds trite, but it rings true that our spiritual experiences comes from that place of a child’s love.

Jimmy Hendrix’s song “Little Wing” recalls a young girl who embodies all the hope and curiosity of youth. In that song, all things fanciful are in no short supply - she can have anything - yet all the girl wants is to fly on the wind. We call a young girl with such a free heart “innocent.” If it was a older woman which such a free heart, we would call her wise. Why is that? I don’t think there is that much of a difference.

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written by John \\ tags: Childhood, Inspiration, Life, Love, Spirituality

Photo Above by Meyshan. Photo Below by Jaqian, of sculpture titled “Aspiration” by Rowan Gillespie.
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of meditation and prayer on the subject of my aspiration and hopes for the future. Now, I’m not the type of person to believe that prayer was meant making requests of the Divine, but rather clarity in how to approach those things you want in your life. At this time in my life, the resources I need to pursue my passions are scarce. While I know that in the future I will be free to pursue bigger and better things, right now I’m frustrated with my current situation.

I am meant to do something important with this life. Constantly, I am reminded that I am meant for something greater. Not fame or fortune, but something that actively makes this world a better place. There is a lot to love in this world that often goes unrecognized and unappreciated. It is as if I see potential where others see only profit, greatness where others see poverty, and beauty everywhere while my fellow human beings walk about with glazed over eyes.

This is what I want from life… I want open eyes, create, heal, and learn. I want to be a father to my children, a husband to my wife, and a brother to all people. I want to be artistic in the way I live my life. I want to start a revolution in humanity’s perception of itself. I want to pry into God’s eye and see deeper into the truth than ever has been seen before. I want love for myself, for those around me, and for those in pain. I want to be the person who makes all difference in the world.

Egotistical? You bet it is. It is the main occupation of my ego to wish bigger and better things for myself. I’m not content to remain a cog in the machine; I’m tired of going around in circles. While I am still young, I can’t help but feel that time is slipping away from me. It just doesn’t feel like I’m moving forward.

I know, I know - enough of this incessant angst! I have a lot to be thankful for, not the least of which is my loving wife, family, and friends. I’m also thankful to have a place where I can speak my mind on spiritual and religious topics - a place to think and be heard. Perhaps I should spend sometime focusing on the positive and remembering that I am blessed. I still have sixty-some-odd years of life ahead of me; my adult life accounts only for eight of my soon-to-be twenty nine years.

…It’s too early for a mid-life crisis.

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written by John \\ tags: Aspirations, Family, Humanity, Life, Meditation, Prayer

Photo Above by Cory Doctorow. Photo Below by Tom Conder. Final Photo by Kyle Flood.

If you couldn’t tell, I have been on a bit of a D&D kick as of late. I guess the passing of Gary Gygax has awakened a bit of my nostalgia for the game - I grew up on this stuff, after all. Looking back, I can tell that the game influenced my spiritual beliefs along with broadening my mind and my imagination. The life lessons I’ve learned playing D&D might have been learned through other avenues of experience, but perhaps not as soon and perhaps not while having so much fun.

Life Is About Gaining Experience

D&D was the first game ever developed that used experience points and levels to measure the growth in power of the player’s “piece.” Most people don’t seem to grasp how revolutionary that idea truly is. In poker, your growth as a player depended entirely on your own mastery of the game. With chess, each player started the game on a level playing field. While in playing Monopoly, your piece gained more monetary capital and real estate, your control over the game always remained dependent on the roll of two dice. Only in Dungeons & Dragons did your playing piece, your character, have the chance to develop separately from your own experience. Of course video games have now made the concept of character levels and constant improvement through game play more popular than ever, but they all owe a dept of gratitude to D&D.

The reason why experience and levels were introduced into the D&D game in the first place was to simulate the personal growth of each individual person. For me, this provided the first and most important lesson - life is about gaining experience. While in real life I don’t have to hack up monsters to grow and to becoming a stronger person, there is little doubt in my mind that the human experience is about learning more about how to better live. With each step that we take in life, we gain the experience necessary to take the next.

Potential Failure Makes Life Worth Living

I’ve been through my fair share of characters. I’ve seen their triumphant mistakes land them six feet under more than a few times. However, if D&D did not allow for the chance of failure, than it would not be as interesting to play. In fact, if I knew the outcome of every die roll, I don’t think I would be as much of a fan of this game as I am today.

