What Do I Believe?
9/6/2024
Social Media is a great place to get out and explore ideas. To latch onto a new notion and wander along with it wherever it may go. It may lead to a new insight, it may lead to some obvious insanity, but the journey itself is usually fun and often insightful.
Social Media has it’s limitations though. The original character limits on Twitter (the only deadname that I insist on using) are the norm for most other platforms, give or take on the quantity you are allowed. This tends to leave me getting halfway or sometimes not even that far through a thought before butting up against the brick wall of limited space. That’s why I do articles — so that i can explore ideas and concerns in a fuller manner.
One of the repeated questions that i have gotten lately is exactly what it is that I believe about God, the Universe and Everything (shout-out to Douglas Adams). I guess the time has come to explore my theology.
Before I do that, it’s time to list the usual caveats and disclaimers. Every individual has a unique spiritual journey. This springs from what I believe to be the divine spark within us all — a part of our being that seeks beyond what life hands us. What works for me, does not necessarily work for everybody, and may not work for anyone at all besides me — and that’s okay. Individual means individual. If what you are doing is working for you, more power to you. I have never claimed to have all of the answers. I have found a pathway that works for me. If what you are doing is not working for you, my purpose is to present ideas that allow openness to new ways to connect with our higher selves, and to each other. Ultimately, what you decide to do is up to you. Which is as it should be.
I am not here to proselytize or convert people. I am not here to prove the existence of God. The only reason to do either would be to bring you around to my way of thinking. My way of thinking, my pathway, might not be your cup of tea. That, too, is fine. We all wander, we all try things, we all discover. Some of us discover a newer, deeper connection with God, some just clean up the confusion or the clutter of their inherited religious tradition, and some just walk away from religion while at the same time resolving to be decent and kind to others as a matter of choice, not compulsion. The secret most people wearing a collar won’t tell you is that your approach to God matters far less than your actions in the world.
In the great war that defines terms, I am going to try to define my beliefs. Hopefully, this will provide a clearer picture of where I am coming from.
I am a theist. That means that I believe in God, as opposed to an atheist, who does not believe in God, or an agnostic, who isn’t sure one way or the other. All are valid positions. As dealing in spiritual matters is not a subject that allows for much in the way of scientific explanation or proof, spiritual matters are more a matter of choice than of logical argument.
Why do I believe in God? While there are many scientific explanations for the structures of the earth, and of life. Science cannot explain why I see beauty in the things that I find beautiful. Why the view of a mountain with the sun gently setting behind it will churn in me a feeling of awe. How staring at the night sky fills me with wonder. When I look at something as simple as my hand and marvel at the process that caused a bunch of organic material to come together to allow me to bring a very tasty slice of pizza to my mouth. The fact that this lump of carbon compounds can feel, and think, and reason points to something beyond mere chemistry, biology or physics. The observation that any given stimulus can create a multitude of reactions among different people, or even within yourself during different situations and settings indicates to me that there is something just beyond our understanding, and that I choose to acknowledge it.
I believe in God, but how do I define God? Our perception of God often reveals more about us than it does about God. I do not see an old man in a chair in the sky shaking his finger at us in disapproval. I do not see God as anthropomorphic — as having a human body or being concerned in the minutiae of the daily grind of human life. I see God as beyond all of that — as a very hard to define being whose function is to create and to grow, to observe and experience, and to provide a connection for all life. When we are told by whatever religion that we are created in the image of God, I do not equate that with physical appearance, but with a commonality of spirit with God — that we are in harmony with God when we seek to create and grow, both within ourselves, and in reaching out to the others inhabiting the earth with us.
I do view God through the lens of the faith that I was raise in, which is Christianity. The images impressed upon me by the teachings of Jesus have proven acceptable to me over time, trial and experience. There have also been some horrible ideas that have been promoted by the men who came after Jesus that were folded in well after Jesus returned to his origin. I have dismissed these ideas as running counter to the ideas that Jesus taught. We are all in a growing and maturing process here on earth. Our vision is more limited that God. We make mistakes — sometimes tragic and destructive — especially when we fall out of harmony with that creative essence that permeates the universe.
Why do I accept this lens of Christianity? I may be born into Christianity, but I have never accepted things at face value. There is a popular term now for examining your faith — “deconstruction”. It is the process of slowly examining your faith and sorting the good ideas from the harmful ones. I have been doing this for the better part of 35 years now. It is a continuous process that never ends — everything that happens in my life gives me a lesson that I can apply to my faith. And I do that. With purpose.
My deconstruction led me to my bedrock belief, listed below. This is how Jesus summed up the entirety of his ministry. From this bedrock I reconstructed my faith to be consistent to this principle. I have spent many articles outlining the details and reasoning for both the tenets of the Christian faith that I embrace, and those I have dismissed. I will let you read those at your leisure.
I accept the teaching of Jesus that God is to us as a “loving father” (the common translation). I find this far more assuring that the thuggish portrayal of God in the origin story of Christianity (the Old Testament / Hebrew scriptures). I held this dichotomy about God because my understanding of the Jewish scriptures was limited by what I learned as a Christian. Through the years of my “deconstruction”, I renewed ties with a boyhood friend who had grown up to be a Rabbi. We had, and still have, many conversations for me to learn the context and insight that the Jewish people use in application of their holy writings. I have found that we stand closer on most things than I would have imagined.
Over the years, I have maintained and grown relationships with learned people of several major faiths/religions and worldviews — Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindi, Zoroastrian, Rastafarian, Wicca (and the other “Old Religions”), Native American, Atheist, and a multitude of Christian denominations. When I had boiled my Christianity down to it’s basic building blocks, I found much in common with most of these worldviews. The most common being an admonition to show love and understanding to all as a default.
