Faith is a LivingThing

Today in Metaphysics Theology class we mentioned that faith was a living thing. I had never stopped to consider that before. In my mind, faith is never changing:  it is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow.  However as I think about, it’s not faith, but, God that remains the same.  The more I reflect,  the more I realize that Faith is always growing and evolving and is, in fact, an active, living thing.

 

In my own life-time I’ve notice how faith and beliefs have changed, not only in myself, but in my culture as well. I can remember a time, not to long ago, when it would have been sinful for a woman to step into a church wearing pants; a time when a divorced couple would be asked to leave the church, or at least, step down from all leadership responsibilities; a time when stores, by law, would be required to remain closed on Sundays; a time when people were forbidden to live together before marriage; and a time when women who had children out of wedlock were shamed into hiding their child or giving them up for adoption.

 

In my own personal life, I’ve seen my faith change. When I was a little girl, I would get down on my knees beside my bed and pray to a big god out there. (At the time, God and Santa Clause were, kind of on the same level). As I grew, my faith became more personal, and as I continue to grow and learn, my faith continues to change.

 

Religious reformer, Martin Luther’s faith had grown so much that he boldly proclaimed,

 

             “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain

              that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”  

       The Bible states that we just need faith the size of a mustard seed, because the write knew that faith this minute, when nurtured, can grow into a mighty faith capable of moving mountains

     Like everything in nature, our faith and beliefs are constantly growing and adapting to the world around us,  While these, changes and adaptation may, or may not,  be thought of as beneficial, it is clear that, good or bad, our  faith is an active, living thing.

 

 

Finding Freedom Through Understanding

One of the most important concepts I am taking away from Theology class is that, no matter what your faith, to effectively speak in Spirit, Power and Truth, it is important to understand where your faith comes from and to understand why you believe what you believe.

 

I hear so many people say, I know what I know, because God reveals it to me. They’ve learned the truth from the community around them, and that their inner knowing  confirms the Truth.

 For years I had an inner truth guiding me and leading me to believe I was unlovable, unwanted and inferior to the rest of the world. You couldn’t convince me it was anything but the truth, because I felt it, I knew it, and everybody told me so. Therefore, I accepted it as Absolute Truth.  Then I signed up for counseling that gave me more information. I learn new thought along with new skills and different ways of coping. What I, originally thought in my heart to be the truth was changed, by bring in more information. I’ve become a more competent, whole person for bringing in that knowledge.

 

A similar experience is happening as I am studying, learning and challenging my theology at Unity institute.  In my course, I am exposed to the most influential beliefs that have impacted and molded our Christian faith. We examine everything from the early Hebrews, to Plato to Tertullian to Charles Fillmore. We not only examine, but, question, and even challenge, their beliefs and teaching.  In addition, we are asked to examine and challenge our own beliefs and understand where they came from. 

When I went to counseling, I learned that thoughts of inferiority and being unlovable, were wrong thinking, coming from something I had been told--even though they felt like truth.

As a theology student I have come to the same conclusion. What may feel like the truth, in light of evidence and new information may, in fact, be an illusion.

 

I’m still a first semester student, with a lifetime of learning ahead. Sometimes it seems the more I learn the less I know. However, just like going to counseling, it seems like the more carefully scrutinized scholarly information I bring in, the more competent and whole I am becoming in by faith.

What Gives Me the Right to Call Myself a Minister?!

In class today, Dr. Tom asked us what gives us the right to be ministers?  What gives us the right to counsel? What gives us the right to give spiritual guidance?   Sometimes I ask the same question of myself as a mom.  What give me the right to bring two children in the world, to guide them, to give them spiritual counsel? My impact on them can be passed on from generation to generation.

So I ask, again, what DOES give me the right? 

 It seems that each one of us has something we are innately drawn to. Perhaps we are drawn to be an artist, an engineer, a doctor, a singers or a great chef. From the time my youngest son started crawling, he never wanted to play with his toys; he was more interested in taking them apart to see how they worked.  This need to see how things worked seemed compellingly innate.  It was as if there was something drawing him to do it. (As an adult he hasn’t changed. He still loves working with cars and ripping them apart).

 

When I look at my son and see his passion, I know he is doing what he is supposed to be doing- he is simply doing what he is drawn to do. I guess that’s why I feel I have a right to be a minister, a mom, a wife and a friend.  I can’t always explain it, but I’m doing what I feel I am innately compelled to do.

Wrestling with Life after Death

   This week, I decided to wrestle with an angel and tackle the question of life after death. To help me with this brawl,  I pulled out Dr. Thomas Shepherds,  Glimpses of Truth.

  

 Theologians throughout the century  have wrestled with the concept of what happens when we die: The Pharisees believed in life after death, the Sadducees believed in extinction. Feuerback called the hope for eternal life wishful projection with Freud concurring calling the idea unrealistic and psychologically immature.