The same goes for life; if we all knew exactly what to expect, I doubt that life would be as rich and vibrant. Can I handle a new management level position at my place of employment? I’m not entirely sure, to be perfectly honest. Am I going to shoot for a management level position? Yes, if only because I want that experience. I am sure I will stumble along the way, but it is worth trying if only because I don’t know what to expect.

We Each Decide Our Own Conditions For Success

As a Dungeon Master (the referee of a D&D game), I’ve seen a number of fair maidens go un-rescued due to my players deciding that the kingdom is better without her anyway. Sometimes, the goal which I had set out for the players is ignored completely and the game goes in a completely different direction than what I originally intended. I have even ran a game where the players have taken over a town which they originally had pledged to save. I may have been a little disappointed at these turn of events, but my players felt triumphant. Why? Because they have set their own condition for success and have achieved it.

In a similar manner, we can decide for ourselves the conditions for what we consider a successful life. I don’t need to be married with two children, making a six figure salary, owning a home I can barely afford filled with the newest technological gadgets to be successful in this life. That is someone else’s definition of success. My definition of success could be to live without answering to anyone, to make my own schedule, and to roam where ever my heart leads me without the tethers of responsibility. The definition of what society believes to be success is just a suggestion - a suggestion based purely on material things. I, as well as you, can make up our own minds as to what constitutes a successful life.

You Can Change Who You Become

One of the more challenging aspects of Dungeons & Dragons is wrapping your head around all the choices you have in terms of creating your character. Sure, I could make it easy on yourself and choose one of the standard classes and standard races, but what if I change my mind latter on? That is where multi-classing comes in; I can choose to alter or tweak the role of my character as I advance in levels. I may not be able to alter who that character was formally but I can change who he becomes. For example, if my brutish dwarven warrior later tires of battle and instead finds new interests and challenges in healing, he will still know everything he knew as a warrior but begin learning how to best mend wounds instead of how best to create them.

Like my dwarven warrior, you too can change who you are becoming. This is a life lesson that not many people until their later years - I’m just glad that I’ve learned it early. It may be hard to see a way out of your current circumstances, especially if you find yourself destitute. However, there is always one thing that you do control; your own personal development. Who you become as a person is still completely up to you, even if the necessary education seems out of reach. All you need to do is to put yourselves in situations which expose you to the skills you need, and challenges you in the areas you need to develop. It isn’t easy, and it will never change who you were, but we should never be lead to believe that we cannot change who we become.

Morality & Ethics Are Not Simple

The way in which Dungeons & Dragons simulate morality is through a system of “alignments” which dictate the way in which a character views the world. There are nine of these alignments, these being Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic on one axis, and Good, Neutral and Evil on the other axis. Even with the possibility of neutrality as an alignment choice, it has never been an easy task deciphering what exactly constitutes good and evil, law and chaos. These moral and ethical presumptions that are injected into the game have spawned an ongoing discussion that almost every gaming group has.

For being a dysfunctional mechanic in an otherwise fun game, alignment has taught me much about right and wrong. It is never a simple matter of one or the other. There are no absolutes when it comes to morality and ethics, and to assume to know those absolutes does not some how show more integrity, but instead points to the laziness of the one who makes that assumption. Despite the decrying of moral relativism from some, I do not see it as a downward spiral of loosening ethics and morality. Quite to the contrary, moral relativism demands constant inquiry into the nature of our deeds and their impact on those around us, for good or bad. Moral absolutism judges a thing by its name, while moral relativism judges that thing by its fruits.

It may seems strange to attribute so many virtues to something as silly as a fantasy role playing game. Perhaps it could be argued that I learned these lessons elsewhere in life which were later reinforced by the game… but there is a great deal to be said about reinforcing what is learned. For this I own a dept of gratitude to Mr. Gygax, as well as for the time spent in the presence of friends both in the past and in the future.

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written by John \\ tags: Dungeons & Dragons, Growth, Lessons, Life, Morality

Above Photo by Joka2000. Photo Below by Alan Turkus. Final Photo by Joel Friesen.

Of Sandalphon, the second part of The Gated Emptiness, changes in tone and language from the rest of the text. The perspective shifts from third person to first person; little doubt is left as to whom is speaking. God speaks to us directly in these passages in a strangely humble demeanor.