Other than the idea of God as a loving, creative, and conscious essence that desires peace and harmony among us, I leave God undefined. Why? Because I cannot know more. The definition that I place on God is a restriction that I place on God. Who am I to restrict God? Who am I to place limits on what God will or will not do? If I were to include certain details that I would like, but cannot know, would that not be an impediment to someone else on the path to seeking a more complete connection to God?
My bedrock belief comes down to God loves us and wishes us to show love to each other. All other faith practices that honor the principle that we show each other love and respect, are practicing what is documented to be the only universal ask of God in religion. It is common to most major and minor faiths. I do not claim or demand exclusive access to God as a Christian, when I know for a fact that the Imam that I shared a meal with last week promotes the same concept of love among his people. Ditto for the Ajahn at a nearby Buddhist Vihara.
There are obviously bad practitioners in every faith, sowing distrust and exclusion. Certain brands of Christianity have become famous for this lately. Humans have a tendency to fall short, but if the faith itself is in harmony with God’s desire, God honors it. Therefore, I have no problem with any faith promoting good will among our fellow humans. This holds true for Atheists who walk in peace and love. Not everyone needs to acknowledge a God to do it.
That is the big ticket item that I get asked about most. Now onto the peculiarities of my Christian lens.
As to God, I believe in one God. I believe that Jesus was born a man and ministered through and with God in full harmony. The purpose of Jesus was to change our perception of God from the OT warrior God, to the more accurate “loving Father” which calls back to the days when Abraham was called “a friend of God”. His mission was to teach us that in showing love and respect to each other we are honoring God in the best possible way. I believe that what we call the “Holy Spirit” can also be termed an “enlightened conscience” which speaks to us honestly, within ourselves about whether the actions we do or consider are “right’ or “wrong”.
I believe in an afterlife. I believe the soul to be eternal, and acts with our physical biological bodies to experience this miracle of life, and to learn and grow as part of God’s process unfolds in the universe. I do not have a clue what happens in the afterlife. No one does. No one has ever been on the other side long enough to give a valid idea to the rest of us. That does not stop us from speculation. Like everyone, I have my ideas. I sometimes share them as a thought exercise, but that’s all it is. Jesus teaches us that if we honor God by serving others, we have no worries in the afterlife.
I deny the doctrine of “Original Sin”. I deny the concept of eternal damnation. Both are inconsistent with the loving God that Jesus taught. Original Sin is the proposition that we are born into damnation because two people rebelled against God in a story about an apple and a snake. The lesson is widely misinterpreted as a way to maintain exclusivity to God.
We were created by God, each of us as a blank canvas and to learn and create a unique piece of art, which is our lives. What we do with that life is up to us. God’s indication to us is that if we live in harmony with each other, things will be better. Many ignore that concept, at their own peril in this life. We do not need a punishment afterward, when we can so easily turn this existence into the Hell we fear in an afterlife.
I deny the concept of sin as a series of immoral acts or crimes. I see it more as an attitude of defiance against the idea of treating others with kindness and respect. Those who live in this manner generally have enough punishment done to them in this life — even those billionaires, which is why so many of them are miserable, unhappy and empty people.
God is not here to micro-manage our lives. We are the product of our choices, regardless of the situation that we are born into. I believe that God gifted us with intelligence, reason and creativity with the desire for us to use them to exhaustion. It is why there are problems on earth, and why we are not sitting around on clouds strumming harps. I, for one, would be bored to death.
Anyone who has had to work their way through a problem — small annoyance or major disaster — knows the satisfaction of coming out on the other end smarter and stronger. As well as the greater satisfaction of using that knowledge to help others in a similar situation. Again, this points back to God’s universal desire that we care for each other.
I recognize that there is evil in the world. It is not Satan. It is us choosing to not live in harmony with each other. It’s part of the equation in “free will” that some will choose to not play nicely. I stand to fight evil, it’s what I signed up for — to use what I have learned for the benefit of others. What happens to those evil-doers in the next life is not my concern. Helping the victims of their excesses in this life is my concern.
I believe that prayer is not so much about asking God to change things or do things. I believe that asking God to fix a human problem is roughly equivalent to trying to pick up a paperclip with a construction crane. The purpose of prayer, as I see it, is to bring yourself into focus in the face of any situation — to be able to see it clearly, examine a solution and define a path that adjusts your course, while remaining in harmony with God’s desire to live in love. I believe that prayer should be as Jesus practiced it — to be thankful for the gift of life, to trust in God’s care, to ask for wisdom in navigating it, and to muster strength when face with a bad situation. Too many people confuse God with Santa Claus.
I believe that policing morality should be directed inward. No human being is in any position to judge any other human being as to how they live their lives. No one can know why what may seem a horrible choice for us, may be the only workable solution for another person who is living a different life, with different needs and demands. I apply my moral code to me. Those who share my life with me are aware of my choices, and may be influenced by them, but I make no demands of others in situations that do not involve me personally. Even then, it is only that I will not participate in something that violates my morality, and give an explanation of why I refuse to participate.
We are not created in a state of war with God. Each of us was crafted with love and care to experience life and to choose our path. It is in the choices that we make along the way that the canvas of our lives is painted, for the good and the bad. My canvas has it’s share of mistakes and goof-ups. It has some deliberate destruction as well. This is all part of the learning process. It is my hope, that when my days on this planet are through, that my canvas honors the gift that God has given me in life.
Hopefully, this gives you a better idea of where I am coming from. If you have questions, I am open to answering them — just please be aware of the space limitations of the platform you are asking from. Beyond just laying this out for you, I hope that there has been sparked within you, the desire to examine your faith and your walk more closely, and to see if you could benefit from making some adjustments.
In Faith, Peace and Love,
RL Brandner, Ecc., New Ecclesiastes Ministries