    Perhaps I’m egotistical, but I resonate with Hans Kung’s  statement that the belief in eternal life gives it meaning. And I echo Dr.  Shepherd’s statement, “If death ends it all, life itself is the ultimate absurdity in a scandalously wasteful, bitterly cruel Universe.”

 

   As I ministerial student, I try to combine scholarly research, wisdom of the ages, and my inner Knowing to come up with the best conclusion possible. However when it comes to life after death, I have no clear answer.

   From judgment to reincarnation to extinction to universalism, there are many theories on life after death. Some theories are sounder than others. Most of us hope there is something more after this life, and I join in with that crowd--it just seems to make sense. But in the end, all eschatologies are educated guesswork: none of them can be absolutely proven.

   As Truth students, there are times we have to admit, there are some things we will never know for certain. So what can we do to navigate this uncomfortable field of unknowing? Perhaps we can take a cue from Dr. Shepherd and make a decision to make our lives count.  We can grab a pen and a notebook and make a list of things we could do that would allow us to say, in the end, we had life worth living.1

---

1 Shepherd,Thomas W. Glimpses of Truth. Unity Village, Mo: Unity, 2013

Do Myths Make the Bible Invalid?

If the Bible is based on myths and stories is it time we discard it?  In an article addressing, Myth and the New Testament, University of Manchester Professor F.F. Bruce speaks of Rudolf Bultmann and his demythologizing programme. Bultmann’s thesis, in brief, is that if the gospel is to make its impact on men and women today, it must be freed from its ‘mythological’ formulation. What would happen if we freed the Bible of all its myths and only relied on what could be scientifically and historically validated?

To make this decision, we must first examine what a myth is. The dictionary says a myth is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation. Basically, a myth is a story that can’t be proven.

 In A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, John J. Collins suggests that anytime we hear a tale about a talking snake, it’s a good indication we might be looking at myth.   I think I’d have to admit that when I read a story of a man swallowed by a fish, walking on water, or turning water into wine, I might be reading a story that is a potential myth candidate. Even if the stories may not be true, it doesn’t mean we have to throw them out? 

 

 A myth is a story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence (Merriam-Webster). Just because a story is a myth, doesn't mean it isn't relative or spiritually powerful.  Myths are passed from generation to generation because they have stood the test of time, because, myths by nature, always point to a truth.

So, Where the Heck is God?

     

In Glimpses of Truth, Dr. Rev. Thomas Shepherd discusses, what he calls, the Let It In / Let It Out Controversy. The controversy asks, “Do all human beings have God’s spirit within them? Or must God send His Spirit to them?” (Shepherd 117)

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own. Shepherd points out the meaning is ambiguous. While Paul clearly says the Holy Spirit is within you. His next statement, “Which you have from God," is not without debate. Is Paul referring to a Holy Spirit which has been poured into the believer, or a divine spirit welling up from within?  (Shepherd 117). This is at the heart of the controversy.

A search through the Bible gives little clarification.  Some gospels refer to Spirit as the life-force within each person (Mark 14:38, Luke 23:26), while others show Spirit as the empowering divine presence within the believers (John 3:6, 6:63, 7:39, 14:17).  (Shepherd 118)  

Shepherd suggests that one resolution might be the middle path that would accept a God-out-there and God-within. (Shepherd 119)  If God in omnipresent and omnipresence it would seem reasonable that God could be both.

We can feel God’s presence “out there” as we watch a beautiful sunset, behold the majesty of the mountains and feel the power of the crashing waves of the ocean. We can also experience God within, as we gain peace and insights from the “still small voice within”

In the Bible, Jesus sometimes spoke of God within saying, “I and the Father are one.” At other times he seemed to cry out to God, “Take this cup from me.”

Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore speaks of a spirit within and a spirit out there. In the Revealing Word Fillmore writes: wisdom and divine understanding--These attributes come from the Spirit of Christ within us. (RW 212) While in the Metaphysical Bible dictionary he states, “The prayer of the soul alone in its upper room (state of high spiritual aspiration) brings down the Holy Ghost.” (MBD 648)   

When Fillmore spoke of spirit within and spirit that is brought down, he was not speaking of two separate spirits. In Lesson One of Christian Healing Fillmore writes, “There is one Presence, one Intelligence, one Substance, one Life: the good omnipotent.”

Fillmore believed in one Spirit--omnipresent.  Since Spirit is everywhere, not confined to location, it would seem reasonable that Fillmore could easily speak of God-within and God-out-there without contradiction—both were true.  It also seems reasonable to conclude that putting God in a box, confined  to a place within or a place out there, is limiting, and contradictory to the very nature of God.