I must remind the reader that this is filtered through my own consciousness. While I have perceived God speaking in a humble manner, it might be a result of my own discontent with the demanding God of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. This means nothing as to the true personality of God; it is my understanding that our concept of personality is meaningless when compared against true divine consciousness. The text reads:

I am confusion. I am confused as you are. I am you.

Now, these three statements pose a significant problem - God isn’t suppose to be confused. Isn’t the Divine suppose to have some plan? Theologically, this can be pretty disturbing. However, there is more here than what is on the surface. The word “confusion” comes from the Latin word “confundere” which means to pour together. In the word’s evolution, it has also passed through old French as meaning “to overthrow”, before coming to the English language as meaning “mental perplexity or disturbance”.

All three of these definition play a part in understanding the meaning of this text. First, we are told that God embodies confusion. We are confused as to the nature of God, as it is beyond our ability to comprehend. What does it mean, however, to say that God is the embodiment of overthrowing? This becomes more clear with the second statement; saying that God is “overthrown” implies that God changes. Like we do, God evolves and learns through alternating between confusion and realization.

Yet this leads us to another question - why does God need to evolve or learn? With the third and final statement in conjunction with our third definition, this answer is laid to bare; we are apart of God. Just as we are several things “poured together” into human form - muscles, organs, cells, proteins, and atoms - God is also the admixture of several things; the only difference is that God’s “things” encompasses all. The text continues:

You will not be rid of me. You might shred off the fat and skin of your body, skewer your flesh with your own bone and I will be in pain with you. If you should love yourself, I would love you.

Well, if God is inherent in all things, and all things in God, it makes sense that we could not get rid of God. When we suffer God would suffer, just as when we cut our finger, we feel the pain with our finger. Should we choose to love ourselves, God would love us in return as we are apart of God. Only when we become hateful does the Divine become hateful towards us, just as we would hate cells that turn cancerous within our own body. Yet God is not done speaking about his love for us; the text continues:

Innumerous are the ways in which I love you. I love you with death and I love you with life. I love you with pain and with ecstasy. I love you with the blue empty sky and the full brown earth. I shall not save you from my love; I made you to see, and you shall see it all.

Death and life, pain and pleasure, all that is above and all that is below - all of our individual experiences are manifestations of God’s love for us. Our purpose in life is to find meaning within those experiences, to learn, and to evolve. We cannot be asked to be spared heartache, pain, and suffering; we would be in affect asking to remain unchanged, uninspired, and ignorant. Worse yet, we would be asking God to remain unchanging, uninspired, and support us like some parents support basement dwelling men and women in their early twenties.

I suspect that some would disagree with what I have written here, considering that my interpretation of this text amounts to answers for long-held insurmountable questions. To think that a few sentences are enough to answer the question “what is the meaning of life” or “why does God make us suffer” would be foolish on my part. However, I dare to suggest that what I am getting at is a fairly good guide towards answers for those questions. Like a finger pointing to the moon, it is important not to misinterpret that which points to the truth for the truth.

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written by John \\ tags: Death, God, Holy Text, Life, Love, Questions

Above Photo by Manuel Canevet. Below Photo by Brendan Dolan-Gavitt.

“Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause”
Mahatma Gandhi, 1869 - 1948.

I’ve never been a man who enjoys conflict. In all my life, from childhood to my present age, I may have been involved in half a dozen physical altercations, most of which were with my younger brother. I’m the type of guy who would rather walk away from a fight with my damaged pride than stand my ground and turn an intellectual pissing contest into an exchange of blows. There are, however, some things that I will always stand up against: bigotry in all forms, especially religious intolerance.

One of the main purposes behind this blog is to serve as a vehicle with which to fight religious intolerance. Too long have I watched the narrow minded old men of mainstream religion spout their vitriol over television, radio, and in print. Too long have they spoken against common sense, using their titles of Reverend, Pastor, and Father as justification for their bigotry. At one time, the scriptures of the Bible were used to rationalize segregation and sexism; the same text is now used to vindicate homophobia and war. These men of hatred hide behind the pretense of religious freedom and tolerance, like Trojans within their horse, seeking to dismantle the institutions of religious freedom and tolerance from the inside out.

