What Religion Is and Is Not

Over the last month or so I have watched and read a lot of different people define religion. The thing that struck me has been that most of these definitions of religion don’t work for me. I don’t intend to create a definitive definition of religion here but I want to talk about how I define what religion is and is not to me personally.

First, for me religion is not about an afterlife. Whether there is or is not an afterlife and what that looks like is a constant debate but I believe that that is missing the point. Religion, Christianity in my case, is at its best when it is focused on the here and now. I believe deeply in the wisdom of an old Jewish story in which a Rabbi is asked what he would do if he was told that the world was going to end that very day. The Rabbi responded that he would plant a tree and then see what all the fuss was about. My faith is not about some better life I will get later but about improving the life I live this day and the lives of those around me. In other words I think there is wisdom in living life as if there is no afterlife whether you believe in one or not.

Religion is not a set of rules to me. Certainly my faith informs how I live but not like a checklist of things I must do and must not do. If we turn religion into a five step process to salvation, it has lost its life giving abilities. Also if religion is only about rules I must follow to be “saved” it becomes a very selfish pursuit. It is this that leads to dangerous platitudes like “love the sinner, hate the sin” quite frankly when I have seen people try to practice this idea it has always devolved into hating the sinner. We must focus on community and solving the real problems of this world not blindly arguing dogmas.

I completely reject religious exclusivism. I believe whole heartedly that there are many ways to God, Goddess, the Creator (whatever name you choose to use). I believe that Jesus reveals one way and so I follow that way. But as I journey up the metaphorical mountain to the source I more and more often hear the sounds and prayers of those on other paths and they brighten my journey. I believe we are going the same direction we are just taking different paths. I have often, on my walk, been taught how to be a better Christian by Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Atheists and Agnostics. Without the influence of these others I would have been missing essential parts of my own faith. It is incredibly important to me to walk the journey with these people and see them as spiritual equals.

Religion should be about embracing ones true/whole self and the true/whole selves of those around us. Religion is about wholeness, it is for this reason it is so important for me to be a part of the fight for full inclusion my LGBT sisters and brothers. Also why I think it is so important to try to actively dismantle systems of racism within and outside of us. If people are treated as subhuman or asked to assimilate to be parts of our communities not only are they being harmed by religion but we are harming religion by not embracing the wholeness that they have to offer to the whole. Religion should help people live into their full selves, the beautiful selves that God, Goddess, the Creator has made them to be. Religion should bring people together too often it does not.

To me the heart of religion is connection, connection with the divine, connection with my fellow journeyers and connection with the world around us. This is what I view my spiritual life and my practices as cultivating. By engaging my spiritual practices I hope to feel more connected and gain a sense of compassion and a resolution for social justice that spurs me to action. Spiritual practice should lead to a life lived out of that practice.

Ultimately, there is a lot of religion out there and there is much I reject. There are many constructions of “God” that simply don’t work for me and I am not shy about rejecting them in my life and asking what the implications of believing in such a god would have. There are days where religious systems and institutions are so frustrating that it is tempting to reject them all together, however I instead choose to embrace the life giving possibilities I have experience in the divine. I choose to walk a path that defines religion as connections, inclusion, community and love. This is how I define religion and how it informs my life. It is not the only answer but it is mine.

"Because the Bible says" is not good enough.

This week my New Testament Professor made a point I could not go by without sharing and expanding on. We were talking about the Gospel of Matthew and shared how interesting he found the narrative of Jesus' temptation. He pointed out that the Satan character in the narrative tempts Jesus using scripture and Jesus responds with other scripture. To say the Bible says one thing is entirely incorrect because the fact is that the bible says a lot of things and they often contradict themselves.

That being the case why do people continue to say I believe x simply because the Bible says? The answer is that we don't want to take responsibility for our own beliefs. Any reading of the bible necessarily is an interpretation because the Bible does not have one single monolithic theology or viewpoint, on top of that not only is the reader interpreting but if you are not reading in the original language you are at the mercy of the interpretation of the interpreter. And even if you do speak Greek and Hebrew the texts that exist are a compilation of ancient manuscripts which have textual variants within them so even in the original language you are at the mercy of the interpretation of textual critics.

I'm not saying that the scripture is not important, because I think the scripture is incredibly important but what I'm saying is that we can not use the scripture as a shield that relieves us from responsibility for our actions and beliefs. If our answer is that we believe something only because the bible says, I don't think we are taking our belief or the bible seriously. We are also dangerously relieving ourselves from the responsibility of the implications and ends that such beliefs bring about. Much evil has and continues to be justified in this way.

We must take responsibility for ourselves. We must examine our believes using our experience, reason and in conversation with what the tradition has said (this does not necessarily mean agreeing with the tradition but at least taking it into account). If our faith is not examined, thought about, and wrestled with it is no faith at all. And I believe that the authority of scripture only comes when we wrestle with it and struggle with it. We must be a part of the scripture making process.

I hope not to stand behind bible and use it as a shield. I hope to have an examined, thinking faith. I hope that when I fail in these things than I can recognize it.

A Much Deserved Thank You!!!

To all my PSR Friends,

You all deserve a big thank you. As many of you know I deal with issues of anxiety and depression. Two weeks ago I went through I really bad week where I let my anxiety and panic attacks get the better of me. It is not the first time it has happened, and though I hope it is the last I know it will probably not be the last. In the past when I have struggled with this issues I have felt terribly alone and it has only made me want to withdraw more. But this time I experienced something I have always longed for but had long quit believing would ever happen. I had people see that I was struggling, even though if I'm honest I was trying to hide it. You recognized my pain, and asked me how I was doing. You asked me not in the dismissive way I'm used to but in a way that invited me to be open, you cared enough about me to allow me to be vulnerable and tell you what was really going on. You listened to me and made me feel worthwhile. I can not express how meaningful this is to me. I could not say how thankful I am to all of you and how much all of you mean to me. Thank you!