 

 

Cited:

Shepherd, Thomas W. Glimpses of Truth-Systematic Theology for Skeptics, Mystics, and Metaphysicians. 2013

Fillmore, Charles.  Metaphysical Bible Dictionary. 2013. Kindle Edition.

Fillmore, Charles. Revealing Word. 2013. Online tigerseyedowing.com

Fillmore, Charles. Christian Healing 2013. Online. tigerseyedowing.com

  

DRIVING HURTS OVARIES

While browsing the internet the other day, I was stunned by a jarring headline from msn.com shouting, " Saudi Cleric Says Driving Hurts Women's Ovaries."  The story reports that, in Saudi Arabia, only men are given driver's licenses. I seems, Saudi women planned  a protest by rallying together and driving--in direct opposition to society and religious norms. To put a halt to this outrageous show of rebellion,  Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Lohaidan warns women against driving claiming, "If a woman drives a car, not out of pure necessity, that could have negative physiological impacts as functional and medical studies show that it automatically affects the ovaries and pushes the pelvis upwards." 

 

Further investigation from Reuters reveals that the head of Saudi Arabia's morality police says there is nothing in Islamic law that bans women from driving, but in the past, they have been fined or put on trial for "political protest." 

 

I  remember first learning about the morality police while watching the TV show, House Hunters International.  On the show, they interviewed an American woman who's husband had taken a job in a country where women were considered subservient. Even as an American, she could not  get a driver's license, rent a house or even call a plumber without her husband's consent.  The woman shared her  run-in with the morality police while in a shopping in a mall.  She was shocked when a store clerk came up to her and shoved into her hand a morality police warning card. It asked her to be respectful in public and to be considerate of the culture. She was taken aback, because she thought she had done all she could do to be in conformity. Her skirt length was well below her knees and her shirt was modest and unrevealing.  After some inquiry,  she discovered that her infraction came from the her shirt's sleeve length.. Although the shirt had sleeves, the morality police determined the sleeves were too short and her arms were too exposed for a public place.

 In our country, stories  warning of the dangers of driving and ovaries, or morality police handing out cards for sleeve lengths, may seem absurd. But it doesn't take much reflection, for us to remember  absurdities that our country held, not to long ago--absurdities like slavery, and voting rights, dueling to the death and  married women not being allowed to teach in public schools.

 

The other week I took a trip to the Truman Library in  Independence, Kansas. At the end of one their movie presentations, they broached the  heated debate surrounding women serving in the military.They  pointed out  that the same arguments used against why women should not serve in the military today,  were the exact same arguments used to justify why blacks should not serve in the military years ago.

When I think of all the, seemingly,  absurd customs we, as a country, used to fight about and hold dear as a country, and read of the beliefs held by other cultural that almost seem laughable, instead of disregarding them, I stop. I try to take a moment and pause to look at my own values.  I try to  reflect on the passionate beliefs I hold today, and using history as a reference,  try to discern what side of history my beliefs might end up on.

What Gave Jesus His Authority and Do We Have the Same?

                                            What gave Jesus His authority?

 

Mark 1:21-22 states, “They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

 That statement is interesting, because as teachers, counselors, philosophers and copiers, scribes held the authority of leadership in their communities.  But from the scripture above, it's obvious that Jesus’s authority was much different than that of the scribes--Jesus's authority astounded the crowds.

 The Revealing Word defines authority as: rightful power; mastery; or dominion. The Scribes were copyist. They would copy the ancient Hebrew text and even teach from them, but they never understood the Truth and power behind those  words.  Like the scribes, Jesus was also an expert on the Hebrew texts, but they weren't just simply words and traditions to him.  Jesus not only studied the texts, but he understood the Truth and Power behind the words. He took to heart the scripture that proclaims man has been given dominion on earth--- He understood his rightful power and acknowledged it by saying, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me."

Will we ever have that kind of certainty? How and when?   Genesis reveals that, just like Jesus, we are given dominion. Certainty comes when we stop acting like scribes who merely read, write and talk about that dominion, and start acting with rightful authority and live it.

 Glimpses of Truth states, “We cannot teach with authority until we are willing to leave the blackboard for the marketplace, testing our beliefs in the only arena that counts, everyday life. Jesus Christ calls us to go and do likewise, to put feet on our prayers and test the ideas we cherish, and then to speak with the authority such experience will bring.”

 Fortunately, Unity co-founder, Charles Fillmore gave us tools to help develop mastery so we can more confidently put feet on our prayers.  Glimpses of Truth explains, “Fillmore discovered ideas which he could “assimilate, validate, corroborate and verify” in his own life. He then, spoke of “going to headquarters,” by which he meant spending time in contemplative prayer. The insights he received were then tested in the laboratory of daily living and referred to other Christians for discussions, testing, and application. His method was pragmatic; truth was truth because it worked for him. 