I have to ask myself, how can I alone could stand up against these men? I’m not an authority. Though I am working towards becoming a Minister, I don’t even have a B.A. degree in religion. I am nearly powerless. I might as well be a homeless man on the street corner with a sign reading “The End is Nigh” for what all my credibility and influence is worth. The only thing I have is my faith in humanity. Is that enough? It will have to be.

Yet, I cannot allow myself the luxury of advocating to only those who agree with me. Sitting around listening to others agree with me would be nice, but I wouldn’t be accomplishing much. I have every intention of bringing my message of tolerance to those who will not listen. This, of course, will result in conflict. You cannot have change without conflict - even Jesus knew this. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus said, “Think not that I come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” He is not speaking of literal violence, but instead of the conflict that is inherent in challenging the ideas held by others - family in particular.

Which brings me back to my very own “narrow minded old man.” Even though I love my family, I am afraid that they will not approve of this new endeavor. I have, in the past, been the source of controversy within my own extended family. For quite a number of years, I didn’t have anything to do with my grandparents or my aunts and uncles, if only because of my difference in beliefs and ideas. They still do not know the full extend of my ‘rebellion’ against their expectations. I am sad that I may never have the opportunity to truly let them know who I am. It is with that same sadness that Jesus said “I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

Though the path I walk places me directly into conflict with my loved ones and asks of me to be uncharacteristically confrontational, I still have faith that I can make a difference. If nothing else, I know that I will have been true to myself and to the Divine. That alone makes me worthy of this task.

Originally Posted September 28, 2007

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written by John \\ tags: Bible, Family, Freedom, Humanity, Life, Religion

Above From Photo by Jeff Hitchcock. Below From Photo by Jayel Aheram. Final From Image by Blake Emrys.

It boggles my imagination how much hate people attribute to God. Historically speaking, every group of people that I can think of who have used God’s name in hate has failed. The Inquisition, American slavers, the Klan, Hitler… Republicans - all of these groups claimed to be working under God’s authority and all failed in their mission. So, when a small church in the middle of nowhere begins proclaiming that God hates homosexuals, I’m more inclined to mark my calendar than worry. I think “This, too, shall pass.”

But then I have to ask myself why so many people feel the need to validate their hatred using God. When I really think about it, God seems the obvious choice for justifying irrational arguments, on which hatred is usually based. God is the highest authority and is widely believed to be unavailable for comment should anyone think to ask for her opinion. All one would need to do is quote text, which may or may not be inspired by God, take it out of context and declare your own interpretation as the correct interpretation, and hope that no one is smart enough to think for themselves. Unfortunately, there are enough people in this world who would rather have someone else think for them than think for themselves that this tactic can work for a short period of time.

I’ve recently had the pleasure of listening to author and musician Daryl Davis speak about his experiences with racism, that eventually lead him, a black man, to write about and interview members of the Klu Klux Klan. He explained how, even though he didn’t originally set out to do so, he became friends with high ranking Klan members, many of whom eventually quit the Klan entirely due to his influence. Mr. Davis has the robes of these former Klan members to prove it, which he took out during his lecture. How can a black man manage to persuade members of an organization based upon the hatred of black men to become his friend and confide in him? His answer was simple; it was by listening.

Listening to one another, even when what is being said is the most hurtful thing you’ve ever heard, is a spiritual act. Mr. Davis listened to these Klan members and became an instrument of Divine love. Hatred cannot exist in the presence of divine love, because hatred can only thrive where there is no love. We each can embody that love through listening to each other and choosing to be simply courteous towards one another, regardless of another person’s hatred.

I don’t want you to confuse emotional love with divine love - they are different, although the difference is subtle. Emotional love which you feel for your friends, family, or significant other, is the direct opposite of hatred. It represents understanding and appreciation, where as hatred feeds on ignorance and disrespect. Divine love, however, is beyond understanding and ignorance. It represents a condensing the ego and a deep connection with the universal presence which some call God. Divine love confronts a person abruptly, forcing a person to look at themselves and their life, regardless of whether they want to or not.

Hatred is a form of ignorance - whether this ignorance is cause by not wanting to see or simply not seeing, it makes no different. The Divine does not allow for ignorance in any form. The idea that God would hate anyone or anything is totally foreign to me, as a God ignorant of his own creation cannot be the true God. If the Divine hates anything, it is hatred.

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written by John \\ tags: God, Hatred, Life, Love, Racism