With all my love,

Chris

Crying Out

Quiet...
There you are...
I feel you but you speak not...
or do you?
Its so hard to tell.
I know you and I don't.
You're right here...
or maybe you're too far...
even to touch.
Help me!!!
I need to understand...
or maybe I don't.

When Fear Wins America Loses

I have a lot I could write about in the midterm elections and there are no two ways around this I am disturbed by a number of things that happened yesterday. Sadly can not get to everything I would want to in just this blog but I do want to hit on a couple of things.

I think at the heart of what we saw happen last night was based on fear. An great example of this is Oklahoma which felt it was necessary to have a ballot measure that banded Sharia Law. I have spent a lot of the morning trying to research why this would be an issue in Oklahoma, not surprisingly I could not find a single example of Sharia being used in that state. So where does this kind of ballot measure come from? The answer is fear, fear of the "other" which in our current culture is Islam. This ballet measure in my opinion is a reaction not to any real threat but rather to fear of a people and a religion that many American's do not understand.

This is not the only vote that was driven by fear. In Iowa 3 state Supreme Court Justices were removed from the court because the in a unanimous decision the court made that denying LGBT people the right to marry was against the Iowa Constitution. I seriously doubt that those who voted against these judges looked at any other cases that these individuals presided over. Obviously I am a supporter of marriage rights, but even if you have a problem with LGBT people getting married is their really any harm that can be done to you by them being married, or visiting the person they love in the hospital, or being able to be on each others health insurance? The only answer I see to this question is no. The heart of this measure was reacting against judges who allowed something that was feared because it is understood.

In Arizona the people voted to end the state's affirmative action programs. This vote seems to me to be a clear example of white privilege perpetuating itself. Reading the arguments to end these programs I see fear, fear that you may not get a job and someone else may. When we realize there is a great disparity in the jobless rate for African Americans vs that of white Americans we can see that there are reasons that programs like affirmative action are rightfully in place.

If all that was no bad enough, but Rand Paul was elected to Congress of the United States. It is deeply troubling because this is a man who said that he disagreed with Article II the Civil Right Act of 1964 which prevents private businesses from discriminating based on race. I understand people saying the wrong thing during a race but he not only said this but defended it. Frankly, there is no excuse for this position he held and defended and I think it brings into serious question his ability to hold any position of power.

In the end I recognize that though I think those who voted these things into being made the wrong decisions, I have to recognize their right to vote the way they did. But I have to say that I believe that fear motivated a lot of those votes. Yes, we live in uncertain times, but if we continue to act out of fear it is the country that loses. It is fear that caused the Salem Witch Trials, fear that caused the Red Scare, and fear that caused us go into Iraq which cost many American Service Women and Men their lives.

We need to have a rational conversation in this country. One that does not comprise of soundbites. One that will not sell papers or drive ratings but one that will help us to rediscover our mutual purpose. I do truly believe we have a mutual purpose. We will not always agree, but we can disagree in a better way. We can leave the fear behind, we can recognize the racism, sexism, hetrosexism and privilege that exist in our country and we can do something about it.

God help us all.

We Can Be Silent No Longer

Over the years I have heard far too much hate coming from churches directed toward LGBTQ people. I have also seen many wonderful congregations and individuals who have been working for full inclusion for LGBTQ people within religious institutions. In the middle I have seen a lot of well meaning congregations stay out of the issue all together trying not to upset anyone believing that simply because they are not actively perpetrating this hate, they can stay out of the debate.

The recent suicides of 5 LGBTQ young people needs to act as a wake up call to us all. As people of faith and even more for those of us who are leaders have to recognize that our silence is, in a very real way, costing young people their lives. Those of us who believe that LGBTQ people are made in the image of God and that that God not only accepts them for who they are but longs for them to be exactly who they are, we have a responsibility to not allow hate dressed in religious language to be the only voice heard.

When we have people like Tom Prichard from the Minnesota Family Council making statements blaming the suicides on “homosexual indoctrination.” We can be silent no longer. I understand that for many in religious leadership there is risk involved with talking about this issue and taking a stand for inclusion, but think of it this way LGBTQ people everywhere risk each day by just being themselves, I simply find it unethical to choose silence because it is easier or less risky.

As religious leaders we must be willing to risk our own comfort, because there are people in our pews and sanctuaries that are looking for our guidance on this issue. There are many people who are inclined to do much to further the cause of inclusion if we only give them permission to do so. There are also youth and adults in our congregations that simply want to hear from someone that God really does affirm them, people who have been bullied, attacked (possibly physically), and demeaned simply for being who they are. This is simply not ok and we have say so.

Simple tolerance is not enough, to tolerate does not mean to be in solidarity with LGBTQ folks. No, only full inclusion goes far enough, and not a quiet inclusion that simply says this is what we believe, please leave us alone. We must practice an inclusion that all the world can hear, one that sends a message that says the Jesus we understand is not ok with people being stripped of their humanity. That those who call homosexuality an abomination do not speak for us or the Jesus we know.

I implore you be silent no longer, there are those out there who need to hear about the inclusive love of God in which we believe. There are those who need to feel the tangible inclusive love we can provide. As the Church we must repent, our silence has at the very least contributed to the deaths of many wonderful people who we were not there for. We can not let this continue to happen.

God have mercy on us for our silence. God help us as we move to real inclusion. God strengthen us for the struggle. God remind all that you love them for exactly who you made them.

... and yet I am

My history holds a legacy of oppression
but I am not my history... and yet I am.

My faith has perpetrated much evil
but I am not my faith... and yet I am.

My country is build on systems of privilege
but I am not my country... and yet I am.