He walks into the spirituality - not church - group, loud and aggressive. He says he was a Baptist preacher. He informs me the truth about God is only in the Christian Bible. He wants me to agree. The man tells me he is not going to listen to anything referring to God as Mother or any teaching like that given in the Unitarian Universalist Church. Everyone else is silently looking on. He has taken center stage, briefly and to no avail.
Obviously, he is one of the conservative, Bible-believing evangelicals. I see this quickly, for I was raised with the same us-against-them ideology. Yet, I was not one to walk into someone else's class or church and announce what I would or would not accept or act with such hostility toward them. I never thought I had a right to give someone I had never met an orthodoxy - as I defined orthodoxy - test to see if they were a heretic. - again, heretic as I had been taught. I have calmly walked out of evangelical church meetings, but not acting out like a raging, fussy child - once, when I received inner guidance that what was happening in the worship meeting was not true to Spirit, and, so, I was to leave immediately, another time when a pastor talked about children going to a burning hell.
During this inmate's temper tantrum, I calmly advise him anyone is welcome, anyone can share their ideas, and he can, too, but we respect everyone's presence and sharing - my efforts are unavailing. This inclusiveness does not satisfy him. He is fastened to a shadow, so he feels - feels for there is nothing thoughtful about such behavior - he must defend and protect it.
The man speaks of leaving. I agree that is likely a good idea. An officer takes him away. Why? Fear of anything that does not agree with his God-shadow. Or, we could say, "Being kind enough to respect others' ideas about God and Truth is not tolerable?" - Behind such aggression is always fear. When a person merges with the image - political, religious - to lose the image is felt as a loss of self. Self, then, has become the system of sanctioned labels by which the group identifies friends and enemies, the saved and damned, and those with a right to justice and those not deserving of justice. And the line between us and them can be as simplistic as saying a save-me-Jesus prayer, the color of one's skin, one's economic "worth," or with whom one naturally is inclined to enjoy loving sex.
Being right becomes more important than love is. Is this not the sad affair of so much religion? Politics? We see it all over the media - so-called Christians worshipping their God-image, leading to hate and division, not unity. Politicians supporting politicians regardless of their rhetoric, crimes, convictions, or moral values. How powerful adoration of shadows can be, how ungodly attachment to "sacred" images that reside only in the dancing neurons of the head. Even while holding their King James Version, how easily persons are baited into worshipping the undeserving of worship, not to speak of how unwise it is even to trust them. Yet, many of these people confess God. What God - better, god?
* * *
The late Jesuit priest Anthony DeMello said about fellow Catholic priests -
The more occupied we are in the things of God, the more likely we priests are to forget what God is all about - and the more complacent we're likely to become. That's the story of Jesus. Who do you think got rid of Jesus? The priest - who else? The religious people. That's the terror of the Gospel, see?
*Rediscovering Life: Awaken to Reality.
* * *
A devotee meditated for long hours daily. And he took great pride in his spiritual practices. The Sage asked, "What are you meditating so much for?" The man said, "I want to be more spiritual." "Get rid of that want," replied the Sage.
And ...
A devotee was lazy in his spiritual practice. The Sage asked, "Why are you not more devoted to your spiritual practice?" The man replied, "I don't know, I just can't seem to want to." "Then, get the want to," replied the Sage.
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
* * *
DeMello points out how being zealous in our spirituality or religious devotion does not necessarily lead to us being rightly spiritual. Such zeal can lead us away from the spirit of the Way.
The Sage recognized persons need differing guidance. One person's desire may need relaxing; another may need urging to be more desirous. "I want" is not something we can simply drop - it drops.
* * *
When the "I want" is removed, what is left? One grows to that point. The "I want" needs to remain until it is no longer needed. Then, we grow through releasing "I" and "want." Then, we are one with the practice. Attention can turn from ourselves as the one doing the practice or being the disciple. We no longer feel the attachment to our spiritual practice.
* * *
Spiritual practice is not for us to become fascinated with spiritual practice. God is not present for us to become increasingly occupied with God. Religious devotion easily becomes irreligious.
If you are a theist - Do you think God needs a lot of your attention? God might say, "Get a life!" Now, I am being a little jocular here, and I cannot speak for God, but it seems if God is God, God doesn't need us to be obsessed with God - which means, for most theists, a God-image.
To make love to an image is to make love to a shadow. No matter how zealous we are about an image, it is an image - an idea. The shadow is present to prepare us to "see" the Truth. When you see the Moon's reflection on the surface of the pond, look up to "see" the Moon.
Does the image drop? The attachment to it does. There is nothing wrong with the variety of God-images. We grow, however, to be aware the image is only a means, regardless of how dear it is to us. We, also, grow to see persons arguing about God is not disputing about God but only fussing about different shadows.
When interrogated on my religious beliefs, I once was asked in a pastor's meeting to approve or disprove me for assignment to a church, "Is the God of Christians and Muslims the same God?" A conservative pastor, with a smug, know-it-all look posed the question. The answer is ... "Well, neither." They point to the same Truth that "God" and "Allah" and "the Light" and "Shiva" and "Great Spirit" and "Truth" and "the Beloved" and "Father" and "Mother" and "Yahweh" ... point to. If they help, great. If not, okay. Yet, when we cannot see the Moon for our fascination with Its reflection, we are missing a more direct, intimate relationship with the Moon.
We humans allow beliefs to divide us, for we value beliefs more than cherish each other. And to use God as an excuse is simply ridiculous and defaming of every loving being who loves God and seeks peace and justice among us all. Why fight about shadows, when we can make love together with the Truth? Which do you choose... A world of your group? A world of us all? A religion god? God? The god politicians can use to get votes and keep in power? The God who is too God to be subject to such paltry political manipulation?
* * *
The opening story of the man in the group is a window onto our subject for today. Such persons are many. They represent a choice for us. Let us choose to believe and act in a manner respectful to all beings, loving toward everyone, including Earth. Let us not fuss and fight about shadows but love in the Light.
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse.