 When we put feet on it,  the Truth that worked for Jesus and Fillmore is the same Truth that will work for us.

Evil is in the eye of the Beholder

For me, the question of "what is Evil" is intriguing. I think, for the most part, Evil is a perspective: a judgment made based in the  beliefs of the perceiver.

For example:  In college, I enrolled in a Latin Americans studies . When the course began, the entire class thought we had a clear  idea  of what  evil was.  For us, there could be no better example of pure evil, than the  notoriously ruthless leaders of some developing (aka.  third world)  countries, especially in the ares with drug cartels.  We viewed those dictators  as merciless tyrants who, without regard to human life,  ordered random executions  and mass killings  based their whims. Hundreds  were massacred and beaten for, seemingly, no reason. Citizens lived in terror. To us, this was the definition of Evil.

Our professor asked if we were running the country, what would we do differently? "Overthrow him and bring peace to the area, " we agreed. Our professor then asked us to come up with a plan to make that happen.

After weeks of investigating and studying the political history of developing countries,   we were shocked by the solution we turned into our instructor. In  class of more than 50 students, we unanimously decided to best thing we could do for the struggling country, was keep the tyrannical  dictator in power.

While we abhorred the dictators methods,  all the other options paled in comparison.  As we dug in and studied,   we quickly learned that the under developing world is not our world.  Because of their situation, their thought processes, methods of coping  and responses to social situations are not like ours. In their countries, they  have no social benefits. There  is no government housing or  food stamps--and if there is food, it is often scarce.  Many  don't have jobs and they do what they have to do to survive. Gangs, cartels and guns are the norm. From stealing to killing, many ordinary citizens are forced into unthinkable choices --just to survive. Since most people were born into these conditions, they just assume fighting for survival is the way of life.  

 

 My class researched similar developing country uprisings and, in the end, came to the conclusion that, if we had decided  to go with our initial gut feel and  topple the dictator, we might have  done more damage to an already struggling country.  

 

 History has shown that, in developing countries,  when a dictator is overthrown, mayhem erupts as gangs, cartels and factions struggle for power.  Gangs, warlords and drug cartels are not interested in attaining peace. We concluded that  the brutal, often bloody tactics  of the dictator, were the exact responses needed to keep the gangs and cartels in line.  The Dictator had to have enough perceived power, that the other forces feared going up against him. That fear kept the others in line. Therefore, the dictators tyrannical reputation , brought some form of stability and  control to the region.

 

If we had decided to remove the dictator, we would have had to replace him with another regime that was just as powerful, or more so, just to keep the other sanctions in line. That would have, most likely, caused more bloodshed.

By the end of our study, we had changed our view. To our surprise, we had to conclude that the Evil dictator may not have been as Evil as we originally thought-it was a matter of perspective.

Theological Snapshot

 

There was a time when I felt very solid and confident in my religious beliefs.  I could spout off my convictions without wavering. If someone had a religious question, I had an answer (and I knew it was the right answer).  Not only was I rock solid in my beliefs, I felt it was my God appointed duty to convert others to my belief (and I was pretty good at doing it). However, now, I find that my theological beliefs are evolving.

I’m not exactly sure how or when my convictions started changing, but, I began having questions. I always kept these questions to myself, because, as a church leader, I didn’t feel safe in expressing my doubts for fear of condemnation.   In my belief system, I was taught that you had to accept Christ as your personal savior, or face an eternity in Hell.  I believed in that concept without question.  Deep down, however,  I had a nagging feeling something was amiss.  As a parent, I don’t care what my children did, there was no way I could condemn them to an eternal hell. If I couldn’t do it, how could a loving God do it? I’ve heard it explained that it breaks God’s heart to condemn people, but He gave them every opportunity repent—so it was their own choice. Somehow, that argument felt like bull crap.

One of the key events prompting me to question if my religion was the only True religion happened after listening to an audio recording of the Bhagavad Gita. I was moved to tears as I heard the stories unfolded.  The passages from the Gita were just as spiritual charges as any other spiritual event I had felt in my Christian upbringing.  Moreover, I was taken aback by the numbers of stories in the Bhagavad Gita that sounded very familiar to those in the Bible.  I also found in interesting that the Gita was written hundreds of years before the Bible. For the first time, I decided to give myself permission to question my beliefs. I began to question whether my Truth was the only truth.

I’m still questioning, but here are the key concepts that I am embracing-- right now. I no longer believe in a big, judgmental God out there and that the Kingdom of God is within. I believe that I have thoughts (some higher and some lower) and that it is my responsibility to decide which thoughts will rule my decisions and my life. I do believe there is a higher knowledge and power. But this higher knowledge and power is not anthropomorphic God.  It is a power like electricity or gravity. I believe that Power is limitless and everywhere and that I can access that Power by turning my thoughts toward it.